Chapter 8: The Divulgence of One's Mind
A LONG line was starting to pool at the Starcourt box office but luckily, Steve had gotten their tickets while he waited for Jean.
However, the concession stand was a different story, they waited for what seemed like forever for an order of popcorn, which despite Jean's objections, Steve generously paid for.
They walked through the dark aisle and reached the cinema, only lit by the large screen playing a selection of advertisements.
"Front seats are for suckers." Steve whispered when he found a prime spot in the back of the theater, thinking those who sat too close to the screen to be idiots. He and Jean squeezed past those already seated.
Once they settled in, things were quiet as they watched the previews, a soft smile crossed Steve features as he glimpsed between the bright screen and the beautiful Jean Grey.
Jean slumped back in her chair, taking a sip from the icy cola drink in hand and before the movie began, she thought to break the news to her friend. "By the way, I decided to take your advice."
"What advice?" Steve said in a gentle voice. The movie starting to play behind him, but his eyes were only on her.
"You know, I decided to follow in your footsteps."
"Not following." He admitted, looking clueless.
"As you may or may not know, Lucas' parents are going to be busy all summer." She explained step by step, seeing Steve nodding, indicating that he followed with her.
"Uh huh."
"Sooo, you're looking at Lucas little sister's babysitter!" She enthused, her volume turned down but Jean's excitement visible from her tone and facial expression. The red haired eighteen year old was grateful to get a job. One that she liked to think would be perfect for her, since she got along really well with El and her friends. While Hopper disagreed at first, he relented eventually as she argued that she needed to become her own person and find her way in the world. She couldn't let her amnesia debilitate her from going on with her life.
"That's great!" Steve congratulated her, a little too loud -much to the dismay of the people sitting next to him.
"Shush."
Steve Harrington's face fell, and an adorable pout took place as he received a number of glares. "Why am I always shushed when I'm with you?" He mumbled to himself, eliciting a soft giggle from Jean.
Not wanting to bother people, the redhead leaned in to whisper into Steve's ear. Fortunately for him, she missed the slightest shudder that came from him as a reaction to her warm breath tickling his skin.
"Anywho, her parents love the fact that I have basically no plans whatsoever for the summer so I can be at their beck and call whenever they need."
"Hey, we hang out." Steve retorted, somewhat offended but he played it off in a joking way.
She sent him a knowing look. "Yeah, but you start working at Scoops in a couple of days."
"True.." The brown haired male agreed. "But you can always come and visit, check me out all in uniform." Steve suggested in a flirty tone. He was told that he'd be receiving a sailor uniform, so he imagined an outfit that made his masculinity ooze out. An actual manly sailor's look.
Little did he know, the actual uniform would make him look like a toddler. And it would later fuel Jean's unbridled amusement.
"Deal."
A few days have passed.
Much to Eleven's dismay, Jean was hanging out with Max for the day. Of course, Jean had to choose the Mayfield residence over sitting awkwardly in the cabin's living room, with a seething Hopper while El and Mike 'hung out'. When they all knew they were making out. All. The. Time.
If Jean were to interrupt their session to grab something from the room for even a second, she would feel the irritation radiating from the prepubescent boy ready to engulf her.
So even though it bothered El, Jean ran over to Max' place.
"I don't see how this is any fun for you." The telepath pinched up her face as she looked at the younger girl. She was laying on her stomach atop Max's bed, while the other redhead was sitting up, cross-legged.
"Come on! One more time." Max drawled, pouting to get her way. She was incredibly bored.
The two girls had spent all their time in the Mayfield girl's room, and they were running out of things to do. They styled each other's red hair, listened to songs, and ate a massive amount of junk food whilst reading magazines and comic books, and so on.
But with them hitting a wall on what they should do next, and Jean still having an hour left until Mike went home and vacating her spot on the bed, they came up with a rather boring option. It being Jean glancing at a book page and then narrating the whole thing from memory.
"Okay!" Jean relented, sending Max a playful eyeroll.
The older female grabbed a book that was sprawled on the bed and with a single look at a one of its pages, she shut it and put it aside.
Max, for some reason -boredom mostly- couldn't get enough of Jean's display of her eiditic memory as she muttered each line with perfect precision. She didn't believe Dustin at first when he'd told her, but now she was amazed. "Can you please take my exams for me when we go back to school?" Max jokingly asked, but would absolutely go with it if Jean agreed.
Jean chuckled. "Or I could just read your teacher's mind and figure out what the exam questions are gonna be."
"Oh my gosh, yes!" Max wholeheartedly smiled, thinking about how easy it would have been to pass Mr. Clark's science class if she had superpowers.
"I'm really glad you came over." The shorter teen mumbled, as if she was embarrassed to say so.
"So am I." Jean genuinely meant it. Both Max and El were wonderful to her, they were strong in their own ways and kindhearted. She found it was a shame they couldn't be closer than they currently were.
"It's a nice change from hanging out with the boys all the time." Max said, pursing her lips. "I don't really have...girl friends."
"Yeah, you do. You have El." The amnesic girl said on impulse without thinking.
The Dig-Dug-high-score holder perked a brow at Jean, mockery entangling in her tone. "Either your amnesia has started to affect your short term memory or you have selective blindness."
"Rude." Jean said, feigning being hurt.
Max laughed.
"El would rather fling me off my skateboard using her powers than hang out with me."
"Well, maybe you guys got off on the wrong foot, that's all. I'm sure you'll be able to work passed it and become besties."
"Yeah, right." Max muttered, rolling her eyes, but genuinely hoping that was true. Ever since Lucas had told her about Eleven, Max had wanted to be her friend. But she was rejected at every gesture she made when she did nothing wrong. Eventually, she gave up, and the two maintained a stable yet somewhat distant relationship.
Shaking her head from the thought, Max went to change the subject. "How are things going on with Steve, shouldn't you be hanging out with him?" She suggested, wiggling her brows suggestively. She found that the two would make a great couple. Even if they claimed to be just friends, they've been hanging out together almost every day since the summer vacation started.
Choosing to ignore the younger girl's insinuation at her and Steve's relationship, Jean answered, "Nah, he had to work tonight."
Max scrunched up her features. "He's actually being an adult, it's really weird."
"Speaking of which, I start my babysitting gig tomorrow. Please thank Lucas for me again."
"Are you kidding? He's over the moon that he got rid of her!" Max revealed.
"What do you mean?" Jean cluelessly asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"He was scared that his mom was going to pin Erica to him all summer. You were his scapegoat."
"Wow." The telepathic girl widened her eyes, intimidation creeping up on her now. Erica Sinclair must've been a handful, she thought. "So, any advice?"
Max went thoughtful for a moment. "Just don't take everything she says to heart. She...doesn't have a filter sometimes."
Sometimes? More like all the time. But that was something Jean would later find out on her own.
"Hey, how's the superpower training going by the way?" Max asked, getting onto a newer interesting topic.
"Pretty good. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it." Jean exclaimed. No matter what, she didn't fully understand her telepathic capacity, its true nature was a mystery to her, and yet it was part of her. Jean was just grateful that she'd gotten a grasp on the thought broadcasting on everyone's part. With El's help of course.
"That's good to hear. So you can use it at will now?"
"I think so.."
The Mayfield girl tapped Jean's knee, prompting her to sit up facing her. "Okay, go for it." She suggested, offering to let her read her thoughts.
Jean sighed, lifting her hand and placing two of her fingers gently against her temple. She found when she does so, it was easier to focus.
Then, out of nowhere, loud heavy metal music roared from a room adjacent to Max's. It broke Jean's attention, but not before she heard an insult echoing in the younger girl's head.
'That bitch!'
Jean recoiled. "I hope you didn't mean me."
Max waved a dismissive hand at her. "No, it's my stupid stepbrother." She bit out, as she felt her insides almost vibrating from how high the music volume was from the room on the other side of the wall.
"The music is pretty loud." Jean trailed off, mentally thinking what kind of person Max's stepbrother was. She never spoke of him, so Jean only knew of his existence.
"Can you please tell him to turn it down?"
"What?" Jean's incredulous tone fluttered in her tongue as she widened her eyes at the shorter girl. She wanted her to step up to her brother -a person she'd never met- and tell him to turn down the music?
"Please." Max begged, stretching her vowls. She wanted nothing to do with him for the day after what had happened the night before. Billy's temperament was always worse towards her every time after his father's... scoldings. So, she thought it'd would be best if Jean had done so, as Billy would never reveal his violent nature in front of a stranger or take out his anger out on her. He was like a loose canon that would lash out if tested.
Jean Grey wondered why Max looked so distressed, but eventually gave a shrug. It was the least she could do after spending the day in her household. "Fine."
"Thanks. First door on the right, down the hall." Max chirped to a reluctant Jean.
Jean walked through the short corridor with small steps, and halted once she came to a door from behind which the source of the noise blared. Forming a fist, she raised her hand and knocked softly on the door.
There was no answer.
She knocked again, this time loudly and incessantly to at least get the sound across from the loud music.
Just when she was about to give up, the door burst open, startling her as it did. But was surprised her the most was the person by the threshold to the room.
"What?!" He yelled at the moment he opened the door, before really getting a look at who it was.
"What are you doing here?" Billy snapped once he realized who it was, his shoulders were tense, his jaw clenched.
Jean gulped, she didn't realize how terrifying the flirt could be when he wanted to. "I was hanging out with Max.. I didn't know you were her brother." She was still recovering from the initial shock of finding that Billy Hargrove, the guy who took her to a diner without asking, was Max's brother.
The hallway was dark, but as her vision adjusted, she got a good look at his face. His eyes were red rimmed, with deep bags under his eyes. When he tilted his head slightly (wondering why Jean hung out with his sister) it was then Jean could see the purple bruise that bloomed from his cheekbones to his temple.
Her entire body seized up for a moment before she reacted all at once, almost wanted to throw herself at him on instinct. "A-are you okay? Did you get into a fight or something?" She asked, concerned as she was inspecting his face.
"That's none of your business." Billy extinguished the cigarette at his door frame and growled in response. He looked at her, his eyes frighteningly empty. "Why are you here?"
Inhaling sharply, Jean remembered her reason for coming. "Can you please turn down the music?" She politely requested. According to his mood, Jean expected Billy to decline and shut the door on her face. But to her surprise, he sidestepped, giving her a look that said, 'if you want to, then go ahead and do it yourself'.
Looking between him and the speakers that was only inches from her, Jean hesitated before walking into the lion's den. She quickly leaned forward and turned down the heavy metal to Max's delight.
Unbeknownst to her, Billy was lustfully looking over her. Seeing the tight camisole and summer shorts Jean was wearing, the flawless skin it revealed, he knew that he found something that would completely change his foul mood.
Jean turned to face Billy, expecting him to be a couple of feet away, but was taken a back when she saw him saunter towards her. She watched carefully as Billy's whole demeanor changed. It was like something flipped inside of him, and then an almost amused snarl stretched his lips.
"Leaving so soon?" His movement was painfully slow, but Jean stood her ground.
"Umm.. Yes?"
"You sure you don't wanna stay for a bit?" Billy asked after a while, taking a strand of her red hair, and twirling it between his fingers.
Just then, Jean Grey realized with striking clarity that Billy Hargrove was completely unpredictable.
Face scrunched in confusion, she readily shook her head and removed her hair from his grasp. "No, I'm good."
When being released from Billy's clutches, she stumbled away from the denim clad male, and made a large distance between them.
Suddenly the sound of a lock clicking met her ears, causing the redhead to realize that Billy wasn't in front of her anymore. She quickly turned on the heel of her feet and looked at Billy with wide eyes as she saw him stand by the door.
"Did you just lock the door?" She hissed, stomping towards the blonde and trying to reach for the handle. But Billy wrapped his large hand around her small fist.
"Let me go." Jean tried to yank her hand out of his hold, but his grip has proved to be too tight. A few angry breaths escaped through her nose, and her palm began to become sweaty. She peeped at Billy through her lashes, and caught his eyes gazing at her.
"What are you doing?" The green eyed girl held her breath as now Billy towered over her, he only had a couple of inches on her, but his muscular form made him look so large in comparison.
"When are you gonna drop that this hard-to-get act, babe?" He drawled out, his low voice rumbled within his throat. His darkened eyes trailed over her body agonizingly slow, skimming over her bare shoulders, the soft skin of her throat and the swell of her breasts.
Jean's skin tingled under his gaze, warmth flooding her.
"I'm not putting up an act." She denied, his gaze eliciting the trembling of her voice, making it seem like she was lying.
The Californian smirked smugly. "You sure about that?" His rough voice was swimming with tempting darkness and heat crawled over Jean's skin. To her memory, this was the first time she'd been this close to a boy.
Billy was leaning closer, his body heat reaching for hers. There was a lull suddenly as both teenagers inhaled. Jean's senses were flooded with cigarette smoke and a tempting spicy scent of Billy's.
With his eyes boring into hers, she realized how extremely close the two were, their chests nearly touching.
Jean was so close to Billy that she could see as he took a deep and jagged breath in, but it wasn't the only thing she could see once his arm brushed against hers.
It all came crashing in on Jean at once. An ache began to set in behind her temple. She could hear her own heart beat loud and clear. Flashes of images filled Jean's head when Billy's arm grazed hers, and a sharp pain ran through her head concisely.
She was in his mind.
And when Jean reached into it, all she found was pain.
There was a flicker of the past which was pushed forwards to her, bringing itself to her own brain so she could relive it.
She saw a room, this very same room -in a home that Billy never considered a home- he was on the ground, fingers splayed on the floor and blood dripped beside them, staining the wooden floor red.Jean felt the pain rushing through her -if not physical, it was an ache in her heart she couldn't soothe. In a heartbeat, she understood everything. When he looked up, there was a man; he was prevalent in each and every one of his haunting memories that Jean knew who he was even before she heard Billy utter, "Dad."
And when she flinched, the memory was lost.
Jean wanted to retch. What kind of father would do this? She felt a weight settle on her chest and a knot bending in her stomach.
No one should ever go through what he does.
The things she'd just witnessed when she touched Billy felt as real as if she were seeing them through the boy's eyes. Those visions she had made her feel an intense connection with him. She felt like she somehow understood Billy now.
She was sorry that she didn't before.
Billy would often sit on the bed, music on the loudest volume to tune out the sound of his own jagged breathing. Head in his hands, reluctant tears leaking of both sadness and rage and his tanned skin ripped and bruised.
His insecurities made him act the way he did. He had a constant need to feel validated and wanted so he resorted to... intimate relations just so he could feel something other than anger. That was what she came to find out.
Jean blinked at his pale blue eyes, her vision turning blurry from the thickening tear film of her eyes. Part of her still envisioned the pain and abuse. It seemed so real.
Determinedly, she squirmed under his touch, trying to untangle herself from him, and she successfully did.
The blonde haired teenager was surprised at her sudden change in demeanor.
While she felt that a long time had passed as she delved into his head, in actuality it'd be less than a fraction of a second.
She sighed, feeling an immense need to console the boy, because she'd felt what he'd felt -as brief as it was.
Blinking a few times, Jean composed herself, meeting her eyes wholeheartedly with his and never breaking contact. "Look, I appreciate that you feel like you need whatever this is."
Billy scoffed at her presumptuous statement. Who was she to tell him what he did or didn't need? She was just a distraction, he thought to himself.
"Maybe it's because something happened and this is your way of feeling better about yourself."
Bewilderment blinked across Billy's face as Jean softly spoke, her voice soothing.
"And since I'm sure you think I'm just a distraction right now, I'm going to go ahead and not put both of us through that." She said, after hearing his thoughts just now, and her emphasis on the term 'distraction' made Billy slightly flinch.
He didn't know what was going on, why she suddenly spoke like she knew him. Just now, he was sure he had her, and now she talked with such maturity like she was above doing what they were about to do.
All the other girls were dying to get with him. So why not her?
"What are you talking about?" He gruffly asked, stepping back a few paces.
"But I am going to give you this-" Jean stepped up to him all too abruptly, arms raised to place on his shoulders.
What was this weirdo doing?
The touch took him by surprise but after composing himself he realized it hadn't really bothered him. If anything the soft touch had been soothing... to the point of gentleness. It caused an unknown warmth to radiate through his body.
"You don't deserve this." Jean asserted, a benevolent smile morphed her features. "You're a good guy. You will get through this." She maintained her assuring look, patting his shoulders once before parting from him.
She then turned to unlock the door, to leave and give Billy some space.
"What?" He asked chary and bewildered as he looked at the girl before him.
Half-turned, Jean looked back to the blonde, the smile never leaving her features. "If you ever need anybody to talk to or just...listen, I'm here."
A muscle popped in Billy's locked jaw and his eyes held a mix of sadness and astonishment as he watched her walk away.
He slammed his bedroom door shut with a discrete sniffle, exhaling sharply.
A/N:-*Gasps* A new update this quickly? I should be studying but I just couldn't help myself
How are you liking the story so far? Enjoying the flow of events?We're a few chapters away from entering the third season, what would you like to see happen? I'd love to hear about your suggestions!Don't forget to favorite, follow and review!