Chapter IX:

Head Over Heels

Billy

After coming to the realization that he had developed feelings for Steve, Billy had the urge to shove Steve off of him and bolt out the door. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to fall asleep. The temptation to run away, however, had not dissipated and his anxiety about the situation prevented him from sleeping at all. When Steve had finally rolled over and released Billy from his grip, Billy got out of bed and paced around the house. Eventually, the sun started to rise and Billy knew that he had to make a decision.

He knew that if he and Steve fucked again, that it wouldn't just be sex anymore. As much as Billy wanted to be with Steve, the desire to run away from his feelings was much more overwhelming. He considered just leaving without any explanation but he knew that Steve deserved better than that. Billy marched upstairs and sat on the edge of the bed, making sure to face away from Steve. He knew that he would not be able to leave if he was looking into Steve's eyes when he said the words. However, the pain that Billy was able to detect in Steve's voice had still made it nearly unbearable.

As soon as he said he was leaving, Billy knew that he had made a huge mistake. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and Billy had no choice but to follow through on his decision. He managed to hold it together until he was alone in his car. He hit his steering wheel and screamed, like he had done so many times before. It was no use; the small outburst of aggression did not help ease his pain or guilt. He needed to find a way to dull his emotions and Billy's first thought was that alcohol could do the trick.

Billy drove to a small bar on the outside of town. Luckily, they never carded anyone there. He drank several beers before frustration set in. He was still upset and feeling guilty about leaving Steve. He then noticed another patron grab the ass of one of the waitresses. Taking the opportunity to be violent, Billy jumped out of his seat and walked over to the misogynist. "Hey, asshole," he said as he grabbed the guy's shoulder. With the man facing him, Billy threw a punch. "What the fuck, kid?" the guy asked as he held a hand to his bleeding nose.

Billy grabbed the man's collar and reprimanded him for his actions, "Don't ever fucking touch someone without their permission. Got it, asshole?" The guy just laughed. Billy responded by throwing punch after punch until he was finally dragged away. He was thrown out the front door and told to leave. Too intoxicated to drive, Billy decided to walk for a bit. After a while, Billy found himself on a street that he recognized. Pulling out the piece of paper in his wallet, Billy saw that it was the street where Susan's friend lived.

He was only a few houses away from the address, so he began to walk towards it. Billy rang the doorbell, suddenly feeling nauseous from the alcohol and his nerves. Some lady that looked vaguely familiar answered the door as Billy vomited onto her doormat. "What the – " Susan had appeared behind the lady and interrupted her, "Billy?" "I'm sorry," Billy barely got out before puking again. Susan's friend spoke, "It's okay, we will just hose it off or something. Let's get you inside, hun." The two ladies helped usher Billy inside to the bathroom.

Susan sat beside Billy and held his hair out of his face as he threw up into the toilet. He wasn't sure if it was because he was drunk or if it was because Susan was showing him affection he hadn't been accustomed to since his mother had died, but he began to weep. Susan stroked his hair and asked, "What's wrong, sweetie?" He didn't answer; instead he placed his arms on the toilet seat and rested his head on them as he gently sobbed.

Susan rubbed his back and told him, "I have some of your clothes upstairs. I'll go grab you something clean and once you feel like it, you can take a shower." A few minutes later, she came back with the clothes. Though he was still crying, Billy muttered, "Thank you," into the toilet, too embarrassed to look at Susan. She left and closed the door behind her. Billy vomited a couple more times before his stomach finally settled. He took a long, hot shower and got dressed in the clothes Susan had picked out. He wondered if Susan knew that the shirt was his favorite.

Billy combed his hair with his fingers before exiting the bathroom. Though the house was unfamiliar, it did not take him long to find Susan and her friend. They were sitting at the kitchen peninsula. "Billy, this is Lisa. She had been over to the house a couple times but I don't think you've been introduced. She's been kind enough to let me and Max stay here." "You are welcome to stay here as well, Billy," Lisa told him. "Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'm really sorry about your doormat. I'll clean it up." "Don't worry about it, it's already taken care of."

"Where's Max at?" he asked Susan. "Oh, she went to the arcade. I have to go pick her up in about an hour." "Is it okay if I go lie down somewhere for a bit?" Lisa nodded. "There's a bedroom upstairs, down the hall, and the last door on the right." "Thank you." He went upstairs and found the bedroom. On the bed, there was a bag filled with some of Billy's things. It was mostly clothes but there were a couple of other things as well. He slung the bag off of the bed before getting under the covers. It didn't take him long to dose off, the loss of sleep the night before taking its toll.

Max shook him awake not too much later. "What?" he mumbled. "I'm just making sure you are alive. My mom said you were drunk and ralphed everywhere." Billy groaned. "Just on the doormat and into the toilet." "Besides being an idiot, how are you? Are you even supposed to drink after getting your spleen out?" Billy laughed. "Probably not." She stared him down until Billy got annoyed. "What?" "You didn't answer my other question." He had purposely ignored it, not wanting to lie to her.

"Health-wise, I'm fine. Everything else, though? It's shit." Max's brows furrowed and she looked concerned. "What do you mean?" Billy was sick of hiding who he was, he had to tell someone. He took a deep breath before telling Max what really happened in California. Once he started talking, it all came flowing out. Though Billy was not intending on telling her anything about Steve, it just slipped from his lips. She had been quiet all through his rant but once he mentioned that he was sleeping with Steve, Max interrupted him.

"Wait, what? Steve Harrington? Seriously?" Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Billy started to panic. "Fuck, I shouldn't have told you that. Please, don't tell anyone." He grabbed her wrists. "Promise me you won't tell. Especially not Lucas or any of the others." Max pulled away from his grip and wrapped her arms around Billy. "I promise, I won't tell anyone. It's going to be okay." As much as Billy regretted blabbing, it felt good to be able to confide in someone. "It won't be okay, at least not with Steve. I've ruined it, I've hurt him."

"What happened?" she pried. "I was… afraid, so I pushed him away. Basically, broke it off." "What were you afraid of?" Billy scoffed. Max quickly added, "You don't have to tell me." He wanted to though, knowing that he could trust her. "Steve said he loved me. He was talking in his sleep, but I think he may have meant it. I was afraid, now I know, that I'm in love with him too. I was afraid of losing him." He laughed, humorless. "I'm a fucking idiot." Billy attempted to control his emotions, but the tears started to flow. Max grabbed him by the shoulders. "The Steve I know doesn't give up so easily, and neither do you."

Billy chuckled, despite himself. "Steve is stubborn." Max laughed. "And you're not?" He rolled his eyes in response. Billy then looked at her, hopeful. "Do you think he will forgive me?" She smiled and nodded her head rapidly. "Yeah, it will all work out. I'm sure of it." "Thank you, for everything," he said and surprised himself by hugging her. "Now, if you would kindly piss off, I'd like to go back to sleep. I didn't get any rest last night." Max giggled. "Okay, if you promise to take me over to the Byers' later." "Fine."

He managed to get a few more hours of sleep before Max woke him up again. "Lisa and mom made dinner, come eat." Billy grumbled and stretched before he finally rolled out of bed. Downstairs, Susan and her friend had beanie weenies and a box of Kraft dinner ready. Billy had to fight the urge to comment. Though not much effort was put into the meal, he was still appreciative of the thought. "Thank you for dinner, ladies," he said before giving them a charming smile.

They consumed their informal dinner in the formal dining room, an irony Billy found amusing. Max quickly scarfed down her plate and asked her mother, "Can I go to the Byers' house now?" "Maxine Elizabeth Mayfield, you will make yourself sick eating that quickly! You should know better." Billy stopped himself from laughing. "Besides, you have to wait until I'm finished if you want a ride." She crossed her arms in anger and sunk down into the chair.

Billy teased Max, using his fork to pick up a single bean at a time and slowly chew each one. She stared at him with utter contempt and Billy could see a hint of a smile spread across Susan's face. He ate about five or six baked beans in this manner before Susan spoke up with laughter in her voice, "Alright, that's enough. Don't be cruel." He chuckled and resumed eating his meal normally. When he was finished, Max exclaimed in a whisper, "Finally." Billy stood up and offered, "Would you like me to do the washing up since you did all of the cooking?"

Max groaned in annoyance and Susan gave her a pointed glare before declining, "No, that's okay but maybe the next time. Or you could do the cooking, I've heard you are quite the chef." Billy beamed. "Well I definitely haven't had any complaints. I would love to cook for you all sometime." "It's settled then. Max you are free to go now." Susan turned to Billy. "Make sure you bring her home before 9." He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. And thanks again for dinner."

When they pulled up to the Byers', Billy was relieved to see that Steve was not there. Max quickly unfastened her seatbelt but before she could get out of the car, he stopped her. "What?" "Just… please don't tell anyone." She put both of her hands on his shoulders. "Billy, I promise." He let out a sigh. "Okay, I'm sorry. Go have a good time. I'll be back by 8:30." She smiled before jumping out of the car and running up to the door. She knocked once before letting herself in.

Billy left, not sure of where to go. He did not want to return to Lisa's house but he sure as hell did not want to stay at the Byers'. He finally decided to go get an ice cream. There was a little shack that was only open during the summers with an assortment of frozen treats. It was a popular spot for teenagers who would buy their desserts and then hang out in an adjacent empty lot. When he arrived, a few people greeted him. He smiled and nodded but attempted to not get caught in conversation. After he purchased his ice cream, Billy leaned against the hood of his car as he consumed the treat.

Out of nowhere, Tommy approached him. "What do you want?" Billy asked viciously. Wearing that same moronic grin, indicating he was about to do or say something cruel, he came up beside Billy. "I heard you were in the hospital and that your dad beat up Harrington." Instead of responding, Billy just glared at him. He was irritated by how gossip spread like wildfire in Hawkins. "So my question is: why was Harrington there at the hospital with you? I didn't know you were friends. In fact, I thought you two hated each other."

"He's not so bad." Tommy chuckled. "He used to be cool, until he got with that slut Nancy. I think the breakup really fucked him up. First, he was only hanging out with his ex and her new fuck buddy. How messed up is that? Then, he started hooking up with some goth chick. Gross right? Who knows though, she's probably a freak in bed too. And now?" Tommy grabbed his shoulder and made a sinister sound pretending to be laughter.

"And now, Harrington is friends with a fag. Man, that guy has really lost his fucking mind." Billy continued to eat his ice cream for a moment before loudly commenting, "I heard you and Carol got back together. She is excellent at giving head, so you are one lucky bastard. Tell her if she gets tired of sucking your pencil dick, I'm available." Tommy's face turned bright red as the crowd broke out in laughter. Billy smirked before licking his ice cream.

Huffing with anger, Tommy spat, "How would you know what my dick looks like? You like looking at other dudes' dicks, faggot?" "So you admit it? You have a pencil dick." The crowd broke out in laughter again, clearly siding with Billy. In a rage, Tommy smashed Billy's ice cream to the ground. "Fuck you, Hargrove." Billy grinned at him menacingly. "What? You want to fuck me? I thought you said I was the gay one?" Their audience ate it up. Tommy got right up in Billy's face and whispered, "I don't care what you say. I know what you are."

Billy shoved him away and Tommy chuckled before walking away. As much as he wanted to hit Tommy, Billy knew that it would cause even more of a scene so he took a deep breath and slowly leaned back against his car. A girl, who looked vaguely familiar, suddenly introduced herself, "Hi, my name's Fiona." He bit his lip and pretended to check her out. "Well hello, I'm Billy." She blushed. "I know. I went to every basketball game last year. I'll be a junior this year."

"So you are a basketball fan?" She smiled, her flushed cheeks deepening in color. "Not really." Billy beamed at her, putting on an award winning performance. "I see. You are just a fan of me." The girl tilted her head down and looked at him through her lashes. She was an excellent flirt and if Billy was straight, he would have easily fallen victim to her charm.

Fiona was a beautiful girl. She was not very tall but she had long legs and was curvy in all the right places. She had long wavy strawberry blonde hair and porcelain skin. Freckles splattered her face and framed her emerald eyes. Her plump peach lips were slightly parted in anticipation. To keep up in appearances, Billy grasped her hand gently and asked, "May I kiss you Fiona?" Her eyes sparkled and she scooted close to him before softly whispering, "Yes." He caressed her face before kissing her. He intended to take things slow, but the girl was no amateur.

She was sticking her tongue down his throat and stroking his thigh. There were hoots and hollers from the crowd, egging them on. After a minute or so, he tried to break away from her but Fiona was clinging onto him. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously. "Sorry, I just don't like having an audience." Billy saw the tension leave her shoulders. "Oh okay. Do you wanna make out in your car?" He nodded his head, though he would rather do anything else, and they both got in the back seat.

Fiona was relentless with her kisses and touches. As they made out, Billy imagined she was Steve. Luckily it worked well enough that when she grabbed his crotch, he had an erection. She giggled and started undoing his jeans. "Woah, hold on." He stopped her. Fiona frowned. "You don't want a blowjob?" He laughed nervously. "No, not in the middle of a parking lot with a bunch of people basically watching us." "Oh, right. I nearly forgot," she said before smiling.

He looked at his watch. "Shit, I have to go. Unfortunately, I have to pick up my sister. Sorry, can I get your number and we can take this somewhere more private the next time?" She looked disappointed but pulled out a pen before writing her number on Billy's arm. "Call me," she shouted as she jumped out of his car. He adjusted his jeans so that his semi was not as visible. Billy then received a round of applause as he got out and walked around to the driver's seat. He smiled wide for the crowd before climbing into the Camaro and speeding off.

He pulled up to the Byers' house next to Karen Wheeler. She appeared to be sitting in her car, crying. When he had spoken to her before, he was using flirtation to extract the location of the kids from her. She had seemed nice and so he felt compelled to check on her. He lightly tapped on her window, but it still startled her. She rolled down her window, and immediately recognized him. "Billy? Are you picking up Max? I'm here for Nancy and Mike."

"Yeah, I'm picking her up. Sorry, I noticed you were upset and just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Karen sniffled before the tears started falling again. "I – I just don't know how to tell them," she sobbed. "I've asked my husband for a divorce and he is moving out. I tried, I tried for years to keep everything from falling apart for their sake. I just couldn't take it anymore."

He gently squeezed her shoulder. "It might be difficult, but surely they will understand. It may take some time but they will get there. I think they would much rather see both of their parents happy separately than miserable together. I wish my mother would have divorced my father. I would have given everything just to see her happy." She smiled through her tears and told him, "Thank you." "When I go in to get Max, I'll send Nancy and Mike out for you."

Billy knocked on the Byers' door, which was opened by Will. He just stared at Billy, so eventually Billy let himself in. He glanced around the room and spotted Max. "Max, let's go." During his brief and initial search, he did not see Nancy so he instructed Mike, "Wheeler, your mom is outside waiting. She wants Nancy to come too, said it's important." He looked confused but he slowly stood up and went to retrieve his sister. Max finally made her way to the door after saying her goodbyes. Billy somehow managed to get her back to the house on time.

Steve

When Robin kissed him, Steve had no idea how to react. He let it happen and eventually pulled away. He was about to turn her down lightly, but she spoke first, "You don't have to say anything. It's okay. I may be younger but I'm not completely naïve. I know that you don't like me the same way. It's just that I wanted to kiss you for a long time and I acted out of impulse. I'm sorry." He stared at her speechless for a moment before he could gather his thoughts.

"No, don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I promise it has nothing to do with you. You are beautiful and amazing but…" he took a deep breath, nervous because he hadn't said the words out loud, before he continued, "…I'm in love with someone." She looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure it's not just because Dustin likes me?" He shook his head before dissenting, "No, it's not the main reason but definitely a factor." "Are you still in love with Nancy?"

"No, I've started seeing someone else." Robin looked slightly annoyed. "Oh, okay. Who?" Steve sighed. He spun the same lie he had told Dustin. "I can't tell anyone. I really don't want Nancy finding out because I want to stay friends with her." "Surely she wouldn't care." "Believe me, she would if she found out who it was." She narrowed her eyes, probably trying to work out who it was. She must have given up because next she said, "I think it is about time you took me home. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah, let's get you home. Again, I'm really sorry, I know first hand how shitty it feels for someone to not like you back." Robin shrugged. "I understand though, you aren't obligated to share the same feelings." She hopped off the hood before getting into the passenger side of the car. Steve could tell she was upset, more angry than sad, but he did not know what to say to her to ease her mind. He got into the car and he drove Robin home in silence.

He felt a sense of relief after he dropped her off. It was exhausting to carry on a lie. However, at the same time it was a weight off Steve's chest to finally admit to someone that he was in love with Billy. Though Billy had left him just that morning, it felt as though years had passed. Eventually, Steve fell asleep but after hours of tossing and turning. His thoughts drifted between his guilt about Robin and his heartbreak over Billy.

After a quiet and pensive morning, Steve left in the afternoon for Dustin's house. He was nervous, which was appropriate considering what he was about to tell him. Steve knocked on the door; Mrs. Henderson must have been at work because Dustin answered. "Oh hey Steve, what are you doing here? Did we have something planned that I forgot about?" He shook his head. "No, I have to tell you something."

"Come on in. Should I be sitting?" Deafened by his own thoughts, Steve didn't quite catch Dustin's meaning. "Sorry, what?" "Steve! I said 'should I be sitting', like is it something serious?" "Well, it sucks but I wouldn't exactly categorize it as 'serious'." Dustin nodded in affirmation. "Okay, I'll sit down just in case." Steve followed him into the living room, with Dustin sitting on the chair and Steve sitting on the sofa. "Do your worst, let's hear it," Dustin prodded him.

Steve breathed in heavily before confessing, "Robin kissed me." He thought it best to get it over and done with as quick as possible. Like ripping off a band-aid. Dustin stared at him a moment before sinking into the chair with despair haunting his features. "Really?" he squeaked. "Yeah, I'm sorry man. We were hanging out and then without warning, she kissed me. I told her that I didn't feel that way about her and that… I'm in love with someone."

Dustin was speechless, which was much more concerning than when he was constantly talking. To fill the silent void, Steve continued speaking, "I went to her house to keep an eye on her like Hopper said. There was a guy, I don't know if he is her stepfather or what, but she was obviously uncomfortable. So, I suggested we leave. We had dinner, went bowling, and then she still wasn't ready to go home."

"She made a request to go to her favorite spot. Get this; it's the old site of Hawkins Lab, where the new mall is. Robin said the stars were beautiful out there and she was right. That's what we were doing, looking at the stars and talking when it happened." Steve waited, fully expecting Dustin to say something, anything. He could only take his silence for so long and then he pressed him, "Dustin? Talk to me buddy." Dustin scoffed before going off, "Buddy? Buddy? What kind of 'buddy' kisses a girl that his friend likes?"

He hopped out of the chair and paced back and forth. "I told you – I knew she liked you. God! It was so obvious. But of course, you couldn't see it. You are an asshole! You took her on – basically – a date and then you are shocked that she kisses you? You led her on. Then you lied." "What? First off, I didn't even think about it being a date. She seemed miserable, with everything that had happened and then her stepdad was a real piece of work. I was just being nice! And what do you mean I lied to her?"

"You aren't in love with anyone. You said you were seeing someone. It's funny how nobody has actually seen this mystery woman though, ironic really. Either you are dating a ghost or you are lying out your ass. I think it is some sort of sad attempt at making Nancy jealous." Steve groaned. "You honestly think I would be that immature to make up a… girlfriend? Just to mess with Nancy?"

Dustin stared him down. "Honestly, yes I do. You were head over heels with Nance and I don't think you've moved on. Which was fine when you weren't hurting other people, specifically Robin. This stupid lie has got to stop, before it hurts anyone else that I care about." Frustrated, Steve blurted, "I'm – well, I was – seeing someone! I can't tell anyone who it is because it's a guy!"

Steve, who had suddenly stood up during his outburst, flopped back down on the sofa in horror. Dustin had stopped in his tracks. Steve couldn't bear to look at him, fearful of seeing disappointment or disgust in his features. However, he could sense Dustin's movement towards him. He held back tears as Dustin sat down on the sofa next to him. "Why didn't you just tell me that?" Steve weakly laughed before responding, "How could I tell anyone that, let alone you? I was terrified of being hated, I still am."

"You know, I tried to hate you once when you had started dating Nancy. I had a slight crush on her and I was pissed that she was dating you of all people. But… that was before I knew you. I eventually found out that you are an impossible person to hate. Anyone who knows you, actually knows you, could never hate you for any reason." Steve finally willed himself to look at Dustin. "Not even for kissing a girl you like?" Dustin sighed loudly. "No, not even for that. I'm pissed but I don't think I could hate you for it."

"You are right though, I did sort of lead Robin on, even if I didn't realize I was doing it. I should have listened to you, should have seen that she had a crush on me. B – the guy that I had been seeing, broke things off yesterday morning and I think I was too focused on that to notice anything else." Dustin nodded. "Why did he break up with you? Was he scared about other people finding out too?" Steve sighed, still devastated over the situation.

"I wish I knew why. He said it was because we didn't know each other, which is partially true, but I know it was something else. I don't know why I always fall for people who don't give a shit about me. It's probably a good thing he ended things before… before he could tell me that he didn't love me months and months down the line. Just like Nancy." Dustin put a hand on his shoulder by means of comfort.

"I'm sorry for what I said, I just couldn't think of any reason why you wouldn't tell me who you were seeing. But now I understand. What Nancy did was not okay, but I don't think she meant to hurt you." "No, I don't think she meant to hurt me either. She was just trying to grasp onto something she knew, onto someone who had experienced the same things. But… I kept letting her down. I wasn't supportive. I just wanted to forget it all but she couldn't. I hurt her too."

Dustin stared at him briefly before offering his advice, "Even though I don't know the first thing about girls or love, I think you can't let what happened between you and Nance effect you in other relationships. You could be completely wrong about what this guy feels about you. He could just have the same fears that you have about people finding out. He may broke up with you because he panicked. But… like I said, I don't know anything about dating."

Steve took Dustin's words into consideration. He was correct in saying that Steve shouldn't let his past relationship with Nancy effect his future relationships, but that was easier said than done. Steve wanted to move on and thought he had started to with Billy. However, with what Dustin had said, Steve realized that he might have not moved on as much as he initially believed. Steve was less convinced with Dustin's other theorizations. He could not see Billy just breaking up with him because he was afraid of being found out.

"Maybe," Steve answered with a shrug. No matter what the real reason was as to why Billy had broke things off, it had happened and there was no going back. He stood up from the couch. "I'm going to head back over to my house. I'll see you later, okay?" There was a moment's hesitation before Steve added, "I trust you, but just to be clear, please don't tell anyone about me… dating a guy." He considered saying "being gay" instead of "dating a guy", but his uncertainty with the former led him to say the latter.

Dustin shook his head and reassured him, "No, of course not. I won't tell anyone, I promise." Steve nodded before he turned and made his way towards the door. Before exiting, Steve looked back at Dustin and told him, "Thank you, and again, I'm sorry about the kiss." He did not wait for a reply as he walked out of the house. As he was driving home, Steve regretted leaving Dustin's. He was not looking forward to returning to an empty house.

As he neared his home, he realized he should have been careful what he wished for. Jonathon's car was in the driveway. He groaned in disappointment, he was not in the mood to face them. He pulled up beside the car and sharply inhaled before getting out. Jonathon, Nancy, and Samantha followed suit and got out as well. Steve awkwardly greeted them, "Hey guys, what's up?" Samantha glared at him as she crossed her arms. "Do you have any idea how many times I have called you?"

"No? I – " "I was worried sick!" she interrupted him, "Luckily, these two filled me in on what had been going on with that girl before I ended up calling the police." Steve scoffed. "Surely, you wouldn't have really called the cops." She stomped up to him and punched his arm, already bruised from where Billy had hit him two nights ago. "Ow! What the fuck? I'm sorry, okay?" He grasped his arm and grimaced. When he finally removed his hand, Samantha must have noticed the discolored skin.

"Oh shit! I didn't realize…" she said as she lifted his shirt sleeve to inspect the bruise. "What happened?" He brushed her hand away. "I don't know. I must have bumped into something." "Well, you are still an asshole for not answering my calls." "I know, I'm sorry. What are you guys up to?" Jonathon cleared his throat. "We just wanted to hang out since Nancy and I haven't seen you guys since we got back." "Oh, what do you have planned?"

Nancy answered, "Nothing major, we were just going to watch some movies at Samantha's." Suddenly remembering his promise, Steve asked, "Would it be okay if Robin tags along? I'm not sure if she will want to but I'm supposed to be looking after her." The three others looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine," Samantha told him. Since there was enough room for all of them in Jonathon's car, Steve instructed him on how to get to Robin's.

He asked the others to wait in the car as he went to fetch Robin. He knocked and the stepfather answered again. Unexpectedly, the man grabbed Steve around the throat. "Why did Robin come home crying last night? What did you do to her, you punk?" The man's breath reeked of alcohol and his grip was weak, allowing Steve to easily pull his hand away. "I didn't –" "Joe! Stop! I told you it had nothing to do with him!" "Yeah, well, I didn't believe you." "Go back to bed, please," Robin begged.

The drunkard stepped back away from the doorway, leaving an embarrassed Robin to face Steve. "I'm sorry about that. Why are you here anyway?" He spoke in a low whisper, "Why were you crying last night? Was it because of me? If so –" "Never mind that, why are you here?" "I promised to keep an eye on you, make sure you are safe." "Well, I'm fine, you can leave now," she said as she tried to shut the door. Steve stopped it with his foot. "Wait! Me and my friends are going to watch some movies tonight and we were wondering if you'd want to come?"

Robin looked back behind her and sighed. "I don't know." "Surely, it beats hanging around here with your stepdad?" "Don't call him that. He's just my mom's loser boyfriend." She thought for a moment before finally responding, "Fine, just let me change and grab a couple things." Steve smiled. "Okay, I'll be out in the car. Take your time." She shut the door as he turned back towards the street.

When he got back in the car, he was hounded with questions. "What was that about?" Nancy asked. Samantha's query followed right after, "Is that how you got the bruise?" "Who is that guy?" Jonathon added, "I thought she just lived with her mom." Steve put his hands up in exasperation. "Woah! One question at a time! That's her mom's boyfriend and no he didn't give me the bruise. As for why that asshole became aggressive, Robin was upset last night and he blamed me."

He further added, "Which is actually my fault…" he noticed Robin walking towards them, "but, I'll explain that later." Everyone in the car just silently glared at him as Robin approached the car. Steve cleared his throat and gave the group a look of warning before opening the door. "Hey! Everyone this is Robin. Robin this is Jonathon, Nancy, and Samantha." She gave a little wave. "Hi!" Steve scooted over and beckoned her into the car.

After some awkward silence, Robin asked, "So… what movies do you plan on watching tonight?" Samantha spoke up, "We haven't decided yet, we were going to pick up a couple from the video rental shop." "Oh okay, cool. Steve told me you are a vegetarian, so am I." Samantha gave a small smile. "Good. One less person to try to convince that meat is murder. These assholes still haven't received the memo." Robin chuckled. "Well, now it's two against three. Evening up the odds."

Samantha laughed loudly. "Yes! Then the next step is world domination!" she shouted as she raised her fist in the air comically. The rest of the car burst out in laughter. Jonathon scoffed. "Yeah, good luck with that. I know I'm not going down without a fight." Steve agreed, "Me neither. You'll have to pry the bacon from my cold, dead fingers." Nancy put her own input into the topic, "I don't know, I think I could be a vegetarian. I don't have that weird obsession with meat that seems to be stereotypical of Midwesterners."

Steve and Jonathon groaned in unison as Samantha and Robin laughed with Nancy. Their conversation had ceased as they arrived at the video rental shop. They all piled out of the car and headed inside. They spread out in the small mom and pop shop. Samantha and Robin were chatting in one aisle and Jonathon and Nancy held hands as they looked at the Romance section. Steve stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He started looking at the Horror films and found one of appeal.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. As he went to reach for it, Samantha and Robin approached him. "Ooh, good choice. I've been in the mood to watch something scary. Which one were you about to grab?" Samantha asked him. He could feel his cheeks grow red. "Umm… this one," he muttered as he picked up the empty VHS case. "Nice! A classic." He shyly asked her, "Have you seen it?" She nodded before further explaining, "Yeah, it played during a classic Horror film marathon at The Hawk two Halloweens ago."

"Someone recommended it to me." "Why don't we get it? I wouldn't mind watching it again." Steve slightly shook his head. "No, that's okay. Maybe another time." He did not want to see it unless he was watching it with Billy. The group ended up getting a cheesy comedy and a campy horror film. They also picked up some popcorn and candy from the shop before they all headed over to Samantha's house. One thing that Steve and Samantha had bonded over was absent parents.

After several hours of movie watching, everyone besides Samantha were preparing to leave. Jonathon and Robin had already left the house but Nancy pulled Steve aside. "Before we go out there, tell me what happened with Robin." He didn't think it would be the best time to tell her, but she wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer anyway. "Well… she sort of kissed me. I wasn't expecting it and she knows –" "Seriously? That's really messed up. You know Dustin likes her! She's way too young for you too."

He sighed. "As I was saying –" "No, I don't want to hear your excuse. How could you do that to Dustin? He really looks up to you." "Nance! I know! She was the one who kissed me!" "It doesn't matter. You're a pervert Steve Harrington," she spat angrily as she stormed out the door. He stood flabbergasted as Samantha appeared around the corner. "Damn, I don't think I've ever seen the princess so pissed off before." Steve was overwhelmed with his feelings. "What? Are you going to call me a perv too?"

She shrugged. "I don't know the whole story. Nancy didn't want to hear it but I do. Call me when you get home and we can talk, okay?" He was relieved that Samantha was offering her support instead of judgment. "Okay, thank you." "For what?" "For being a good friend." She chuckled. "Oh shut up and get out of here before you piss everyone else off too." He smiled and took a deep breath before he headed out to the car.

Nancy remained silent with her arms crossed until they dropped Robin off. As soon as Robin was safe inside her trailer, Jonathon asked, "What's going on?" "Ask the asshole in the backseat," Nancy bitterly suggested. Steve sighed before trying to defend himself, "Nance, if you would just take a minute and listen to what I have to say instead of making incorrect assumptions, you might understand." "Don't 'Nance' me Steve, I don't really want to listen to anything you have to say right now."

"Please, just –" "Jonathon, drive. The sooner I don't have to look at him, the better." He sunk into the seat and gave up trying to explain the situation. Nancy obviously was not going to hear his side of the matter, at least not tonight. He thought he had been heartbroken when she told him she didn't love him but the feeling he was experiencing at the moment seemed to produce twice the hurt that their breakup had caused. He had lost Nancy as a girlfriend and couldn't bear to lose her as a friend too.

He kept it together until they arrived at his house. Not a word was said by anyone as Steve got out of the car. Once the front door had shut behind him, Steve collapsed onto the couch in a heap. He could not keep all the hurt and pain to himself any longer. He had to tell someone about Billy, he had to say his name out loud to someone other than Joyce Byers. After thinking for some time, Steve decided he would call Samantha and tell her everything.