There was a weekday party at Lucas Greenbrier's place, and Marzi, a classmate of mine that Steve had managed to charm, was very willing to drive us. Yet again, we found ourselves entering a new space, utterly drenched in swagger, and yet I couldn't care less about the activities playing out. Steve was already swirling a bottle around between his fingers, arm around Marzi's waist, so I merely moved along.
About an hour in, with very little entertainment or information gained, I was becoming bored.
"Harrington,"
I was so tired of being referred to by only my last name. I could never tell if it was me or if it was Steve they were trying to talk to- well, almost never. This time, I recognized the voice, and immediately regretted veering from Steve's side. Why was this guy at every Hawkins party known to man?
"What do you want, Billy?" I turned in place, finding myself almost pressed against his form with how close he'd managed to get.
I stumbled back a bit, peering up at him with biting eyes and crossed arms. He leant forward, pressing his forearm into the wall directly above my head, trapping me further. His long hair nearly tickled my cheek, and his eyes danced. He was loving this. The smell of musk and cigarettes came off of him in waves, as if his skin was embedded with them. I coughed, perhaps subconsciously from the thought.
"Hey, sweetheart," His smooth voice murmured, rocky and deep.
I gagged, ducking beneath his arm. "You do not understand boundaries, and that is the biggest red flag."
"Do you really want me to?" He eluded, following me easily as I weaved through the crowd.
"You also think you're irresistible- that's an even bigger red flag." I called over my shoulder, finding my way to the kitchen.
"I'm kind of a big deal," He merely responded, amusement in his tone, but every word the man uttered felt dangerous- like there was always a deeper meaning. "You sure you don't want me to cross some boundaries? Get closer? Make you uncomfortable?"
I was completely disgusted, and he was serious bad news. "Can't say I've ever wanted anyone to make me uncomfortable. Just fuck off, would you?"
His expression dimmed, his eyes lidding dangerously as he watched me putter around, collecting a bottle and struggling with the cap. I had never tried harder to act aloof- but I was nervous at the prospect of the man before me getting the wrong idea. He was clearly never told no, and I was making it as clear as I could that he needed to back off. I grunted at the effort of removing the cap to the beer bottle, but as my teeth gritted, the bottle was removed from my hands.
In one swift motion he'd knocked the top off, taking a couple long swigs, eyes never leaving mine as his throat bobbed up and down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, shoving the bottle into my hands, grinning tauntingly. I was shocked, and I looked down to the bottle, then back to Billy at least four times in succession. His thumbs hooked around his belt loops, and his tongue flicked out, wetting his lips. He winked, and then like he'd never been there at all, I was alone.
I clenched my fists, clomping to the sink and pouring out the liquid.
I decided to go sober- not that I'd enjoy it, but because I needed to remain vigilant. My spider-sense needed to be actively scanning for signs of Billy- though I had a feeling if he wanted to, he could corner me at any point. My heart picked up a little. This guy sucked. My love of parties may finally die this year. I needed to find Steve.
I wove through the sweaty crowd, scanning for any sign of my brother. I didn't want to ruin his night, but for once in my life, I was pretty freaked. In the very corner of the room, someone had placed an empty bottle on the coffee table, and surrounding it were a collection of drunken teenagers, one of which was my disgruntled brother. I didn't really want to join the game, but I'd much rather be here, hiding behind Steve than roaming around the house alone. I shuddered, imagining coming face-to face with Billy alone.
"Hey," I whispered, seating myself directly behind Steve.
He waved halfheartedly, grunting, a cigarette limply hanging from his lips. Marzi was nowhere to be seen, and I could only assume he'd scared her away. He reached forward clumsily, flicking the bottle into a spin. I hadn't played this game since I was 13. These saps must have been pretty desperate to get some action. Steve was not the type to usually stoop to these levels of indignation, but it seemed he'd reached a new low tonight.
After a couple of rounds of strangers swapping spit, the circle split, one Billy Hargrove sitting himself directly on front of me. A cigarette donned his lips, confirming to me why he smelled so strongly. At some point in the night he'd lost his jacket. He wore a plain, white tank, and his skin always seemed to be glistening with sweat. His eyes trained on my face, and my upper lip curled. It felt like my blood was running ice cold. Steve sat at attention.
"Steve, maybe we should go." I urged quietly, feeling much like prey being stalked by a predator.
"Why's that?" Billy grinned, his cigarette tipping up and down with the words.
He was rather loud, likely to let me know that I hadn't been nearly as sneaky as I'd hoped. He was calling my bluffs, reading me like an open book. I felt like he saw through me, and he chose what he wanted to do with all of my private thoughts. And now, his eyes boring through my own, he lazily gave the bottle a flick. He removed the cigarette between his middle and pointer finger, briefly blowing out a long cloud of smoke. To my relief, the bottle fell upon who I'd come to know as Amy, a stoner chick that frequented these kinds of parties. She'd joined the circle just a couple rounds ago. She crawled over excitedly, but his eyes remained on me. So much so, that when her lips met his, he didn't even close his eyes. He just watched me. And I stared back. It was a very intimidating power move. She pulled away, tracing his gaze back, crawling backwards bashfully. I gulped.
"Your turn," He rasped, and it felt like an order.
I looked to Steve for help, but it came to my attention that even though he was looking very prepared to attack Billy at any moment, he was also swaying in his chair, and he would not be the winner tonight. I felt very small, suddenly, realizing I was my own protector. And I had to protect Steve's drunken ass, too.
There was no other choice. My heart hammered in my chest as I leaned forward and spun the bottle. I was close enough that Billy blew smoke directly into my face, and I reared back in disgust. My expression cleared as I watched, breath hitching, heart in my throat. The bottle began to slow down. And because the world hated me, it crept, and crept, and my heart plummeted straight down into my ass. It landed right on the cusp of Billy's left shoulder. He looked at me like this was something he'd managed to plan out, smirking, leaning back in his chair. He expected me to come to him. What if I just left? I could just leave. But then, if he followed- a fight with Steve wasn't too far off. I supposed I could kiss a stranger behind him- but I didn't want to do that to them. I was here panicking about my consent as it was, I wasn't about to put someone else in the same position. My options were running thin.
Like a slender, fuzzy angel, I saw my out. In no other situation would I consider this option. Hell, the last time we'd spoken he'd distinctly told me how uninterested he was- and ever since at school, he'd avoided my gaze. But it wasn't the first time he'd been my knight in shining armor. Maybe he'd understand. God, I hoped he'd understand. I looked to my side, Steve blearily frowning, fists clenched as he waited on my decision. Eddie passed by Billy's left shoulder, and I rushed up, before my chance was gone.
"Munson," I called, my tone giving away an ounce of desperation.
He turned at the sound, and his expression became unreadable. In his hands he fisted a couple beers, and if I could guess correctly, he was about to make a stealthy escape before I had caught his attention. His eyes flickered to the table, the bottle, Billy, and then back to me. Still, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. His intense gaze leveled on me, steadily. Billy was turning in his seat now, confusion evident on his agitated expression. He put his cigarette out on the arm of his chair as I brushed past him.
"The bottle landed on you," I laughed nervously, eyes flickering backwards as Billy's calculatory eyes took in my every move. "You mind?"
Eddie assessed my expression for a few long seconds. I could tell he was deciding very carefully, and I began to chew my lip in desperation. It was entirely up to him, and I would certainly understand if he completely dissed me and walked away. But some part of me hoped he'd help me out, just this last time.
Eddie finally eased, tossing his bottles into a seat nearby. He offered a hand, and my heart did a little flip as the corner of his mouth quirked up mischievously. "Well, Harrington, I never would have thought we'd be in this position,"
I took his hand shyly, not daring to look at the other figure still seated- his anger was rolling off in waves.
"Sorry about this," I whispered, my brows stitching upward in concern, finally close enough to speak honestly.
To my surprise, Eddie dragged me in close, and his other hand fastened onto my waist. He said nothing. His bottom lip rolled between his teeth, and then at once he closed the gap, kissing me with an intensity I'd never felt before. One arm snuck around my waist, and the other came to my face, pulling me in tight. Taken aback, my eyes widened at first, before I closed them and my kissed him back. Our circle of players cheered, then moved on. But he didn't pull away. And neither did I. Somehwere in my chest I felt my heart pick up. And then, all of a sudden, his lips detached from mine. My eyes fluttered open, and it took a second to get my bearings. I came back down to earth with just enough time to see him collect his drinks and walk away, not giving me another look.
Dumbstruck, I turned to Steve, who was stumbling to meet me already. He leaned on me for support, confusion completely overtaking his face. "The freak? Really?"
"You kissed Shelley from science, I don't wanna hear it," I rolled my eyes. Surprisingly, my heart was still racing, and I found myself replaying the moment a few times. My lips almost tingled at the thought.
Billy watched closely as we made our own escape, deciding to walk the night off.