~Sierra~

Navigating these halls was something of an endurance test. How much could you hold in your stomach to simultaneously get through the crowds of hyped up students whilst appearing like you hadn't sneaked in that extra pancake for breakfast. I despised it, how everyone relied on looks to get around this place as opposed to what was in someone's mind or how their initial reaction would be to seeing someone get hurt. If you react with care, you should be popular and if you laugh, you should just get your ass handed to you. My own observations alone were something that would get sneered at, so I kept my mouth shut. All I had to do was act the part until one day, I could leave and throw them all the finger.

I wondered if I'd bump into the mystery guy as I joined the slow flow of students entering the school. Part of me didn't want to because of how damn awkward I had been. Constantly, I'd been replayed the moment in my head on a loop until the chatter of students, the music band practicing their rendition of Material Girl right next to me and the squeals of cheerleaders as they recalled their weekend dates became a deafening cacophony of high school life. This would be the only time cliques mingled until the jocks would breathe a sigh of relief that they were away from the nerds and the nerds would scheme to become jocks. Excluding Eddie Munson whose speeches during lunch I actively looked forward to hearing. I hated high school politics. Differences should be embraced. However, I was a first-hand witness to how deeply embedded it was in the student hierarchy when Jason Carver found out I was studying AP-English. Jesus, it was hilarious. He started attempting to recite Shakespeare with the aim of coaxing me to go on a date with him to the bowling alley, let him win a game to prove how much of a man he was before blowing his load in me. Whilst Jason saw this as a real good step in his plan, his friends had the audacity to label him a nerd before he barked at them to shut the fuck up. Typical, a guy like Jason would do anything to go all the way with me, but the moment they were called what they were conditioned to detest, it was mission over and time to reconvene with another plan. Plan B, according to Jason's actions, was to lean smoothly against the lockers the next day as I was putting away my latest book purchases to read in the car later and tell me all about how he had made the winning score on the final buzzer at the last Hawkins basketball game. Then, just when I thought the bell for class would let me escape, lo-and behold, Jason offered to chauffeur me to Math class. Because surely he knew I was a feeble woman who needed protection at all times? God, he was a fucking joke. At the last moment he suddenly remembered that he was going to the bowling alley and, oh, maybe I should come too! I saw straight through him immediately and evaded getting back to him until I found myself back at Square 1, virtually pinned to the lockers.

Because God forbid a girl say no. Or in my case, a huge hell no.

Thank the Lord for his indecisive male hormones distracting him from asking one more time at a party we both attended that night. So grateful for this opportunity to be left alone, I even acted disappointed when he chose to explain that he was going to go steady with Chrissy that week. Not to mention the added hint of delight when he chivalrously declared that if it didn't work out, that the offer of a date still stood. Because who would deny Jason Carver? He was a complete asshole. Our dad's were best buds and it had already been decided in their little circle that we were destined for one another. God, it made me want to barf. Moreover, I resented myself for not facetiously thanking him for making it clear that I was still in his good books before giving him a hearty slap around the face. Now that would have been fun.

"Sierra, where you going?" a familiar voice called, dragging me out of my infuriated thoughts.

I felt a smile crawl on my lips as it registered in my fuzzy, decaffeinated brain that Steve was finally here. Meaning, Nancy was also here. Instantly, I was met with a boisterous hug and squeeze.

"Where the hell were you, Nightingale?" Steve asked in mock offense, releasing me from his hold.

"I thought I'd switch it up a bit today, keep you on your toes" I laughed, greeting a smiling Nancy with a more tame hug and asking how she was.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Just so eager to have another first period with Mrs Simpson keeping us updated on her tenth cat's health" Nancy giggled, lacing her fingers with a chuckling Steve as he put his arm over her.

Despite this joke, I discerned that Nancy over the last year really was anything but happy. I had an acute talent for observing people and recently, she had been my project. I'd seen her fluctuate from giggling to becoming reserved in a matter of seconds in so many instances as of late.

It was ever since Barb went missing.

That warm and genuine smile had been replaced with a sad facade, a complete shadow of her former self. I wondered if the former Nancy would return to their group. She was greatly missed.

"Well, now, I don't know so much. I'm fairly engrossed by the Snuggles flea fiasco" I jokingly said.

Just for a moment, there was a flicker of the Nancy Wheeler I had known since childhood. But only for a second, then it was as if something forbade her from being seen as happy and hauled her back into the darkness. It was almost like no joke had been made, that Nancy had never found anything funny, because as soon as the laughter subsided, that was it. No more Nancy Wheeler. Back in middle school, I had known Barb a little when she started hanging out with Nancy. But when Nancy and Barb went their own way, Steve and I went ours when we started Hawkins High. I had been enthusiastic to get to know Barb more after she opened her locker one day to reveal pretty much the entire anthology of Sylvia Plath's works. We chatted a few times and one day at a party, we planned to meet up. Then, Barb went missing and there was a thick, unnerving fog over Hawkins that just didn't lift ever since. I didn't even want to begin to think about what happened to Will. Since I was 15, I had been a regular babysitter for the Byers. They were down to earth people and didn't give a shit about how I was the Anthony Nightingale's daughter. Sometimes, I babysat Will for free purely because they didn't kiss my ass. I remembered when I brought Joyce and Jonathan homemade macaroni cheese and cake after Will was declared dead shortly before he resurfaced very much alive. Hawkins had changed and alongside it, so had the people. It was almost like something had possessed the town, an unease and fear that I had only ever seen in movies.

"Uh, earth to Nightingale?" The distant voice of Steve suddenly sounded like a yell as I promptly returned to the new, more depressing Hawkins. Blinking a few times as my eyes adjusted to Steve's hand waving in front of my eyes, I found herself back in Hawkins High. "You doing okay?"

"Um, yeah, sorry I didn't sleep great" I replied and forced a smile, feeling a wave of reassurance that I wouldn't have to further explain to Steve just yet as the bell sounded for the first period. One thing I loved about Steve was how protective and loyal he was, but with certain subjects I couldn't face him. "Anyway, come on, Nance. I'm just dying to hear what ordeal Snuggles has been through lately"

Nancy and I said our farewells to Steve whose lips locked with Nancy's for what seemed like an eternity. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for the two of them, but watching my friends make out wasn't exactly on my to-do list. Not today, not ever.

"Enjoy your honeymoon! Send me a postcard to English class, okay?" I started walking off, giving them a wave. Giggling like she'd been caught doing something rebellious, Nancy ran to meet me and we made our way through the crowds ushering to their first class of the day.

"Was it your dad?" Nancy asked, which earned her a bewildered look. I merely responded with a grumble and started getting out her books for the day. Nancy had snippets into my life beyond the confines of Hawkins High, but she had never seen the full reality. "You know, you and Zack can come over to my place any time you want. Holly adores Zack"

I gave Nancy an earnest smile. I'd never verbalized it, but I wasn't so stupid as not to realize both Steve and Nancy had known for a long time I wasn't tired from constant lack of sleep or couldn't have them over my house because it was coincidentally getting deep cleaned. They knew, whether I liked it or not, that something else was going on. When we got to the classroom, I took my place in the middle row, neatly placing my books and favorite fountain pen on the table, humming away to 'Girls, Girls, Girls'. I was feeling a Motley Crue vibe today. Nancy exhaled solemnly, understanding what this was code for.

Move on, I'm fine. You know I'm not fine, but let's just pretend for my own sanity that I am, alright?

She knew when I didn't want to talk any further about something when I'd divert the conversation. Nancy gave me a look. A look I knew perfectly well. She was going to proceed regardless. However, within moments, the words of encouragement for me to open up faltered and her face dropped.

"Oh my God" Nancy whispered quietly.

I peered up from my diary of bullet points ranging from what she needed to make Swedish meatballs from scratch tonight to what I wanted to raise in the class discussion about The Scarlet Letter today. All of a sudden, the bullet points became the least important things on my list to do today. I quickly suffocated a squeak that wanted to flee from my throat.

"Camaro guy" I breathed, baffling Nancy in the process.

"What?" Nancy questioned with her confusion etching that single word.

"What?" I suddenly became very aware that I had spoken aloud. My head had perked up so fast, I'd given myself a fucking neck cramp. "Okay, ouch. Not cool, man"

As I tried to keep a low-profile whilst stretching the strain out of my neck, I heard the same damn husky chuckle that had caused me to get like this in the first place, greeting me from the back of the classroom. The guy I momentarily bestowed a lighter to leisurely removed his denim jacket, his opened shirt moving to reveal not even an inch more of his chest, and then fell into his seat with a longing sigh, parting his legs with a coolness that I had never been witness to before. The entire time, his eyes never left me. To complete his show, the smirk I had found myself dumbstruck by earlier crawled onto his lips. Cue Waiting by E.G Daily to repeatedly play in my head. Was this guy flirting with me? He was looking right at me. I hastily spun back in my chair, that groan resounding from the returning neck cramp.

"Goddamnit" I muttered, grimacing.

He seriously could not be that good looking that I had to cause an injury.

"You okay, Sierra?" Nancy whispered as Mrs Simpson, in her famous home-knit cat patterned vest, entered the classroom and the students' lively chatter died down.

"Yup, never better" I sarcastically replied, still clutching my neck.

"Good morning everyone, you will be thrilled to know that not only are we starting our new projects today, but also," Mrs Simpson had to pause as what could only be assumed as tears of joy choked her throat, "Sorry, kids. Snuggles made it though. He no longer suffers with fleas"

The class broke out in a round of applause and cheers with everyone looking at one another with a silent order to contain their laughter. This was really going to be the highlight of our day unless Eddie Munson had a show to put on for us later. Now, that I genuinely looked forward to. Everyone seemed to loathe the guy, purely because he was a master at playing D&D and was vocal about it. If I so much as acknowledged that I knew what D&D was, I would join him in his rank of outcasts. I wouldn't mind so much, it looked pretty fun from what I had seen when joining Nancy to babysit her brother, Will and his friends. Secretly, I didn't mind Eddie either. Actually, I found him pretty cute. But, Dad would definitely have something to say about that. You have to be seen with the right people, Sierra. One verbal warning. That was it. It was all it would take. I didn't want to chance what would come afterwards.

"Thank you, class. It's been a struggle, but we got there together" Mrs Simpson said, the appreciation for the class she never knew were secretly mocking her shining as she spoke. "Ah, Mr Hargrove! Don't worry, I'll fill you in later on everything so you're not left behind!" she then said, addressing the back of the classroom.

Everyone looked back to see the stranger whose Camaro would most likely be the topic of the week, slouched in his chair and arms folded, his stare one of indifference. That is, until that smile rose onto his lips again. Devilish, but so damn hot that even Mrs Simpson felt herself go a little weak at the knees, stifling a giggle underneath her hand.

Nancy and I raised our eyebrows at one another, exchanging the agreement that this was, in fact, the weirdest situation to happen in a classroom. Yup, it was definitely up there with the psychology teacher, Mr Johnson, having to hide behind a desk when it became clear that the other Johnson was getting a little too into describing the Oedipus Complex. It wasn't a huge shock when he 'quietly left' after that. Hawkins may be a quiet town, but has definitely had its share of mild drama, particularly lately. It was like the town wanted its time to shine on the big screen as opposed to tiny mentions in little known newspaper articles because in the space of a month, two people had gone missing. Things had calmed down now, but the town was still shaken to its core.

"Anyway, class, Mr Hargrove is new, not just to Hawkins High School, but to Indiana itself! William has come all the way from sunny California - "

"It's Billy" Camaro guy interrupted.

The whole class fell to an uncomfortable silence. We'd heard him, but from her dumbstruck expression, Mrs Simpson patently had not. He still leaned back in his chair, arms defiantly crossed over his chest.

"Pardon, Mr Hargrove?" she timidly asked.

"My name is Billy, Mrs Simpson" he repeated, his tone not so abrupt this time.

The silence now broken, whispers could be heard floating around the room. Forget Snuggles the cat, looks like Billy was going to be the hot topic for today. Mrs Simpson cleared her throat, recovering from such an ordeal.

"Okay, thank you… Billy. As I was saying, Billy has relocated from sunny California to join us up here in our glorious town! Now, Billy, I do hope you have brought some sun with you!" Mrs Simpson chirped, receiving a flurry of laughter from the nerds at the front and the kids whose agenda this year was to kiss ass so they would get their college recommendation letters. Still, no comment from the Californian. Just that really charming smirk. "So, I do believe introductions are needed! But before that, I think it would be fair to explain that we are finishing a project today, but there is no need to stress, Billy, because we are starting a new one today" Mrs Simpson explained, pausing for some form of gratitude, but fumbled upon seeing Billy resuming his the-devil-may-care posture, and cleared her throat. "So, I think it would be only right to partner you with our top student" Mrs Simpson said with small giggle as she got geared up.

Inside, I was screaming. I hid myself a little with my hand and looked down at the table, my lips pursed. Seriously, if there is a God up there, please do not make this the most embarrassing thing to happen to me.

"So, Billy, our - my - star student…"

My star student. Great. Just fucking great.

"...recently wrote a fantastic essay on the significance of sexuality in The Scarlet Letter and the hypocrisy of the community when it came to exposing Hester" Mrs Simpson paused and turned to face me with a smile only a mother has for her kids "You know, Sierra, I still really love that last sentence of your essay: ' Nearly everyone has had sex and have thoroughly enjoyed it. So, why must Hester suffer?' . Controversial move, but what a fantastic ending!"

And there it was. The pinnacle of my high school career. I really enjoyed writing that essay. Being a 'star' student had its perks. Any other student would have ended up in the principal's office for writing such an explicit piece, or worse, at the nurse's office to have a chat about safe sex, but Mrs Simpson approved of my commentary and let it slide. Still partially concealed by my hand, I reached over the table in a bid to reach my bottle of water. I took a swig of the drink, wishing it contained something a bit stronger. I still hadn't had my morning coffee.

"Well, that definitely gives food for thought" Billy said.

I was halfway through another sip when I suddenly felt most of the drink casually come out of my mouth. The hand I was using as a shield from Mrs Simpson's corny monologue instinctively slapped my chin, catching a few droplets. Desperately fighting back the urge to hack a cough up, I cleared my throat and prepared to suavely introduce myself. I couldn't have this guy thinking that I was a complete embarrassment. Shyly, I turned around and gave him a small wave. He winked at me. The brazen bastard. He actually fucking winked at me. Quickly, I turned back around to face Mrs Simpson as she continued her far too enthusiastic monologue.

"Oh, I 100% agree, Billy. It is such an insightful read" Mrs Simpson gleamed, smiling down at me. I finally knew how Snuggles felt when he got rid of his fleas. Mrs Simpson saved the day, once again... "Which is why, I have decided to partner you with her for this project as I believe she will be a grand help in your introduction to AP English. So, without further ado, over to you Sierra!"

Mrs Simpson prompted the class to start clapping enthusiastically. Nancy let out a holler and winked at me. I gave her the most deadpan look I could muster. Christ, this was so embarrassing. Gathering my composure, I exhaled to regain the sense of confidence that I had definitely lost at several points in the last hour. I turned around to face Billy who raised his eyebrows, the smirk still plastered on his face. The guy was looking for a challenge, some conquest. The way his eyes twinkled as I straightened myself in response was essentially a command.

Impress me.

Oh, this was it. Game on.

I had to prove to this new guy that I wasn't just some sex obsessed writer who upon being embarrassed got neck cramps, choked on water and couldn't so much as compose a sentence.

"I believe we already met this morning" I coolly said, letting a smile arch on my lips with a smooth ease that matched that of his growing smirk.

"That we did" Billy replied, unfolding his arms and leaning forward.

He wanted me to look. The further he leaned towards me, the more he dared me to. But I wasn't moving an inch. He'd have to do more work than a smirk or wink if he wanted me to look.

"You drive a Third Generation Mustang Convertible" Billy stated, that husky voice making some girl at the back go bright red. I was seriously thanking my lucky stars that at least I didn't look like a tomato right now. "Great cars"

"I could say the same about your Camaro. 1979, right?" I inquired.

Billy retreated, leaning back into his seat and nodded, continuing to smirk at me. Mission accomplished and reputation healed. I'd impressed him.

"Well, what a great introduction! What else could there be to learn about one another?" Mrs Simpson rhetorically asked, clasping her hands together as she tittered on.

"Oh, much more, I'm sure, Mrs Simpson" Billy said with an ease in his voice, refolding his brawny arms.

Verbally, he was talking to Mrs Simpson who had been bursting out with giggles every time Billy said anything. He could have told her that he was going to shit on her table right there and then and she would combust with excitement. However, his eyes were still on me, even as Mrs Simpson began asking other students to introduce themselves with their name and a fun fact. I was about to take another sip of her water when I decisively chose not to, instead placing it on the floor where it would stay for the duration of class. He had too many cheeky one-liners and I was 100% not going to spit water on myself again. Nope, not happening at all.

As time marched onward and the rabid ticking of the clock drowned into everyone's subconscious, Mrs Simpson went on to explain that we would be focusing on poetry for this semester. She wanted us to portray our lives, our ambitions, with a poem that she would reflect on as she wrote college recommendations. To the sardonic delight of the class, she even recited one about that goddamn cat, even when there was an audible plea for her to do anything but. Before she could conclude, the bell rescued us and everyone leapt to their feet in a bid to get back to their social lives.

As soon as she could, Nancy turned to me with anticipation to discuss that conversation.

"Jesus, Sierra!" Nancy gasped, doing a last minute scout around the room to see if there would be anyone else - notably, somebody else - listening in. A dropped jaw and eyes screaming out her disbelief, Nancy continued. "What just happened?"

"I don't know, but I think I got water down my cleavage" I grumbled, examining the space exposed by my cardigan's V neck for traces of water.

A gasp shot out of Nancy's mouth all of a sudden. Freezing, I could tell what was about to happen. Specifically, I could feel it.

"There's worse places, I suppose"

Does this guy give any shits about what he says? Abort mission - you failed at not embarrassing yourself, Sierra.

Adjusting to the thousandth embarrassment to occur, I pinned the arches of her lips up and looked at the figure hovering above me. That now iconic smirk would now forever become synonymous with any predictable mishaps of mine. I didn't know whether I wanted to never see it again or not. Both Nancy and I watched as he went back to where he had been sitting, picking up the book Mrs Simpson had left on his desk, and placing it into his bag.

"Nice to meet you," he paused, picking up the water that I had left on the floor and placed it onto my desk, "Sierra".

And with that, he swiftly made an exit that he appeared to have refined with the purpose of having girls go weak at the knees. Or, as I was proving, to steal their breath away.

"Oh my God, Sierra, breathe!" Nancy shrieked upon noticing I was holding my breath and simultaneously let out a sigh with me.

"I've got Pour Some Sugar On Me in my head and it isn't going away. Holy shit, Nance, why isn't it going away?" I said without missing a beat. My body temperature was definitely not regulating itself as it should be. Shit, someone had definitely left the heaters on. It could not be that guy.

"Because that was ridiculously hot!" Nancy exclaimed, shaking my shoulders and letting me sway in her hands. "And did you see that ass?"

Oh, I saw alright. Even I had to concede that the new guy was quite probably one of the most gorgeous guys I'd ever seen bless Hawkins. Nancy and I did what we would only ever do in each other's presence and let out a perfectly harmonized, perfectly girlish, squeal. Soon enough, laughter trickled out of our mouths at how silly we were both being and congregated into the corridor, shuffling towards our lockers at the end. Opening the lockers slowly in sync, we were about to stuff our bags in when we slammed the doors and exploded in raucous laughter, falling onto one another. Jesus, it had been so long since we were like this. Carefree, laughing over a crush. This was the Nancy I missed. The friend I had spent hours laughing with over the most frivolous of things and predicaments that left us blushing until our faces could be compared with that of a strawberry. This was how it had always been, and this time, the true Nancy wasn't retreating.

"Just be glad you don't have Biology together, Sierra" Nancy giggled, using a book in a bid to shush the incessant splutters of laughter.

"God, that was the best English class I have had in a long time," I laughed, wiping the tears that formed in my eyes. "Look who's here!"

Sauntering down to meet us, Steve threw and caught an apple before cooly turning on his heel and putting an arm around Nancy. Tilting his head like an intrigued puppy, he started laughing along with us. Mostly, he was just happy to see Nancy again. It was clear he was just happy to see Nancy carefree again, the woman he had fallen in love with. Of course, she wasn't aware of that, but every action and gesture he made was etched with the adoration he had for her. Besides, Steve had told me he loved Nancy, begging me to keep it to myself. I was keeping the promise but God, I wished he would just tell her already.

"So, find out what happened to Snuggles?" Steve asked, wrapping his arm around Nancy's waist.

It only took one glance between Nancy and I before we couldn't keep the laughter in anymore. Nancy laughed into Steve's chest and through uncontrollable giggles, began retelling the story. I watched on with both amusement and a sense of a nostalgic elation. As I looked at Steve's reaction to what had happened, being one of utter amazement, I couldn't help but think of something that made me want to succumb to a weeping mess.

It wouldn't be like this forever.

As the day progressed, class after boring class, I wasn't surprised to learn that the chatter surrounding the Californian and his cool car hadn't died down. Usually, a newcomer to Hawkins is talked about for longer than a day. Everyone craved to learn every last part of a newbie, to determine where their place was in the world of high school.

Poor Billy…

Although, given his general blasé attitude towards everything today, I highly doubted he would give it a single thought.

He was lucky he could carry such an attitude. If I could just not give a crap about any of that stuff, then I probably would have my arms constantly crossed too. However, the first lesson to learn about Hawkins High was nobody was trustworthy. If it ever got back to good ol' Dad that I was exhibiting such a level of apathy towards things, then there would be several suspects. After all, the nerds were the kids of executives and the popular girls only had what was the latest fashion trend or piece of local gossip to talk about with their mothers.

"Hey Mom, yeah school was good, did you hear about Sierra Nightingale though?"

"Anthony Nightingale, the big CEO's kid?"

"Yeah! She was just sitting there in class with a smirk on her face and arms folded. Wonder what's got into her, huh?"

"Oh goodness gracious, I hope you don't follow her example!"

Next thing you know, the moms of middle class Hawkins are all ruffled up and ready to expose this change in attitude to their 'hons' as a side with their mediocre TV dinners. Down the grapevine in a matter of hours, it would reach Anthony Nightingale that his daughter, the child born to go to an Ivy League so they could meet a nice man and get married so they could have Ivy League babies, was slacking.

Anthony Nightingale did notapprove of slackers.

So, instead of crawling back into my car where I could have just broken free from the confinements of social pressure, I dutifully breezed through the crowds and into a toilet cubicle. As I took off my top, I peered down to the bruises standing out like a sore thumb on my waist.

These ones were getting better, healing quicker than what I thought they would. I shivered a little as my fingers traced the fading outline of the thumb shaped bruises, feeling how even my gentle touch could hurt. I saw it as my way of nurturing them, like a mother bird ready for their babies to leave the nest. For as long as I was in this shithole, the bruises would stay. So what was the point in making it worse? As I did every night before bed, I gently stroked them with the hopes they would quickly fade.

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the bathroom door opening.

Okay, time to stop now.

There was no time for idle thoughts here. Nope, time to retreat.

Smile on.

Get to it.

Out of all the voices, one shone brightly like a sun forcing its way out of dreary clouds.

Pepsi Jones.

Of course, Pepsi wasn't her real name. She found the surname Jones way too mundane, so of course, would choose the nations second favorite beverage as a suitable replacement. Or so, that's what she told everyone else. I knew the true reason. So Pepsi with her bleach blonde hair styled à la Marilyn Monroe was reborn. Out of everyone, she was voted the one to make it to Hollywood one day. Entertaining with her melodramatic approach to life, but knowing when to draw the line, Pepsi was a good friend of mine. Of course, she didn't know all my secrets, but I knew she was my ally here. Too many people kissed my ass in the hopes that I would go home at the end of the day and sing their praises to my father. He was a fan of unpaid internships, after all. However, unfortunately for them, he was never actually home. Sober, that is. Smoothing over the ivy green cheerleaders outfit, I stepped out of the cubicle to be greeted by the natural cheerleader hello: a collective high pitched scream.

"Hey, girls" I said, smiling cordially and giving each of them a small hug.

Pepsi just gave me that look of, 'You better not be so soft with me, gal'. Her wish was my command! I drew her in with a single arm hug, breathing in the scent of Chanel No. 5 that had become her signature in the last year since she watched Some Like It Hot .

"Oh my God, Sierra, we have to get to the court. There is some drama going down!" Pepsi squeaked.

Needless to say, this was immediately followed by an excitable screech from all the cheerleaders.

Before I could say a word, Pepsi hooked her arm to mine and virtually dragged me off my feet and into the auditorium. As my eyes scouted around for this drama, I was expecting to see something crazy going on that I was just completely oblivious to. Gotta love sleep deprivation, hey? But no, it was just the coach screaming at the basketball players for how their performance went down in the last game. I rolled her eyes with a 'tsk' and peered over to Steve who returned the look, indicating what they all knew - the coach was fucking crazy. This was the same guy who on his bad days - usually a Wednesday - said that if the team hadn't scored at least 10 shots before he finished his morning coffee, that they were doing three laps of the field. He drank a single shot espresso from the cheap coffee machine in the staff room. So, essentially, they were screwed regardless. I chuckled under my breath and put a finger to my lips to suggest Steve pay attention before he was the one doing the laps. In return, he made funny faces as the coach turned his back, but shot up the moment the coach spun back round.

"Now, we have a big game coming up. So, I need you all on your best behavior, on your A game. We cannot afford to lose this game to Lakeside High, guys. Not after your pisspoor performance last time. Even my grandmother could play better than you!" the coach shouted.

He was encroaching the personal space of the basketball players so much that his spit was starting to form on their faces. But they were commanded to stay still, and stay still they did, not even blinking when the spit hit them. I outwardly shivered at how gross this all was. What was this? A military parade or a high school basketball team? Hawkins High may be a lot of things, but it was so much weirder than us kids wanted to believe.

"Hey, Sierra, are you gonna come to my Halloween Party?" a cheerleader named Tina whispered and slyly passed me a leaflet as if it were contraband.

October 31, damn that came round quickly.

Okay, let's have a think. Would the Wheeler's be free to look after Zack? It usually wasn't a problem, but I would have to write it down in my diary later as a reminder. So, that was one problem partially sorted. Now, to plan my escape route. Asking Dad could go one or two ways. He would either be in a nostalgic mood and the only price to pay would be to listen to him slurring about his glory days before he would say yes. If it went the other way, I was looking at doing a reverse Romeo without Juliet. Straight down the balcony. Or, just wait for him to pass out and I could save myself a potential injury.

"I'll see if I'm free" I answered in a quiet voice and slipped the leaflet into my tote bag.

For the rest of that last free period, I practiced the usual cheerleading dance moves. My body ached more than it had the day before and I could feel my muscles groaning with each stunt, pleading for me to stop. It was Physical by Olivia Newton John… again. During the entire routine, I had this wild fantasy of us cheerleading to Computer Blue by Prince. Now that really would be a way to deal with the monotony. It wasn't even for any lewd reasons because no one danced. They were all just exchanging weird looks with one another. Anything to shake up the norm, I guess.

My eyes couldn't stop watching the clock. As 14:50pm came around, I didn't even hesitate to get back into the cubicle so I could get this sweaty uniform off. Giving the cheerleaders a quick goodbye, I sauntered out of the toilets and made my way to exit. Weaving in and out to suit my quick pace, I felt like a dancer making a chaotic yet elegant stage debut. As I approached my car, I was intrigued to see a sullen looking girl with a headset on, eyes fixated on the ground. Hidden underneath an oversized black hoodie and denim jeans one size up, she definitely had an air of not wanting to be disturbed. So, I just respected her wishes and merely smiled at her. The girl looked up before casting her view to the floor again at her foot that was rapidly tapping the grass beneath us. She seemed on edge and just as I was about to turn around and see if she was okay, I was greeted by that goddamn smirk.

Giving this girl a single glance, she entered the car wordlessly, obeying his command. I furrowed my brow at this. There was definitely some tension there. Was this his sister? However, as Billy approached me, the questions I had dissipated and became a not too distant memory. I still wanted to know if the girl was okay. Perhaps she had a bad day?

"Looks like we meet again" I said before he could quip what I predicted to be his now infamous one-liners.

"So we do" Billy replied, leaning against his car and lighting a cigarette. Looks like he had somehow commandeered a lighter at some point. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

As if I was hit by a lightning bolt, I felt alert to everything. Where was this refreshing feeling at 7:30am?

I had to think, what was I actually doing?

Tonight was babysitting Will Byers because Joyce had to work late and Jonathan was working an extra shift. Zack was joining me, so that was another solution to what could have been a messy issue. Did Zack have a parent-teacher evening tomorrow night? Yes, it was at 4pm. Usually it was an hour of mindless conversation with teachers who I inspected with suspicion. Some of them let their intrigue into our private life go a bit haywire. Namely, the casual comments surrounding how Zack must be a healthy kid when he lived in a house like ours. Followed by this, there was an expectation to divulge into what my father had bought for the kitchen, or what food we ate. I had perfected the art of subverting their expectations with a quick response of, 'It must be the waffles!'. There was free coffee, so that was a plus. Anyway, what was happening afterwards? Struggling to think and feeling the pressure from that rising smirk, it finally hit me. Zack was at a playdate. He'd be ready for bed by 8, yawning away as everyone else played with their toy dinosaurs. Yes! I was free!

"After 5pm, I am" I replied. "Why?"

"Well, you are the star student whose my English partner now, right?" The smoke leisurely lingered inside his parted mouth before he blew it away, not breaking eye contact.

My dad wouldn't be home until later that night, so there was always my house. But, would that send the wrong message? I had just met this guy. English partner or not, I wasn't sure what would be lost in translation at that suggestion. Would he perceive it as just a place to hang out and do work, or would he start plotting how to get me away from the living room and upstairs? Even worse, would he see the expensive shit and instantly see dollar signs above my head? No, my house was off the cards.

"Do you know where The Communion is?" I asked.

From his raised eyebrow, I gathered that he hadn't yet heard of it. Duh, he'd just moved here. The Communion was a place all the teenagers of Hawkins hung out. It was the one place where it didn't matter if you were rich, poor, or somewhere in between. Based about four miles away from Hawkins High and away from the hubbub of town, The Communion was defined by an ancient gazebo that had white paint constantly cracking but never exposing the wood. It sat in front of a lake where during summer, everyone from high school would assemble with their barbecues and crates of beer, ready to soak up the sun and lounge around.

"It's a pretty cool place, but this week is usually the last week where it's busy before it gets too cold. You'll get to meet a few people there" I said. "We can meet here and drive up, if you want?"

"I'll bring the beer" Billy chuckled.

Then, without another word, he got into his car, revving the engine.

So it was settled. I would drop Zack off at his playdate, get quickly ready in my car and then meet Billy here for 5pm. We'd drive to The Communion, focus on the project together and potentially get him talking, and then I could pick Zack up. Social and work time. Multitasking at its finest. I wanted to get to know him more. He seemed so different to the others guys in this town. No other guy could captivate an audience with a smirk and husky chuckle. But, somehow, he did. There was more than what met the eye with Billy and I was going to have my opportunity to find out what skeletons he had in his closet.

I was just getting into my car when I turned to see him give me that signature smirk and a wink. I felt my heart dropping to the pits of my stomach, that pasta salad I had for lunch threatening to make a return for a moment. Naturally, I smiled back. But dear God, this was intense.

Was he like this with every girl he met or was he saving it just for me just so he could see me blush? Had he already wooed Tina and Pepsi? Of course he had, dirty blondes with good style were their type.

Sitting back in my chair, popping some chewing gum in my mouth, I couldn't help but say one thing aloud.

"Fucking men..."