A/N: Wow, 100 followers! I honestly can't believe it! Thank you so much, lovelies. It means a lot to know people are enjoying this story. There is more to this chapter, but I had to cut it down considerably so you'll be getting an update soon!

~Billy~

As soon as I returned home with Max, she received a ruffle on the head and I was ordered to get into His car. We were to be there for 7pm, but apparently I had no appropriate clothing to wear tonight. That wasn't true, I had shirts that I could wear. I had mentioned this, but it wasn't good enough for Him. We drove in complete silence to the barbers where we both had a haircut. I managed to talk Him into letting me keep my hair. Begrudgingly, He allowed it to avoid causing a scene. I felt like a goddamn child. Taking my chance to let social pressure get to Him, I convinced Him to let me wear my white shirt with the compromise that I wouldn't show off my chest. I wouldn't show it in front of Him. That was my compromise. The barber, giving my facial hair a trim, said that would look nice and He forced a smile and humbly agreed. He wouldn't beat me tonight. Not when we had an event to go to. He couldn't take the risk.

At home, we skipped dinner. Max had been forced into a pink dress and I nearly burst out laughing, much to her irritation. Hell, if I was going to be forced into stuff then she had to be included too. For the next two hours, Max and I sat back and watched TV as He and Susan enjoyed some pre-drinks, preferring to call them aperitifs, and giggled with each other at how fancy they sounded. It was sherry they were drinking, for God's sakes. Getting bored of their stupid entertainment, I went to my room and put some cologne on, got dressed into my smart pair of jeans and tousled my hair. It was too late for Him to say anything about the jeans by the time I came down. We all bundled into the car as He muttered to Susan about my choice of outfit. Susan, as per, had nothing to say in response. Fuck them. I looked good.

I tried to mute most of the conversation as we headed to the party, but they were talking that damn excitedly about 'the big boss' that I had no choice but to eavesdrop. Of course, I wasn't included in the conversation, but when ever was I? I peered over to Max who was staring out the window, marveling at all the upper to middle class houses we would never be able to afford. She was bored already. However, for me, my excitement had just began.

That's when I knew I was going to get my second chance.

"Number 83…" I heard Him muse.

"It's the second to last house on the left," Everyone threw me a bewildered look and it dawned on me that I had actually spoken. I sniffed loudly and shrugged my shoulders in a bid to appear casual. "My friend from English lives there. I've dropped her off after class a few times"

Max better not drop me in the shit here by telling them I was lying. She probably thought that I had come here to fuck Sierra once or twice. I shot Max a warning glare and she bowed her head, keeping quiet. The kid may have been a lot of things but one thing she had was intelligence.

"Wait a minute, you're friends with his daughter?" He asked. Damn, for once he was interested in my life. He blinked a couple of times, gawping at me. "Are you friends with the Anthony Nightingale's daughter?"

"We're just partners in English class" I stated.

"Well, which one, Billy? Friends or English partners?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice. I knew He was going to name drop. Next would be suggesting the boss comes round for a barbecue some time. Then, the big time would hit. He would get the promotion of His dreams and a free cruise around a golf course. Most of all, He would get the recognition He felt entitled to receive. "Well?"

"Both"

"You do realize that Anthony Nightingale is the CEO of the company I work for, right? That he has offices in California, New York, Hawkins, and Chicago, and his dad owns a chain of furniture stores?" He asked as if I had full knowledge of this. "That girl will be worth millions"

"She's called Sierra" I clearly stated, louder than I had been.

Everyone went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All eyes on me yet again. Huffing, I slumped back in my seat, spreading my legs out.

"What's your point?" I asked with defiance.

"My point is," His tone had changed, growing dark and serious "if you mess around with her, Billy, you mess around with me and our entire livelihood"

"You're talking as if I'm going to do anything" I scoffed.

"Hey!" He snapped. "Enough of the attitude. I mean it, Billy. If you treat her like your little whore, then I will find out about it through getting fired. That's our house on the line, all our lives and everything I've worked for. We already had that on the line once because of you. That was your last chance. Do we have an understanding?"

My cheeks burned hot with fury.

Who the fuck did He think He was?

Were we all just going to act like me crashing my car in a fit of rage was the only thing that forced us out of California?

Like Max didn't attempt to run away to her dad's house several times?

Like Susan didn't want to get far away from her ex-husband?

More importantly, like He didn't want to keep me separated from Mom?

"Do we have an understanding?" Silently, I nodded. "Sorry, I didn't hear you"

"Yes, Sir"

"Good. Now, we've cleared up that girl - "

"Her name is Sierra"

He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

I was pushing my luck and I fully knew that. But Sierra was not just going to be known as 'that girl'.

"That Sierra is to stay a friend only, we're all going to go in and be on our best behaviors. Right?" He said as if talking to an infant. We all knew He meant my best behavior.

Simultaneously, Max and I agreed. In the corner of my eye, I saw Max glance at me with those sullen eyes. She hated being in a dress unless it was paired with some sneakers. I seriously didn't understand why she had to wear something she was uncomfortable in just for the sake of showing face. Moreover, Susan could fawn over her if she was in one so she could pretend Max was something she wasn't.

We got out of the car and He looked over excitedly at Susan, holding her hand as we climbed the concrete stairs with Max and I in tow. Max leaned over to have a look in the small cupid's fountain where some bluebirds were bathing, snagging her head away and rolling her eyes upon seeing the strange reflection of a red-head in a pink dress. The muffled music became louder as someone dressed in a black bow tie and waistcoat opened the door for us. Dancing in the Dark played at a level appropriate enough for people not to go nuts, but loud enough to become aware that there was alcohol on the premises. This definitely wouldn't be like Tina's Halloween party. No vomiting guys in togas or beer kegs here. Immediately, He and Susan were offered a glass of champagne, as was I. I took a sip of it, allowing it to stay in my mouth for longer than usual. This was fancy shit. It actually tasted like money. A lot of money. Chattering around us were people dressed in white shirts, blazers, the odd country club sweater tied around their shoulders. Most of the women were dressed in some form of satin, off-the-shoulder dress, diamonds either glittering in their ears, on their fingers or both. I chuckled discreetly as women who were clearly bored of their husbands shyly smiled at me and batted their eyelashes. All without the men noticing. An impressive skill.

Soon enough, He and Susan were talking to His colleagues. All laughs and smiles, over-complimenting one another.

"Screw this, I'm going for a smoke" I muttered to Max and started making my way to the garden. After all, I had been here once. It made me laugh how He had no idea that I had seen the inside of His boss' house before He had.

Scouring the area for the conservatory door, I saw plenty of guys from Hawkins High. The Yuppie kid from the grocery store was hovering around, partially engrossed in a conversation between an older man who I assumed was his father from how he kept a hand gripped proudly onto his shoulder and the man who I recognized as Sierra's dad. He was distracted by something, his eyes glancing every chance he got to look past the men, but I couldn't see what. I quickened my pace, hoping for him not to see that I was here. One sound made me stop in my tracks and I turned to face her with a wide, Cheshire cat grin on my lips. Sierra's laugh traveled across the room, light and carefree. She was playing with a kid who I assumed was her younger brother. The kid was running around the room, cackling his little head off, as he ran from Sierra who was playfully chasing him around. She looked gorgeous in that dress. I may have been at some high-class social event, but I still savored the sight of her ass. What I enjoyed most was seeing how she was with the kid, making him squeal with joy as she intentionally missed catching him.

"Got ya!" she cheered and picked him up into her arms, slinging the kid over her shoulder and tickling him.

"Ahhhh, Sierra, that tickles!" the kid screamed, giggling manically.

She was suppressing a laugh when she held him to her hip, putting a finger tenderly to her full, rouged lips. The kid mimicked her and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. Shit like this didn't usually make me feel anything, but I was pretty impressed at how she handled the boy. That was when she noticed me, staring at her from across the room with a satisfied smirk. I raised my glass of champagne and winked. I was toasting to how fucking good she looked in that dress. The temptation to grab her hand and sneak off upstairs was just plain overwhelming. She had to do Pilates or some shit like that. Correctly reading the lust in my eyes, I could feel the burn of her cheeks from over here. Just when I thought I had ruined my chance of ever seeing her blush again, she did just that. I chuckled to myself, taking a sip of the champagne. Seriously, where did they get this stuff from? Because it definitely wasn't from the grocery store downtown.

"Sierra, can I please go play with Sammy? He got his dinosaur with him!" the kid pleaded like it was life or death. God, kids were dramatic.

"He has his dinosaur?" Sierra gasped theatrically and immediately left with the kid, having a final glance at me as she walked off.

So, I still piqued her interest. I hadn't entirely pissed her off. She seemed like the kind of girl who would ignore me every chance she got if I had done that. No, I was still somewhere in her good books.

Now it was just about getting her alone.

~Sierra~

This was just my damn luck. Of course Billy was going to be here. I knew I had to talk with him at some point about what had happened in Tina's bathroom, but my energy was directed at so many things that words had no way of flowing out of my mouth. First and foremost, it was ensuring Zack was okay. He was having a fun time with all his friends. This was the greatest time of his life being surrounded by all these people who adored him. Even Dad fussed over him. Naturally, I received a nod and was given my next briefing. As the people had arrived, I was ordered to stand by him and greet them with a wide, sunny smile. I already knew all of their names and the date of their birthdays.

Before all the guests had arrived, Zack tugged on my dress and asked for me to help make him a sandwich. Dad cracked some sexist joke about how I should be the one making sandwiches which prompted his colleagues to guffaw amongst one another. Fuck him. I wished I'd had the nerve to simply turn around, say that with a middle finger standing up to attention, and sauntered away. In reality, I merely smiled and took Zack's hand, leading him to the kitchen. Zack was perfectly capable of making his own sandwiches with some support and I wasn't going to raise him to emulate his sexist pig of a father. As I watched Zack spread the butter on the two pieces of seeded bread, a familiar worry started to invade me. If I got into college, I knew I was getting the hell out of Hawkins. But that judgment was always clouded with a combination of guilt and anxiety. If Zack was constantly exposed to that sort of ignorance, what would become of him? My biggest fear was leaving him for an entire semester and coming back home to discover Dad had morphed the kid into another version of himself. It petrified me that one day I could prompt Zack to make his own sandwiches and he would have some sort of boorish response. I went over to him, lightly stroking his small back and watched as he started cutting up some cheddar.

"Zack," I softly said. His big green eyes looked up and he re-positioned himself on his stool so he could fully see me. "You do know you can make sandwiches whenever you want to, right?"

"I'm great at making sandwiches" he proudly replied and pointed to his masterpiece on the counter.

"You really are!" I laughed, ruffling his brown curls.

"Daddy thinks girls should make sandwiches" I was taken aback by how acutely aware he was of everything. Dad had probably said this to him at some point, or it had been overheard in conversation. Kids were so attuned to their environment and it scared me how things could go either way with Zack. He would either blend in with the environment or he could revolt against it. "But he hasn't seen my best sandwich"

"Well, this clearly is your best work!" I gestured to the messy sandwich that now had lashings of mayonnaise all over the cheese.

"No it's not!" Zack furrowed his little brow, appearing offended. "You haven't seen my macaroni cheese sandwich I made at Sammy's house" Zack put his fingers to his lips and peered off to the side, deep in serious thought. Whatever serious thoughts were for a kid who was nearly 5. "I'm gonna make you one soon"

God, this kid made me laugh. I would hope when it came to me leaving he would remember this moment. How he could make the best sandwiches in Hawkins, that he didn't need a woman to make them for him. I had a lot of belief in Zack. He was different from most kids his age and every now and then would come out with some sage remarks. It warmed me to see him grow like this. I just prayed it would continue without me being here.

About 20 minutes later was when my eyes landed on that irresistible smirk. Out of all the places to see him, I never thought it would be in my own home - again. He raised his champagne glass to me, subtly biting his bottom lip. I could feel his eyes leisurely roam all over my body. Usually, I would have had some form of rebuttal. A swift middle finger or a roll of the eyes. Nothing too dramatic but enough to get the message across. But with Billy Hargrove, even after last night, I couldn't muster a single response. As much as I hated myself for having this mindset, I was so damn happy I chose to wear this dress. It flattered every part of my body that I liked and the red lipstick was a seriously good shout. Despite wanting to scream at him, I seriously couldn't help but to stare just a moment longer. The white shirt, a few buttons undone so it exposed his chest, filled me up with a fire I couldn't extinguish. I wanted so badly to dislike him, yet all the energy I wished to aim at this hatred turned into something completely different.

Zack, as per usual, was the hero of the hour when he asked to hang out with his friend Sammy. The kid apparently had a dinosaur toy and it was of high importance Zack played with it. Immediately, I sprung into action and took Zack over to where the kids were playing. Dad had labeled tonight as a 'family friendly' night. I knew exactly what he was scheming. Even before the news broke about the Hawkins Mall development, he knew some people were starting to see him as this excessive, corrupt man. So, what a better way to diminish such disparaging views than to hold a family friendly night. Hell, he even got a kids entertainer booked in. It was the perfect equation. Kid friendly night + photographer to capture it all = a clean image. All of his cunning made me feel sick to the core because I knew people would fall for it. God, how I just wished they would see him how I did.

In the meantime, I was dithering around next to the table of hors d'oeuvres, trying to convince myself not to eat all the tomato bruschetta. Fuck it, I'd helped lay it out and it was my house. Just as I was about to pick another one, I spotted that Jason Carver was beginning to steal glances more frequently. Before he had a chance to tell his dad, my father's Chief Financial Officer, that he was going to come over and say hello, I gathered three more pieces of bruschetta and got the hell out of there. Going the long way around to the garden, through the kitchen door which led to the other side of the garden, was my usual tactic to evade any early drunks. If people wanted to smoke outside, then they would go through the conservatory to save a few extra steps. As I closed the door quietly behind me, the music became a blur, much to my own relief. The nap I had earlier only helped a little. A thunderstorm was going on in my head and Dancing in the Dark really was not the song to stop it. Just as I was about to inhale another piece of bruschetta, I froze as footsteps approached me.

"Hey, Sierra"

For God's sake. Why now?

"Hey"

He got closer to me, a flirty look in his eyes.

"How's your night?"

With a silent groan, I knew I had to respond.

"It's okay. Thanks, Jason. How's yours?" I felt obliged to ask. Knowing this positive tone wouldn't last forever, I merely shoved the whole piece of bruschetta in my mouth. Better to gross Jason out now than later when he's on a tangent.

"Wow, you must be hungry" he laughed and coolly leaned against the garden fence. He bit his bottom lip as he took the most conspicuous peek at my ass. I turned around and he chuckled, knowing he'd been caught out. "So, look, I know there's something here"

I furrowed my brow and tilted my head in confusion, much like how a dog would. Silently, I gestured for him to continue.

"Sierra, we've known each other since we were this high," Jason placed a flat palm to the top of his thighs. He was right, we had known each other for a long time. During that time, I had always despised him. Even as a kid, he was full of arrogance and could never be told he was wrong. "Everyone knows what's going to happen eventually. Our dads work together and hang outside of the office. Your mom used to have baking days with my mom. Come on, you're not silly, Sierra. You know, they expect us to happen"

I cleared my throat and took a step back. A move that made it so obvious I did not want to be near him. More to the point, I wanted to get away from anyone who mentioned my mom with such insensitivity. He knew what had happened. Shit, his dad was the one who came over the night she went away and got him so drunk that he couldn't even climb the stairs. However, Jason was oblivious to the signs and moved two steps forwards, counteracting my one step backwards. There was a raised pine planter behind me and a birdbath blocked any way for me to escape here.

"Jason, you're all up in my space" I said, leaning against the planter uncomfortably.

"Why are you with that piece of shit Billy Hargrove?" Jason asked in a frustrated tone. He was angry, his lips pursed and eyes bulging from this indignation. Of course, how dare I have interest in another guy? Not just that, but who was I to blatantly ignore such an important topic? I stood up straight then, a motion to end this conversation. I was almost breathless from the annoyance gripping me.

"He's not a piece of shit, Jason" I stated, almost breathless from the anger gripping me. "And I'm not with him. Now we've clarified all of this, perhaps you can get out of my way"

However, Jason was not having any of this. He merely scoffed and let out a slight laugh. I must have been stupid to forget how Jason Carver always had to get his own way. Jason opened his mouth to speak. But to both my dismay and relief, a husky voice stole his words.

"Well, well, well" he said with ease, a cloud of smoke blowing in Jason's direction.

I finally looked past my shoulder to see him standing there - brazen and furious.

Only Billy Hargrove could have made such an entrance.