A/N: Honestly, your excitement about Billy and Sierra dating made me smile so much. It was so sweet! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter :)

~Sierra~

There are usually lots of reasons I struggle to fall asleep at night. For most of the time, it's because I get lost in the inner turmoil that keeps itself veiled during the day. There's too much going on, too many automatic routines to carry out, for it to even think about poking its head. Then, just when I think I can finally switch off, it seizes the opportunity and activates. But for once, last night after I had cleaned up the remnants of a supposedly 'calm' event, it didn't bother me. Instead, all I could feel was this pleasant warmth bubbling around in my stomach. It ebbed and flowed, like gentle waves as they reached the shore, until finally I found myself fading into my mind's own sunset. All because I had kissed Billy Hargrove. It wasn't even just the kiss that made me feel this way. It was the laughter we shared, how his finger stroked the back of my hand with such gentleness that it rescued me from falling into the pits of a panic attack after the whole Carver incident. I couldn't stop thinking about everything. But instead of having the anxiety force me into a disrupted night's sleep, I was lulled into something blissful. Upon waking up in the morning, I felt the most energized I had in years. The morning fell into a seamless series of mundane events when suddenly, I found myself in the school parking lot.

Accompanied by the song Round and Round, I practically leapt out of my car when I heard a rap at my window. Leaning against the car door with all the coolness of a movie star, Billy's husky voice greeted me. He never dressed like he was going to be attending school. Dirty blonde curls styled to perfection, a leather jacket that screamed rebellion and a silver spike dangling from his ear. Billy Hargrove was the definition of defiance. Immediately, I felt a new kind of invigoration as the notorious smirk penciled on Billy's lips came to meet mine. All of his bravado faded, a softness gaining control. As much as his bad boy persona was appealing to the eye, feeling his sensitivity as he kissed me made my heart race. Our gentle hello only lasted mere moments, but it felt like a lifetime. I could have stayed there, relishing the side he only revealed to me, for the rest of the day.

"Good morning, Princess" Billy chuckled and peered down at the box of doughnuts I had forgotten were in my hands. "Did you hold the liver paste?"

"Just this once" I playfully giggled and lifted the box up for him. After fingering around to select one, Billy picked up a doughnut and brought it to his lips, sucking off the sugar from his thumb with a satisfied click of the tongue. "Have as many as you want"

"I fully intend to, Nightingale, but first" Billy paused, grazing his fingers along my jawline before they found their way into my hair "we should probably turn off your car engine". In one sleek movement, Billy leaned over to turn the car key, the music turning off. He looked at me through those heavy lidded eyes, giving me a wink.

"And you call me the tease" I laughed.

Billy's warm breath, smoky and sweet, expanded over my lips as he grew closer. A mischievous chuckle rumbled in his throat, his breath lingering for just a moment before he delicately kissed my cheek.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Nightingale" Billy laughed, taking another bite from the sugary treat. "I'm a gentleman"

The urge to laugh was just too overwhelming. Even if I could have contained it, Billy somehow figured out that winking at me was his superpower. One wink and it was all over as the laughter streamed out of my mouth. Honestly, imagining Billy Hargrove as a gentleman was just about the funniest thing I could think of. However, it appeared like he also knew how to surprise me. Striving to prove his point, he lit a cigarette without taking a drag and passed it to me.

"How gallant of you, Hargrove" I giggled and accepted it. Billy enveloped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, caressing my ear with the tip of his nose.

"Anything for my girl" he whispered and kissed my lobe, flirtatiously tugging at the silver hoop earring as he did so. Leisurely, Billy drifted his head up and let out an amused laugh. I had been too absorbed by his attention to notice the prying looks we were receiving. "Something a little more interesting than Mrs Simpson's cat, huh?"

I playfully swatted him on the arm and in response, he stole the cigarette out of my mouth and took a drag, letting the cloud of smoke build up alongside his rising smirk. However, as I spotted the three people that really knew how to grate on my nerves staring at us, Billy's eyebrows creased. As usual, Tommy, Carol and Ray knew how to ruin my mood.

"I think some people are showing a little more interest than they should" I nodded towards them and Billy peered over. He let out an incurious grunt and blew out the smoke he had been gathering. "Did you figure it out for yourself in the end?" I asked, referring to what I had said about the three of them being assholes.

"You don't need to worry about them, Sierra" he stated and wrapped a tense, defensive arm around my shoulders.

But I did. Even whilst Steve hung out with them, those three knew how to stir up the smallest thing and create a hurricane of trouble. They despised me purely because I wasn't afraid to show my intelligence. Moreover, they despised me because they knew Steve admired the sheer audacity I had to keep shoving my intelligence in their fucking faces.

"You can't protect me from everything, Billy" I whispered.

Billy may have been Keg King, but there were just some things in this place that would never change. Some people that would never change. No amount of Californian influence would get the Troublesome Trio in line. There and then, Billy's hands gently welcomed me into a kiss. As my eyes slipped to a close, I immersed myself in his affection. It was like coming home out of the rain and having someone wrap you in a warm blanket - tender, comforting. The one thing you relied on to make the outside world disappear. In that one act of endearment, Billy Hargrove sealed a promise to me. It was unspoken, but I just knew he would prove me wrong. He would try his damn hardest to one day say, "I told you so".

However, the seed had already been planted in my mind. The familiar ice-cold feeling flowed from my head to feet. Inside, I was fighting a battle. Billy had seen me at my most vulnerable. Last night, I stood in the kitchen with Zack in my arms, soothing all of his distress away. He had seen me. There was always the possibility people could see my bruises. But I had the chance to lie. Make an excuse. I could depend on that. In those few seconds where Billy watched as I rocked this crying boy in my arms, knowing I was the sole person in the universe who could calm him down, I had nothing to depend on. Nobody to depend on. Then, he said the words I had been silently yearning to hear.

"Here, let me help"

I wanted to push back. Tell him I didn't need any help. That I had managed just fine by myself. I had done it for so long. There's vulnerability in giving someone permission to enter your world, even just a peek. But last night, Billy saw everything. As the chill of anxiety rushed down my spine, I wanted to fight back. I was scared. Not even my first love knew what lurked behind the flawless facade of my house. At times, I endeavored to pretend I didn't know. I would find myself lost in poetry and imagine I could dance around the words on the page. Anywhere but where I existed. In Billy's kiss, I wanted to do that too. Forget. Lose myself. But I knew reality would be waiting for me. Reality was patient when it had to be, a shadow concealing itself until the mask of dreaming came off. As Billy's lips parted from mine, I knew time was up and the shadow cast itself again. Forcibly, I regained my composure and plastered a smile on my face.

The bell echoed through the parking lot. I wanted to stay in his arms all day. For one day, I just wanted to ignore all the problems waiting for us. But that was the problem. They were still there.

"Let me prove you wrong" he defiantly whispered.

With that, he laced his fingers with mine and we breezed through the hordes of gawking onlookers. Tommy called out Billy's name. But Billy was determined to be a man of his word. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and merely gave them a nod of the head as we walked on by. I felt Tommy's affronted glare branding my back. A target of someone who had displeased him. I had taken away the King of Hawkins High, leaving him in the dust. Now, I would most likely have to pay some kind of price.

Just before we went our separate ways, Billy pulled me close to him, as if he had felt my body become rigid from the taunts in my mind.

"You believe me, right?" he asked. Those blue eyes, usually so fearless, gazed down at me etched with worry. Our kiss had sparked this delirium for the both of us. It brought us desire and exhilaration. But alongside came something entirely different. For me, it was the fear I would be hurt. For Billy, it seemed it was the fear he would let me down. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, Sierra"

It was as if he had read my mind. Was I so easy to read nowadays, or was it only him who could decipher my inner conflict?

"I'm not worried about those guys" I chuckled, trying to reassure him. That was only half true. But I knew there were more troubles on the horizon than just Tommy and Ray's ridicule. As Billy knew, there was more to life than just high school theatrics. "Anyway, I'll see you for lunch?"

"That sounds good to me" He eased into himself again, the charming rebel. Saying goodbye with a wink, he walked off. "Save me one of those doughnuts, yeah?" he called and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

God, why was I like this? I had worried him for no reason other than my mind going into overload. Usually, I was able to control my anxiety before it reached a point where it affected other people. But around Billy, no matter how much I anticipated the thrill of his touch, I was so frightened I had needlessly exposed my life to him. I didn't want to get hurt.

The guy made me happy. It seemed like he understood me better than my some of my friends even could. This connection we had was so easy yet intoxicating. I wanted more of him, but the shadow of reality chastised me. You're going to get hurt. Would this ease with time, with trust? Not just trust in him, but trust in myself. Inconspicuously, I gave my head a shake before heading into history class. As expected, mine and Billy's names were on the tips of everyone's tongues. With a sigh, I followed Mr Tanaka's command to turn to page 108. In a few hours time I would see Billy again and feel the excitement I had felt this morning. No overthinking. No anxiety. I could do it.

All would be okay.

…

By third period, I had managed to calm myself down. I knew I had been overthinking, but during the second period I had no choice but to be the only person who could stomp out my anxiety. Nancy was a no show today. I hadn't seen nor heard from her since she jumped into Jonathan's car. She usually called me to say she wasn't coming in today. Even more strange was how I called the Byer's house to talk to Jonathan this morning and received no answer. There was always an answer, even if it was just the answerphone. But there was no chirpy response. Just silence.

I had just had the most monotonous cheerleading practice. Bryony Hamilton was glowering at me the entire time and it was clear she had ordered the other girls to follow suit. It was humiliating how I was being given the silent treatment all because I had managed to gain Billy's affection instead of her. Bryony had perceived this as a personal, direct insult and she was going to put her all into ensuring I was given a suitable punishment. Right now, this meant having none of the girls talk to me. On one hand, it angered me because of how childish it all was. Throughout the entire practice, I had to contain this molten hot anger from unleashing itself. But on the other hand, I was slightly relieved how I didn't have to engage in the usual pretentious conversations. As they all turned around to see my reaction as they spoke loudly about how their makeup looked after practice, I merely rolled my eyes at them. Thankfully, they hadn't managed to persuade Pepsi whose loyalty to me shone. Whenever she was talking to me, she made a point of it. In the girl's changing rooms, I still donned my Hawkin's High cheerleader uniform and found myself being interrogated by Pepsi. Of course, she wanted to know everything about Billy and I. And I mean everything. Pepsi was making her point loud and clear to Bryony.

"So, who kissed who first?" she asked enthusiastically. My mind wandered back to Tina's bathroom. Despite Billy not being present in the current moment, I found myself biting the inside of my lip as I remembered how relieved I had felt kissing Billy for the first time. "Well, come on! We don't have all day!" Pepsi stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot excitedly.

I held in my answer, seeing Bryony Hamilton moving closer in the corner of my eye. I wasn't just going to ignore Pepsi's question. Bryony was going to have to get used to the fact that Billy wasn't interested in her. She could eavesdrop as much as she wanted. I wasn't going to drop a guy I genuinely liked just because she was throwing a tantrum.

"I did, alright!" I sighed and laughed at how Pepsi started literally jumping for joy, clapping her hands.

"Ugh, you two are just made for each other!" Pepsi giggled with emphasis, much to Bryony's chagrin. "Like seriously, his eyes were all over you. God, I love it when a good match happens"

Before I could even respond to the rest of Pepsi's neverending questions, I saw Steve striding by the changing rooms and into the gym. I hadn't seen Steve since the Halloween party and he hadn't answered any of my calls yesterday. I wasn't even sure if he came to any lessons outside of basketball practice quite honestly. The guy had been off the radar. So, before anyone else got into the gymnasium, I ran after him and abruptly tapped his shoulder. Steve literally jumped out of his trance, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was only me

"Nightingale, you scared the shit out of me!" he gasped and hauled me in for a hug.

Usually, our hugs were either very quick or we would jokingly sway side to side as we clung onto one another. However, this time, we just stood still and Steve burrowed his head under my curls. Shit, he was seriously broken from what had happened with Nancy.

"Sorry, I've not had a good couple of days" he murmured and pulled himself up. There were tears flooding his eyes. Knowing Steve, he would strive to keep them from pouring out. Without another word, I hauled him in for another hug, stroking his back with the palm of my hand. "Sorry" his muffled voice uttered from my shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize" I whispered and we straightened up, smiling at one another. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"There's not much to talk about, Sierra" he replied, his voice sorrowful. Together, we walked over to the benches and sat down. Cheerleader practice was over now, but it would be at least 15 minutes until the rest of the basketball team would come in. We had some breathing space for the now. "She just doesn't love me anymore, or she never did to begin with"

"I can hear how hurt you are" I said, moving alongside him as he leaned down to stare at the floor. "You know I'll always be in the boat with you, Harrington" Steve's head perked up at me and we gently smiled at one another. Steve did this sharp inhale he always did to signal he was done with talking about his feelings. I couldn't force him to talk, but what I could do was let him know I was there when he was ready to. "Unless, of course, you throw me overboard which in that case at least give me some arm bands"

He let out a small laugh and gathered me for another hug.

"Thanks, Nightingale. I appreciate that" Suddenly, Steve moved away and sharply inhaled again, gathering his emotions. "Well, at least one of us has a date for the winter dance"

"Oh, you've heard, huh?" I jokingly rolled my eyes. Of course he would have heard. The whole school couldn't shut up about how Billy Hargrove had been seen holding my waist at Tina's party the other day. Then today, the rumors were confirmed as we kissed in the parking lot and it all spread like wildfire. "I kinda wanted to tell you myself"

"Don't worry about it. You know what Tommy's like. He can't keep that big mouth of his closed" Steve said. His had spoken in jest, but his eyes were starting to tell me he wanted to go down a more serious route. "Just be careful with him, Sierra"

No one in this school would have ever guessed that Steve Harrington was the protective type. Despite his popularity, Steve had a heart of gold. He had seen me go through heartache with Austin and any guy who had even so much as caught a glimpse of me was given a silent warning by Steve. He had this paternal vigilance about him which I always thought was his most endearing quality. Secretly, I called him the voluntary mom of our group.

"He can be a bit of an asshole" I hadn't been offended when Steve initially warned me, but this had. With a furrowed brow, I goaded him for an explanation. "Look, he may seem really cool, but I just want you to be careful. That's all"

"Steve, this is the same guy who heated up a cup of milk for Zack last night" I scouted the area to see if anyone could overhear us before lowering my voice "and the same guy who read Fantastic Mr Fox to him in the voice" Steve sucked in his lips, his face going bright red from the suppressed laughter "Alright, have your moment, Steve!"

Steve burst out laughing, cackling into his hands.

"Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system" I sighed, grinning at him. "You forget, Harrington, you're the same person who went to a lecture on quantum physics with Dustin a few weeks ago because no one else wanted to"

"Hey, I had to style his hair beforehand anyway!" Steve retorted, throwing his hands up in defense.

"Oh yes, the Farrah Fawcett spray. How could I forget!" I sarcastically replied, struggling to contain my laughter.

"The kid needed my help to get some numbers, alright?" he countered, playfully swatting my arm. "Besides, Henderson is a real genius. Do you know how long he spent talking to the scientist afterwards about all this shit? A goddamn hour, Nightingale. One hour!" He paused, letting out a deep exhale after all that praise. It was official. Steve was such a mom. "God, that kid is going far"

"Probably, he always seems to chew my ear off about all this stuff when I'm babysitting him" I giggled before adopting a more serious stance. "I'm just saying though, maybe give Hargrove a little slack" I replied. "Remember, it was only last year you were an asshole too"

"Ugh, you always have to be so honest" Steve groaned and leaned against the benches, his eyes closing momentarily. However, he had a matching grin on his lips so I knew he had fully understood what I had to say. Soon enough, he had snapped straight up again, alert and ready to most likely return to the conversation about his hair. "But seriously, what's with the sarcasm? Farrah Fawcett hairspray is the staple to anyone's morning routine" I knew the guy way too well.

"More like morning, afternoon and evening routine for you" I muttered, winking at him, and leaped up to grab the basketball resting on his thighs. He could do with a laugh. Somehow, Steve and I always ended up doing something light-hearted like basketball after we'd delved into something serious.

"Alright, Nightingale, game on" Steve laughed and went for the attack.

However, I had become quite the pro after spending a whole summer learning how to play with Steve. Quickly, I moved out of the way, evading his motion. Cheekily, I stuck my tongue out at him and ran to make my shot.

"Nope, I don't think so, Nightingale!" I scrambled to avoid Steve as he darted towards me. But I had been too slow! Steve scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder, grabbing the ball from me.

"Foul play!" I laughed as I tried to get the ball from him with my feet.

"No foul play to be seen here!" Steve shouted and threw the ball over his shoulder.

However, we never heard it bounce off the floor.

"The only thing I see here is foreplay, Harrington"

Fucking Tommy.

Steve immediately put me on the floor, glowering at Tommy who was staring at us with an intrigued smile, bouncing the basketball slowly. It was one of those smiles that instantly creates unease. He was plotting something, that much I could tell.

"Fuck off, Tommy" Steve said, rolling his eyes. "We're just messing around"

"Oh, I can see that" Tommy sniggered, shooting the ball to the net. A small win for Steve and I - he missed. "Didn't cheerleading practice end a while ago, Nightingale?"

"Why do you care, Tommy?" I crossed my arms assertively and raised my brow at him. "Last time I checked, it was socially acceptable for two friends to have a game of basketball"

"Didn't look like a lot of basketball to me" Tommy said, cocking his head to the side, roaming my body with those repulsive eyes of his. He moved forwards with a conceited swagger, collecting the ball. I opened my mouth to retaliate. Who the hell did he think he was? "Hargrove isn't here, Nightingale. What are you gonna do about it?"

Steve was about to go in on the defense until I threw him a stern look. The last thing I wanted Tommy to think I couldn't fend for myself. Before Tommy could even have time to react, I seized the ball from him and raised my knee to strike him in the balls. With an agonized groan, Tommy keeled over and I spun around to aim my shot. Thankfully, the ball actually went into the net. Not showing my inner relief at how well that went, I turned back round and tilted my head at an astonished Tommy, soaking up his surprise.

"What I always do, Tommy - win" I plastered a sarcastic smile on my lips and took a few steps closer to him. Enough to make him feel threatened at least. "With or without a man here"

With Steve in tow, I sauntered out of the room and we stopped outside of the boys changing rooms.

"Jesus, when did you turn so cool?" Steve beamed at me with pride, raising his fist for me to bump. "Although, I think I definitely felt one that too"

"Ouch, I didn't think about that one" I winced slightly as Steve flashed me a pained stare. "I'll deal with whatever Tommy has in store later"

"Don't worry about it. You're Hargrove's girl now so you're pretty much untouchable" I raised my brow at Steve, giving him the same incredulous look he'd seen a thousand times before when I wanted him to think over what he'd come out with. "But I'm pretty certain you just proved you don't need him to back you up"

"Right answer, Steve" I chuckled and gave him a hug before he went into the changing rooms.

I waited around for Billy to come out. It would be a nice to see him before Tommy did. When Billy finally emerged, I found my cheeks burning and this electrified bolt hit me. From the way the sensation spread all over my body, I wasn't even sure where the bolt struck. All I knew was Billy was standing in front of me with no shirt on.

"Eyes up here, Princess" he chuckled, lightly tapping my chin. I had seen him topless before at The Communion, but he had jumped into the lake with me before I could properly absorb just how goddamn handsome he was. Billy's mischievous aura soon dissipated as he saw an injured Tommy quickly glance over at us, and I felt him physically bristle. "He giving you any trouble?"

"Not anymore!" I simply answered and unconsciously returned to admiring Billy. I was his girlfriend. "Oh shit, yeah, my eyes are here" I accidentally pointed at his chest before correcting myself, gesturing to his eyes. As my inner critic started going on a tangent, all Billy could do was chuckle at me. "I mean…" Irritated at how flustered I was getting over this, I quietly groaned. "Fuck it"

"Don't worry, whilst you're having an argument with yourself, I'm just enjoying the view" He winked at me. Instantly, I crumbled into a laughing mess. Shit, my legs had gone weak. What the hell was Hargrove doing to me? "So, what do I owe this pleasure, Nightingale?"

"I was just chilling with Steve and thought I'd stop by to say hey" I replied.

"You just can't get enough of me. Can you, Nightingale?" he coolly responded, leaning against the wall.

"I'm not even going to deny that" Shit, did I just say that out loud? Oh God, I was turning into a mess.

"Well, we still have lunch later, and," Billy moved closer, gently taking a strand of my hair to twirl around his finger "perhaps more time later?"

Swallowing a huge gulp of air, I peered up at his nonchalant, deep blue eyes. The rest of the basketball team boisterously went past us, distracting me from this spell Billy had cast. With a chuckle, Billy tucked the curl he had been playing with behind my ear.

"Catch you later, Princess"

Billy caught up to the rest of the team, but not without a final wink. What the actual hell had overcome me just then? Any anxiety I had felt this morning had definitely turned into this steamy lust. I liberated the breath I had been keeping hostage in my mouth during that entire conversation and made my way back to the girl's changing rooms. There was only Pepsi there now, still in her cheerleader uniform yet all bags packed and ready to go. The rest of the girls had probably gone to gossip behind the bleachers where they would rebelliously sneak in a smoke.

"Hey, where'd you go? I wasn't finished with my questions!" Pepsi admonished, placing her hands sternly on her hips.

"Sorry, Peps, Steve needed a chat" I went into a cubicle and started getting undressed.

"Poor guy. I can't believe he and Nancy split!" Pepsi paused any further chat until I stepped out of the changing room.

I was wearing my favorite outfit - a gray acid washed skirt with lace tie details on the side and a long-sleeved black turtleneck, silver hoops dangling from my ears. Black Doc Martens to match, of course. Dressed in all black, I had thoroughly enjoyed walking into the girl's changing room earlier to be greeted by the others dressed in vibrant colors. Pepsi had changed into her attire of a chiffon polka dot blouse and black capri pants. We were the outcasts of the cheerleader squad. One semi-rock chick and a Marilyn Monroe lookalike. What a fabulous pair we made.

"God, you and Hargrove have a damn good aesthetic, Sierra" Pepsi breathed as I came out of the cubicle. "On another note, is Steve definitely single now?"

"Don't even think about it, Pepsi!" I sang, wagging a finger at Pepsi who had started pouting.

Together, we walked to the bleachers to join the rest of the cheerleaders. As per my prediction, they were gossiping. However, this time round, all they could talk about was Nancy and Jonathan. I knew exactly what had happened. Goddamn it, Tommy. Bryony Hamilton was cackling, wiping faux tears from her eyes. I felt my blood boil, scalding my arms as it coursed through them. Behind us, the guys from basketball were starting to come out for some fresh air.

"Ugh, God, what a slut. And with Jonathan Byers - "

That was it.

"Alright, Bryony, you've said enough" I snapped.

The entire group team gasped, excluding Pepsi who stood there with an amused smirk. If she thought learning about Billy and I was the highlight of her day, she had another thing coming. A few guys from the basketball team murmured an enthused "Cheerleader fight!" and I heard keen slaps on some of their backs. Tommy and Ray were definitely among those voices.

"What did you just say to me?" Bryony spluttered. Her hand flew to her chest, a weak portrayal of being offended.

"I said, you've said enough" I coldly repeated. "You literally call everyone on this team a slut when they do something with a guy you're interested in. I mean, shit, you very clearly called me one this morning!"

"I did no such - "

"Oh, don't fucking pretend like you didn't want me to overhear you, Bryony!" This was seriously liberating - finally telling them exactly what I thought about them. I had my boundaries and one of those was people talking shit about my friends. "And before you even go there, I saw you ogling at Jonathan Byers whenever you were in the photography room. Those lights aren't all that dark" Bryony scoffed and peered around at all of the cheerleaders, pleading for their support. However, all of them were too engrossed in my sudden outburst to even utter a word. "Find a new insult because what people get up to in their own time is their business. More importantly, you're going to stop speaking about my friends like that"

"I don't know who you think you're talking to, Sierra, or what's gotten into you, but fall back in line" Bryony hissed. She had such a determined look on her face, but upon seeing I stood there, arms resiliently crossed, it faltered. "Look, you better apologize to me or you're off the team!"

Dad wouldn't like it if I was off the cheerleading team. I could just hear the conversation between him and the mother's who chased after his affection and the subsequent barks of contempt. But as the fear started to invade, I heard Barb.

"You do have a choice though"

She was right. I did have a choice. My role in this life was not to conform to his views of perfection so he could uphold this reputation he never earned. I looked back up to Bryony's glare. I had made my decision.

"Oh good, you're doing me a favor"

I rummaged through my bag and threw my cheerleading uniform at her. All of this had happened so suddenly, but this was the best I had felt in years. There was only one word I could think of. Unchained. This was my choice. Quitting the cheerleading team would never stop the bruises. I could deal with hiding the bruises, but I was so exhausted from hiding my true self. I had to let go of the illogical idea that he would show anything other than disdain towards me. As soon as I threw the uniform at Bryony, I knew I was throwing away that dream of seeing pride gleam in my dad's eyes as he spoke to the other dad's about how I had been cheerleading at their sons games. But that dream was never going to manifest into a reality. I couldn't control that. What I could control was how I spent my last year at high school - starting now.

I was going to date Billy Hargrove, read my books during break whilst receiving death stares from the cheerleaders, and I was going to be fucking happy.

Bryony exclaimed loudly, the reality of her defeat setting in.

"If you go now, Sierra, I'll never let you back on the team again! You'll spend your lunches with the nerds!" Bryony was clutching at straws, furrowing her brow as I casually applied my lip gloss.

"I'm cool with that. Your routines were shit anyway" I nonchalantly replied and as I turned around, I saw Billy. He had that smirk on his lips. But it wasn't just the usual amused smirk. No, it was mixed with something else. With a nod, the smile widened. He was proud of me. "Also, I think you'll find I'll be spending lunch with my boyfriend"

If it wasn't for the sheer fact she would have earned herself a ruined reputation, Bryony Hamilton would have launched herself at me, all guns blazing, right there and then. With a final farewell, I started making my way over to Billy, biting my bottom lip from all the anticipation.

"You know what? I'm going with Sierra too" Pepsi declared. Oh, now this was going to be fun. Pepsi mimicked me, throwing her cheerleader uniform at Bryony who at this point was swathed in the excessively fake comfort from the rest of the squad.

"What the hell is happening?" Bryony screeched. Everything was coming loose at the seams. For once, the populars were getting utterly obliterated by people beneath them on the food chain.

"This is happening, Hamilton!" And with that, Pepsi grabbed Bryony's strawberry smoothie and tossed it over her! "Don't be too upset, darling, I can spot a fake Ralph Lauren from a mile away!"

Over Bryony's screams and insistence that her top wasn't a knock-off Ralph Lauren, I could hear Billy cackle. All of this chaos must have been just perfect for him. I turned around from seeing Pepsi tumbling over in fits of giggles, announcing she was going to be a theater kid now, to Billy as he advanced towards me, his smile beaming.

"So, you don't mind not having a cheerleader as your girl?" I timidly asked, a small smile on my lips. It hadn't crossed my mind that Billy may care about appearances. But suddenly, the old insecurity reared its ugly head.

"You were right, their routines are shit. But, you dance to Live Wire" Billy cupped my cheeks into his hands. "This is why you're my girl, Nightingale"

Steve approached us, hands behind his head and an impressed grin on his face.

"Shit, Nightingale, when did your balls get that big?" he chuckled and slapped my back. "Is this your doing, Hargrove?"

"I think she had this one by herself" Billy replied, winking at me.

"Well, all that amusement has made me work up an appetite" Pepsi sighed as she joined us, abandoning the cheerleaders for good. "What do you outcasts say? Lunch by the bleachers?"

We all nodded and voiced our agreement. A new group - a Keg King, the voluntary mom, a semi-rock chick/book nerd and a Marilyn Monroe lookalike. Hawkins High had never anticipated such an amalgamation.

"Just hold the smoothies though, Peps. I don't want to be your next target" Steve laughed. It was good to see him laugh after what had happened.

"Damn it, Harrington, I was really starting to think banana was your shade" Pepsi giggled.

Billy entwined his fingers with mine and gave it a squeeze, wanting to get my attention. He hung back for a moment, letting Pepsi and Steve go ahead.

"Just for the record, that was sexy as hell" Billy whispered, biting his lower lip.

"What can I say, Hargrove, I'm full of surprises" I gave him a coquettish smile and kissed his cheek.

"Save some for me, Nightingale" Billy chuckled. Wrapping an arm around my waist, we caught up Steve and Pepsi who were enthusiastically talking about how the Farrah Fawcett hairspray was the superior hair product. Billy paused for a moment, scrutinizing the two of them. Of course, he was too macho for this talk. "The fuck are you two talking about?" An awkward silence fell over where we all looked at one another. I was getting ready to drag Billy away when all of a sudden, he came out with something I would have never expected. "Seriously, you're not doing it properly if you haven't got setting lotion"

Collectively, we all breathed a sigh of relief. But not before Steve retorted with how his clay pomade really was the secret key to getting good hair. Pepsi and I rolled our eyes and laughed together as Steve digressed further much to Billy's despair. He flashed me a regretful look, but upon catching my grin, he merely shook his head and lit a cigarette now we were off school grounds, passing it to me.

As it turned out, even Billy Hargrove had his own surprises. With a smirk on my lips as I watched Steve try to convert Billy to the Farrah Fawcett routine, I felt complete. I had my friends and a boyfriend who had my best interests at heart.

This year was going to be the most eventful one yet.