A/N: Thanks again for all the thoughts on the last chapter. Also, I'm so happy to see this story has new followers and favorites! I really appreciate it guys. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and hope you all enjoy reading!
~Sierra~
"Sierra…"
Before my eyes could even adjust to the soft light of a new day, I was welcomed by his scent. Musky - cigarettes and the slightest hint of sweat. Leisurely, I rolled over, feeling the gentleness of his arms move against my warm skin. Peeking through his long lashes, Billy's dilated pupils masqueraded the startling blue. It was almost like he was in a trance.
"You called, Hargrove?" I sleepily murmured and nestled myself in the crook of his neck. Gingerly, my lips traced a line up his neck to meet his lips. To my surprise, he captured mine first. "That's cheating"
"Too bad, Princess" he huskily chuckled, kissing my pout away. Tingles spread through me as he tucked an unruly curl behind my ear, staring adoringly yet curiously into my eyes as if he were discovering something for the first time. "Sleep okay?"
"Mm" I grunted and wiggled a little to return to how I had been sleeping. Faced away from him, but still in the comfort of his arms. "I want more"
"We gotta get up, sweetheart" he whispered, his warm breath expanding over my ear. "It's 8am"
But I was stuck in a sweet limbo. Unwilling to escape the safety of his arms, it seemed that he was just as unwilling to move them. I was away from reality, continuing to follow that high from mere hours ago. In the midst of everything, we escaped together. I didn't want to go back yet. Stubborn as ever, I threw the whole duvet over us. Billy, with a joking 'Tsk', gave into the temptation of staying in bed and pulled me on top of him.
"See, I win" I drowsily declared. .
"For now" Billy laughed before we fell into a beautiful silence.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep inhale of his smell and sighed. It had been so long since I'd felt this close to someone. Everything felt like it was moving at the speed of light. The revelations surrounding Will, my own life and Hawkins in general had all occurred in the space of less than 12 hours. It was the definition of chaos. Yet, in the chaos, Billy and I had managed to find a sense of belonging. We'd found ourselves in the eye of a tornado and saved each other from ourselves. Eating away at me the entire night was the lethal concoction of rage, confusion and melancholy. He'd felt it, and in turn, he took my hand and away to this island of freedom. I could be whoever I so desired around him. There comes a certain liberty with being around someone who wants you to live as you are. I didn't have to be a cheerleader, the popular girl, or the mother around him. I could just be Sierra. As I woke to him saying my name, a rush of wonderful excitement surged through me. His voice was like honey.- sweet and smooth, easy and addictive. He was definitely one of a kind. I'd never felt quite this confident before. Since my ex, I had actively avoided any form of relationship. Trust issues turned into strong vines that snaked themselves around my heart. Even with Billy, there was hesitancy to begin with. But there was something about him. An ease to be myself. He didn't care about the money, the status. In fact, I wasn't sure when I first met him if he cared about anything. The more I got to know him, the more I learned that Billy did, in fact, care about a lot of things. Initially, it was evident he cared about his car. As time progressed, the care extended to me. For some odd reason, Billy had picked me from the crowd of Hawkins girls. In turn, I had picked him from the crowd of Hawkins boys. We'd seen a spark in one another. Damn, I actually really liked this guy. He was brazen yet sweet, tough yet sensitive, and every time he smirked or winked at me, there was no stopping the heat from rushing to my cheeks.
"I don't wanna get up now either" Billy whispered, light laughter trickling out of his mouth. "You're a bad influence, Nightingale"
"Don't pretend like you didn't want a few minutes of extra sleep too" I playfully chided, turning around to brush my nose against his.
"Maybe…" Billy replied, his whisper laced with something far more suggestive "I don't want extra sleep" Honey, in all its sweetness, flowed from his lips, tempting me further.
Soft kisses rained over my neck and a light pull on my hair as he gathered a fistful of it sent me into a calm haze. But it only took one thing to tip me over the edge. As we locked eyes, I saw as it slowly and seductively crawled up.
That goddamn smirk.
Billy Hargrove had known all along he was the real winner here. And like the madly infatuated girl I was, I was more than happy to let him win.
…
Still dizzy and forgetting gravity existed as I sauntered through nothing but air, I tripped over Billy's pillow on the floor. Thankfully, I had managed to catch my balance just in time. If we had been at school, Pepsi would have made fun of me for being dick drunk and harassed me for all the details. I'd made a call on my behalf to school earlier. Putting on my best Oscar winning performance of a girl who had come down with a nasty case of the flu, I croaked out my explanation. Amused, Billy laid in bed, arms behind his head, with that smirk etched onto his lips. He'd been completely silent since I got out of bed. Our only communication was stealing glances of each other changing as if we were forbidden fruit and exchanging a wink or grin. As if those gestures hadn't completely pleased him, he ran a finger across my spine as I leaned over to put my shoes on.
"I could just spend all day up here" Billy groaned as I straightened myself. He'd become a professional at finding stray ringlets and playing with them, curling them around his fingers.
"Well," I started playfully, standing on the tips of my toes in an attempt to make myself equal with his heavy eyes "you were the one who wanted to get out of bed, so quit your moaning"
"You weren't saying that earlier" Billy chuckled and winked at me before heading to the door.
As if momentarily stupored by my own coyness, I watched as he leaned against the door, biting down on my lower lip. We just looked at each other, trying our best not to combust. I had so many butterflies dancing around in my stomach. Shit, I hadn't felt like this for a long time. All of his boldness vanished for a few seconds as his languid eyes inspected me. His lips curled upwards into a beaming smile and he brought his hands out, gesturing for me to come forward. Attracted like a magnet, I joyfully skipped over and our hands became tangled as he leaned in to kiss me. As my heart pounded against his, I wished we didn't have to leave this room either. Soft lips on soft lips, sharing breath - honey. He was just pure honey. Our lips broke away, enough to break the fusion, but not enough that I couldn't feel the warmth of his breath.
"Before we go downstairs, I wanna give you something" Billy whispered and began to fumble with something at the back of his neck.
Furrowing my brow, I watched as he struggled a little. Before I could step in to help, Billy softly ordered me to close my eyes. Despite wanting to defy him as I felt him put something cold around my neck, I only opened my eyes when he said it was okay for me to. When I opened them, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Even more so, I was totally unprepared for the fresh wave of butterflies.
"I, er, know it's not much…" Billy faltered for a moment, lowering his head and smiling to himself, as if he was gearing up to a ceremonious speech.
Outwardly, I was patient and stood silently as he gathered his thoughts. Inside, I was ridiculously giddy. Usually, I would roll my eyes at any sort of romance movie. and Pepsi or Nancy would have to convince me with bribes of popcorn to watch one with them. But here I was, standing here in what felt like a scene from a John Hughes movie. Breathless and gazing down at what Billy had gifted me.
His necklace.
I ran my thumb over the gold pendant, balancing it on the tips of my finger. I'd never seen Billy without it. I wondered how far it had traveled with him, who bestowed it in the first place. My own upbringing wasn't defined by religion, despite both my parents coming from Christian and Catholic backgrounds respectively. So, I had absolutely no idea who the religious figure engraved in the pendant was. Surprisingly, it was a woman. Perhaps it was Mary? Every time I thought the mystery shrouding Billy was so close to being solved, something else appeared. My eyes flickered up to see him run a hand through his loose, golden curls. The corner of his mouth jerked, as if he was trying to control the urge to smirk.
Come on, Billy. Show me who you really are.
He sucked on his lower lip for a second, as if contemplating what his next move was. Finally, Billy shone through, smiling more with those deep ocean eyes, corners of his mouth ever so slightly turned upwards.
"I guess I thought it would suit you" Billy said, holding the back of his neck. "Erm, it looks good on you. Matches your eyes"
"It's pretty" I replied and stood on the tips of my toes to gingerly kiss his cheek as a way of thanking him. He tucked a loose ringlet behind my ear and bashfully bit his lower lip. "I didn't have you down as religious"
"No, no" he said quietly, shaking his head a little "I'm definitely not a Bible basher. My, er, - someone gave it to me" I raised my eyebrow at him, trying to pry more of an answer. Just as Billy's lips parted, we were both startled.
Cursing at the urgent knocking at the door, Billy unlocked it and hurled it open. Panting, his stance wide and on the edge, Dustin stammered as he tried to get out of the right words. After saying 'Code Red' what seemed like a million times, Billy rushed down the stairs. I started to follow with the same urgency, but was blocked by Dustin. What was the kid's issue? Knitting my brows together out of frustration, I threw my hands up as if to say, 'What the fuck are you doing, Dustin?'.
"You can't go downstairs," Dustin blurted out. I rolled my eyes and tried to budge past him again, but the kid was surprisingly quick. Before I could even say anything, the commotion of Billy and Steve shouting about something was already echoing up the stairs. "I'm serious, Sierra. You need to stay up here"
"Wait, what? Why do I need to stay up here?" I demanded. The noise was growing louder - a battle of 'I'm going outside, Harrington!' and 'I'm handling it, Hargrove!' ensuing. What the hell was happening? I felt my breathing grow more erratic, the adrenaline pumping through me as the unknown laid right there. "Dustin, move!"
Suddenly, footsteps bounded upstairs. Billy - glare etched on his face and absolutely furious - emerged from around the corner and took my hand, leading me back into the bedroom.
"Billy, what's going on?" I asked, utterly bewildered at this point.
"Dustin, stay here with Sierra" Billy murmured, shoving a blundering Dustin into the room before slamming the door behind him.
Dustin and I locked onto each other. He gulped and nervously laughed. In return, I raised my eyebrow at him.
"You're not gonna waterboard me for answers, are you?" Dustin asked in a high-pitched voice, trying his best to smile. If he thought his cute smile could win me over, he was so wrong. "Right?"
"Nope, I'm just going to sit here and look at you" I sighed, dropping myself onto the bed.
I adopted my best serious face. Arms crossed, head angled at just the right degree so he knew I meant business and eyes glazed over. He wasn't going to last for long. I could see him visibly sweating.
"Your dad is here"
My eyes widened. Blood pounded in my ears, drumming out any other sound.
Dad is here.
How did he know where I was? Was he drunk? Fuck, he was going to kill me. Billy was walking right into a trap.
Quivers of panic surged through my hands. Tapping my fingers at a frantic rhythm, I desperately attempted to drown it. No matter how much my instinct tried to compel me not to, I stood up and strode out of the room. I didn't want to get closer to him. My whole survival depended on me not getting within an inch of that man. But, I couldn't let Billy go out there. My breathing was hard. Really hard. In a flash, I was downstairs, finding myself at the bottom of the stairs and in the middle of multiple loud, angry voices coming at me from all directions. Max, still in her pajamas, was next to Lucas, blockading the door.
"No, Hargrove, do not go outside. I am handling this!" Steve shouted.
"Handling it? What the fuck is a pig going to do about this shit?" Billy barked.
"Billy, you can't go outside. Please, stay here!" Max pleaded.
"Jesus, what's the problem, man? He's hurt her for the last time!" Steve, phone gripped tightly around his scarlet fingers, yelled back.
"No, Harrington, you don't know what this could mean" Billy growled and headed to the door.
"I've made the call, Hargrove. You wanna get arrested too? Anthony isn't worth it, man" Steve sharply replied, slamming the phone back down.
The sharp ding of the receiver echoed. So immersed in the problem at hand, I found myself frozen. Billy turned around, glowering at Steve.
"You did what?" Silence fell, strangling me in the process. Billy just stood there. I could feel the heat of his rage from here. "Do you know how much shit this could get her in? Cops don't give a crap about this sort of stuff, Harrington"
"Look, Billy, I know your situa - "
"You don't know a fucking thing, Harrington!" Billy yelled.
As if sensing how everyone jumped out of their skin, Billy pressed his trembling hands against his eyes and dragged them down his face, letting out a long exhale.
"You don't know how these things end," he stated, voice completely devoid of emotion. A glimmer of despair glazed over his eyes. Had Billy tried to escape and found himself failed by the ones who were meant to protect him? His sullen eyes told a saddening story, one he had tried to never retell. Then, it was as if it was never there. The Billy who had been present in the world for years returned. "They only end one way" With that, Billy went out of the door.
"Shit!" Steve yelped and rushed to the porch.
Dustin, heavily heaving, suddenly grabbed onto my arm.
"Jesus, I need to exercise more" Dustin breathed.
Both of us screamed when we heard the door fly open and saw Billy skidding across the floor. Groaning slightly, he started standing up. What the hell was going on? Everything happened so quickly, as if it was rehearsed. Max slammed the door behind her and the click of the lock sounded clearly.
"God fucking damn it, Harrington!" Billy growled and shot up towards the door. Aggressively, he twisted the door to no avail.
"Is Steve outside?" I asked, my tone frantic. Darting his eyes to view me, Billy's lips parted in astonishment.
"You had one job, Henderson," Billy snarled and marched over to us. His whole demeanor softened, cupping my jaw gently in his hands. "I won't let him hurt you"
"I'm not worried about that" I replied and strode over to the window, veiled by a net curtain.
My answers were immediately confirmed - Steve was outside. Hands placed on hips assertively, he started to confront Dad. Fuck, this could not be happening. Billy rushed over, joining me and the others to witness the stand off. Dad exited his car, stumbling a little. Holy shit, he was drunk. I recognized those eyes. Heavy from a stinking hangover and hazy from a good few whiskeys. No ice. He hadn't added ice.
"Get the hell off my property, Anthony" Steve shouted, standing his ground. Dad merely smirked at him. I already knew what he was thinking. The drunken daze could withstand his own arrogance. "I've called the police. They're on their way"
"The police?" he let out a defiant, smug laugh. "You think the police will arrest me for simply coming to pick up my own daughter, Steve? Come on, son. You should have stopped playing games in kindergarten"
"I know what you do to her, Anthony" Steve said, his voice low. "You think you've kept it hidden with your reputation, but I can see straight through you"
"You?" He burst out cackling, staggering as he buckled from the convulsing laughter. He wiped his mouth and snapped back into his threatening stance. "You can't even see your way through a Math test, kid" He took a few steps towards Steve, control dominating every move he made. "Where the hell have you got my daughter, Steve?"
He got up, staring at me with sheer hatred. He was going to kill me.
"I asked you a question, son" Dad growled. Steve stuck his ground. He wasn't telling him a thing.
"Shit, guys, we really need to get Steve out of this" Lucas said.
"Already on it, kid" Billy growled.
I shivered, the memory stealing all oxygen from me. Blinking, I tried to remind myself where I was. I was in Steve's house. Billy, Max, Lucas, and Dustin were with me. Billy was walking out of the garden doors. The walls are white. Pure white. It's November. You're in Steve's house. You need to get out there and get your friend out of trouble
It wasn't enough.
Everything drowned again.
Knuckles cracking. Hatred intensifying.
That familiar feeling. It flowed down my spine. Dread. Absolute dread.
"You think you're better than me, girl?"
Ice cold, everything was ice cold. I needed to get out there.
"You'll never be better than me"
His words were blurred. Steve's lips moved, but there were no words. I couldn't move.
"And now I'm going to prove that to you"
Something had to pull me out of this.
He charged at me.
I was in Steve's home.
Billy was outside.
Max, Lucas and Dustin gasped.
Hopper was here.
I blinked. I was back. The room smelled like burned firewood. Max was saying 'Holy shit' in an astonished voice. Outside, Billy had his fingers wrapped around Steve's shoulder. The old police car pulled up alongside his silver Porsche. For the first time, I saw Dad waver. Shock flew over his features. But it wasn't long until he pulled himself together. No one could ever see this side of him. He knew how to put on a show and he was about to put on his best one yet. Hopper nodded at Dad, a silent greeting. Quietly, he surveyed his car. I knew what he was seeing as his eyebrows furrowed. A bottle of whiskey, most likely, was resting on the passenger's seat. Hopper straightened his back and stared at Dad, expecting answers.
"Christ, Hopper, I can't believe this is happening" Dad chuckled, an attempt to let mirth distract Hopper from what he had just seen. "I'm so embarrassed at this entire thing. I'm just here to pick up Sierra"
Hopper merely stared at him. Under his stare, Dad felt the strain of time running out. Billy scoffed and rolled his eyes. Steve kicked his foot and shushed him.
"Been a while since you've been to one of my soirees, Hop. Tell you what - I'll just get Sierra and we can organize something" Dad enthusiastically said and was about to make his way over to the house when Hopper's gruff voice sounded as clear as day.
"You're not going into that house, Anthony"
A mixture of relief and fear washed over me in waves. Crash of wave after fierce wave. Dad laughed in disbelief, lifting his hands up in a show of incredulity. Billy had positioned himself in front of the steps up to the porch, his eyes throwing daggers at Dad.
"Hop, come on, it's me! You know, your ol' drinking pal?" Dad, stumbling at how sharp his body movement was, turned to walk towards Hopper. Instinctively, Hopper took a step back. "I'm the same guy who had you over for the barbecue at Labor Day, Hopper. I'm also the same guy who covered up your little habits"
"Oh, Anthony…" Hopper groaned and let out a booming laugh. "You really think you can get me with that one?"
The two men stared at each other. Dad was waiting for a response. Hopper was waiting for the right time to strike.
"Nice bottle of whiskey in your car, Anthony" Hopper said, a slight smile creeping on his lips. "You think I'm gonna let you pick up your daughter when you're drunk?"
"Drunk? What the hell are you talking about, Hopper?" Dad's walls were crumbling. Bit by bit, everything was falling apart. "Who do you think you are, making those kinds of accusations?"
"Spare me the act, man, I can smell you from here" Hopper nonchalantly sighed and started getting out his handcuffs. "Drunk driving isn't legal, Anthony, you know this. Not a good look turning up to a minors house pissed out of your mind"
Dad, confounded at what he perceived to be disrespect, scoffed at Hopper. Just as Hopper was about to approach him, Dad lunged! I gasped, watching everything play out in slow motion. In one swift motion, Dad was bent over the bonnet of the Porsche - the glaring display of everything he stood for - and Hopper was putting him in handcuffs. Hurling insults and declaring Hopper wasn't going to know what was coming for him, Hopper leisurely walked back to the police car, flinging the door open and pushing Dad inside.
I stared at Dad as he pressed his face against the window. Condensation from his breath obscured his face. But I could still see those enraged eyes. They would never fail to be seen. But now, his voice couldn't be heard. Someone had put Anthony Nightingale in his place and I had no idea how to feel about it. The door lock clicked and we all turned to see Steve and Billy enter. Instantly, Billy came over and was stroking my back. Hopper, immediately upon seeing me, stopped in his tracks. We looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Billy protectively squeezed my hand. But there was nothing he could do to save me now. Hopper, the epitome of steel masculinity, stared at me with sympathy glistening in his eyes. Slowly, he approached me. His eyes had moved from the prominent purple bruise on my cheekbone and were directly looking into mine now.
"Come on, Sierra" Extending his arm out, I instinctively went to push it away. Something stopped me. I didn't know what, but it stopped me. Instead, I let him touch my shoulder and guide me to Steve's kitchen. Billy went to protest, but I squeezed his hand before letting go, and he relaxed slightly.
Hopper muttered something about going to get something from his car, telling me to stay here. He closed the door behind him, leaving me to my conflicted thoughts. Over and over, my inner voice argued with itself. Nervous and scared, there was nothing to placate it.
You wanted to get out of this situation, didn't you?
Yes, but not like this. Nothing will happen.
You don't know that.
I do. He's won them over with money before.
That was for driving after half a bottle of whiskey. This is different.
No it's not.
Do you care about him?
I don't know.
Don't you want him to suffer for what he's put you through?
I don't know.
You know how you feel about this.
I wish I did.
You're relieved.
I'm scared.
You're free.
No I'm not. I'll always be trapped.
Stop pitying yourself.
I'm not. I'm just being realistic. Nothing is going to change.
Hopper can help.
I feel sad.
Because you care about him.
I feel nothing.
Because you care about him.
I want my Mom.
Hopper closed the door behind him. It was just us two now. The Sierra pacing around nervously in my head had gone, and now it was just us, two cups of coffee and the cigarette Hopper had just lit. He lit another one and offered it to me.
"Don't tell anyone" he chuckled, trying to diffuse the tension. I accepted the offer and took a reluctant drag. "Did, uh, your Dad do that to you?"
I stared at him, mustering up my defense. Two choices: deny or tell him everything.
"Does it matter?" I whispered and hastily wiped away a stray tear that had managed to liberate itself.
I jolted slightly as I felt something squeeze my hand. Hopper was on his knees, his balmy fingers around my clenched hands. I had never seen Hopper so serious, so sorrowful.
"Yes, Sierra, it does matter"
I had two choices.
Deny or tell him.
Zack. What would happen to Zack? We didn't have to live this life. I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut. Zack could be sent away. Would they get my mom? I took a deep breath, inhaling the acrid smoke, feeling it as it singed the inside of my nose. I had two choices. Stay still or leap. I opened my eyes.
Hopper was still watching me.
He wanted the truth.
I wanted to leap.
"If I tell you, can you promise me my brother will stay with me?" I sobbed, finally relinquishing the front I had been putting on for years.
All the excuses were sent into oblivion. These bruises were no longer from a silly mistake. They were from my piece of shit, abusive father. I wasn't going to lie. One nod from Hopper and everything fell apart at the seams. Hopper tenderly put his arms around me, stroking my back as wracking sobs abandoned me. I was just Sierra Nightingale now and it had never felt so agonizing. It felt like someone was reaching into me and pulling me apart, limb by limb.
"You're safe, kid. He's not gonna touch you again" Hopper whispered, pulling away and earnestly smiling at me. "Do you have anywhere to stay in the meantime?"
God, where could I stay? My grandparents had no idea about who Dad really was. I hadn't seen Mom in over a year. She had a new life now. But she'd given me that piece of paper, telling me to run.
Could I run?
Was I like my mother?
He had told me I was exactly like her. But was I brave enough? Would Zack even recognize her?
Fuck, they were going to have to find out. It was all going to come out and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Maybe this was a good thing, but from the way every bone quaked, it felt like the worst thing in the world.
I got up and walked over to the sink, turning on the cold tap. My fingers lingered under the crisp water for a moment, bringing me back down to Earth. I was in Steve's kitchen. Hopper was going to get Zack and I out of this mess. I could calm down. I could do this.
"My grandparents can look after us for a while" I steadied my breath, attempting to regain my composure. "They don't know what he's like"
"Don't worry, we can sort this out quietly. Firstly, I want you to try to relax a little" Hopper took a few steps towards me, taking the glass of water I had at some point poured for myself. Shit, I had no idea I'd even grabbed the glass. When had I even decided I needed a glass of water? "I'll have to get your testimony, all that sort of stuff, but I want you to know I will get this sorted. I know you're scared. I know you're anxious. But please, kid, believe me when I say that bastard isn't going to hurt you again" He seemed honest, caring. But I didn't know what to believe at this point. How much of this was an empty promise? "Do you want me to get anyone in there for you?"
I nodded and took my glass of water back, sipping on it.
"Billy" The ice cold water went straight down, waking me up a little. "Could you get Billy?" I was so tired. All I wanted to do was go back to bed.
Billy strode in, straight past Hopper and took my hands in his. Hopper said something about leaving us for a while and closed the door.
"Hey" he whispered and brushed his fingers across the back of my hands. He leaned down, kissing my forehead and enveloped his arms around me. I closed my eyes, resting my head against his chest. Among all the chaos, I could have fallen asleep right there and then. He rocked me gently from side-to-side, as if sensing my desire to sleep. "I've got you, Princess"
"I'm tired" I whispered and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling again.
"I know you are, sweetheart" Billy said in a hushed voice, brushing his lips against my forehead again.
I nestled against his chest more, trying to get lost in the soothing rhythm of his fingers swirling lightly at the back of my neck. I could hear some commotion in the other room and Billy held me tighter to him. He was never going to let go and I hoped to God he never would. Billy and I went over to the door and opened an inch to see Hopper pacing up and down, appearing stressed. A voice on his walkie-talkie incessantly asked him to respond.
"That goddamn spiked bat... I thought I told you not get involved in this!" I was so exhausted that I didn't even know who he was talking to. "Jesus Christ, if I hear Flo say 'Pick up' one more time..." Hopper snatched his walkie-talkie so quickly that I genuinely thought he was going to rip the person's arm off. "Flo, I'm in the middle of something" he grumbled, continuing to pace the invisible line in front of Max and Lucas.
"Well, that's all fine and dandy, Hop. But Joyce Byers has been calling every minute for the past ten minutes asking for you. I'd get on her case, Hopper, she's sounding loopier than ever. Something about Will" the voice of Flo replied, crackling a little from the static.
"Shit" Hopper snapped and marched over to Steve and Dustin, thrusting a finger at them. Each person in the room exchanged panicked looks. Steve was the most panicked of them all as right behind him was the infamous spiked bat with black blood splattered all over it. "I know there's only one thing that gets all you kids together and that thing is trouble. So, spill - now"
"We were going to tell you!" Lucas shouted, throwing up his arms in defense. Hopper twisted around, facing Lucas. "It's back, Hop. We all got attacked by demodogs last night in the junkyard"
"Alright, alright..." Hopper sighed. Infuriated, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it's back. I've seen the drawings" he gravely announced. Wait, was Hopper aware of this Upside Down? Had he known this entire time and yet we didn't even reach out to him? "Now, I don't know what these demodogs or whatever you call them are. What I do know is you kids are staying inside until we get this fixed"
"What about Will?" Lucas asked, clearly frustrated at Hopper's decree for us to all stay put.
"Yeah, we can help, Hopper!" Dustin exclaimed. "We've got guns!"
"Thanks for dropping me in the shit, Henderson" Steve murmured and heartily slapped the kid on the back.
"If it wasn't for the fact we have a Demogorgon on our asses, I would have so much to say about that" Hopper shouted and picked up his walkie-talkie and hat, preparing to leave. "You all stay here - no arguments!"
"Don't tell me the fucking cops are in on this too?" Billy groaned sarcastically and leaned his back against the sink, throwing his head backwards as he picked up my discarded cigarette and lit it.
Suddenly, the group noticed we were eavesdropping. Everyone was quiet, waiting for the other to respond with an answer. Billy shook his head and let out an incredulous laugh followed by a cloud of smoke. Somehow, I knew exactly what he was thinking.
This goddamn hick-town…