"You're always runnin' for your life,
But you can't escape, you fall deeper in Hell,
The Devil's laughing at you,
Your soul to take, and never tell."
Dancin' On The Edge - Lita Ford
/
Joss' alarm clock rang, shrill and abrupt, making her jump from slumber into reality. She groaned lowly and reached over, hitting the top of it hard enough to knock it to the ground. She took in a deep breath, allowing her senses to come back to her as the morning sun streamed in through the flimsy lace curtains. She could tell from the clear blue sky it was going to be another hot day.
She'd had maybe three hours sleep in total, if that, and she already felt like she needed three more before she could even think of beginning her day. The knowledge that there was a tub of strong instant coffee downstairs in the kitchen cupboard made it all seem like a whole day could be bearable, if she could just find the will to actually get up. Joss let her cheek rest back upon the soft comfort of the pillow and let out a low groan, knowing she didn't really have any choice. If she started missing classes, the school would call, and they'd want to talk to one of her parents about her sudden out of 'character' absence, and that would be a whole ant's nest Joss had no desire to even contemplate poking.
She realized with a slow creeping feeling, that her body was taking up far too much of the bed, and she glanced over to where Billy should have been, but the space was empty. She squinted as she rose herself up, the sun lighting upon her face.
"Billy?" she called out, but the house remained silent.
Joss slowly got out of bed and went to the window, glancing into her now empty driveway, already knowing he would be gone.
Joss yawned, stretched, and decided to head on downstairs for some breakfast.
By the time Joss arrived at school she was hot and bothered, it just seemed to be getting hotter by the day. She entered the school and bundled her book bag into her locker.
"Joss, morning," Lori said, making her way over.
"Morning," Joss replied, yawning widely.
"Do you have those notes?"
"Sure." Joss dug into her locker a moment before pulling out her math notebook. "Just get it back to me by Monday, okay?"
"No problem." Lori took the notes. "Thanks again, you really are saving my life."
"Hey, least I could do, you helped me with Shakespeare last year."
"Yeah, total bummer. I hated Macbeth." Lori pulled a face.
Joss nodded in agreement. "Kinda loses all its meaning when a bunch of bored kids read it out one paragraph at a time, huh?" They giggled.
"You working tonight?" Lori asked, as they began to walk to their first class. Lori was one of the few people that knew anything at all about Joss' life, but still they never saw each other outside of school.
"If it's Friday, I'm working." She gave Lori a confused look. "It is Friday, right?"
Lori laughed, "Yeah, you losing track of days?"
"I guess so," Joss said, walking in step with the other girl now.
"It's the heat. Sending everyone crazy," Lori concluded. "Did you hear the latest gossip going around this morning?"
Joss passed a critical look towards Lori and shrugged. "I don't normally listen to gossip."
"I know, but who else am I gonna tell the juiciest bit of school scandal when everyone else already knows?!" Lori gave a puppy dog look until Joss had no other choice than to relent her hard stance.
"Okay, shoot," Joss said.
Lori did a little squeal and grinned. "So, it's going around that some girl slapped Billy Hargrove last night," Lori said with a secretive hushed tone.
Joss felt every hair on the back of her neck prickle but forced herself to seem nonchalant. "Oh? Really?"
"Someone saw him at the cinema at Starcourt Mall with some girl, probably from the next town over, and he tried to get a little too fresh in the dark, and she screamed, totally freaked out, and smacked him a good one!" Lori was very excited by this and seemed to be rooting for this semi-imaginary girl and the very imaginary violence towards Billy. "There's rumours that he isn't in today because she gave him a black eye!" Lori made a punching motion. "Well deserved! Finally that dickbrain gets some karma!"
"Wait, he isn't in today?" Joss said, unable to hide the surprise in her tone, which Lori took as sudden interest in the gossip.
"I know! Shocker." Lori continued to grin and Joss felt her heart plummet. "Peak high school drama right?" Lori said, seeming to miss how suddenly dour her friend had become.
"So, it's karma?" Joss said, carefully fishing for more information. "I know he's not got the best reputation, but did he really deserve a smack?"
"Oh my god, Joss!" Lori said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You really are out of the loop. I know you like to rock the whole aloof loner thing, but girl, you need to put your ear to the ground. This place is so full of drama, it'd put Shakespeare outta business."
"Okay, nice insult, but you started this whole gossip thing, so tell me."
"The latest grody thing he did was a few months back. I heard he really messed Jessica up, you know, that sweet cheerleader that isn't actually a bitch?"
"Vaguely," Joss admitted, her mind visualizing exactly who Lori was talking about. Blond, blue-eyed, gorgeous, sweet and petite, everything Joss felt she wasn't. She'd seen Jessica running church funding bake sales and volunteering for tutoring younger students in her own time. She was what some may call a classic girl next door, by Hollywood standards anyway, great looks and a kind heart. If Billy had indeed hurt her, it felt like he'd kicked a sweet little puppy who had come looking for some attention.
"Well, it's all rumor, but I heard he acted like she was the love of his life, and then once he got..." Lori's eyes flicked to Joss' in a very conspiratorial manner, "what he wanted, he dropped her like a hot potato. Her parents are super religious, so, well, I heard he saw it as a real challenge to, you know, get her into bed, and once he got what he wanted, she wasn't any use to him. He'd had his thrill. So gross. He told her to get lost right in front of loads of people, said she was clingy and killing his buzz." Lori's voice was so low that Joss had to lean in to hear exactly what was being said.
"That's rough," Joss said, feeling heat trying to make its way into her face. "So, what did Jessica do?"
"What all nice girls seem to do when faced with a mean asshole, she ran off crying," Lori said, gritting her teeth a little.
Joss didn't say anything but her thoughts were racing. Was she just another Jessica? Why wasn't Lori's version of Billy matching the one she knew? Was he putting on a mask even in front of her? She suddenly felt way too hot for the air conditioned corridor.
"So, it's good to hear some girl stood up to him," Lori said with a smile, clearly imagining that talked about cinema punch again.
"Well, I mean, it is just gossip right?" Joss said with a dismissive sniff.
Lori gave her a side eyed look. "What do you mean?"
"Did you see that happen to Jessica, see him be mean, did anyone you know see it?"
Lori looked deflated. "No, it just gets around."
"Oh, so you mean like that story about Tansy Williams being pregnant with the science teacher's kid? Didn't she have to be transferred to another school because of that, even though it was untrue? Or the one about Wayne Corbolt eating slugs on his sandwiches? Didn't Wayne keep 'falling over' during gym after that rumour got around and wasn't he the target of everyone's aim in doge ball for some reason after that? Now, he eats alone every lunch break out on the fields. Or maybe you mean the very true story about the giant mutant rat that lives in the basement boiler room?"
"Shit, when you say it like that..." Lori now sounded very unsure.
"Maybe it's not the full truth, dating can be messy, maybe they just had a big misunderstanding and falling out? It's easy to get hurt when stuff is so public, right?"
"Why does it sound like your defending him?" Lori said offhandedly, and then laughed at her joke.
"No, I'm not. I'm just saying school gossip is 80% bullshit and you know I hate all this rumour mill drama. I just think if we can't hear the true story, maybe it's better not to listen." Joss knew she was indeed trying to defend him, not really believing she was justified to do so, but knowing being the subject of school talk was hell.
"I guess that makes sense," Lori said, sounding unsure.
"Everyone already judges everyone else here with mean eyes and ears, you know? Billy Hargrove has never done anything to you, right?"
"Well, no," Lori said, startled, and looked over at Joss giving her a strange and long look. "Yeah, maybe I am being too judgmental, I don't know the guy at all, only that he can be a bit of a bully, I've seen him start a few fights, but yeah, he's never said a single word to me."
"See? That stuff can really mess people up, gossip is poison. It's better to stay out of it all completely. I mean who knows, he might be a nice guy and no one's giving him a chance because no one wants to see who he really is, you know?"
Lori smirked. "Joss, I think lots of people give him a 'chance'." She sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get her daily quota of gossip with Joss. "You are giving him way too much credit," Lori said with an understanding smile. "People like that, eat people like us for breakfast, don't go too easy on them."
Joss laughed, taking the comment as the breezy exchange it was meant as, but inwardly she felt her stomach clench, and she clutched her books a little harder against her chest as they went in to the rowdy room beyond.
Joss trudged into the relative cool of the arcade. She'd been home, showered and changed, eaten one of the meals left in the freezer, and now stood ready for a busy evening working. The school day had felt easier with it being Friday. Despite her best efforts she hadn't seen Billy once today and the growing ball of worry in her stomach wouldn't shift. Just how much trouble had he found at home? Was that why he hadn't come to school? Or was it simply because he was as tired as she was, and decided to skip class completely?
She supposed she wouldn't know until she saw him, and since it was Friday, that meant he should turn up later, near closing. Joss pushed the nervous anxiety into focusing upon her job and just what she had to do now she had arrived.
Summer break was slowly creeping up on them and the kids all felt the sweet aroma of freedom in the air, seeming to send them all into a frenzy of having as much fun as possible.
"How's it going, Mark?" she called to her co-worker, who was currently putting on some hot dogs to roast.
"Not bad, you?" he replied.
"Just peachy," Joss said, putting her things behind the counter, which mainly consisted of a handful of tapes and her book bag with a few books, just in case she found the time to study.
"You closing again tonight?" he asked.
"You bet." Joss slid a tape into the the deck and rock music replaced the upbeat funky tones of DeBarge's 'Rhythm Of The Night'.
"I don't know how Gus allows you to do it all alone." He shivered, "It gets real creepy when it's all silent, like an empty amusement park."
"You can always stay and help out," she needled.
He shook his head with a small laugh. "No can do. I got to be up early for training."
Mark was going into the army as soon as he graduated, it was all he wanted, and a lot of times, all he talked about.
The evening was a constant blur of notes changed for coins, and food and drink served. Some little angel had taken a bet from his friends that he could eat six hot dogs in less than five minutes, he got up to five before he puked the contents of his stomach onto the floor, which included a bright blue raspberry slushie.
"Gross," Joss mumbled, as she finished cleaning, "damn little monsters."
Mark laughed and shook his head. "Hazard of the job right? Kids are kinda gross."
As the evening rolled down and the kids emptied out, either walking home in groups, riding on bikes, or their parents picking them up, the hustle of the day seemed wearing to Joss and she slumped against a machine feeling thoroughly spent.
Mark had turned off most of the cabinets. The slushie machine and hot dog warmer were cleaned and only a few last odd jobs remained.
"You get going," she told Mark with a smile.
"You sure?"
She nodded, and without waiting for any more encouragement, he grabbed his stuff. "See you tomorrow then." With a last wave he was out the door and gone.
Joss leaned hard against the cool plastic of the brightly coloured Kung Fu Master cabinet, giving herself a moment's respite before she went over to the tape player and cranked up the music. As Lita Ford's confident vocals rippled through her body, and the guitar shred of 'Dancin' On The Edge' boomed out, she went back to the cabinet, resting her heel against it as she tapped out her frustration of the day, letting the music take her somewhere else.
She'd half expected Billy to come after hours so his element of surprise was lost. She saw his form approaching the door, as usual he ignored the large red 'Closed' sign and let himself in, his entrance permeated with what seemed like strung out tension, as the door swung back nosily on its hinges. He looked over to the counter first and, not seeing her there, she saw him take in the dim surroundings, scanning the room, trying to locate her. Joss couldn't help her mind drifting back to their conversation last night and how much he reminded her of the Terminator in this one moment, his goal set and unmovable. Joss knew he couldn't see her from where he stood.
She petulantly didn't react at all at first, letting him wonder just where she was, but she was fully aware she couldn't hide from the messy situation they both had landed in forever. She called out from her sheltered spot, alerting him to her location.
"Hey."
His eyes snapped to where her voice came from and he walked over, easily discovering her. He was dressed in his usual jeans, but instead of his signature tight white vest he was wearing a red, short sleeved, snap button shirt, open to mid chest. If Joss didn't know better she'd swear he'd made an effort. The smell of his musky aftershave was heavy, and she couldn't help wondering if he'd come to see her after one of his latest date conquests. Had they been in his car making out, or more? She resisted the rather ridiculous urge to sniff the air for tell-tale scents of perfume.
"Hey," he said, and tried to give his usual cover up of a charmingly seductive smirk, but failed as a ripple of pain crumpled his features for a split second.
It was then Joss noticed the nasty cut on his cheek, fresh and angry, and blooming a tender looking bruise, which swelled just below his cheekbone. She couldn't help reaching out to him, wanting to offer him some solace, but he caught her hand tightly, pinching her skin with how hard he held her, and with annoyance he moved himself out of the reach of her concern, but still held on to her as if ready to restrain any further attempts.
"What happened?" Joss feared she already knew the answer.
Billy's lips were a thin line, trying to smile through his displeasure. "He came at me, I fell right into the damn table. Not much more to say."
"Shit," Joss breathed, clinging onto his hand, feeling useless. "Is that why you weren't at school?" Not waiting for his answer she continued. "Why didn't you stay? You didn't have to go back."
"Gotta go home sometime."
"No! You don't!" Joss said, angry at his easy acceptance of the situation.
He shrugged with nonchalance at her words, "I didn't come here for a lecture."
She sighed heavily and finally let go of his hand, accepting she wasn't going to get through to him this way, and feeling with every word he was pulling away, becoming distant to her questioning of his life and how he dealt with his own issues.
"Okay. What did you come here for then?"
"Some fun." He did grin this time, but carefully and only with a slight grimace.
"I can help with that," she said, smiling up at him and twisting away from his grasp as he tried to slip his hands around her waist. "I am, after all, a connoisseur of fun." She reached her arms out, gesturing to their surroundings and took an over flourished bow.
He shook his head, the action stating that he thought she was completely illogical, but much to her own pleasure she saw he was smiling, that genuine bright smile she had grown to like so much.
/
A/N
Hey everyone. Friday and I'm just about here.
As I've said before, I never thought I'd upload this story, I wrote it back in 2020 for myself as a way for me to explore Billy's character before he became a victim of the Mind Flayer. I've been feeling so unsure about whether to continue uploading this story as I am finding it so hard to find my enjoyment in re-reading and editing it right now. I see so many flaws, failings and short-comings that it's bringing me down. It's been a hard few weeks for me creatively in my work and private life and I can't see anything good in my writing right now. I'm burnt out, so I'm taking a break from uploading for a while. I hope to be back soon, but at this point it's just going to be when I feel I can enjoy this story again. I never want to leave a finished story unfinished, so I know I will upload it all at some point, but it's just going to be when I can see the joy in my own work again. I will get over myself at some point but I ask for your kind patience while I get there.
Until then, I hope to see you again soon.