Saved

Three

Allison was unable to tear her eyes away as the stranger walked through the house, making his presence known to everyone around him, unafraid to take up space. His black leather jacket was wide open, leaving his bare chest exposed. The woman around him stared with their eyes full of lust, while the men watched in envy.

Tommy, who was dressed as The Karate Kid, as well as several other boys that Allison didn't recognize, followed close behind him as he strutted towards Steve, his gaze never wavering. Steve held his ground, staring back, while Nancy let out an unenthused sigh.

"We've got ourselves a new Keg King, Harrington.", Tommy announced smugly, patting Billy on the back, while the other boys utter their own sounds of approval.

"Keg King?", Allison questioned Nancy, leaning in closely to whisper in her ear.

"You earn the title of Keg King when you stand upside down over a barrel of beer and drink for as long as you can. Until now, Steve held the record.", she explained quickly, giving all of the boys a look of disgust. 

"Oh, and this is supposed to be impressive?", Allison asked loudly, trying to understand the point of it all. The group of drunken boys all let out a collective "Ooohh", as her words caused Billy to tense up.

"Who the fuck asked you-", Billy growled, clenching a lit cigarette between his teeth. As he locked eyes with Allison, he quickly took the cigarette out of his mouth and softened his brow. "I'm sorry. I don't believe that we've met.", he crooned, his entire demeanor changing before her eyes. He shooed the other boys away with a wave of his hand until only Steve and Nancy remained by Allison's side.

"No, we haven't.", she whispered back, bringing her face only inches away from his, allowing the smell of beer, cigarette smoke, and a cologne that she didn't recognize to fill her senses.

"I thought that I had already met everyone that lived in this shit hole of a town.", he looked down at her hungrily and Allison stared back, matching his intensity.

"Obviously not.", she shrugged, prompting the corner of his mouth to rise into a smirk.

"Billy Hargrove.", he introduced himself, holding out his hand towards her.

"Allison.", she responded, taking hold of his hand and shaking it firmly, his cold rings digging into her skin. When Billy finally let go of her hand, she took a step back, creating a space between them.

"So Allison...you got a last name?", he prodded, catching her off guard. 

"Wheeler! This is my cousin, Allison Wheeler!", Nancy blurted out, coming to her rescue. Allison shot her a quick look of gratitude, before turning her attention back towards Billy.

"Wheeler, huh? Why haven't I seen you around school?", he asked, looking her up and down.

"She's homeschooled.", Nancy answered on her behalf again, trying her best to help.

"Do you always stick your nose in conversations that you aren't a part of, or are you just trying to piss me off?", he muttered, prompting Nancy's face to turn bright red. Without another word she sulked away, heading straight for the punch bowl that sat on top of the kitchen counter. 

"Asshole.", Steve muttered under his breath, looking back and forth between Billy and Nancy.

"Listen, I've just about had it with this sad excuse of a party, so what do you say we go somewhere more private and get to know each other?", Billy asked Allison, taking a long drag off his cigarette and blowing the smoke into the air around them.

"Woah, hold on! I know that he may seem like a real charming dude, but trust me when I say that this guy is bad news.", Steve voiced his concern, laying his hand on Allison's shoulder.

"She seems like a smart girl, Harrington. I'm sure she can figure out what kind of guy I am on her own. Maybe you should just go and take care of your girlfriend.", he grinned, pointing at Nancy who was chugging back cup after cup of the red liquid. 

"Steve, it's okay. Go to Nancy, she needs you.", Allison insisted calmly, cutting Steve off before he could protest. She couldn't help but find herself intrigued by Billy. Although he appeared to have a tough exterior, Allison was an expert at finding out who someone was below the surface, and Billy left her wanting to dig deeper.

Steve nodded in understanding and pulled Allison in for one last hug, squeezing her tightly. She let out a small chuckle, repeatedly patting him on the back until he let go of her. Billy stood by, narrowing his gaze as he watched the two friends embrace. He made eye contact with Steve over the back of Allison's head, making his displeasure known.

"Ahem...take care of yourself, okay?", Steve stammered, pulling away from Allison, while shooting Billy a look of warning. He then turned and weaved his way through the crowd on his way to a very drunken Nancy.

"Ready to get out of here?", Billy asked, smiling down at her.

"Yes, but I want to make one thing clear before we go anywhere."

"I'm listening."

"I have no intention of getting into bed with you.", she stated matter of factly.

"No problem, my car has a big back seat.", he answered, with a mischievous grin.

"I'm serious! No sex.", she put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight onto one leg, only causing the grin on Billy's face to grow.

"Okay, that's cool. Like I said, I just wanna get to know you.", he breathed, biting his bottom lip as his eyes traveled downward, coming to rest on her cleavage. He was lying, and Allison knew it. He wanted more and he hoped that he'd be able to convince her, as he did with all the other girls, although it never took much convincing.

When he finally tore his eyes away from her exposed skin, he shot her an unapologetic look, before taking her hand in his. She let him lead her out of the party as everyone turned to stare, all of them thinking similar thoughts.

Who's that bitch?  

Looks like Billy's getting lucky tonight. 

Damn, why does Hargrove get all of the hot ones?

As they began to walk past an angry-looking group of girls, Allison's mind was bombarded with a collection of hateful thoughts, all of them directed towards her.

What a Slut. Such a Whore. He could do so much better.

Instead of letting their thoughts bother her, she quickly closed her eyes, causing all of their drinks to explode in their faces. The girls cried out in unison, trying to wipe the alcohol out of their eyes as Billy moved aside to avoid them.

"Well that's shitty.", he observed, without a hint of sympathy in his voice. Allison tried to hide the smile on her face as they approached a dark blue Camaro that was parked at the end of the driveway. Billy let go of her hand and went around to the drive side of the car, leaving her to open the passenger door on her own and climb inside.

To her surprise, the inside of the car was in perfect condition. Not a stain, a speck of dust, or a piece of trash in sight. She quickly pulled the car door shut and rested her hands at her sides, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the leather seat. Billy took one long look at her, before putting the key in the ignition and bringing the car to life.

The loud roar of the engine caused Allison's heart to skip a beat. Before she could have the chance to do up her seat belt, Billy stepped on the gas. As the car was propelled backward, out of the driveway and onto the street, she held on tight. She let out an audible gasp as Billy shifted the car into drive, speeding away from the party and into the night.

**PSA to any of the impressionable young readers that may come across this story. Do not get into a car with a stranger that you just met, no matter how hot he may be, and especially after he was just declared Keg King. (Drunk strangers, big no-no) Our girl Allison can snap necks with her mind, you can't, be safe!**