precarious ; jonathan byers [2]

chapter thirteen - what the hell is a mind flayer?

Casey

Slipping the gun into the waistband of my pants, I wasted absolutely no time undoing the chain lock on the door and I yanked it open, revealing my best friend on the other side. "Riley? What are you doing-"

Riley then cut me off as she swiftly pushed past me and stepped into the house. She didn't hesitate to slam the door shut behind her, relocking it as she checked the surroundings outside through the peephole. "Shhh! He's coming," She practically muttered out of breath.

My eyes furrowed in confusion as I looked over to her. "Who's coming?"

She then met my gaze as she took a step back from the door, "All I'm gonna say is, you were right about Billy."

I could immediately tell by the anxious look on her face and the quiet tone of her voice that she was legitimately scared of him coming here. I felt my fists begin to clench at the thought of that creep laying a hand on her. "What did he do?" I questioned her. "Did he hurt you?"

"Physically? No," She assured. "Mentally and emotionally? Yeah, he fucked me up. But save the I told you so's for later. We don't have much time."

"Why would Billy come here?" I then wondered aloud, still not understanding. "Is he after you?"

"He's after me," Max quietly piped in from her spot on the couch, causing everyone in the group to glance her way. "My mom probably got worried when I didn't come home tonight so my stepdad got angry and took it out on Billy. So, now Billy's pissed and he's coming after me."

Riley nodded, "That's exactly right. He was just getting the address for here from Mrs. Wheeler so he could be here any minute."

"He was at my house?" Nancy questioned.

Riley then scoffed, which had caught me off guard. "Yeah, that's another thing. Your mom can be quite a big flirt, you should keep an eye on that," She sneered. It was as if my eyebrows skyrocketed at Riley's choice of words, not expecting her snappy outburst at all.

Nancy gasped, "Excuse me?" She muttered, purely out of shock and confusion.

"Riley, what the hell?" I questioned her quietly. Who the heck was this and what did she do with my best friend?

"I went to your house, Nance," Riley began to explain herself, the annoyance within her tone becoming very present. "I stopped by to try and warn you guys and your so-called mother was greeting Billy at the front door in nothing but her bathrobe, giving in to Billy's whole seducing act. She needs to be kept on a leash or some shit."

"Don't fucking talk to her like that," I shot back, stepping between her and Nance. Riley's only response to that was the rolling of her eyes. I crossed my arms across my chest as I continued, "And I'm sorry, I think I missed the part where Billy flirting with Mrs. Wheeler was Nancy's fault. Are you jealous or something? That the prick you fell in love with was never faithful to you? I'm pretty sure I warned you about that."

Riley pinched the bridge of her nose out of frustration, "The last thing I need right now is a lecture from you of all people," She spat. "And I never loved him."

"Don't lie to me!" I exclaimed. "You fell for him harder and quicker than shit! And you fell right into his trap to use and manipulate you. So why are you shaming Mrs. Wheeler for being in the same boat? It's not her fault that your boy toy is a giant fucking-"

"Will you two knock it off!" Dustin suddenly cut in, slamming his hands down onto the kitchen table. "Will is lying unconscious over there fighting for whatever god damn sanity he has left and arguing over stupid teenage drama at a time like this is only going to make things worse for him. Grow up already, dumbasses."