POISON - Billy Hargrove

- One -

Snow on Halloween wasn't unheard of in Hawkins, Indiana. Joseph Anders of WTHR said it would be so, but he had been wrong before. Therefore, Halloween parties continued to be planned, kids continued to get their costumes prepared, and adults continued to wait until the last minute to stock up on candy.

Melanie stood in front of a mirror, bathroom door locked, poking at a pimple forming on her chin.

"Mel! I need to pee!" Dustin's squeaky voice rang out. "And we're gonna be late!"

"You're old enough to leave without me," Melanie yelled back. "Can't help with the pee thing, though!" To no avail, she packed more powder over the little, red, bump, grumbled, and left for school.

Early that morning, she had cut an old t-shirt so it sat just above her high-wasted, acid wash jeans. The 'Queen' decal on the front cut almost down the middle, but Mel thought it looked cool. Opting for a typical, grungy, Madonna-esque look, she smudged a little eyeliner around her mossy-colored eyes, pulled her hair back in a red bandana, and matched it with a red lip. It popped out against her ivory skin.

It didn't take long for Melanie to spot Dustin, walking down the road towards Hawkins' Middle School. She dragged her feet as she walked, a bad habit picked up in childhood, resulting in her shoes being scuffed and worn down. Her hand stuck out and swiped at Dustin's hat. A cloud of dust sprung up where it hit the ground.

"If I piss myself before we get to school, I'm taking your pants," he batted at her.

Some of Dustin's springy hair fell in his face as he bent over to pick up his hat, and Melanie poked at his side. "I don't know if you'd fit in 'em, bub."

He shot her the finger, and she smiled.

The bond between Melanie and Dustin was typical of most siblings their age, which was nice since they were only cousins. Living together for two years will bring people close. They kept each other's secrets, snooped around each other's rooms, and made jokes at the other's expense; including ones about Dustin's lingering baby fat.

The two joked as they continued their walk to school. "I'm going home with Mike today," Dustin informed his sister, turning towards the left to enter the middle school grounds. "We're working on our costumes!"

"Godspeed," Melanie yelled back, continuing straight towards the high school.

When you drag your feet, it's awfully easy to trip and fall. Trip and fall Melanie did; right as a deep blue Chevron Camaro flew past her. A young voice cried out, followed by the screeching of brakes.

"Did we just hit you!?" it called, and Melanie looked up. "I swear to God if you hit her-"

Melanie chuckled at the concern in her voice, and pushed a mess of stray brown hairs out of her eyes. Out the passenger window stuck a little head crowned in long, orange-strawberry hair, parted down the middle. She looked at the driver and then back at Melanie.

"I got down here all by myself, hun," Mel laughed, shifting to sit on the curb.

With that, the car sped towards Hawkins' High. Melanie could hear the two continue to bicker.