𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

30

❝𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?❞ steve questioned sherrie. he leaned against the locker next to hers as she swapped out a couple of her textbooks. in his hands was a vibrant piece of orange copy paper with an invite to tina's halloween bash. "come and get sheet-faced" was printed in bold letters on the front, with her address and a drunk ghost to accompany it. "i gave you the whole night to think about it, and you're seriously gonna blow off this party to go trick-or-treating with will?"

"well, yeah! i've been working on their costumes for months, i need to see my hard work being displayed!" she jokingly insisted. sheridan had been piecing together the ensemble's ghostbuster jumpsuits and proton packs since the boys came up with the idea last october. every day after school, or a shift at radioshack, dani would attach a painted tube to their cardboard backpacks, or sew on a patch. they picked out their own characters, and the girl realized there would be an issue in making two venkman costumes, but she honestly wanted to see how it played out. "plus, they need a slimer to defeat, i've told you this a thousand times by now!" the ginger-haired girl slammed her locker shut, and her and steve began to walk side-by-side to sherrie's american literature class. "i'll only agree to go if we do matching costumes," she suggested. a smile was spread across her face, but slowly faded once she noticed steve's expression.

"nance and i are gonna do a risky business costume," steve stated with an apologetic grin. and the camel's back had finally been broken.

"i'll see you later, steve," sheridan mumbled before turning into the closest hallway. the harrington boy stopped in his tracks, being pushed and shoved by other students trying to get to class, to watch sherrie navigate through the hallway without him. it had become practically tradition in the new school year that they would walk to their classes together. steve knew he struck a nerve, but there wasn't much time to worry about it now.

as dani tried to figure out how to get to class on her new route, she rounded a corner and collided with a denim-clad figure. her books dropped onto the linoleum with a disruptive thud. the girl let out an exasperated groan as she bent down to pick up her supplies, the other person doing the same. "my favorite flavor, cherry red." that sinister voice rang in her ears and wiped her head clean of any thought. her eyes widened immediately; only one person in her life had ever called her "cherry". she swore she could hear the guitar solo to heart's "magic man" off in the distance.

sheridan's head tilted upwards, her eyes locking with billy hargrove's. her mouth grew dry simply at the sight of him. his lips curved into a devious smirk and his ice-cold eyes glared into her soul. shivers flew down her spine. "don't you dare quote the stones to me, billy," she muttered as she stumbled to pick up the last of her things. "what do you want?" she inquired through gritted teeth.

"what, i can't say hi to an old friend?" billy asked with furrowed brows. the two stood up straight, billy handing her the last textbook in her stack. she snatched it away from his grip with force despite feeling inferior under his gaze. he towered over her and he knew it; he enjoyed the rush he got from tormenting her. watching her squirm under pressure.

"we're not friends. we never were friends." billy placed a hand on his chest and doubled over, letting out fake wails of pain.

"you always know how to hit me where it hurts, babe," the boy griped. sherrie rolled her eyes.

"i gotta go-" the red-headed girl affirmed as she began to move around billy. her sentence was cut short as he placed a hand on her books, stopping her from going to class.

"not so fast, cherry," he mumbled. "i've got my eye on you, and that boy toy harrington of yours." sheridan's eyebrows dipped. "oh yeah, don't think i haven't heard about you two. good news travels fast."

"what're you talking about? we're just friends," dani insisted. her voice shook.

"you're so cute when you lie," billy teased with a wink. sherrie could feel the vomit bubbling up in her throat, just begging to be released all over the grotesque excuse for a human in front of her. "i'm gonna get you back, sheridan. and no one—especially steve harrington—is gonna stop me." all of the vocabulary that dani had built up for the past 17 years was flushed down the drain. she couldn't form a sentence, or an insult, if her life depended on it; and that was a skill that came naturally to her. billy bent down, leaning in towards the girl's ear. his breath smelt like cheap cigarettes and his body like cologne of the same price range. the sour smell intensified with his closeness. "if i were you, i'd watch your back, cherry," he spat.

sherrie pushed past billy, their shoulders harshly colliding as she made a beeline for class. the boy's demonic laughter echoed in the emptying hallway. tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she didn't want them to be wasted on the likes of billy hargrove.

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