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NOTHING UNSETTLED MARGO HENDERSON MORE THAN THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER. The world seemed upside down. Everything was awry. Her brother had practically trashed the bathroom, the rushed morning pancakes were burnt beyond repair and to top it all off, her auburn waves were being particularly unruly that morning.
The Henderson Household was a constant mad house. Between a vivacious teenage daughter, a Dungeons and Dragons obsessed son and an unnecessary amount of cats, Margo's mother really had her hands full. It had been the three of them mostly since she could remember. Her father had walked out before she'd even entered the world; the rest of her mother's boyfriends had been so absent, they were barely worth mentioning. There had been Randy, her younger brother's waste of space father. According to Margo, the entire marriage had been a sham. Whilst Mrs Henderson had spent her days out working from dawn to dusk, her husband spent his lazing around on the sofa, absorbed in pointless daytime television. He had no time for either child, nor his wife. He'd obeyed the pattern eventually, making a moonlight flip on the eve of Dustin's fourth birthday. She didn't consider it much of a loss, they were better as a three, always had been.
Realistically, it could have been worse. The Henderson siblings were practically angels in comparison to some. Still, teen angst dies hard.
Shaking off the feeling as best she could, Margo's ears pricked up at the sound of a vehicle outside. The net curtains were tugged aside to reveal a familiar 1979 Chevrolet Camaro in the driveway.
Her eyes brightened at the sight of her boyfriend.
Billy Hargrove was the most perfect boy she'd ever laid eyes on. Sculpted by the Gods themselves, he enchanted everyone he encountered. His baby blues tore through even the boldest of egos. His beachy curls were always coiffed flawlessly, the lengths of the mullet framing his cheekbones exactly. His sun-kissed skin almost glimmered in the hazy daylight. Billy had every girl at Hawkins weak at the knees, and god did he know it.
It had never been truly clear what he saw in Margo Henderson. Most of their peers agreed. She was a natural beauty, envied even by some, but they couldn't have been more opposite. An honour roll ex-cheerleader with near perfect grades and the mysterious dissentient who'd charmed Hawkins since his sudden arrival last summer. Chalk and Cheese.
"Dustin!" Margo called into the hall, stopping by a mirror to check her reflection briefly. She poked at her tawny curls, adjusting the heavily hair sprayed style until she was satisfied.
"What?".
"Our ride is here, let's go!".
Her brother came tumbling down the hall moments later, a brown box of various electronic parts in tow. The apples of his cheeks rosy with haste, his wild brown curls were stuffed into a hat.
Margo raised a brow in question, gesturing to the box. "You're taking that to school?".
Dustin nodded eagerly, a toothy smile on show. "It's for AV club".
"What on earth in AV club requires you to turn the bathroom into a bomb site?" she chuckled.
"Sorry Mars, club intel only. Mr A-" he staggered a little as he approached the front door. The overfilled box toppled slightly and to his horror, his sister's bedside phone came tumbling out onto the floor.
Her eyes narrowed at the broken device, shifting slowly up to her brother in suspicion. His eyes widened, mouth gaping open in an attempt to form some sort of apology. The room was silent for a moment, the air thick with tension until they broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Dustin's box nearly tipped over again amongst the chaos.
"You owe me a phone, Dusty" she began, opening the door and heading out onto the porch.
"Cause you can't go a single day without calling your boyfriend?" he teased in reply, eyes glittering playfully as he followed her outside. "Oh Billy, I love you. Oh Billy, kiss me. No you hang up, no you ha-"
"Do you want me to explain to Mom why I had to kill you before the start of the semester?".
Reaching for the handle to tug the car door open, Margo stuck her other hand up in his direction. Her middle finger raised slowly, a wry smile creeping up onto her lips. Dustin poked his tongue out in response before ducking into the backseat.
She barely had time to breathe before Billy's lips met hers in silent greeting. Her hands rested either side of his face, returning the kiss sweetly. His scent was engulfing, fresh cologne and hairspray mingling perfectly with the faintest notes of tobacco.
Various sounds of gagging and coughing erupted in the back of the vehicle.
"Jesus I just ate!".
Margo retracted with a grin, gaze resting briefly on Billy before she turned to glance at the two kids in the back seat. Dustin had his fingers halfway in his mouth, mimicking a gesture of inducing vomiting. Max was sat back in her seat, arms folded across her chest as she stared ahead, lips firmly in a line.
"Hey Max" she smiled softly, eyes lingering for a moment before she turned back to face the front. Reaching across, she plucked Billy's cigarette from his lips and brought it to her own. She noted his contempt as she took a slow drag, parting her lips to release the smoke. Returning it to him a moment later, she shifted her sight to the windscreen, positioning her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose.
"Are you going to that party on Friday night?" Billy questioned casually, eyes fixed on the road as he drove.
"You mean Steve's party?".
"The only party that's going on in town, yes Margo".
Margo bit at her bottom lip, contemplating biting back at his dry tone. Whilst she absolutely adored him, Billy could be incredibly quick to anger sometimes. She bore the brunt of it often, but she preferred it that way. It saved him taking it out on his step-sister.
Deciding it best not to start the day off on a bad note, she nodded quietly, drumming her fingertips against the armrest. "I didn't think you'd be going to that. You know, since you and Steve hate each other and all..."
Things were incredibly complicated when it came to her boyfriend and her best friend. There had been no love shared since he arrived in Hawkins. Steve had been wholly disappointed when Margo had announced their relationship, citing Billy as a 'douchebag user with no ability to be faithful to anyone'. Billy was just as bad, bursting at the seams with jealousy despite her constant reassurance that Steve was like a brother to her, nothing more.
A wicked smile began to grow, Billy shifted his sunglasses to sit amidst the mass of curls upon his head. He turned to look at his girlfriend, clearly revelling in the upset he knew he might cause just by being there.
"Without me baby, there is no party".
-
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey everyone! Thank you for checking this out, I'm super excited about this one. Hopefully y'all stay tuned, I'm aiming to have the next part out in the next few days!
