Sink or Swim [Billy Hargrove x Gender Neutral!reader]

Chapter One

Summary: Working at the local Snack Shack at Hawkins Pool wasn't your dream but it's a decent summer job before college. It did come with a perk of being in proximity to the recent California transfer and resident asshole, Billy Hargrove. Having a nice view of the handsome blond was good enough, but when circumstances lead you to an encounter with Billy and then a chance to become friends, perhaps even more, you can't stay away. Maybe Billy Hargrove isn't such an asshole after all. [Canon with a variation]

Warnings: eventual mentions of abuse, smoking, alcohol, sexual themes.

Word Count: 2.8k

Author's Note: I'm so freaking excited to finally be sharing this story! Please let me know your thoughts! Reblogs and comments are much appreciated. :) I will also be adding each chapter to AO3 and Wattpad shortly after this posts, if you prefer to read over there. I'll be posting under the username ​ , which is also my main blog here on tumblr. Love you!!

Part One        Part Two>>> Coming soon!

_________________________________________________________

The first official encounter you had with Billy Hargrove was unexpected, brief and...surprisingly sweet. Every one after that seemed to be moronic (on your part) and...embarrassing.

Naturally.

Getting a job at the Snack Shack at Hawkins Community Pool wasn't your first choice, but it was just for the summer. In the fall, you were headed to college and would get to leave your small town behind. In the mean time, you would be selling junk food to your former classmates and their younger siblings every day. Awesome.

Billy got a job as one of the lifeguards, which wasn't much of a surprise. From what you could collect through gossip floating around the high school, the mullet-wearing, muscled, Camaro-driving asshole was a former surfer from California, so the position fit him. And despite confirmation of his prickly personality, you weren't mad about the sight of Billy in nothing but a pair of red swim trunks, sunglasses, and a whistle around his neck.

Hot damn.

Billy never knew you existed in school, since you were less than popular and ran in different circles. Not surprising. You saw him around, though, even sharing a few classes together. He seemed bored with school and didn't really try but somehow still got passing grades. Billy was the athletic type, enjoying gym class but especially basketball. Or maybe it was just fun for him to mess with King Steve Harrington, and it was enjoyable for you to witness at times as well. Knowing Steve all your life, you agreed that he could stand to be taken down a peg or two. The bigger the hair, the bigger the ego and Steve's had grown exponentially the past few years in both regards.

Then there was graduation and the idea of freedom and new beginnings. But first, you had to survive the summer.

During employee orientation just after school let out, you were there and Billy showed up late as one could expect. A few days of training followed with you learning all the equipment in the Snack Shack and which scoop was the correct portion for every item. Not exactly rocket science. At the same time, the lifeguards were getting CPR certification and practicing rescue drills. Looked like more fun than you what you were doing.

Billy tended to hang back from the group during the vocal instructions, sometimes smoking a cigarette when he probably shouldn't be. But when it came to the practical learning, he was all in, practicing CPR on dummies and "rescuing" his co-workers during drills. His swimming was strong and for timed rescues he did the best. Huh. Perhaps he's not so apathetic about everything as it would seem.

Once the pool opened, you were given morning shifts at first, which was fine but the Snack Shack was not that busy until kids started begging their parents for lunch. Time crawled when there wasn't anything to do, but it did give you a chance to peek at the happenings at the pool. Swimming classes were early, before the pool opened to the public. Most of the time you were just setting up so hearing the gaggle of six-year-olds arriving had you glancing over to see what was up.