Yours Truly | B. Hargrove

18

It was the first day back at school and Billy and Eden still had yet to talk to each other. After the Christmas family dinner at the Hargroves, the two avoided each other the rest of break. Neil thought the pair broke up and eased up on Billy. Billy wasn't doing good, his mind turned to the worst, assuming something was happening with Hargrove. Eden was still upset at the fact he practically hinted at the fact that their relationship might not be enough for him to commit. She was all in, but now she was second guessing. Was Billy all in? The two really weren't helping their minds as Steve pulled into the school parking lot with eden in his passenger seat, and Eden saw Billy surrounded by a group of girls. Billy clenched his jaw and decided to go all in and begin to flirt with some of the girls surrounding him, lighting a cigarette in the process. Eden too, got out of Steve's car and lit a cigarette to help calm her anxiety.

"Hey, hey ditch him okay? You've got me, he's not worth it." Steve shook his head.

"Yeah definitely not." Eden took a drag as she stalked up to the boy, Steve sighing as he realized this wasn't about to be good.

"Wow, Hargrove. I see commitment really is an issue with you." Eden spoke, gaining attention from the group.

"Yeah, yeah. Says the trailer park whore." He retaliated with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Eden felt her confidence falter, Billy noticed this as she wrapped her arms around her torso.

"What am I- are you serious right now? You leave my house with Harrington, i don't hear from you all break, and now you're pulling in to school with him." Billy explained, dragging the girl away from the group so they wouldn't chime in on their argument.

"Let go of me!" Eden suddenly shouted, ripping her arm away due to how rough Billy was handling her, "you embarrassed me in front of your entire family. Do you know how much I wanted to shrivel up and not exist when you basically hinted that I'm not enough for you to commit to?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't say that-" Billy cut himself off, now realizing his mistake. With a deep sigh he continued, "I didn't mean it like that. I just- I've never thought about any of that. Marriage, kids, any of it because I've never had to. I never thought about settling down before."

"Still, Billy. You could've just left it at that." Eden took a drag from her cigarette to stop her emotions from getting the best of her.

"That doesn't excuse why you've been sneaking around with Harrington." Billy suddenly brought up and Eden rolled her eyes.

"He's my best friend Billy. Who else was I supposed to go to? Nancy is always with Jonathan and if you haven't noticed by now, I'm not exactly ms. Popular." She sniffed, the cold air causing her nose to slightly run.

"I just- i don't like it. You're mine. I should be the only guy you go to." Billy put his head in his hands, his insecurity getting the best of him.

"I don't think so. I think I'm allowed to go to whoever I need to feel better." Eden mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Can we just stop fighting. Please? I miss you." Billy admitted as he cupped the girls face, rubbing her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Do you not want to have a future with me?" She asked, afraid to know the answer.

"No- yes. I mean- yes. I do. Just... maybe take is slower than marriage, and kids. I just want to focus on us and be in the moment, if that's okay with you." He explained.

"Yeah, that's okay with me." Eden bit her lip to hold back a smile.

"Okay." Billy smiled back, "let's ditch today. You have to make up for like a weeks worth of avoiding me."

"Billy, as much as I'd love to all the teachers at Hawkins high love to give you a huge assignment that's worth most of your grade for the semester. I can't fail." Eden sighed.

"Fine, but tonight you and I are going to hang. No excuses." He shot her a smile.

"I guess I can clear my schedule." Eden rolled her eyes in a playful way before breaking out in a grin.
____
"My science teacher is hounding me about college applications." Eden sighed after taking a sip from the milkshake that occupied the space in front of her.

"You're thinking about going to that shit?" Billy rose an eyebrow as he popped a fry in his mouth. He had Eden out on a date at a local diner. He wanted to go to Enzo's but he didn't exactly have the money for that.

"I mean, yeah. I am graduating like ahead of my entire class. I just hope I get scholarships." She shrugged, stealing one of Billy's fries to dip in her shake.

"Oh, I didn't know that. You know, I don't even know your birthday." Billy pointed out.

"And I don't know yours, how are we dating again?" Eden joked, the pair began laughing.

"Seriously though, when is your birthday?" Billy placed his elbow on the table and rested his head on the palm of his hand.

"July 6th, when is yours?" She smiled at the boy.

"March 29th." He gave her a grin in return.

"Oh that's like, soon. What are your plans for the future?" The brunette asked.

"I don't know. I just want to go back to california, probably work at a surf shop or something until I can get my life figured out. What are your options for college?" He asked, popping another fry in his mouth.

"Mmm, I'm not too sure. Like i wanna shoot big for like, Berkeley or Boston University back in Mass. it's probably not gonna happen though, so I'm gonna apply for community colleges around Hawkins." She shook her head.

"No. You're smart, you can get into one of those big schools. Plus if you go to Berkeley you can be in Cali with me." Billy took the girls hand, placing a kiss to it.

"Slow down cowboy. What happened to not being sure on settling down." Eden let out a giggle.

"Shut up." Billy rolled his eyes, a smile on his face, before staring at the girl for a moment. His stomach got butterflies and he became a nervous wreck suddenly.

"What's wrong B-" before Eden could continue she was cut off.

"I think I can see a future with you, Eden." Billy admitted, causing the girl to blush.

"Tell me, what's it look like?" She asked, leaning slightly over the table.

"I-I don't really know yet. But, us in California. Teaching you how to surf and watching you wipe out. I know you'd get frustrated and want to quit, I wouldn't let you. We have a tiny apartment and- and, i don't know. It's kind of stupid." Billy shook his head, leaning back against the booth.

"I think it sounds nice." Eden admitted, "but I totally wouldn't get wiped out, I'd be a pro."

"Definitely not." Billy laughed, loudly and the two sat there continuing to bicker on whether or not the girl would be a surfing pro. Everybody surrounding couldn't help but gaze at the couple, some reminiscing on their young love, others envious of the relationship. However, no body but the pair existed in their eyes at that moment in time.