The Mutants (Stranger Things Fanfic)

21

A/n: This chapter contains physical and verbal abuse/child abuse, you have been warned. 

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SKATEBOARDING, LITTLE GIRL?" Neil, her father, screamed at her before throwing the empty bottle of booze against the wall. Max stood in front of him, crying and shaking, as she had to force herself to look into Neil's eyes. Neil had somehow found her skateboard despite her believing it was well-hidden. Now it laid in front of her, broken in two. 

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" Neil screamed before backhanding Max across her face, "I SAID, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SKATEBOARDING?" 

"T-that-- that--" Max whimpered, trying to find the words. 

"That what?" Neil screamed at her before she could finish her sentence, raising his hand up as he threatened to hit her again. 

"I-it's a b-boy's thing," she finished, tears streaming down her face. 

"That's right! And you're a girl! You do girls' things like cooking and cleaning. Like making dinner, which was supposed to be done before I get home!" Neil screamed at her before grabbing the back of her shirt and pulling her towards him. She was so close to him she could smell stench of beer on his breeze. 

"I come home without supper on the table again, missy, and I'll beat your ass so bad, you'll never be able to sit on it again. Do you understand?" He threatened her. She nodded her head, timidly. He then dragged her across the living room up to her room where he threw her inside before slamming the door close and locking her inside. 

"As punishment, you'll not eat for a week!" she heard Neil scream at her before storming away from her door. Max whimpered as she curled up in a ball at the end of her bed. 

*small time skip* 

Max didn't know when she fell asleep, but she found herself being woken up by someone shaking her awake. She flinched as her instincts took charge, fearing it was Neil, as she jumped up and tried to fight back. 

"Hey! Hey, it's me." Billy whispered to her. Max slowly calmed down, but it wasn't by much. Billy was sitting on his knees beside the her bed, holding a bowl of cold soup and a glass of warm tap water.  

"Thought you might need this," he told her as he set it on her nightstand. Max sat up as she took the bowl and slowly sipped it through a pair of busted lips. 

"I don't want to be here anymore Billy." She whimpered in between sips. 

"I know. I just need to find a way to make plenty of money and we'll be home free." Billy promised her. He shifted upwards and climbed up to his feet when Max shot her hand out and grabbed his. 

"Stay with me." She pleaded with him. 

"Always." He told her before he climbed down and sat at the end of her bed. Once Max was finished with her soup, she set the bowl down before climbing over to Billy, slid under his arm and the covers and forced herself into sleep. 

Susan had walked into Max's room to wake her up for school where she found Billy curled up around Max. This was the second time she found Billy sleeping in Max's room all curled up around her. She didn't know what to make of it and she was fearful to ask either one about it. She quickly lightly tapped Billy's shoulders, but this time from a distance. As she suspect, Billy jolted up and began swinging his arms around like he was prepared for a fight while Max sat up and rushed over to the other side of the bed. 

"Billy! Billy it's me! It's Susan!" Susan shrieked. Billy peered over his shoulder till his eyes landed on her then he proceed to groan and push himself off the bed and march off to his room while Max crawled out of bed, wished Susan a 'good morning' before making her way to get dressed. 

*time skip* 

"This is the second time that I found the two of them all curled up into bed... I don't know what to make of it? Should I be concern about this?" Susan finished telling Hopper and Joyce about the incident. 

"Well-- they were in a serious situation. They might feel safer sleeping together." Hopper suggested to her. 

"Then why doesn't Eddie join them?" Susan asked her, "I mean I don't want to assume the worst, but-- is there a chance, Billy may be... you know?" 

"What?" Hopper asked. Susan leaned in as she mumbled something but it wasn't audible. 

"What?" Joyce asked. 

"Is there a chance, Billy might be... a pedophile?" Susan whispered. 

"Wait! Are you suggesting Billy and Max... are sexually involved with each other?" Joyce asked them. 

"I don't know what to think and frankly, I'm afraid to ask. What if I jump the gun and it turns out I'm wrong, which then rightfully pisses the two off that it causes them to decide to leave? But then, worst case, it turns out to be true and I'm harboring a pedophile? I don't want that on my soul... but at the same time, I don't want it on my soul I cause them to leave. What should I do?" Susan asked them. Hopper sighed. 

"That is a pickle. You probably aren't going to get anything out of Billy, because he sure as hell is already closed off from us adults, but maybe... you can ask questions around it to Max?" Hopper suggested to her. 

"Like?" 

"Like instead of being direct and ask, 'Hey Max, is Billy doing inappropriate things to you?', ask her 'is everything alright between you and Billy?' or 'Is Billy touching you in a way that's doesn't feel good?' or something along those lines is all." Hopper answered. Susan nodded. 

"Okay, I'll try that." Susan said before standing up from her sit and made her way out of the office. 

*Hawkins High School* 

"...and I think this is finished." Jonathan said as he removed the photo from the developing situation and hung it on the string. 

"This is actually interesting," Nancy said while she watch with Jonathan as the photo began to develop. As soon as the photo was completely finished, they noticed something off about the photo. 

"What is that? Right behind the car?"Nancy asked, pointing at the photo. Jonathan pulled it off the string and held it close to their faces.  

"Oh my God!" Jonathan and Nancy screamed.