Kiss with a Fist

Chapter 18

Billy had gotten through the weekend, which had felt like walking on a thin endless tightrope, without a beating.

He'd been sick for a few days after the events of the Byers, but had insisted he needed to go home, if Max went home without him, Neil would go apeshit, and if neither of them returned? Well, Billy didn't want to even imagine the outcome of that.

Joyce had given him some anti sickness tablets to quell the nausea, and he'd been dosing himself up on them since. He still didn't feel great but he was able to hide any 'weakness' from his father.

Steve and Eddie had been worried sick about him. Every time he bumped into one of them at school they would look at him with faces full of concern. It just made him feel worse.

He was currently under the bleachers trying to avoid them. A cigarette between his lips. He exhaled roughly, a cloud of smoke curling around him lazily. He thumbed the silver zippo lighter, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the skull engraving, feeling every little groove. It was comforting, grounding.

"You know that's bad for you." A voice said, dragging him out of his thoughts.

He looked up. It was the girl that worked with Steve at the ice cream Parlour. He had no idea she even went to the same school as them, though it made sense considering there wasn't another high school in Hawkins.

"Does it look like I care?" Billy snapped.

"Jeez, sorry for stopping you from dying a premature death. Anyway, I need to talk to you."

"I don't even know your name, why the hell do you want to talk to me?" Billy huffed, taking another, more deliberate drag of his cigarette.

"My name's Robin Buckley, I sit behind you in Ms. Sullivan's English class." She huffed with an eye roll that clearly showed she was used to this.

"Okay, and? Why the fuck do you want to talk to me?" Billy muttered, his frustration building. He clenched his free hand around the necklace El had picked out, letting the metal dig into his palm. Anything to keep him from punching something...or someone.

"What's you deal with Harrington? Didn't you beat him up? Why are you suddenly friends?"

"Why do you care?" Billy growled.

"Because he's a doofus but he's my doofus." Robin huffed.

Billy glared, jealously burning under his skin. "You barely know him." He growled, scowling sharply as he scrutinised her. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this shit.

"I know that you brutally attacked him last year. I know that you're a bully." Robin said with her hands on her hips. "Just stay away from Steve." She said before walking off, leaving Billy under the bleachers.

Billy sighed and took another deep drag of his cigarette, relishing in the burning sensation filling his throat as he breathed out the smoke, the taste was strong and bitter. He wanted to focus on anything but the nausea and the guilt swallowing him.

"Mr Hargrove. Smoking is not permitted on school grounds." A clipped voice said, dripping with disdain and annoyance.

Billy looked up and stifled a groan. It was Mr Walker. He was a thin faced frail man with a pinched face and wiry grey moustache. He was a chemistry teacher and he was known for being a hardass.

The man snatched the tail end of the cigarette from Billy's grasp. "Hand over the rest son, and the lighter too."

"You can't take my stuff. I bought them." Billy huffed, folding his arms.

"Don't take that tone with me boy. You should of thought about that before blatantly breaking the law, now hand them over or I'll have to call your parents.