Twisted Town | Stranger Things FF

Chapter 1 | Marci Joans

Marci P.o.V

October 30th, 1984

As soon as school came to an end for the day, I rushed back to my car, a loud sigh escaping me once the car door was closed. I put my bag on the passenger seat and leaned back in my own, quietly watching the people on the parking lot while slowly drifting off into my own thoughts.

Luckily, the day had been pretty quiet. Neither Carol nor Tommy got in my way today, but I'm pretty sure that I know why. The new student, who I now knew was named Billy Hargrove, drew absolutely everyone's attention. I still didn't know whether to be happy or worried about it. On one hand, I was finally left alone for once, but on the other hand... the people who would constantly pick on me already tried to get on Billy's good side, and if they would succeed, it'll only be a matter of time before he starts bullying me and other students for fun as well.

But as long as he's still integrating into society, I really hope that I can finally sit back and enjoy the piece and quiet for at least a few days.

October 31st, 1984

Today's school day was also quite relaxing, apart from the fact that the teachers threw many different test days at us. So, although it's Halloween today, I'll be very busy with planning, whether I liked it or not. If I really wanted to do well in these tests, then I need to create a study plan to which I can stick without problems and that I can use as a guide for spontaneous activities.

While my little sister Emmy wasn't all that thrilled about me not being able to go trick or treating with her, she still understood my reasoning, as did my parents who would now go with her instead of me. 

Even if it sounded strange to many, studying is something that I really enjoy doing and the good grades I get from it are like the reward for my efforts. But I'm not the only one who thought that way. Nancy Wheeler, a good friend of mine, felt the same way - which is why I was so surprised at her reaction to me telling her that I wouldn't attend the Halloween High School Party. She seemed quite irritated, almost annoyed or even angry. She went on to how this would be the one of the only chances for us to 'behave like stupid teenagers'. I really didn't know what to say to that, so I was actually really glad when the school bell cut our conversation short.

November 1st, 1984

The next day, when I wanted to confront Nancy about her behavior yesterday, I found out that she and Steve were no longer a couple anymore. Apparently I wasn't the only one she'd thrown a few thoughtless words at. Though this seemed a whole lot more serious and deeper. After all, Steve didn't even look at her anymore. I really wonder what exactly happened between the two of them.

November 2nd, 1984

I won't lie, I got really worried when Nancy didn't show up at school today. That seemed so out of character for her! In her whole entire life, she'd maybe stayed at home a total of two times. Though unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do other than hope that she was well.

With a sigh, I exited the school building and adjusted my glasses before grabbing my car keys. However, as soon as I reached my car and was about to unlock it, my eyes caught someone walking over the parking lot - someone, that I desperately tried to avoid in the school hallways - Billy Hargrove.

For whatever reason, he just had to look directly in my direction... and he didn't even bother breaking the eye contact! I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I couldn't tell if it was a pleasant or uncomfortable one. I was quite literally frozen in my movements by his gaze and was only able to get into my car and take a deep breath when Billy himself got into his car, breaking the intense eye contact we shared. Though I couldn't help but watch him a little longer.

He turned to talk to his little sister, who as far as I know was called Max Mayfield, and even though I needed glasses to see better, I was more than sure that I witnessed Billy getting physical with Max. He roughly grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him, looking down at the ginger with an intimidating gaze. It could've been a trick of the light, but I swear that I could make out the veins on his forehead and down his neck. Why was he this angry towards his sister?

I was quick to avert my gaze and pretend I hadn't seen anything. I cleared my throat, fixing my glasses again before I finally, without saying a word, started the engine of my car and drove off. Now I was very sure that Billy would turn out to be a problem for me.

Or would he?

December 15th, 1984

Fast forward to more than a month later and I surprisingly have to admit that Billy isn't the type to get influenced by other people, which is why he never joined in on the bullying. He always just stood at the side, watching and letting out a sigh here and there, clearly not interested in any of this. Sure, this wasn't exactly a nice thing to do either, but it was better than him joining in. 

Right now, I was driving my little sister to the Snow Ball. She looked absolutely stunning and I swear, I almost shed a tear or two when I first saw her in her pretty blue dress. I got out of the car, giving Emmy one last hug before she skipped inside the school, excited to meet up with her friends and have fun. 

I sighed with a smile on my lips as I crossed my arms and leaned back against my car. After I made sure that Emmy was safely inside the school, I turned around, wanting to get back inside my car and drive back home, but then a familiar blue-greyish car caught my attention.

I watched with a smile as Max got out of the car, happily closing the door before rushing towards the entrance of the school. Though as soon as I spotted Billy, his gaze following Max in an almost remorseful way, my smile vanished. I furrowed my brows in confusion. He seemed... different.

My heart rate sped up when our eyes suddenly met and without thinking, I flashed him a small smile. To my surprise, Billy actually returned it before he drove off again. My gaze followed his car for a while until it turned a corner and I couldn't help but ask myself...

What the fuck just happened?!