MISS AMERICANA & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE / STEVE HARRINGTON

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE DAY AFTER Halloween meant there was about a week and a half until Hawkin's High School's Homecoming. Maybe it was a bit late in the school year but the small town was still pretty shaken up by the disappearance of Will Byers last year. Many high school students skipped their Prom out of fear.

But the teens were ready for this dance. They had been waiting ages for it. Every teen in Hawkins except Maggie Hopper. She wasn't set on missing the dance for sure yet, but she was almost certain. At this point she had no one to go with, dates didn't matter to her. She wanted her friends back.

The morning was a blur. Maggie tried to get out of her house as fast as possible. She skipped breakfast, practically threw her makeup on, almost forgot to brush her teeth but it was all because she was itching in anticipation to see him. 

Billy Hargrove. 

She was slightly shocked to see his blue corvette pulled into his parking spot when she arrived. Maggie assumed he was the type of guy that didn't care about making it to school on time. She was never one to judge a book by its cover. 

Maggie knew that people were going to notice her today. Not only because of the party, but also because the boy who accompanied her there was still attached to her hip. Maggie was never one to show off a boy. She knew she was better than that. But right now, nothing was better than feeling everyone's eyes on her. 

Was it too cold to be wearing a skirt as short as hers? Maybe, but she was wearing tights. Plus, she was wearing a tight gray long sleeve, one that hugged her figure in just the right way. Billy seemed to like her outfit, or the fact that it was cold out and she wasn't wearing a bra. Meaning her friends sat just the right place on her chest. 

He looked down her legs to the small-heeled mary jane's she had on. He definitely liked what he saw. Her books in one hand, Billy's belt loop in the other, Maggie pulled the boy with the mullet to kiss his jaw. Nothing shook him from his chill demeanor as he looked down. 

Maggie's nose was read from the cold air. But for some reason Billy liked that about her. It wasn't a personality trait but he liked seeing that the girl who ruled the school had something human about her that she couldn't control. He bent down and kissed her lips, his teeth biting down on her bottom lip. 

This was Maggie's first time kissing a boy in public...she thinks. She always wanted to keep the persona that she was an innocent girl. However, Billy was a tool for her, a tool to stay at the top of the food chain. So, not only was this just the right time to break that innocent persona, she was doing it with the right person. 

Maggie separated first, seeing in Billy's eyes that he wanted to continue. She had to keep this entire ordeal under her control.

EVERYONE'S EYES BURNED into the back of Maggie's head all day. But she couldn't be bothered to meet their gazes. She had to seem unbothered, like her being with the new boy from California who moved here less than a week ago was a normal thing. 

Maggie loved the looks that she was getting from everyone. Sure, they've always looked at her, who couldn't. It was more in a fascination of her, like that someone looked so pure could walk the streets of Hawkins. Now, it was more because they seemed envious of her. Now, they never bothered looking at her big brown eyes, they went to stare at her body, what she was wearing, or the eye candy she had by her side. 

"Hey, Farrah." Maggie heard from behind her. She was bent down into the door of her car, setting her books onto her passenger seat. She felt a hand place right below her ass. "Come over to my place, I'll drive you back here to get your car." It was Billy.

She should've known that it was him from the nickname that he so cleverly came up with the first time they met. 

The blonde stood up, leaning back against her car. Billy's arms were next to her shoulders, barricading her in. "Sounds like I don't have a choice, Hargrove." She softly bit her bottom lip. 

He watched as her lips turned into a pout, "Exactly," he smiled down at her. 

A group of teens, secretly paying attention to the two passed them. But it wasn't any group of teens that passed, it was her friends. Well, ex-friends; Maggie is still trying to figure out what their title is. 

"Hey! Kip!" she quickly called out to the group. 

Kip seemed to be the only one in the group that wasn't invested in a conversation so he reluctantly turned to the girl. He nudged his head in response, not wanting to verbally say anything. 

"Your place tomorrow right?" she crossed her arms. Kip's facial expression changed, but she couldn't tell in what way. "I'll bring the beer." 

Maggie never supplied drinks for her friend group, she had to keep her record clean. That, and because no one would let the sheriff's daughter buy alcohol, even if she went three towns over. 

"Mags, you never bring the booze!" Chance said, almost shocked that she was offering. 

"What can I say?" she shrugged, "I'm feeling nice." 

Maggie's eyes shifted to the strawberry blonde of the group. Her expression was mostly blank, but her lips were pursed. This was right where Maggie needed Allie to be. Just mad enough that Billy and her are close, but not mad enough for her to think she's screwing around with him. 

"Guys, this is Billy," Maggie introduced. "He just moved here from California." 

Billy acknowledged the group with a single nod. The other guys did the same. "Billy, these are the people I was with at the game." She played it safe by not calling them her friends, she didn't know how the others would feel about that. 

The silence between the separated teens wasn't uncomfortable but it was thick. 

"Yeah sure," Kip sounded weary, "Come by tomorrow." 

Again, Maggie's teeth but down on her bottom lip. She turned to face Billy again, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have to go home. My dad will send the entire police department to look for me if I come home late." 

Billy watched her lips as she talked, he shifted in his feet. "Calling the police because you're out having fun sounds like a stretch." 

"Oh, you dont know my dad," Maggie sarcastically sang.

"Clearly I dont." 

"How about this," Maggie draped her arm over Billy's shoulder, her other hand softly dragging up the front of his shirt, "tomorrow after the game, I'm all yours. My dad thinks I'm with those people." She rolled her eyes in the direction of the friend group. "So, he can't be mad that I'm out late." 

This was what she normally did for her hookups, she would tell her dad she was going to Allie's house and he wouldn't pester her. But this was all before El came along. Maggie hasn't had a social life when it came to boys for the past year. Something about her dad treating her differently made her not want to do anything with guys. 

She claimed it was to keep her conscious clean but she was beyond that. 

"When will you learn to live a little, Farrah?" Billy asked, his tone lowering.

A sharp breath left Maggie's nose. "When my dad learns to not have stick in his ass." 

Billy clicked his cheek. "Right, well I can't wait around all day for you. You coming or not?" 

Maggie quickly shook her head, "Not today." 

"I can't wait on you forever, Farrah." He walked around to his driver's seat. He stopped right as he was opening the door, waiting for a response. 

"Dont beat yourself up over me, Billy." She climbed into her car and drove off. Sure, she liked people's eyes on her but all of that stops the second he wants to do anything in private. Maggie needed to keep him on his toes, there was no way she was going to make Billy Hargrove think she's easy. At least not yet.