Crimson Skies | Steve Harrington

Chapter 2: Billy Hargrove

     "Tina, I told you a million times I was dressing as madonna. Why would you get the same costume as me?"

     Savannah, Tina, Carol, and Vicki were in the car on the way to school, discussing the details of Tina's halloween party the following day.

     Tina shrugged, applying her lip gloss in the car mirror. "Pretty sure I thought of it first."

     Savannah, kicked the back of her seat playfully. "You definitely didn't. I told you a month ago that I had the exact dress from 'like a virgin'."

     "You're not even blonde," Tina argued.

     "Neither are you."

     "Yeah but I look much more like Madonna if you think about it. Besides, it's my party, so I should get first pick."

     Savannah rolled her eyes.

     "You could dress like Princess Leia," Vicki suggested, frantically copying the answers of Savannah's homework as they sat in the back seat.

     Savannah shook her head, "I was Leia last year, remember? I can't do the same costume two years in a row." Besides, Savannah had been trying to reinvent herself. Summer had treated her kindly, and she was receiving a lot of attention from boys, not that she cared. Her main priority was securing high school relevance without help from Steve, who she still hardly talked to. If Savannah wanted to maintain her reputation and popularity, she was going to have to step it up this year. Dressing like a space princess with two massive buns on the side of her head was not the way to do that. "I guess I could be a pink lady," she said finally, remembering the jacket her mom bought her when Grease 2 came out.

     "Good idea," Tina said enthusiastically, clearly pleased to have won the argument.

     After Carol parked the car, Vicki began shoving papers back into Savannah's trapper keeper, and the other girls leaned against the hood waiting for her.

     Tina nudged Savannah, a smirk on her face. "Maybe you'll find yourself a thunderbird."

     Savannah smiled and shook her head, "Not in this town."

     Suddenly, the sound of a loud engine roared through the parking lot, drawing everyone's attention. A sleek, blue Camaro swerved into a space up front and a handsome boy stepped out, dressed in denim from head to toe.

     "Looks like you spoke too soon," Carol said, gripping Savannah's arm as he glanced back in their direction, cigarette smoldering in his hand. His license plate was from California, Savannah noticed, but anyone could tell by looking at him that he wasn't from Hawkins. He had a classic look about him, and an air of effortless confidence that was a stark contrast to the obnoxious cockiness most guys at Hawkins High.

     As the new arrival strutted towards the school, the four girls watched him intently.

     "Who is that?" Vicki said, seeming almost out of breath.

     "I have no idea," Tina replied with a raised eyebrow. "But would you check out that ass? Just look at it go."

     Savannah's friends giggled, watching him until he was out of sight. Then Carol leaned over and whispered in Savannah's ear so the other girls couldn't hear. "That's your next target," she said, a devilish grin on her face. "He's the one, Sav."

     The rest of the day was incredibly hectic. School went by in a flash, and after her last class, Savannah shot off to the photo lab to drop off a box of cameras one of her teachers had given her. As she came quickly around the corner, she stopped in her tracks.