crucio ↠ billy hargrove

017

Location: West Hollywood, California

-BILLY-

I went to the liquor store since my dad gave me a to-do list. He tried convincing Max to come with me but she refused and that made me glad. It felt weird having another sibling, I'm so used to only my father and I living alone. I sometimes prefer going back to the way things were. I see so many crowded streets and people walking on sidewalks. I hardly ever saw that in Hawkins.

I made a couple friends here and there, but they all seem weird. They sometimes lend me cigarettes to smoke with them after school. They tell me stories about how they once drove their parent's car without their permission or the time where they almost set their house on fire. I just listen and I can't really tell them a story that'll top theirs. Some of my stories are lame and they mostly revolve around Charlotte. No one here knows about her and I really don't want people to think I'm an obsessive crush.

I finished doing all of my chores and I head home. The walk there was a tad far but all of this alone time makes me feel calm and makes me get lost in my thoughts. I stepped into my house, I set the things on the table and I make my way to my room. From a distance, I saw my bedroom door opened. I left it shut, and for some reason, its wide open. Someone must've been in there. I stopped and I waited a bit to see if I can hear noises inside.

I see a flash of long red hair. Max.

I stomped into the room and I see her quickly set down a bunch of letter into my cabinet. "What are you doing here?" I raised my voice, angrily. She looked shocked and scared.

"I-I was just...trying to find something. Nothing special..and then these..letters flew out of the box and that is why I have them." Anger filled me up quickly, she read my letters. She read my letters to Lottie. Those are personal.

"Why the fuck did you read my letters, you little bastard?!" I shouted at her. "I didn't mean to!" she replied.

"You ruined my life! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" I growled.

"Who's Lottie?! I wanna know!" she explained. Max walked near the door with her arms crossed waiting for my response.

"Why do you wanna know? You'll never meet her!"

"Why are you so mean?" Max frowned, lowering her voice.

"I'm not mean. I just tell the truth and you're so damn annoying, you get on my nerves all the damn time and I just want to be alone! Mind your own business! You tattletale on me when I do things wrong, I hope you fall asleep and never wake up!"

"How could you say that? Is this why Lottie left you? Is Lottie her actual name or was it just a nickname?"

I deeply sighed "Her real name was Charlotte. No, she was forced to move. But it doesn't matter anymore." I looked down at the ground. I feel so humiliated.

"You loved her. I also saw the picture of her, she's really pretty." Max said. I nodded, calming myself a bit. "I still do. She was my best friend. She was there for me when no one else was. She helped me through a lot and I could never thank her enough for that. She encouraged me to do things I thought I would never do. She was..my other half. But she liked someone else."

"I'm sorry for reading the letters. I didn't mean to." Max apologised. I forgave her and she left my room in silence. I grabbed my journal and I made a new entry.

September 18, 1980

Dear Lottie,

I'm done making these. These letters won't change anything. What if I never see you again? What's the whole point in making these anyway? I don't want to stop making these letters completely. I might write one here and there but they won't become daily like how they used to be. My life has been a trainwreck ever since I got here, it's hard trying to make new friends. Everyone here is so different. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I want to go back to Hawkins and I want to go and rescue you from the lab. Well, I can try.

I may sound weird here, but if I ever found you again, I will actually marry you. I am not joking. Okay, maybe a little. But it'll feel like a miracle. These letters have been becoming shorter and shorter only because I sometimes don't have anything to say to you. You have become an imaginary character to me. I can't talk to you anymore, face to face. I reach out but you can't because we're so far apart. I don't ever want to forget about you, I wanna keep you in my life. Forever.

Love, always

-Billy

word count; 861
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