LIFEBOAT ✧ billy hargrove

EIGHT

     Emily was in hysterics. She was livid, terrified, and relieved all at the same time. Livid because those things were trying to kill them, because Steve risked his life trying to get rid of them. Terrified because, well, they all almost died, they all being herself, Steve, Dustin, her little brother, and Billy's little sister, Max, who also happened to be the girl Dustin was talking about, as well as Lucas' crush. And relieved, because they hadn't been eaten alive by those monsters.

     Once those things had left them alone, and Emily pulled herself together, the five of them started walking along the tracks, going back to the car. Once there, they'd all packed in, except for Emily, who was lost in her thoughts and looking at Lucas' bike, which they were planning on leaving.

     "Em, get in the car," Steve called to her, looking into the rear view mirror to see her standing there.

     "I have something I need to do, but I need to go alone," She called back, picking up the fallen bike.

     "Em, no, you're not going anywhere alone right now," Steve said, about to get out of the car.

     "Steve, I'm not a child, I'm going alone and you can't stop me!" Emily yelled, getting on the bike. "I'll see you soon."

     Emily rode away, going to the last place she ever thought she'd go.

☽ ☼

The older of the Sinclair children pulled up at the Hargrove residence, dragging her brother's bike around the side and beginning her climb to Billy's window.

Emily had obtained the address to this family's home when Billy passed her in the hall, slipping it into her jacket pocket with a wink and that damn smirk of his. He told her to drop by his place if she was ever bored or wanted to have a little fun. She laughed in his face, never thinking she'd find a use for the little slip of paper, but now she had.

When Emily pulled herself up to his window, which she knew was his because of the loud rock music, she immediately ducked her head down when she noticed him in front of his mirror, not missing the little 'cologne down the pants' thing he did. She was about to knock on the window when she heard a very loud knocking on his door.

"Billy?" The voice of a woman was mostly drowned out by the music, but Emily could still hear it.

"Yeah, I'm a little bit busy in here, Susan." Billy said in reply.

"Open the door, right now." A gruff voice called, and Emily could safely say it was Mr. Hargrove.

Billy slowly made his way over to the door and opened it for his father and step mother.

"What's wrong?"

"Why don't you tell us?"

"Because I don't know."

"We can't find Maxine." Susan told her step son.

"And her window is open." Neil Hargrove continued for his wife. "Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" The older man scoffs.

"Look, I'm sure she just, I don't know, went to the arcade or something." Billy walked back over to his mirror. "I'm sure she's fine."

"You were supposed to watch her."

"I know, Dad. I was." He pulls his leather jacket out of he closet and then onto his body. "It's just you guys were three hours late, and, well, I have a date." Billy sighed.

Emily felt a small ache in her chest, but she didn't really know why.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Billy turned and looked at his father.

"So that's why you've been staring at yourself in the mirror like some faggot instead of watching your sister?" Neil was visibly getting angrier by the second.

"I have been looking after her all week, Dad. Okay? She wants to run off, then that's her problem, all right? She's thirteen years old. She shouldn't need a full-time babysitter. And she's not my sister!"

Billy barely has time to turn off his music before he's slammed against his bookshelf by his father, making Emily flinch and let out a soft gasp.

"What did we talk about?" Neil asks his son, and when he doesn't get an answer, he slaps Billy hard across the face, causing him to groan.

"What did we talk about?" The man asks again, annunciating each word clearly and carefully.

"Respect and responsibility."

"That is right. Now, apologize to Susan."

"I'm sorry, Susan." Billy meant it, but not fully, and Emily's eyes crossed the room to see the nervous looking woman.

"It's okay, Neil, really—" Susan starts to say before she is cut off by her husband's yelling.

"No, it's not okay. Nothing about his behavior is okay." Mr. Hargrove backs up away from his son. "But he's gonna make up for it. He's gonna call whatever whore he's seeing tonight, and cancel their date. And then he's gonna go find his sister. Like the good, kind, respecting brother that he is. Isn't that right, Billy?"

The furious man was met with silence.

"Isn't that right?!" He yelled again.

"Yes, sir." Billy's voice came out so quietly that the girl outside his window had almost missed it.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"Yes, sir." He raised his voice.

"Find Max." Neil told him before walking out of the bedroom.

Billy threw his keys down, and Emily didn't miss the tears that fell down his cheeks before he wiped them away.

Emily wanted to defend him, she really did. If she'd missed this whole interaction, she'd have continued to think that he was some evil asshole who didn't give a shit about anything, but what she'd witnessed told her different. Emily waited a moment before she knocked gently on the window, giving him a soft, sad smile.

Billy stalked over to the window, putting his smirk back on, but unable to hide how broken he was.

"So beautiful, I see you took me up on that offer."

"Your sister is safe. Just thought you should know."

Next thing she knew, Emily was practically thrown into the passenger seat of the blue Camaro, Billy climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car, beginning to drive. It was too late to give him wrong directions. Emily had already told him that she was at the Byers' home, because she hadn't thought he'd actually go, and he knew where the house was because it was so commonly talked about as the freak show house.

     Emily didn't want to think about what he might do when they arrived, so she closed her eyes and listened to the purr of the engine, trying to block out every single problem that both she and the god awful town had.