𝒞𝒶𝓉𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓅𝒽𝒾𝒸 ℒ𝑜𝓋𝑒 •BILLY HARGROVE•

CHAPTER VIII

MELANIE WOKE UP in a good mood—in fact,it was a great mood. She had a great night with Billy,better than she had expected. Billy was still fast asleep with one arm wrapped around her torso and his head buried in her chest,his soft snores echoing in the room. Melanie carefully peeled his heavy arm away from her petite frame and slid out of the bed,as she watched all of their clothes sprawled out everywhere on the floor.

She inhaled deeply,trying to pick out her items of clothing from the ground before wearing them. Melanie sloppily put on her clothes and tiptoed out of the room into the corridor. It was a school day and she knew Joyce would kill her today.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Melanie's head snapped to the sound of a little girl. Max was standing in the kitchen with her skateboard and an apple in her hand. She froze right on the spot and plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Hey,uh... it's Matilda,right? You're Will's friend." She laughed quietly and beamed brightly at the little girl. "I'm Melanie,Will's sister."

"It's Max and yeah I'm Will's friend but what are you doing in my house—" She rolled her eyes when she scanned Melanie from head to toe. "Oh... I already know. Ugh you even smell like him." She scrunched her nose up at Melanie.

"Huh?" Melanie sniffed her top and realised that it had a strong alcohol and cigarette aroma. Her whole body did.

"Why are you even dating him? He's so gross."

"I'm not dating him." Melanie disagreed with the little girl and began walking to the front door,trying to avoid anymore questions. "Don't you have school to go to or something?"

Max folded her arms across her chest and sneered at Melanie "Don't you? But yet you're still in my house. Also... what happened to your neck? It looks like you've been bitten by zombies."

Melanie quickly grabbed her compact mirror from her purse and opened it,letting out a quiet squeal when she saw what she looked like. Her neck and collarbone covered in bruises,too dark to cover up.

"I'm leaving." Melanie scowled at her,opening the front door. "Tell Billy I'll see him later."

"Why don't you tell me yourself?"

Melanie jumped at the sound of Billy's voice,he stood in front of his bedroom door topless and only his basketball shorts on. "Billy... I thought you were asleep."

"I woke up when I realised you were gone. Come back to bed with me." He placed a cigarette between his lips,softly grabbing onto Melanie's forearm.

She laughed nervously,placing her hands on her hips. "I can't. I've got school—We've got school,which we need to be at."

"There's nothing wrong with taking a day off,is there? Besides I never would've thought that Melanie Byers gave a shit about school." He grinned at her,raising his eyebrow as he lit his cigarette.

Melanie ran her fingers through her hair swiftly. "I don't,it's just... I've missed a lot of school and I can't have my mom getting mad at me again."

"Okay stay with me only for an hour,then you go to school." He shrugged at her,exhaling the smoke from the cigarette. "I still haven't seen all what that mouth can do."

Melanie hummed. "I don't know Billy... I shouldn't."

"Come on Mel." He begged and then turned to his sister,scowling at her as she eyed them both. "Why are you still here?"

"I-I'm not—"

He bellowed. "Get outta my sight Max."

Max lowered her head,grabbing her skateboard along with her apple and making her way out the front door.