Keep me Closer - Billy Hargrove - Stranger Things

11: Forgotten

I woke up to the sound of knocking on the front door. I tried to ignore it but the person kept knocking and no one was answering.

" Ughhhh." I groaned crawling out of my bed and sluggishly opening the door. My eyes went wide. "Sh*t!" I yelled and looked around at my surroundings for anyone still home. I took Billy's hand and walked over to the side of the house where no one would see him. "What are you doing here?!" I whisper yelled.

" You weren't at uh school this morning, you really scared me yesterday you know, and you hung the phone on me, I was just uh worried about you." He said slowly, inhaling cigarette smoke.

" I'm sorry." I said looking at the grass. He lifted my chin up with his index finger.

"You're alright, now, you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Umm, well.. I uh, Billy, it's just. It's just ptsd. I told you already." I said quietly and avoiding eye contact.

He shook his head with a frown of understand meant. " Why do you keep lying to me?" He asked right before inhaling more smoke from his cigarette.

"W-what?"

"I've been lied to by people my whole life. I know what it looks like when someone is lying to me. Especially you cause you're really bad at it." He said and turned his head to exhale the smoke - not in my face.

" Billy, I- I wish I could tell you everything. "

"Then what's stopping you?" He asked blankly looking back at me.

" I can't Billy." I whispered. He shook his head and dropped his cigarette on the ground and smooshed it with his shoe.

" Okay Byers, well I've gotta go. Glad to see you're okay." He said rolling his eyes walking back to his car.

I rolled my eyes back and grabbed his wrist. I pulled him back over to me and kissed him. He tasted like cigarettes. I pulled away and looked in his eyes for a second before saying, "Now shut up because I like you and it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's that I can't. Now.. Do we have to go to that party tonight?"

" Why?" He whispered with a slight smile.

" I don't really want to, and I thought maybe we could do something more fun. Maybe something that doesn't involve Tommy H or Carol harassing me all night." I said with my voice cracking in and out of a whisper.

" What were you thinking?" He continued to smile at me.

"Probably not the same thing you are. So I don't know, maybe another stroll around the park, or anything else really I'm open to suggestions. Anything that doesn't involve Tommy and Carol." I told him.

"Sure. What ever you want. If we aren't going to the party. I'll be here to pick you up at 6:30.. Be ready." He said and wink and I laughed as he walked away to his car.

I bit my lip to keep me from smiling. "Okay." I said and turned around and opened the door. As soon as the door shut I danced around the living room smiling. And then I saw his car still in the driveway and my currents wide open.

I started laughing and I walked out the door and to his car. He rolled down the window with a small laugh. "Nice moves." He teased.

" Yeah yeah yeah. Shut up Hargrove." I said before crouching down to the window and kissed him again.

" See you at 6:30 freak." He teased and winked at me.

" See you at 6:30 Hargrove."  I smiled and walked back inside. And just for a moment I was happy. Just for a moment I had forgotten that I had to watch and feel as my brother was possessed by some monster.