Same Drugs (Billy Hargrove)

a rare form of blithering idiocy

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I sat in the back of Steve's and my car one morning, trying to frantically get ready after waking up late. "Fuck!" I said as I dropped my mascara onto the seat next to me. "Hey! Watch your mouth back there, shithead," Steve hypocritically scolded. I rolled my eyes and continued to try to put myself together. I sat up straight once I was done and threw on a pair of sunglasses onto my face. "Why do you always put on sunglasses after you put on your girl crap? I'm pretty sure that defeats the whole friggin' purpose," Steve asked as I looked out the window. "The eye makeup is for me, nobody else, and as for the sunglasses, I wear them to keep the windows to the soul hidden," I said dramatically, obviously joking. "Hardy har har, very poetic. I seriously can't believe that we're related," Steve scoffed.

"Keep it up, Stevey. When I'm twenty-five, rich, and famous, I'm not going to be chomping at the bit to let you use my beach house in Miami," I answered. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen," He chuckled. I groaned at his constant negativity as we stopped at a red light. I heard loud music roar from next to me and I looked to my right, intrigued. "Who's this tool?" Steve asked rhetorically as he also looked in the direction of the rock and roll commotion. To my right, another car, a Camaro, parked at the same stoplight stood idle. Our cars weren't perfectly lined up, so my window looked directly into the drivers. A dirty-blond boy with a curly mullet looked at me, a cigarette hanging out from his lips. We stared at each other for a few seconds, his face contorting from confusion to interest. I pursed my lips and made a kissing motion with them, granting a smirk from the boy, and two seconds later, Steve peeled off due to the light turning green. "What was that about?" Steve asked and I chuckled, "I messed with him a little bit, nothing major." Steve laughed at this, "God, you're a prick in it's purest form." "I know," I confirmed with a smile.

Once we got to Hawkins High, Steve parked in his usual spot and I hopped out of my seat. Seconds later, the same Camaro from the red light's tires squealed into the parking lot. I leaned up against the car, lighting a cigarette, as Steve stumbled out of the car and started walking towards Nancy Wheeler, his most recent girlfriend. It's not that I didn't like her, I did, but I didn't fully trust her. Not to be all gross and sappy but I loved my brother and I didn't want him to get his heart broken by someone who didn't really love him. I'm not stupid, I had seen the way she looked at Jonathan Byers and how they spend so much time together. I knew what was going to happen, Nancy would dump him sooner or later for the Byers boy, now it was only a matter of when.

"Gimme a light, will you?" A voice said, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was the boy from the red light. There he stood, mullet and all, asking me for a light to his cig. "Oh, hello gorgeous, where have I seen you before?" The boy asked sarcastically, recalling our interaction from earlier. "I wonder," I said nonchalantly as I dug in my pocket for the lighter I had just used. I pulled it out and flicked it on, holding it out for him to use. He grabbed onto my wrist, something that shocked me at first, then lit his cigarette. He let me go and chuckled, letting out a puff of smoke as I rubbed my wrist a little, "Had to hold you still. You're all kinds of jumpy, wouldn't want to get burned." I watched his eye roam my body and I laughed to myself. "What's so funny? Am I making you nervous?" He asked, smirking. "Oh sure, Romeo." "I'm more of a Danny," He said, a smirk playing across his face. "Yeah, well I'm no Sandy." "What is your name then?" He asked, leaning up against my car as well. I simply stifled a laugh and straightened my bag out on my shoulder. "I'll see you around, Danny," I said, walking away from the new boy. "It's Billy," I heard him call from behind me. "WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" He shouted, but I kept walking, extinguishing my cigarette before I walked into school.

I went to my first class right away: chemistry with Mr. Fitz. I had no time to stop at my locker, so I brought my bag with me to class. As I walked into the room, Mr. Fitz decided to announce to the class an obvious fact, "You're late." I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the tenth time that day and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fitz, but you know how it is. Traffic and all that. "That's no excuse, but for today, I'll let it slide. You're actually helping me. We have a new student who also seems to be running a little behind schedule, and since you're right here basically volunteering yourself, you can show him around," Mr. Fitz said with a sarcastic smile. "Not a problem, Hank," I said, referencing his first name, which only made him more peeved. "Watch yourself young lady, or you may just find yourself in detention this Saturday," He said. "Do it, I'd be thrilled to participate," I egged. "Fine, the spot's yours. You got your big break missy!" He shot back and I chuckled. Suddenly, Billy walked into the room, causing everyone to look away from Mr. Fitz and I's quarrel. "Perfect. Billy Hargrove, everyone!" Mr. Fitz said, introducing him to the class. "Miss Harrington, why don't you go show Billy around right now?" I smiled and nodded, heading towards the door.

Once we were in the hallway and out of earshot of the classroom, he poked me on the shoulder. "What?" I snapped. "Harrington. I have 50% of your name already," He said, smirking. "Technically, it's only like 33.3% of it. You don't know my middle name,"  I quipped, proving him wrong. "We won't need those formalities when we're screaming each other's first names in bed," He said, causing my jaw to drop nearly to the floor. "You're fucking demented, Hargrove, you know that?" I exclaimed, still astounded by his attitude. "Don't worry, people have told me." "God, of course, I get stuck with Mr. Cool Guy from God-knows-where. You probably think you shit pure gold, huh?" "Something like that," He said. I groaned and we continued walking, trying to find his locker. "What was the number again?" "316. Why, are you lost?" He said, poking fun at me. "No, I just don't really use lockers so I don't know my way to them," I said. As we turned the corner, I saw one half of my two best friends, Decker and Libby, walking down the hallway. "Decker, hey, what're you doing right now?" I asked as he pulled a cigarette out of his pack. "Ditching, you coming with, or do you have a date?" He joked as I jabbed him with my elbow. "No, I wish I could come but I have to give señor douchebag over here a welcome wagon tour. He's new," I told him. Decker extended a hand out for Billy to shake, "No shit, welcome to Hawkins High, man. You'll hate it, that's for sure." Billy didn't shake his hand, instead, he crossed his arms and I shook my head in annoyance. "Brr," Decker said, pretending to warm himself up by rubbing his hands on his arms. "I'll see you and Libby out at your car for lunch, yeah?" I laughed while asking and Decker nodded. "See ya, J," He said, passing by us and turning the corner. "J?" Billy asked, "That's a little bit more than 33.3% now isn't it?"