Keep me Closer - Billy Hargrove - Stranger Things

23: Reality

I woke up from a nap to the sound of a phone ringing. It scared me and my eyes shot open, I jumped up. I looked around me to see Billy answering the phone.

"Hello?" He asked with raised eye brows and a look of concern on who he even knows that could be calling. And then his eyes went a little wide and he looked at me. 'It's your mom' he mouthed and I panicked. "Hello Mrs. Byers what can I do for you?" He said in his supposed charming voice with his classic mom smirk. "Hm? No, no she's not here." He said so calmly. "She's not at Nancy's?" He asked and glared at me. "Huh, maybe she's on her way home." He said somehow staying relaxed sounding on the phone. While I was literally jumping around the room getting my clothes together. "Okay, okay will do Mrs. Byers. Alright, bye." He said and hung up and I was literally jumping in to get my still soaking wet pants back on.

"GOTTA GO!" I yelled.

"What you gonna fly there?" He asked and I nervously laughed. "I'll drive you till we get to the stop sign on your street and you can walk from there if you don't want your mom to see you in my car." He offered and I just smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, put a shirt on 2 minutes ago I'm leaving." I said throwing dry clothes at him and putting my shoes on.

***

"Okay talk to you tonight." I said and pecked his lips and smiled. I got out of the car and waved goodbye and walked away back home.

**

"H-hi Quinn?" My mom said in confusion as I just walked into the house.

"Hi." I smiled.

She just stared at me. "So where were you last night?"

"Nancy's." I stated.

"Huh? That's funny cause umm well Nancy came by today to hang out with Jonathan." She said tapping her foot on the ground with her arms crossed.

"Well yesterday I agreed to help clean up the cafe this morning." I lied coming up with something in the spot.

"Well according to Nancy you didn't come over all day and I called your work and you didn't come in today." She said and I struggled to think of absolutely any reason. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?! I LOST YOU ONCE. WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS AND NEARLY LOOSE THEM TWICE, CALL ME AND TELL ME THAT YOU AREN'T WORRIED IF THEY ARE MISSING ALL DAY!!" She yelled. She actually hasn't yelled at me like that, as long as I could remember which really wasn't that long ago. Like 2 years ago.

"Mom I'm s-"

"No! No!! I set boundaries. Fair-compromised boundaries! There are consequences to your actions! It's like I'm teaching a child all over again!"

"That's not my fault." I said feeling bad. That's what I do. I feel bad for everything. I feel bad for my mom. And I'm the reason. I don't get mad at my mom and fight back. I just cry cause I feel bad for putting her under so much stress.

"Is you're shirt inside out?" My mom asked.

"I- what?"

"And backwards?"

"What? No." I said and she walked behind me.

"Okay where were you?" She asked getting angrier and angrier.

"Mom I- I just.. I-"

"You can talk to me." She said grabbing my hand.

"I'm sorry I put you through all that stress." I said and a tear fell from my eye. "I'm sorry."

"Where were you?" She asked and I just stared at her. She let go of my hand and I walked to my room.

***