Keep me Closer - Billy Hargrove - Stranger Things

26: Wrong

I landed at his house stumbling over my feet. I ran down his driveway. His car was here but it was poorly parked and his windshield was cracked and his car was all around in bad shape. I panicked. It didn't make any sense. If he was in a car accident why didn't he just tell me? If he was in a car accident why is he at his house instead of talking to police or at the police station or the hospital. Why is his csr here? I don't understand. I continued running to the back of his house and I threw a couple pebbles at his window. He never opened his window. So I cautiously used my powers to levitate myself up to his window. I looked around and he wasn't in there. His car was here so he had to be here.

I crawled threw his window quietly. His door was shut so no one would see me. I heard his shower running. That's what he must be doing.

I un-patiently waited for him to get out. My mind raced to every single possible explanation as I paced around his room as quiet as I could.

After 10 minutes I finally heard him walking carefully and slowly down the hallway. He opened his door and jumped at the sight of me. His hands were trembling. He closed the door behind him and I stood up and he just hugged me.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked. I pulled away from the hug and saw his forehead bleeding and he had scratches around his face. His cheek was bruised and so here his wrists. I took his hand in mine and he winced in pain. I looked at his hands and they were blistered and cut. He had tears of fear in his eyes. I had never seen him like this. "What happened?" I asked and he just looked in my eyes.

"I-I-I I don't know." He cried. Tears flowed from my eyes. It physically pained me too see him like this.

"I-Okay we just need to calm down." I said and he sat down on his bed. I sat on the floor in front of him waiting for him to calm down. He was in shock. He could barely look at me. His hands were trembling. He took a few deep breaths.

"I-I was driving home. I took my eyes off the road for one second." He cried. "One second and this thing.. I-it fell on my windshield and I crashed my car. I got out to see the damage and... I- something. I don't know. Something was there." He stuttered. Seeing him cry was like watching my brother scream in pain while the Mind flayer was burning in the field that night or the same emptiness that I feel when I remember seeing Will dead in the UpsideDown with one of those snakes down his throat.

I cried and just held his hand in mind. I looked in his eyes and something seemed familiar. The day I touched Will when the Mind flayer infected him I was connected to Will. But maybe when it got out of Will it didn't get out of Hawkins. And if it's still in Hawkins.. the other night I felt it. I felt it when I was talking to Will. The dust around me started floating and the rats surrounded me. When I looked in his fearful eyes something just felt off.

I didn't want to admit to myself what I thought it was. So I ignored my stomach ache and I stayed with him. Trying to comfort him. Trying. He went from being in complete shock to not doing or saying anything. He just stared straight forward. He looked like he was figuring something out. He was just dead staring at me.

"Billy?" I asked. He just stared at me heavily breathing and his eyes were dilating. He blinked a few times almost like he was snapping out of whatever he was thinking. "You okay?"

"Yes." He said blankly. "Im okay now, you can leave." He said obviously still in shock. His hands were trembling, his eyes cried for help.

"You never even fully told me what happened?" I frustratedly laughed pulling my eye brows together in confusion.

"Well I'm fine now."

"You were just crying. You just had a panic attack and cried to me and you're still shaking. Billy, talk to me!"

" I said Im fine."

" But you're not."

" You can go home. How did you even get here so fast?"

"My.. mom.. drove me here."

" And just dropped you off and left? How did you get in my room?" He doubted.

"Stop! Stop trying to change the subject. You have to tell me what's wrong. You're looking at me like I'm see through for like 5 minutes with out saying a single word. You were scared out of your mind and now you wont even talk to me! Do you physically understand how worried I wa- how worried I am?! You call me over here so I come. You cry to me and have a full out panic attack, scared out of your mind. I continue to comfort you even though you wont tell me anything. Billy you have to tell me what's going on?" I stressfully laughed. He now blankly looked at me with no emotion in his eyes waiting for me to leave. "You never tell me how you feel." I cried.

" I dont tell you? I know almost nothing about you. I only know the things that you've done since I've been with you. You know things about me. You talk about being depressed and that bad things have happened to you. Yet you never open up to tell me why. So don't give me that sh** don't give me that 'I never know how you feel.' sh** when you don't tell me anything. Ever." He lashed out getting angry.

" What the hell happened to you. We had such a good day. You could have nearly died for all I know, yet here you are refusing to tell me anything. What the hell do you want from me when you're standing there pretending nothing happened with cuts all over you? Do you even feel anything? The longer I'm here the more you're acting like a prick." I cried and he didn't do anything. He didn't roll his eyes, he didn't say anything back, he didn't do anything. "I think I better go." I blinked and tears streamed down my face when I turned around. I knew something was wrong. And I think it was the thought of what it could be that wrong with him that got me so emotional and stressed out.

***

I stormed back in my house and slammed the door. It startled my mom and my brothers just squinted at me in confusion. I walked to my room shut the door and used my powers to heat the door nob so no one could get in. I shoved my face into the pillow and just cried. Maybe its not the Mind Flayer, me and El closed the gate, its probably just.. he got in a car accident and he's stressed out and not feeling well. Im sure he will be better in a couple of days. After a few minutes Will came in my room and just sat on his bed. He didn't say anything and neither did I. We just sat in silence for a few moments until I was ready.

"Did you feel something tonight?" I mumbled into my pillow.

"What?" He asked.

"When I was talking to Billy on the phone."

His silence and slight fear in his eyes gave me my answer.

" Why?" He asked.

"Its probably nothing." I said. My heart was racing at the general thought of it.

"Did you feel something?"

" Not as much today, but the other night I did." I admitted.

" The night you and mom were fighting? You wanted to leave. Is that why?" He asked and I just looked at him. He nodded his head slowly in understandment.

"Im sure its nothing. M-me and El closed the gate. Its impossible." I said and my hands shook in fear.

"Yeah.. yeah.. okay." He said trying to calm himself down.

It was pretty late so we both decided it was best if we went to bed. We got ready and said goodnight and turned the lights off and went to bed. Though, of corse I didn't get any sleep.