𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 | b. hargrove ²

𝟳| 𝙄𝘾𝙀𝘽𝙊𝙓

Lili woke up to tapping on her window. At first, she thought that it was just a bird or something, but the tapping was constant. She got up and stumbled to her window, yanking the curtains open. Once she saw who was behind the glass, she snapped the curtains shut again.

The person grumbled behind the glass and started tapping again. Lili grabbed her pillow and buried her head underneath it to block out the noise.

Soon, Lili thought that the person would break her glass. She threw her pillow to the other side of the room and angrily yanked the curtains back open. She shoved the window up and leaned on the window sill.

"What?!" She whispered.

"I'm so sorry," the person whispered.

"Great," she gave a fake smile and went to grab the window again.

"Wait!" The person held his arms out. "Please, I'm so so sorry, Lils."

"I don't get it, Billy," Lili said to him. "Why did you tell me to stay away? What's going on?"

"I-It's hard to explain," Billy stuttered. He wasn't about to tell her that he has been abducted and taken to another world and ordered to possess other people. She doesn't need to know.

"Is it your dad?" Lili asked. Billy looked to the ground. Should he take the chance and lie? There's a possibility that she'll find out.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Billy, you know you can talk to me," Lili sighed.

"Yeah, I was just pissed off and I didn't want to take it out on you," Billy said. Lili nodded. She wasn't about to say that he kind of did by making her stay away, but he probably meant physically so she just kept her mouth shut.

"How do you know where I live?" Lili tilted her head. Billy sighed.

"I asked Steve who apparently knew and I asked him to take you home. He didn't ask any questions, which is good I guess. I followed him to make sure you got home safe." Lili just made an 'O' with her mouth and nodded.

"Are we good?" Billy asked after a second of silence. Lili nodded. Something still felt off with her but she was just happy that Billy wasn't breaking up with her. He leaned up and over the window sill to place a kiss on her lips. When he did, there was a jolt of electricity that went through Lili's body. It wasn't the good kind, it was something that felt... sinister. She couldn't quite describe it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Billy waved her goodbye and left her window. She stayed there, thinking about the electricity she felt. It was different. Too different. She didn't like one bit of it. Maybe he's been drinking something different? It was a possibility, but Lili highly doubted it.

After a while, Lili went back to bed. She looked at her clock which read 3:42. Why would Billy he up this late?

She still couldn't help this nagging feeling that she was being watched. It was worse than last year too. Something was coming, Lili could feel it.

***

Hopper was especially loud in the morning. And it sounded like... Joyce was there? Lili didn't bother to get up. Not even after the door slammed shut and the yelling continued outside. She heard the car peel out and speed away, but that didn't make her get out of bed.

But the phone did. She let it ring the first time, but then it kept on ringing.

"What?!" Lili yelled into the phone when she picked it up. She felt lightheaded and dizzy since she got up quickly.

"Lili, this is Max, Mike said that there's a code red," Max said.

"What?" Lili rubbed her eyes. "What do you mean 'code red'?"