lost boy // billy hargrove

6

For the next week, I tried like so hard to forget about Billy. I tried to forget his eyes, the way his cigarette smoke mixed in only the tiniest bit with his cologne, and the way his lips set me on fire. 

El wouldn't leave me alone, constantly peaking into my room, only to see that I hadn't moved. I lay under multiple blankets despite the humid weather, trying to forget everything- including how how it was. I wanted to melt away into oblivion. 

Was this heartache me losing my first love? I felt a tightness in my chest, as if something had been taken away from me. While I tried to reason with myself and remember that it was just a boy, I couldn't get past the feeling that something was so wrong. 

After eight days of laying in bed, feeling nothing but sorry for myself, I decided I would actually try to be productive and go back to work. While working with ice cream and bratty children all day wasn't amazing, I had already had Steve and Robin cover my shifts for too long. Plus, with nothing to do in the house, my mind never stopped looking for an explanation for what had happened the other week. 

"Betty!" Robin yelled, sending me one of her big smiles which were pretty rare. I mustered a smile back, still feeling as if I was living in a dense fog. 

"Hey," I all but whispered, tying my apron around my back without thought. "Thank you for covering my shifts. I know it was probably a hassle," I continued, wanting her to know that while I may not seem like it, I was truly sorry. 

She swatted the air, her eyes holding an undertone of pity.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I was about ready to kill Steve, you know? With you being a witness now, I finally have a reason not to do it," she said, smirking while undoing her apron from around her waist. 

I just smiled at her antics before positioning myself at the front counter, looking out at the busy mall. I waved to Robin as she left, kind of thankful to be alone this shift. 

While I had been alone all week, I still managed to receive the sympathetic looks of El, Max, Hopper, and now Robin. And I loved that they cared, but it wasn't what I needed. 

I needed to know what happened with Billy. 

My entire shift, in between scooping ice cream and telling little ones when they've reached their sampling maximum, I convinced myself that I would see him after work was over. I wanted to hear it from him about what had happened instead of my anxiety-ridden mind coming up with far too many scenarios to keep up with. 

As I closed down the store, I bit my lip in thought. Where would he be? I overheard Max saying he hadn't been home, so I didn't want to make the trek out there for him not to be there. It was too late for anyone to be at the pool, so I wouldn't bother going there. 

For a split second, a thought filtered through my head, making my eyebrows clench together. It was a crazy thought. It wouldn't make any sense for him to be there. I shook my head, as if trying to shake the idea from me, but it stayed like a virus. 

Walking out of the mall, I decided on my direction- straight towards the crash where everything had changed in a moment. 

I felt my legs become jelly, finally reaching the warehouse. It was so dark outside, I could barely make out ten feet ahead of me. Stopping to catch my breath, I leaned against the tree outside, lifting my legs up to help the blood circulation. 

That's when I heard the muffled screams from inside. Eyes wide, I took off for the inside, only to see a girl tied up on the dirty floor. The closer I got, I realized it was Heather. I saw her often at the pool when I used to come a few times a week. 

"Heather?" I whispered, my shocked gasp lodged in my throat. 

Her eyes were wide with fear, tears streaming down. I raced towards her, eager to free her from whatever was happening when a familiar set of arms wrapped around my waist, making me scream out. Heather's muffled cried became louder as she struggled to get out of her ties. 

My feet hit the ground as I turned to look at billy with evident anger. But his attention wasn't on me anymore as he had already turned and started towards Heather. 

"Billy," I said, grabbing his arm to hold him back. Shaking his arm out of my grip, he turned his head to look at me.

His eyes were so distant, the sweat dripped down his face, and his posture was threatening. 

"Billy, what's happening?" I asked, taking one step back from the person who I no longer recognized. 

With an animalistic grunt, he pushed me over, hovering his body over mine with his head cocked as he looked at me like prey. 

"I wish you hadn't followed me, Betty," he said, all emotion void from his tone as he took another step closer before my vision blurred, and I was pulled into a never-ending darkness.

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I'm sorry for the change from lowercase to uppercase lol. I write on my computer and sometimes my phone. Anything uppercase is my computer and lowercase is my phone. Once the story is done, I'm going to go back and change it all to uppercase, including the first one. 

Let me know what you think is going to happen? I love a good theory.