Not Your Baby ║ Billy Hargrove

Chapter Eight

Take Me Home Tonight blasted through every corner of the house; the windows shaking with such force that even I was surprised the cops hadn't shown up yet. My eyes scanned the basement to try and see if I could find Nancy anywhere. Oddly enough, I spotted Jonathan who was by himself. I turned to Billy and nodded for him to stay by the door as I pushed my way through dancing high schoolers. 

"Nel!" was all I heard before sweaty hands grabbed my face from behind. I stumbled as I whipped around, only to gain my balance and see a very drunk Nancy Wheeler holding on to my shoulders with full force. My face of disgust quickly turned to a sigh of relief as I pulled her wet hands down from my shoulders.

"Hey!" I yelled, happy that I found her without too much trouble. Nancy found her balance and began continuing to dance to the 80's melodies, thrashing her head from side to side. "I have a ride home!" I shouted through the music, touching her shoulder so she knew I was still trying to converse with her.

"With who?" She palmed her sweaty hair back with her hands as she chugged what looked like beer from the red cup in her hand. I glanced to see Billy standing in the corner by the door, looking agitated that he couldn't be joining in on the drunken fun on a Friday night.

"Uh," still tipsy, I racked my brain to see who could have offered me a ride home. "Jackie!" I lied through my teeth as I watched Nancy not even bother to second guess me. What came out of her mouth next is what eliminated all alcohol from my brain.

"Okay!" she hiccuped and grabbed my shoulder yet again with her free hand, "But please," her head continued to bop along to the music, "be careful driving home because if you don't it will get you, okay?" I could see what was left of her sober mind come through in her words. My eyes narrowed as her sentence startled me.

"Nancy," I tried having her slow down and focus on me, "what do you mean it?"... no use. Nancy pushed my hands off as she fought to continue dancing. My stomach turned as I tried to rattle with the idea of her just being drunk and not knowing what the hell she was saying. I rolled my eyes as I turned my back to her and began pushing my way out of what became the middle of the basement. I turned to Jonathan in the corner and gave him a wave before continuing my way out to the door. I met eyes with Billy as I pushed my way through the sea of people. His eyes darted to each person who bumped into me, almost ready to jump and knock them all out. His behavior was aggressive and erratic, something that Hawkins was not used to. Watching him made me realize that he was not from here; not one bit. Billy opened the door for me as he and I slipped out the party without a trace.

We walked along the side of the house that wasn't lit, the darkness helping us as we tried to be a nonchalant as possible. I watched Billy take off his jacket and light a cigarette before draping his black biker jacket over my shoulders. 

"I don't need-."

"Just take it." Billy answered as he looked me up and down. A smile cracked from the right side of his face. "You look better in it anyway." I was too tired to go at it with him. Despite the awful smell fuming from the jacket, the warmth kept me from freezing in the crisp autumn air.

The alcohol slowly began to lift from my system, causing my pace to become sluggish. My eyes drooped as I kept pushing forward to keep pace with Billy, who now must have been just a few feet ahead of me. As we turned the corner down the street, the cornfields become front and center. My steps slowed to a halt as my eyes lay straight on the field, cautious about what lay in the darkness.

"Penelope, what are you doing?" I heard Billy from only a few steps away, my gaze not leaving the darkness. The rustling of the September foliage slowly stopped, as if the wind was put on pause. The music from Jess' house party faded into consciousness, making the night almost stop in time.

And that's when we heard it.