Jailbird || Stranger Things

thirty-six ➵ haunted

June, 1985

The most obvious perk of working at the community pool was pretty clear to Teresa. She had a key, which meant midnight swims, if she felt so inclined. And on days like these, she definitely did.

    Precisely a year ago, it had been when she showed off her tricks from the edge of the pool to Steve and Nancy, and on one occasion, to Robin. In 1985, however, she was just grateful that the mall didn't open another pool. That really would have screwed up her summer.

    So something else stepped up to the plate.

    "You know this place isn't supposed to be open by now?!"

    Teresa looked up from the towel she held in her hands, eyes immediately finding the dishevelled appearance of Billy Hargrove, a cigarette stuck in his mouth as always.

    "I'm an ex-con, don't you know," she gave a mock bow before she lifted the towel to dry her hair. Billy stepped off the diving board and walked around the pool towards her.

    "I might have to tell your supervisor," he taunted with a small smirk on his lips that she could only compare to the time he threatened Steve in November.

    "Pretty sure Adam likes me more than you," Reese shrugged, pulling up her jeans and pulling on a thin t-shirt as he approached.

    "It's easy to guess why," Billy stopped in front of her, his eyes roving down her body as her own rolled in annoyance, but she straightened up nevertheless to look him in his eyes.

    "Do you ever stop?"

    "Not really," he shrugged, lifting the cigarette again. "Don't leave on my account," he nodded to the water, eyes once again shining with that same mischief she was so familiar with.

    "Actually," she smiled softly as the bright headlights of a car shone through the entryway, "I have somewhere to be," she turned back to him, "Catch you later, Hargrove."

    Tugging on her Converse sneakers, Teresa threw him a wide grin before she grabbed her bag and rushed off to the exit. "Oh!" she stopped, twirling on her heels as she held onto the door of the showers, "Would you mind finishing cleaning the pool for me? I'll owe you!"

    Before Billy could even answer back, Teresa once again turned on her heels and disappeared into the female showers. Within minutes, she was out at the front, dressed once more in her jeans and t-shirt.

    "I aged five years waiting for you, Hopper," the driver of the BMW smiled, pushing himself away from the car to greet her at the front door.

    "Well you don't look a day over forty."

    She reached out, taking his hand and letting him pull her into him as they leaned against the car once more. Letting out a short laugh, Steve's hands carded through her hair before he kissed her, both of them smiling wide.

    As his hand held onto her jaw, Reese felt his cold fingers touch her skin, and she suddenly became much more aware of the sudden drop in temperature. She pulled away, eyes looking up at the sky, as if pulled by some external force. She wasn't entirely sure what she expected to see, maybe some storm clouds carrying rain, but it wasn't what lay ahead of her.

    The creature that had previously only existed in her nightmares and in Will's visions was suddenly towering over her and the pool with a red haze, legs extending into the surrounding buildings. In a blink, it went up in smoke, collecting to move as a single cloudy entity before it funelled straight down towards the pool.

    "Billy!" the scream was so unlike her own, but she was sure it came from her throat, clawing its way out raw. A heavy weight settled onto her chest, and her brain became completely jumbled to the point where she couldn't hear one thought rule over the others.