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Twenty- Three

The first few months of the new year flew by as Allison and Eleven began to enjoy their lives to the fullest, finally having the family and friends they had always wanted. Hopper had found it difficult to share the girls with everyone else, but they were both grateful that he was trying.

He preferred it when they had their friends at the cabin to visit, but let them leave as long as they promised to stay away from overpopulated areas, like the new Starcourt Mall that had been built in town. Allison had watched the grand opening from afar with Billy, who she had secretly spent every weekend with since New Year's eve.

Their relationship had grown in ways that neither of them had expected. Allison brought out a softer side of Billy that he hid from everyone else, while Billy taught Allison about the world and how to get the most out of life.

They refused to put a label on their relationship, but they continued to walk a fine line between being just friends and the constant flirting, lingering touches, and almost kisses. The more that they got to know about each other, the more they wanted each other, making it almost impossible to ignore their desires.

As the last weekend of May arrived, Allison sat in her bedroom getting ready to meet up with Billy in their usual hang-out spot. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top, thankful that the weather was finally warm enough to wear the Summer clothes that Nancy had given her.

After fluffing up her hair in the mirror, and applying a light coat on lip gloss, she skipped out into the living room, where Hopper sat watching the television. His eyes kept darting back and forth between the screen and Eleven's bedroom, where she and Mike were spending the evening together. He looked in Allison's direction as she walked past, jumping from his seat and following her to the door.

"Have you considered what we talked about?", Hopper asked his voice just below a whisper.

"I'm not reading Mike's mind for you.", she shot back, stepping into her flats and walking out the front door, with Hopper following close behind her.

"Maybe if I knew what his intentions were, I wouldn't feel the need to constantly be on patrol in my own home.", he muttered, shutting the door behind him.

"Or you could just trust that El knows what she's doing. She's a smart girl and Mikes a good guy.", Allison sighed, defending her sister. 

"But-"

"And even if Mike did try something, Eleven is more than capable of stopping him.", she continued, cutting Hopper off before he could protest further.  "Now, go back inside and relax. I'll see you later tonight.", Allison spoke calmly, trying her best to ease his fears. 

"Yeah...okay...I just need to relax. That should be easy.", he stumbled over his words, his voice filled with uncertainty. Allison nodded reassuringly and waved him back inside, before turning on her heel and walking in the opposite direction.

She weaved through the woods as the sun began to set over her head, sticking to the path that she had packed down over the months of using it. As the ground began to turn into an incline, she grabbed the trees at her sides, using them to help her climb up the hill. When she reached the top, she paused, taking a moment to catch her breath and make herself presentable.

Through the trees, she could see the familiar clearing up ahead and the back of Billy's dark blue Camaro, drawing her closer. As she stepped out from the bush line, the setting sun hit her face, causing her to squint as she looked around for Billy. She watched his silhouette step out from in front of his car, a cloud of smoke billowing around his head.

"I thought I was sitting here enjoying the best view in Hawkins, and then you show up looking like that.", Billy crooned, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it to the ground. As he crushed it with his boot, he made the come-hither motion in Allison's direction,  beckoning her towards him.

Accepting his invitation, she began to run towards him, where he held out his arms, catching her with ease as she jumped into the air. As she wrapped her legs around him, he held on tight, carrying her towards the car and placing her down on the hood. Sitting on top of the Camaro brought Allison eye to eye with Billy, who stood directly in front of her.

Billy stared at her as she brushed his dirty blonde curls out of his eyes, revealing a fresh bruise on his skin. As her lips parted in surprise, he turned his face away from her, ashamed that she had noticed it so quickly.

"Your dad?", she asked, delicately tracing the tip of her finger over his cheek. He gave a small confirming nod, prompting Allison's hand to clench into a tight fist at her side. Billy chuckled at her reaction, gently placing his hand down on top of hers.

"Woah, easy tiger.", he whispered playfully, trying to calm her down. When she remained in the anger-fueled trance that she had put herself in, Billy slowly tightened his grip on her hand.

"Hm? What's wrong?", she mumbled, looking around disoriented.

"Look.", Billy grabbed her chin, turning her face towards the front of the car, where the headlights were growing brighter with every passing second.

"Oh...sorry.", Allison apologized, snapping out of it. She dropped her shoulders and quickly shut off the lights, before turning back to face Billy. "Maybe we could pay him a visit.", she suggested, through gritted teeth.

"My dad? No, that would just make it worse for both of us.", he objected, shaking his head at her.

"Not necessarily. I could read his mind to find leverage against him, or I could make sure that he's physically incapable of hurting you ever again.", she explained casually, meaning every word that left her lips.

"It's not like the asshole doesn't deserve it, but I don't want you going anywhere near him, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because it's not your fucking problem."

"But-", Allison began to protest but stopped as Billy slammed his hands against the hood of the car.

"Enough! I came here to forget the shit that's going on at home, so can you just drop it already?", as Billy raised his voice, Allison held unwavering eye contact with him, until the angry expression on his face transformed into a look of guilt. 

He dropped his head, resting his forehead against her shoulder and apologizing into the crook of her neck. As he inhaled the sweet scent of her skin, he felt himself begin to relax, letting out a quiet moan as Allison ran her fingers through his hair.

"So what would you like to do to distract yourself?", she asked softly, breaking the silence after several minutes.

"I did have one thing in mind.", he whispered, backing away from her and reaching into his pocket. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he pulled out a small plastic bag with something that resembled a cigarette sitting inside it. "It's a joint.", Billy answered the question that she had inside her head before she could ask it.

"Drugs?", Allison went wide-eyed, leaning in to closely inspect the contents of the bag.

"Yes, but as far as drugs are concerned, weed is pretty tame. You wanna try some ?", he asked, holding it out towards her. 

"Sure, why not.", she shrugged nonchalantly, surprising Billy, who grinned at her and reached for his lighter.