What do you think? I think you're an idiot. (Dustin Henderson x Reader)

16: Billy's grave.

509 THOUSAND reads. Are you guys kidding me? I don't deserve you honestly. When I started writing this book back in 2020 I literally wrote it just for my self. I never expected it to even get past 20 reads. I love you all so much and you literally mean the world to me. I'm really sorry I made you all wait so long, but hopefully I'm gonna be updating again!
Love always, Maia Jane x

Y/n's pov

"Alright, I think I'm gonna go check on Max." I spoke up through the silence of the car, growing impatient.

"You gonna be okay?" Lucas asked.

I nodded my head, flashing the three boys a smile before shutting the car door behind me and jogging up the hill to the cemetery.

"Max?" I asked gently when I spotted the red-haired girl sitting cross-legged infront of a grave.

Billy's grave.

She whipped her head around to look back at the voice that had called her name and seemed to relax just a bit when she realized it was just me.

"How are you doing?" I asked as I walked up to her.

"Good." She nodded, averting her eyes to the grass.

I nodded back. "Well, I just wanted to check on you." I began to walk away.

"Wait, Y/n. You can stay." She said quickly.

I turned back to her. "Are you sure..?" I asked hesitantly.

Max nodded genuinely. "Yes." She patted the ground next to her.

I turned back around and walked over to the grave, delicately sitting down with my knees drawn up to my chest as I waited for Max to say something.

She took a deep breath.

"After you died..." She read from the crinkled paper in her shaky hands. "Your dad was... a total mess."

"He and my mom started getting into fights." She paused. "Bad fights."

Max slightly shook her head before she continued. "I don't think he could stand being here without you."

"He left, and, he didn't leave mom much." Max traced the words on the paper softly with her thumb.

"She's taken an extra job and we moved to that... lovely trailer park off Curly."

She took another breath, softer than her last. I listened. Taking in her every word with cautious detail and care.

"Basically," her eyes darted up to the headstone. "Ever since you left, everything's been a- a total disaster. And the worst part is, I cant tell anyone why you're gone."

I drew in a sharp breath at these words, remembering. Remembering everything.

"I cant tell them that you saved El's life." Tears had sprouted at Max's eyes and she sniffed before she talked. "That you saved my life."

I placed my hand onto the small of her back.

She took a deep breath again. "I play that moment back in my head, all the time. And sometimes I imagine myself, running to you, pulling you away."

"I imagine that if I had, that you would still be here." Fresh tears pooled in the girl's eyes. "And everything would be- everything would be right again."

She sniffed and wiped at her cheek. "I imagine that we-" I gently scooped a tear away from her pink cheek. "-That we could've become friends."

"Good friends. Like... like a real brother and sister." She looked away.

"And I know that's stupid."

"You hated me. I hated you, but, I thought that maybe... maybe we could try again."

"But that's not what happened." Max's expression grew angry and even more sad.

"I just- I stood there, and I watched."

"For a while I tried to be happy." Max averted her eyes from the grave yet again. "Normal."

"But I think that maybe a part of me died that day too." Max wiped her tears. "And I haven't told anyone this." She looked over to me. "I just cant. But I had to tell you." She kept her eyes looking into mine. "Before it's too late."

"If you can even hear this." Her eyes went back to the grave. "I really hope that you can." She almost whispered.

"I'm sorry." Max gave in, her body racked once in a sob. "I'm so so sorry, Billy."

She took one final deep breath. "Love, your shitty little sister."

"Max."

I curled my arms around my knees as Max folded her letter up and placed it back inside the envelope.

The lazy breeze suddenly picked up in a rushing sort of way, like static on a tv.

The clouds rammed into each other over our heads, leaving the clear sky no where to be seen.

The two of us looked up in sync, worried by the change in weather.

It became dark. Very dark.

The cemetery had an almost navy blue hue from the darkness.

Maxs head turned slightly to the side, as if she sensed something or someone was there.

A faint clicking sound echoed through the darkness.

"Max." My eyes got wide. "What the hell is going on."

"Max." Billy Hargrove's voice rattled through my brain like a rat on narcotics.

I shivered at just the sound and the hairs on the back of my neck stood poker-straight at the realization of what was to come.

——
3rd person's pov

Steve looked up at the hill yet again, to where Max and Y/n sat in front of the grave.

He checked his watch, tapping at the window frame nervously.

He shook his head. "Alright, it's been long enough." He unlocked and opened his door at lightning speed, heading hastily for the hill.

Dustin climbed out of the car to watch.

"Steve, just give them some time." Lucas said from his seat on the hood of the car.

"I have! Alright, Sinclair? I'm calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can." Steve turned back to face the hill and he jogged up.

Lucas looked back to Dustin with an uneasy look.

"Y/n." Steve said loudly when he arrived in front of the two girls. "Max."

"Time to giddy up, yeah?" He asked, coming to a halt in front of them.

"Max?" He asked, lowering his face down to look at her. "Y/n?"

The two girls sat completely idle with their eyes rolled back in their heads so far it was nearly all white.

"Max." Steve shook the girl by the shoulder.

The two girls twitched in sync.

"Y/n!" He said loudly, shaking the girl.

Word count: 1080