Kiss with a Fist

Chapter 16

Billy hadn't stopped shaking since he got out of the car. His hands were clenched into fists as he tried to suppress the trembling that coveted his body.

The mall was loud, and full of people. Screaming kids and judgemental adults. He didn't want to be here.

Max located the party, Billy followed apprehensively. His last interaction with the party hadn't gone well.

"Great, why is he here?" Mike huffed folding his arms.

Seemed this interaction was going about as well as the last one.

"Shut up Mike!" Max hissed protectively. She was traumatised from the last time the party had interacted with Billy. She'd never forget seeing him half dead, drunk out his mind, begging to die.

Billy was already tempted to just go wait in the car, just to escape. He could get the album another day.

"Please don't fight." Will murmured quietly. "Can we just get along?"

Billy glanced over at the kid, he didn't know mini Byers very well-just that he was timid and shy, he was Jonathan's big brother, and his mum owned the crazy house he'd been drugged in. He knew Will had gone missing in a forest and everyone had thought he was dead, and that Will had been sick during the time he'd fought Steve.

"Will's right." Max said stubbornly, glaring at Mike.

"Yes, Billy is not that bad, he is friend." A girl with a mullet-Billy didn't know her name, Ellen? Janice? He was sure the kids had called her two different names already.

"No way! He's definitely not a friend El. He's a bully-a mouth breather." Mike hissed.

What the fuck was a mouth breather. These kids needed to work on their insults-at least the pathetic attempt at insulting him had disrupted his panic, reminding him that these were just middle schoolers.

El frowned at Mike, putting her hands on her hips, a deep scowl setting her features, Billy thought she liked quite terrifying in all honesty. "No. Not a mouth breather. A friend." El said stubbornly-and then grabbed Billy's hand, trying to dragging him away.

Billy made a noise of surprise before falling into step, following her. "Uh where are we going?" He asked.

"Shopping. I want to get a bitchin outfit, where do you buy clothes...?" El asked, tilting her head.

"I haven't bought clothes since I moved here-we'll just have to look in the shops." Billy said. He'd been surprised by the language the girl had used. Bitchin? What did that even mean.

Max scurried after them.

Will looked like he wanted to follow but he didn't have the confidence to split from the group, instead he waited until the party decided to reluctantly follow after Billy and the girls. They found them in a clothing shop, although there was no Hawkins would allow a shop that catered to the devil worshippers. This shop at least had a small selection of slightly more-out there, clothes. Max grabbed a couple of hand T-shirts, Billy was browsing the jackets. He probably couldn't afford to get any of them today, but he made a mental note to come back another time.

El wandered over to him and looked at the leather jackets. "Bitchin." She stated simply.

Billy couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, bitchin. I don't think these ones'll fit ya though...but maybe.." he trailed off as he looked through the jackets until he found one that was more El's size. "This one might."

El grinned and tried the jacket on. "Bitchin?" She asked. It was slightly too big but she could grow into it. It wasn't too extreme, a simple black biker jacket, but it was easily customisable if El decided she really wanted to be out there.