Stranger Love [Billy Hargrove]

Stranger Love - Chapter Fifteen

Stranger Love

Chapter Fifteen – Five Fifteen Larrabee

Anya smoked a cigarette leisurely as she waited for El to finish in the rest room.

She leant against her truck, basking in the cool winter sunlight. The gas station sat lonely along the highway, hidden mostly behind dense trees and foliage. It was a wonder anyone knew it existed – if it wasn't for the poorly written sign on the roadside.

It was so quiet, she could hear the breeze ripple through the treetops. The browning leaves fell like snow around her, littering the floor with yellows, reds and fawn. They would soon die, fade away and rot, succumbing to the cold that would soon be biting its way through Indiana.

A man walked past her, probably in his late 50's, his boots clunking over the uneven ground. He paused to look at Anya, who merely gave him a weak smile before he stalked off into the store. She half panicked, her mind suddenly reeling with ideas of 'missing teenager' posters with her face plastered onto them. Then she realised quite quickly this was idiotic, she'd only been missing for a few hours. There was no doubt her mother had gone straight to Hopper about her disappearance, so it was imperative that she and El kept moving.

Said El appeared out of the restroom, her footsteps light as she re-joined Anya.

"Why do you smoke?" The curly haired girl asked. She did not look judgmental, just curious.

Anya shrugged. "Habit, I guess. It relieves stress, I started after I lost my Dad...just haven't been able to stop,"

"Hopper says smoking is bad for you,"

"He's right,"

"He thinks he's my Dad. He isn't. He is a liar," El clenched her fists, anger in her hazel brown eyes.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what went on between you two but, Hopper means well...most of the time," Anya flicked her cigarette butt away, her actions reminding her acutely of Billy.

El mimicked Anya as she paced to the door of her vehicle, both girls sliding in at the same time. "I am still angry with him. He lied about mama...who knows what else he lied about,"

"You know, sometimes adults think they are doing a good thing by keeping things from us, I am not sure if they are right," Anya sped off into the road, the truck bouncing over potholes.

"I agree," El leant back in the seat, looking exhausted.

"Why don't you sleep? We still have about an hour to go,"

The younger girl seemed to agree, for she closed her eyes and was snoring softly within a few minutes. Anya sighed, her mind racing at a hundred miles an hour. She couldn't stop thinking about her Mom, the way she'd been crying, apologising...for something Anya had no idea about. It wasn't sitting well with her, nor was the other reason her mind reeled.

Billy. She couldn't shake him. His voice, his smell, everything about him revolved around her brain. She could still feel his kiss, hear his strong heartbeat in her ear as he held her in his arms.

She had a serious case of puppy love for that boy.

The following hour seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, she was waking up a still snoozing El. "Hey, El, we're here,"

The girl opened her eyes and blinked a few times, for a moment looking confused as to where she was. Recognition hit her face as she saw the mailbox they were driving past. "Five – Fifteen Larrabee,"

"The very one," Anya said, apprehension filling her gut. She had no idea who they were about to meet, or what they were walking into. "I hope you know what you're doing, because I sure as hell don't,"