AT LAST, I COULD BREATHE | billy hargrove

come party on a friday night.

chapter song: Kiss It Better - Rihanna

come party on a friday night.

The best part about small-town life as I would soon find out was the parties. In Chicago, there were cops everywhere because of the high crime rate and because of the city layout. But since Hawkins was much more isolated and the houses were farther apart, it was easier to have parties without them being busted by the police.

At least, this was what Steve was trying to tell me in order to convince me to go to Tina's Halloween party tonight.

"Come on, Bo," Steve pleaded. "You gotta come, everyone's gonna be there."

"I don't know, Steve, I don't have a costume," I replied, exchanging the books in my locker. "You going with Nancy?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we're being Bonnie and Clyde."

"That's cute," I said unenthusiastically. "Well, I always get shitfaced at parties and since I don't have anyone to go with, I'm not feeling the option between drunk driving because I know I have zero self-control or the alternative being to leave with someone I barely know and get fucked!" The last part I said cheerfully in a sarcastic way, and then my face dropped as I slammed the locker shut.

"You can come with us, Bo."

"I don't think Nancy and I are exactly on speaking terms since I called her a cunt, Harrington."

The bell rang and everyone started to go to class, including me who started walking away from Steve.

He shouted after me, "Go, you'll have a blast!!"

I threw up the hang-loose symbol in response with my hands and turned the corner down the hall towards English with my favorite teacher, Mr. Bennett.

"Alright, alright, alright," Bennett spoke loudly in an attempt to quiet down our class once the bell rang for class to start. "Since it's Halloween, I wanted to do something fun for a change, and I decided that your assignment for the day will be to work with your desk partner and come up with a short story."

Mass groans filled the room, including one of my own until Bennett waved his hands around in dismissal. "They have to be scary stories—Halloween related. And school appropriate for God's sake! Alright, get to work, you have an hour."

I turned to Billy who was seated next to me. He had been incessantly staring at me the whole time Bennett was speaking, but once I turned my attention over to him, he tore his eyes from me and looked down at the desk.

"Seriously, Hargrove? Still pissed off about the other day?"

No answer.

"Well, we have to work together for this assignment and I know you don't like Steve but that doesn't mean I don't and I'm not just gonna drop someone I'm friends with for your sake, full offense."

His bright blue eyes snapped to mine and looked angry at first, but then I think he was debating on whether or not to beef with me and he chose wisely and opened his mouth at last.

"Full offense? That's ice cold, baby," he said with a smirk on his face.

I leaned towards him on my elbow that was rested on the desk, "Please, love, subtly is not my specialty but I think you already knew that, huh?"

He kept a playful look in his eyes while giving me a flirtatious smile. "I'd expect nothing less, and you know I'll be making sure you live up to that tonight with what I'm sure is gonna be a costume to remember, to say the least."