Billy Hargrove Imagines

Neighbors

The day Billy moved in, you were no longer able to sleep soundly. Every shout, every cry, and every crash could be heard from the neighboring house as you tried to sleep.

It started the second night since the Hargrove's arrival. Every night, around 9 o'clock or so, you'd hear a man shouting. Occasionally, you'd hear a crash that sounded like glass or something breaking. The fighting was usually accompanied by a woman's crying. The first time it happened, you tried to ignore it because every family fights every once in a while. However, when it became apparent that it would be an almost nightly occurrence, you decided to look out your bedroom window to see what you could see. The curtains were always drawn, but you could still see the silhouette of two figures, one striking the other and making them fall to the ground.

You knew it was Billy and his father. You knew it was Billy that his father was hitting because after a sleepless night, he'd show up to school with a busted lip or black eye. Sometimes both.

Billy lead everyone on that he just got into fights often, but you saw through the lies. As you stood at your locker at school and watched him talking with his smoking buddies, pointing at his black eye and laughing as he told them a story about him having a scrap with a man for flirting with his wife, you accidentally caught his eye. You quickly looked away and put your things away in your locker before walking away, but you felt Billy's eyes follow you down the hall.

You had one class with Billy. He sat on the opposite side of the class from you. You never had to interact with him before.

Until one day, when your teacher assigned a partner assignment. He paired students together to read an excerpt from a novel and then reflect on it in a short essay, and you were paired with Billy.

As soon as the teacher calls your name after his, Billy turns around in his chair and looks at you. You glance at him, then turn back to the excerpt on your desk.

Billy lumbered over to a desk next to you and sat down. Your nostrils were instantly filled with his cologne and a smell of cigarettes.

"Hey, Princess."

You looked up with your lips parted in surprise. He smirked at your response, but then you looked down at the paper and said, "My name's (y/n)."

Billy licked his lips. "I assume you know mine."

You looked back up at him. He really was as arrogant as everyone claimed.

Your eyes subconsciously trailed over his black eye. It was fading slightly, yellowing at the edges. He noticed your stare and turned so that it was no longer as visible to you.

He cleared his throat and leaned back. His blue eyes studied your face carefully. "You're my neighbor, right?"

"Yeah," you said as you twirled the pencil between your fingers. As he crossed his arms over his broad chest and studied you, you just wanted to proclaim that you knew his secret. You knew that he was hiding his father's abuse. You knew that he was lying to everyone about being so badass. You knew, but you kept quiet. "Anyways, let's get started on our assignment."

You had no intentions of talking to Billy ever again after that class assignment. However, fate had a different idea. The following day, as you were rounding a corner in the hallway, you ran right into Tommy walking beside Billy. Tommy being his regular self just sneered at you to watch where you're going and stalked off.

Your photographs from your photography class had spilled out all over the floor. You glanced at a clock on the wall and groaned. You were going to be late.

As Tommy continued down the hallway, Billy paused by you and knelt down to grab your pictures.

You knelt down beside him to collect the newly developed photos on the ground. Your hand brushed against his.