𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

DON'T HAVE TIME FOR FREAKS !

☀︎

ALEX KEPT TO HERSELF AND HER EYES OUT THE WINDOW AS SHE SAT IN BILLY'S CAR. As he laid his foot further onto the gas, he leaned back, digging into his pocket as he yanked out a pack of cigarettes. Before getting one for himself, he extended the pack her way, but she declined his offer right away. The thought of heat had made her sick to her stomach as is. 

"Don't tell me you're getting soft on me now," Billy laughed, shoving the pack back into his pocket. Alex remained silent, listening to the monster above her telling her to not talk to the boy she sat with. She hated listening to the demands of the thing in the sky but for Will she would listen to anything for his protection.

Billy had not expected the car ride to be as silent as it was. Alex seemed on edge, snappy whenever he made a comment, but that did not stop him from trying to make conversation. "Are you at least going to tell me what's the rush, sweetheart?"

Alex's eyes shifted his way in annoyance before focusing back out the window. "I just needed a ride, not a therapy session." Feeling her cheeks heat up from the warmth inside the car, she put down the window to feel some relief. With a small sigh, she felt the cold air whipping past and felt the aggression inside slip away.

Doing a double take, Billy was aggravated by the cold now blowing on him. "What the hell are you doing? It's freezing outside."

"I'm hot," she said, only then had the heat begin to ride inside her as the cold air still hadn't felt like enough.

"Someone thinks highly of themselves," Billy mumbled, reaching out to turn up the heat just a bit more due to the cold air.

Seeing Alex turn to face him, Billy was surprised by the fire behind her eyes. "The temperature, genius." Reaching her hand out, she shut off the hot air.

Noticing the beads of sweat that occasionally trickled down the side of her face, Billy tried to keep his eyes on the road but the concern had him glancing over, "You sick or something?"

"Or something. Now please stop taking to me," Alex warned. If Billy had arrived at Hawkins before the alternate dimension had changed everything in Alex, he would've been greeted with a whole different side of her. The something inside her had made her snappy, a version of herself she did not like to see, but could not stop. Had it not been for the demanding whispers in her ear to keep quiet, she would've thanked Billy for his kindness to give her a ride and worked harder to be a friend to him.

Now, he had sat in the drivers seat, his eyes trained on the road, biting back the urge to return the anger.

『••☀︎••』

AS THE BYERS HOUSE HAD CAME INTO VIEW, BILLY HAD SLOWED DOWN AT THE SIGHT OF A COP CAR. Hesitantly, he looked to her as she gathered her belongings quickly. "Thanks for the ride. I'm sure you can get back to gym before it ends." Pushing open her door, she hopped out just as Jim Hopper came walking out the front door.

Billy had stayed put, curious as to why she had been so determined to make it here. His curiosity had only grow as she angrily made her way towards Hopper, throwing her jacket at him, which he had caught with a roll of his eyes. "No one in this house knows how to answer a damn phone, huh?"

"Hey, there are way more important things going on here than you wanting to hang out with Jonathan. Who, by the way, isn't here."

"Screw Jonathan!" Alex yelled, the words flying out of her mouth without hesitation. "I need to see Will."

"Look, kid, he's..." Hopper hesitated when he noticed Billy watching from his car, "he's not feeling well."

Fueled by anger to be once again kept from Will, she tossed her bag to the ground, hoping to relieve some heat. "Jesus, it's so hot."

"It's hot?"

"That's besides the point right now. I need Will."

"Answer me," he demanded. "Did you say it was hot?" Even if she had not answered him, the red cheeks and sweat forming on her forehead certainly had.

"Yeah, it's always hot." Her hands began to shake as she met Hoppers eyes. "I know, okay? I know about him."

"You know about Will?" he asked. Joyce and Will had told him of the new strange behavior he's been dealing with, something that had not been too far off in the person he saw before him.

"No. I know about him. The asshole in the sky," her voice was unusually calm and steady as she said it. Hopper looked up nervously at the sky, wanting to not believe Alex.

"Is this asshole in the sky, is he leaving you now memories too? You just know things."

"Now memories? No." Shaking her head, she attempted to block the whispers growing loud in her ear. "Hopper, I need you to help me." Jaw clenching for a moment, she tried to ease her pain, "He won't stop talking to me."

"What's he saying right now?"

"He doesn't want me to talk to you. He just wants it cold. He's getting angry. So, please, just let me talk to Will."

Hopper's eyes looked her over closely, unsure how he could help. He hadn't known much on the situation, and whenever he felt he was a step closer to understanding, something else had stood in his way. And now, he had two kids, desperate for help, and he wasn't sure he even could. But it would go against everything in him not to do everything he could to help him. "You're friend needs to go," he looked past the girl to the boy smoking at his car and even though they didn't know it, listening to every word they spoke.

"My friend?" Alex glanced over her shoulder as she spotted Billy's car still there with him leaned up against the hood of his car. Shaking her head, she had made her way back over to him. "You need to go."

"Like hell I'm not," he stated, pushing himself off the car, towering over her.

"Like hell you are. Go."

"Tell me what the hell is going on first. I brought you here, I deserve an explanation."

"I can't," she responded forcefully. "So go."

Making his way over, Hopper picked up Alex bag off the ground, narrowing his eyes at Billy. "She asked you to leave." With two fingers, he pushed back Billy's shoulder to create a space between the two.

"She has to tell me what's wrong first."

"Listen, kid. She doesn't have to tell you anything," Hopper said with a brand new, threatening tone to his voice. Alex looked up at Hopper the whole time he spoke, thankful to have him at her side now. "Look at her, she's sick. And that kid in there... he's sick too. Now, get lost."

"You have gym now anyways. So go, Billy."

"Go, Billy," Hopper repeated in warning.

Scoffing loudly, Billy tossed his cigarette down between Alex's feet before throwing open his car door. "Next time ask Harrington to drive you, sweetheart. I don't have time for freaks." Climbing into his car, he made sure to blast his music loudly before whipping out of the drive way.

Alex stood watching where his car once sat as she considered his words. Freak had seemed to be the perfect word to describe how she felt lately. There wasn't going to be anyone that had understood what she had been dealing with, that was until Hopper placed a hand on her back. "Come on, kid. Will's inside."

Coming out her thoughts, she turned to him. Will Byers had known exactly everything she felt. Now all she could think about was how she was determined to make sure he never felt this way again.