Fallout || Stranger Things [2]

fifteen || reunions and revelations

"I love you."

     Was it just a memory, or was he losing his mind? It was a question Billy Hargrove often posed to himself.

     Granted, he was wrong on both accounts. He was just too scared to let the third option actually become an option.

     Even two weeks removed from the event, he couldn't help but think about waking up after passing out on top of his textbooks and hearing Tatum's voice as clear as a bell. It had to be her.

     But how many times had he heard her say 'I love you'? Too many times to count, but never enough. He couldn't dismiss the fact that he was always dreaming about her, about conversations past and making up ones that might've happened if fate wasn't such a cruel mistress.

     They say that you heal with time, but Billy was growing more weary of the concept as the days ticked by without her.

     Although he tried to tap along to the beat of a Kiss song as he sped down the highway, he couldn't shake it. There was something different about that last time, about how strong her voice had been. He always seemed to hear her, but not quite like that.

     And even with the answer right in front of him, he settled for memories being responsible instead.

     Billy tipped his sunglasses down as he raced past the freshly repainted Welcome to Hawkins sign, sighing softly to himself as he cut his speed in half. The last thing he needed was to get a ticket, because even though he wasn't a minor anymore, there was a one hundred percent chance that his dad would be the first to know if he got pulled over.

     He was hoping to avoid his father entirely over Thanksgiving break, which was exactly why instead of splitting for his own neighborhood, he took a path well known from his year spent in Hawkins.

     Billy let the camaro roll to a stop just shy of the Harrington driveway, his eyes focused instead across the street as he put the vehicle in park. As he slid out of the driver's seat and into the late November air, he found himself unable to get very far. He leaned back against his car, pulling the cigarette from behind his ear and lighting it as he stared at the old Rivers house still bearing a for sale sign in the yard.

     It would either be empty forever or would become a dark tourist spot. Either way, it would always taunt him.

     He was tempted to sneak into the backyard and check if the trellis was too overgrown to climb up anymore. A small part of him thought he might find Tatum inside if he just opened the front door.

     "Hargrove!"

     Billy slid his sunglasses on top of his head as the clanking of bike chains sounded in the distance, a grin growing as he spotted a fleet of kids headed his way. He snubbed out his cigarette, barely able to take a step forward before Max hopped off of Lucas' handlebars and wrapped her arms around him. "H-hey," he greeted happily, squeezing her tight. "How are you guys?"

     Mike, Lucas and Dustin all put down the kickstands of their bikes, exchanging short handshakes with Billy once Max finally let him go.

     "Oh my god, where is your hair?" Dustin asked, jaw gaping.

     Lucas groaned. "The mullet was our only way of identifying you."

     "You guys happy for a break from school?" Billy asked as he laughed, slinging an arm around Max's shoulders as they lingered at the edge of the Harrington driveway.

     "God, absolutely!" Mike cried, waving his hands up at the sky. "And it couldn't have come any slower. I feel like I've aged ten years since I saw El last."