DESIDERIUM [ 3 ] ↠ STRANGER THINGS

2. MEET ME BEHIND THE MALL

DESIDERIUM
CHAPTER TWO

➝ MEET ME BEHIND THE MALL

      COLLEEN MADE HER WAY DOWN THE PATH TOWARDS HAWKINS' COMMUNITY POOL, she knew that there was a mandatory lifeguard meeting that she was missing. But she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to see Billy. She had missed him immensely while she was away on vacation. Of course, she enjoyed her vacation at the Hampton's. The Harrington's were like her second family, and Steve— well Steve is Steve and she loves him with her whole heart. The two of them had so much fun when they were together. They laughed constantly, and made the best memories with each other. During their trip — they hung out on the private beaches, rented out yachts on his father's credit card, and snuck into rich teenagers' parties. It was hands down the best week in both of their lives.

But she also was away from her boyfriend.

Since making their relationship official after the Winter Wonderland dance back in December, the two teens have gotten extremely close. Their first month together continued to be a little rocky, Billy had a really hard time letting Colleen in. But she eventually broke through most of his walls, and he would tell her stories about his past, and what he wanted in the future. Once February rolled around, the two were completely smitten with one another. Colleen had never been happier, and even Max would tell her that she'd never seen Billy like this. Billy started being nicer to Max too, and the three of them would even hang out sometimes.

The following months followed in pursuit, and Colleen even introduced Hopper to Billy. Which eventually led Hopper into giving Neil Hargrove the approval of the two teenagers. Things with Neil never really got better, but more tolerable. Neil even started inviting Colleen to join in on family dinners when Susan Mayfield would cook. And Colleen would host game nights with Six and Nine, where Billy would join in — along with Steve and Lizzie. Once graduation came around, Colleen was more excited then ever: she was going to be starting her summer before senior year with an amazing boyfriend, who was sticking around for the year before figuring out what he wanted to do.

Colleen was going to be off to Chicago next year with Steve, and Billy was considering joining them. Even though the two boys weren't technically friends, they were more tolerable with one another. They were finally able to hang out in the same room without wanting to completely kill one another. They would still bicker and argue: mainly because Steve still believed Colleen deserved better, and Billy was still skeptical about Steve's feelings for Colleen. But she was clueless about any of it— she was just happy that the two of them would both hang out together in the same room, even if it was only for her sake.

Off in the distance of the community pool, Colleen could hear music blasting and laughter from inside. This was the first official "lifeguard staff meeting" of the summer, which she now understood actually meant: party. She quietly made her way up to the pool gate, not wanting to gain the attention of Drew, the head lifeguard. Sure, she could just join them for the "meeting" but she was more interested in just seeing Billy, and spending time with him alone. She gently rattled the door, low enough that it would gain someone's attention but not the entire group. She waited patiently against the wall around the corner until she heard the door swing open, followed by a curious and uncertain, "Hello?"