suıʞʍɐɥ oʇ ǝɯoɔlǝʍ sƃuıɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇs

Chapter Nine: MADMAX

xɐɯpɐɯ
ǝuıu ɹǝʇdɐɥɔ

October 29, 1984

I was in my room when Dustin bragged in and started looking around. "What the hell!" I said as he grabbed some quarters I had on my desk before running out the door. "Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!" He mutters looking under cushions.

"A police chase rocked downtown Pittsburgh earlier this evening..."

"Another stupid penny!" He exclaimed and threw it. "Dusty, watch it! You almost hit Mews," our mom said. "Dustin, what are you doing?" I asked. "Can I please check under your cushions?" He asked mom. "Dusty," she asked, confused. "Mom, please? It's an emergency!" He said. "Ehhh," she mocked and I laughed. She got up and stood beside me. I pet Mews on the head. Dustin stood up and smiled. "Love you, Mom!" He said, running back to his room.

I followed him and leaned in his doorway. "Lucas, you copy? I've got four quarters. What's your hall?" He asked into the walkie. "Take your puny haul and multiply it by five," Lucas said. "How?" Dustin asked. "While you were scrounging around like a homeless bum, I mowed Old Man Humphrey's lawn," Lucas told him. "Old Man Humphrey's got that kinda cash?" Dustin asked. "Just call Mike already."

"You call Mike," Dustin said. "I have to go take a shower from doing real work, like a man. Over and out." Dustin sighed and looked up at me. "Will you take us to the arcade?" He asked. I rolled my eyes, "yeah. Let me go get ready," I said and walked to my room.

I drove the kids to the arcade and got out of the car to walk into with them when Joyce drove up to drop Will off. "YN! Do you mind bringing Will home, please?" She called. "Of course not, Mrs. Byers!" I called back. I smiled at Will and followed the four boys into the arcade.

I stood back while the boys played their game. Then Dustin lost and started hitting the arcade game. "No! No! No! I hate this overpriced bullshit! Son of a bitch! Piece of shit!" My eyes widened, "Dustin! Language," I said. "You're just not nimble enough. But you'll get there one day," Lucas told him. "But until then, Princess Daphne is still mine."

"Whatever. I'm still tops on Centipede and Dig Dug," Dustin said. "You sure about that?" We turned around to see Keith.  "Sure about what?" I asked.  He just stuffed a cheese curl in his mouth. Then the boys were running towards the Dig Dug game. "You're kidding me. No, no, no. Move! Move! No, no, no, no, no. Hey, no! No! No!" Dustin said, looking at the screen. "751,300 points!" Will read and I whistled. "That's impossible" Dustin turned to look at Keith. "Who is Mad Max?" He asked. "Better than you," he said. 

"Is it you?" I asked. He looked at me, "You know I despise Dig Dug," he said. "Then who is it?" Lucas asked. "Yeah, spill it, Keith," Dustin said. "You want information, then I need something in return," he looked at me. The boys turned to look at me. "No, no, no. No way. You're not getting a date with me," I said. YN, come on. Just give him one date," Lucas said. "No!" I said. They looked at Mike next. "No! No way! I'm not prostituting my sister!" He said. "But it's for a good cause. Please YN."

"No, don't go on a date with him. Know what? He's gonna spread his nasty-ass rash to our whole family," Dustin said. I tried to cover my laughter with a cough. "Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid," Keith said.  "Oh, I'm a wastoid? My sister wouldn't go on a date with you. You make, like, what? $2.50 an hour?" He said. As they argued I noticed Will walking away. I followed him as he walked outside. He stopped and looked up at the sky and just stood there. "Will?" I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little and looked at me. "Will, you okay?" I asked. "Yeah. I just needed some air. After the kids played a few more times I gathered them out to the car. I dropped Will off first before taking Lucas and Mike home. Then finally took me and Dustin home.

October 30, 1984

I got ready for school and headed out to my car then to school. I was getting out of my car when a blue Camaro pulled in beside me. I got out and saw a red headed girl around Dustin's age get out and start skateboarding towards the middle school. Then a guy my age got out, blonde curly mullet, kind of attractive but his energy screamed 'asshole' you know the type. The type that sleeps around and never settles down. The type every girl will gravitate towards. He looked over at my car then looked up at me. His eyes were this belie and I was jealous of those dark, long lashes.

"Nice car," he said. "Is it your boyfriend's?" he asked. He had a smirk on his face and I rolled my eyes. "I don't have a boyfriend," I said and started walking down the hill towards the school. "Names Billy. Billy Hargrove," he said, catching up to me. "So you're the new kid from California," I said. I noticed Carol and her friends glaring at me. "Already know who I am?" I rolled my eyes, "I'm YN Henderson. I'll be showing you around today," I said. He smiled and looked me up and down, "lucky me."

After showing Billy where the office was so he could get his schedule and showing him his first class I headed to mine. After class fliers to a party were being handed out. I was walking with Jonathan and Nancy when she shoved a flyer at each of us. "You are coming to this," she said. I looked down at the orange piece of paper. "Come and get sheet faced," Jonathan read. "No I'm not," he said. "I think I'll pass," I said. Nancy sighed, "I can't let you all alone on Halloween. That's just not acceptable," she said.

"Well, you can relax. I'm not gonna be alone. I'm going trick or treating with Will," Jonathan said. "All night?" She asked. "Yeah." She shook her head, "No, no way. You're gonna be home by eight, listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something," she said. I laughed at how well she knew him. "That sounds like a nice night," he said. We stopped at her locker. "Guys, just come. I mean, who knows, you might, like, meet someone," Nancy said.

Before we could say anything Steve came up behind Nancy and picked her up making her squeal. Jonathan grabbed my arm and pulled me away. As we walked down the hall he nudged me, "you okay?" He asked. I nodded, "yeah. I'm good. You?" I asked. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. You going to go to the party?" He asked. "I don't know, maybe I should. Maybe I can meet someone and—" he cut me off, "get over Steve," he said. I looked at him and scoffed, "what? I don't like Steve like that," I said. "Yes you do. You've liked him since you moved here," he laughed. "Shut up. You like Nancy."

"YN, honey, where's Dusty?" I looked over to my bedroom door. "Um. I think he went to the arcade with Lucas," I told her. A few minutes later Dustin walked into the house. "Sorry I'm late, mom," he said. She sighed, "it's okay. I'm going to bed. I love you," she said and went to her room. "Love you too, mom!" We said in unison. As soon as her door shut Dustin was flopping down on my bed. "We found out who Mad Max is," he said. "Yeah? And who is Mad Max?" I asked.

"The new girl. We saw her asshole brother drop her off and then we watched her play Dig Dug. She's really good," he said. He had a dreamy kind of look in his eye and I laughed. "Aww. Does Dusty have a crush?" I asked in a baby voice. "Shut up!" He said, blushing and walking out of my room.

A/N: there will be a brief Billy x Reader but nothing serious just her at the party with him. It's just YN trying to get Steve out of her head because he's with Nancy.