Season Two; Chapter One: Madmax

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End of October 1984

Y/n's POV

"Why are we doing this in your car again?" I question as I read through Steve's English paper.

"Because we just are," Steve answered. "Now, I know my essay is crap but-"

"It's not crap," I oppose. "It's not the best, sure, but it's going to be. It just needs some work. Do you mind if I mark on it?"

Steve shook his head. "Go for it."

"Cool," I mutter and grab a pen from my backpack, popping off the cap with my mouth. "So, you start using the basketball game versus Northern as a metaphor for your life. That's great. College admissions love metaphors. But, in order for them to work out properly, the whole paper has to follow suit and connect to the metaphor. That's the hard part. You then move on to talk about your grandfather's experiences in the war. America loves its veterans, so that addition is wonderful, but I don't see how it's connected to the basketball game and the metaphor."

"It connects because, you know, we both won," Steve stated. "Do you think I should start from scratch?"

"No. Well, maybe," I decide. "When's the deadline?"

"It's tomorrow for early application," Steve responded. "Can we go to the library after school to work on it?"

"You and Nance have that dinner tonight, remember?" I remind him.

"Right. I forgot. You know, I'll just end up working for my dad anyways, so there's not really a point," Steve spoke as the two of us climbed out of his car.

"What? Steve, don't say that. You can do whatever you want with your life," I tell him. "Seriously. All you have to do is believe in yourself." Just then, a slick, blue car sped into the parking lot and pulled into a spot in the row behind us. I watched as a boy my age climbed out of the driver's seat and a younger redhead exited from the passenger's. While she went towards the middle school, the older boy headed towards the high school.

"Who is that?" Steve implored.

"I have no idea. But look at his ass," I comment. "How does he find jeans that fit him so perfectly? It's not just his ass though. He's hot."

"Y/n, he looks like trouble," Steve pointed out. "And we don't need anymore of that. Don't do anything stupid."

"Who said I was gonna do anything? Maybe I was just going to watch him walk away," I say and stare at the boy as he entered the high school.

.........................................

"Class, it looks like we've got a new student today. Everyone, this is William," my teacher introduced.

"It's Billy," Billy corrected and sent a small smile to the girls sitting in the corner. "Billy Hargrove."

"Okay, Billy. You can take a seat next to Y/n. Y/n, would you raise your hand?" the teacher asked. I did as I was asked, and raised my hand into the air. When Billy saw it, he approached the empty seat next to me, slinging his backpack off his shoulder and dropping it to the ground. He then sat down and clasped his hands in front of him.

"I uh, I saw you drive to school this morning. Your car is sick," I comment. "A 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, right? I mean, the body, the color, it's all perfect."

"You know about cars?" Billy quizzed.

I nodded. "A little, yeah. My dad was a big car guy. I noticed a lot more than the color though. The license plate said California. You just move here from there?"

"Yeah," Billy replied. "My dad and step-mother wanted to move us out here so that life would be a little better for me and my step-sister Max. You from here?"

"Born and raised," I share as the teacher started the lesson. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Billy, but I'm very serious about school work so...."

"You go on ahead. Thanks for making my first day a little less hellish," Billy praised.

"Thank you for making my day a little more interesting," I counter and flip open my notebook. After class, I was standing at my locker putting a few things away when I was approached my Nancy. She held up a bright orange flyer, and I glanced at it, seeing that it was a notice for a party.

"Tina's throwing a Halloween party this weekend," Nancy alerted me. "You coming?"

I shrugged. "I don't think so. I was kind of just planning to watch movies at my house while my mom took Jackie out to trick or treat."

"What? No, Y/n, you have to come," Nancy insisted. "I'm not gonna let you sit at your house all alone."

"Nancy!" I whine.

"Y/n!" Nancy mocked. "You're coming. End of story."

"Yeah yeah yeah," I mutter. "Did you see the new guy at all today? Billy?"

Nancy frowned. "There's a new guy?"

"Yep. And there he is now," I announce quietly and nod down the hallway where a few girls were swarmed around him. My eyes skimmed over his build, admiring the way his muscles filled out his shirt and jacket. And did I mention his ass? Nancy glanced between me and Billy, and she narrowed her eyes.

"You've got a crush on him, don't you?" Nancy inquired.

I blushed. "What? No!"

"Yeah you do," Nancy persisted. "I didn't think of it until now, but Steve told me the two of you saw someone this morning, and you commented on his amazing ass. Now, here's a guy that I've never seen before, who has a great butt, that tons of girls are gawking at. You definitely like him, but you shouldn't because he seems like trouble."

"Steve said the same thing earlier," I recall. "And neither you or Steve know him, Nance, so I don't think you can judge. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get to class."

"Fine. See you at the party!" Nancy called out after me.

That night, my mom, Jackie, and I were sitting around the dinner table eating. My mom had made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, one of my favorite meals. Then again, my mom was an amazing cook, so anything she made was good. I stabbed my fork into my meatloaf, picking up a small chunk and putting it in my mouth. Jackie was sitting a few feet away, drowning her mashed potatoes in gravy, and my mom was laughing at her.

"Hey, mom? Tina is throwing a party on Halloween," I notify her. "Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve are all going, and so is practically all of the high school. Can I go?"

"As long as you're home at a reasonable time. And no drinking," Marilyn requested. "You know how I feel about that, especially if you're driving."

"Deal," I agree. "But not even one beer?"

"Y/n!" Marilyn exclaimed.

I laughed. "I'm sorry. I just had to see your reaction. No alcohol. Got it."

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