Raining Hellfire 2

Chapter 13: Happy Endings...

"Then why?" You shake your head, trying to process the fact that Billy Hargrove was apologising to you. "What the hell happened to you?"

He stays silent, avoiding your eyes yet again.

Billy used to be the sweetest boy you knew, even with an abusive father. But you knew that was because of his mother. They had a bond that could never be broken. That was until she left.

"Billy..." You try, crossing your arms across your torso for comfort.

"You left." He whispered, staring at the photo on the desk next to him; it was one of you as a child, sitting with your aunt when she had visited once. "I thought... I thought you just left. I thought it was my fault."

You try to respond but nothing seems to leave your lips. He takes your silence as his cue to continue.

"I deserve it. All of it. I was an asshole. I treated you like shit and you never did anything wrong. It was never- But... Lillian died. You had fought her and that's- that's when I realised." He looks up to you, eyes foggy, "I did that."

"No, you-" As much as you hated Billy, you weren't letting him take the fall for something you did. You weren't that kind of person.

"You were always so kind, so patient and I took my anger out on you. Because it was easy." He stepped closer, shaking his head as all the pieces in his mind fell together, "And then you did the same to your best friend. Don't you see, Y/N? It's an endless fucking cycle of pain and misery all because my dad wasnt given enough fucking attention."

At this point, you had nothing to say. You just stared, speechless.

"When you left, before I could explain anything, it- it felt like any hope I had for redemption was ripped out of my body. You were the only person in California I gave a shit about. And I ruined it. Just like I'm ruining it now."

"What are you talking about?" You ask before realising as soon as the words left your mouth, "Max."

"I never had a sibling before." He shrugs, shaking his head.

"You can't treat her the way you treated me." You blurt and he whips his head up to you, "She won't be your personal punching bag."

"I never wanted to-"

"I know. I know you never wanted to, but you did. You did hurt me, even when we were friends. And I let you. Because I met Neil and I saw how he manipulated you, poisoned your mind and for that, he will always be my enemy. But you can't use that as an excuse-"

"That's just how any kid in that position would react! There is no way around that!" He yells but you wont be intimidated.

"No." You say, determined fire in your eyes, "No. Shitty fathers are around much more than you think. Abusive ones... just look at Jonathan Byers. You may not see him the way I do, the way all of his friends do, but have you ever stopped to think that he was in the exact same position as you? You both broke from the pressure, had to deal with a father-figure that only wanted to tear you down. But the one difference? Jonathan used that pain to protect his friends, to become the person he wanted to be. Don't ever tell me that there isnt a choice in any of this!"

"What do you want from me, Y/N? To be like Byers?"

"I just... I just wanted you to talk to me, Billy! That's all. Maybe if you did-"

"Nothing would have changed." He says with so much certainty that you stepped back in surprise. "That party would have still happened. You would have still moved away. Nothing between us would have changed. We wouldn't be together."