Stranger Love [Billy Hargrove]

Stranger Love - Chapter Three

Having already had two encounters with Billy that day, Anya did not want a third. She also knew he was unpredictable and very angry. She made her way back to her own house, intent on leaving the situation behind. Billy, it seemed, was not so keen to do so.

"Why were you talking to Max?" He barked from behind her.

Turning around, she watched as Billy got closer to her. "She seemed upset so... I wanted to check on her,"

Billy looked at her dangerously, his eyes blazing. "What goes on in my house is none of your god damn business, do you understand?"

"She was upset Billy, what was I supposed to do?"

"Leave it alone! Don't use Max to butt your nose into my life!"

Anya stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "I wasn't! Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you! Goodnight Billy!" She marched up the wooden porch steps purposefully, feeling her own fury boiling in her blood. That boy was a real piece of work!

He didn't say anything else, and she heard the roar of his engine. Anya watched as the blue Camaro skidded down the road and out of sight.

...

Anya couldn't remember having a birthday she had not looked forward to - until her eighteenth approached.

Born on September 21st, 1966, Anya Louisa Hammond came into the world with a mass of dark ebony hair and a cry that could have woken up the whole of Indiana.

Well, that was what her Dad had told her, anyway.

Both her Mom and Dad were nineteen when she was born, a mere year away from the age she was going to be in two days. She couldn't imagine becoming a mother so young. It was such a responsibility, and she wanted to do a lot with her life before she even thought about having children.

Things were always complicated for her parents. Since her Mom's parents had cut her off, money had been very tight. That's when her Dad had decided to open Benny's, which soon became a staple within Hawkins.

The problem was that her Dad had always made a huge event out of her birthdays. They would always eat a massive breakfast, she would always be 'sick' that day so couldn't go to school. He would close the diner and they would take a day long road trip to wherever they wanted. Anya could do anything, eat anything and most importantly, spend quality time with her parents.

For her seventeenth, they had gone on a hike around the mountains with Bracken. Patricia had stayed behind to relax in the log cabin they had hired for the day, so she and her father had trekked for hours. When they returned, they had a barbeque and ate until they were so full they could barely move. It was one of the most perfect days imaginable.

So, facing a birthday without Benny seemed unfeasible. The pain of not having her father there became so unbearable Anya had to stop herself from thinking about it.

"You are having a party,"

Anya looked up from her book, meeting her Mom's eyes at the kitchen table. "What?"

"For your birthday. Have a party," Patricia poured herself some orange juice. She was wearing her uniform, taking a day shift at the diner. She had recently began working there again, taking a long time to build up the courage to go to the scene of her father's death. "I already spoke to Gemma, and she said she will make invitations,"

"Mom, shouldn't this be the other way around? I convince you to let me throw a party?"

"Well you won't, will you? Come on, it's your eighteenth! If you aren't partying and getting drunk then what's the point?" Her Mom grinned widely. "I will even get out of your hair and go to the diner for the evening,"

Anya was flummoxed. She honestly believed her Mom to be insane. "I mean...I love a good party, but are you sure? The house might get trashed,"

"It's nothing a good clean up won't fix. We can shove any breakables upstairs and to be honest, this house could use a good teenage party, it feels left out,"

With a laugh, Anya caved. "Fine. If you insist,"

"Yay! So, tell Gemma to sort out the invites and leave the rest to me, I will have this house party proof in no time!"

Anya watched as her mother floated away, muttering something about needing a stereo player for music. She shook her head, wondering who the parent really was in the house.

Gemma was slightly overexcited when Anya revealed the party plan. She squealed, jumping up and down for about five minutes before finally calming down. A gust of wind picked up the girl's hair, and they both headed to the front doors of school to get inside, away from the cold.

Anya suddenly spotted a brown-haired boy standing by himself by the wall, his skin deathly pale and a horrified look on his face. It was Will Byers, the young boy who had gone missing in the woods and caused a frenzy in the normally quiet town of Hawkins. It was around that time when Barb had vanished and her father was murdered.

"Will? Will sweetie, are you alright?" Anya asked the boy softly, approaching him with caution. His brown eyes were widened, as if he were petrified. Will seemed to be looking upwards, towards the sky. It was the strangest thing. "Will?" She touched his shoulder.

The boy jumped so high he nearly reached the sky, gasping in shock. Anya also gasped, his reaction frightening her to death. "What's the matter?" She asked him worriedly.

"Did you not see it?!!" He cried. "The shadow?"

"What? What shadow?"

"Will!!" Came a voice to the right. Anya whirled around to see Mike, who was Nancy's younger brother, skidding around the corner quickly. "Will are you OK?"

"I think he is ill, he feels very cold," Anya said as she felt Will's forehead.

"No, no he's fine, honestly," Mike said confidently. "Aren't you Will?"

"Yeah...fine," The young, very shaken looking Will whispered.

Anya was not convinced. "He needs to go to the nurse,"

Mike seemed slightly frantic. "Yeah! Yeah good, I will take him, you have helped enough!"

"But Mike-"

"Honestly, we will be fine! Thanks!" Mike proceeded to drag the slightly dazed looking Will into the school, vanishing from Anya's sight. She was completely bewildered and slightly confused.

"What the hell was that about?" Gemma inquired, having hung back to watch the scene unfold.

"I have no idea. But whatever it was, it's not good."