Private Eyes- Billy Hargrove {Stranger Things}

21

The next morning, getting ready for school was very blurry. I catch a ride with Steve and Nancy to school.

"Did you hear about Laine last night MAD?" Steve asks. With my sunglasses on, I slide them off and look at him in his rearview mirror from the backseat.

"No." I lie. He shrugs my lying off like he never heard it so I say, "What happened?" Worried about what he'll say, I slump down and slide my shades back on. I wonder as he gets ready to tell me about David, what happened last night, why I feel like I've been hit by a wrecking ball. Three times.

"He was pulled into questioning for being a suspect for the murder of his ex," I remember what happened yesterday- David raped me. And last night- I stole the glass of vodka from the case downstairs. That's why I feel like shit.

"Really?" I sit up straight as we pull into the school parking lot. The usual parking space that Billy takes is already taken by some beat up car that's not the legendary blue Camaro.

"Yeah." Nancy chimes in, she's wearing one of Steve's shirts that is french tucked into her light wash jeans, tied together with a brown leather belt.

"He was in jail if you were going to ask but his father let him out on bail last night," Steve says, getting out of the car and putting his arm around Nancy. My head starts to spin more than usual after last night.

"So he's going to be here?" I feel sick.

"I guess, look, there's Billy, why didn't you catch a ride with him?" Nancy looks at Billy and then to me.

"He was in too much of a hurry today." I lie. I look down at my muddy shoes that were cleaned once a month by Billy himself. The mud is all the way up to my combat laces now. I frown when I was laughing that one night when he was cleaning my boots. He was lifting my leg up. He kept pulling and pulling until I ended up with my body in his lap and we kissed for what seemed like hours.

We start walking inside the school and I look to see if Billy was anywhere near me- he was nowhere to be found. As I walk to my locker, parting ways with Steve and Nancy, I hear screaming from the chemistry room. "...that shit she did Hargrove, she wanted it. She wanted me on top of her." David's voice.

"No, you're wrong, you were raping her last night, and last time I checked, you were the suspect in your ex's murder, because you couldn't get into her pants." Billy raises his voice throughout his sentence, then there's pushing and shoving it sounds like. I run into the room to see what was happening and who was pushing who. Billy was pushing David. I try to interfere but Billy ends up getting too excited, pushing me instead of David. I fall to the ground, my hand hitting the desk beside me.

"Look what you did, Hargrove." David 'defends' me. I scowl his way. Billy is still staring at Laine, he never noticed that I'm on the floor.

"What do you mean?" He sneers.

"Your precious girlfriend is on the floor- because you pushed her."

"Marlowe, when did you get in here?" His eyes start to well up and he walks closer to me, lending his hand to me. Still, on the floor, I scoot farther away from him and closer to the classroom door.

"No, stay away!" I exclaim quietly. I back up even more. He pushed me on the floor, what's next, he holds me against my will any time he wants to get inside of me? Just like David did? I don't need that, I've been through something that Billy would never understand. I just need some time away from everything, from Billy.

"Marlowe, please, let me help you up, I'm sorry baby." His voice is low, sweet.

"No, please, don't." As I'm figuring out a way to get up I think of the only way to get myself out of this situation. To get Billy to stop fighting David, I have to lie. I never wanted to hurt Billy this way or have to lie to him.

"I can help you, Marlowe." David's hand reaches out to me and I decline.

"What's going on M.D.?" Billy's eyes start to glare at David again but become soft when they meet mine.

"I lied to you last night, and I'm glad you didn't kill David." I keep my eyes down and my voice low.

"What? Why?" Billy growls.

"Wait, he was going to kill me, and you were going to let him?"

"Yeah, yeah, that doesn't matter right now." What matters now, is getting myself out of this.

"Again, what the hell is going on!?" Billy's voice gets even louder. I stand up from sitting on the ground, wipe my hands on my pants, they're so sweating. Both of these guys are staring me down. Even if Billy loves me as much as he does, he'll hate me after this. I really can't do this, can I? I can't tell him about this. But I have to.

"David didn't rape me," The room stays silent. "I said that because I didn't want you to freak out with the fact that I cheated on you, and believe me I freaked out myself, I didn't know it was happening it after the fact." My eyes dart back-and-forth between David and Billy. David smirks at me, eyebrows raised.

"Is this some sick, fucking joke?" Is all Billy can say. He looks at David and then to the door. I shake my head slowly, wondering what he's going to do. He looks back to the sick fuck who started this. "Get the fucking hell out of her Laine!" He demands. David leaves without question leaving Billy and me, alone. To what? Talk, yell, what does he want with just me?

"I'm sorry, Billy." He sits down at one of the desks, laying his head in his hands. He looks up again, cocking his head to the side, furrowed eyebrows.

"You're sorry?" He throws his hands up in the air but his voice is still level, calm. He gets up from the desk and walks around the darkened room. I'm shaking with nervousness. I feel my hands get clammy and my breath gets heavy. When Billy Hargrove starts to walk around like he's mad and his wheels are turning around in his head, I get scared. And I'm never scared of the people I love. And I love Billy, and I lied to him. I told him that I let Laine fuck me. That I wanted him inside me. And for what? What will this help?

"Yes, I'm sorry."

He stops walking and faces me, "Get the fuck out of here."

"What?" My eyes start to water.

"Get the fuck out of here, bitch."