Act 1, Chapter 21
Why would he mouth the word please?
The moment the Hargroves left I jumped into Billy's Camaro and headed back towards the fields.
I was able to remember the route pretty easily and thanks to that mailbox I took out earlier I was able to use that as a landmark of where to turn again.
All I needed to do was find Max and take her home but something I never considered was am I even going to be able to do that? After everything I saw and even the small section of their plan I was told it didn't sound like it was going to be easy.
But before I even made it to the field I spotted Steve and the kids walking.
They all looked exhausted.
"Get in," I said, pulling up and getting out of the car to move the seat forward.
Each kid filled in one by one on each side of the car. Steve sat up front with me.
"How'd it go?" I asked.
"It was AH-MAZING," Dustin started.
"Everything worked perfectly!" Matthew chimed in.
Within seconds everyone was talking over each other. I was able to hear that Dustin's pet Dart didn't attack them which I never considered being a concern but I'm glad it wasn't.
"Max, your mom and Neil are looking for you. They actually sent me back out here to get you. We need to do that as soon as we drop them off, okay?"
"Wait, where is Billy?" She asked.
"It's kind of hard to explain but Neil and your mom took him home."
"Am I in trouble?"
"For which part? The stabbing? No. No, they think he's drunk. As for the rest of his face I told them he got into a fight at the arcade."
"Nicely done Ally," Steve commented. "You're already getting the hang of the lying portion."
"Yeah, I'm not psyched about it," I mumbled, "Where should I be headed anyway?"
"When you get to the next stop sign go straight then I'll tell you where to turn, Hopper has a place out here."
"Hopper knows too?" I whispered to myself.
"Oh Ally, this is only the beginning." He leaned back in his seat.
"Matthew, I'm going to let you stay okay? But I want you to call mom as soon as you can tomorrow morning, got it?"
"Yeah Matthew," Mike joked.
"Shut up," he said. "Can do Ally."
After a couple of minutes I had passed through the stop sign and after a couple of turns we pulled up to the end of the road.
Steve told me we should come along to check on Will and the others but it I told him it'd be best if we headed to Max's as soon as possible.
He learned over the seat to hug me before ushering the rest of the kids out. I grabbed Matthews arm lightly.
"I'm so happy you're okay," I smiled. "This doesn't mean we don't have a lot to discuss though when you get back."
"I know, I know.... I'm sorry I had to lie to you." His head dropped a little.
"It's okay, I still love you. For now." I emphasized. "Go take care of your friend."
He nodded and waved to Max before shutting the door. Max climbed through the middle console to sit in the front.
"Let's go," she huffed out.
Before pulling out I took a quick peek in Billy's glove box. I found a pack of cigarettes and it only took me another second to find a lighter.
God he's predictable sometimes.
I rolled the window down slightly and lit it up before backing out.
"Are you okay Max?" I glanced in her direction.
"I guess so." She mumbled. "I'm worried about what's gonna happen."
"Oh with Will?"
"Billy." Was all she said.
"I won't let him hurt you Max. Or your friends. Though I think you covered that on your own pretty well." I laughed slightly.
I heard her exhale out of her nose a bit as she held back a laugh.
"And ... Neil was okay?"
"Define okay."
"I don't know ... He scares me sometimes." Max kept her voice steady but even she couldn't fully hold it together when talking about Neil.
I frowned. Was there more to it than I thought? I always found Neil intimidating myself but he's always just given off the strict parent type. But it's one thing to be strict and another to scare your kid.
Did Billy mouth please because he was afraid too?
Please help.
Please don't leave.
Please stay.
I mean, I know he'll be okay, he just went back with Neil and Susan. Neil was calm. Susan was calm. He'll probably just get grounded or something.
Maybe I was the one looking too into it but after Max's comment I have no idea.
When I pulled up to the Hargrove house everything looked normal. The porch light was off but the inside had some lights on. I parked Billy's car and looked over at Max.
"I'm here, okay?"
She nodded before getting out. The cars engine shutting off allowed the nights sounds to become more apparent.
Trees rustled, some bugs were buzzing, the breeze was light.
Tonight truly would've been the best night for a date.
"Neil!" A voice screamed. A woman's voice.
A crash.
I looked at Max quickly and we both took off towards the house.
"No!" I yelled back at her as I past her to get to the front door. "Max, stay here." I created a barrier between us and the front door.
Another crash.
"I'm going with you." She glared.
"Max I mean it. Please, just listen to me."
I opened the door slowly. The shouting had continued. Then I saw something I never would've imagined.
Neil holding Billy up against a shelf. The house was a wreck. Stuff was thrown everywhere. I could hear Billy's music blaring from his room.
Susan saw me almost instantly and started heading my way.
"Ally! Ally! Ally's here!" She started shouting trying to get Neil's attention. Neil didn't even budge.
When he didn't respond she ran to him and started smacking his shoulders.
"Anything else?" Neil's yelled in Billy's face. Billy shook his head no.
I stood there. Frozen.
I couldn't hear anything she was saying to him.
"What happened," I heard whisper behind me.
I put my arm up keeping her behind me.
When I got a good look at Billy I noticed his nose was bleeding again and he was completely drenched. By now he looked more awake than he had the last couple of hours but that wasn't saying much considering how bad he looked.
While maintaining his firm grip Neil turned his head to face Max and I at the door.
"So you made it back," he smiled.
We didn't move. I kept my arm extended over Max.
"I'm so sorry Allison, it's just not been a good night." Susan started to say before Neil cut her off.
"No, no, Allison has a part in this too."
"No she doesn't-" Billy started to say.
"Quiet!" Neil's head snapped back in Billy's direction.
Billy flinched.
"Neil!" Susan raised her voice. "Enough. Please." She begged.
Neil let go of Billy and started to head straight towards us. I pushed Max off the side of the door, still keeping her behind me. He was digging in his pockets when he pushed past us leaving the front door wide open.
"Allison, I can take you home dear." Susan started to say before she heard a car engine, "Oh, shoot," she mumbled to herself before running out the front door.