Me, Nancy and Steve all have this one class that we need to work on which is quite infuriating. The homework the teacher gave us is despicable and he's quite rude too. Not to mention a pervert.

Nancy rubs the pencil eraser on her paper as she tries to clear a mistake. My focus is on what I'm writing and I try to concentrate with my mind going berserk.

Billie's warnings. Max talking about the stalker boys from her school. Will's trauma. Barbara that Nancy seems very on edge about. Jonathan's relationship with Will. Steve's relationship with Nancy.

I hear a light little snap and look down to notice that Nancy's pencil snapped. Steve twirls his pencil unnoticed and I pause looking at my pencil. It's dull, she'd probably wanna sharpen her own.

Nancy pushes herself away from the desk and goes to the left. Both me and Steve look up as she leaves. He goes back to focus on his own work and I boredly, drop my pencil and rest my chin on my hand.

Steve looks in my direction and sighs, shaking his head.

"What's the matter with you?"

"What'd I do?" I question.

"You seem on edge today. Like when Billy dropped you and Max off, it seemed that you wanted to get as far away from him as possible."

"Me and Billy had a massive argument and a glass vase was broken. Happy?"

Steve's eyes widen. "Is that the truth or a lie?"

"Well, lying gets nobody nowhere. The only time I lie, Steve Harrington! Is when I have secrets to keep for friends I value!"

"Okay, so you're calling me by my full name now?" He raises his voice a little.

I roll my eyes and look away. Steve's voice fades off as I see Nancy. She's continuously sharpening a pencil, starring off at something. Or someone. She's not removing eye contact, as if she's caught in a transe.

"Hey, Steve. I think something's up with Nancy."

"What are you talking about?" He groans. His eyes go to look at Nancy and notice the mini trance she appears to be in. He drops his pencil and gets up from his chair. I proceed to do so too but he mouths NO.

"Nancy." Steve puts his hand on her shoulder and snaps her out of it.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" I hear him softly ask.

I sit there miserably, turning away and staring down at my sheet. Who am I kidding? What if I'm just doing this homework for nothing?

I look back to Nancy and she goes off in one direction. Steve looks toward me and follows her. I frown. I need to know what the fuck is going on because clearly! I haven't gotten the full story.

I wait for a moment, before I follow where they went to and hide behind a wall.

"I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Pretending like everything's okay."

"What are you talking about?"

"Barbara."

There's that name again. She must've been a very close friend to Nancy or something.

"It's like everyone forgot. It's like nobody cares. Except her parents. And now they're selling their house."

Holy shit! She went missing or killed or something. Poor Nancy.

"Nance-"

"And they're going to spend the rest of their lives looking for her."

"I know. I know."

"It's destroying them!"

I feel sorry for Nancy and Barbara's family. It sounds like it's destroying Nancy too.

"I know, I know. Okay? I get it. But listen, there's nothing we can do about it."

I frown. Steve you damn prick!

"Yeah, we could tell them the truth!"

"Well, you know that we can't do that."

"We don't have to tell them everything."

"This isn't some game Nance. If they found out that we told any..."

Steve pauses and I feel my heart catch in my throat. The window nearby has the curtains shut suddenly.

Shit! Did he know I was there?!

Their voices are a bit muffled now as I can't hear what they say properly. All I hear are keywords.

Jail...destroy...families...hey...stupid party...stupid costumes...stupid teenagers...

I try to sneak off in the other direction. Nancy leaves and doesn't see me but Steve, on the other hand, grabs my arm and pulls me back behind the wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

"I'm concerned about Nancy! About this Barbara she keeps talking about so I'm sorry!" I whisper.

"This Barbara! Was our friend and is none of your business okay?" Steve whispers.

He sighs and let's go of me as soon as he sees the mark on my wrist.

"What the fuck..."

It's the fingermarks from Billy but further down is the uncovered wound from the shards of the vase. I quickly cover it up and stare at Steve.

"Did Billy hurt you?"

"Why do you care?" I hiss silently.

"Well you're Nancy's friend and she's got other things to worry about than a new person bruised and cut from an unknown reason."

He sighs. "Listen. Y/N."

I look at him. "What you did just now is rude and uncalled for. That was a private conversation. You tell anybody what you heard, and I can take you to the Police. Got it?"

I gulp and nod. Steve turns around and runs off after Nancy. I feel tears sting the back of my eyes as I grasp my wrist and look away.

Steve Harrington...

I have a bad feeling about tonight...

He's got Nancy but something's wrong. The way she looks at Jonathan too. I really hope she's not doing what I think she's doing...

* * *

"Don't punish her Billy." I growl.

He ignores me. I shake my head. Max is late and Billy's gonna make her skate home from the arcade. He may not be her sister by blood but I just wish he was a little bit nicer. He's such a shit person sometimes.

I notice Max skateboarding toward our car and give her an ok? sign. She nods and I raise my eyebrows.

"You're late again."

God dammit Billy.

"Yeah, I had to get catch up on homework."

"Jesus I don't care."

"Lay off her Billy-"

"Shut up Y/N." He snaps. I look to the distance and notice Steve staring at us, he looks away and gets in his car. My heart pounds and I bite my lip.

Stay calm. Just...stay calm.

"You're late again, and you're skating home. Do you hear me?"

Max silently lets me in the car then gets in herself alongside Billy.

Billy starts up the car and leaves the school loudly, zooming down the road. We eventually come to a part where they're nothing but trees of red and orange leaves as the car speeds across the road.

"God, this place is such a shithole." Billy mumbles.

"It's not that bad." Max reckons.

"No?" He asks.

I watch as he opens up Max's window and inhales deeply. She shuts her eyes annoyed as the air breezes loudly through her hair.

"Mmm! You smell that Max? That's actually shit. Cow shit."

"I don't see any cows." I say raising an eyebrow.

"Clearly you haven't seen yourself."

Max lands her head back on the chair and roles it to the left unamused.

"So, what? Do either of you like it here now?" Billy asks.

"No." I protest.

"Then why are you defending it?"

"She's not." Max steps up turning her head to Billy.

"Sure sounds like it. Both of you."

"It's just! We're stuck here, so..."

"Hmm."

"You're right. We're stuck here." Billy says with a straight face.

"And whose fault is that?"

Oh no.

"Yours." Max whispers.

"What'd you say?" Billy interrogates.

"Nothing."

"Did you say it's my fault?"

"No."

"Billy let it go." I huff.

"You know whose fault it is." Billy completely ignores me and I get chills all over.

"Say it." He turns to her coldly.

"Maaaxxx...Say it."

"Billy it was my fault now leave her alone!" I bark.

He flashes his eyes toward me with anger before reving up his car. My eyes widen and we suddenly go much faster. Billy keeps hitting the steering wheel and I know that both Max and I and terrified.

Max sits forward and tries to look at something. I try to see what she's looking at. In the distance, there seems to be three figures on bikes. Most likely all boys.

"B-Billy slow down." Max stutters.

"Oh, these your new hick friends?"

"No! I don't know them!"

These must be the stalker boys she was talking about. Where's the fourth one?

"I guess you won't care if I hit 'em then?"

"Billy that is not fucking funny!" I protest.

"I get bonus points if I hit em all in one go?"

"Billy stop! They're just kids, that's not cool dude, slow down man!" I try to speak for Max as she's younger than Billie and I. But it's not getting through to him.

"No, Bily stop! It's not funny!" Max begs.

Billy stares unamused at Max as he keeps hitting the steering wheel. There's not exactly anything in the backseat to stop him or the car either.

He revs the car a bit more as the boys get closer in view. A black guy, light dude with black curly hair and another light dude with brown fuzzy hair. They're all wearing some kind of uniform. One I recognize mostly as the Ghostbusters due to the black, I assume ghost capturing packs.

"Billy come on stop it!"

At this point both me and Max are yelling at him to stop it but he chooses not to listen. I begin to panic as the view of the boys get even closer.

"Billy stop it!"

I suddenly lean over Billy's shoulder and grab the wheel, turning it sideways and it swerves onto the other side of the road. Billy grabs his fist and punches me roughly in the face. I scream and fall back before landing on the floor of the back seat.

My eye burns, he punched me really badly.

Max looks down at me then to the back window as Billy cheers. The car is continuously moving so I can't get up that well. I feel my stomach turn as I grip the side handle.

"YEAH! That was a close one, huh!?"

I pull myself onto the seat and see the reflection of the window. My eye. It's already beginning to bruise. Max stares at me and her eyes are wide with Horror. I mouth I'm Sorry to her and she nods slightly.

I need makeup or something to cover this one up. Because if even Nancy let alone Steve see this. Either of them will not like it and I'd rather not mess with Steve.