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hogwartsandhawkins · 18 days

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Prove Me Wrong

Chapter 17: Winds of Change

If you need to catch up, here's the Masterlist

Summary: Jess and the gang get kicked out

Word Count: 7.5k

Warnings: Fighting, mentions of blood, bruising, face injuries, of aged men hitting on under-aged girls 🤢, angst. As always let me know if I missed something!

AN: So I got a new laptop, and was super excited to write on it. And then when I uploaded my word doc, it crashed. 🤗 Long story short, after crying and being unmotivated to redo everything that I thought I lost, I fixed it.

The street was full of cars when Jess and Billy pulled up, causing them to park further down the street away from Tina’s. Billy pulled the parking brake and turned off the ignition, turning back to Jess.

“So what the hell did he say?” Billy was staring at Jess, completely surprised that she had already admitted to Steve that they were a little more than just partners for an English project now.

“He suggested that we hold hands and skip through the football field.” Jess rolled her eyes as she heard the strong laugh leaving Billy’s body.

“So is he pissed?”

“He’s not exactly thrilled…”

“Yeah, well. Fuck it,” Billy shrugged unbuckling Jess’s seatbelt for her before taking the keys from the ignition, “Bout time he realized you’re your own person.”

“He already does, Billy-“

“No he doesn’t. ‘’Cuz god forbid you decided to go to this party without him.” Before Jess could continue arguing, he opened his own door and stepped out, reminding her to “Stay right there,” as he left. When he opened the door for her, waiting for her to step out, he continued, “It’s like he wants you two attached to the hip…” He shook his head, looking as if he were annoying himself with the thought of Steve Harrington always around.

Once Jess was out of the car, she began to take off the jacket, causing Billy to drop his current thought. “What’re you doin’, leave it on…”

“I don’t wanna carry it all night when I have to take it off inside.” Before Jess had it all the way off, however, Billy quickly shed the one he was wearing, throwing it in the back and closing the passenger door.

“There. Problem solved.”

“How-“

“Geez, Jess, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one,” Billy teased, “When you don’t want it, I’ll take it alright? Just… keep it on. Least till we get in…”

“You just want it on me to piss off Steve.” They began walking away from the car, the sound of music becoming louder despite the already drowning sound of teenagers that littered her outdoor area. There were easily twice as many people at this party compared to the one Carol had, as Tina was never picky about who came, something Jess had always appreciated about her.

“I didn’t even know we were seeing pretty boy tonight, alright. Can we lay off the subject now?”

“Oooh, someone’s testy,” Jess’s smile was faint as she poked fun at him, but slowly faded when she looked up to realize he wasn’t smiling back. “Okay… sorry…”

“No, it’s just… You ever get tired of only thinking about Steve when you do something?”

“I do not!”

“Like two goddamn peas in a pod. You’re obsessed with him, he’s obsessed with you,” Billy sighed, slowing down their pace to further the conversation without anyone overhearing, ensuring this by looking around before he spoke again, “It just would be awesome if I could do shit for you without you thinking it’s all this weird thing to piss Harrington off.”

“Right, because you weren’t trying to at the diner?”

“Jess,” Suddenly, Billy stopped walking entirely, turning his entire body to face her as he looked past her, focusing on his actions from earlier. “I wasn’t trying to piss him off. I was just… fuck…” His shoulders shrugged with frustration, tensing as they dropped again. He looked over toward the house, his jaw now as tense as his shoulders. “He needs to know that I’m not exactly going anywhere,” His head slowly inched back to her as he sucked in a final breath for courage before continuing, “That I’m here to stay.” His eyes flicked to another group walking past them, behind Jess, locking onto them until they were far enough for Billy’s liking. “Look, I’m not asking for him to like me. I just want him to know that we at least got one thing in common.”

“And what’s that?” Jess took a step in his direction as she watched him look around one last time.

“That we both think you’re cool as shit,” He answered as if it were obvious, now walking toward the house at the same, slow pace they had previously.

Jess followed closely, her arm only inches from his. “Oh yeah? I figured it would be something like how you’re both scarily obsessed with basketball or something.”

“No, Logan. See, thing is, there’s still a big difference between me and him when it comes to basketball. I’m actually good and your little boy toy sucks.”

“He does not suck.”

“Oh, so that’s the part of the sentence you’re gonna correct?”

“He does not suck.”

Billy let out an airy laugh as he shoved his hands in his pockets due to the cold, his breath visible when his chuckle dragged out. “Alright, so he’s not that bad.”

“He’s starting five.”

“So am I.”

“So there you go,” Jess countered, “You both don’t suck.”

Billy shook his head in surrender as they reached the wide-open front door. They both looked past the entryway into the main living room, which was already packed, when Jess felt two hands on either side of her neck, patting her shoulders softly.

“We goin’ in or what?” Jess turned around to see Steve, Jason, Chrissy, and Patrick standing behind her, the others that came with them squeezing past to get inside. Jess and Billy lead the rest of the group toward the kitchen, Steve staying close behind. The music was even louder than it usually was, possibly due to the fact that Tina’s party wasn’t the only social gathering happening on this street. There were never any noise complaints called in on New Year’s Eve, surprising in a small town like Hawkins, and even if there were, there was always a good chance that Hopper would ignore them for the holiday.

As they made it to the crowded kitchen, Jess noticed a large group of boys she had never seen before stocking the fridge with an assortment of beers, liquor, and mixers. It wasn’t until Tina’s older brother, Christopher, joined them from the dining room that she realized why she’d never seen them before.

“Hey, Chris.” Jess watched as Tina sauntered over with Nicole, Vickie, Katie, and Jane, who were all giggling, seemingly excited that Tina gave them automatic access to the only college boys at the party. Before Jess could continue listening in, one of Christopher’s friends took notice of her, giving her a look that quickly made her uncomfortable. She turned around to face Steve, causing him to stop.

“You okay, kid?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s just, the kitchen looks packed, you know…” Steve looked past her, shrugging his shoulders as he looked into what seemed to be the most open part of the house.

Billy, however, looked where Jess had earlier, taking notice of the older group by the fridge. “You want anything outta there, princess?” He asked without taking his eyes off the cluster of boys. The question made Steve’s eyes roll, but he didn’t interject, allowing Jess to place her request. When he walked past the kitchen island to retrieve a red cup, he caught the attention of Jane, who quickly left the now large group she was in to stride her way over to him.

“Hey there, Hargrove.” Jane leaned into him slightly, eyeing the drink that he now had in his hand with amusement. “That for me? Because that’s definitely not for you.”

Billy looked down at the cup as well before laughing coldly, the corners of his mouth pulling downwards. “And why not?” The sarcasm dripped from his question, causing Jane to lean away, not sure if this banter was the friendly kind.

“Because I know what you actually want.”

Billy picked up on her tone, clearly expressing she was no longer talking about beer. “Yeah, I doubt that,” He deadpanned, not breaking eye contact as he watched her expression change from confident to irritated in a matter of seconds.

“Really? Because that’s not the impression I got before break.” She batted her lashes ironically, challenging him on his not-so-new attitude towards her. He finally broke the staring, walking himself to the fridge that was still being crowded around. He pushed past the boys, not troubling himself to ask them to move as he bumped shoulders with the one now chatting up Nicole. To his dismay, she had followed him. He turned around to see her crossing her arms over her chest, almost as if she was triumphantly looking at the can he now had. “What did I tell ya, knew exactly what you’d be going for.”

“Don’t you got some desperate college dude to bug?” He asked rather loudly, still unbothered by the fact that said college boys were gathered around behind him. Billy heard one of them mumble something behind his back but didn’t budge to look behind him, as he felt he’d made his point perfectly clear.

Jane looked over at the group he came in with, scoffing when her eyes met the back of Steve’s head, watching who he was talking to. “I didn’t know you were friends with Steve Harrington now.” When Billy only rolled his eyes in response, about ready to walk away, she poked at him once more, successfully stopping him in his tracks. “So, what you’re saying is you’d rather hang with Harrington and his little prude all night than have some actual fun, Hargrove?”

Billy scrunched his nose in annoyance, his jaw clenching as he heard the nickname Jane spat out. He wanted to retaliate, possibly hurt her feelings to the point where it would have ruined the rest of her night. There were names that were already lined up in his mind that he could call her and could have probably justified even hours later after he possibly felt bad for his actions. But he stood there for a moment, chewing on his tongue behind his closed lips that were contorted into a sneer. He stared off into the crowd, not exactly fixating on one person, refusing to look back at her face which he was sure was now sporting a satisfied grin, knowing it would anger him further. Instead, he cleared his throat and relaxed his jaw before responding with a simple, “Just fuck off, Jane,” not even bothering to finish his sentence before he continued walking back to Jess and Steve.

Jess listened to Steve talk about the upcoming tournament as she glanced over to Billy, who was now striding toward her with two drinks in hand. Behind him, Jane purposely caught her attention, waving with only her fingers as she eyed the outfit she was in. Jess watched as her eyes landed suddenly on Billy’s jacket, taking a moment before forcing herself to peel them away and walk back toward the rest of her friends. Jess broke into a small smile, causing Steve to stop mid-sentence. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Jess quickly responded, her eyes finding their way back to Steve’s.

“So, Harrington, you hangin’ with us all night?” Billy stood next to the both of them, taking a quick sip out of Jess’s drinking, ensuring it tasted right, before handing it over to her. Steve thought for a moment, looking over at the red cup Jess had in her hand and then to Billy, who was now taking a drink out of his own Beer.

“You totally can, if you want. It’s no big deal really,” Jess interrupted his thoughts, not wanting him to think that he had to leave.

“You know what,” He looked over his shoulder to look around the room, “I kinda owe Heather a dance.” He then straightened his neck back to look over Billy intently. He stood there for a moment longer, evidently recalling something from earlier as he stared at Jess’s cup once more, causing him to relax his shoulders slightly. “Don’t have too much fun without me…” He then gave Jess a friendly smile as he backed away, turning to disappear into the crowd.

Jess continued to look in the direction that she last saw Steve. “Weird…”

“What? Weird that pretty boy left?” He took another long drink out of his beer, pretending not to even notice his absence, though if he was being honest with himself, he also found it odd as well that Steve had just agreed to leave them alone. He had intended the question to be a joke, fully expecting Steve to follow Jess around all night, not allowing her a single moment alone with him. And again, if he were being honest, he couldn’t really blame him.

“I mean, he did cancel Benny’s just to be here…”

“Eh, like he said. He owes some girl a dance.” He shrugged it off as he scanned the room, catching Hagen’s attention as he looked toward the back door.

“Aye! B!” Jess surprisingly was able to hear Tommy shout over the speakers, watching him pull Carol by the hand through the crowd.

“Jesus, Tommy, slow down…” Carol mumbled as they reached Billy and Jess, pulling her hand away once his grip loosened. “Hey, you two.”

“Did I just see you with Harrington?” Tommy questioned, not yet greeting Jess.

“Yeah, what was that all about…” Carol left Tommy’s side and joined Jess, looking back over at her before adding, “No offense,” to the end of her sentence.

“Nothing important.”

Carol looked over at Jess, giving her the same look Chrissy always did when it came to Billy. “Well, I think it’s cute that you’re getting along with him now… Anyways. Tommy’s wanting a rematch.”

“I can’t this time. Driving.” Billy then gestured with his can over to Jess, giving her a wink before further explaining. “Gotta take this one home.”

“Dude, lame.” Tommy groaned, “Why don’t you both just crash here?”

“Jess has a curfew, remember?” Carol poked fun at her, pinching her cheeks as if she was a child. “It’s fine, the girls will play a round. Does your goody-two-shoes friend drink, like, at all?”

“Chrissy, I mean… yeah… sometimes but-“

“Good, wave goodbye to the boys,” Carol then looped her arm with Jess’s, walking purposefully toward Jason, Chrissy, and Patrick. “Cunningham. Come on, you’re up at beer pong.”

Chrissy quickly stood at Jess’s side as they made their way to the kitchen. “I’m not very good…” She said apologetically, causing Carol to giggle.

“Good. You’re on Jess’s team then.”

“You’ll be fine, Chris. Carol’s not very good either.”

“Bite me.” Carol led them away from Jason and Patrick, who were now eyeing the three girls suspiciously, and began making her way to the kitchen, eyeing the group that was still by the fridge.

“Please don’t ask Jane to play…” Jess groaned, now dragging her feet a bit.

“Oh god no. She fucking hates you, you know that right? Why would I ask her to play?”

“Yes, Carol. Thank you. I know.”

“I wonder why…” Chrissy leaned in, laughing out loud as she watched the way Jane quickly snapped her head over her shoulder as she heard footsteps coming toward her.

“Tina, let’s play.” Carol unlooped her arm from Jess’s and grabbed Tina’s hand, pulling rather aggressively, only allowing Tina to wave by to a couple of the girls before she was headed out of the kitchen. Jess and Chrissy followed closely behind them as they navigated their way around the maze of teenagers that crowded the living room. When they finally made it outside, Jess saw Tommy and Billy already waiting for them by the table, Billy quickly making his way to Jess to grab the cup out of her hand.

“Hey! I’m not-“

“Yeah, you’re done with this.” Billy then downed the barely touched drink, crushing the cup when he was done, tossing it toward the opened black bag that was by the ping pong table. “Like I said, I’m not bringing you home completely sloshed.”

“Oh don’t worry, Billy, your girl’s gonna be plenty sloshed when we’re done with her.” Carol then high-fived Tina as they set up their side of the table. “Hurry up and get over here, Logan, I’m tryna win.”

Billy shook his head, leaning in to whisper in Jess’s ear. “Don’t worry, Tina’s shot’s trash. Played against her on Halloween. Go kick their ass, princess.”

Jess walked over next to Chrissy, who was putting their cups together, occasionally looking up at Tina and Carol’s side to make sure she was doing it right. Out of the corner of her eye, Jess watched as Jason and Patrick joined them by the table, Chrissy giving her boyfriend a shy grin as she waved over to him.

Carol let Chrissy start the game, teasing them by stating how it didn’t matter, and how she and Tina were going to win anyway. Their game went on for what felt like forever, most of their shots bouncing out of cups or missing them completely. Eventually, Steve wandered into the backyard as well, stopping by the table to watch. Once a little over half of the cups were gone, Jess looked over at Chrissy, who was now continuously bumping into her, giggling uncontrollably as she apologized each time.

“I think Chris might be done,” Jess mentioned, watching as her friend took her time to grasp the ball and aim.

“No! I’m fine… I just don’t drink a lot,” she continued to giggle, looking over at Jason as he started walking over to her.

“Don’t get too wasted now.” Jason was now over, counting the cups on her side of the table. “You still got boutta hour to midnight.”

“Okay okay, fine.” She tossed the ball haphazardly to Jason, who quickly shot his hand up to catch it, not expecting the toss. “You play then.”

“Hey, that means we win.” Carol pointed out, counting how many cups each team had left. “Logan, if she quits, we win!”

“Okay, fine, Carol, you win.” Jess gave in, causing both Tina and Carol to cheer, once again high-fiving each other.

“What happened to kicking their ass, Logan?” Billy teased, watching her walk back to the side of the table.

“Yeah, well, Tina had a better shot than you said.”

“Hey!” Tina overheard, crossing her arms as she stared down Billy.

Jason still held the small ball, bouncing it off the table and catching it with his opposite hand. “You wanna finish this out, Patrick?”

When he agreed, Tommy jumped in as well, “I’ll take other side. C’mon, B, jump in. We only got like… six cups left.”

Billy nodded his head slowly, counting the cups himself, convinced he’d only have to drink a couple of them before he and Hagen won. “I ain’t playin’ another one after.” He then threw his now empty beer can in the trash bag that lay on the grass, its contents spilled out around it. “Watch how it’s done, princess.” He walked to Tommy’s side, Steve now taking his place by Jess.

“Watch how it’s done, princess,” Steve mocked quietly, earning him a punch in the arm. “Good thing you’re staying another three hours. Those guys are good.” He nodded his head to Jason and Patrick before continuing, “No way he’s not downing all three of his.”

“Yeah right… Jason and Patrick only have four left. No way.”

“Oh yeah, well so do Hargrove and Hagen now.”

Jess shot her attention back to the game, realizing that both Jason and Patrick must have made it in one, Jason now aiming the ball again. When he sank his second shot in the cup nearest Billy, Tommy pounded on the table, watching his friend down his second beer already. “Shit, shit…” The game was over quickly, with Billy only making one shot before the other four cups on his side were gone.

“What happened to showing me how it was done, Hargrove?”

“How the hell could I have known that the lightweight’s boyfriend could actually pl- owww.”

“Don’t call her that!”

“You look over at her recently?”

He nodded his head toward the ground where Chrissy was sitting, looking up at the stars. Jason walked over to her, helping her up as she finally fixed her eyes on him. “Did you win?”

Jason only laughed at her, leading her back inside so she could sit on the couch. “This is why you don’t play beer pong, baby.” He sat her down on the right side of the living room couch, plopping down next to her as she leaned against the armrest. Billy and Jess followed, Steve close behind them as they entered the house, all three sitting on the loveseat opposite the couch. It was a slightly tight squeeze for the three of them, causing Jess to be partially on Billy’s lap, something he didn’t mind at all. The close proximity caused her to take off Billy’s jacket, which Billy quickly took from her, draping it over the leg she currently wasn’t sitting on.

Tina, Tommy, and Carol soon entered through the backdoor as well, making Jason scoot closer to Chrissy as they too squeezed to sit on the couch, Carol sitting completely on top of Tommy. Unfortunately, with Tina now sitting with them, the rest of her friends came as well, the college boys following closely behind them. Jess quickly felt eyes on her, and this time, it wasn’t Jane’s stare that caused her to feel uncomfortable.

Jess nodded back at Tina’s brother, who sat on the floor in front of his sister after wordlessly greeting her. That’s when Jess noticed the same boy from earlier in the kitchen, seemingly more confident now, whether it be from alcohol or from the fact that he realized his friend was acquaintances with Jess. He eyed her noticeably, going out of his way to sit on part of the floor closer to the loveseat, grinning at her once again before pretending to listen to a conversation that was taking place on the couch. On his third attempt of getting Jess’s attention, Billy noticed, causing him to grit his teeth before releasing his jaw again, not wanting his annoyance to be obvious. He then looked over at Jess, attempting to gauge her interest. When she looked as if she were about to crawl out of her skin, he threw his arm around the back of her shoulders, leaning back into the cushions as if trying to convince his body to relax.

He squeezed her shoulder gently, reassuring her that he was there, to not worry about the creep that happened to be there. Billy didn’t care to know the dude, didn’t care to know his intentions. His longing looks at a high schooler were enough to profile him as a weirdo that he couldn’t wait to get Jess away from. Based on the amount of alcohol at this party, he assumed this man was at least legal drinking age, knowing his friend, Tina’s brother, was 21 as well. Billy leaned down to whisper in Jess’s ear, still not taking his eyes off the only non-teenagers there.

“You want anything outta the kitchen, princess?”

“It’s okay…” Jess answered quietly, seemingly able to read his mind, “Don’t worry about it… I’m sure they’ll leave.” She traced Billy’s gaze to the same guy still looking over at her, making her quickly look away. It took every ounce of patience in Billy to not call it out, to not pull him up by his collar, hitting him continuously until he fell back down on the floor. But it was only a look, he kept telling himself. He couldn’t risk looking crazy in front of Jess, or worse, embarrassing her in front of their whole class due to just a look. After another ten minutes of attempting to be interested in conversation, however, he kept glancing down at the college boy, apparently named Dennis.

Stupid fucking name.

Dennis had also continued to do the same to both him and Jess, looking between the two of them before staring at Jess for an unwanted amount of time, his eyes appearing to forget that she, too, was a person. Against Billy’s better judgment, he looked over at Steve before looking back at Jess.

“I need a drink,” He said before whispering in Jess’s ear, “Stay with Steve, I’ll be back in a bit with some water for you, yeah?” He then got up and left Jess’s side, making sure to leave his jacket by her, using it to claim his spot. Jess watched as he disappeared into the crowd, spotting the way he would turn his head back over in their direction occasionally, jaw clenching every time he did. When she could no longer see him, she scooted herself closer to Steve, hoping that would save her from Dennis wanting to socialize with her in any way. It seemed to work for a moment, but she began to grow nervous when Billy had yet to show back up after a few minutes away. Dennis obviously had taken notice as well, scrutinizing the leather jacket that was placed in his way.

Jess stayed as small as she could, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, until someone within the crowd shouted, “TWO MINUTES TILL MIDNIGHT!” Everyone began cheering, most of the group that was sitting began to stand, awaiting the anticipated countdown. It looked as if Dennis was lost in the crowd, making Jess relax for a moment, only to become on edge again when she felt an unfamiliar hand grab her wrist.

“Hey,” Jess turned around to see Dennis now standing in front of her, much too close for her liking. “So where you gonna be at midnight?” She could unmistakably smell vodka on his breath, which made her stomach churn, it smelling much less pleasant than the slight smell of hops Billy would have after he would drink.

She tried pulling away softly, but when his grip didn’t loosen, she panicked, looking back at Steve for help. “Sorry, I’m just gonna hang out with some friends…” She responded, still looking over at Steve who quickly arrived next to her.

“Hang out with me instead.” He retorted confidently, not caring who was currently next to her.

“Uhm no I-“

“She’s not interested, bud,” Steve quickly butted in, now directing his attention toward Jess, pulling her arm away, “C’mon kid, let’s go.”

Jess eagerly began following him away until she was again stopped by the same unfamiliar hand, Dennis’s other hand nudging Steve away. “How about she tell me she’s not interested.” Jess felt her blood run cold, looking at the difference in stature between her friend and the unwanted college boy, who stood taller and broader than Steve did. However, it didn’t deter Steve from pushing back, much harder than Dennis had pushed him.

“Let go of her, or else.” Steve was now in Dennis’s face, causing Christopher to come over, trying to defuse the situation.

“Come on, Den, let’s get outta here…” Tina’s brother attempted to whisper, trying to take his friend’s hand from around Jess’s wrist. Jess continued to watch the way the older boy’s eyes faded in and out, clearly intoxicated, and furious. She tried to free her arm once again, but was much weaker than the stocky brunette, when suddenly someone grabbed Christopher’s shirt, quickly pulling him away from Dennis, Billy now standing in his place. Jess then felt a slight pinch in her wrist, hurting only for a moment, realizing after that her hand was suddenly free from Dennis’s grasp and secured softly in Billy’s. He then let go slowly, pointing over to Steve without taking his eyes off Dennis. Jess did as she was wordlessly told, making her way back to Steve’s side. She had never seen him this inflamed, his eyes wide and wild, his jaw ticking with anger. Everyone else besides a select few had yet to notice what was going on around them, continuing to count down, which almost drowned out what Billy said next.

“You wanna explain why you’re touching my girl?”

She wasn’t sure if she had heard it correctly, or sure if she, or anyone besides Dennis, was meant to hear it, but she was sure she would have been blushing currently if it wasn’t for the situation they were in.

“FIVE!”

She watched the way Billy was now shaking out his wrists, occasionally clenching and unclenching his hands into fists, stretching out his fingers when they were released. She’s seen this movement from him only once before, and it didn’t turn out so good for the other boy he was facing that night.

“FOUR!”

Billy patiently waited for a response, Dennis coming up with one he wasn’t expecting. The older boy chuckled at him, looking back over at Jess before saying, “Didn’t seem like your girl when I was talkin’ to her.”

“THREE!”

Billy’s expression slowly changed from enraged to feigned amusement, smiling maliciously before he chuckled back, scrunching up his nose as he did so. He continued to stare at him, nodding wordlessly before running his tongue along his top row of teeth.

“TWO!”

Steve seemed to recognize this look as well, taking a step forward to get ready to shield Jess if needed, but still not obstructing her view. She then watched as Billy took one last look over at her, the same smile still there, but his mouth now closed. However, his eyes had a different look, almost apologetic in a way, before he turned back his attention to the creep in front of him.

“ONE!”

“Yeah... Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure to show her a good ti-“

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Dennis’s snide comment was quickly interrupted by a fist to the mouth, causing everyone in the vicinity to back away, some staring wide-eyed, others now cheering. Despite Dennis being slightly taller and wider than Billy, he didn’t seem to be able to stand up to the younger teen, who was relentlessly throwing punch after punch, not stopping until one of Dennis’s other friends jabbed Billy in the gut. Jess watched the way Billy winced in pain, now turning his attention to the other boy. When she saw Dennis standing up again, now squaring up to take an unfair punch, Jess almost screamed at Billy to turn around, but Steve stopped her as he pushed her back against the crowd softly.

“Awe fuck,” Steve mumbled before quickly walking up to the other boy, grabbing his collar before shouting, “Hey!” He then swung his arm back, punching him so hard the boy’s cap flew off. Billy glanced over at Steve briefly, surprised at the sudden help. He then nodded at Steve before turning his attention back over to Dennis. Just when both Billy and Steve seemed to be holding their own, Steve taking on a few more punches than Billy, two other college boys stepped up, Christopher being one of them, who was now also swinging at Billy with Dennis. Jess could hardly keep track of the two boys she came with, watching helplessly as both of them disappeared in the middle of the four older ones. Jason and Patrick, however, emerged from the crowd, trying to pull the other boys off Steve and Billy. Jess watched as Jason grabbed for Christopher, who quickly turned and clocked Jason in the jaw, taking him aback only for a moment before he tackled Tina’s brother to the ground. The fighting went on for only moments more until Jess suddenly saw Billy grab for Dennis’s legs, swiftly lifting him and slamming him into Tina’s coffee table, the legs buckling and center cracking from the weight.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” Tina’s voice could be heard over everyone’s cheering, which quickly stopped once she screamed. “MY PARENTS ARE GONNA FREAK!!” Billy slowly rose from the top of Dennis, dusting his legs off before straightening back up, grimacing in pain as he did. Jason and Patrick both helped Steve off the floor who was now sporting a bloody nose. Billy simply stared at Dennis as he pitifully rolled off the now broken table onto his hands and knees, having a hard time getting back on his feet. Chrissy was now at Jess’s side, holding her hand in anticipation as she looked over at her boyfriend, who was also holding onto his own nose, blood dripping from his hand. However, Jess overlooked Jason’s or Patrick’s injuries, her worried gaze leaving Steve and now focusing on Billy, who now had a bruise forming on his cheek, his bottom lip cut. He had yet to look over at her, his eyes still fixed on the boy on the floor almost as if he was challenging him to get back up. He didn’t even flinch or look over when Tina began to yell again next to him.

“All of you!” She then pointed at all the boys but her brother, “OUT!”

Jason began trying to speak up, “C’mon Tina, they-“

“I said GET OUT!”

Jason ran his hand over his face, flicking blood off, walking toward Chrissy, grabbing her hand with his unbloodied one, then nodding at Jess. “Let’s get out of here.” He then looked at the older boys in disgust as he led the girls to the front door, Patrick already out in the front yard. Billy swiped his jacket from the couch, looking back unsatisfied at Dennis one last time before turning and leaving as well, gesturing at Steve to follow him. Billy quickly caught up to Jess, staying close behind her. She could hear how rapidly he was breathing, making her look back at him, causing him to lock eyes with her before he placed his hand on the small of her back, telling her to keep moving. When they finally reached the concrete step that separated the communal sidewalk from the path leading up to Tina’s doorway, all four boys plopped down to sit, looking exhausted. Jess was the first to speak.

“I’m so sorry guys I-“

“Don’t you dare fuckin’ apologize.” Billy stopped her, shaking his head as he stared blankly across the street.

“Yeah, it’s not your fault, Jess.” Steve agreed, flashing her a sympathetic smile. “You alright?”

Before Jess could answer, however, Billy snapped his head in Jess’s direction, his eyes coming back into focus. “Let me see it,” he demanded, his voice lower in register.

“What?” Jess looked back at him now, confused at what exactly he was requesting.

“Your wrist. Let me see it.” He held out his hand, figuring she would automatically comply, placing her hand into his, allowing him to examine it carefully as he intended. When she didn’t make a move to do so, his eyes darkened. “Jess…”

The wrist in question was tucked securely under her blue sleeve, her fingers grasping the fabric against her palm tightly. She had yet to look at it either, but she was sure there was at least a red mark, based on how tight the older boy had ahold of it and how promptly Billy removed his grip when he saw it. She had just watched Billy calm down a bit, and she wasn’t too keen on seeing his rage spike back up.

“You alright, kid?” Steve now reached for it, the wrist being closer to him than it was to Billy, but she moved it out of easy reach.

“You guys are freaking out over nothing, it’s fine.”

“Then let me see it,” Billy spoke again, his voice attempting to hold steady, not wanting Jess to mistake his anger as being directed at her.

“I’ll let you see it when we get out of here…” Jess softly responded, causing Billy to rise from his concrete seat next to Steve, his leather jacket still in hand. “Billy…” He said nothing in response, draping the jacket over Jess’s shoulders before gently reaching for her left wrist, raising it close to his chest before pushing her sleeve out of the way. Jess was surprised to see bruised lines forming in the shape of fingers. They were light, but certainly there. She then looked up at Billy, who was contorting his mouth in an angered frown, looking over her shoulder and then back at her wrist, as if trying to adjust his eyesight to ensure he was seeing this right.

“Ga’damn,” Patrick now stood next to her, peering over to see the bruises. “That’s fucked, Logan.”

Jess’s eyes moved in his direction in annoyance, indicating he wasn’t helping any, Patrick throwing up his hands in response. Billy still had yet to say a thing, still adjusting his eyesight away from her wrist, only to find himself looking at it again, becoming more unwound with every glance. When he couldn’t keep looking at it, he turned to face Tina’s front door, his chest now heaving.

“Billy no,” Jess said suddenly, not knowing whether he was thinking about going back in to find Dennis again or not.

Steve must have felt the tension as well, also rising from the step, looking down at Jess’s wrist once, cringing at the sight of it. “C’mon man, let’s just leave.”

“And go where? Our rides are still inside.” Jason finally spoke up, still sitting as Chrissy stood over him, her hands secured in his, him not wanting to let go of her just yet.

“You guys didn’t drive here?” Jess asked, looking over at Steve who typically always took his car.

“Not this time.”

“Awe shit…” Patrick cursed, sitting himself back down next to Jason.

“I can’t go back home now, my mom’s gonna flip if she sees blood all over me, gotta at least get this shit off me,” Jason groaned, Patrick quickly agreeing with him.

“We could always go back to Benny’s like we planned?” Chrissy suggested, now trying to rub some of the blood off his cheeks.

“With what car, babe?”

Jess gave Billy an inquiring look, practically asking permission before she mentioned his car out loud.

“Can’t drive yet, princess… thought we’d be here for another two hours.”

“Steve’s sober,” she quickly responded.

He glanced over at Steve, now standing awkwardly next to the two of them, before shaking his head. “Hell no.”

“C’mon, Billy. You wanna sit here the rest of the night? Let’s go to Benny’s, you guys wash up, let the rest of your buzz go ‘way in the next couple hours.” When he didn’t budge, she added, “He’s a really good driver…” causing Billy to roll his eyes.

Jason and Patrick looked up hopefully at Billy, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible as other classmates were now starting to come outside to ‘mingle’, making sure to continue to stare at the banished group. “There’s not ‘nuff seats, and the back’s small as shit.”

“It’s cool, Chris will sit on my lap, Jess and Pat can sit in the back with us, you get front since it’s your car. No big deal.”

Billy stood there for a moment, considering everything he heard before wordlessly tossing his keys to Steve. He then walked ahead of them, a little peeved this was how his night was ending, with a busted lip, a bruised ego, a ruined buzz, Steve fucking Harrington now driving his prized possession, and worst of all, it was his first real night out with Jess.

“Fuckin’ perfect,” He mumbled under his breath, “Just great.”

When they finally reached his car, he stood by the passenger door, eyeing Steve with warning. “If you put a single scratch on her, you’re dead.” He then threw the seat in the upright position, moving out of the way so Jess could squeeze in the middle. Steve did the same, Jason moving into the back seat behind the driver’s side, positioning himself before outstretching his hand to help Chrissy onto his lap. When Patrick began to enter behind Jess, Billy suddenly stopped him, grabbing him by the shirt and tugging backward before mumbling, “You take front.”

Jess smiled when she saw Billy enter, pushing herself over into Jason more to try and make room for him. When he was semi-comfortable, he adjusted the seat back to allow Patrick to sit, leaning back after to try and relax. However, the tight fit made that difficult, not having much room for his legs. He stretched his left arm behind Jess, shifting every two seconds. “Ah shit…”

“Here, you want me to…” Jess then tried scooting her leg out of the way to allow Billy’s leg more room in the middle.

After a few more failed attempts to sit comfortably, Billy grumbled in irritation. “Fuck it. C’mere.” He then grabbed Jess by the hips and effortlessly positioned her on his right leg, her back now facing the small triangle window. He placed his right arm in between her and the door, providing her back with more support, shifting lower so her head wasn’t rubbing against the ceiling. Her legs dangled in between Billy’s, which were now comfortably spread. “This alright?” He whispered in her ear.

She began to nod when Steve entered the car, looking behind him. “You guys okay back th- … ere.” His eyes fixed on Jess and Billy, giving them both a disapproving stare. However, it only lasted for a moment before he turned back around, turning the ignition. He then readjusted the rearview mirror so Jess was able to see his eyes clearly. “Ready to go then? You guys… situated?”

“Ready when you are, Harrington,” Jason grinned, squeezing Chrissy’s thigh as he winked at her playfully.

“Jess?” Steve questioned, glancing back at her through the mirror.

“Uh y-up! Ready!”

Steve nodded, appearing to relax as he accepted her response, again adjusting the mirror so he could see the road behind him.

“Let’s get the hell outta here then.”

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