Maddie's POV

The next day
December 21, 1984
Winter Dance

I was so exhausted that I barely had time to think about what I had just done. Within minutes, after staying wrapped in Steve's embrace, I fell into a deep sleep.

As the first rays of sunlight entered the room, they began to burn my retinas. Slowly, I cracked my eyes open. The first thing I felt as I started to wake up was the weight of a hand resting and pressing against my stomach. I could feel Steve's warm breath brushing against my neck. I sighed. I sighed again and once more, remembering last night. I couldn't care less about breaking the hearts of the guys. I had always done it, and I was completely indifferent to how they might feel.

He tightened his grip on my stomach as I felt him slightly straighten against my back. He gently brushed the hair away from my neck, his fingertips grazing my skin. I bit my lip, trying to hide the shiver that ran through me at the touch of his fingers.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered before leaving a long, warm kiss on my back, near the base of my neck. "Did you sleep well?" He placed another kiss on my neck.

"Yes, very well. Thank you," I sighed, letting a small smile escape.

"You don't need to thank me. I already told you I'd take care of you whenever I could. And after last night, believe me, I'll protect you from that man at all costs, every moment I can. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He kissed my neck again, softly, careful not to hurt me.

"Thank you, Steve..." I smiled like a fool, but I erased that smile instantly. I couldn't let this go any further. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I've always known how to take care of myself." I cleared my throat and quickly pulled away from him. "I need to take a shower."

I didn't say another word. I got out of bed without daring to look him in the face and left the room as if the devil himself were chasing me, heading straight for the bathroom. On the way, conflicting thoughts overwhelmed me.

On one hand, it was truly comforting and reassuring to know that, for once in my life, a man wanted to take care of and protect me. Steve was genuinely a charming guy, and I won't lie—I had thoroughly enjoyed the night before with him in bed. But on the other hand, I knew I couldn't give him what he was looking for in a woman, so I had to put an end to it. Even if that meant distancing myself from the only good male friend I'd ever had.

"Wait, Maddie." Just as I was about to reach the bathroom, I felt Steve stop me in my tracks by grabbing my wrist. "You haven't looked at me all morning. What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said, turning to look at him, trying to keep any trace of emotion off my face. "Nothing's wrong. I just... I just want to get home before Billy starts one of his tantrums."

"It was practically his idea for you to stay here overnight, Madeleine," he said, frowning.

Obviously, he didn't believe me, but I had to stick to that excuse. It was better than telling him the real reason—because the truth was, I didn't want to be with him.

Well, it wasn't that I didn't want to—it was that I couldn't.

Damn it, did I not want to, or couldn't I? I was a complete mess.

"You have no idea how bipolar my brother can be," I insisted. "And I don't want anything else to happen; I don't want to make him angry." I tried to slip into the bathroom, but Steve pulled me back forcefully to stop me.

"Stop, Maddie. Stop making up excuses," he sighed, narrowing his eyes at me. "You know you can talk to me. Tell me what's really going on."

"I don't want to hurt you, Steve. Let me go, please," I huffed, struggling to free myself from his grip.

"Why would you hurt me? Stop saying nonsense," he murmured, still refusing to let me go.

"Because it was a mistake," I said, exhausted by his persistence. "I shouldn't have slept with you. It was a mistake." I exhaled deeply, finally relaxing my muscles in defeat.

"It didn't seem like a mistake to me. Not now, and not last night," he said softly as he let go of my arm and stepped closer to brush a strand of hair from my forehead. "In fact, I'd say it was quite the opposite." He smiled, his other hand pressing gently against my lower back. "If you tell me you truly didn't enjoy it, if you tell me you didn't feel comforted by me, if you honestly say you don't like me being by your side, I'll back off. But don't lie to me," he said, looking me directly in the eyes.

"Steve..."

"Answer me, please."

"Fine. Yes, I liked it. I felt good by your side," I admitted. He smiled and leaned in to kiss me, but I stepped back. "Let me shower and go home, please. I just can't deal with this right now."

"Alright..." He released me. I could see the frustration in his eyes, but I think he understood. "I'll make you a coffee. Then I'll take you home," he said before leaving a quick kiss on my forehead and walking away.

"Thank you," was all I could manage to say before Steve disappeared from view.

I stepped into the bathroom and took a hot, relaxing shower. Once out, I wrapped myself in a towel and stood in front of the mirror, inspecting my neck. It was still slightly red, even bruised in some spots. I cursed under my breath and slammed my fist on the sink. God, I wished Neil would just drop dead—or that some miracle would drive him out of our lives forever.

I quickly dried my hair with a towel and went back to Steve's room to put on my clothes. Once dressed, I headed to the kitchen for that coffee.

There was a mug on the table, seemingly freshly brewed, but Steve was nowhere to be seen. I left the kitchen, and as I walked down the hallway, I started hearing a heated argument.

Approaching the front door, I couldn't believe what I saw. Apparently, peace in my life doesn't last even twelve hours. Billy was on the other side of the door, shouting at Steve.

"Do I always have to find you two arguing?" I snapped as I marched toward them, inserting myself between the two. "You'd better stop this right now, or you can forget I exist. I'm sick of putting up with this nonsense!"

"When your brother learns to accept defeat, we'll stop arguing," Steve growled, his eyes locked on Billy. "When he realizes he has no choice but to accept that you're with me, the fights will end."

"I have no defeat to accept. You're nothing but a loser, and you always will be," Billy spat, his glare fixed on Steve. "Face it before the little ego you have left gets crushed. Maddie isn't yours, and she never will be."

Billy didn't break eye contact, his tone dripping with venom.

"We'll see about that. Haven't I made myself clear already?" Steve retorted with a cynical smile, stepping closer to my brother.

"You know what they say—if you play with fire, you'll get burned. And you're already starting to smell like ashes, Harrington. Don't push your luck unless you have no value for your life," Billy said, squaring up to him.

The tension between them was thick enough to slice with a knife. Both stared each other down, their faces set in stone, muscles taut with anger. And me? I'd had enough. Enough of their pointless pissing contest. Enough of their egos. Enough of this crap. I already had my own problems without these two idiots adding to them.

"That's it! I've had it! Both of you can go to hell!" I yelled, my voice cutting through the charged silence. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE EITHER OF YOU AGAIN!"

My outburst caught their attention, freezing them in place just long enough for me to turn on my heel and walk away.

"Maddie, wait," Steve called, catching up and grabbing me by the wrist. "I can't help it—your brother drives me insane. I'm sorry."

"I don't care," I snapped, whipping around to face him, my frustration boiling over. "It's clear that it's better if I keep taking care of myself, like I've always done. I'm surrounded by idiots!"

"Take it easy, please," Steve said, his voice calm but pleading. "Why are you so upset?"

"Maybe because I'm sick of every guy around me thinking they can decide what I should do with my life!"

"I don't—"

"Bullshit, Steve!" I cut him off, anger flashing in my eyes. "Don't you dare say you don't. You're enjoying rubbing it in my brother's face that I'm with you, just to piss him off. And on top of that, you're assuming that being with you is what's best for me after what happened last night. Well, guess what? It's not!"

"Maddie, you said earlier that—"

"Don't," I cut him off again. I was so furious with everything around me that I knew I wasn't being rational, but I didn't care. "The last thing I need is for you to act like my idiot brother, Steve. It's the absolute last thing I need right now, idiot!"

"Madeleine, don't start with your dramatic lines, damn it," he snapped, frustration evident in his voice. "I already told you I'm sorry!"

"You'd be doing me a favor if you weren't in my life, trust me. You're nothing but trouble and headaches," Billy interjected, stepping between Steve and me, glaring at me with pure rage.

"Another idiot," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "You're the one creating the problems, idiot. Have I mentioned you're a massive idiot? I-D-I-O-T!" I screamed at him, spelling it out.

"Whatever you say, idiot," Billy shot back with mock indifference. "But I need to get you home before this gets worse." He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me toward his Camaro. For a split second, though, I thought I saw a flicker of worry in his piercing blue eyes.

"Let her go, Billy!" Steve followed after us, his voice sharp and commanding.

"In case you haven't noticed, Madeleine isn't some damsel in distress," Billy said, stopping briefly without letting go of my wrist. He turned and gave Steve a scathing look. "Do yourself a favor, Harrington. Go back inside and stop humiliating yourself."

"And you stop treating your sister like garbage!" Steve shot back.

"I'll treat her however I damn well please. And she's not my sister!" Billy growled, his tone dangerous and unyielding.

And just like that, they were at it again. Fighting. Again. Like two wild dogs tearing at each other while I stood in the middle of the storm, more exasperated than ever.

"Enough! Steve, go back to your damn house already!" I yelled, jerking my arm free from Billy's grip. "Fine, we'll go home. But don't you dare say a word to me. I don't want to hear either of your damn voices for the rest of the day. And you'd better keep it that way, unless you want me to kick your most precious parts," I threatened, pointing at both of their crotches with a sharp finger. "You know damn well I'm more than capable of doing it!"

That was the last thing I said before turning my back on them. Both of them instinctively covered themselves with their hands, their faces frozen in disbelief. Without looking back, I headed straight for Billy's car. My anger found its outlet in the form of two loud slams as I shut the car door behind me.

I didn't bother to check if the two idiots exchanged more words, but within seconds Billy joined me in the car. Apparently, my threat had worked: the drive home was steeped in total silence. Yet, my mind was anything but quiet. It churned relentlessly, grappling with the mess of contradictory emotions that were squeezing my chest.

The only way I could think of to escape those feelings today was to distract myself with the Winter Ball at Hawkins High.

Ugh. A dance. The last thing I wanted was to spend the evening surrounded by a bunch of clueless kids running around like headless chickens. At that age, they had no idea what they were doing with their lives. But realistically, even if it wasn't the most brilliant plan ever, it was the best option to keep my thoughts off Steve and Billy for a few hours.

But why should I even think about Steve? Since when did I dwell on the guys I'd slept with? And yet... he'd been so sweet, so gentle and attentive all night. Every time I remembered it, I couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

And I didn't want to smile like an idiot. I didn't want to think about him. I didn't want to be with him—or anyone. I just wanted to go back to living my life the way I always had.

And then there was Billy, the idiot. I hated him, hated him, and would hate him for the rest of my life. But sometimes, I just wanted to protect him, and for him to protect me.

Sometimes...
Sometimes I felt like I wanted to care for him.
For all this hatred to transform into something closer to affection. But that was impossible. Completely impossible.

Ugh! I hated having these kinds of feelings. They only made me weak. Otherwise, why else would I be thinking such nonsense? I was going crazy. Completely insane.

When we finally got home, thank God it was Christmas break. I could lock myself in my room and avoid everyone's faces until it was time for the Winter Dance. Billy and I got out of the car at the same time, walking silently to the door. The moment I opened it, I noticed Billy tensing up instantly.

We stepped inside, and there he was—Neil, the asshole.
"Where the hell were you all night?" he demanded, his tone serious. My mom stood behind him, tugging on his arm, trying to stop him from approaching me.

"At a friend's house," Billy answered, stepping ahead of me.

"I couldn't care less about the whore you were shacking up with," Neil spat at Billy with contempt before turning his attention to me. "Where were you? Are you turning into one of the sluts your brother hangs out with?"

At that, all I wanted to do was slap him. But instead, I took a deep breath, rolled my eyes, and walked past him without saying a word. I just wanted to get to my room, blast my music, and forget everyone in this house existed. Because, of course, my mom wasn't going to stand up for me—not even a little.

"Don't you ignore me, you brat!" Neil grabbed my arm tightly, his grip so strong it hurt.

"Let go of me right now, Neil!" I snapped, frowning as I saw Billy behind him, suddenly on high alert.

"Answer me right now! Where the hell were you all night?!" His eyes were starting to fill with bloodshot fury again. My legs trembled, but I wasn't about to back down from this brute.

"LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!" I yelled back, full of rage.

"Maddie, please..." My mom looked at me pleadingly.

"If you're going to defend him, don't say anything, Mom!" I shot her a withering glare.

"Don't you talk to your mother like that! She was worried about you! And because she was, that means I'm worried about you! So—"

"Worried, my ass!" I struggled to free myself, but I couldn't. So with my free hand, I pointed to the red marks on my neck.

"If you two ever cared even a little, MY NECK WOULDN'T LOOK LIKE THIS! AND BILLY WOULDN'T HAVE A SINGLE BRUISE ON HIS!"

But why was I thinking about Billy again? What sense did it make?

"Ungrateful little brat!" He finally let go, but not before slapping me.

"Goddamn redhead! Shut up already!"

Before he could do anything else, Billy, still unsure how, shoved his father aside, preventing him from touching me again. He grabbed me by the waist with force and dragged me to my room. He shut the door behind us and made sure to lock it.

"Wasn't last night enough for you? What the hell is going on in your empty head?" Billy turned to face me, his gaze intense and concerned.

"Nothing! I'm just fed up with him, with you, and with everyone," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

I didn't want to argue with him. I'd been fighting with people for the last 24 hours, and I was completely exhausted. Billy stepped closer, gripping my shoulders, his eyes still locked on mine.