The previous afternoon, after class, I decided to take a walk around town to get away from Billy for a few hours because I was sure we would argue again as always, and although sometimes I liked to tease him, I was not in the mood to fight with him. I took Max to the arcade with Neil's car, since obviously Billy wouldn't even dream of letting me use his precious blue Camaro to get around; and Neil, as long as I took care of Max and kept her out of the house for a few hours, was happy to lend me his car.

I dropped Max off at the arcade and saw that the same boys who stared at her at school were also there. It was a good thing I took her instead of Billy, otherwise the three of us would be in another fight. I arranged with Max to pick her up at 7:30 PM to go home for dinner. In the meantime, I wandered through a few small shops looking for a costume for tomorrow's party.

I usually enjoyed looking for costumes or shopping for clothes, but this shitty little town doesn't even have a mall, so searching for a costume was more of a tedious chore than a pleasure. Finally, after wandering around endlessly, I got the costume I wanted and went to pick up Max to go back home.

***

The next day at school wasn't much different from the previous one; it was just as boring as always. Some guy approached me with less-than-decent intentions, but I preferred to save myself for the night—I wanted to have a good time. Regarding Billy, I tried to talk to him as little as possible, only when necessary.

The only good thing about Tina and the others being his lapdogs was that I could get rid of him for quite some time since he enjoyed seeing how they fawned over him. Nothing boosted his ego more than that, even though he never did anything with any of them, he simply enjoyed feeding his ego a bit more each day with the girls drooling over him.

We had the last hour free, so I decided to make a small effort and go to the library to try to catch up. I found it terribly tedious, but I had to get through the course no matter what—it was for a greater good. First, I'd get myself out of there, and then I'd try to get Max and my mom out of the hole with Neil, although with my mom, it would be more difficult because, for some reason, she was still blind and unwilling to divorce Neil.

After about 15 minutes in the library, I noticed Nancy and Steve talking. Nancy had a somewhat distressed look on her face, a mix of worry and anger, and Steve seemed to be trying to calm her down. At one point, my gaze met Steve's. He sighed, looked away, and took Nancy to a separate room. My curiosity was piqued, and I wondered what could be so serious that they had to talk in such secrecy.

"Since when do you pay attention to losers?" Billy's voice snapped me back to reality. "I thought you had higher standards."he said mockingly.

"Since when do you care who I pay attention to and who I don't?" I replied irritably, turning my gaze to my notes. "Are you so bored that you have nothing better to do than watch who I look at or don't look at?"

"I told you not to go near him, Madeleine." he said, sitting down in front of me, dropping his hand onto my papers to get my attention.

"What do you want, Billy?" I sighed, looking up to meet his eyes. "Don't you have your entourage of girls to entertain you, that you have to come and bother me?" I tapped my pencil on the table repeatedly, annoyed.

"I'm already bored of them for today, and besides, I'll have to deal with them tonight." he said, squinting as he leaned back in the chair and draped an arm over the backrest.

"As if it's such a burden having all the girls at your feet." I shook my head. "If that's all, can you leave me alone now?"

"Since when do you care so much about studying?"

"Since I desperately need to get you out of my sight, William. And with you sitting here in front of me, I'm achieving the opposite." I frowned.

"Whatever you say." He leaned forward to look me directly in the eyes. "Don't go near Harrington. You've been warned."

"I haven't gone near him, he's with his girlfriend." I replied indifferently.

"As if that would stop you from approaching a man." He gave a cynical smile. "You've been warned. I want you away from him."

"I'm not interested in Harrington. And if I were, what makes you think I'd listen to you and not go after him?" I asked.

"Because you know what I'm capable of doing to a man if I find out he's touched a hair on your head. And judging by how you looked at Harrington, I don't think you'd want anything to happen to his angelic face." he added threateningly.

"Are you jealous?" I moved my face closer to his, almost brushing my nose against his, and spoke in a playful tone. "Is William Hargrove jealous of Steve Harrington, is that it?"

"Not in your wildest dreams, redhead." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and traced the line of my jaw with his index finger until he cupped my chin, making me look into his eyes. "I'm not jealous of anyone, least of all someone like you. I remind you that you're my sister." He took a deep breath, his gaze momentarily drifting to my lips.

"No one said it was jealousy of any other kind." I leaned in closer over the table, making him release my chin but allowing him to close the distance between us. "Sometimes brothers get jealous because they don't want any guy to hurt their little sister."I said while playing with one of the curls falling over his forehead.

"I already told you." he grabbed my wrist to stop me from playing with his hair, biting his lower lip slightly. "I'm not jealous, but if I can avoid getting a beating from my idiot father, I'll do it."he growled.

"Let go of me." I said sharply. "And let me study, for fuck's sake."

"I'll be waiting in the car in an hour. Don't be late." He released my hand and stood up.

"Goodbye." I said without looking at him, listening to his footsteps as he walked away.

As soon as he left, I sighed and leaned back in my chair, covering my eyes. Of all the stepbrothers I could have had, with the number of people in California, did it have to be him? I must have done something really bad in my previous life to have to endure this punishment now.

Finally, the end of classes arrived. I grabbed my books and headed to Billy's car. Luckily, I arrived before Billy, just like Max, so that meant we might have a somewhat calm ride home. When Billy arrived, we started heading home.

About halfway through the trip, I spotted some kids in the distance on bicycles, and they seemed to be dressed as Ghostbusters. One of them had curly hair, very similar to one of Max's supposed friends. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Max's distressed look in the rearview mirror.

"Those are your friends, right?" Billy said, also looking at Max in the mirror.

"I told you, I don't know them." she responded, somewhat nervously.

"Are you sure?" he added, pressing down on the accelerator a bit more. At that moment, I became alert.

"What are you doing, Billy?" I said nervously, seeing how he was getting closer to those kids.

"If you don't know them, you won't mind if I run them over, right?" He continued to press the accelerator, getting closer and closer to the kids.

"Billy, stop!" Max pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears as she realized we were almost upon them. "Please, stop!"

"Shit, Billy, shit!" I screamed before grabbing the wheel, swerving to avoid the kids at the last moment. "Damn it, Billy!"

I sat back, placing a hand on my chest to calm my breathing, not before looking back to make sure the kids were okay. The rest of the drive was silent until we reached home. Max jumped out of the car quickly, even before Billy had turned off the engine. Then Billy and I got out, and at that moment, I couldn't hold back anymore and confronted him about his behavior.

"Have you lost your mind, Billy?" I said, still shaken. "They're just kids, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I was making things clear to your sister." he said impassively, leaning against the hood of the Camaro as he lit a cigarette.

"How? By running over kids who did nothing wrong?" I approached him, furious.

"I didn't run them over." he responded with complete indifference, exhaling smoke.

"You almost did, you idiot." I grabbed his cigarette and threw it to the ground to make him look at me.

"What are you doing?" he growled, finally meeting my gaze.

"For once in your life, think with your damn head." I scolded, pointing my index finger at his face. "Think about all the consequences if you had run them over. You would have ruined the lives of many families, including your own, idiot."

"As if my life isn't already messed up enough, freckle-face." he laughed sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There's no talking to you." I said, rolling my eyes. "Just don't do it again, William. Next time I might not be there to prevent it and bail you out."

"Now it turns out you care about me?" He tilted his head, smiling as he straightened up.

"No. I'm just trying to think for both of us since you clearly can't, you idiot." I replied angrily before heading into the house, leaving Billy behind.

*********

That same day, at dusk.

I spent the rest of the afternoon locked in my room to avoid seeing Billy. I only opened the door for a while to help Max with her homework and assure her that she had nothing to worry about, that Billy wouldn't do anything to her friends.

Half an hour before the party, I started doing my hair and putting on my costume. I would have preferred to walk or have Neil lend me his car to go to the party, but he insisted that I could only go if I was accompanied by Billy—same old story. I finished dressing in my Playboy bunny costume, but I covered myself with a coat so I wouldn't reveal the costume until I got to the party, otherwise, I was sure there would already be trouble with Billy.

During the ride, I was the one who turned up the music this time to avoid talking to Billy. All I wanted was to get to the party, drink, dance, and forget that we've only been here two days and it has already shown me that this town is a dump. I hoped that tonight might change that perspective a bit. More than hoped, I needed it.

"Try not to ruin my night, redhead." Billy said as soon as he got out of the car.

"I don't see why I would ruin it." I tried to stifle a small laugh as I took off my jacket, revealing my costume. "Try not to ruin mine." I winked at him, amused.

For a moment, it seemed like I had left him speechless, he just stood there, staring at me from head to toe like a dumbfounded idiot. So, I decided to walk away.

"You couldn't have found something that showed even more skin, could you?" he finally reacted and grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Actually, yes, but I prefer to save that outfit for more intimate moments, maybe with some guy from Hawkins." I smiled.

"You know I'll tear him apart. Don't provoke me, Madeleine." he looked at me with darkened eyes.

"Yeah, if you find out, of course." I quickly freed myself from his grip. "I'm going to have fun, I won't bother you and you won't bother me. Period." I started walking towards the party, turning my back on him. "See you for the ride back."

I could hear Billy cursing a few meters behind me, and just for that, the night had already been worth it. I entered the house and headed straight for the kitchen to get some punch. On the way, several guys whistled at me to get my attention, but I just wanted to drink. On the dance floor, I saw Nancy and Steve dancing, she gave me a kind smile, and he just ignored me.

Wow, that guy sure holds a grudge.

After dancing on the floor for a while with what seemed like two cheerleaders and a couple of guys, I decided to go outside for some air and smoke a cigarette. Luckily, I had lost sight of Billy up until that point.

But luck runs out quickly. As soon as I set foot on the porch and leaned against the railing, I saw Billy and a group of guys, including Tommy, making Billy drink beer upside down from a keg. They were celebrating victoriously that he had set a record for how fast he downed it.

I rolled my eyes at the basic scene. They were so pathetic, Billy as usual being the center of attention and all the guys around him trying to gain his favor. I turned around to go back inside the house when I bumped into Tina and some other friends, mesmerized by my brother.

"Do you need a mop?" I called out to them, and they looked at me. "I mean, for the trail of drool you're leaving."

"I don't know what you're mocking." Tina responded with a superior air. "If he weren't your brother, you'd be the first one after him."

"Exactly" said Carol.

"Precisely because he's my brother, and I know what he's like, I'd never go near him. You've been warned, he's going to break your hearts. I don't know if you're mature enough to handle Billy using you one night and pretending he doesn't know you the next day."

I clicked my tongue. "Good luck with that, I've already warned you."

I left them mid-sentence and went back inside the house to get myself a beer this time. As soon as I had my drink and was about to return to the dance floor, I saw Billy confronting Steve along with Tommy and a couple of other guys. Steve took off his sunglasses to face him. Somehow, the brunette noticed I was watching them, so he glanced at me and then at Billy before walking away, leaving Billy with the words stuck in his throat. That only boosted Billy's ego, making him feel victorious. However, I'm almost certain Steve did it to avoid a fight and because, after only two days, he already realized that trying to reason with my orangutan brother is completely useless; it doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

I headed toward the kitchen before Billy could spot me, now even less inclined to deal with him and his inflated ego. As soon as I reached the drinks area, Nancy appeared shortly after, I decided to stay quiet until she spoke to me first.

"Your brother is an idiot." Nancy said, pouring herself a glass of punch. She seemed quite drunk; I never would have imagined that from her. Clearly, appearances are deceiving.

"Believe me, I know, Wheeler." I replied, frustrated. "Sorry if he treated you badly."

"Not me." she looked at me, frowning. "Since the first class yesterday, he's been picking on Steve. Doesn't he have other guys to fight with?"

"It's something..." Seeing Nancy down the huge glass of punch almost in one gulp made me trail off. "Wow, wow! Careful, Wheeler, if you drink that fast, you won't end the night well." I said, trying to take the glass from her.

"Leave me alone, Maddie. We're young and at a party. This is what we're supposed to do, right?" She continued to frown, but I swear her eyes were filled with sadness.

"Yeah, sure." I looked at her doubtfully. "But not..."

"What are you doing, Maddie?" Steve appeared out of nowhere and interrupted me.

"Nothing, just trying to prevent your girlfriend from getting alcohol poisoning." I said, making a face.

"Don't bother, I'll handle it." he said seriously, grabbing Nancy by the waist to keep her from falling.

"Are you sure?" I asked, unsure why I was even offering to help.

"Just... go, Maddie." he huffed, nervously.

"Alright." I replied.

I didn't insist further, so I refilled my glass and headed back to the dance floor for a while, leaving Harrington to take care of his girlfriend. After some more dancing and finishing my drink, I decided to go back outside. I was starting to get bored, the music was the same over and over, and I hadn't found any guy who interested me in the slightest.

I began wandering around the yard, hoping the alcohol would wear off a bit, as I was starting to feel a bit dizzy. After a few moments, someone appeared out of nowhere, furious, and bumped into me.

"Ouch, damn it! Watch where you're going." I complained.

"Sorry." Steve passed by me without looking, seeming quite angry.

"Steve!" I went after him and touched his shoulder to stop him. "Are you okay, Harrington?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he looked at me, and an ironic smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

"I don't know, you tell me." I crossed my arms. "That irony, your angry face, and the fact that you almost knocked me over because you seem desperate to get out of here, I don't think it's because you're overflowing with happiness." I raised an eyebrow.

"Now you care about how I am?" he laughed sarcastically.

"Hey, if you had a fight with your girlfriend, that's not my fault." I growled. "I just..."

"Forget it, Maddie." he huffed. "You made it very clear that I should stay away from you and that we're not friends. Don't come to me now with fake concern, it won't get you into my bed."

"Wow, turns out you do have a sharp tongue, Harrington." I responded, surprised. Even though I knew I deserved it, his reaction caught me off guard since he seemed like a calmer guy. "And for the record, I don't want to get you into bed. Good night, Steve."

I walked away and heard Steve sigh behind me before slamming his car door and driving off. I went back inside the house looking for Nancy because if Steve had left alone, it meant Nancy was still here. To my surprise, as soon as I entered, I saw Nancy hugging a tall, brown-haired guy with dark circles under his eyes. I had seen him at school but didn't know his name, although, I did notice he was always carrying a Polaroid. The two of them walked out the door together, so if Steve had seen that, I understood his anger. At least I was sure Nancy would be safe and no one would take advantage of her. It might seem contradictory given my bad temper, but as a woman, I know what men can be capable of when someone is drunk, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, so I wanted to make sure Wheeler was okay.

I went back to what I was doing, danced, drank a little more, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. The alcohol was definitely getting to my head, so it was better to stop. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw a group of guys, led by Tommy, coming directly towards me. I was surprised not to see Billy with them, but he was probably hooking up with some girl. I continued on my way, trying to ignore them, but Tommy planted himself in front of me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"What do you think you're doing?" I looked at him, annoyed.

"I'm giving you what you want, sweetheart." he looked at me with lust, almost making me gag. "You're asking for trouble with that costume. Well, I'm going to give it to you."

"Have you mentioned this to your girlfriend? She might not take it well." I replied sarcastically.

"She doesn't need to know. It'll be our little secret." He leaned in slowly, trying to kiss me.

"Look, Tommy." I placed my hand over his lips to stop him from kissing me. "If you want to keep your balls intact..." I moved my hand to his crotch and gave a firm squeeze, causing his eyes to widen. "... you better go hit on someone else. If you touch a single hair on me, you better start running. I guarantee Billy will make you suffer like no one ever has." I let go, and he removed his hand from my waist. "Don't come near me again, got it? Just the thought of you makes me want to puke." I made a disgusted face and pretended to gag.

I saw his friends trying not to laugh, from their reactions, I could tell no girl had ever humiliated him like that before.

"Bitch." he growled.

"Is that all you've got? An insult?" I laughed. "You're pathetic." I turned my gaze to a tall, blond guy with green eyes who was with Tommy, probably from the basketball team. I hadn't seen him before, but he was quite handsome. "The only one I'd let find out if I'm really a bitch is him." I winked at the blond guy, who gave me a pleased smile that disappeared the moment Tommy glared at him.

"Get lost, whore." Tommy insulted me again, but it didn't affect me at all.

"It'll be a pleasure." I said as I walked toward the blond guy and whispered in his ear. "If you're bored, I'll be around." He looked at me with eyes full of lust, and I winked at him before walking away.

While I do like bad boys, that Tommy guy definitely wasn't my type, he even gave me the creeps for some reason. For once, Billy not letting any guys get close to me was going to be useful. I never would have imagined it. I headed outside, glancing over my shoulder. As I suspected, the blond guy was following me at a safe distance. Once outside, I went to one side of the house, a bit more secluded from the crowd. In a split second, the guy appeared and cornered me against the wall.

"Does your offer still stand?" he asked with a playful smile, pressing one of his hands on my lower back.

"Maybe..." I looked at him playfully.

I slid my hands down his back until my fingers tangled in his hair. Our lips met slowly and deliberately, starting with a long, gentle kiss. It didn't take long for the kiss to intensify. He pressed his body against mine, and I could feel a bulge forming in his pants, pressing against my lower abdomen. A playful smile curled on my lips as I felt it while we continued kissing. I lifted my leg, resting it on his hip, he slowly caressed my thigh until his hand reached my rear, giving it a firm squeeze. A soft moan escaped our lips. We parted our lips slightly, allowing our tongues to play rhythmically, making our kisses deeper and wetter. As the kiss grew more intense, more and more moans filled the air, and our skin felt hotter. It was clear we needed to find a more private place. But just then, I saw Billy yanking the guy away from me with fury and delivering a punch that broke his nose.

"Shit, Billy!" I exclaimed, startled, as I pulled out a handkerchief I had hidden in my bodysuit. I always carry one just in case. "Here, use this to stop the bleeding." I approached the blond guy to hand it over.

"Thanks." he muttered as he wiped the blood and pressed the handkerchief to his nose.

Despite not being surprised by his reaction, Billy had gone too far by making the poor guy bleed. I didn't know how he found us since I had purposely chosen a secluded spot. I glanced at Billy and saw Tina and her friends standing right behind him with cynical smiles. I was convinced they had fetched him to tattle on me. What a trio of witches.

"We're going home. It's over." Billy said, bending down to grab my thighs and hoist me onto his back.

"What are you doing? Put me down right now!" I protested as Billy marched towards his car, aware of all the eyes on us.

"I warned you, Madeleine." he responded in an angry tone, ignoring the crowd. "I told you to be careful. You didn't listen, and you know what happens when I get mad."

"Let me go, Billy, damn it!" I kicked and pounded his back with my fists.

"Kick all you want. I'm taking you home." he growled, finally setting me down by the blue Camaro.

"Get in the car. I won't say it twice." he commanded, clenching his fist as he got into the car.

"I hate you." I muttered, getting into the car.

Billy started the car and sped off. When he's angry, he drives even faster, but I was even angrier, so I just ignored him. Billy drove all the way with a clenched jaw and tense hands gripping the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road. We arrived home, and he parked with a near skid.

I slammed the car door shut without even grabbing my coat and stormed inside, Billy close on my heels. I knew he was behind me because I heard the front door slam as soon as I entered. I was heading down the hall towards my room when he stopped me before I could get inside.

"You were warned. I told you not to ruin my night." he muttered.

"Let me go, Billy." I tried to free myself, but it was futile. "You ruined my night, in case you didn't notice. And that guy's too." I looked at him with frustration and anger.

"I don't give a damn. And that guy is in that state because of you. I told you I didn't want to see you near any guys." he said, clenching his free hand into a tight fist.

"I don't belong to you, William." I retorted, now fully enraged.

"You will as long as Neil is our father." he looked at me with eyes practically bloodshot.

"Stepfather!" I shouted. "You and I are nothing, Billy! Let me do whatever I want with my life, I'm sick of you!"

"And I'm sick of you!" he cornered me, placing his hands on either side of my head, palms flat against the wall. "You're a damn headache!"

"Then just stay away from me and imagine! That headache will disappear." I straightened up to face him, my face just inches from his.

"If it were that easy, I would have done it a long time ago, stupid." His voice was a bit calmer now, but he didn't move away. I pressed my hand against his bare chest, trying to push him away. I didn't succeed, but I felt his furious, rapid heartbeat under my fingertips and his chest rising and falling irregularly.

"I hate you..." I whispered, my voice trembling, locking eyes with him.

"Not as much as I hate you..." he murmured almost inaudibly, licking his lips.

A heavy silence settled between us as the distance between our bodies grew smaller. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me, but I couldn't stop staring at his lips. Reflexively, I began to trace his bare torso with my fingertips, biting my lower lip to contain the excitement threatening to surface.

What the hell are you doing, Maddie? It has to be the alcohol, there's no other explanation.

Billy remained serious, now pressing his chest against mine, leaving me with no escape. His breathing was as uneven as mine. He slid one of his hands to my chin, slowly tracing the outline of my lips with his thumb. I parted my lips, stifling a soft moan.

At that, he flashed a mischievous smile, running his tongue over his lower lip as he removed his thumb from my lips. He tilted his head and began to lean toward me, placing his hand on the back of my neck while I gently caressed the skin of his back. His warm breath mingled with mine, my pulse quickening. We kept getting closer, and I could almost feel his lips brushing against mine, my breath catching with the anticipation of his kiss.

"Maddie? Is... Are you okay?" Max's voice made us instantly pull apart.

"W-What?" I looked at her, startled, and took the breath I had been holding. "What are you doing awake? You should be asleep."

"Your yelling woke me up..." she said, rubbing one eye, looking at us with a puzzled expression. "I was worried about you..."

"Mind your own business, you little brat." Billy growled at Max, then turned back to me. His cheeks were still flushed, and with those tight pants, it was hard to hide his arousal. "And you're warned. Don't make me have to pry you off another guy."

"Get lost, Billy. You'd better start training your fists because I'm not wasting my youth on an asshole like you. I'll do whatever I want, with whoever I want." I raised both hands to flip him off with both middle fingers. "Good night." I said with an ironic smile.

"Screw you, Maddie. Screw you." He finally seemed to give up and went to his room, slamming the door. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to process everything that had just happened.

"Maddie, are you sure he didn't do anything to you?" Max asked, drawing my attention back to her.

"You're really red and look kind of sweaty..." she raised an eyebrow.

"Go to bed, Max. It's late, and there's school tomorrow." I took her by the shoulders and steered her toward her room, ignoring her comment.

"But..." she tried to argue.

"No buts." I pushed her into her room. "Good night." I closed the door before she could continue talking.

I went straight to the bathroom to take off my costume and makeup and get under the shower with lukewarm water to try to sober up. I didn't know what was in that punch, but next time I'd bring my own drink. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought again about what had almost happened. What the hell was I thinking? Billy was the last person on earth I would ever sleep with.

And yet, you almost let him kiss you.