✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　three　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

- edge of seventeen, stevie nicks

" but the moment that I first laid
eyes on him, all alone "

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　billy　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Steve smiled as he walked into the gym with his date. Glancing around in excitement looking for Gracie who decided to stay after school instead of traveling home.

Gracie spotted him first, standing up with a small grin and waving her arm at him. He nearly jumped for joy, leading his date up the bleachers to where she sat.

"You got the best seats in the house!" He smiled, hugging her side slightly, sitting on her right with his date on his.

"I thought you said we were meeting your friend, not a girl." She eyed Gracie as she spoke, her gaze going back to Steve when he turned to his friend. "The girl is my friend, sister really."

He already thought the date was going horribly even after she made the comment about them winning the year after he graduated. But, if she's freaking out about them being friends just wait until she found out they live together.

Principal Higgins trudged to the middle of the gym where the microphone was placed. "Everyone now please rise for our national anthem."

The mascot made a motion to stand when everyone had begun rising from their seats on the bleachers.

"Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!" He smiled and clapped causing the gym to erupt as she sauntered in the gym with her hands raised above her head.

She stepped up to the microphone, gripping the handle tightly, eyes closed in concentration. "Oh, say can you see!"

Her voice was horrendously off key for her to be singing the national anthem. The microphone gave loud screeching feedback which began to hurt Gracie's ears.

Her face scrunched up, eyes locked on Steve as she couldn't believe her ears. "Yeah, she sucks." He whispered to the girl, a small laugh erupting from her throat.

The girl Steve brought as a date leaned forward so the brunette was now in her view. A glare shined in her eyes directed towards Gracie, she could feel it too.

Burning into the right of her face, however she ignored it and a smile that wasn't all too real formed on her lips.

Her mind slowly wandered to Eddie 'the freak' Munson when her gaze hit the gym doors, who was on the other side of the school hosting his Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

She had begun to grow tiny feelings after he gifted her a small rose on Valentines Day last month. It was what made her think that he could possibly like her as no previous fling nor boyfriend besides Billy had done anything like that.

Gracie was still unsure though, Eddie wasn't that easy to read, he was an notably flirty-friendly person. It didn't help that Gracie was an over-thinker.

That's why she only realized a week ago that she doesn't need to have sex with Eddie to help her cope.

He helps her cope by just being in the same room as her. She wanted more than sex but she was too afraid to come clean.

Soon the game was nearing its end and Gracie grew incredibly bored. She only ever went to these games for Steve, now Lucas, and once was Billy.

During the time Lucas finally got into the game, she tapped Steve's shoulder motioning towards the gym doors. "I'm going to the bathroom." He nodded along, his focus on the basketball game. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

She rolled her eyes slightly, if she could she'd bet ten dollars he'd ask where she was when she got back all because his attention was on a rubber ball and hanging nets.

She stepped down the bleachers, smiling at Chrissy on her way down. Gracie went out of the gym doors as quietly as she could. Truth be told she didn't have to use the bathroom.

She only wanted to wander, it was better than sitting at a game you were hardly interested in. The only sport she actually cared for was baseball, but Lucas had to choose basketball.

She could hear the cheering from the gym echoing down the halls as she walked past the old storage room. She stopped in her tracks, head turned towards the door when she heard yelling from inside.

"Dustin?" She whispered to herself, then she remembered. "Hellfire club."

She smiled at the thought of them having fun and living carefree after everything that has happened over the past two and a half years.

Gracie walked back towards the gym in hopes of it nearing its end but was stopped as she heard the ticking of a clock.

Her neck slowly spun around her eyes straining to fixate on what she saw in the distance. She walked a couple of steps forward, wary of the mysterious noise.

Gracie stopped as her eyes fixed upon a large grandfather clock stuck in the wall near the counselors office. Brows frown at the sight. The ticking loud in her ears.

The black vines surrounding it reminded her of the upside down and she hated it, each tick became louder, echoing between her ears.

"You don't cry anymore." A gasp shot out of her throat, whipping around seeing a figure hidden the the dark slowly approaching her. The rasp of their voice oh so familiar.

"Who's there?" Her hands began to shake as their heavy footed boots hit against the school floor.

"Now you don't even remember me?" The figure asked her as a deep chuckle erupted in vibrations throughout his throat. "Billy?" She was completely shocked.

He stepped out of the darkness to the small amount of light that occupied the hall. His deep ocean blue eyes shown to her as the light reflected into them. The same necklace with her name in gold hung around his neck, glistening when he moved.

"It's me, baby." A smirk accompanied his lips. The smirk she missed so much. One she never thought she would see again, which is why she regret not taking enough photos and videos of him and her dad.

"How? How are you here right now?" A smile began to grow on her lips before she full took in his appearance and her lips curved down more each second longer she stared.

His stomach was torn, the wounds from the Mind Flayer still on his body, blood still wet. The ticking grew louder in her ears.

"You're not real..." Gracie shook her head and tears pricked at her eyes. "Yeah, I'm dead." His voice trailed on the final word as if it were obvious.

"And it's all your fault! If you never asked me to meet you at Lover's Lake, I wouldn't be dead right now! You killed me!"

With each word he took a step closer, veins almost popping out of his neck from the anger he showed.

Gracie's eyes began to gloss over, the words stinging into her heart. "Billy, that's not true." She nearly flinched as she felt the wetness begin to cascade down her cheeks. "You know it's not true!" She began to back up in fear as he came closer to her.

It was so loud now, to the point she couldn't even hear herself think. It was painfully loud and she wanted it to stop.

This wasn't her Billy, he only wore his face and stole his name. But it wasn't him. Billy was gone. Billy was dead.

"You wanted me dead! You never loved me! It was always him! You just couldn't have him so you went to me..." Billy smirked seeing the fear carried upon her features.

Her heart beat hard against her chest, so hard you could feel it anywhere you touched her. "It only took you two months to move on. That's not love." He let out a loud raspy laugh like a maniac, his tongue running over his teeth.

"You held me and watched me die and you were glad I was finally out of your life." Her back was pressed up against the cold painted brick wall.

He hovered over her, breath fanning against her cheeks as his voice suddenly turned dark and emotionless.

"Well I'm back, darling."

He grabbed her face harshly titling it to the side. Wincing as he pulled her head forward ready to slam it against the wall.

Her brown eyes shut tightly as she waited for the pain to arrive. Shoulder pressed up against her right cheek, tears dripping down her lips and off her chin.

Then it suddenly grew quiet. It was too quiet. The ticking of the clock was gone. Slowly her eyes squinted open and there was no Billy and there was no clock.

Her racing heart began to slow down once she realized it all wasn't real. Hands stuck in her hair as her back slid down the wall, sitting on the floor.

A sob ripped out of her throat and her throat began to hurt from the loud cries she shed. Her hand covered her mouth as she tried to quiet them down but it wasn't useful.

It took about a minute or two to finally calm herself down. Staring off into blank space, studying the lines of the bricks on the walls.

Her shirt was pulled up to her face as she wiped it free if tears. Praying her eyes weren't red and cheeks weren't puffy when she stepped back into the gym.

She put on a smile when she saw Steve cheering for the team. She made her way back up to him and his date, muttering small excuse me's as she accidentally nudged people.

A breath was released out of her throat as she finally sat down next to him. Steve's eyes flickered over to her and his lips turned down into a frown seeing a stray tear on her cheek.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He placed his hand over the one she had on her knee, rubbing his thumb against her skin.

"Nothing. I was just thinking and it got the best of me." She shrugged watching the game unfold. Steve knew that if he pushed anymore she would just repeat the same thing over again.

Whenever something was wrong with her she'd never open up. To her it was wrong to bombard someone else with your problems which almost forced them to comfort you and feel sorry for you.

She hated it.

Gracie just wanted to handle her problems by herself.

- from honey
... I- ... am not sorry for that