a/n: sorry if the upcoming chapters will be a little plot heavy, i'm doing my best though to also make it more original. of course adding in my own scenes to replace the ones addie wouldn't have been in anyway. ALSO THANK YOU GUYS FOR OVER 550 reads!

a/n 2: it's still crazy to me that we're at over 122,000 reads! and to think during that first a/n there were 550 total ♥️😭

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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"LUCAS, YOU COPY? I'VE GOT 4 QUARTERS. WHAT'S YOUR HAUL?"

"Take your puny haul and multiply it by five."

"How??"

"While you were scrounging around like a homeless bum, I mowed Old Man Humphrey's lawn."

"Old Man Humphrey's got that kinda cash?"

"Just call Mike already."

"You call Mike."

Addie laughs, grabbing the walkie talkie from Will, who at this point was just listening in to Dustin and Lucas' conversation.

"I'll call Mike if you guys will stop bickering like little kids."

"Hi Addie! Sorry Dustin, I have to go take a shower from doing real work, like a man. Over and out."

"Mike, do you copy? Mike, do you copy?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I copy."

"What the hell are you doing on this channel? Well Lucas and I have six bucks total. What's your haul?"

"Shit! I don't know yet. Hold on. Just call Will."

"We're already here!" Addie talks again, finding it pretty amusing how this is all about how much money they'll have to spend at the arcade.

"Oh hi Addie! Okay well I'll figure it out and meet you guys there bye!"

Addie grabbed her keys and Will raced her out the door into the car. They were both eager to get to the arcade, but for different reasons. Addie had called Billy earlier to see if he was free, and he had responded with "now I am. What'd you have in mind?" She told him about taking Will to the arcade and he said he'd ask Max if she wanted to go, that way his dad couldn't get upset that he left Max home by herself.

"Alright remember what mom said," Addie turned to face Will as she put the car in park.

"I know, I know," he sighed.

"Home by nine on the dot," they both said at the same time.

"Also," Addie tried to remember their moms exact words. "I'm supposed to say if you want to go home, if anything happens, just let me know and we'll go right home."

"Is she always gonna be like this?"

"Given what happened to us, to you, honestly it's a miracle she even lets me take you anywhere. I know this summer was different, she seemed a little more easy going, but... I don't know. Just be outside by 8:45 so we can get home okay? I think if we keep following her curfew, eventually we'll be able to extend it and I can ask her about 9:30 down the road."

"Okay I gotta go they're waiting for me."

Addie waved him off and got out of the car at the same time, having seen Billy turn into the parking lot. She was surprised when Will came around to her side and gave her a hug.

"I love you, thanks Addie," he said before running into the arcade.

Addie stood outside, eventually sitting on the trunk of her car. She saw Billy and Max having what looked like an argument, so she decided to just wait until he got out and came to her. She was staring off into space, not looking at anything in particular, when... wait.

Why was it snowing in Hawkins, at this time of year especially?? She hopped off of the trunk to walk over to Billy and Max to say something about the snow, but when she looked up, they were gone. And it looked just like... no. This wasn't happening again.

In a panic, Addie turned around to face the arcade to see if she could spot her brother, but the arcade was deserted too.

"No no no no. This isn't real. I'm not back here," Addie bit her lip, trying to keep herself from screaming or making any scene out loud. This had to be all in her head. She wasn't back in the Upside Down. Was she??

"Sweetheart. You okay?" She snapped out of it and blinked a few times. Max had just gone into the arcade and Billy was standing right in front of her, pulling her in for a hug.

"Yeah, yeah sorry. I just zoned out, I guess."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead, then put an arm around her as they walked to his car. Addie tried to force the thoughts from her head. She couldn't keep going back to that dark place in her mind.

Luckily, within a few minutes Billy managed to push those thoughts from her head. He had parked far away from the entrance and they spent an hour talking, but mostly making out in the back seat of his car.

A part of both of them wanted to take things a lot further, but 1: neither of them wanted their first time together to be in the parking lot of an arcade where their younger siblings were inside, and 2: this was different for Billy. He had only ever done hookups, one night stands or friends with benefits.

He really cared about Addie and he wanted it to be special.

"What are you thinking about?" Billy asked her as he sat in the back seat, Addie laying down with her head in his lap.

She wanted to tell him, more than anything. But it was a lot of baggage to expect someone else to carry too. Besides, it was probably just her overactive imagination. They were done will all of that Upside Down stuff. And she couldn't put all of that on Billy when it wasn't real now.

"Just... Halloween. I still don't know what I want to dress up as," she shrugged, breathing a sigh of relief when Billy seemed to believe her lie. "Do you know what you're gonna be?"

"Probably nothing. I don't feel like dressing up."

"Will you do something with me?" She smiled. And she looked so excited, that Billy really did change his answer, not just for her sake.

"You know, you're the only girl I'd ever dress up for. What do you wanna do?"

"Hmm... I don't know yet. I'm sure we'll think of something."

She was about to say something else, when she glanced at the clock and realized that it was 8:40. Will was always punctual when it came to curfew, so Addie knew he'd be outside any moment.

"Gotta go?" Billy asks when Addie sits up and stretches.

"Yeah, we have to be home by nine."

They got out of the car, and before Addie walks back to her car, Billy wraps his arms around her from behind and pulls her back.

"Can I come over tonight?"

"I'll leave my window open," she smiles, turning around to give him a kiss. She knew they were playing with fire, Billy sneaking over so often. She didn't think it was likely that her mom would catch them, because as long as they were at home, she respected her kids privacy in their rooms. It was only when they went out that she worried.

But with how Billy described his dad, even though she never officially met him, she worried what would happen if Billy got caught sneaking in, or going back home.

"I don't wanna make you late, I'll see you tonight," Billy winked, giving Addie butterflies. She didn't think she'd ever get over when he smiled at her like that.

Addie had just unlocked her car when Will and the other boys all came outside. Mike asked for a ride home, and Addie of course said yes. She did run inside though, to call her mom and let her know they'd be about 10 minutes late.

Joyce wasn't surprised that they had timed their outing to get home right before curfew. When she heard they'd be late to take Mike home, she immediately understood, knowing the alternative was him riding his bike home alone.

They pulled up to the Wheeler home to find Nancy waiting outside, standing there with her arms crossed.

"What did you do?" Addie laughed, seeing the glares that were being sent Mike's way.

"I couldn't find any money so I panicked and emptied her piggy bank. I said I'd pay her back but it may be a while."

Addie sighed and reached into her pocket, coming up with $2 in coins.

"Next time ask her okay?"

"Hey you don't have to do that, I was going to make Mike do my chores for a month," Nancy approached the car, having seen Addie slip him the money.

"Oh it's okay I meant to pay him back anyway. When I took them to the arcade the other week, I had forgotten my money so Mike used his to buy me a slushie."

She left out the part where he bought it for her as payment for a ride to and from his house. He was a sweet kid.

"Oh, okay! Well I'm free tomorrow so I can give Will a ride, if you boys are going back to the arcade?" She looked in the backseat and waved to him.

"Of course we are. We have to go back. It's life or death, someone beat Dustin's high score on Dig Dug."

Addie and Nancy rolled their eyes, but couldn't help laughing because they knew Mike was serious. After waving goodbye, Addie and Will headed home, making it only 15 minutes past curfew.

"There you guys are," Joyce stood up, relieved her children were finally home. Jonathan got home an hour ago and tried to convince her that Addie would get them home fine and she didn't have to wait in the living room, but Joyce had insisted.

"Can I go back tomorrow?" Will immediately asked. Seeing their mom's hesitation, Addie stepped in.

"Nancy offered to pick him up, and I can go later to bring him home."

"A—alright. That's fine, you can go for a little bit tomorrow. Not all day though, I want you both home by dinner."

"Yes sir!" Addie and Will said in unison, saluting their mom before heading off to their rooms.

Before they both closed their doors, Will called out. "Hey, Addie?"

"Yeah?"

"Actually... never mind. Thanks for taking me tonight," he smiled before shutting his door. He was so close to asking her. She was outside, and he wanted to know if she saw the snow too.

But he remembered her saying she didn't have nightmares nearly as often anymore, and so he kept quiet because he didn't want to scare her.

It's nearly midnight when Billy finally comes over, and the first thing Addie notices is that he's bleeding. There's a small cut above his left eyebrow, and there's a little bit of blood coming from his nose.

Addie doesn't say anything, just pulls Billy into a hug, and she can feel him shaking a little. After a minute she tells him to sit on her bed, then she quietly goes to the bathroom and gets a wet towel, some cut medicine, and a bandage.

When she gets back to her room, she gently wipes the blood away, noticing Billy flinch a couple of times from the pain.

"I'm sorry," Addie tried to be more gentle. Billy shakes his head, putting his hand over hers.

"You're the only thing making me feel better right now," he gives her a sad smile. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

After she cleans him up, he says no to the bandage over his eyebrow, saying it's a small cut and he'll be fine. Addie goes to the second drawer in her dresser, and pulls out the yellow shirt Billy let her borrow.

"I guess you can have this back," Addie smiles, remembering when she wore it to school. Billy was thinking about the same thing, and how he felt when he saw her wear it.

He slips his shirt off over his head, and Addie can't help looking at him.

"Or, you know. You could always sleep shirtless," she shrugged, pretending the idea just suddenly came to her for no reason.

Billy smirked and took the shirt from her, putting it back in the drawer. "It looks better on you anyway," he says as he gently pushes Addie back on the bed, leaning down over her.

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