"You sure you're alright? Cause if you're not we can just skip school today. My dads not home, we could make a real good time out of it." Mary suggested to her boyfriend as she offered him a brief sly smile before turning her gaze back to the open road, driving towards school in her famous sports car — now with a fresh coat of red paint, recently done by said boyfriend the moment he arrived home the day before.

      Charlie Williams sat in the passenger seat, his seat belt unbuckled — something Mary often scolded him for, but still Charlie refused to use one. Mary didn't know why, she were sure Charlie just enjoyed being difficult.

The boy looked away from the window and to his girlfriend of now two years with a smile, "As tempting as that is, you and me both know we've gotta stick it out in school — since our parents are always hounding our asses." He reminded her and Mary groaned as they drove down the back-roads a little away from Charlie's house after picking him up — Mary loved the drive from there, it was relaxing with beautiful Hawkins scenery.

     "Correction, your parents have been hounding your ass. My dad's been pretty cool, it's my mom that's suddenly trying to act like mother of the year and make sure I graduate school. As if she ever bothered the years leading up to senior year." Towards the end of what she were saying, Mary's bitter voice took a solemn turn and Charlie frowned.

      He reached over, putting his hand on her bare thigh exposed from the new pair of torn denim shorts she had purchased whilst she were out shopping the week before. He gave her thigh a squeeze, "Mare, it's your mom's loss, not yours," He assured her and she sighed, "She's the asshole that bailed, not you. Alright?" He urged, leaning his head forward and catching her eye.

      Mary looked over at him, finding a smile working it's way to her lips and she nodded, "Yeah, alright." She agreed and Charlie leaned over, giving her a kiss on the lips as they drove down the straight road.

      "Hey, how's it going with your dad and the Hopper Lodge? He's been working on that thing for over a year, will it ever be finished?" Charlie asked curiously, addressing how since Christmas the year before, Jim Hopper suddenly took an interest in fixing up the old Cabin that Mary had not visited in years.

The Lodge was deep into the woods, between a vast amount of oak trees. The wooden house had been a getaway for the Hopper's, a place of certain relief and comfort — at least when they were once a family. Mary's grandparents used to visit and together, they'd all visit for the weekend, sometimes a week if Jim weren't too busy at the station.

Mary had loved that wooden house, she loved roasting marshmallows in the fire of the living room. She had loved snuggling up with her sister on the couch as their father read them bedtime stories. But that were just the thing, Mary had loved it — but no longer, because it were just a distant memory she hadn't visited in years.

      Mary scrunched up her face, "I have no idea." She told him as she grasped the cigarette packet from the side of her seat and flicked it open, letting go of the steering wheel. Charlie handed her his lighter and took the wheel whilst she lit the cig.

"He still won't let me see it, he says that it's going to be a big surprise when it's finished or something, I don't know." As she spoke, clouds of smoke left her lips — she had told Jonathan Byers sometime last year that she were going to quit and she had for a while during summer where road trips to deserted places were necessary and she had things to keep her occupied in her spare time.

But with senior year drawing to an end, Mary was on edge and thus, got back into her bad habit. She wasn't proud, especially after swearing an imaginary oath to Jonathan about it — but stress was stress and the nicotine helped her get through it, at least that's what she told herself.

      Charlie was suddenly chuckling to himself, "You think your dad got himself a woman?" He joked, nudging his girlfriend who theatrically shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut, shaking her head and her body as though it sent shivers down her spine.

      "Don't even go there, Charles! Don't even!" She exclaimed, whacking him as the boy broke out into laughter, throwing his head back onto the headrest of the chair, "You're an asshole! Now I've got the image of my dad taking his lady friends up to our humble little family cabin!" She were laughing too, unable not to, but Charlie were laughing harder and louder.

      Mary retaliated by flicking ash onto his denim jeans and Charlie gasped as the ash burned through his trousers a little, "That's it!" He yelled, lunging over at her making her squeal and hit the brakes, making the car skid to a stop on the side of the road.

      The pair teasingly fought for a moment, laughter floating away into the air. Mary threw her cigarette out of the window before pushing on Charlie's chest, knocking him back onto the passenger seat before she clambered onto him, her long legs straddling his waist.

      She pulled her longer dark hair over her shoulder and their lips met in the middle, smiles still on their faces. Charlie's hands rested on Mary's hips, whilst hers clutched his face and neck as she kissed him hard, eagerly moving on his lap, making the boy breathe hot breaths into her mouth.

      Mary pulled back, eyes glittering mischievously into Charlie's who copied her look, "You really don't wanna just bail on school?"

      "These are an important couple of months for us, Mare." He was smiling still, enjoying her playful notion.

      Mary fake pouted, "There's nothing I can do to convince you?"

      Charlie pushed himself up a little bit, grinning ear to ear, "That depends, what do you have in mind?" Mary smirked, leaning over and whispering low and possibly dirty words into Charlie's ear who's lips parted into a smile as she spoke.

      The girl sat back, looking down at him innocently before she shrugged her shoulders, "But I guess school is more important." She chimed, a gentle look on her face, one full of Nancy Wheeler innocence — all but Mary was far from ever being innocent.

       Charlie stared at her from where he sat, paying attention to her legs around his her knees leaning against each side of the seat, her stomach that was on show from the thin crop top she was wearing and her bare neck exposed from her hair that rested behind her ears — Mary Hopper was undeniably sexy.

      He watched her a moment longer before heaving out a breath, "Oh, fuck it." Mary was already grinning in victory as Charlie's arms hooked around her back and rolled her over onto the driver's seat, kissing her hard and she giggled into his lips loudly as his hands roamed over her thighs and stomach.

      Mary and Charlie seemingly never had a boring sex-life. They were teenagers still and even the sheer thrill of it excited them. They were a compatible pair, who did not fret over telling the other what they wanted and what made them tick. It were a perfect match even, like Steve had once concluded.

       Mary's hands fumbled for Charlie's belt buckle, neither of the teens caring that they were parked in broad daylight on a country road were people would surely drive by — they were too caught up in each other.

       Finally, the buckle came loose as the pair heatedly kissed each other and before Charlie could be free of his jeans, something suddenly whacking the side of the car so hard made the vehicle shake and the pair jumped up, startled by the bang and shake. A small yelp escaped Mary's lips.

       A car zoomed down the road and Mary quickly clambered out of her car, almost falling over her own feet, trying to get her hair out of her face as she stepped onto the dirt path.

She rushed around the other side of her car and seeing that the imbecile had knocked off the side mirror, her mouth flew open with rage as Charlie got out after her.

The car speeding off down the road was a blue Camaro, "Asshole!" Mary screamed after the car, flipping the driver the bird as Charlie picked up the broken mirror that had shattered upon impact and had been knocked a little away.

       "I'll get this fixed at the garage later," He told her, chucking it into the car through the open window before he wrapped his arm over Mary's shoulder who  was silently fuming, "And we'll find the dickhead that did it."

                                                                                     ———

       After the car incident Mary had been pretty pissed, as had Charlie and so, with their mood spoiled they decided it was best to just go to school. Maybe that way they could ask around about the car that hit them when they were clearly off the road — Mary wanted to give the idiot driver a piece of her mind and maybe some driving tips.

        And so, they pulled into the school with still some time to spare, however Charlie had to go and speak with his Guidance Councillor his mother had insisted on a year before and so he left Mary to her own devices, which was just chilling alone in her car with her feet kicked up on the dashboard.

       Mary stared across at where Charlie had been previously sitting with a small smile. Honestly, Charlie had been different since his experience with The Upside Down. He weren't all he used to be — though, he did put up a good act, however Mary saw right through it.

       He was traumatised, they all were. On nights where she'd stay over at the Williams's, she would be startled awake by Charlie screaming and would have to hold him and comfort him until he snapped back into reality. But that were on his bad days, which even Mary had — waking up in cold sweats, her mind flashing with unforgettable images of The Upside Down.

       But on good days Charlie were still Charlie. He was charismatic and funny and kind. He made Mary smile and laugh and made her cheeks turn hot and her mind hazy. Mary accepted Charlie for all that he was after what he had gone through. Though, sometimes it was extremely difficult, but she still stuck by him and he her.

        Suddenly though, a loud roaring of an engine startled Mary out of her thoughts and she glanced out of her window. Her lips parted at the sight before her and she felt her hands clench in irritation, anger already bubbling up within her.

       No more than a few parking spots away from her was where the Camaro that had struck her own car was skidding to a stop. Mary didn't wait so much as a moment before she was getting out of her car, slamming her door shut so loudly almost the whole parking lot heard it — it also gained the attention of Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler that had gotten out of Steve's car upon hearing the engine to have a look.

       Mary stormed towards the car, hips swaying and legs carrying her in long strides, short hair blowing against her neck in the cold wind. She noticed a head of hair getting out of the car, as most girls ogled she simply glared, "Hey, sunshine!" She yelled, marching towards the boy who turned, a cigarette between his lips and from the distance, Steve and Nancy exchanged looks at the unfamiliar face — and Mary's undeniable anger towards him.

       Mary threw her hands up, "What the hell, man?!" She was already yelling as she stopped in front of the boy who didn't seem phased by her raised voice.

His lazy eyes just travelled up and down her mostly exposed body. "You hit my car earlier and just took off, dickhead!" She exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips, but still the boy said nothing, just took a long and calm draw of his cigarette.

       He blew out the smoke and Mary continued to glare at him, refusing to back down. The boy then spoke with deep and raspy words, "I hit your car?" He asked, as if not believing the sports car belonged to the girl in front of him.

       Mary stared at him flatly, "Yes, my car." She replied, her tone dripping with bitter sarcasm, which didn't seem to phase the boy at all, instead he seemed more laid-back with an undertone of amusement from the first person he had properly spoke to since his arrival to Hawkins.

      His face made a false sense of realisation, "Ah, that little sports number. It was a pretty neat car." He told her, continuing to puff away at the cig between his lips whilst the majority of the car park watched the exchange, some wondering what they were talking about. Carol from across the car-park even made the comment that Mary had to have been 'hitting that'.

       Mary narrowed her eyes, moving her head forward, "Yeah, it was until you took the side mirror off!" Silence washed over them as the boy threw his half-finished cigarette to the ground, not bothering to stub it out and it burned away on the ground, wafting smoke into the air.

       Mary noticed how his blue eyes flickered up and down her body but she didn't cower away, just continued to hold her hands at her hips, one leg jutted outwards and a scowl on her lips.

      The boy moved towards her, extending his hand that Mary pulled a face at, "Hi, I'm Billy. Billy Hargrove." Mary rolled her eyes, turning her back and beginning to walk away from him, Billy Hargrove's eyes travelled downwards, now having a good look at the back fo her.

        Mary smiled sweetly even though he couldn't see it as she walked away, "And not so much as a single fuck was ever given!" She chirped in retort, already stomping away from him but her words didn't bother the boy, instead he found himself grinning ear to ear as he watched the fiery brunette go — girls in California were nothing like the one he had just encountered; and he liked it.

                           ———

     Yikes, so Mary has met Billy! Is he what's going to pull her back to the dark side? *pretends I don't know the answer*

      Also can I just say, Charlie and Mary are the cutest/hottest duo and I love them dearly. Also, Mary calling Billy, a guy she doesn't even know that hit her car and could potentially be a crazy sociopath "sunshine" is my absolute aesthetic!

      Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the comments!