Chapter six
The calm before the storm

WE PULLED UP AT THE BYERS HOUSE WITH EASE AT NIGHT FALL, and had no trouble getting inside. Inside was Steve and Gwen with the kids.  Melissa quickly ran towards Warren who quickly hugged his sister.

Dally turned toward Gwen who just shrugged him off as he gave her the look. "Wait, what is max doing here" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest as maxs stammered with her words. "Because she's with me" said Yvonne Sinclair, stepping forward with Billy's sister behind her.

"Hey Cassie" she spoke, and all I could feel was her staring at me with hatred before remembering our very much horrible meeting a several weeks back.

November 16th, 1984

I had the most uncomfortable skirt on as I had my legs crossed under the dinning room table, shyness obviously on my face.

Billy's dad, Neil, eyed me as he took a bite of his stake. Susan gave me a small smile as I played with my food. "So Cassie, your father is the sheriff Is he not" Neil asked, taking a bite of mashed potatoes as Billy eyed his father down. "What!? Can I not ask your girlfriend basic questions William?!" He shouted slightly, making Billy jerk back a little bit.

"Yes, my father is the sheriff" I answered quickly before Billy turned his head sharply to look at me. Neil nodded before taking a bite of peas off his plate but I felt as if my answer to his question wasn't a really good answer.

I took a bite of the stake and chewed it slowly, trying to dodge any further questions they might have for me. I then felt a warm hand lay on my up thigh and I smiled slightly.

"So Cassie, what are your intentions with my son" Neil asked plainly, making Susan spit and choke on her water, max turned to her with an eyebrow raised and judgemental look on her face.

"Uhm I have no idea what you mean sir?" I asked, confusion masked my face as I felt a twin of anger rise in me. He chuckled darkly and took a drink of bear.

"Dad could you not ask her questions like that-" Billy began to ask before Neil slammed his hand on the table. "William, I don't give a damn! I will ask her any question I please" he yelled and I gently placed my fork on the table.

"Mr Hargrove, my intentions with your son are none of your business. And as for your questions, that question felt a little personal" I spoke, anger and aggravation laced in my voice.

"Excuse me?" He asked with anger and I laughed. "Do I have a to repeat myself sir or I do have to get my father here" I requested and Neil just rolled his eyes. "William, let's go talk upstairs" he motioned, getting up from the sit and walking the stairs.

Billy turned to me and squeezed my thigh before kissing me on the head and heading in his father's direction. "I like how you stood up for yourself but my brother can't" Lexi spoke with anger and I turned my head toward her, my eyes moving to my feet under the table.

After dinner, I helped Susan do the dishes while I heard commotion upstairs, confusion and panic building in my chest as I worried for my boyfriend. "Don't even bother, he's getting a beating of his life time" Lexi stated, giving me a sour expression.

I turned, a bothered expression evident on my face. "What do you mean? A beating?" I asked and she just scoffed. "If you really payed attention you would
Know the bruises on him" remarked Lexi and I could feel more panic in me.

I turned back towards the sink, dropping the rag once we were done and turned back toward Lexi, who had her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that's how he punishes him" I spoke, sadness laced in my voice.

Lexi scoffed once again and walked towards me. "It's not punishment, it's torture. My dad's a dick and this probably won't be the only time he'll do it too." Lexi hissed and I turned my head toward the stair case.

"Don't even bother going up there. Once he gets started he never stops" Lexi explained before turning away from me and heading up the stairs where the shouting became more prominent as she got closer to the top.

Too pass the time, Me and max sat on the couch talking to each other about random video games that she would play at the arcade in California. I listened very closely as she explained all the cool things about her home state and how she added if like warmth then I would love it there.

She talked and talked about the skating rinks before i finally tuned her out, listening for any more commotion from upstairs, what really bothered me is when I heard my boyfriends voice yelling stop before hearing his wailing cries.

That was when billy came running down the stairs with tears streaming down his face. He marched into the leaving room, stood in front of me with his car keys in hand. Neil then came down after him, anger stayed on his face from earlier.

"I'm gonna take you home" he spoke before grabbing my hand and dragging toward the door. "I'm making her peanut butter pie-" but the sounds of Susan's voice was cut off by the slamming of the front door.

He let me go once we were on the porch, even more tears streamed down his face. I quickly grabbed his face as I made him look into my eyes, the glossy eyed expression that I have learned to love made my knees want to buckle.

On his face was a forming black eye and I knew that must have came from his father, I felt anger in me and I knew that this wouldn't end well for Neil. "Please don't tell anyone" he muttered, before burying his face in my shoulder.

"Okay" I spoke softly, kissing the side of his head gently before rubbing his back.

Eventually, he stooped crying and took me home, what I'd been waiting for all night. he followed me up the door, his tears dried to his face as he had his hand on my lower back. We stopped there, I grabbed my key and unlocked the door before grabbing the door knob and holding it.

I turned and smile, grabbing his hand into mine. "Why don't you stay the night" I suggested, looking into his eyes for some kinda rejection or protest about his father. "I'll stay but I don't have any clothes" he spoke with ease and that's when I grabbed him by the back of head and smashed his lips into mine.

Our lips moved in synch as his arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up slightly. Eventually we pulled away for air and pressed our foreheads against each other, our eyes gazing into one another.

"Please stay" I begged and he nodded. When we got into the bed together, he was for some odd reason hesitant on holding me, but I wasn't hesitant on laying my head on his now bare chest.

"I hate your dad" I began and he sighed, probably agreeing with me in his head. "Is that the reason why you have your aggressiveness?" I asked bluntly but he just hummed to my question.

I raised up and took his religious Virgin Mary pendant in my hands, examining it before moving my eyes to his. "You could run away" I spoke, my voice so low that no one couldn't properly hear me. "And do what? Live in my car" he added but I laughed and bit my lip.

"You could live with me. We graduate this year, my dads giving me the house once I turn eighteen and I have a good income" i explained and he just hummed and mhmed at me, never really saying actual words.

"Cassie, if I ever move in with you, I want to be able to provide for you" he protested but I shook my head no. "I don't care. I don't like the fact that he treats you like that and let alone makes you feel like you can't have feelings"' I argued but he just stared at me with glossy eyes.

"What about Lexi?" He asked, and I knew why he asked. Lexi is his twin, only by five minutes is he older then her and I knew what that meant for Billy. "Max and Lexi can come too. Well take my dads room, Lexi can have mine and max can have the guest bedroom " I explained further more but he just laughed.

"Yeah max is the reason why my life is shit" he angrily spoke and I rolled my eyes at him. "Max is just a kid. She probably hates having a step brother just as much as you do a sister but let's be honest, you care for her" I honestly spoke and I saw something in his eyes I never saw before.

"Care is a understatement" he spoke, moving his hand to my head and pushing back a strand of hair out of my face. "I do care for her but I also hate her" he acknowledged and I smiled.

"You don't need to hate her. If you don't hate her she might actually like you better" I smirked and he looked toward my pink wall. "Did you really have to get that honest" he mumbled and had slight tears coming from his eyes. I reached my hand up to his check and cupped it. Catching the single tear with my thumb.

"I never told you what happened to my mom" I looked down and he just stared at me. "Hoppers not my real dad. You see, my mom left me on his porch when I was baby because she was scared of having a kid. So my dad was left alone raising a four day old baby that wasn't even his" I explained and he laced his fingers with mine.

"What made it worse for him was that he was in love with my mom. Eddie's mom and my mom were best friends, and hopper was her best friend too. Cheryl's dad helped my dad pay for this house when we couldn't afford it, and even when my dad was low, he'd make sure that I had what I needed" I laughed and he laughed with me. It wasn't a happy laugh it was a sad laugh, a laugh that you would never hear in these types of conversations.

"When I was little, my mom left me with my dad because she didn't want to be abused anymore" Billy interrupted, tears forming in his eyes at the mention of his mom. "I guess that's why I'm so angry" he laughed, turning his head away from mine.

I reached my hand out and turned his head towards mine, our lips locking onto each others. As our lips moved in sync, his hands explored my body, rubbing up and down my sides and occasionally hovering over my ass.

Eventually, I pulled away from his lips and rested my head on his shoulder. "Whenever I felt myself get angry I thought of the person I love the most" I suggested to him and he laughed.

"So think of you?" He asked and I giggled at his question, thinking it was just a joke but when I didn't hear him laugh I knew he wasn't kidding. I quickly raised back up and looked him in the eyes for some type of lie.

But all I saw was honesty, and I felt tears come from my eyes. "You-you love me" I asked with unsureness in my voice. His hand cupped my face as he looked me straight into my eyes. "Yes. I love you" his voice low and breathy, I could feel his heart beating out his chest as I blinked a few times at him.

"I love you so much Cassie, don't you love me too" his eyes were pleading to me, and I could feel myself wanting to it back but there was something that was stopping me, I didn't know what or who it was but I couldn't say it back, at least not fully meaning it.

I did love Billy, at least I think I do so why couldn't I say it and fully mean it!? Billy was amazing, yes he had some flaws but nothing I couldn't fix, so why I couldn't I say it?

I finally plucked up the courage and said the words I had been wanting to say, and that night was the night I realized my feelings might be for someone else...

Present time-

We all stood around the table, coming up with a game plan, we know what was happening and I we didn't know how to handle it. Steve explained further more about things in detail, I nodded at every word, trying to understand how Dustin claimed his new pet dart.

I turned my head and looked at Lexi once everyone was away from the table. "Look, aside from me dating billy, why do you hate me?" I asked plainly and just laughed. "I never said I hated you, I envy you" she confessed, confusion began written all over my face.

"I envy you because your best friend worships the ground you walk on" Lexi continued but I couldn't think of anyone who would do that. "And don't pretend Munson doesn't, yeah he's dating Maddy but he's in love with you" she uttered, and I could do was shake my head.

Eddie being in love with me wasn't true, he was like my brother. He knew that being in love with me would ruin the relationship that we already had and he would never risk that. I would never risk that.

"You have to realize it sooner or later Cassie" she remarked before walking off from me. I stood there with my arms crossed over my shoulder, biting my bottom lip as I stared at the table in front of me.

"Cassie! Billy's here" I heard Warren yelled before hearing the door shut behind someone. I knew what was about to happen....