TW; Attempted SA (Billy's an asshole)

A loud squeal sounds through the area as Laurie twists Dustin's ear tightly, "Ow, ow! Laurie! I'm sorry!" he yells out in pain as she continues her assault on his ear. "Your weird lizard thing ate my cat! What has Mews ever done to you!" She screams at him before putting him in a headlock as he continues squealing.

Steve watches in shock at how quickly Laurie's emotions change. She went from calm and confused to raging mad in under a second, and he's terrified to even try to get between the siblings.

"Mews did nothing! I'm sorry, okay! I was wrong!" Dustin screams, which isn't a good choice, as she tightens her hold. "You promised me that Dart was safe! You liar!" She screams before releasing him. "We will have a more in-depth conversation later, but for now, we're finding that damn interdimensional lizard and killing it."

"No, Laurie-" he tries to argue but shuts up when she glares at him. Then, handing Steve a key, he unlocks the chain and pulls the doors open carefully. Dustin shines the flashlight into the shelter, but none of them can see anything. Steve takes the flashlight from Dustin and shines it down the stairs, but they still don't see anything.

"He must be further down there," Dustin says as Steve and Laurie continue to look. "I'll stay up here in case he tries to escape." Both teens look at him like he's crazy before looking at each other. Laurie gives Steve a soft smile before walking down the steps, and he follows right behind her.

Grabbing her hand, he moves to be in front to act as a shield so they can see better with the flashlight. She pulls the string that turns on the light, then gags when she sees slimy, shedded skin on the ground as Steve picks it up with the end of his bat. "He grew, he only does that when he gets bigger." She says, but he doesn't say anything as something catches his eye in the corner.

She follows where he's looking and sighs. Dustin calls out for them, and Steve tells him to come down, his hand not leaving Laurie's for a second. The youngest Henderson walks down the stairs, and Steve shines the flashlight onto the shedded skin, "Oh, shit." Dustin says, seeing that Dart has only gotten bigger.

Then he follows the flashlight's new path, which shows a hole in the corner of the shelter that wasn't there before, "Oh, shit!" He exclaims before all three walk over to see if they can see anything through the new passageway, but it's empty.

When checking her watch, Laurie sees she only has an hour before Billy comes to pick her up. "Look, it's getting late. Let's lock this place up, and we can look for Dart tomorrow. Okay?" She suggests, and the boys agree.

Locking the doors back with the chain, Dustin is the first to head inside while Steve and Laurie slowly walk around the house.

"I've never seen you go full 180 before. It was pretty terrifying." Steve confesses with a nervous laugh, but it turns genuine when she laughs. "I didn't mean to get that mad. It was just the heat of the moment, I guess. It's been so stressful these past few days, and it's almost the holidays. Everything seems to be moving so fast." He nods along with her words then something comes up in his brain.

"Wait, I thought you didn't get off work till 6. Why were you here so early?"

"Keith wanted me to close, but I said no. He then said he would find someone else if I showed him something good in the back. So I quit and gave him hell. It was very calming, I must say." She laughs as he looks at her, proud and shocked. "I really should go knock his lights out, huh?" He jokes as they both laugh.

"So you're free more often now?" He intertwines their fingers as he looks at her, "Yeah, I guess so until I find a new job. Probably not until after graduation, if I'm honest." She says with a small smile. "Do you wanna maybe go out after all of this chaos?" He chuckles with a smile that makes her heart melt but also breaks.

"Well, Billy asked me out tonight, and I don't know what's going to happen from there. I'm sorry, Steve." She pulls her hands from his as she sees his eyes turn sad. "I'm so sorry. It's nothing against you, I really would love to, but he just...he asked me today, and with this whole Nancy thing going on-"

"Nancy is off with Jonathan somewhere, probably getting his dick wet, and you're gonna go off and be with the asshole with a mullet?! Laurie, you're better than this. I wouldn't care if it was some other dude but Billy? He's an asshole who's only using you."

"How do you know that?"

"That's all he talks about in the locker room! He talks about how he's going to pop the Hawkins High sweetheart's cherry and leave her groveling at his feet. He doesn't care about you." She doesn't answer as his words set in. Billy can't really be using her, can he? He would have already made a move if he was. "I have to go. He's gonna be here at eight. I'll see you tomorrow." She quickly walks away, ignoring him calling out to her, and locks the front door when she walks in.

"You shouldn't go on that date with Billy. You don't like him as much as you think you do. You love Steve, sis." Dustin says from behind her, overhearing the conversation because he couldn't help himself.

"Since when did you become so knowledgeable about feelings, TinTin? You're supposed to be the genius child who doesn't understand emotions." She jokes with a small laugh which he returns. "I'll be okay, Dusty. I promise." Kissing the top of his head, she pushes him gently toward his room before heading to her own.

Once she's in her room. Laurie walks to her closet and pulls out a black turtleneck and acid-washed jeans. She tucks the turtleneck into her jeans and then slides on a chunky belt before pulling on her dark denim jean jacket. It's not a showstopping outfit, but it's comfortable and cute. Next, she styles her hair into a cute updo, making her makeup a bit more fancy but natural.

Laying down on her bed with her walkman on, she hits play, and Prince's newest album Purple Rain plays through her headphones. She closes her eyes, and the opening of Let's Go Crazy brings her some peace. It seems as if her life has not slowed down since last year with the whole Demogorgon situation. She threw herself into her classwork to keep her top-of-the-class status to ensure she got the scholarships she needed to get into her dream college.

She's ready to get out of Hawkins and be somewhere she can find herself. New York has always seemed the best place. NYU took her heart after a rep came to Hawkins her freshman year, and everything seemed to fall into place since.

Now she doesn't even know if she'll be alive to graduate. She runs a hand over her face and then checks her watch. Billy should be arriving any second, so she heads into the living room as an all-too-familiar engine roar pulls into the driveway. Dustin leans on the doorway of his room with his arms crossed as he looks at her, "Laur-" He tries to get her to not go again, but she stops him. "I will be okay, Dustin. I can handle him, and if something does happen." She moves her jacket a little to show some daggers she hid inside her coat.

"Don't stay up too late. I love you!" She says while walking out the door. She jogs to his car with a big smile, "Hello, pretty lady." Billy says with his signature cocky smirk. "Hey, handsome." Her words are light and hopeful as she gets into the car. He's dressed nicely in a button-down and jeans with a jean jacket that almost matches hers in color. One of the first things she notices is his change in cologne; usually, Billy wears a more warm and woodsy cologne, but tonight it's got an undertone of almost cinnamon and all things warm while having some spice.

"Did you change your cologne?"

"Only you would notice something that small, darling." He says with a chuckle as he pulls out of the driveway. "I did, to answer your question." She nods, a soft smile on her face. "I like it. It's nice." The car goes quiet for a moment, both teens enjoying each other's presence as his usual rock music plays in the car.

"So, I thought we could grab a bite to eat, then head up to Lover's Lake to watch the stars. If you like that stuff." He says the last part quickly as if to cover up that he might be more romantic than he's letting on. "That sounds like a lot of fun, Billy." He smiles before stepping on the gas, making her jump at the sudden sound before she laughs for being such a scaredy cat.

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"I am so full! I did not expect to eat that much." Laurie groans as Billy laughs at her whining. "I don't think I have ever seen a girl eat that much before. It was truly a sight to see." Her response is a slight shrug, "You've just never gone on a date with the right girl before." She teases him with a wink, and he's grateful for the night sky as it hides his slight blush.

He opens her car door then he pulls out of the diner. It's only a few minutes away from Lover's Lake, which he chose on purpose, so there isn't too much quiet time to ruin the mood. The two share some small talk, and before they know it, they're surrounded by trees.

Billy parks at the lake's edge and lowers the radio's volume. "So what has Miss. Valedictorian been up to lately?" She blushes at his words, it's not crazy to think she'd be valedictorian, but it's not official yet. "I'm not the valedictorian, but I've been going through life day by day, I guess." He leans over as she speaks to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" His voice is soft as he reaches over to caress her cheek. "That's all you like about me?" She teases as he leans in, "No, but I'd rather show you than tell you." He whispers against her lips before closing the space between them. She leans into him more as he moves his hand to hold the back of her head. Her hands nestle into his hair and then give a gentle tug to his locks, earning a groan from him.

He pulls her into his lap and slides his hands down to her hips to keep her close. She wraps her arms around his neck as his hands move under her shirt. He starts to kiss down her neck as a breathy moan is released from her throat. She helps him slide her shirt off before she starts to unbutton his shirt when she remembers what Steve said.

"Wait, wait, wait." She says, pulling away, and he groans, "What?" His voice is a bit aggressive, and she notices immediately. "Look, I just want to know that this isn't all you want me for. That if we do this, then you won't ignore me and flaunt to your friends about how you popped my cherry or whatever." She thinks she overreacted for a second, and he genuinely likes her until he laughs. "You're really ruining the mood, darling. Relax, let me take over."

"No, Billy. I wanna go home." She pushes him off as she tries to grab her shirt, but he grabs her wrists, "You just can't shut up, can you?" He starts to kiss her neck again while keeping her wrists to her side, then starts to kiss down her chest.

Laurie holds back her sobs until her jacket catches her eye. "Please, let me go. Don't do this, Billy." She pleads, giving him one more chance to back out. But, instead, he grabs her face roughly, and one of her wrists is free. "We could have had fun, I would have made sure you felt good, but you ruined it." He whispers, ensuring she is focused on his eyes as he talks.

Taking the opportunity, she grabs the first dagger her fingers can hold. Putting it to his neck, her face turns cold, "You messed up, Hargrove. Now, let me go." Not believing she would do anything, he laughs and suddenly screams as she cuts his arm. "You fucking bitch!" He yells, holding the injured limb as she grabs her shirt and jacket. After she's clothed, Laurie quickly gets out of the car and runs back towards the diner.

The bell on the door rings as she pushes it open after slowing down a bit, "Sweetheart, are you okay?" One of the waitresses asks her when she sees her state. "I need a phone, I need to call someone and–" Her words are cut off as a sob leaves her throat. The waitress quickly pulls her into a hug and guides her to a booth, "Do you want to talk about what happened?" She shakes her head as tears fall quicker down her face, the memory replaying in her head.

"Okay, do you want to go ahead and call the person you need to?" The lady asks softly while helping wipe away Laurie's tears. She nods, and the lady shows her where the phone is. Dialing the number from memory, she leans on the wall as the phone rings.

"Harring-"

"Steve, it's Laurie. Can you come to pick me up at Lakeside Diner? I really need you." There's no response from his end; as her voice comes through the phone, he freezes. Her voice is weak and the sound of it breaking is evidence of her crying.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him." Is the only thing he says before the line goes dead.

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Steve's BW pulls into the diner only a few minutes later, maybe not even five minutes after she called. Laurie thanked the waitress that helped her when his car pulled in, then quickly walked out to his car and got in.

He's quiet when she first gets in the car, the only sound is his heavy breathing, and she can't even look at him. "Where is he?" Steve asks, looking over slowly at her with his voice dangerously calm about his breathing. "Probably gone by now. Steve, you don't have to do anything. Just take me home, and we can forget this ever happened." Her eyes stay down on her feet. She can't look him in the eye.

"Laurie, he tried to pull something. He needs to pay."

"I cut his arm with one of my daggers. Wasn't anything too crazy, but it worked well enough to get him to let me go." Then, turning his body to her, he looks at her, shocked, "He wouldn't let you leave? What did he try to do, Laur?" He asks softly while trying to grab her hands, and she jumps.

"It's-"

"Don't say that it's nothing. He tried to do something, and you jumped when I tried to hold your hand. You've never done that before. What did he do?" After a few minutes of silence, she looked at him, "You were right. He only wanted me for my body, and when I tried to stop him...he just wouldn't stop." She says, trying to hold back the tears as she talks about the situation.

He pulls her into a hug, and she cries into his shoulder as he rubs a comforting hand up and down her back. Laying his head on her, he whispers comforting things as her hands grip his shirt tightly. He kisses her head softly before laying his cheek on top of her head and letting her cry as long as she needs.

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Steve parks in the Henderson driveway. Laurie wipes away the few stray tears that have fallen since they headed to her house. Then, taking a deep breath, she looks over to Steve only to see that he's already looking at her.

"I don't know how to thank you, Steve. You've been an amazing friend these past few days, and I'm so sorry if I've made you confused-"

"You need to stop apologizing for things. I was doing what anyone should do. It's not going above and beyond. This was common sense; when someone you care about calls and is in distress, you go and help." He explains with a serious look in his eye. It's a side that Steve doesn't show often, but she loves it; she loves when he's protective.

"What would I do without you, Harrington?" She smiles at him amusingly as he chuckles, "You'd be fine. I mean, seriously, all I did was pick you up. You would have walked back to town if you had to. So the better question is, what would I do without you?" He winks as she rolls her eyes while smiling softly.

"I need to go; it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow?" He nods as she gets out of the car. "Have a good night, Stevie." She says while walking backwards towards the front door. The last thing she sees of Steve is his eyes keeping a close track of her, but she doesn't see what look his eyes hold. She's too far away.

Fully in the house, she sighs with all sorts of emotions. Then, she slowly makes her way to her room with one thing on her mind, sleep.