65. Chapter 65

Chapter Sixty-Five

Valentine's Day came and went that year with Steve and Jessica going to see The Breakfast Club at the theater and having dinner at a restaurant outside of Hawkins.

It was during the month of February that Steve and Jessica signed up and paid for the SAT that would be taking place in May. They even checked out a book that had sample tests in it from the library. Math was pretty straight forward, even if they did have a lot to remember. The reading part wouldn't be a problem for Jessica, but Steve was worried about it because they usually went over their reading assignments together. They wouldn't be able to do that with this test. It also didn't help that they wouldn't know the writing prompt until the day of the test.

It was also during the month of February that Jessica got a surprise one night when she arrived home from work. It was a Wednesday night and Steve's parents were home, so he wasn't at her house that night.

It was almost ten when she got home. She pulled into the driveway and got out to start making her way to the front door when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Just a shadow moving slightly, but it startled her nonetheless. She paused in her trip to the front door and saw a figure hanging around the entrance to her garage.

She knew immediately who it was.

"Billy?"

He stepped forward. He was dressed in his normal white shirt, blue jeans, jean jacket, and biker boots.

"What are you doing here? At ten at night?"

"I, uh, didn't know where else to go." He looked decidedly uncomfortable admitting that.

"Uh . . . home?"

"My dad kicked me out for the night. We . . . argued."

"Where's your car?"

She wouldn't have been as surprised to see Billy at her house if his car had been parked out front, though she still would've wondered why he was there so late.

"Dad took my keys."

"You walked here?" She was appalled. "It's freezing. Why didn't you just knock and go inside?"

Billy shrugged. "You weren't here. I wasn't sure it was okay."

"Oh. Well, Mom would've let you in because of how cold it is. It's fine."

She gestured for Billy to follow her inside.

"You can have the couch tonight, if you want it."

"Thanks."

"Sure. Steve's had to stay over multiple times because he and his dad got into it."

"His dad's a jerk too, huh?"

"Can be."

They reached the front door, which wasn't locked, and Jessica opened it to let them in. Billy came in behind her. Dustin wasn't in the living room, so Jessica assumed he was in his bedroom. Her mom was watching the nightly news, but she still looked their way when the front door opened. Her eyes traveled from Jessica to Billy and then back to Jessica.

"Uh . . . " Jessica wasn't sure how much Billy wanted her mom to know, so she decided to bend the truth a little. "Can Billy stay here tonight? He and his dad got into it and he doesn't feel like being at home."

Billy had tensed up when she'd mentioned his dad, but he'd relaxed again when she hadn't mentioned him being kicked out of the house for the night.

"Of course. You know you don't have to ask if a friend needs a place for the night."

Jessica grinned and nodded. "I know. Just being polite. You do pay the bills and all."

Her mom shook her head even as she softly smiled.

"There's leftover lasagna in the refrigerator if you guys want some."

"I'm good, Mom. I had popcorn at work."

"I'm good too, Ms. Henderson," Billy said. "Just need a place to crash for the night. Thanks."

"Sure."

"Uh . . ." Jessica sighed. "I'm gonna go get you a blanket and a pillow. I'll be back in a minute."

She realized she hadn't needed to say that as she made her way upstairs because Billy began following her. She didn't want to seem rude so she didn't try to dissuade him even though she was uncomfortably aware of the fact that he'd never been upstairs even though he had been in her house before.

Mentally shrugging, she decided it didn't matter. She was only going to the hall closet. If he wanted to get his own things, that was fine with her.

"So, uh, which one's yours?" Billy asked quietly.

"What?"

"The rooms. Which one is yours?"

"None of your business."

"Fine, jeeze. I was just wondering because all of the doors are closed."

"Right." She sighed. "We keep the upstairs doors closed so the cat can't go in them when we're not there."

They reached the closet and she pulled out a sheet and a blanket before handing them to Billy. She decided to grab a pillow from the guest room where Steve kept his things, so that was where they went next.

Billy didn't follow her in, just stayed outside and leaned against the archway of the door.

"Well, this isn't your room."

"No, it's not. It's not anyone's room. Steve . . . has some of his stuff in here so he doesn't have to worry about bringing anything when he stays over."

"Hm. So he keeps his things in there, but he doesn't sleep in there?"

"Uh –"

Dustin's bedroom door opened slightly, and Jessica turned in time to see her brother open his door fully and step outside into the hallway. His eyes widened as he saw Billy.

"I thought I recognized his voice. What's he doing here this late?"

"It's fine, Dustin. I invited him in. Go back to bed."

Dustin rolled his eyes but did as she'd asked and went back in his room. She heard him say, "Still doesn't explain why he's here so late," before the door closed. She'd have to explain in the morning.

Jessica handed him a pillow and then they both started walking back towards the stairs.

"So your mom is completely okay with Harrington staying over?"

Jessica shrugged. "We sleep with the door open. It's fine. He's – we've been best friends since I moved here. Anyway, it's none of your business where Steve sleeps when he's here."

Billy smirked and shrugged with one shoulder. "Can't blame a guy for being curious. Most parents wouldn't let the daughter's boyfriend spend the night, let alone stay in her room."

"I'm an adult. My mom trusts me to make good choices."

They made it downstairs, where her mom was still on the couch. She decided she would stay downstairs until her mom went to bed, but then she'd head up to bed too. She wanted to get to school early enough so she could talk to Steve before Billy was able to say anything to him about staying the night.

That would not end well.

By the time Jessica's mom went to bed it was close to eleven, which meant it was almost eleven when Jessica headed to bed herself. If it hadn't been so late, she would have called Steve to explain the situation rather than wait until seeing him at school the next day. As it was, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him for the time being.

She wasn't sure if it was because she knew Billy was downstairs or if it was bothering her that Steve didn't know Billy was downstairs, but Jessica couldn't get to sleep no matter how many times she tossed and turned.

She laid there for at least an hour before she started hearing noises coming from downstairs. Neither Dustin nor their mom would be down there after midnight, so she knew Billy had to be moving around. It sounded like he was going through their kitchen cabinets.

She decided to get up to see what he was doing. If he was looking for something, she could find it more quickly than he could, it being her house and all.

She opened her bedroom door quietly, hoping to not disturb Dustin or their mom, and began to walk down the hallway to the stairs. The noises were still coming from the kitchen, so she went down the stairs and to where Billy obviously was.

As she'd suspected he was going through the cabinets.

"What're you looking for?" she asked.

Her voice had been soft, but he still seemed startled by the sound of it. He jerked his hand back from the cabinet he'd been searching through, and she notice his face scrunch up in pain at the sudden movement.

"Billy?"

"A sandwich bag."

"The cabinet under the microwave," she said even as she went to get it for him. "What do you need a sandwich bag for?"

When he didn't answer she gently pushed her hand against the skin that covered the right side of his ribs. He didn't move away, but he did grab her wrist to keep her from pushing any harder – not that she would have.

"You're hurt," she said. "You need ice?"

Billy sighed and nodded once.

"Can I – let me see."

Amusement filled his eyes. "If you want me to take me shirt off –"

"Billy. I just want to make sure nothing is broken."

"Nothing's broken. I'm just – I'm fine."

"Then it won't matter if I see, right?"

He sighed again but began to lift his shirt, nonetheless. Jessica gasped when the material reached his chest. Right there on the side was a huge bruise – red and purple, and about the size of a fist.

"You and your dad got into an argument, huh?"

Billy tensed at what she was implying and began to lower his shirt again.

"Relax, I'm not going to say anything. It's – it's not my place." She went to the fridge for the ice. "How often do you and your dad . . . argue?"

"At least once a week."

"Billy . . ."

"Don't look at me like that. I can handle it."

"Yeah, okay. But you shouldn't have to."

She came back with the ice and handed it to him. He took it from her but caught her hand in his when he did. His grip was firm but not rough.

"Why did you let me in tonight?"

"Uh . . . because it was cold outside and you needed a place to stay."

"Hm. And it had nothing to do with it being me?"

Jessica just looked at him not knowing really what he wanted her to say. She realized Billy was leading her back against the counter. Before she knew it, he was hovering over her.

"You care about me," he said, his voice husky, his blue eyes intense.

"I . . . Well, yeah, but –"

"You notice things about me that other people don't."

"Billy –"

"You're nicer to me than other people are."

"You're more real with me than you are with other people," she said, aware of the fact that her heart was beating rapidly and her breath was unsteady. "If you would –"

His lips covered hers and she wasn't able to get the rest of her sentence out. In fact, she froze where she was and wasn't able to react at all for a few seconds. Billy pulled away on his own, but he must've taken her silence for consent because he didn't stay away for long. He was more forceful this time, his mouth firmer against her own.

Jessica remained frozen in shock until Billy grabbed the hem of her shirt and began slipping it up her sides. This couldn't happen. It never should have even started to happen.

She brought her hands up to push at his chest, but Billy was strong and she was barely able to budge him. She forced her mouth away from his only for his lips to move to her neck, where he began to nip. She could tell from the sting of it that he might leave a mark.

"Billy," she said, tears forming behind her eyes and her throat beginning to burn with emotion. "Stop."

"Mm."

She pushed harder against his chest, but that wasn't what stopped him. What she said next was what stopped him.

"You told me you weren't this type of jerk, so don't be this type of jerk."

He stilled against her, mouth still on her neck, and she heard him curse under his breath.

"Jess?" She could tell from the tone of his voice that he regretted his actions or at least what his reactions reminded her of.

"Let me go."

He cursed again but let her go anyway. She stepped away so she was no longer caught between him and the counter.

"I'm going upstairs now," she said, her voice trembling. "You're gonna stay down here. And that – what just happened – is never gonna happen again. I am with Steve, Billy, and I love him. You don't get to do that."

"Jess –" he said, and began reaching for her.

"Don't," she interrupted. "I thought that maybe – just maybe we could be friends even after what happened in November. You haven't really gotten in a fight since then. But if you're going to do things like that –"

"It was just a kiss."

"To you, Billy!" she said, more loudly than she meant to.

They were both quite for about fifteen seconds. Jessica was making sure that neither Dustin nor her mom was going to come downstairs, and when no one did she sighed her relief. She wasn't so much worried about her mom as she was about Dustin hearing her scolding Billy for kissing her.

"Look, just . . . put ice on your ribs and go to sleep."

Billy sighed. "I could just leave."

"No. It's late and cold and . . . even if I'm not happy with you right now, you shouldn't have to deal with your dad again tonight."

She left him there in the kitchen and went back to her room. It wasn't until she was safe under the covers of her bed that she let the first tear fall. She hadn't let herself actually cry in front of Billy, but she knew he must've noticed how upset she had been.

Part of her couldn't believe Billy had done that, but the other part of her was telling her that she should've known he would have. Everyone had been telling her that Billy had a thing for her. Her mom had implied it. Max had confirmed it. Steve had literally told her that Billy might try and take advantage of her kindness. Steve had been right.

Even though she was in bed, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to sleep now. She couldn't get the kiss out of her head – or more accurate, her reaction to it. She had frozen, hadn't stopped Billy right away, hadn't even said no until he'd started to slide her shirt up her body.

She hid her face in her pillow as she began to sob. She really wanted to talk to Steve. If she didn't know how hard it was for him to sleep well at his house alone, she would've risked waking him up, but she did know so she didn't want to risk it.

As it was, she would just have to talk to him in the morning.

Downstairs, Billy was still in the kitchen. He'd moved to the table and was now nursing his bruised ribs with the bag of ice Jessica had given him.

He couldn't believe he'd let things get so out of control. He'd been wanting to kiss Jessica for a while, but had never acted on it until now. He had never let himself, and he shouldn't have let himself that night. He never made good decisions when he got into fights with his dad – or he just didn't make good decisions, period. Either way, it hadn't been wise to kiss her.

He'd made her cry, and he hadn't wanted to do that.

He'd still been right, though. She did care about him; she'd admitted that herself.

She cared about him and it wasn't because of how he looked or how muscular he was. She liked him for some other reason that was unknown even to him. Or at least she had cared about him. He may have messed that up by kissing her. And it hadn't been just a kiss, no matter what he'd said.

If only she'd wanted him to kiss her, it may have been the first kiss that actually meant something to him. But she hadn't wanted him to . . . because she was with Harrington. Because she loved Steve Harrington.

He wondered if she would have felt differently if she wasn't with him.

Billy was gone by the time Jessica came downstairs the next morning. She was hoping he would be. She was hoping he would need to leave early to get back home to pick Max up for school. She would have offered to take him home if he hadn't done what he'd done the night before.

She made it down before Dustin did, which wasn't normal because he usually got up for breakfast, but she wanted to leave earlier than normal. She'd decided to actually meet Steve at his house before he left for school. She didn't really want to go to first period, not if she had to see Billy there. She couldn't face him again. Not yet.

Her mom was already in the kitchen, but she didn't say anything when Jessica told her she was going to meet Steve before school, so Jessica felt free to leave.

She spent the drive to Steve's house thinking about what she wanted to say to him. She didn't want to make him angry, didn't want to risk him going after Billy because of what Billy had done, so she wasn't sure how much she should tell him right away.

She still hadn't made her mind up when she'd reached Steve's house or when she knocked on the door to be let in.

Steve was in the living room just getting ready to leave when his mom let her in. They were both surprised to see her there that early.

"Jess?" he asked, voicing his concern. He knew she wouldn't be there without a reason, not when they could just meet in the parking lot at school.

"Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to ride to school together."

"Oh. Uh . . . sure."

When they reached her car and started off, she said, "I, uh . . . don't want to go to first period."

"Okay . . . Jess, what's wrong? You don't skip unless something's wrong."

"Nothing's . . . wrong. I – I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else."

Steve seemed confused and concerned, so Jessica came to a stop at the end of his road and parked the car. She turned to him so he could have her full attention. He turned so he could do the same for her.

"Billy . . . stayed at my house last night."

Jessica noticed his jaw tighten briefly before he responded with, "Why?"

"He was lurking in my garage when I got home. I don't know how long he'd been there."

"Okay, I probably would have called the cops rather than invite him into the house," Steve said incredulously.

"He said his dad kicked him out of the house after they . . . argued. He didn't have anywhere else to go. His dad wouldn't even let him have his car keys. He walked there."

"What kind of dad does that? It was freezing last night."

"Yeah, that's – that's why I let him in. He slept on the couch. I didn't want you finding out from him."

"Oh, okay, yeah, that makes sense. Doesn't explain why you're avoiding him, though."

"I'm not avoiding him," she said, though her voice sounded false even to her own ears.

"Then why aren't you going to first period?"

She should have known that Steve would know something was wrong if she went to him and actually suggested skipping class.

"It doesn't matter. You want to get breakfast before going to school?"

She faced forward now, bringing a hand up to put the car in drive, but Steve caught her wrist to stop her, much like Billy had done the night before to keep her from pressing any harder against his ribs.

She yanked her hand back. "Don't do that!"

Steve's eyes widened at her reaction, but he didn't reach for her again. She immediately felt bad for snapping at him.

"I'm sorry, I –"

"Jess, what's wrong?"

The funny thing was that the way he was speaking – soft and concerned but also with a hint of resignation – made her think Steve already knew, or at least suspected what had happened.

"Steve, I don't –" Her throat tightened and when she spoke again her voice was barely above a whisper. She turned back to him. "He kissed me."

She heard Steve's harsh intake of air as he processed what she'd said.

"He kissed me and I – I didn't stop him," she admitted, her eyes beginning to burn.

"Jess." His voice was just as quiet as hers had been.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed out. "We were just talking and then he kissed me. He said all these things and –"

"What things?"

"That I'm nice to him and that I notice things that other people don't. That I care about him. And I do, Steve. I do care about him. But I didn't want him to kiss me. I still didn't stop him when he did though. I should've, but –"

"Jess, stop." He tentatively grabbed her wrist again, relaxed when she didn't try to get away again. "When you say you didn't stop him is it because you didn't want to stop him once he kissed you or because you couldn't?"

"Well, I – I don't know. I froze once he started kissing me because I wasn't expecting him to do that. But, no, it wasn't because I wanted him to keep kissing me."

"Okay." Steve pulled her closer, as close as he could in the front seat of her car. "Then it doesn't matter. Like you said. It wasn't your fault, and he should have kept his mouth to himself."

"Right." She sniffled as she put her head against his shoulder and as he wrapped his arm around her. "Is it me?"

"What?"

"Is it me? I mean, last year with Jason and now Billy. Guys just –"

"Hey. No." Steve maneuvered them so they could look at each other. "It's not you. Okay? Jason was a jerk and . . . Billy's a jerk too, but I think he acted impulsively because of the reasons he said. You're nice to him and you notice things and you care about him. He doesn't seem like the type that is used to that."

"Neither were you and you didn't force yourself on me."

Steve tensed against her. "Did something other than the kiss happen?"

"No, not really. I snapped out of it and was able to get away. I . . . didn't say no at first so he took it as me being okay with it, I guess. I think if I hadn't snapped out of it, he would have wanted something other than the kiss to happen, though."

"Was he mad? He didn't try to hurt you, did he?"

"No, he wasn't mad. He offered to leave, but it was late and I didn't want him to have to walk home. I went upstairs and he stayed downstairs. He was gone when I woke up. I don't want to see him again so soon."

"I don't blame you." He hugged her to him again. "You wanna ditch the whole day? We can call ourselves out, go hang out in Indianapolis for a bit."

That actually sounded really nice, and it was a perk of being an adult that you could call yourself out of school as long as it didn't become a problem.

"Okay. But you're driving."