Author's Note: Super long chapter for you all! Sorry for the delay! Life shenanigans and a couple vacations got in the way of updating. But we are BACK! And I made it extra long to make up for not posting on time! ;)

Creepy Woods and Surprise Encounters

Humans are such creatures of habits and Harley was no exception. She settled back into Hawkins like old times. Her time had been divided between catching up on what she had missed since school had already started when she arrived, catching up with Nancy, and putting up with Steve Harrington's surfer jokes. When she wasn't with them, Harley could be found with her favorite nerd herd.

She and the boys had fallen back into a similar pattern of dungeon and dragons, raucous jokes and bad language that Harley felt she was somewhat responsible for since she cursed regularly in front of them. Dustin had become a constant in Harley's after school shenanigans once again. Granted, she didn't see him every day, but there were never more than a few days that spanned that she didn't see the curly haired kiddo.

Hawkins life was a radical change from Long Beach. Where she had been more of a wild child in Long Beach, she had to somewhat tone down the behavior due to Hopper's authority in the po-dunk town. She still smoked, drank and turned her music up too loud in the school parking lot, but there was a mutual respect she had with Hopper, and she didn't want to cause him any more trouble than he already with her mother showing back up.

Hopper seemed like he had enough shit on his plate as it were.

There had been a secretive nature to the way Hopper would dip in and out at their house to visit. Harley had yet to actually go visit Hopper at his own place and for some reason he had insisted on making the drive out to where they were living, or inviting Harley up to the station so they could order take out and hang out there.

Harley had crafted the very resourceful knack for observing others and their behaviors. She had perfected this craft since she was a child. Hopper wasn't fooling her, but she thought it wasn't her place to inject herself into his life and ask what was going on, or what he was doing that made some of his actions so secretive. There were only two reasons he would be acting as such and it was either police business, or he had a lady companion that no one knew about. Neither of which Harley had any desire to go poking around in.

She didn't want to muddle in Hopper's private affairs, be it work or personal.

However, she found it odd that Hopper had tiptoed around the subject of reading material one day while she helped Hopper organize some old case files for extra allowance money.

"Did you ever like that Harper Hall series, or the ones by that woman, Madeleine, something or other?"

Harley had looked at him with a raised upon hearing the random question.

"You mean Madeleine L'Engle? Yeah, I suppose when I was a bit younger. Kept me busy. But I much preferred the horrors or macabre stuff."

Hopper let out a breathy huff of a laugh at her words, nodding as if he remembered. "You were always into that weird stuff, huh?"

Harley couldn't help but grin widely, nodding in return at his statement. He wasn't wrong. She loved the grittier reads, and things that were not necessarily suitable for a girl her age. Harley had grown partial to such things, which is why Halloween was her absolute favorite time of the year.

"Why you ask?" Harley pulled a file from the drawer, flipping through the case file and setting it down to re-label with legible handwriting. Hopper's handwriting was like a doctor's script.

"Nothing really. I-uh, just curious. I might have some old books stashed away in storage. Thought I might give them to Joyce and see if Will would like them."

Harley noticed the way Hopper met her gaze, careful not to avert his eyes in a direction that might indicate he was lying. He had perfected that since being an officer of the law. He offered a small, tight smile beneath that gruff exterior of his and Harley nodded.

"Well, if I can recall, the leads in most of her books were girls, but since they have fantasy and dragons in them I doubt Will would mind," She paused, and added with smirk, "Give the kid some books to get to his mom. Nice play, Uncle Hopper."

Harley caught on fairly early in relocating to Hawkins that there was something of a spark between Hopper and Joyce Byers. She didn't know if it transpired during the time Will was missing, or if there had been something way long ago before Harley was born, but she did know that something was there, even if it was something the two would never act on.

She had been with Hopper one afternoon as they cruised to grab some donuts and coffee one Sunday since he had a case report to write up at the station, and low and behold Joyce was walking with Will out of the local donut shop. The brief re-introduction of Harley being back in town wasn't the awkward part.

The awkward part was being forced to watch, painfully, as Hopper and Joyce tiptoed around one another like two school kids that liked one another but refused to act on it, only to create those awkward tense moments when they would see each other.

"I'm not tryin' to get to no one. Shut it, kid, and get back to work."

Hopper had turned swiftly in his chair away from Harley and that was the end of that conversation.

As the weeks drew on, Harley and her mother briefly spoke each day, but there was a tense undertone to each conversation that they had. Harley found it stifling to be in the same vicinity as her. Her mother had gone on a few job interviews in the first week they had acclimated back to Hawkins, but she always had some piss poor excuse as to why she didn't want to take the offer. Finally, her mother ended up landing a job with none other than Joyce Byers at Melvald's General Store.

She had absolutely no idea why her mother had turned down an assistant position with the local paper versus picking up a job at a store, but she didn't say anything. Harley found it was no point to try and figure out the workings of her mother's mind. She had a sneaking suspension her mother didn't want to work with a room full of sexist men at the local paper, but who the hell knew.

Harley found it surprising she was able to pick back up at Hawkins High School with little effort. Not many knew who she was, nor did they remember her, but the moment she had been seen with Steve, Nancy and a few other prominent figures at Hawkins, more people approached and said hello to her as she walked the hallways. Harley could care less, honestly, but it at least made the transition easier knowing she could walk into Hawkins High without the worries of running into a tough crowd that would have the sassy fire breathing soul within her come out.

Well, it was mostly an easy transition.

A few whispers could be heard at times about her mother and how she was related to Chief Hopper, especially from the few students that actually did remember her. However, Harley would meet this criticism like the hot-headed red head she was and challenge them to say it louder, which would lead the kids to duck their head in fear and act as if they weren't just talking about her.

Harley could be intimidating when she wanted to and it proved useful when other kids were being complete asshats. She never did tolerate people talking about her right in front of her as if she couldn't hear it. Fiona Thompson had caught Harley in a fowl mood one day, and her little assenine comments about Harley being a snitch for her Uncle had sent Fiona and Harley to the Principal.

Apparently, you weren't allowed to throw people up against the locker and threaten them with violence. Harley had been suspended for a day, but Fiona had gotten off without so much as a slap on the wrist. Harley had gotten an ear full from Hopper, and since then she had toned down her fiery attitude ever so slightly.

The only questionable people that she had really kept at arms-length were Lacey and Leon's group. Lacey and Leon were the type of people you kept around for purposes of not getting on their bad side, and that was something she figured out after last night when she was kicking it with them at the local bar and grill. She didn't think she'd be able to get in after the ten o'clock cut off for eighteen and under folks. She was surprised when Leon had ushered her inside past the gruff looking door man, who didn't so much as look her way.

It was quite busy for a Sunday night.

People were loud at the bar, others were playing pool in the dark and dank corner of the falling apart hole in the wall establishment. According to the siblings, they had the hook up at the bar and could come hang out and mingle anytime they wanted because the owner of the place was a friend of theirs. Harley soon learned friend actually meant customer, and that the siblings peddled drugs to many of the more prominent people in town.

Harley had watched soundlessly, and without judgement, as the siblings quietly slipped the owner of Hawkins Bar and Grill, Greg Galinsky, a mini zip lock bag full of an assortment of white pulls. It was done within the handshake Greg gave to Leon, a sly smile upon their lips as Greg pulled away and slipped the prescription pills into his pocket.

Didn't they know who her Uncle was?

Harley figured out rather quickly that this whole show of bravado from the siblings was a test of her friendship and trust. It was a rather bold and risky test of her trust, but the siblings radiated a don't give a shit attitude, and she had a feeling they were more confident in their business and what they did than they appeared.

The company they kept was less than stellar as a few people came by to say hi, and each guy that gazed at her in the booth had convict or delinquent written all over them. Harley wasn't really scared of much, but the company they kept made ber uneasy. She knew without a doubt that if she were a snitch and ratted the siblings out to Hopper she'd be paid a visit by one of these dudes. No doubt about that.

In the dim lighting, Greg had no idea who Harley was, and the siblings had introduced her as Harley, completely ditching her last name altogether as not to spook Greg by revealing she was Hopper's niece. When Greg walked away, Lacey looked over at Harley with a very calm demeanor, "You cool, biker girl?"

She flashed yellow stained teeth at her before looking down at Harley's black leather jacket. Harley nodded in return and shrugged, "I'm cool as a cucumber."

Lacey found this funny and giggled shamelessly for a few minutes. Harley had a feeling she had smoked before arriving because her eyes were blood shot and she giggled like a schoolgirl, which was completely unlike Lacey's devil may care attitude. Harley would be lying if she didn't feel some kind of way as the prescription drugs were passed so easily from one hand to another. Her mother briefly came to mind as someone who was ruining her life on pills.

However, Harley didn't come to Hawkins to cause trouble with two teens. They had seemed in a bad way with their foster home, and they were desperate to make money anyway they could. Leon glanced at Harley and slid her the ashtray, pulling out a cigarette brand that Billy had always smoked, handing it to her as she took it politely from his black painted nails.

"My sis and I gotta' do what we can to survive out here in this damn town. When you got foster parents that don't give a rats ass if you get a next meal, we turned to other ways of making money."

Lacey nodded in agreement, her widened eyes rounding even more as she glanced at Harley with a small playful pout of her cracked lips, "It's a hard knock life for us."

For some reason Harley found this funny, and pretty soon the three were chuckling in the dimly lit booth, laughing at one another's pain as the three exchanged stories about their lives and the shitty people who had been raising them.

Now that it was Monday morning, school was upon her. The weekend had come and past so quickly. But they always did when she was busy. Harley was currently in the kitchen, eating the bowl of oats she had poured for herself as her mother chain smoked her second cigarette of the morning.

Her mother wasn't using her prescriptions as often as Harley had seen her in the past, but she was still using and that was enough for Harley to feel a resentment towards her mother for not having the balls to quit her habit and grow up.

"Harley, I want you home early this evening." Her mother's words slipped out as she scrubbed her bowl in the less than stellar sink. It was old and cracked, which further proved Harley's theory that this place was on its last leg and needed a hell of a lot of re-modeling. Harley dried the bowl as she placed it more loudly than she should have in the strainer.

"Sure."

It was all Harley offered her mother, to which she sighed and mashed out her cigarette in black ashtray that looked like it had come from a restaurant.

"I heard strange noises coming from the woods last night, and I couldn't sleep. I got worried about you being out there all alone." Her mother's voice took on that woe is me tone, the higher pitched octave she would use when she whined or played victim. Harley was surprised to hear that her mother spoke of something unrelated from complaining. It was concern for her daughter's well-being.

Well, this was new.

However, her mother claiming she heard strange noises from the woods that bordered the farm was like hearing her mother say she saw a werewolf out her window with glowing red eyes. Her mother hallucinated in the past when she was high, and Harley had heard it all. This time was no different. Harley rolled her eyes so her mother wouldn't see before she composed herself to respond.

"Are you sure you weren't high?"

Her mother huffed and rolled her eyes right back at Harley, pushing her red beehive bun up on her head as if using her nervous energy to fix her hair. Harley became skeptical of her claims. She could see that nervous glint to her mother's eyes as she used those same hands to smooth over the outfit she had to wear for Melvald's General Store. She looked like she was going to a fashion show with the plaster of makeup she had caked on her face. Didn't she know she was going to bag groceries and stock shelves? She looked ready for a catwalk instead of work.

Harley, on the other hand, was dressed exactly as she should be for school. She wore dark acid washed grey jeans that tightened as they tapered to her ankle, a washed-out black pair of Vans, and a white band shirt that reflected the popular group Motley Crue. Her black leather jacket awaited her in the passenger seat of her Mustang.

She clicked her tongue, "Yes, Harley. I'm sure," Her mother paused, before eyeing Harley wearily, "I thought I saw something out in the woods too."

Harley leaned against the kitchen counter, the cracked sink behind her made a creaking noise and she had to glance back at it to make sure the damn thing hadn't splintered again.

"Well, which is it? You heard strange noises, or you saw something? And did it look like a werewolf?" Harley lamented with a smirk as her mother got slightly irritated with her attitude.

Her mother grated the old wooden chair on the floor as she got up, making a racket as she did and then forcefully shoving the chair back under the table. Her mother placed her hands on the back after stubbing out her cigarette with an anxious fervor. She was shaking her head, and Harley noticed the unfavorable amount of wrinkles in her forehead as she furrowed her brows.

"I know what I saw." Her mother rebuked hotly as she swiped the keys to her station wagon off the steel hook next to the front door, grabbing her puse, and and jetting off to work. Harley watched her pull out of the drive before rolling her eyes. Her mother claimed a lot of things when she was on a trip. This wasn't anything new.

She brushed her teeth and then grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her right shoulder before grabbing her own car keys off the same hook, careful to lock the door behind her. She didn't know why she bothered. They lived near Merrill's pumpkin farm, which was on the outskirts of Hawkins. She doubted anyone would want to ransack this dilapidated house anyhow.

After walking to her car, she paused by the front fender, her emerald green eyes staring out at the edge of the woods that backed up to Merrills property. Her eyes tightened for a moment as she the wind whispered around her hair.

For a moment, she stood transfixed on the property line where the half dead grass ended, and the tree line began. She swallowed as the eerie silence produced a tremor down her back. Before she thought better of it, she tossed her backpack into the back seat of her car and started walking towards the woods.

Her footsteps crunched on the dry half-dead grass, her eyes never leaving tree line as something pulled her towards the woods. The air smelled of smoke and something putrid, as if someone in the distance was burning trash. She had walked more than halfway across when the sound of a twig snapping made her jump, but upon looking down she realized she had been the one to step on it.

"You're an idiot, Harley. It's just a twig." She mumbled mostly to herself as she neared the edge of the grass where it ended.

Her eyes looked into the void of the woods, from left to right and then right to left as if she expected to find something out there. She didn't believe her mom by any stretch, but she certainly felt a pull towards the woods and the eerie tremor that crept down her spine was really hard to ignore. Her eyes had seen enough as the silence around her became too much to handle.

She swallowed thickly past a lump that had formed her in throat, which had suddenly become extremely parched and dry. When she took a step back her eyes for some reason looked down at her feet and there in the dirt before the grass began were solid looking prints.

Four to be exact.

She crouched down and looked at them for a moment, her hand fidgeting by her side as she wanted to touch the tracks in the dirt, but she chickened out. The tracks were strange, albeit a little smeared, but she couldn't tell if there were three or four appendages, and each one was long, as if it had slender fingers or claw-like appendages.

"Probably just coyote tracks that got smeared or something." She murmured, tying her best to make light of the very unique claw-like tracks she was staring at.

A resounding snap could be heard somewhere deep within the woods, which had Harley maneuvering out of her crouched position, instantly taking a huge step back after she had stood up. Something in her bones had her walking backward a few steps before she briskly turned around on her shoes and started jogging back towards her car at a much faster pace.

Harley dared a glance over her right shoulder towards the clearing as she rounded her car to the driver door. She anticipated a red eyed wolf staring at her, but saw nothing instead. It was all silent.

Harley climbed in and started her car before pulling out of the driveway and heading to school. It wasn't until she was a mile or two down the road from her house that she noticed her knuckles were pale white as they gripped the steering wheel, and the only thing she could think about was the strangest feeling that she was being watched by something out in the woods.

Maybe, just maybe, her mother wasn't so crazy, after all.

Harley managed to catch a glimmer of the whispers in the bathroom before her fourth period English class. There were hushed giggles as two of the Hawkins cheerleaders gushed about a new boy that had arrived mid-morning.

Apparently, the newcomer caught the fancy of some of the girls at Hawkins. She washed her hands as the girls talked to each other from one from one stall to another, their high-pitched voices grating against Harley's ears like nails on a chalkboard.

"Did you see his hair?"

"I bet he's good in bed."

Harley had no idea who they were talking about, but she also didn't care. She rolled her eyes at the two girls who had no shame but to pass thoughts about a new boy back and forth. She high-tailed it out of the bathroom before they came out of the stalls. Upon leaving the girls bathroom she found herself crashing into Jonathan Byers, who dropped his binder in the scuffle.

"Shit." Harley murmured before bending down at the same time as Jonathan, which resulted in the two clanking their heads together.

"Ow." Jonathan mumbled, holding his head with his left hand while Harley picked up his binder with her free hand. She handed it to him as they stood up together with scarlet tinted cheeks from the whole incident. She didn't know Jonathan that well, but he was fairly quiet and kept to himself. She had spoken to him on occasion, but their conversations had never been more than formal greetings and small talk.

"Sorry, Jonathan." Harley responded with a sheepish grin as he tucked the binder against his chest, covering up his camera. His smile dimpled a little and he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from his face.

He looked at her smiled hesitantly, "It's my fault. Should have been paying attention."

There was a flurry of students that walked the hall as the only had minutes to their next class. She gave him a wry smile, "I hope my mom isn't causing too much trouble for Joyce at the store."

Jonathan smiled bashfully, which was in his nature it seemed, and shook his head, "No complaints yet."

Harley nodded, "Good because I take no responsibility for that woman's actions."

Jonathan laughed, averting his eyes down to his worn-out sneakers and then back up at Harley. "I think she'll work out. My mom could use the help honestly." He offered a smile that crinkled at the edges of his soft eyes. She had no idea the terror that Jonathan and Joyce had gone through trying to find Will, and she honestly never wanted to know.

Harley realized they were almost out of time to get to class as the warning bell sounded over the crackled PA system, "Well, that's the warning bell. See ya around, and nice camera!"

He nodded his head at her with a surprised smile before ducking his head back down and disappearing into the crowd. Jonathan was a nice kid, but he was super quiet at times and it made Harley nervous. Not because she was nervous of him or anything, but his shy demeanor made her nervous. She didn't know what to say to people that were as introverted as Jonathan.

She was fully aware of Nancy's sordid feelings for Jonathan, which she had confessed during one of her letters she had sent Harley. Since Nancy gad confided in her, Harley had trustingly told Nancy about Billy. They had talked over pizza and studying for a quiz, and Nancy had listened with rapt attention as she told her about the incident on the beach and how it led to a heated and passionate Summer.

Harley had a full thirty seconds to spare as she walked into English, gliding past the desks of students before taking hers in the back by the window. Steve Harrington was already in his desk, which was right in front of her. He turned around as she plopped down, setting her backpack by her feet and opening it to grab her notepad and folder. She whipped out two sheets of notes that were stapled together and before Steve could utter a word Harley was already talking.

"I made notes for you because I know Romeo and Juliet isn't your style, Harrington. This should get you through the open note quiz today."

Steve was not exactly the best note taker and though Harley didn't like the idea of letting kids cheat or copy off her, she wasn't against making double notes for Steve. He was lucky Nancy was so smitten about the King of Hawkins because if it was any other dude Harley probably would have told him to take his own damn notes.

"You are a life saver, Harley Hopper. How can I repay you?" He offered her a polite smile as his right hand took the notes and his left hand held on to the back of his desk.

"You could repay me by taking notes like a normal student."

Steve blew out a breath and ran his left hand through his pompous locks before shaking his head, "Dude, I suck at taking notes. It's engrained in my DNA." Harley smirked, but she could tell that Steve was actually a bit concerned with his note taking skills. It made sense though. They were both in their Senior year and this was the time that students got serious about their studies and figured out if they were going to finally be free of Hawkins with a scholarship or be stuck here forever.

"You suck at it because you don't try, Harrington. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it sure as shit makes progress."

He flashed a smile at her, but not before rolling his eyes at simultaneously.

As class began, Steve turned in his desk and slouched back against his seat. The class hushed as their teacher, Mrs. Weaver, started to stand up at her desk, wiping her frail hands on her flower printed white dress. Mrs. Weaver paired it with a old people loafers that were nude in color. Her ensemble was the epitome of cute, but comfy. She had a bob of grey hair and purple rimmed little glasses upon her heart shaped face.

Harley wasn't a student pet, but Mrs. Weaver had bonded with Harley since she started here over literature. She found out that Mrs. Weaver was a closet fan of horror too.

She walked to the door, lifting up the door stopper on the end and allowing it to shut, but a hand against the door and a flash of denim with a mullet styled haircut waltzed through the closing door, shoving it open casually as Mrs. Weaver paused mid-way back to her desk to look at the newcomer.

Harley felt her stomach flip as the last person who she ever expected to walk through the doors of Hawkins High School had come strolling in as they already owned the damn place. He wore an outfit of denim on denim, paired with a plain white V-neck t-shirt, a small wire notebook in his right hand a mullet that made her knees quiver.

Billy freaking Hargrove.

This is a dream. This isn't real.

She had to blink twice and pinch her right arm to make sure she was still not at home dreaming. His eyes were settled on Mrs. Weaver, not yet sweeping the classroom yet. Harley found herself frozen, unable to move an inch. Mrs. Weaver turned to face him, placing her hands in front of her dress before raising a brow.

"I'm guessing you're the new transfer?"

Billy smirked, looking down at Mrs. Weaver with a very charming smile while taking a small step towards her and handing her the slip of paper he was to show his teachers in each new class. Harley knew this because she had been the most recent transfer kid in Hawkins, and she had to show the slip to every teacher the first day.

Her mind was still trying to process everything that was happening. The what, when and why were circulating in her mind on a rotation. There was no way Billy had followed her all the way to freaking Hawkins, but there was a super tiny part of her fantasy that wanted so much for that to be true, no matter how outlandish it sounded.

"Yes m'a'am." His voice was smooth as velvet and Mrs. Weaver gave him a small once over before raising a brow and taking his slip. She looked it over for a moment as Billy started to look towards the classroom of students. Harley found herself sinking into her seat, but before his eyes trailed towards her side of the room Mrs. Weaver was handing him the paper back.

"Mr. Hargrove take a seat in the empty desk next to Harley. She's also our other most recent transfer," She paused and added with a flare of her nostrils, "And take that cigarette out from behind your ear, Mr. Hargrove. I don't care what you do outside this classroom, but I don't even want to see it in my room. You hear?"

He nodded, taking the cigarette out from behind his ear and tossing it in the trash as he murmured aloud with a passive gaze, "Whatever you say, Mrs. Weaver."

He then offered her a grin that made the old teacher look at him warily. Mrs. Weaver was already seeing the bad boy signs written all over Billy, which meant everyone else in the classroom had as well. Harley let out a small involuntarily squeak within her throat at the mention of her name. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly agape.

Steve turned around to look at her upon her squeak, which was very uncharacteristic of her. She glimpsed Steve's questioning gaze as he looked from her to Billy and then back to her.

"Do you know this tool?" He whispered lowly as his brows furrowed.

Harley could only give a small curt nod of her head as Steve turned in his desk and slouched down again. She had a feeling Steve might have already had a class with Billy because he didn't seem too thrilled that Billy was in this class too. The Earth stood still for a singular moment as Billy's face showed the briefest glimmer of vulnerability. His eyes had already landed upon her fiery red hair and her shrinking form as her heartbeat sped up like a runaway train.

Billy's eyes were fixated upon Harley and the shock was written over his slack jawed face. She swore he even took a tiny step backwards, as if disbelief had consumed his entire being. However, being the playboy he was, he recovered so quickly that she wondered if anyone else in the room had noticed.

Billy took the slip from Mrs. Weaver, giving her a Cheshire grin before walking with a cool swagger that had all the girls in the classroom eyeing him appreciatively. He even smiled at a few, and he event went so as far as winking at Fiona Thompson who giggled. Harley envisioned wringing Fiona's neck, or putting gum into her curly blonde hair, but quickly pushed that thought from her mind.

Her eyes continued to watch Billy as he made way down the row of desk, closer and closer...closer and closer..until he was beside Steve. He nudged Steve in his shoulder and smirked.

"Sup, King Steve."

The way he said Steve's name was almost juvenile, as if knowing full well he annoyed the hell out of Steve. She knew without a doubt they had a class together before this, possibly even gym because Steve didn't look at all happy to be bothered by Billy.

Billy smirked as he walked past, slipping into the desk beside Harley and she almost felt faint. He was acting calm and casual, trying his best not to give away his true emotion of shock. He put on a mask mere moments before slipping into his desk, but once he sat down, she knew without looking at him that he was staring at her. Harley froze in her desk and risked sneaking a glance over at Billy, whose eyes were already planted directly on her as she had guessed.

His face was a raw mixture of emotion for a second. Those eyes stared at her with disbelief, passion, and possibly even something like pain. There was an intensity to his gaze that made her belly swarm with butterflies, and maybe even a little trepidation.

She swallowed, finding her voice past the thick lump in her throat as she whispered lowly, "Hi, Billy."

He was still staring at her, his angst-ridden eyes softening for a heartbeat of a second, before Mrs. Weaver's frail voice spoke aloud,

"Class we have another transfer. I doubt I need to tell you all to make Billy Hargrove feel welcomed in our classroom. Mr. Hargrove, consider this your only easy day. I'll get you the assigned reading and textbook after class."

The moment they had shared was over and Billy resigned to staring at a fixed spot somewhere towards the front of the classroom. He hadn't even said hello, and Harley felt a twinge of hurt course through her veins. She bit lower lip, and for once in a very long time, Harley Hopper had to fight the sting of tears that threatened to leak out. She composed herself as quietly as she could.

Harley Hopper wasn't a big crier.

It wasn't in her blood.

"Now class, it's time for our open note quiz over Friday's lesson, and-"

Her voice trailed off and Harley found it very hard to listen at all. She mechanically moved around her desk, shuffling inside her backpack for a pen as she splayed out the notes to her left and opened her notebook to a fresh page. All of Mrs. Weaver's quizzes were short answer form, and she always wrote the questions on the board for some reason.

Harley felt her right hand was already slick with a mild sticky sheen of sweat from her nerves. Not from the quiz, but from Billy Hargrove sitting beside her in the flesh, and very much here in Hawkins as a new transfer.

Did that mean Max was with him as well?

It didn't matter how hard she concentrated on Mrs. Weaver in class that day, she couldn't focus. Her stomach flip flopped as Billy casually tapped his pen on his desk at a low rhythm that only she would hear, and the only thing she could think of was the same way those rough hands would strum his guitar in a familiar rhythm. Her mind was a muddled mess for the rest of the period.

She didn't think class would ever end, but when the bell rang she actually let out a breath of relief.

"Thanks again for these." Steve mentioned, to which Harley nodded and politely told him he wasn't a big deal. She was acutely aware of Billy glaring daggers at Steve for a brief moment as he spoke to Harley.

"Harley? Billy? Could you stay after for a minute? I'll write you both passes for your next period, but it shouldn't take long." She looked at Mrs. Weaver, and for some reason she looked at Billy who had raised an annoyed brow at having to stay back.

He grabbed his small wire notepad and strolled casually to the front. Steve and Harley got up together, but where Steve left the classroom, Harley was left behind to stand awkwardly against a desk that was directly in front of Mrs. Weaver's table at the front. Billy chose the desk next to hers to lean against, and she swore she could feel the crackle of tension between their two bodies as if it were physically tangible to hold onto.

"What's this about?" Harley asked, pulling her backpack higher up onto her right shoulder as Billy stood mute, looking aloof and very bored.

"Harley, I want you to help Billy catch up on the assigned reading." Mrs. Weaver must have noticed the dreaded silence that overcame the two students, especially as Harley fidgeted with her backpack strap.

"You know the reading better than anyone, dear. You're the only student in this class that actually gives well thought out answers for our quizzes."

"What's the assigned reading?" Billy asked, but his tone was less than thrilled as he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Romeo and Juliet." Mrs. Weaver stated as she walked around her desk and started to rummage through a stack of books in a large filing cabinet that was the width of two of her desks put together.

"I love a good romance." Billy responded with a heavy note of sarcasm, his smirk pulled up to reveal those two heartstopping dimples.

"It's more like a romantic tragedy, not a romance." Harley countered quietly.

"You'd know all about that." Billy passed to her with a dour gaze as Mrs. Weaver pulled out the assigned reading with a triumph sound. She hadn't heard a word they said to each other as she was too busy digging through all the old assigned readings from years prior. Harley glared at Billy before Mrs. Weaver turned back around to see her.

"I knew I had more copies in here." She walked around her desk slowly, as if all the rifling though the file cabinets had winded her. She handed it to Billy and he took it, glancing at it and then shoving it under his right armpit. She got a small whiff of his spicy cologne as he moved his arms to shove the book under his right arm.

Harley was instantly brought back to Long Beach night's in his Camaro.

This wasn't exactly the greeting she had expected from him, but then again he hadn't seen her off when she left. He hadn't even come to say goodbye that last day. She could remember how angry and cold his eyes had grown when she said she was following her mom to Indiana.

"Now, here are some passes for your next period. Make time this week, whenever, before or after school. Billy, I expect you to be caught up on the assigned reading sooner than later. It's a required text for our class."

Her stern nature was only heard in her tone, but her eyes were soft and inviting. She was a sweet old woman, and when she tried to sound imposing or authoritative, she mostly failed. Harley just smiled thinly, nodded and Billy shrugged lightly, as if that was the only response he wanted to give. Harley had a feeling Billy didn't want to do any kind of schoolwork whatsoever.

Her next class started to pour in, giving the two of them quizzical glances as they stood before Mrs. Weaver as if they had just been given a lecture. Harley ducked her head, grabbing her slip to show to her next period teacher before feeling Billy's presence close behind her. She scooted pass a small handful of kids that were loitering next to Mrs. Weavers class, as did Billy. The group disbanded and a few went into Mrs. Weaver's class and the others went to Mr. Tanner's across the hall, leaving the hallway completely empty and very quiet as next period had already started.

She was thankful Mrs. Weaver had given them late passes because she was about to use the opportunity to try and talk to Billy.

Harley turned around quickly, opened her mouth to speak and then shut it. Billy had given her a cold greeting and now she didn't know what to say. She was used to his harsh mood swings he could have, but this was something different. This was hurtful in a different kind of way.

He leaned casually against someone's locker and stared at her as if they were at a crossroads.

"So, Hawkins, huh?" She started the conversation, albeit a bit awkwardly.

He huffed, blowing out a breath through his nose and rolled his eyes, clearly not happy with his current predicament. "This place is a shit hole."

"Hey, I was born here." Harley countered hotly.

"Doesn't mean it's not a shit hole." Billy responded blandly.

There was a moment of silence between them and Harley found the courage to speak what was on her mind during class.

"I can't believe you're actually here," She whispered as her heart pumped soundlessly to an invisible fast-paced beat that only she could hear in her ears.

"Why Hawkins? And is Max here?"

Billy looked at her stone-faced, clearly not happy they were in Hawkins instead of Long Beach.

"If it was my decision we wouldn't even be here," He bit out with that careless gaze that passed over her. For some reason, her heart started to pound more slowly, as if the excitement was starting to dwindle away. Billy never had no intention of finding her or contacting her again.

"My dad's choice, and yeah she's here. Annoying as ever with her stupid obsession with that arcade place this weekend."

She furrowed her brows, realizing that Billy and Max had been here for a couple days already. It was a wonder she hadn't even seen him. Harley all of a sudden got a distinct feeeling that Billy didn't want to be around her. She felt her stomach drop out from within her, as if it had fallen straight through body.

"Where does this leave us?" The words sounded foreign on her own tongue and she hated feeling vulnerable at his expense. At anyone's expense, honestly. But here she was feeling unsure and very uncomfortable before Billy Hargrove, the boy who she had very much cared for.

Hell, she fancied she could have even loved him, but Harley didn't know much about love and relationships. Billy had been the first boy that made her feel things that went beyond a grade school crush.

He must have sensed the way she was looking at him. Must have seen the way she had gleamed a small hopeful look in her eyes moments ago before the conversation had stalled.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't come here for you, Harley."

The words hurt even though she was anticipating it, but hearing it from his mouth didn't make it sting any less. If anything it stung more. Looking at him closely, she could see the war in his irises as he spoke. There were conflicting feelings etched upon his face as his eyes dipped down Harley's body and then back up to her face slowly as if reliving memories from the past Summer.

Memories that included her lithe little body pressed against his as she peppered sweet kisses up and down jaw.

Truth was, neither of them were over one another.

They didn't know where it left them, but Billy's best defense was to act harsh and cold so he could cover up his feelings. He didn't want to seem weak at Hawkins High, and if were to make a name for himself this Senior year he needed to play the bad boy part.

After all, it was what everyone expected of him anyways.

So why give them anything different?

Harley looked up at him and shook her head, more so at herself than at him, "I just thought that since you were here-"

"Things would go back to the way they were?" Billy finished her sentence for her, causing Harley to meet his gaze. He looked away from her for a moment, down at his shoes and then up at her, his face grew shrewder. It was nothing like the pompous and snarky Billy she knew back in California. He blew out a breath through his nostrils. He was the one now that shook his head back and forth as if Harley was slow in getting a memo she had somehow missed.

"You left. Remember?" His voice had an edge to it and his warring eyes flashed with a flicker of anger. He pushed off the metal locker with his right foot and took an intimidating step towards Harley. She rooted herself to her spot, not stepping back an inch which give him the upper hand in this mental mind game he was trying to play with her. If she stepped back, Billy would know he had gotten to her.

"You left me."

There it was. That singular word. Me.

Said with such a selfish conviction that Harley almost stepped back, but she caught herself. With Billy this close she could see the way his eyes flickered with hurt. She could smell the spicy cologne and hairspray that wafted off him. This close she could feel the heat and see the fine details in his denim jacket. This close...Harley still wanted to kiss him.

But she didn't because a bubbling outrage was simmering in her gut. An outrage towards Billy for making it seem as if she left on her own accord. Her mother moved. She followed. It was the nature of her life, and Billy knew that from the get-go. She had teased him relentlessly that she didn't want him to fall in love with her. And every single time she said as much Billy would just smirk, averting his gaze from her while subtly claiming that it wasn't really his style.

Harley wondered now if maybe, just maybe, Billy Hargrove had been falling in love with her when they were back in Long Beach. But standing here with him now, with that intimidating stance and his dispassionate eyes, she found it hard to believe that Billy could ever feel that way about her. Then or now.

Suddenly, she didn't feel like she wanted to kiss him anymore. Not when he had such a calculated cruelness in his eyes.

"You act like I had a choice!" She countered in a shrill voice before looking around the empty hallway to make sure no one was around.

"You could've stayed." Billy countered shrewdly.

There was a moment of silence as the implication of his words. Harley hefted her backpack up on her right shoulder as she gave him a dubious look. She laughed with a sarcastic huff, and before she could think better of it she responded with a questionable gaze, "You mean with you?"

It came out all wrong. She didn't mean to huff out that sarcastic laugh the way she did. She just didn't understand how that would have been possible. His father was a complete jerk, and he wouldn't have allowed Harley to stay with them. Coupled with the fact that her own mother was still a burden on her shoulders that she continued to put up with out of obligation. Billy had never liked that Harley felt such a strong obligation to take care of her mother. She knew he hated it.

Billy's face had frozen over like frost growing over a window in the dead of winter. She didn't mean for her words to be taken in the wrong way, but it was too late. And the hateful part of Harley didn't care because as much coldness as he was dishing out maybe it was time he had a taste of his own medicine.

"Just forget it. None of it matters now anyways." Billy spat with a furrowed brow.

These had been the words that nailed Billy's coffin shut. At least in Harley's heart it had. It doesn't matter now anyways meant they didn't matter now, and that everything that had transpired in California didn't matter. It meant that going forward, Billy wanted nothing more than to forget it all. It meant he didn't care. And that hurt. It was a crippling hurt that finally sent Harley taking a small step back as if she had been slapped.

Sure, she told Billy not to get too close, and that she moved a lot, but hearing him act as if nothing that happened between mattered cut her more deeply than she had anticipated. She still felt as if she had been physically slapped. Harley quickly turned her own hurt into anger as she always did when she someone upset her. Her nostrils flared in defense mode as the fire breathing red headed dragon within her reared it's ugly head.

"You know what? You can get someone else to catch you up on the assigned reading,"

He tightened his eyes at her as she glared at him hotly.

"Because if none of it matters then we really have nothing more to say to each other." Harley added harshly as Billy's face contorted between angst and rage.

Without so much as another word, Harley turned in her shoes and started walking to fifth period, her hands were shaking now as adrenaline flooded her veins. She didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her turn around to look him. Harley kept walking until she got to the end of the hallway where she needed to turn left, but before she did, she heard a very loud and resonating sound of something slamming into a metal locker.

Harley didn't have to turn around to know that Billy's fist had just collided with someone's locker out of frustration and anger. The moment she turned left she saw the girl's restroom and hurried in.

After making sure no one was in there, she walked into the furthest stall and closed the door, sinking low against the side of the stall and dropping her backpack by her side. For the first time in a very long time, Harley emptied a silent river of tears into the palms of her hands.

Author's Note: Well, first thing's first. BILLY IS FREAKING HERE. But it isn't exactly the greeting Harley anticipated. Billy is just being angsty Billy. I feel like he was trying to get over her and then BAM he runs into her and he doesn't know how to feel about it. And the abandonment issue he has with his mom coincides with feeling abandoned by Harley leaving California. Oh, and you might be wondering what kind of tracks she found in the woods. I don't want give TOO much away but there MIGHT be two demodogs running around Hawkins. Dustin finds a baby..but who is to say there couldn't be another adult demodogs running around? We will just have to wait and see hehe Also, I like the playful banter between Steve and Harley. XD