(y/n) - your name

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"Are you ready?" Nancy leaned against a locker next to (y/n)'s as she grabbed all her stuff, nodding her head and locking the door before the two girls headed outside. It was finally the end of another school day and during the last class, Nancy suggested that (y/n) should come over to her house so they both could study seeing that the latter was kind of struggling. (y/n) was extremely grateful but wondered if it was ok with Nancy's parents but she said they would be cool with it.

"Are you sure-"

"-don't worry, they will be fine with it. My brother always has his friends around unannounced."

"You have a brother?" This was the first (y/n) heard about this so-called brother.

"Did I not mention him?" (y/n) shook her head. "Oh well yeah, I have a younger brother called Mike. Pain in the ass I swear to god."

"Yeah, all younger siblings are absolute pains but we love them." (y/n) muses out, unlocking her car and putting her stuff in the trunk.

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah actually. He's a year younger than me."

"Oh, how is he getting home?" Nancy asked as she put her stuff in the trunk as well, (y/n) hesitating for a second before closing the trunk and lying.

"He's off at a friend's house actually. He said he's gonna sleep over there."

"Oh, that's cool then." The two girls got in (y/n)'s car, closing the doors before driving off.

"Is Steve coming over?"

"No, he had some other things to do so it's just us. Wait, Jonathan might come over, but maybe not. He said he had something to show me."

"Oh I can leave early then if he's coming around-"

"-you're not intruding, you can stay. Plus it's a good way for me to study as well if I teach you."

"That's true." The car ride went silent as music from the radio drifting through, Nancy humming to a song until she turns around with a worried look on her face.

"I know you said you were ok this morning, but are you really?"

"Ok about what?" (y/n) scrunched her face in confusion, focusing on the road.

"About Hargrove! And what he did this morning!" (y/n) lets out a silent 'oh' temporarily forgetting what happened in the morning.

"Yeah, I'm ok. He just took me by surprise. I don't think Billy would hurt a girl."

"I mean, have you heard the rumours. He fights with other people over stupid things." (Y/n) purses her lips thinking about the bruises Billy got. Was it from his fights or was it from something else related to the yelling in his house? "How does someone have that much anger in them?"

"They bottle it up, it festers and grows. Especially if they forced themselves to bury it down at a very young age. And if you don't let that anger out naturally, it bursts spontaneously without an outlet. It kills you slowly and emotionally." Nancy looked at (y/n) with wide eyes from her answer like she knew what Billy was going through.

"How-"

"-I just read it somewhere. Psychology stuff." (Y/n) quickly says hoping Nancy would buy it and she does, going back to talking about her day until they soon arrived at her house after giving (y/n) the directions.

"And this is my house." The girls grab their stuff and walk inside the house, (y/n) taking her shoes off by the doorway. "Mum! I'm here with a friend! We're going to my bedroom!"

"Ok dear!" Nancy leads (y/n) up to her room, opening the door to reveal a small and quaint room. It was kinda cute in a doll-like aesthetic, definitely something that fit Nancy but (y/n) preferred a more monotone and simple room.

"We can sit on the bed." Nancy takes out her stuff on her bed as (y/n) walked around her room, noticing a board with pinned pictures and photos of Nancy and her friends. There were little lights strung around the board and the room, (y/n) looking at a couple of pictures of Nancy with another girl.

'Barb & Nancy'

It had little hearts around the photo and the two of them looked very happy. "Another friend of yours? How come I didn't see her at school?" Nancy frowned as (y/n) turned around to look at her, looking up she might tear up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"-she... she passed away recently..."

"I'm so sorry Nancy..." (y/n) goes to sit on the bed next to her, rubbing her back as she cried.

"She's... she's just gone and no one cares. Everyone just moved on like it was nothing, like they just forgot... I don't want to pretend anymore... she's gone..." (y/n) frowned as the poor girl in front of her cried in frustration, hastily wiping her tears away.

"Then don't pretend. Don't keep it in and show your friend the justice she deserves." Nancy looks up at (y/n) in surprise, hearing someone for the first time ever, say not to hide and pretend as Steve told her to. She felt justified that someone else thought the same as her and was on her side. "She's your best friend and I know you would do anything for our friends." Nancy nods and smiles in agreement. "Now, tell me more about this friend of yours."

"Her name was Barbara, but I called her Barb."

~~~~~~~~

(y/n) and Nancy spent the night talking and studying until the former girl realised how late it was. "Nancy! Come downstairs for dinner! And bring your friend!" Karen calls out and (y/n) rushes to pack her things, apologising for staying too long.

"(y/n) it's ok!" Nancy chuckles at the worried look on her face, grabbing her shoulders. "Come eat at least." (y/n) couldn't say no, it was decent courtesy so she follows Nancy downstairs to see her family already eating at the table.

"Oh welcome honey. Here take a seat. "Karen smiles at (y/n) and she bristles from how uncomfortable she was as she sat down between a young boy, who she figured was Mike, and Nancy.

"Mum!" Nancy whines in embarrassment and (y/n) didn't know if Karen was naturally just nice or acting because there was a guest in her house.

"Thank you for letting me stay Mrs Wheeler-"

"-please, just call me Karen." (y/n) looks over at Nancy subtly and she rolls her eyes.

"Uh ok. I'm (y/n). I just moved here a couple days ago to Hawkins."

"Well welcome to the town." Nancy's dad says in a monotone voice, without looking up from his paper.

Rude...

"This is Ted, my husband, Mike and Holly our youngest." (y/n) waved at the youngest sibling, the little girl giggling and waving back.

"She's adorable." Karen smile, dotting on her youngest daughter as (y/n) looked at Mike. "Nice to know the name of one of 4 kids spying on Max." (y/n) whispers lowly to Mike who looked at her with wide eyes. "You guys ain't that slick." She chuckles as Mike tries to stutter out an excuse. "I'm toying with you kid."

"How are you enjoying Hawkins?" Karen asks and (y/n) shrugs as she eats.

"It's nice and quiet. I mean, almost similar to where I used to live, not much different. I'm still trying to memorise the streets and everything. Using a map to keep note of things." The family chuckles lowly at that.

"This town may be small but it's easy to get lost in." Ted mumbles out. The Wheeler family and (y/n) talk through dinner, them asking her questions which she answered as much as she wanted truthfully until she weaselled her way of trying to get home but Nancy asked her if she wanted to sleep over since it was so late. (y/n) put her shoes on as Nancy tried to convince her that it was too late to drive, (y/n) escaping to her car and getting in.

"I'll be fine Nancy, don't worry about me. How about this, we can have a girl's sleepover another time ok." Nancy smiled hesitantly, being protective of her new friend. Especially after what happened to Barbara. She waved goodbye to (y/n) as she rolled out of her driveway and drove away down the street. Truth be told, (y/n) was terrified of driving home alone in the dark, but it was worse staying in a house alone. She had to make sure to keep some sort of weapon next to her in her bedroom.

(y/n) finally made it home, turning off the radio and getting out of the car with her stuff. She heard a door open and turns around to see Billy storming out of his house, a furious look on his face.

She stumbles back from her car- "Where the fuck have you been all night!?" Billy growls out and (y/n) glares at him, about to tell him off until she notices the split lip and the multiple cuts on Billy's cheek and forehead. "You-"

"-what happened?" (y/n) gasps softly and Billy freezes as she gently turns his chin to see the wounds before he shook her hand off harshly.

"Don't touch me." He hisses lowly and (y/n) looks at Billy, nodding.

"Let's go." she walks towards her house to open the door and Billy looks at her in surprise, silently following her into her house and locking the front door behind him. She ushers him to her room and Billy narrowed his eyes at how much stuff was in there, most of her belongings in this room alone compared to the rest of the house. The room was mostly dark with monotone shades of black and light grey even if she turned the lights on. "Sit down." Billy didn't like the girl ordering him around but sat down carefully on her bed as she brought out first aid stuff from her bathroom.