CHAPTER SEVEN
THE FIRE

Jess woke up the next morning in anguish. She had learned nothing from the Byers. Joyce said that they shouldn't be talking about whatever was inside Jess's head until the chief of police showed up. So, Jess was patiently waiting for the phone to ring in the morning.

The brunette had let herself be thirty minutes late to school because she was convinced that the phone would ring

Her parents left early in the morning for their work and she was left alone in the house... except for Delilah. The blonde stayed the night and slept soundly on the sofa.

The pair were standing on the front steps of Jess's home, ready to walk out. Jess didn't want to leave because she didn't want to miss a call from Joyce and Delilah didn't want to leave because she didn't want to be seen in Jess's clothing.

"God, why are your clothes so baggy?" Delilah pinched the cotton material of her shirt and lifted it up to show how much fabric was left hanging.

"Because I have bigger assets than you," Jess explained. Her friend scoffed and rolled her eyes. They got into the Challenger and begrudgingly left for school.

-

"Are you still up for the party?" Jess asked Delilah during the passing period. Jonathan still hasn't shown up and it has visibly taken a toll on the blonde.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. We need to do it soon, though."

"How soon?"

"As soon as you can get the house to yourself," Delilah shot back quickly. Jess gave her a slightly shocked look and she immediately gave the brunette a guilty look. "Look, I'm sorry."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" Jess dropped her books into her backpack. Delilah rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands and sighed.

"My dad died," Delilah finally said as she crossed her arms. Jess's face contorted into sympathy as Delilah continued. "Yeah, stroke. That's not the worst thing that happened. He was eating while he had his stroke. It wasn't his fucking brain that killed him it was a fucking piece of bread that ended that son of a bitch."

"Delilah," Jess scoffed. "He's your father. Don't you feel bad just a tiny bit?"

"People grieve in different ways," Delilah barked. "This is how I'm grieving."

Jess gave a big sigh. She could never seem to win. One second she's having a seizure and scaring the person next to her and the next she's scolding a grieving girl.

"Where's Jonathan?" Delilah asked in hopes of steering the conversation away from her father.

"Last I heard he skipped with Nancy." Delilah gave a small laugh at Jess's answer.

"At least we can be happy for one person." Jess gave a small smile. There was a beat of silence before Delilah spoke again.

"What were you doing yesterday? You gave me a note that said you were running some errands but you didn't even take your wallet." Jess's heart quickened and her palms grew sweaty. Her mouth became dry at the thought of having to lie to her best friend.

"I..." Jess swallowed hard, hoping that Delilah didn't notice. "I was visiting a friend."

"Jess," Delilah deadpanned. Shit. She knew Jess was lying. "You don't have to lie to me."

"What?"

"I know what's going on." Delilah grabbed Jess's hand and gave it a hard squeeze.

"You do?" Jess breathed. How did Delilah find out about the thing that has been taking over her?

"Yes." Delilah gave her a sly smile. "You were banging Hargrove."

"What?!" Jess recoiled. "No!"

"No?" Delilah whined. "Well then what the fuck were you doing?"

"I was literally visiting a friend- why would you think that I was fucking him?"

"I dunno! You seemed all defensive. I thought that was it- wait! Why are you defensive?" Delilah raised her brow as if she were interrogating Jess.

Before Jess could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of the passing period and the beginning of the first period of the day.

"Saved by the bell!" Jess sneered playfully as she grabbed her backpack. Delilah gave her a murderous look.

"I'll get it out of you."

"Sure." Jess laughed as Delilah stormed away in a fit of rage. Jess followed her out but lost her in the crowded hallway. It was just as good anyways, her class was on the other side of the school.

Tommy H. walked by with a group that consisted of Carol, Sarah, Gabriel and Billy who was lagging behind and wasn't really part of the group.

They snickered at Jess and called her a murderer. Figures. Sarah and Carol were Taylor's sex toys and submitted to him whenever he wanted them to and Tommy and Gabriel were his closest buddies. Jess honestly didn't mind the verbal jabs, those she could tune out.

But it was when Tommy spat on her that she let it get to her. She almost started crying on the spot. She never fought back because she knew that it would feed those rumors about her. She never said anything because then they would label her as that whiny bitch. What was she supposed to do now?

"Hey, what the hell?" Billy pushed Tommy H harshly away from Jess.

"What the hell, dude? You don't push- " Tommy shoved Billy in turn. "- me like that."

The shoving soon turned into slamming each other on the ground. Jess yelled for Billy to get off of Tommy but he didn't hear her.

"Come on, Tommy!" Gabriel chanted from the side. Carol and Sarah looked like they were on the verge of an orgasm as they watched with wide eyes. Jess was disgusted. How could this be normal?

"Billy!" Jess cried once the boy held Tommy in a headlock. He forced Tommy to look up and meet Jess's eyes.

"Say it. Say you're sorry," Billy growled at him. Tommy's face turned a horrifying shade of blue and Jess felt nauseous.

"Billy, let go!" Jess tried to coax him to set Tommy free but Billy only responded by yanking Tommy harder.

"Say it!" Jess felt a bit awkward and out of place standing above Tommy, looking down at him. The Jess that existed a few days ago wouldn't have approved of this method. But the Jess now... she finally felt justified.

"S-Sorry," Tommy gasped. Billy immediately loosened his grip and Tommy scrambled away. Jess felt her breath hitch when Tommy stood up but to her relief, he and his group quickly left the now vacant halls.

Bill looked at Jess for a second with a slight hint of pride in his blue eyes. Jess couldn't think of anything to say in the moment. What do you say to the guy that has strangled a boy for you?

Billy walked past her, presumably to his next class or maybe outside to get a smoke, but Jess felt something within her to urge her forward.

"Billy, wait!" Jess raced forward to catch up with the boy when he turned around. She wasn't expecting him to stop and acknowledge her so quickly. The girl was caught off guard but she cleared her throat and willed herself to speak.

"Thank you." Billy's forehead creased with fake annoyance.

"Whatever- " Billy turned to walk away but Jess caught a hold of his arm.

"Billy," Jess took in their surroundings. It was an empty hallway they were standing in. "There's no one around..."

Billy didn't say anything but Jess knew that he was intrigued about what she was going to say next.

"You don't have to pretend with me. It's just me, okay?" Jess waited for Billy to say something, but he didn't indulge her. She didn't expect anything less. Billy wasn't the type to seek out or insinuate emotional support.

"C'mere," Jess whispered and grabbed his arms, pulling him closer as she trapped him in a hug. His hands laid carefully on the small of her back and she took in the smell of cigarettes and cologne, her favorite scent.

Billy wouldn't admit it then but Jess unlocked something within him from that hug. It was something that had been stowed away for what he thought was for good.

And he wasn't mad that it had been released.

-

During P.E, Billy had gone back to his old self. Jess wasn't surprised, he could only go so long without being a dickhead.

Billy jeered at Steve the whole game and Steve in turn tried to throw comebacks at him but failed each time. Jess started to feel bad for the overthrown King of Hawkins High. He didn't deserve this much shit. Nancy dumped him- or did he dump her?- and then his crown was passed onto Billy and now he's being walked on.

The game ended and there was five minutes left until the class could go back into the locker rooms and change. The girls were invited to come down to the courts and shoot baskets. Only one or two girls got up including Jess to get in some exercise.

Even though Jess thought that it was extremely sexist, she did enjoy the fact that she basically had a free period. It was nice to finally stretch her legs and get off her ass, though.

"Hey, Killer," Billy fidgeted with a basketball. "You thinking of shooting some hoops?"

"I was gonna try," Jess glanced at the basketball hoop that loomed high over her head. "But I may be too small for that."

"Nah," Billy bounces the ball over to Jess for her to catch. "Go ahead and try."

Feeling the braille-like texture of the ball, Jess turned it over once in her hand before bouncing it on the polished floor. She gave a small jump before trying to shoot the ball. She felt her body being picked up and the ball in her hand fell into the hoop with ease.

"Oh my-!" Jess teetered in the hands of Billy Hargrove. "Billy!"

"See?" Billy laughed as he brought Jess down. "You're not too small."

"Put me down," Jess forced herself not to laugh as he let her go. She turned around and punched him in the arm. "Don't do that again, you idiot!"

Billy swatted her hands away and gave her a shameless grin. She walked away from him, embarrassed. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed their exchange and it didn't look like people were interested in them. That was perfectly fine with the flushed brunette.

-

After school had ended Jess dropped Delilah off at home. She told the blonde that she needed to be there for her mom and that she shouldn't have been hiding. Agreeing, Delilah had let her drive her home.

Arriving back at her own place, Jess pocketed her keys as soon as she entered and locked the door before heading upstairs. She took off her backpack and jacket and set them both on the back of her chair by her desk.

She stood in the middle of the room as a strange feeling crept up her spine, giving her a shiver. She wanted to turn around to see if anything was behind her but her feet were planted to the floor.

Suddenly, white-hot pain traveled throughout her whole body. It felt like her nerves were being seared off.

Jess fell to the floor screaming, crying out in pain. She convulsed on the hardwood as tears flowed down her cheeks. The pain kept coming in pulses as if someone was taking a blowtorch and drenching her body in fire.

Her hands were balled into fists right under her ribcage. As she screamed out in pain, she caught a glimpse of her hand. Panting, she held it out to see it clearly and screamed at what she saw.

Black viens crawled under her skin. It crept up her arms towards her. It traveled along her neck and up to her eyes where she saw fire. There was destruction, vines and fire.

Jess cried out and shook in pain for ten long minutes. After what seemed like forever, Jess's eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body fell limp on the floor of her bedroom.

-

[EDITED]

a/n sorry for the short and a bit crappy chapter but i have been really busy lately and i was thinking that i may have to change my daily updates to every two days. i hope you understand! both last chapter and this chapter will be heavily edited and the future chapters will be better. thank you for hanging in there with me!