SHOW HER YOU CARE !

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NIGHT TIME HAD ROLLED AROUND AND ALEX HENDERSON HAD TOP PRIORITIES IN MIND. A day spent with Erica Sinclair had tired her out, however, riding her bike all the way to what was rumored to be the hangout spot of the night had pushed the exhaustion to the side.

Alex had found herself making her way up the front steps of Max's house. Nighttime had quickly rolled around after a long day of babysitting and the chilly air had settled in after such a hot summer day. Wrapping her arms around herself, she had awaited for the sound of thundering footsteps of the kids but none had came and her hopes of catching a break disappeared immediately.

When the front door had opened up and the air around her had smelled of smoke and cologne, she had felt her heart sink. Standing before her stood Billy Hargrove with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Is Max home?" Alex asked.

Billy found himself glancing over his shoulder but as far as he knew, Max hadn't been home just yet. "She's out with her friends. Didn't mention where they were heading. I heard your brothers back though."

"Yeah, I was hoping he was here too." Clearing her throat uncomfortably, she had taken a step back with a half hearted smile. "Well, I'll see you later then. If Max ends up coming home soon, just let her know I was here."

An opportunity had stood before Billy and he was unwilling to let it disappear before he had the chance. "We can hang out, if you want."

Alex looked to him with furrowed brows. "Don't you have a date tonight?" She paused as she held up a finger to correct her words, "Sorry, I meant swim lessons."

Forcing a laugh, Billy had felt himself grow comfortable as he leaned against the doorframe. "Not tonight, Henderson."

Alex found herself looking him over as she grew suspicious. All summer and Billy now had wanted to actively correct his wrongs. Only, Alex had always been forgiving and found herself giving a small shrug of uncertainty. "We can hang out until Max gets back, I guess."

Surprised to get the answer he had been hoping for, Billy fumbled as he had motioned for her to follow him inside. There was nothing unusual of having Alex in his house, but this had been the first time she had been there for him.

Wringing his hands nervously, he had led her to his room. Offering a hand out, he had allowed for her to enter in first and instantly he had grown embarrassed. He watched with a dry mouth as Alex had avoided stepping on his clothes and garbage that littered his floor, but what had caused his stomach to turn was when he saw the look of worry as she sat on the edge of his bed.

Attempting a laugh, Billy looked around his room, "If I knew you were coming, I would've cleaned my room a bit."

"It's fine," she said quietly. "So, no date with Mrs. Wheeler? You just look all dressed up."

Billy looked down at his attire. He had worn his best blue jeans and a half way unbuttoned top and leather jacket, not to mention the cologne that clung on to him. A small laugh escaped his lips as he spoke. "She's sort of expecting me tonight."

"She's just so much older and married. I don't get what's so appealing about her to you."

"Who says you're all that either?" Billy shot back, instantly wishing he had taken that back. That was until he heard Alex laugh next to him as she threw herself back down on his bed.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not. I mean, you can date my mom if you want. She's old but guess what? Single."

Billy turned to see her looking up at his ceiling, watching as she laughed at herself. Since the night that he had hit Alex Henderson, he never thought that she would be resting her head on his pillow and genuinely smiling, no matter how much he imagine it coming true.

The silence of the boy had Alex lift her head up just a bit to take a peek at Billy lost in thought as he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Swallowing the lump of nerves that settled in his throat, he rested himself next to her.

Feeling her hand accidentally brush up against his caused his heart to speed up from such a simple touch. That was until his stomach dropped and he shut his eyes when she pulled her hand away and rested it on her stomach. Of all the girls that had wound up in his bed, never had he just laid there taking in every moment and counting the seconds he spent with her next to him.

Turning his head to look at her, Alex did the same, her face so close yet too far for him. A smile grew as he watched over Alex's face, unsure what to say to her anymore.

"Why are you being weird tonight? Sort of waiting for the insults to come pouring out," Alex laughed.

Watching her lips as she spoke, Billy couldn't help but imagine his lips back against hers like the night of the Halloween party. "Trying to be a better person, Alex. Problem with that?"

Alex looked up to the ceiling yet again and shook her head, "Not at all. Just not used to you being so quiet."

"You know me, not trying to screw this up. Clearly we've been through enough shit. Thought maybe being friends was better than nothing."

Alex turned her eyes back up to the ceiling as she thought this through. Guilt and regret had followed soon after as she wished she never agreed to hang out tonight. A panic had begun to settle in as she wanted nothing more than to be laying beside Steve Harrington.

Seeing the mixture of emotions pour over her in just a matter of moments, Billy had sat up. "We need to talk."

Alex had sat up and let her focus on her lap. Nervously, she had bit her lip. She was unsure if she was prepared to listen just yet, but she was willing to try.

"There's no excuse for what happened. I should've controlled myself and I-I promised I wouldn't..." his voice trailed off as he shook his head in disbelief. Never would he be willing to trust a person with the pain inside him. Still, he felt that Alex had deserved an explanation. "I don't want to hurt people."

There was a beat of silence as Alex tried to nod her head in understanding, but she didn't understand. How someone could hurt the people he did, she was unsure if the moment she let her guard down, he would hurt someone all over again. "I don't get why," she said quietly.

"I didn't want Max to get hurt," he admitted. "I can't explain it. I care about her and I know I don't show it..."

As his words had started to die down, Alex had finally turned over to him. "You should show her you care. It's easier than to pretend you don't. It'd hurt both of you less."

Billy had met her eyes and felt that maybe someone cared about him too. It wasn't some silly crush that made him feel less empty inside. It was that someone had listened and tried to show him he was better and he was not always going to be an awful person.

"Both you and Max deserve better and if you had each other, I think you'd see that maybe Hawkins doesn't suck as much as you say. She let people care about her and she made friends that would die for her. You can have that too and Max can be one of those people." Pausing, Alex had let out a small sigh, "I-I didn't know you asked me out on a date after Halloween. It was my fault for hurting you and I promise you I never wanted to do that to you. I couldn't show it then, but I did care about you as a friend. And it's not an excuse either, but something happened to me and I-I was just angry and hurting and completely out of my mind. I'm sorry too for what happened."

"You don't ever have to forgive me," Billy said and though it was short and simple, he was sure that was all he needed to say. He wouldn't blame her because he only ever blamed himself. A high school crush will come and go, but it is never enough to be as vicious as he had been. "You can tell Harrington we should talk too."

"I don't know if he'll ever be ready," she said simply. It was the truth and there was no avoiding it. "I'll tell him though. But I think I should talk to him first."

Billy had nodded his head in understanding as he knew that was all he could ask for. As long as he could sleep at night knowing he had healed a part of himself. Time and time again he'd work to fix everything he could and somehow the future ahead would begin to have different ideas for him. In Hawkins, it was hard to escape your nightmares and just like Alex, he was going to see how difficult it would be.

But when she had given him a small smile, he had returned it. He would remember this night and even if Alex forgets it, it was a great night either way.

A door slam had broken the silence as the voices of Max and Lucas had filled the emptiness. "Complete bullshit!" Lucas yelled out without fear of anyone else hearing.

"I can't believe he made us go to the highest point in Hawkins," Max complained. Her legs were sore and after Lucas had chosen to drink their water all by himself, she was in need of hydrating herself.

Alex turned her head away from the door to look at Billy. "They're talking about Dustin. I should probably go check on him." Standing up from his bed, Alex had made her way over to his window. Lifting it open, she had turned back to him, "Thanks for talking about it. You should talk to Max soon."

"Yeah, of course," he said as he followed her towards the window. He watched as she climbed her way out and jumped down to the ground. Sticking his head out of the window, he had taken his chance in asking one more question. "Are we friends or what, Henderson?"

Alex had taken a few steps back as she went to walk off, but a smile had came. "We're friends. I'll see you later so go ahead and catch your swim lessons with Mrs. Wheeler!"

Billy let out a chuckle, "Don't have too much fun with Harrington then," he called out to her. For once, he had felt lighter in knowing he could joke about Steve Harrington without meaning any harm towards her.

Scoffing, she had walked backwards as she stuck up her middle finger in his direction. When his head had went back into his room and the window had shut she had turned around and raced to find her bike. To her, the only logical place to go was to the highest point in Hawkins to find her brother. A month missing and there was no one she would miss more than him.