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-'ˏ Margo's Pov ˎ'-

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Margaret Henderson's House

Tuesday , 7:08 p.m

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Billy leaned back and away from me. His eyebrows scrunched up in thought as his grip loosened from around me.

"We can't." He whispered sadly. He roughly hooked his hands under my thighs and scooted me closer to him before reaching up to grab my face. "I can't just uproot you from where you live Margo. You have a family here. And school."

"We can go to California." I said ignoring his previous statements.

He released his hold on my face to run his fingers through his hair. When his hand came back down from his forehead they were wet with blood.

"Billy." I told him sadly.

He dismissed my idea again and quickly wiped the blood off his hands and onto his jeans.

"We are almost done with highschool anyways. What about going to college? In San Diego?" I prodded.

His eyes lost his determined spark to fight me on the subject.

"Your mom wouldn't want you to live this way." It was a low blow, but I wanted him away from Neil through any means necessary.

His grip around my waist had tightened again. He looked at anywhere but me for a couple of minutes as we sat in silence.

"You'd come with me?" He finally asked.

I nodded my head frantically at him. "Yes."

He still looked unsure and skeptical. "We can get jobs. Our own apartment. Away from Hawkins. Weird things happen here. I don't want to grow old and have kids here."

"Ki- kids?" He stuttered.

"Well yeah.." I mumbled as I began blushing. "I mean like in general here is not a place for kids so-"

I was interrupted by a shrill scream that pierced the night air. We both jumped up.

"What in the hell." He muttered as we both walked to the front door. I trailed behind his large frame. He briefly looked out through a window before unlocking the front door to investigate before the shriek was heard again. He firmly grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the front door. It wasn't long before we were walking up the Hargrove's driveway.

It was sure a sight to say the least.

"I SAID get OUT Neil!" Susan shrieked from the doorway.

Max stood awkwardly under her mothers arm with a hand over a growing red mark on her face.

"Do NOT touch my daughter!" Her soft but firm voice said. It was like she had never raised her voice in her life. "I have watched you beat William blue and that was horrible in itself but you will NOT step foot near Maxine ever again!" She shrieked before disappearing into the house. She came out a second later with an armful of laundry in her hands. She angrily threw them at Neils feet with quite some force.

"Do not come back." She said throwing her wedding band at him too. Susan gently pulled Max inside before slamming the door only to reopen it a second later.

"William is welcome though. Tell him that." She said before proceeding to slam and lock the door.

Billy and I stood at the end of the driveway still gaping at the scene that had just unfolded.

"Son of a BITCH Susan!" Neil said as he pounded on the door furiously. Realizing he was getting nowhere he stiffly bent down to pick up his belongings. Throwing them into his car he quickly drove off, most likely embarrassed.

"Holy shit!" I said looking up at Billy. I tugged at his arm before walking us up to the door. I knocked lightly and waited.

"I said go away Neil!" A shrill voiced called out.

"Actually um I'm Margaret?" I replied.

Susan's face quickly popped around the slightly ajar door. "Oh!" She said clasping her hands together lightly. "Come in?"

I nodded my head with a small smile. Billy stood there with his hands shoved in his pockets awkwardly, as if unsure if he was still welcome.

"You too William."

He let out the breath he was holding and followed me in.

The air was thick and tense inside the small kitchen space. I softly smiled as I remembered Billy burning his fingers trying to make waffles. I wanted to tell him in the midst of my excitement but held it back as Susan began to speak.

"I have kicked Neil out of the house." She simply said as she made direct eye contact with Billy.

He nodded his head at her. "Good."

She cracked a small smile at him knowingly. "I don't think you should live with him even though he is your father." She said nervously.

Billy just nodded his head at her again. "Yeah I was actually thinking of moving back down to California."

A grin spread across my face.

"That will be good for you. I never let Neil get rid of that surfboard rack. It's packed up somewhere in the garage if you want it."

"Actually take whatever you want of his. Or I will get rid of it." She said with disgust apparent in her voice. Max continued to hold her face as she sat on the countertop. Susan patted her shoulder lovingly before looking back at us.

"Thanks." Billy simply said before making his way down the hall.

"Thank you." I told Susan with a smile before following him.

"California?" I said excitedly while leaning against his door frame.

Billy walked towards me and captured my face in his hands before bending down to give me a kiss.

"California baby." He replied with a smile before he began to pack up his important belongings.

👁👄👁

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