"Babysitter?" The blond teen scoffed as he looked deep into Frankie's eyes. His eyes were dark and sinister. She could feel shivers roll down her spine but just frowned in disgust at his scoff.

"Yeah, babysitter." She glared back at him. Frankie knew that she couldn't take this two hundred pound meathead, so anything to distract him for a little while longer until Steve came back was what she was really focussed on. She didn't want to depend on Steve but this guy was a violent person and she had noodle arms. If chatting about their day and what color his car was could gain her a few extra minutes before all hell broke loose, that's what Frankie would do.

"I don't think Susan hired any babysitter, did she Maxine? I would have known, especially if she looked the way you did. Maybe I would have asked you to babysit me instead." His last two sentences directed towards Frankie. He sent her a charming smile, and if this was a few days ago, she would have probably felt her heart stop at the sight of his pearly whites. But, she was a new person now who was tired and done with everyone's shit and really only wanted to see the goofy smile of the boy who was laying in the dirt outside the front door. Rolling her eyes at his attempts at flirting, she just shook her head with a deadpanned look in her eyes. She couldn't believe this douche nozzle; he just beat up her Steve, broke into the house they were in, called Max a bitch and had the audacity to try to get up on her.

"In your dreams, Mullet."

"Oh, now I have a new reason to go to sleep at night. And it's Billy, I'm sure you'll be saying that a lot soon." Hearing a small gag from behind her, Frankie smirked over her shoulder at the sight of all the kids with grimaces on their faces.

"I'd really love to stay and chat sweetheart, but we've got to go." He said with a suddenly deeper voice that Frankie assumed meant business. Feeling the already tense air start to reach a scary climb, Frankie knew that she would have to fight Max's brother tooth and nail just to keep her here and safe.

"You just got here Billy, what's the rush?" She said nervously while pressing her hand subtly back in the air to calm the children behind her. Hoping they understood not to intervene, she kept on talking trying to delay the inevitable.

"I mean if you really have to go, I can bring Max home in a bit. It's just that we're waiting for Ms Byers to come back with food and once Max eats she'll basically already be back home safe in her bed. My car is right outside and it wouldn't be any trouble to take her back. If you need me to, I'll call your parents and let them know what's going on. I really think that-"

"Stop!" Billy shouted with a raise of his hand, instantly making Frankie's mouth shut. He shook his head with an annoyed look and let out a sigh through his nose.

"It's better if we just leave now. Come on." Moving his finger in a come here motion, he whistled to get the point across. Frankie swallowed as he acted like Max was a small dog he could boss around and bend and shape to his will. She knew that it was a matter of time before things began to get physical so she rolled her shoulders back getting ready.

When Max didn't move from her spot, Billy already rushed to grab her, dragging her by her arm to the front door. Frankie had no time to even blink before Max was struggling to stay with the group. Lucas was the first one to move and charged to the tall white teen trying to break the grip he had on Max.

"Let go of her!" He shouted along with the pants and cries from the other two. Frankie immediately ran to the three trying to get Lucas away from Billy and trying to grab Max herself.

"Lucas get out of here!" She exclaimed tearing the boy away from the scene and grabbing the hand that surrounded Max's wrist. Scratching and clawing the skin trying to get him to let go, the two wrestled with one another with the young redhead in-between them.

Billy grabbed the brunettes hair and pushed her off and away from him. Thinking he was in the clear as the teenage girl fell to the ground harshly, he made sure he had a tight grip on his step sister before pulling her stumbling body towards the door.

"Frankie!" Dustin cried out as she hit the floor, quickly diving towards his neighbor. He brushed the hair out of her face, looking scared to death as the girl he's know his whole life was laying on the Byer's carpet wincing at the way her butt hit the ground.

Lucas ran back to the struggling pair and lashed out at Billy. Punching his back and pulling on his shirt, the young boy was doing everything in his power to stop him from taking Max away. Billy, who was finally fed up with everything pushed Max away from him and looked into the eyes off his little assailant.

"Lucas Sinclair. Didn't I tell you to stay away from him Max?" He asked, turning his steel eyes towards the girl before going back to glaring at the boy in the army garb.

"Just leave Billy." She said putting on a cold front while internally shaking as she witnessed the two people who were responsible for keeping her safe get hurt and pushed down by her step brother.

"I was gonna just calmly come in here and bring your little punk ass home, but now you're deliberately disobeying me kid. And you know what happens when you disobey me." His voice going from mean to cold made everyone who could hear him shiver. The kids stared wide eyed at the teenager waiting for his next move, not knowing who he was going to go for next.

"Billy-"

"I break things."

Grabbing Lucas by the collar of his jacket, Billy rushed him to the kitchen area pushing him into a china cabinet. Ignoring the screams from the kids behind him the older teen stared down the boy in front of him, pushing him deeper and deeper into the cabinet.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will. You stay away from her! You hear me?" He screamed into the younger boys face getting streams of saliva all across his dark skin. Face contorted into an angry shape, he failed to notice the light footsteps coming his way.

"Oh yeah I hear yah, do you hear me?!" Frankie said calmly before ending her sentence with a shout. Pulling him off the boy, she kneed him in the crotch and watched him crumble over himself. She pulled the hair behind her head, gathering it into a messy ponytail knowing that that was what he would go after. Grabbing Lucas, she pushed him over towards the other kids and cracked her knuckles getting ready for him to come back up.

"You are so dead sweetheart, so dead!" He shouted with a groan as he raised up from his spot. Pursing her lips at his evil glare, Frankie waited for the right moment to strike knowing once the fight started, she wouldn't have a lot of chances to attack.

"No...you are." Gasping as Steve appeared out of nowhere, Frankie watched with her mouth agape as he pulled him away from her and punched him in the face. Letting out a breath as he sent her a sly smile, Frankie felt her lips pull up in astonishment.

"Hahaha! Looks like you have some fire in you after all, huh?" Billy laughed out psychotically with blood dripping down his nose. "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

"Get out." Steve commanded pushing Billy back with two fingers. If this wasn't going to end up in a blood bath, Frankie would have gulped at how handsome Steve looked being dominant and angry.

The next few moments were a blur to Frankie, she didn't really remember how she ended up on the ground with a searing headache, but there she was. She thinks she pulled Dustin out of the way because he was a little too close to the fight and maybe got hit by Billy. She wasn't sure. Leaning up on her elbows, the teen looked around with hazy eyes, finally locking on the sight of Billy on top of Steve, beating the shit out of him.

Pushing herself up quickly which probably wasn't the smartest idea, she staggered into the living area with a hand gripping her head. Spotting the infamous nail bat leaning against the wall, Frankie grabbed it swiftly while stumbling her way towards the two. Pushing past the kids who were screaming at the older teen, she pulled her foot up and kicked him with all the might in her skinny legs. Throwing the blond off of his equilibrium, he was knocked over by the dirty fabric of Frankie's worn out tennis shoes.

Stepping over Steve's still body, the girl stared the blond straight in the eye as he came back up. His mouth and nose were full of blood and Frankie knew it had to have hurt, but she was pretty sure she had blood coming out of her by his hands, so she could care less that his pretty little face looked like that.

Raising the bat up to his chest, the girl kept her distance from him not wanting the tables to turn when she had the obvious advantage. Seeing his eyes shift down to the nail covered bat that had monster blood dried on the metal and wood, she smirked as she saw his adams apple bob just a tad.

"Leave." The horse sound of her voice didn't even sound like hers but she just swallowed whatever saliva she had to make sure her voice didn't crack embarrassedly.

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do if I don't sweetheart? Gonna take a swing at me with your precious bat?" He taunted her, fueled on the way her hair looked a mess and her arms were decorated in bruises from all of her falling. His once beautiful pearly teeth were covered in dark blood which was anything but attractive. Frankie just squared her shoulder and looked at him with dark eyes.

"No, what I'm going to do if you don't get the hell out of here is much worse that taking a swing at you. You'll wish that I only took a swing. You don't know what I can do with this bat, honey." She said coldly. Keeping a steady hand holding out the bat, she blew a piece of hair that was falling down onto her face away. Wiping what felt like blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, Frankie sucked the liquid from her finger easily intimidating the older boy. Ignoring the nasty taste of iron spread across her tongue she bumped his chest with the bat.

"You gonna leave or not?" She whispered with pursed lips. Letting a sharp breath out of her nose as he laughed, Frankie thanked whatever was out there that the chief of police was on her side. Seeing the red hair of Max from behind Billy's large frame, Frankie gulped. She didn't want the younger girl anymore involved in the situation, but she was glad that she intervened. The light caught the thin metal of the needle that was previously used to sedate Will Byers' possessed body and Frankie let a small laugh escape her lips.

"You sure about that?" She grinned cockily, one hand on her hip with the other one waving around the bat haphazardly. Before Billy could utter another word, Max stabbed him in the neck with the liquid, making sure that every drop was in his system. The boys gasped in shock at the scene and Frankie held a proud grin staring at the younger girl as they both backed up from Billy's wobbly frame.

"What the hell is this?" He panted out while taking the syringe out of his neck. Walking closer to the girls, his whole body began to sway. Frankie gripped Max with her left arm pulling her close and enough away from Billy as he stepped closer. As he fell backwards staring at the two with blank eyes, the two girls stared at his limp frame in shock as to what just happened.

Snapping out of it, Frankie closed her mouth and blinked a few times before shaking her tired head once for good measure. Letting go of the bat and Max, she ran and collapsed next to Steve. Gripping his head between her hands, she felt tears break as she gazed at his beaten up face. He wasn't moving but his pulse was still there, he just passed out from all the hits. Softly brushing his hair out of his forehead, she blinked her eyes ignoring the liquid that was escaping them.

The kids stared at the limp body of Max's stepbrother as he laid there. They couldn't believe what had just happened and couldn't keep their eyes off of the still figure, until they saw Max reach down and grab the bat Frankie had just used to threaten the teen. Eyes focused unnervingly on the redheads frame as she lifted the bat up in the air, the kids had no idea what the hell was happening.

Looking up towards Max with one hand clutching Steve's and the other lightly combing through his soft thick hair, she stared at the girl in awe. Seeing this young beautiful smart girl grow before her very eyes made Frankie's heart swell. The only thing she could think of and even whispered to herself was, "that's my girl". She was standing up for herself, something she hadn't done in a long time.

The only thing running through Max's head were the words Frankie had told her earlier, "We stick up for ourselves because its hard and we're worth it". Thinking about her mom, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Mike, Frankie, Steve, and even Eleven was enough to push her to stick up for herself. She never wanted to become someone like Billy, someone who used anger and fear to control people. But, Max finally realized that by sticking up for herself and her friends and family, she would never become Billy because she was surrounded by love, something Billy and people like him would never have.

As Max threw the bat down after getting Billy to realize she wasn't going to get pushed around anymore, Frankie rose from her spot next to Steve. Already missing the feeling of his warm hand in hers, she stepped over his body to crouch down next to Billy. Searching through his tight jean pockets, Frankie let out an 'aha' as she found what she was looking for.

"I was lying about my car being outside...so, we're taking your car because screw you!"

Dangling the keys in front of his face, she looked up at Max as she gripped the pieces of metal to stop them from making any noise. Grinning at the semi-conscious teen as she stood up to her full height, she turned to Max with a devious grin.

"You know I've never driven a Camaro before. This'll be fun."

AUTHORS NOTE

I've had a really busy last couple of weeks which is why this has taken literally forever to be uploaded so I'm sorry about that but besides all that boring stuff I'm so excited to get back to writing this story because I love it so much and I just want Fran and Steve to kiss or get together or whatever like I'm so excited for that also I'm loving this Frankie Max sister relationship stuff like I love Max's character so much and all the love you guys give their friendship makes me so happy also peep one of the ending quotes which was suggested by one of this story's amazing readers @gallws like as soon as I saw your comment I screenshotted it because I loved it so much also sorry the fighting scene wasn't exactly what you wanted I had already planned having Franny waving around that baseball bat for a while lol anyways thank you to everyone who reads this book you all mean the world to me and I know I don't reply to every comment (something I need to work on) but I do read them all and appreciate all the love and support you guys send thank you all and I hope you enjoyed this chap and will love the next two(?) chapters as well we're almost finished here!