Chapter Text
Billy stands in his boss’s office, blinking at the older man as he processes his words. “No,” he answers; his voice clipped with disbelief.
The man laughs in his face, “it wasn’t a request, Willie.”
“You can’t be serious, Mr. Coleman!” Billy glares at him.
The guy is a genuine guy. He kinda reminds Billy of Lamont Sanford because of how nice and mild-tempered he is. And he treats Billy with respect, not like he’s just a kid. Billy hadn’t even bothered to correct him, after he was hired at Scoops, and his boss started calling him Willie, because of his first name. William is even on his name tag. He just really likes his boss. It’s the reason why Billy was worried when he was called back in, after he got off of his shift this afternoon. He thought he was about to be fired or some shit, and he didn’t want to be disappointed. But now, he’d honestly take that, over what his boss just told him he has to do.
“What’s with the anger, Willie? You’ve always been amenable to my demands.” His boss looks at him inquisitively, “I know you’re used to your opening shifts with Amanda, but we’re nearing the Fourth of July. Starcourt is gonna be teeming with people; more than it already is. I need you working the closing shifts with Robin and Steve, just until the holiday is through. Those are the hours we’ve been busiest, lately.”
“Then why don’t you ask Mandy?!”
“It’s not actually about extra hands. It’s about selling ice cream. Besides, Amanda has asked off for the next few days.”
“Is that why she didn’t show up to open with me today, and I got stuck with Scary Carrie?”
His boss laughs, “you don’t really call Kathleen that, do you?”
“I might as well.That lady is the witch from Hansel and Gretel! She shouldn’t be serving ice cream to children!”
Mr. Coleman laughs harder, “she’s not a witch, just a peculiar type of woman. And yes, that’s why you got stuck with her,” he suddenly sobers, “apparently, Amanda’s mom has gone missing.”
Billy feels himself startle. “Missing? Or did she bail?” Billy knows exactly what that feels like. He’d feel bad for the kid either way. Amanda’s gonna be a sophomore next school year. She’s funny as hell, doesn’t take shit from stupid customers, so he likes working with her the best.
“Amanda and her dad both think something’s happened to her. She’s a clerk at that lumber yard near the old mill. She never came home after she was meant to close shop last night. Her car was still parked outside the building, though. And the shop was unlocked; all of the lights still on. She just…disappeared.”
“It’s Hawkins,” Billy grumbles, “I’m sure people just don’t disappear.”
“I don’t know, Willie. You weren’t here when that Byers kid and Holland girl went missing. It’s like the last couple of years, this town has just gone to the shitter.”
“Like it wasn’t shit before,” he says dryly.
“Yeah, but it was just boring shit, now it’s weird shit.”
Billy sighs, “Mr. Coleman, Steve Harrington and I, we don’t get along. We got history.”
“Then I need you to be the bigger man, and squash it. Business will be booming during the holiday. And you know how to sell the hell out of some ice cream.”
“I should have took the lifeguard job.”
“Yeah, yeah,” his boss stands up and puts his hands on Billy’s shoulders affectionately, “but I still pay you twenty-five cents more than the lifeguard job, and fifty cents more than your fellow employees, and I let you keep all of your ridiculous tips. How much did you earn last week from that stupid jar out front?”
Billy smirks, “double my paycheck.”
“Exactly. All them fine looking honeys and their teenage daughters swoon when they spot you in your cute little sailor uniform. Smile and show a little skin, and you always sell out of my ice cream and get plenty of extra cash in your pocket,” his boss winks, and Billy rolls his eyes. “Just imagine that kind of money through the busy holiday, okay? It’s summer, who the fuck doesn’t want ice cream?”
“Fine. Who’s covering the opening shift, then?”
His boss smirks, “your Scary Carrie and the rest of the part-timers.” Billy nods in acceptance. Mr. Coleman pats his shoulders, “it’s only a few days. I’ll tell Robin to be mediator. You and Steve just play nice. I don’t know why you two don’t like each other. I like him plenty, though; he’s a good young man.”
Billy grits his teeth, “yeah, yeah,” he parrots his boss, “he’s a real king.
His boss shakes his head, motioning for him to leave the office, “tomorrow, you start on the closing shift, Willie.”
Billy waves as he turns to walk out the door. He walks along the long hallway of offices, janitor closets, storage, and service doors to Starcourt’s shops, until he reaches Scoops Ahoy back door. He pulls out his keys from his pocket at the same time as Harrington pokes his head through. He looks at Billy with wide Bambi eyes, like he’s just been caught in the Camaro’s headlights. Billy raises a curious brow.
“Hurry the fuck up, Steve!” It’s that annoying Wheeler kid’s voice.
He must push at Harrington because he stumbles out of the back door; a tumble of gangly kids filing out after him. Billy’s stepsister being one of them.
“My my my, what do we have here,” he asks with a shit-eating grin.
Sinclair slings an arm over his sister’s shoulders and speaks evenly, “we’re gonna go see the Evil Dead.”
He glares at her boyfriend, “and what, you can’t just buy tickets like normal human beings?”
“It’s rated R, dipshit,” Wheeler squawks.
“You buy a ticket to a different movie, then sneak in, fuckwad!”
They all look at each other like the thought had never occurred to them.
“This isn’t the Hawk. The tickets here are stupid expensive,” Sinclair grumbles.
“Then go to the Hawk,” Billy keeps his glare on him.
“The picture here is better, and the sound system never crackles,” Byers says quietly.
“The popcorn is better too,” Max drawls.
“You won’t buy a ticket, but you’ll risk getting caught paying six-fifty for a tub?”
“Are you assholes seriously going in and buying popcorn?!” They all nod at Harrington like he’s stupid. “That wasn’t what we agreed on!”
“Chill mom, we haven’t ever been caught,” Max huffs. She turns to Billy, “I don’t have any cash,” and sticks her hand out. He scoffs. “Give me some money, Billy,” she glares at him.
“Fuck off, Maxine!” She winds back and slugs his arm in retaliation. “You little shit!” Billy suddenly misses when his kid sister used to be afraid of him. He reaches out and yanks on a strand of her hair, and she hisses. She pulls away from Sinclair and tries to reach into his back pocket for his wallet. He puts a palm to her forehead and locks his elbow. She swings her arms trying to reach for him, but they’re too short.
“Are we gonna be doing this all night?!” Harrington asks impatiently.
Billy turns to him with a mean smirk as Max flails, “these geeks got you totally whipped, Harrington. I just left Jefe’s office. He’s in for the night. I wonder what would happen if it was him, instead of me, catching you sneaking kids into the movie theater.”
“Then I won’t let him catch me, asshole,” he pushes at Byers and Wheeler, and they start a dead run towards the theaters back door. “If anyone catches you—”
“We’re dead!” The two of them shout back at him.
Harrington looks between the three of them left; crossing his arms and refusing to leave him alone with his sister and her boyfriend. It pisses Billy off, after all of this time, the asshole is still a fucking asshole. He doesn’t know jack shit about Billy’s relationship with his sister…or Sinclair.
Billy looks between the two of them and scolds, “you may not have early curfew because it’s summer, but your ass better be home before me, Maxine,” he pushes her away with the palm on her forehead, and she grunts in frustration, bumping into her boyfriend’s chest. Billy reaches into his back pocket for his wallet, and gives her all of his dollar bills, “if not, I’m gonna kick both of your asses.” They both flip him off; her boyfriend laughing and tugging her along.
He shakes his head and strides past Harrington and his confused frown, shouldering him into the back door. Robin glances at them through the service window, and he nods a hello before turning to open his employee locker—he’s sure he has a pack of reds in it. As far as Robin goes, he’s familiar with the chick because it’s always her that he talks to when him and Mandy swap with the closing shift. Harrington, the asshole, is always late, and Robin covers for him.
“We got company, Dingus,” Robin comes into the back room, and Billy turns in time to see her waggle her brows. Harrington moves past him, shoving him into the lockers, and Billy heaves a hot breath, turning to see his retreating back as he goes to the front desk. Robin looks between them with a smirk, “I can cut this tension with a knife.” Billy doesn’t even want to bother with telling either of them that he’s stuck working with them for the next few days. He’s just about to leave when she speaks again, “you’re gonna want to stay and watch this, Springsteen.”
Billy glances down at his white cut-off shirt, tight jeans, and scuffed boots; scoffing at her reference. She grabs up the whiteboard he and Mandy never think to use and turns it to face him. He smirks; his curiosity suddenly piqued at the ‘you rule/you suck’ columns. Billy saddles up next to her in the window and watches silently, with bright eyes and a slackened jaw, as Steve Harrington absolutely fucking embarrasses himself as he attempts to hit on one of the cows Billy goes to school with.
The girl looks at Steve with horrified pity before looking behind him and catching Billy’s eye. Her eyes go wide with excitement, “oh hi, Billy!”
Billy smirks, trying to remember her name, “Jackie, isn’t it?”
Her smile falls a little, “Jocelyn, actually.”
“Right. Since you’ve swerved this lame piece of shit,” he thumbs to Harrington, “you got any plans right now, Jack—erm—Jocelyn?”
“No.” She shakes her head viciously, “I’m like, totally free right now,” she titters.
Harrington scoffs from the side, and Billy looks to Robin, “add me to that board, Buckley.”
“I think I got a different colored marker around here somewhere,” she laughs.
“You seen Evil Dead, yet?” He looks back at the girl he just stole from under Harrington.
“No way, I’m a total spaz with scary movies.”
He moves to the front and pulls her under his arm, “I’ll let you hold my hand when it gets really scary, hmm?” She titters again, clinging to his side. Billy looks up at Harrington, “later, asshole.” Harrington glares at him, nostrils flared. He actually looks really fucking hot so disgruntled like that. “Oh, and by later, I mean I’m taking the closing shift with you two dickheads. Jefe’s orders, starting tomorrow.” He flips them off as he drags his date towards the theater.