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myunaveragelife · 4 years ago

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One (Billy Hargrove/OC) - Ch. 1

The new house wasn't quite what I had been expecting. I hadn't seen any pictures of it and I hadn't asked my parents about it. I hadn't wanted anything to do with my new home until we had arrived. Now that day was finally here and there was no way for me to avoid it any longer. This was my new life. This was home now. This was the life that I had stupidly given myself. If only I had been able to control my temper and mind my business, I wouldn't have to start making myself a new life here.

It was too late to try and go back in time. I was just going to have to get used to living here. It started with getting used to my new house. It was a cute house, two stories, which I hadn't been expecting. My home in Florida was probably just as large but it had only been one story. There were very few two-story houses in Florida. This one was large but not quite the size of my old home. It was brick-faced with some white siding while my old home had been coated with light-blue colored stucco.

My eyes caught a small chimney at the left corner of the roof that indicated there was a fireplace inside the home. As upset as I was at having to move, the thought of having a fireplace did almost manage to put a smile on my face. I had always wanted a fireplace, but there had never been any point in having one back in Florida. It was too hot to ever use one. Being in Indiana, I imagined that it would become icy cold in the winter. I let out a deep breath. I had never liked the cold weather.

Even at the end of summer, I could already tell that it would be freezing when the wintertime came. I sighed quietly, pulling my black leather jacket a little closer over my shoulders. I looked at the brick-faced home once again and took a deep breath. My home in Florida was fifteen hours away. There was no way for me to get back home. As my parents had already said, this was our new home, whether we liked it or not. This was my life now, I may as well try and enjoy it.

My dad patted me gently on my right shoulder as I walked past. "Buck up, kiddo. It won't be that bad," he said. We exchanged a long look. He must have seen the doubt in my eyes as he continued speaking. "Who knows? You may have fun."

I looked at my father and narrowed my gaze. "Fun?" I repeated, motioning down the lifeless and silent street.

"Fun can be found in the most unlikely of places," Dad said.

"Right," I muttered.

Indiana appeared to be many things, but fun didn't seem to be one of them. I hadn't seen one car drive by since we had arrived on the street - and I had sat in my car longer than I would have liked to admit. There was no noise coming from any of the houses. Had I not seen some shadows in the windows, I would have thought the neighborhood was empty. There were no sounds of children laughing or teenagers chattering away; no smells of summer barbeques or splashes from pool parties. I walked up the driveway of our new home and headed toward the front door.

The front door of our new home was painted bright red, unlike the rest of the house, which was mostly a burnt-red brick facing with some white siding on the second floor and around the windows. It looked like the typical all-American home. Now, if only there was a station wagon in front of our new home. My parents would have never dared been caught in something so suburban, though. They hated my car enough, but I had wanted it and they weren't willing to say 'no' to anything I had wanted so badly.

"Go inside, honey," my mother called from her spot at the moving van. "We'll meet you there in a few minutes!"

I walked up to the red door and gently pushed it open. The house was completely different than I was expecting. I had hoped some part of it would resemble my home in Florida; I wanted to see all of the pastel colors and beach themes. The home was instead typical of one someone would see in the Midwest. I was immediately greeted with a grand wooden staircase that led to the second floor. There was no furniture in the house yet, which made it seem far less homey than I hoped it would feel later.

The walls of the home were all painted white, which made it feel like I was going to be living in an asylum. I ran my fingers gently over the wood trim on the walls as I walked through the halls. I went to the right side of the staircase first. There was a formal office with a glass door on it that I knew my father would use to do his work. Behind what would be my dad's new office was a large formal dining room that I knew we would hardly ever use. We only had formal dinners on holidays, otherwise, we would eat in the kitchen.

To the left of the formal dining room was the kitchen. It was slightly smaller than the one we had had in our house in Florida. I knew that my mother would be upset, as she loved to cook. I knew that she would like the small nook in the corner of the kitchen that we would be able to have our casual meals at. I smiled slightly as I walked over to the table and drew back the floral curtain, letting some light into the kitchen. It was already looking a little homier. I ran my hand over the ceramic tile countertops as I slowly walked through the kitchen.

This place was completely different than my Florida home, but as I took a deep breath, I told myself that I could get used to living here. I was positive of that. "Oh, I hope Rachel likes it here," my mother said from the foyer, likely to my father.

"We'll see, Mom. I'm not making a choice our first day here," I called back, letting her know that I could hear her.

My mother was smiling lovingly as she walked around the corner to come into the kitchen with me. "Honey," she chided gently.

"Oh," I muttered dumbly. It had been a long time since I had mistaken what was said out loud for what someone was thinking. My mother was still grinning at me. At least I had done it at home. I ran my hand through my hair as I smiled weakly. "Sorry, I'm a little out of my head. I guess I need to pay a little more attention."

"We're at home now," Mom pointed out, motioning around us. "No need until you're in school."

If only I didn't have to go to school. I couldn't believe that I had to start over in my junior year of high school. "Speaking of school, what are the chances that you'll consider letting me homeschool myself for the next two years?" I asked.

"Not wonderful," Dad said, joining us in the kitchen. "Honey, you need to be with other kids -"

"Like me?" I asked angrily, arching an eyebrow.

Both my parents' faces flushed. "Your age," my father corrected me.

That was about as close as I could come to be with people like me. "We've seen how well that works," I muttered irritably.

I'd done so well right up until last month. My mother smiled sadly as she walked up to my side and brushed my hair back. "Rachel, sweetheart, I know it's tough but you had a good time at your school in Florida," she argued.

"Right up until I f -"

"Language," Dad interrupted, knowing exactly where I was going with my last comment.

I flushed with embarrassment. My parents put up with a lot from me but they never tolerated my sometimes severe language. "Sorry," I muttered dumbly, walking into the middle of the kitchen and motioning around. "Look, I'm sure this place isn't that bad. It's just going to take some time for me to adjust."

"We know," Mom said. "Go on and explore a little more."

"Okay. Where's my room?" I asked.

"Upstairs to the left. There are two bedrooms you can pick from," Mom explained.

"Thanks," I said.

At least they were willing to let me pick which bedroom I wanted to sleep in. I left my parents in the kitchen as they began telling the movers where to place our belongings. I walked along the back of the house on the other side. I passed a large pantry at the edge of the kitchen and a large family room that was set a few steps into the ground. There was enough room in the far corner of the family room that would be able to house the new television my dad had wanted for years to watch football on.

There was a laundry room on the other side of the family room and I let out a breath of relief. I knew that my parents would have me helping with laundry and I was glad to see that it wasn't down in a basement. I had always found basements a little creepy. There was a small powder room off of the laundry room and a two-car garage that I had to pass to make it back to the grand staircase. I glanced up at the chandelier that hung above me and let out another deep breath. It was a beautiful home but it didn't feel like mine.

Holding my head as high as I could, I walked upstairs, dragging my feet along the wooden floor. I went to the right first to see what was on that side of the house. It was a large master suite that would be my parents' bedroom. I closed the door to their bedroom and turned back to the left to look at the two bedrooms that my parents had offered me. I walked into the bedroom furthest down the hall first. It was a little larger than my bedroom back in Florida, but this one had a bathroom.

It looked nice but I wanted to see what the other one looked like first. It was very similar to the first as it had a bathroom attached as well but there was one fewer window and it was a little smaller. Not to mention that it was closer to my parents' bedroom. I shook my head. Not that one. So, I went back to the first bedroom and headed toward the window. I didn't just want the bedroom because it was larger and further away from my parents, but also because there was a trellis just outside the window.

Judging by the appearance of the trellis, I knew that it was strong enough that I would be able to climb up and down it. I wasn't much for sneaking out in the middle of the night, but I had done it a few times before. It was also nice to have the option to get out if I wanted to and my parents didn't want me to go. It would be nice to get the chance to go on a nighttime walk or maybe a party I wanted to attend. Or, maybe even a date if all went well with the boys here. I wasn't sure what I would use it for, but I knew for a fact that this was my bedroom.

Once I had settled on my bedroom, the first box of my things arrived in the hallway. I walked away from the window and thanked the movers, taking the box and pulling it into my room. I opened the flaps and pulled out my boombox, smiling at the sight of it. I had always loved music. I turned on Under Pressure by David Bowie, blaring the music loudly enough to be heard through the house. I grinned at what I was sure was two very annoyed looks on my parents' faces downstairs.

Dancing around my new room, I began pulling out the rest of my things from the box. I wasn't the best packer in the world and that was evidenced by the way my things were jammed into the box. Underneath the boombox were posters of some of my favorite bands including Metallica, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, AC/DC/ and Motley Crue. I had all of their albums somewhere in my boxes - something I was sure my parents were praying would get lost in the move. They could never stand all the racket I made.

My parents loved music but had never been fond of my taste in it. I didn't care, I loved it. It allowed me to block out everything else in my mind as long as I could keep the volume loud. It was one of the reasons my parents had never outwardly said anything about my musical taste. I began unfolding my posters and hanging them around the room, pressing them into the same relative spots that they would have hung in back in Florida. It was a little piece of home.

It may have been a little silly, but it made me feel like this was my home and not someplace that I had been forced into. I let out another deep breath as I continued flitting around the room, flinging my things into the relative locations they were supposed to be in. The movers came in and out as I unpacked, bringing in my bedframe, mattress, bedside tables, desk, and dressers. After I had been unpacking for nearly an hour, I opened the window near the trellis to let in some fresh air but ended up being surprised by the slight chill in the breeze.

Mid-August had always been blazing hot in my hometown. It had been nearly a hundred degrees when we had left Florida the day before. It was currently in the low eighties in Indiana but the breeze was still a little chilly. It was harder than I had initially expected to be so far away from the life I'd set up for myself in Florida. I missed the sun and warmth on my skin. I figured that it would only be so long before the tan began to fade from my skin. I stood at the window for a moment, determined to not let my mood affect me.

Indiana was my home now. I'd known that for weeks. I now just had to find a way to live with the change of scenery. I could find new friends to hang out with here. I had at least two years to figure out how to navigate life at a new high school. I could enjoy it. I would have time to get to know my classmates before we all left for college and the working world. It was two years here. I could manage two years, and who knew? Maybe when I was ready to go to college, I could look into one back in Florida. I could finally go home.

Most of the next few years were spent decorating my room as box after box was dropped in by the movers. As my room began to take shape - closely reflecting the one I had left behind only thirty-six hours prior - I began to feel a little more comfortable in Hawkins. It may not have been the place I would have picked to move, but I supposed there was some kind of charm in it. The new house was nice, at least. I hung a floor-length mirror over the back of the door and kneeled as I began sticking pictures into the frame.

Many of the pictures were of myself and my parents, but there were also a few of the friends I had left behind in Florida. Many of the pictures were taken at the beach I had lived near. It was always one of my favorite places to be. I would certainly miss the beach in land-locked Indiana. I supposed I could go to the local pool or maybe a lake if I could find one. My father had told me that there were a few lakes near Hawkins, but I hadn't seen a single one as we'd driven into the small town.

The first genuine smile appeared on my face as I began going through the pictures of my friends; all of our silly parties and holidays spent together. There were some funny ones of trips to theme parks and ones taken of us half-asleep during late nights spent studying. I smiled at the picture on the top of the pile of my best friend, Casey Walker, and placed it near the top of the mirror. I had promised Casey when I'd seen her just before we'd left that I would call her as soon as I was settled in Hawkins.

I placed the rest of the pictures around the frame of the mirror, trying to stagger the ones of friends and family. There was one special picture that I placed at the center of the top of the frame. It was a picture of the day my parents had adopted me back in 1970 when I was only three-years-old. I remembered nothing from my life before being adopted, but I knew how grateful I had always been for them. They were the reason I had grown up with a real family and not in an orphanage, alone, and uncared for.

My parents were some of the loveliest people I had ever met and they were the people I cared about most in the world. Unlike many other adopted kids, I was lucky. I looked enough like my parents that I could easily pass for being their biological daughter. My mother was short with dark blonde hair while my father was tall with deep brown hair. I was short with light blonde hair. We all shared a nearly identical tan from our time spent in the Florida sun. My only real difference from my parents was my eyes.

My father had deep brown eyes while my mother also had brown eyes; though hers were a little lighter in color. While two brown-eyed parents could have a blue-eyed child, it was rare. I didn't share the brown eyes that my parents had. My eyes were blue. They weren't just a regular blue, though. They were so light that they had been mistaken for being white in the sun. It used to freak people out when I was younger but my friends had come to love them by the time I was a teenager.

When my parents had first adopted me they had been afraid that my eyes meant I had some kind of disease or potentially even cataracts. They had sought out medical advice from multiple doctors to see if the color was any indication that I would go blind with age, but every doctor they had seen had claimed that my eyesight was just fine. There wasn't even a need for me to wear reading glasses. They had told my parents to enjoy the fact that I had different colored eyes.

My mother and father had never tried to hide the fact that I was adopted. They had told me it for as long as I could remember and had always promised to answer any questions I'd had about my birth parents. Back in Florida, everyone had known. My parents had informed everyone that they would be gone a few days to adopt a daughter. My parents had left on a two-day trip to pick me up from the orphanage I had lived in and come back with the three-year-old me and had immediately enrolled me in pre-school.

My fellow students had been told from the time we were all little that I was adopted. The occasional cruel jeer had been thrown my way when I was a child, but I had always known how to take care of myself and over time, my parentage had become accepted. No one had cared that I was adopted. Now that I was new here and didn't know anyone, I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to tell people that I was adopted. I didn't want to face the questions that were sure to be asked and I didn't want to open myself up to even more ridicule than I was sure to get as the new kid.

There wasn't much I could tell them about my life when I was a child, after all. I had no memories of my life before I had been adopted. I couldn't remember where I had been raised or who I had been raised with. I didn't have the slightest idea of who my parents were or why they had decided to give me up. I had never been interested in knowing what my early life had been like. When I was old enough to understand, my parents had told me that my biological parents were unknown and I'd never had any further interest in getting to know who they were.

When I was very young I had briefly wanted to know about my parents, but that desire had passed almost immediately. I had no reason to want to know what they were like. My birth parents hadn't wanted me and that was enough to tell me what I needed to know about them. I didn't even know where my parents had adopted me from. My parents had once told me that they would answer any questions that I'd had about my birth family, but I had quickly told them that I didn't want to know anything. I knew that answer had pleased them.

The only thing my adoptive parents had told me about their lives before me, was that they had tried for years to have a baby of their own. That was all I had wanted to know - I had always been curious why I didn't have siblings. My parents had eventually realized that they were getting too old to have a baby through natural methods and if they wanted to have one while they were still young enough to enjoy raising a child, they would have to adopt one. That was where their search had begun.

As my parents had said, they had initially searched for a newborn. When I'd asked why they hadn't settled with a newborn, they had explained that they had fallen in love with my developing personality and had instead happily adopted a toddler. It didn't make a ton of sense to me at first, but they had always teased me by saying that they were able to avoid the diaper phase because they'd adopted me in my toddler years. I had decided not to push things even further and leave it at that.

Despite my reasonably strange early childhood, I seemed to have come out of things just fine. I had gotten good grades in my prior school and had always had a plan for my future. I was going to go to a good college and eventually I wanted to become an engineer. I had always had a brain for maths and physics. My parents had told me for as long as I could remember that I could do whatever I wanted as long as I put my mind to it. I wasn't going to let a new school in a new place change my plans. I just had to make it through two years.

I stood from my kneeling spot at the floor-length mirror and looked around my room. Right now, it looked like a tornado had blown through it. I could start organizing things later - once my parents spotted the mess and yelled at me for it. My clothes were scattered all over the floor - which was where they normally were - and my makeup and jewelry were in a pile on my dresser. My posters were hung up along the walls at random intervals and my sheets were half hazardously slung over my bed. I chuckled. It looked like home to me.

It was good enough for now. As long as I kept the door closed, my parents would never know what a wreck my room was. I took out the phone I used in my bedroom and plugged it into the outlet on the wall. I spun the rotary dial around to match Casey's phone number. I had been eager to speak with my best friend since leaving Florida. I just wished we were face-to-face like I was so used to. The phone rang for a few moments before I heard the receiver click with an answer.

"Hello?" Casey's mother answered.

"Hi, Mrs. Walker," I greeted. "It's Rachel."

"Rachel!" Mrs. Walker greeted happily. "It's good to hear your voice, honey."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"How are you liking Indiana so far?" Mrs. Walker asked.

How could I answer her without saying something nasty about the home I'd had almost no chance to get to know? "Well, it's uh, definitely different from Florida," I said awkwardly, making Mrs. Walker laugh. "It's kind of funny. It's things like the leaves changing colors. We never see that in Florida. It's a little odd not seeing any beaches too. It's a small-town vibe out here. It's nice, just not something I'm used to."

"It must be quite the change," Mrs. Walker said.

"Oh, it is," I said, chuckling under my breath. Indiana was unlike any place I had ever been before. "Who knows? It may be kind of fun."

"That's the attitude to have," Mrs. Walker said. "You never know. You could meet some interesting people."

"That's true, but no one can replace you guys," I said truthfully.

The Walkers and the rest of my friends back in Florida meant everything to me. No matter who I met in Indiana, nothing would compare to them. "Make new friends, but keep the old," Mrs. Walker said.

"One is silver and the other's gold," I finished.

"Exactly. I suppose you're not calling to talk to me?" Mrs. Walker teased.

"I always love speaking to you, Mrs. Walker," I said.

"Just teasing you, dear. I'll grab Casey," Mrs. Walker said.

"Thank you."

"Tell your father to enjoy his new job and your mother to keep in touch," Mrs. Walker said. "We all miss you around here."

"Thanks, Mrs. Walker. I will. Say hi to Mr. Walker for me, please," I said.

"Of course, dear. Hang on a moment."

The phone clicked as Mrs. Walker put me on hold to allow Casey to pick up the phone. I twirled my hair around my finger as I waited. I wished she was close enough that I could hop into my car and head over to her house. Casey used to be a three-minute drive from my house. Now it was well over a fifteen-hour-drive to go visit her. I supposed that I could always head back to Florida for a while next summer, but that was a year away. I was going to have to figure out another way to keep my best friend close for the next ten months.

Suddenly, there was another click on the other end of the line. "Rachel!" Casey yelled.

"Hey, Case," I greeted happily.

"So, tell me everything about Indiana!" Casey chirped.

That was Casey's personality. She could manage to be perky about anything. Even her best friend moving away. "What's to tell?" I asked, chuckling under my breath. "We only got here a few hours ago and I've spent all of my time unpacking since. I've got most of my stuff out now I've just got to put everything away."

Casey laughed. I had always had a messy room, something she'd always mercilessly teased me for. "What's it like there?" Casey asked.

"Weird," I answered honestly. "It's so quiet on the streets. I mean, I saw a few kids riding around on bikes but I haven't seen much other activity." I had briefly seen four young boys riding through the street as I had unpacked. "My parents told me there's a pretty big downtown area. Maybe I'll have to check that out later."

"Is there a mall?" Casey asked.

I snorted with laughter. It figured that a mall would be her main concern. "Typical that your first question would be about a mall," I told her, making Casey laugh. "Nope. It's all little mom-and-pop shops."

"Gross," Casey replied.

Casey had always liked being able to walk through the malls in the city. She would have died the moment she'd seen the sleepy town of Hawkins. "What the hell am I supposed to do here, Case?" I groaned.

"Get through the next two years and then come home," Casey replied.

I smiled. "It's a deal."

"So, when's the first day of school in Indiana?" Casey asked.

"A week from today."

"You don't sound too excited."

Normally, we loved the first day of school. It was a chance to show off new outfits and catch up on the gossip over the summer. In a town full of people I didn't know, I would have no chance to enjoy the start-of-the-school-year festivities. I would just be the new kid to stare at. "Not really. I mean, I'm already two years into high school. I didn't want to start over halfway through high school. Everyone's already going to have friends and their groups," I said irritably.

"It sucks that your dad got a job there," Casey moaned.

She would miss me as much as I would miss her. It just sucked that I had to pretend that my dad's new job offer was the real reason we had moved. "Yeah, it does," I muttered quietly. "But we'll stay in touch, right?"

"Always," Casey replied immediately. "And, hey, we'll see each other again one day! You'll have to come and visit."

"Definitely. Maybe I can convince my parents to take a road trip back to Florida next summer," I said.

"That'd be great. We all already miss you," Casey said.

"I miss you guys too," I muttered.

It was going to be such a strange next two years without the friends I had become so accustomed to. "Look on the bright side, all the guys in Florida are surfers and beach bums. I mean, they're hot but you have a chance to meet all new ones!" Casey chirped. I laughed under my breath. There was the one positive, I supposed. "Maybe there'll be some hot rocker dude. We've got none of those in Florida."

"Hot and an asshole, I'd bet," I replied.

"Who cares? You're missing the most important part; they would be hot," Casey said.

I laughed again. "Good to know that you've still got your main focus," I told her, making us both laugh. "I don't know. A hot rocker dude in Indiana? Do they even have those in Indiana?"

"They have to have something there!" Casey yelled.

"They don't even have a mall here, Case," I groaned.

"I'll send you something. Just because you have to live in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean you have to look like it," Casey promised.

I chuckled under my breath. "Think I'll stick out like a sore thumb here?" I asked.

"Probably. There weren't even that many rocker chicks in Florida," Casey pointed out. She had always been dressed like she was ready for a trip to the beach. As she'd always said, I consistently looked like I was on my way to a concert. "I doubt there are many in Indiana."

"Maybe it'll give me a good niche," I reasoned.

"The boys there will be putty in your hands in no time," Casey teased, making us both laugh again. We were silent for a moment before she continued. "I can't believe you had to move."

"Me either. Especially here. Hawkins, Indiana. What the hell does someone do in a town like this?" I huffed, motioning out the window even though she couldn't see me. "It doesn't look like there is anything to do here."

"I'm sure you could find someone to do," Casey said pointedly.

We burst out into a fit of giggles. "Casey!" I yelled.

"Rachel!" Casey mocked.

The two of us had always told each other everything about our boyfriends and interests. Casey was the first person I had told when I had been intimate with my old boyfriend, Jason, for the first time. Casey was the one I Had done to when Jason and I had broken up a few months later. Casey was the one I had gone to when I was embarrassed for hooking up with school jerk Brian Blake at a Halloween party last year in an attempt to get over Jason. The two of us had shared everything since we were little.

We'd had a lot of fun over the years. We had always been a package deal. We would always go on double-dates and tease each other for which boys we'd wanted. We were known to be some of the funniest people in my old high school. I couldn't believe that I had to start all over at a new school. I would have to make new friends and learn how to interact with the people in Hawkins. They weren't people I had known most of my life. I just had to remind myself that this was a chance to make new friends and maybe even a new boyfriend.

If there was a chance I found a guy I liked in Hawkins, I knew that Casey was going to be the first person to know. She would kill me if I didn't tell her first. Of course, until I saw what the teenage guys in Hawkins looked like, I was going to be a little doubtful that there was any chance I would meet a guy I liked here. I smiled to myself, twirling the phone cord around in my hand. If there was one positive about this situation, it was that at least I would get to meet some new guys. Who knew? Maybe there would be a few interesting people.

"Come on, there's got to be someone interesting in town," Casey said, breaking me out of my reverie.

"We'll see. I haven't met anyone here yet. I'll keep you updated," I said.

"Oh, and send pictures!" Casey chirped.

"How creepy do you think I am?" I gasped.

"Do I have to remind you of New Year's this year?" Casey shot back.

The two of us immediately dissolved into fits of laughter. New Year had been one of the last big parties I had gone to and we had both quickly found guys we had liked. There had been a polaroid camera that had been passed through the party and too many pictures had been taken - both of the two of us and of our entertaining times with the boys. We had chased our friends around the yard for an hour drunkenly trying to break the camera to make sure those pictures didn't get out. It had taken a while but we'd been successful.

"No!" I yelled, the stupid memory bringing a smile to my face. "No, you don't."

"Rachel!" Dad yelled from downstairs.

"Hang on, Case," I told my friend. "Yeah?"

"Can you go grab the mail?" he asked.

"Sure!" I yelled back. "I've got to go."

"Hey, go explore your new little hick town and call me back in a few days with the scoop," Casey told me. I laughed at her blunt phrasing. "I want to hear all about the hot guys!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll let you know," I muttered. "Tell me all about your progress with James!"

"Oh, I've got a plan," Casey said.

"We both know your plans never work out," I said, laughing.

"This one will, I promise," Casey said hopefully.

"Sure. Love you, Case," I said.

"Love you too, Rachel," Casey replied.

We hung up our phones and I placed the set back onto my bedside table, rising to my feet. James was one of my former classmates and a longtime crush of Casey's. He had been a year ahead of us and the two of them had been flirting for years. I had made Casey promise to finally make her move once I had left. Without me around, Casey would need something else to entertain herself with. Casey would be able to have James now, but she would also want me to have someone new.

At least I would be able to keep in touch with Casey over the phone. I smiled at the many pictures of the two of us as I left my new bedroom for the first time since I'd walked in. There were already boxes full of pictures and other decorations lining the hallway. My parents were wasting no time trying to make our new house feel like home. I walked out of the hallway, down the stairs, and into the foyer before heading out the front door and down the driveway toward the mailbox.

For the first time since arriving in Indiana, I noticed that some neighbors were around. They were peeking out from their windows to look at the new arrivals. I rolled my eyes. I knew exactly what they were thinking. I knew that they wanted to know what my family was doing here, having come out of the woodwork with no obvious reason to have uprooted our lives to Hawkins, Indiana. I was tempted to turn around and go back inside and forget about the mail when I saw a young girl about my age staring at me.

It appeared that she was also trying to get her family's mail. She was four doors down in a house a little smaller than my new one. I stared at the girl for a moment. She seemed to be the epitome of the perfect high school girl. She had shoulder-length curly mousy-brown hair and wore a buttoned-up collared shirt with a cardigan over it. Her khaki pants were high-waisted and belted tightly. Her deep blue eyes were locked on me with no clear intention to look away. I gave the girl a vague smile. It was how my parents wished I would dress.

The girl's eyes scanned over me as I looked down at my outfit. My blonde hair trailed down my back in gentle waves with small braids thread into the sides of my temples. I was acutely aware of how low-cut my Guns N' Roses t-shirt was, as I had torn multiple holes across the chest after I'd bought it. My leather jacket laid over my shoulders and my jeans clung to my thighs. My parents hated my sense of style but said nothing, as they knew it was a losing battle. The girl's face didn't express disgust. Instead, she looked curious at my appearance.

I knew that the girl was interested in me. "Hello," I greeted, yelling across the lawns.

"Oh, hi!" the girl greeted, jumping as she realized that I had been looking at her as closely as she had been looking at me. "You must be the new neighbor."

I threw my head back to the moving truck with a slight smile on my face. "Must be," I said.

"I'm Nancy. Nancy Wheeler."

The girl had a bright smile on her face as she crossed the lawns and finally walked up in front of me. I smiled at Nancy and extended my hand to shake hers. "Rachel Winters. Nice to meet you," I told her.

Nancy smiled at me, her gaze moving to the license plate on my car. "You moved from Florida?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah. Born and raised there," I answered.

It wasn't the entire truth, as I knew that wasn't where my parents had adopted me from, but the entire truth wasn't going to come out in our first conversation. "Did you like it in Florida?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, I loved it there," I said happily. "I'm hoping to move back one day."

"Why did you move here?" Nancy asked.

"For a breath of fresh air, I suppose," I replied. We exchanged a small smile. Nancy didn't try to push, clearly sensing that I wasn't willing to talk about my past anymore. "Are you from Hawkins?"

"Yes. I've lived here my entire life," Nancy answered.

"Do you like it here?" I asked her.

Nancy shuffled on her feet for a moment. "Well, it's an okay place to live," she answered. I chuckled at her; Nancy was trying to be nice to her hometown. It was evident that she didn't like it here at all. "The people here are nice and it's got a homey feel to it."

"It does. I've never lived in a place where you can walk downtown and ride your bikes to your friend's houses," I said.

"Really?" Nancy asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Florida's a little spread out. It took at least a five-minute car ride to get anywhere," I said honestly. Casey's house was the closest thing to me. The mall had been twenty minutes away and the school was fifteen minutes away. Most of the people who had lived in my old neighborhood were retirees. I had been the only teenager who had lived there. "There's a real hometown feel to this place."

Nancy smiled at me. "Well, I hope you like it here."

"Thank you, Nancy." I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my pack of cigarettes and lighter, striking it. My parents had tried to get me to quit but had eventually agreed to allow me to smoke as long as it wasn't in the house. I was about to light the cigarette when I saw the look on Nancy's face. "Do you mind?" I asked.

"No, not at all," Nancy said, looking a little embarrassed that I had spotted the repulsion on her face. "It's your property."

"It's a disgusting habit, I know, but I can't seem to kick it," I admitted, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag.

As I blew the smoke out upward into the air and away from Nancy, I felt my jittering nerves calm slightly. "Are you trying to quit?" Nancy asked curiously.

"I've tried to quit before but it's never worked out. My best friend from back in Florida hated that I smoked," I admitted. Casey had always refused to hang around me while I was smoking. "I don't know, it's always helped calm my nerves."

"Don't be nervous. Hawkins isn't that bad. It's a quiet town and most of the people here are nice," Nancy said.

"Most of the people," I repeated, chuckling as I took another drag.

Nancy laughed. "You know, there are always the typical high school assholes."

My eyebrow arched. I wasn't expecting Nancy to curse the way she had. She struck me as the angelic type. "Oh, yeah. What would the world be without those?" I replied, grinning.

Nancy smiled at me. "Are you still in school?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered. "I'm going into my junior year at Hawkins High School."

"Oh, me too!" Nancy chirped excitedly.

At least I would know one person when I got to Hawkins High School next Monday. "Nice to know that I won't be surrounded by all strangers on my first day," I told her.

Nancy chuckled. "You know if you want, you're more than welcome to hang around with me."

It was nice to know that Nancy would be willing to hang out around me when I was sure she had her friends she wanted to be with. But if she was willing, I would happily take her up on her offer. I would feel like a loser if I had to sit alone all day. "That'd be nice. I can't be the cliché new-kid-sitting-alone-at-the-lunch-table on my first day," I said.

Nancy smiled again. I figured that she had plenty of acquaintances but not many close friends. "You can always ride with us," Nancy offered. I arched my eyebrow. Who did 'we' mean? "My boyfriend, Steve, he's going to pick me up on Monday morning and we'll drive over together."

Of course. I figured the pretty girl would be dating someone already. I wondered if he was the popular jock like I figured he was. "I appreciate that, but I'll drive myself. I've got a bit of a control issue," I said honestly. I didn't like driving with anyone. Nancy smiled at me again. "I'd be happy to meet you there though."

"Deal," Nancy said.

"How long have you and Steve been together?" I asked curiously.

She didn't get the twinkle in her eyes that most girls did when they were thinking about their boyfriends. "Well, we've kind of been on-and-off over the last year or so. There has been a lot of ups and downs," Nancy said, chuckling awkwardly.

"But you two are okay now?" I asked curiously.

"We're okay now," Nancy confirmed.

Her thoughts told a different story. "You don't look all that excited about him," I reasoned. The two of us stared at each other for a moment. I realized very quickly that just because I knew Nancy wasn't happy with Steve didn't mean that I should say anything about it. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business."

"No, it's okay," Nancy said, waving off my concern that I had gotten a little too familiar with her. "It's kind of nice to have another girl to talk to."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. I had to leave my best friend behind in Florida," I said.

"I get it. I lost my best friend Barb about nine months ago," Nancy replied.

My face instantly lost the tan it normally had. Here I was, acting like it was the end of the world that I had been forced to move away from my best friend when Nancy had lost her best friend. I tried to think for a moment that Nancy meant that Barb had simply moved to another place, but the somber look on her face told me that what I had initially thought was correct. Nancy's best friend had died. Suddenly, I felt like a horrible monster for having been so dramatic about leaving Casey behind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Nancy," I said dumbly.

Nancy shook her head, the tears building in her tear ducts. "It's - It's okay. I've had a lot of time to get used to it," Nancy said, her tear-filled voice breaking slightly. "It's just -"

"Hard to say goodbye?" I offered, knowing that she was having a hard time speaking. Nancy nodded. "I get it. God, I feel like a dick now for being upset at having to move away from my best friend."

Nancy smiled at my phrasing. "No, don't feel bad," she said, waving off my concern. "It sucks to lose a best friend, whether it's because you moved away or because something terrible happened to them. You still have every right to be upset about your friend."

"So do you," I said, sensing that Nancy hadn't let people know just how upset she was.

The two of us smiled at each other again. "Is it just you and your parents?" she asked, probably trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. Just the three of us. What about you?" I asked curiously.

Nancy laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, no. It's my parents, my little brother Mike, my little sister Holly, and me."

�� I smiled. "Big family."

"Have you ever wanted siblings?" Nancy asked.

My face flushed slightly as I began rubbing at my wrist subconsciously. I quickly forced my wrist back down to my side. "Sometimes. I guess it could be fun to have someone to hang out with, but on the other hand, I'm sure we would fight like cats and dogs," I said honestly.

"It's both of those things. I love my brother, but I could kill him sometimes," Nancy said honestly.

We laughed at each other again. "Rachel!" my mother shouted from the front door.

"Coming, Mom!" I yelled to her, turning back to Nancy. "I guess that's my cue. I'll see you around, Nancy. It was nice meeting you."

"You, too, Rachel." I turned away to walk off before being stopped by Nancy's voice. "If you want a chance to get to know Hawkins, I'd be happy to show you around," Nancy offered. I hummed under my breath. I hadn't considered wandering around town yet. I'd just wanted to get through the rest of high school. Nancy seemed to sense my hesitance to say yes. "There's still a week until school starts."

A lot could happen in a week. Maybe Nancy could at least be a good friend to me while I didn't have Casey. "You know what? That sounds good," I told her honestly.

"How about Thursday? I'll have to keep an eye on Mike and his friends Thursday anyway," Nancy offered.

"Sounds like a plan. Bye, Nancy. I'll see you on Thursday," I greeted.

"Bye, Rachel," Nancy said.

We exchanged another smile and waved each other off as we turned back to our respective homes. I took the cigarette out of my mouth and tossed it onto the ground, stamping out the end. I felt a little bit better knowing that I had managed to make one friend. I wouldn't be completely alone when the year began. I headed back through the front door, the mail clutched in my hands as I tossed it on the counter. My parents were both hanging near the window. I knew that they had been watching me and were now curious about Nancy.

"Who was that?" Dad asked curiously.

"One of our neighbors; Nancy Wheeler," I explained, glaring at them. I should have known they would be watching me. "She's in my year. She offered to show me around Hawkins this week before school starts."

"See?" Dad said, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Living in Hawkins could be more fun than you think. You're already making friends."

"One friend, Dad," I said, pushing his arm off of me.

"After only being here for a few hours? You're not doing too bad, kid," he countered.

"How about dinner?" Mom offered, sensing that I still wasn't thrilled with being in Hawkins.

"Sure," Dad and I said together.

"Set the table?" Dad asked me.

"Yeah," I responded.

Mom began cooking as I grabbed the plates and placemats, moving them into their spots around the table. I gathered the utensils from their spots still in the boxes and tossed them onto the table. My parents were laughing and joking in the kitchen as they began cooking the chicken - the only meal Dad had brought with us. I took a deep breath as I watched them with a smile. Maybe living in Hawkins wouldn't be that bad. Maybe this could be a fresh start for me. Maybe this place could feel like a second home.

Once I had finished setting the table, I stood at the window of our new home and smiled, looking out into the already fallen yellow and orange leaves. I'd never had the chance to enjoy the fall season before. Back in Florida, the weather always felt like we were living in the middle of summer. I could only remember a few days that the weather had fallen under thirty degrees. It was going to be a strange adjustment living in Hawkins, Indiana, but we had to be here. It was all we could do to protect our family.

The fallen leaves sat uninterrupted in our driveway and the street beyond. I stared at them, allowing myself a brief moment to wish I was back in Florida, laying on the beach with my friends, not sitting in Hawkins, Indiana, wondering what the first day of the new school year would bring. I was going to be the new kid, something I had never been before. I wasn't looking forward to that. I was three-years-old when I was adopted and had grown up with those people. I had never been the new kid before. Everyone had always known me.

This first day of school was going to be different. I was going to have to deal with the teenagers at Hawkins High School who wanted to know all about me. I would have to come up with a boring story about why I had moved from Florida to the boring town of Hawkins. I would have to explain so many things. The only interruption from my depressing thoughts was the deafening roaring of a car engine from which Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot was blaring over the radio. I smiled as I tried to find the car.

"What the hell is that?" Dad asked, walking up to the window.

He was standing over my shoulder as I leaned up onto my toes to look down the street. I spotted the car but didn't get much of a chance to linger on it. The vehicle was gone before I got much of a chance to look at it. It only narrowly avoided the movers, who jumped back with screams. I had to resist a smile I tried to fight back a laugh. The car was a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro, the same car I had. The only difference was that this car was deep blue and my Camaro was jet black. I didn't see the driver though I did spot a woman in the passenger seat.

"Gosh, he needs to slow down," Mom commented, glancing up from her spot in the kitchen. "He could kill someone driving like that."

"See, Dad? Looks like I'm not the only one who likes that car," I teased, throwing my head back to where the car had shot down the road.

Dad frowned as he stares at the car, continuing to rocket down the road. "What if I bought you a new -?"

"No," I interrupted him.

It didn't matter how much he hated my car, I was never giving my baby up. "You know, honey, it doesn't make me feel better knowing that you share any of the same tastes as whoever that car belongs to," Dad said bitterly.

I smiled, my blue eyes glittering. "Relax, Dad, I'm sure that's the only similarity we share," I teased, rubbing my hand over my right wrist again.

A/N: In canon Stranger Things, Billy and Max show up a few days before Halloween and most of the season takes place over the course of about a week. Now, that's not enough time to introduce a character and set up dynamics in a story to me, so I'm going to go ahead and pretend that the Hargrove's actually arrived in Hawkins at the start of the year, giving me about another two-and-a-half months of character interaction to play with. Just a quick head's up! I know the dates aren't accurate and that was intentional.

#billy #hargrove #strangerthings #billy hargrove #stranger things #max mayfield #eleven #hawkins #mike #will byers #joyce byers #hopper #ofc #billy hargrove x oc

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