It had barely been a few weeks since Billy had been at this boring school in this boring town and he was already getting sick of it. He had instantly become king of the school, and could have anything he wanted.

Well, almost anything.

(Y/N) was a classmate of his and the one interesting thing about this town. She also happened to be so uninterested in him that it would have been hilarious to anyone else if they knew how much space she occupied in his brain. He wouldn't say he liked her or anything, but she certainly kept him on his toes.

They met on the first day of school. While the other girls flirted with him, or at least showed interest, she barely even looked at him. And when she did, the look of dismissal she threw at him caught him off guard. He wasn't used to that.

He was determined to change her mind.

"Hey!" He strode up to her near the end of the day, after spotting her at her locker. "I saw you in the cafeteria this morning. I'm Billy, just moved here. From Cali." He said, giving her his signature smirk. That was usually what it took to get a girl to fall over for him. He didn't really know why he wanted this girl to like him, maybe because he wasn't used to being looked at with such contempt.

"Good for you." Was all she said, barely paying attention to him as she closed her locker and started walking away.

He nearly gawked, used to his lines working. He jogged to keep up with her, looking over her face before glancing at the ink behind her ear.

"Nice tattoo." It was just a word, but the font was nice and it was cool to see a girl with a tattoo. Especially here "What's it mean?"

"It's my band." He tone was cold, not looking at him. "I play the electric guitar. And I sing"

That surprised him, but only a little. With her baggy clothes, and frigid aura, she seemed like exactly the kind of girl to be on stage loudly making music. "Cool." He said with a smirk. "It a little garage band, or do you guys actually play for people?"

"We play for people, we go to bars around town over the weekends and play there."

"Maybe I could listen to you guys some time." He offered, trying to keep a conversation going. Trying to figure out if she was actually uninterested or just putting up a front.

But she just scoffed. "Sure."

"Sure?" He mimicked her with a grin. "I'm serious. Really, I wanna hear you guys. I mean... you're like the only girl who hasn't fallen over me all day."

That got him her full attention, but not in the way he wanted. Her expression was one of contempt as she turned to face him.

"You know, if you're trying to flirt, maybe don't be such a cunt about it?" Her voice was harsh. "You know those girls aren't actually interested in you? They're just bored and you're new, they'll lose interest after a while. And good for them." He was almost shocked at her sudden annoyance as she took a deep breath. "And maybe don't insult the girls I've grown up with as a way to flirt with me? Just a thought."

She stormed off, leaving him amazing and a little insulted.

***

He asked Carol and Tommy about her the next morning, wanting to know what he was up against. No suprise, but they didn't like her.

"That freak?" Carol asked, wrinkling her nose. "What the hell do you wanna know about her?"

Tommy was a little bit more helpful. "She's in some rock band with some other girls here. Probably a satanist, I think. Or like, a hippie. Doesn't really talk to people."

That told him exactly what he needed to know. Any known interest in her would hurt his popularity. But... he couldn't help thinking about her. He tried to ask Tommy where he band played, but he didn't know.

That started the strangest thing he ever did, going to a different bar in Hawkins every weekend to see if he could find her. After a couple of weeks, his efforts were rewarded as he watched her and her friends perform.

As he watched her nimble fingers on the strings and her voice like a siren's, he couldn't stop from admitting the truth to himself. His interest wasn't impersonal like he tried to tell himself, he was fascinated by this girl and everything she did. Wanted to really speak with her, to do things, go places with her. She would probably turn down an offer of a date, but he was at least going to try.

(Y/N) only spotted him after they were done, cornering him in the parking lot after she had packed up. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously, ready for another confrontation.

"I said I wanted hear you, didn't I? Had to go to practically ever bar in this damn town over the last few weeks to find you."

It was her turn to be shocked. "You're stalking me now?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Well, it's not like you have me a location. You're really good by the way, and, you know, nice voice."

The compliment softened her a little. "Thanks." She said, still suspicious, but less hostile. "I didn't think you were serious when you said you wanted to see us perform."

"Oh, deadly serious." He smiled at her, hoping that her confession meant that she didn't still dislike him. "Listen, I know we didn't start off on the best hand, what with me being... what did you say? A cunt?"

She chuckled, clearly unapologetic. "Yeah, you deserved it."

"I did."

His words made her cross her arms, cocking her head to the side. "Why the change in behaviour, Hargrove? The other girls get bored of you like I said?"

"Nope, still interested." He stepped closer, encouraged when she didn't move away. "But I figured if I stopped acting like I did before, I'd have a better chance of convincing you to go on a date with me."

"Are you serious?"

"Like I said, deadly. So? You interested?"

"Why?" She demanded.

He shrugged. "You call me out on shit? I have to try harder with you? I don't know, maybe I just like you."

"You like me?" There was a pause. "What would the date entail?" She finally asked.

"Whatever you want."

She thought about it for a second. "Fine." She said. "But you can't pretend we aren't together to your friends. I won't be a dirty secret."

"Pinky promise." He assured her, too far in to care what Carol and Tommy think. "They'll be so jealous when they find out I'm dating a rockstar."

"Sure." She laughed.

"Really, you're my rockstar now." He threw an arm over her shoulder, walking her to her car.

"I'm starting to regret this."

"Enough to cancel our date?"

"... no."

He grinned, looking at the girl he had been pining for for ages. "Great."