#tanya luca

[tanyaluca]

Mesmerizing Mimosas…

Tanya Luca

[lohstandfound]

"you know we're still cool, right?" 😭😭😭😭

[zawescource]

02/14 | To Hans Zimmer, Dina de Luca, Tanya Lapointe, Director Denis Villeneuve, Tom and Zawe attend the BFI Chairman's dinner where Christopher Nolan was awarded a BFI Fellowship at The Rosewood Hotel in London, England.

[nbymop]

Useless bare headcanons because I love you guys

[camyfilms]

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 2007

Next time I see Country Club Princess, I'm gonna launch her and her pink cart straight into the lake.

[roesolo]

Books about Birds

Books about Birds @barbfisch @abramskids @candlewick @PageStreetKids

Birds are a great storytime theme: there are great songs and fingerplays, crafts are plentiful and adorable, and there’s a bird for every season. I’ve got some new(ish) bird books for your storytimes right here; let’s see what’s good. Odd Birds: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Flock, by Laura Gehl/Illustrated by Gareth Lucas, (June 2022, Abrams Appleseed), $8.99, ISBN: 9781419742231 Ages 2-4 Laura Gehl…

[janesemel]

Tudor Week Day 2: Favorite Female Tudor Family Member / January 1536, the autopsy of Catherine of Aragon

Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous / Maria Valverde, Los Borgias / Natalie Grueninger, Catherine of Aragon’s arrival in England / Adolph Hirémy-Hirschl, The Birth of Venus / Ocean Vuong, The Last Prom Queen in Antarctica / Lucas Horenbout, Katherine of Aragon with a monkey / W.H. Auden, A Certain World: A Commonplace Book / Unknown Italian Artist, Roman Charity: Cimon and Pero / Church of Saint-Pierre, Dragon swallowing a Christian / Sylvia Plath, Three Women: A Poem for Three Voices / Maria Valverde, Los Borgias / Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall / J Kirk Richards, Angel Descending / Anne Sexton, Mercy Street / The White Bear, Death Becomes / Gwendolyn, The Goddess Tree / Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall / Dorothea Tanning, La Descente dans la rue (Down into the Streets) / Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall / Saint Benedict, Regvla emblematica sancti Benedicti / Hans Bellmer, Les Jeux de la Poupée / Anne Sexton, The Sickness Unto Death / Sergei Parajanov, The Color of Pomegranates / Rainer Maria Rilke, Enlightened Heart / Chanakya / PBS, The Six Wives of Henry VIII / Tanya Marcuse, Fallen Photos / Headline, The Oredigger / Marian Wawrzeniecki, Old Truth Lies in Books / Anne Sexton, Mercy Street

[insanityclause]

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: (L to R) Hans Zimmer, Dina de Luca, Tanya Lapointe, Director Denis Villeneuve, Misan Harriman, Tom Hiddleston and Actress Zawe Ashton attend the BFI Chairman's dinner where Christopher Nolan was awarded a BFI Fellowship at The Rosewood Hotel on February 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for BFI)

[lucassinclaer]

INVERSE

Rating: Gen Relationship: Erica Sinclair & Lucas Sinclair Notes: Post-Season 4, Erica Sinclair centric

“Erica,” says her mom, says her dad, says Lucas, and Erica doesn’t know how to say that it hasn’t occurred to her for a second to do things any other way.

READ ON AO3 HERE

this is a fill for my stranger things fic bingo square 'erica sinclair' - (if you wanna participate in the bingo, check out my pinned post!!)

“Erica!” says her music teacher and Erica doesn’t know why she sounds so surprised.

It’s not like she said anything that wasn’t true. She never does.

“Erica!” says Auntie Patrice and pulls her back by her collar.

Erica’s always thought that honesty is the good thing, the right thing, the thing other people would appreciate.

“Erica!” says Tanya on the playground.

She’s eleven and then she’s twelve and somewhere along the way it’s all changed. Her name become an exclamation she doesn’t get.

“Erica,” says her mom, says her dad, says Lucas, and Erica doesn’t know how to say that it hasn’t occurred to her for a second to do things any other way.

•

Here’s the thing: she isn’t trying to be rude.

Sure, she doesn’t care super care if she is, but it’s pretty much never her goal. Besides, shouldn’t it all be based on truth? Truth, justice, the American way. Erica can’t be the only one who pays attention to this stuff.

Sometimes it bugs her friends and they fight. They always make up in the end, but the days they don’t talk still suck.

She’s good in school, so her teachers don’t complain too much but when they have the time they tell her to be careful about running her mouth. Those days suck, too.

Her mom tells her, though – at night when she tucks Erica into bed even though she’s getting way too old for that – that she shouldn’t be anyone but who she is. That she shouldn’t let the world make her into someone else. (Erica doesn’t totally get it. How would that even work? There’s nothing in the world that she’d allow to change her, she’s sure. She doesn’t know where she’d begin.)

So, despite the chidings her mother doles out, Erica knows that she wants her daughter to be herself.

It’s a good thing, too, because Erica really likes being Erica.

•

The swelling of Lucas’ face still hasn’t gone down. Mom and dad fret over it, but the whole of Hawkins has been plunged into chaos and it’s easy to say that he and Erica and Max were in an accident when the quake hit. It’s not even that much of a lie.

Erica does most of the deflecting because her brother can’t be trusted these days. Not that she can blame him – although she still tries to give him grief. Can’t give up on everything normal.

But Max looks awful in that hospital bed, still and horrible. She’s meant to be her brother’s girlfriend who’s much too cool for him, on her skateboard, moving and teasing and fitting in at their house where she likes to watch TV. At least she used to before she stopped coming around. (Lucas never talked about that, at least not to her which makes sense. He still got those pathetic mooning eyes when she came up, though, so Erica knows it wasn’t his choice to break up. And he had hope the whole time. She could tell. He still has hope now and there’s something warm about it that Erica doesn’t know how to name.)

Yeah, Erica really hates that hospital room. It smells terrible, looks worse and there’s always some machine beeping in the background.

But there’s nowhere else to be. Lucas spends every possible moment in that room. The others come to visit when they can. They can only spare so many party members. Sometimes Max’s mother’s there but more often than not it’s just them, Max and Erica and Lucas.

A sick inverse of Saturday mornings spent on the couch where Lucas pretended not to be interested in her cartoons. Where Max would pretend like she didn’t enjoy her mother’s valiant efforts to feed her. Being a teenager involves a lot of pretending, Erica’s learned. It seems beyond exhausting.

Now it’s them playing checkers over Max’s hospital bed, commentating the whole way, before Lucas gets out Tolkien. They finished up The Talisman two days ago.

Today he hesitates. Doesn’t open his stupid Hobbit book and launches into reading.

There’s a heavy silence and when he speaks his voice is all torn up.

“I didn’t save her.” His fingers scratch at the cover, but his eyes are glued to Max’s still, waxy face. “We promised her we wouldn’t miss our shot but we didn’t—” He makes a choking sound like a sob.

There’s a twist in Erica’s chest, sour or like a burn.

“When she wakes up… I don’t know how she could forgive me.”

It’s the rawest Erica thinks she’s ever seen him. It’s unsettling and makes the biting feeling behind her ribs worse. She doesn’t want this to happen. Lucas is the big brother and big brothers aren’t supposed to fall apart.

They can be poked and prodded and provoked and they’ll yell and take their He-Man dolls back and they’ll lie for their sisters about the stain on the good carpet once threatened.

This isn’t right.

The helplessness in his eyes is contagious. It crawls up her arms, immobilizing her inch by inch. If Lucas doesn’t know what to do in this room, how is she supposed to know what to do in this room?

Her brother is broken in this moment, much like Hawkins. They have the same scars. Like he was torn apart with it.

So, she tells him the only thing she ever tells anyone: the truth.

“Well, that’s stupid.”

His head shoots up. He frowns but he doesn’t say anything. He’s listening to her, Erica realizes, like she has an answer he wants to hear.

Everything gets so weird when the world ends.

“That’s what Max would say, and you know it. Stop being stupid.” She’s standing on the opposite side of the bed from where he’s sitting. They bring their own water bottles because the hospital is overflowing still and can’t spare the glasses. Erica puts her bottle (pink to Lucas’ green, mom bought them together) back into their backpack. “You did everything you could. I don’t know how you guys survived ‘til high school. We all knew the risk. Max was never gonna let other people take the fall. It was a dangerous plan, but who else was gonna do anything?”

It's bitter in the back of her throat. She’d looked at the group of them, in that van, before they got to Creel House, and she’d felt cold inside. Everyone they had, everyone willing to fight, had looked so young. Unqualified. Inexperienced.

Child endangerment, she’d told Dustin and Robin an eternity ago. That’s all this town really is now. The evidence lies with them right here in this room.

There’s still something in her that’s constricted. Those words were all she had. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if Lucas pushes back, if it’s not enough.

Slowly, she tears her eyes away from the lonely backpack by the side of Max’s bed.

Lucas has the tiniest smile on his face.

“Erica,” he says, and it sounds like thank you.

[tanyaluca]

Rainy Self portrait…

Tanya Luca

[lohstandfound]

richjake bare: A Pop Opera au

[finelinevogue]

loveisland!universe

come meet the cast of love island 2022, with lots of drama, scandals and love to be found within the villa…

[ chronologically ordered ]

disclaimer: please appreciate the fact that there’s not like 56 episodes i’ve written about because it’s impossible to keep up with it everyday, but hopefully the story still makes sense.

episode 1

introductions

initial pairing

first chat as a couple

harry meets beetroot

cuddle before bed

episode 2

harry’s an ass kinda guy

a challenge sparks jealousy

first kiss

a touch of drama

davide chats to y/n

they’re clearly in love…

episode 3

a very handsy y/n and harry

pool chats

y/n explains their pronouns

nicknames

amber and harry chat

episode 4

ekin-su is here to stir trouble

ekin-su chats to harry

applying suncream

luca kisses y/n for a dare

harry confronts luca

harry is jealous

episode 5

discussing kinks

there’s a re-coupling

episode 6

reveals of past relationships

“wanna be my girlfriend?”

episode 7

harry defends y/n

it’s just them

they don’t need the hideaway

episode 8

ekin-su upsets y/n

antigoni meets y/n… again

y/ns top 3 guys

harry decides they need distance

episode 9

the angst blurb series:

part one

meet tanya

part two

episode 10

part three

first night back together

episode 11

morning nicknames

harry watching y/n get ready

talking about casa amor

episode 12

y/n gets home sick

the heart rate challenge

y/n and harry finally go to the hideaway

episode 13

the morning after

y/n nearly sits on the yellow beanbag

y/n is spooked by a lizard

1 year later blurb

extras

twitter after angst series

question time with yn and harry

scrolling through au y/ns instagram

li!yn and li!harry inspiration

another instagram post

[justzawe]

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: (L to R) Hans Zimmer, Dina de Luca, Tanya Lapointe, Director Denis Villeneuve, Tom Hiddleston and Actress Zawe Ashton attend the BFI Chairman's dinner where Christopher Nolan was awarded a BFI Fellowship at The Rosewood Hotel on February 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for BFI)

[nbymop]

I want to rip off bare and make it a British boardingschool

[rockingrobin69]

Trying

It takes time, just like Draco promised, and it’s not easy, as he’s warned. Harry takes a course in the local community centre, classes every Tuesday and Thursday, six o’clock. The teacher is at least a head taller than him, and language seems to flow from her hands like magic, like the easiest thing in the world. Harry can’t wait to have a conversation with Draco like that. He’s aware he may never get this good, but it’s nice to imagine.

Learning BSL is nothing like learning French or Latin. Harry kind of likes that. He likes the signs that seem obvious, the ones that paint a picture of what they mean. He likes stating the topic in the beginning, likes the order of things being different. And he likes the way Draco looks when Harry shows him what he’s learned, the way his eyes open all big when Harry uses it to ask him what he wants for tea. Likes that he’s doing something, that it feels like he’s trying. Turns out it’s good to try.  

Level one is nice, but level two is better. One of his classmates is a lady named Rhiannon (“Fleetwood Mac, honey, what can you do”), who’s got a deaf son. She’s also got this laughter that rolls, all the way from her Adam’s apple to her shoulders to her belly, and it’s the best when he makes her laugh. They go for coffee every Tuesday after class (decaf for her, it’s past eight, baby!), and Draco sometimes joins if he gets out of work on time. Rhiannon adores him. She keeps badgering Harry every time they partner up for practice. Tell him already, sweet idiot.

Sometimes a few of the others come too. Brian, who teaches p1, and Moe, who makes the best petticoat shortbread, and Nikki, who signs in a Cardiff dialect, and Heather and Lucas and Tanya. They’re a good group. Harry’s sort of forgot you can do that, make friends simply by being at the same place at the same time. It starts awkward, but in a nice sort of way, and then in level three it’s just nice. They all stay, which is a bit unusual, they’re told. Harry likes it.

They have a Christmas night out early December. It’s at this tiny pub Rhiannon’s managed to drag them to, where all the cocktails have the funniest names and the beers are all Czech. It’s fucking fantastic. He even manages to convince Draco to stop by after his shift. Lucas and Moe dance, Tanya keeps getting shots for everybody, Nikki and Brian demolish Harry’s crisps so he buys them five more packets. Their teacher comes too, halfway through the night, and she’s written cards for everyone and shyly distributes them one at a time. His says You’re doing so well, Harry, and it makes him tear up a little bit, unreasonably so. Makes him feel—small and also, warm. In the dim pub, Draco’s smile is the most brilliant thing he’s ever seen.

It’s a lovely night. Everyone gets smashed and Draco says they’re all slurring with their hands and it makes them laugh so hard, so so hard, like it’s the funniest thing in the world, like they’re all so alive it’s electric and everything and anything is possible.

Draco takes him home. Helps him change into his pyjamas. Maybe he even strokes Harry’s hair once or twice before putting him to bed, with that smile, and the way his eyes sometimes sparkle. Spark.

Good night? He signs, eyebrows raised. 

The best. Because you were there, he doesn’t seem to be able to say. Not with his words and not with his hands.

Sleep. You’re tired.

But he doesn’t want to close his eyes. Stay?

Draco gives him a questioning look, like Harry’s missigned, said the wrong thing.

Stay with me tonight?

He tilts his head to the side. His hair’s loose, falling into his eyes, has to be brushed back by insistent fingers. Harry wants to kiss them. He must really be quite drunk, because he thinks he’s leaning forward to try it.

Please.

Draco sucks in his lower lip, but then he’s nodding, and this writhing thing in the pit of Harry’s stomach settles. He climbs into bed with Harry, fully dressed. Not smiling anymore. Harry’s a bit too drunk and too excited to make much sense of anything. All he can concentrate on is Draco, here, warm and in his bed and warm and wonderful. He tosses and turns until he finds a comfortable way to lie, with his hand brushing Draco’s, and then he’s asleep before he knows it.

Sometimes he thinks he’s dreaming in sign.

He wakes up with a headache and completely parched, slightly stricken to see Draco lying next to him. Has to think really hard before he remembers, and the way his whole brain’s thumping inside his skull isn’t helpful. The sight makes his heart flutter, bird against its cage bars: Draco’s on his back, arms at his sides, and his face is… entirely, completely soft.

Harry’s stomach gives a frightening lurch. He slides out of the covers as quietly as possible, grabs the miraculous glass of water someone’s left on the bedside table. Takes careful, measured sips, until his vision isn’t swimming, until his heart climbs back down from his throat. He feels like shit.

He can’t stop smiling.

(Flufftober day 13. Find the soft AO3 collection here).

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

The One I've Been Waiting For {Part 09 of 13}

Word count: 2.3 K

Summary: Billy Hargrove is just one of the many students you're supposed to help. The last thing you expect from your interaction is that he'll start flirtt with you... Much less that Billy would stir up feelings you'd rather keep hidden. Despite the mutual sentiments that soon enough start to grow, there are a lot of reasons for whatever it is to be left alone, and one of them is your age...

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

A/N: In this story, reader is 5 years older than Billy, who's 18.

•••

A Vision from Hell

 You couldn't drive for a while. When you got behind the wheel the next day, you couldn't do it. So, Billy, Tanya, and Liam took turns driving you through town until you got better. It took a few days, but they were patient with you.

 But the days passed by and you got yourself back together. But today, since you slept at Tanya's, she dropped you at the Hawkins Elementary School, where you tutored a kid. But now, after a small, routine meeting with the principal and some teachers, it's time to go. You're crossing the small parking lot when you see Max chatting with her friends.

 “I gotta go, I'm late.” She tells them, putting her skateboard on the ground and stepping on it. “Billy will be mad.”

 “No, he won't.” You speak up when you're close enough, making the whole party look at you. “I'm going there anyway. Wouldn't mind the company.”

 “Sure.” She shrugs, picking up the skate. “Guys, this is (Y/N). She's... Something of Billy's. Not quite sure yet.”

 “Hi, I'm Dustin.” One of them says, the one with curly hair, shaking your hand. “These other jerks are Lucas, Will. Mike and Eleven.”

 “Eleven? Like the number?”

 “El for short.” The girl nods with a small smile.

 “Alright, let's go.” Max tilts her head and after waving at the kids, you start following her.

 The day is warm, a little hot even, and you take off the light sweater you were wearing, tying it around your waist. You enjoy walking. Well, you enjoy walking here. The small town's slow pace is getting to you, and you like the simple streets and the many trees. Hawkins is a beautiful place, even though sometimes you feel like there isn't much to do.

 “So. You and Billy, huh?” Max asks after a while. “You two are together or what?”

 Blushing, you wonder if she knows Billy has been spending the nights with you. Almost every night, the only exception being when Neil is especially mad because you don't want him to explode at Billy. “We're... Seeing how things play out. Getting to know each other. Hanging out. Stuff like that.”

 “Stuff like that. AKA dating.” She teases, looking at you with a smile. “Whatever it is, it's good for him. He's less of an asshole ever since you came into the picture.”

 That's good to know. “Can I ask you something?” You continue when she nods. “You know I'm a little older than him, right?” Coming back to the same thought is tiring, you know it. But it's still something that hovers above your head. Not as much as before, but it's still there.

 “You're what? Nineteen?”

 “Twenty-three.”

 “You come out as being around his age. And even if you didn't I don't think that's a big deal.”

 “I just don't want it to be weird.” Max is part of Billy's life, and you want to be accepted by her. If she's ok with it, part of you feels relieved.

 “Look, stupid people will find it weird. Stupid people like Neil. But they don't get a say in it.” You reach the High School parking lot, walking around the few people still going home. “Those who really matter, friends and family, those are the ones who will support you, as long as you're happy.”

 “You're very mature for your age.” You tell her with a smile. “Thanks, Maxine.”

 “Call me Max.” She lightly elbows you, throwing the board on the ground and skating the short distance to Billy's Camaro. “Hey, shitface.”

 “You're late. Again.” You hear him saying as you walk around the hood, still out of his sight.

 “I had to walk instead of skating.”

 “Why? This thing is brand new, it can't be broken.”

 “I made her walk.” You say, smiling when Billy turns around to look at you.

 “Then it's you I should be mad at.”

 “I'm not scared of you.” You whisper, heat spreading through your cheeks.

 “Would the two lovebirds give it a break and drive me home before doing whatever you're doing?” Max complains as she gets inside the car.

 Billy's eye roll makes you giggle as you make your way to the passenger seat.

 Keeping the windows open, you feel the wind messing with your hair.

 “Jerkface, why are you driving so slow?” Max asks after a while, on the edge of her seat, leaning forward and holding on to both your and Billy's seat. “Did you wreck your car again?”

 “I'm under the speed limit.” He explains.

 “So you obey the laws now?”

 “I was in an accident I was a kid.” Turning your face to look at her, you gesture at the scar above your lip. “Got this after surgery to fix my wrecked lip. I lost my grandma and little brother that day.”

 “Oh, sorry.” She says, a sad expression on her face. “Drive safely,” Max tells her brother, slapping his arm.

 You wait for him to lash out at her, and by the look on her face, you know she's waiting for it too. But it doesn't come. Billy just rolls his eyes, hanging his arm out the window.

 “God, it's so hot.” The redhead complains as Billy enters their street. “Won't this heat wave go away?”

 “Not so soon. They're planning on opening the pool.” Billy adds.

 “Pool?”

 “Hawkins Community Pool. I worked there last summer as a lifeguard so they gave me a call.” Billy answers as he stops the car and steps out. You do the same but stand by the open passenger door. “They usually open in the Summer they're considering it because of this heatwave.” He gestures at the house. “Come. Neil isn't home, I'll show you the place.”

 “Alright.” Pushing the door close after taking your bag, you follow them through the sidewalk.

 “(Y/N), you're a tutor, right?” Max asks and you nod. “Could you help me? They'll only assign me to someone if I fail.”

 “Sure, I can help you off the records. What do you need help with?”

 “English. I suck and my teacher is definitely evil.” You enter the house as she speaks, looking around.

 “It's not the subject I'm tutoring but I can give you a hand. Just tell me when you're free so we can find a gap in my schedule.” Your eyes fall on the bench press in the middle of the living room, and it screams Billy Hargrove.

 “I'm free right now.” She exclaims.

 “Maxine, don't even think about it,” Billy warns.

 “Look, you're dating a decent, nice girl who is smart. Let me enjoy the benefits.” The girl snaps back, gesturing at the hall. “I'll get my stuff.”

 “Sure.” Smiling, you put your bag on the couch, but it falls and opens, spreading some papers around. “Shit.” You mumble as you kneel to catch them.

 Billy does the same, handing you a small pile of papers at the top of a notebook. “House of the Next Century?” He asks, and you look at the blue sheet of paper on the top of the pile.

 “It's an exposition from the Architecture School.” Putting everything back inside the bag, you stand up. “Liam's sister takes that course so she's involved and invited us.”

 “Sounds interesting.”

 “We can go if you want. But you know what else is interesting? Having a freaking bench press in the middle of the living room.”

 “Oh, you noticed.”

 “How could I miss it?” Walking over it, you check the weights. “Can you really lift those things? They're huge.” Holding the bar, you give a little push, but nothing moves.

 “I can make a show if you want.” Billy moves closer, but his eyes are on you.

 “You're so cocky, Billy.” Blushing, you look away, biting your lip.

 “When are you going to let me kiss you again?” He suddenly asks, taking you by surprise.

 You and Billy haven't kissed since that night, you're not sure why. “I don't know... On some special occasion, maybe.”

 “Special occasion, huh?” He says, a smirk taking over his lips. “I can work on that.”

 “You two can make out later, I need help,” Max speaks, making her way to the kitchen.

 “Duty calls.” Winking at Billy, you turn around and follow Maxine.

 The two of you get the kitchen table, and you have to read a couple of things to pick up what she needs help with. It's not that complicated, and you still remember some things from school, so it doesn't take much until you're explaining to her. Billy comes to the kitchen every once in a while, but as the night falls and after he makes the three of you a sandwich, he sticks around, listening.

 It gets to you that they're doing better. You don't think Billy hates his step-sister, they just annoy each other as all siblings do. And it even makes you laugh sometimes.

 “You could help me with History too,” Max says as she looks for chapter 7 of her book. “And Geography.”

 “I sure can.”

 “Maxine, stop stealing my girl's time.” Billy snaps, and you giggle.

 “I'm not your girl.” With both elbows on the take, a smirk comes to your lips.

 “Ouch!” The girl exclaims. “That must've hurt.”

 “Yet.” You decide to add soon after.

 “On your face, shitbird,” Billy answers, and you can't help but laugh.

 “The two of you are crazy.” You mumble in between laughs. “I really–” You're cut off not by the front door opening, and by the way Billy stands up abruptly, and Max's eyes go wide, you know who it is.

 “I told Anne we'd be joining them on Saturday.” A woman's voice speaks, and you wonder what you should do. Both Billy and Max seem nervous.

 “Alright then. She better make something good or else it'll be a waste of my damn time.” A man says, not sounding very excited about the woman's plans.

 “We have to-” Billy starts, but he stops talking the moment a man comes into the kitchen.

 Neil's eyes find you immediately, lingering for quite a while, flying then to Billy and Max. “Who is this girl in my house?” He inquires in a rude tone.

 “This is (Y/N). She's one of the tutors from the new campus and she's helping me study for the tests.” Max answers, and the woman, Susan, comes to the kitchen as well.

 Unlike Neil, she kindly smiles and walks over to you. “Hello, (Y/N). I'm Susan, Maxine's mother. Thanks for helping her.”

 “No need to thank me. I'm just doing my job.” You shyly say, shaking Susan's hand.

 “Come on, Neil. Let's leave them to do their thing.” Susan turns to face Neil.

 “What about you? What are you doing here?” He asks Billy.

 You can feel anger irradiating from him, and you just want to grab his hand and take him away. The atmosphere is heavy, almost tangible. You can tell Neil is trying not to let it show, but it's obvious. You can feel it. “Got hungry and made myself a sandwich.”

 “Then be a gentleman once in your life and make some for your sister and her teacher.”

 “He already did.” You speak up, way too abruptly, trying not to let your anger show. Under the table, you clench your fists.

 Neil nods exchanging a glance with his son. “Get back to your room then.”

 You shouldn't say anything. You should let it go and talk to Billy after. But you can't. “He's helping us.”

 “He is?”

 “Yes.” Max bursts out, looking at Neil. “He was making questions.”

 Neil doesn't believe it, but after glancing at Susan, he nods. “Alright then.”

 “She was leaving anyway,” Billy says.

 “(Y/N) could stay for dinner, right, honey?” Susan asks Niel with a smile. “To thank her for helping Max.”

 “That would be lovely, but I have somewhere to be.” With a forced smile, you stand up.

 “Me too. I can give her a ride home.”

 “Sure. Thanks, Billy.” Nodding, you walk around the table. “Max, let me know when you're free so we can continue, alright?”

 “Alright, (Y/N). Thank you.”

 “Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove.” You mutter, heading for the front door and stopping only to take your bag.

 Billy takes a minute to reach you on the sidewalk, and you wonder what Neil just told him. In silence, you both get into the car and you only relax when he drives away.

 “I'm sorry about that.” Billy apologies, eyes on the road. “I thought they'd be out until later.”

 “It wasn't your fault.” Reaching out your arm, you touch his shoulder. “I had a nice time with you and Maxine.”

 “Me too, (Y/N)...”

 There's pain in his voice, and it breaks your heart. “What's wrong?”

 “I don't want you near Neil. I don't want him looking at you as if-” He stops speaking, running a hand through his hair. “Neil has a taste for young girls. He cheats on Susan on a regular basis and I can't have him thinking about you that way.”

 You feel weird, remembering how he stared at you. “I'm sorry. But it doesn't matter now. Let's go home and order a pizza.” You only understand what you said when the words already left your mouth. And when you look at Billy, you see a smile he's trying to hide. So you can't take it back. You'll just let it be if it makes him happy. “I want pepperoni.”

 “Pepperoni it'll be then.”

 “Oh, and I have a request, Hawkins Community Pool lifeguard. Who do I have to pay to have that pool open? I wanna enjoy a free sample of Summer.”

 “I'll see what I can do for you, Princess.” He looks at you with a smile, the one that belongs to you alone.

•••

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