Chapter Text
It was difficult living in a dysfunctional family.
My mother was nice, but a bit of a push-over. She changed herself to accommodate her environment even if it meant degrading herself or turning a blind eye when her children were being hurt. I tried not to let it affect me too much, but I knew there was deep-seated resentment inside me. Sometimes, I wondered if I was the problem for thinking it was a problem.
“Someday, you’ll know what it’s like to be in love,” she told me with soft eyes and a small, sad smile. “Sacrifices have to be made.”
Was love worth the pain?
I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted it if that was the case.
My sister was the complete opposite. Perhaps it was from seeing how meek my mother had become. She was outspoken and wasn’t afraid to express herself. I was proud of her, but also afraid for her safety because I could see how he hated it.
“Can you drive me to the arcade after work?” she asked, throwing her crumpled homework into her bag. She looked around for her skateboard. “Have you seen my - “
“It’s by the front door.”
She ran off with her opened backpack, slung over one shoulder.
I could see his disapproving look. “Don’t run in the house, Maxine!”
Neil Hargrove was an imposing man. He knew exactly what he wanted and he was not afraid to do anything to get his way. He was the one who changed my mother. The life in her eyes slowly died and she didn’t even realise it because he put it in her head that this was how she should behave. He wanted his house with a white-picket fence and two and a half children. He wanted people to know that his family was perfect, but no one agreed with his views.
“I trust your grades are still doing well, Kennedy?” He fixated his gaze on me, checking to make sure I was covered up.
My deep green dress fell to my ankles and my dark red hair was half up to tame some of the messy curls. The makeup I had on my face was mild - just enough to cover up the dark bags beneath my eyes and a hint of tinted lipgloss.
“Of course,” I replied, watching him nod.
“Make sure it doesn’t slip. I don’t want another useless body in the family.”
I quickly dismissed myself and slipped into the bathroom to calm myself down. There were many other things I wanted to say to him, but I had to control myself. It was not the day to argue. A day of peace was difficult to come by. I didn’t want to be the one to disrupt it.
His son took the brunt of the abuse. Oftentimes, I would see and hear Neil beat him and there was never anything we could do about it. Mother’s quiet urging did nothing to defuse the situation. Eventually, she stopped trying and just pretended that it was normal. Perhaps a part of her even believed that Billy deserved it. She must’ve managed to justify it to sleep better at night.
In the beginning, I’d try to help, but Billy would reflect that anger on to me. Even with a swollen, bruised eye and a busted lip, he was intimidating. Sometimes, he’d lock himself in his room and refused to come out until dinner time where we were all required to sit together and eat. Other times, he’d storm out and drive off in his Camaro and not return until the next morning, which was when he would receive another beating.
He wanted to be in this family as much as I did. We all hated each other. This pretend family was unbearable.
“Get out of my way, princess.” Billy shoved past me and into the bathroom as soon as I came out. We were just starting school at Hawkins High. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, he was already popular with the girls. He was also extremely athletic from whatever he did in California before he moved here. It was obvious he missed his old home and would never see us as family.
We never got along.
When I first met Neil and Billy, the older man was all smiles and charm. He had just married mother and acted every role of a doting step-father. He would praise me for my good grades and my modest, feminine outfits. I wanted to make a good impression and I had done that, but Billy hated it. He thought I was pandering to Neil’s appeal. He made it sound as if I was whoring myself.
It was rich coming from someone who had a different girl for every day of the week.
He often called me a princess and would make every effort to make my life more difficult. At home, he’d accidentally spill drinks on me or shove my notebooks on to the floor. He’d accidentally use up all the toilet paper and not replace the roll. He’d accidentally throw my bag out the window. He’d accidentally run over my pencil bag.
I tried not to let it bother me, but…
I hated Billy Hargrove.