precarious ; jonathan byers [2]

chapter twelve- shit's gonna hit the fan

Riley

Seriously, where the hell is Casey?

Night was falling quick; quicker than normal, even during autumn in Indiana. If that wasn't enough to freak me out, I still hadn't heard from Casey. No phone calls or anything.

However, I'm not an idiot. I had known about her and Nancy hanging out more than usual lately. I didn't know if it was because Nancy and Steve were no longer dating, or because Jonathan and Casey were finally done being attached at the hip like the lovebirds they were. Whatever the reason, I couldn't help but feel left out. They were supposed to be my friends.

Things were much more simple last year between us, especially when Barb was still alive. The four of us were all close friends, but I was closer with Casey and Barb was a lot closer with Nancy so we could always hang out separately without the other girls feeling left out. Our setup was practically perfect.

But Barb is gone and things are far from perfect.

Even if Casey and Nancy seemed to be spending more time together, it's not like I was jealous or anything. Billy's been keeping me company the past few days and he sure as hell helps take my mind off of it.

I truly didn't understand why Casey thought Billy was a bad influence. Sure, he's the bad boy type and he likes to rebel but that's what I like about him. He keeps me on the edge of my seat; he's unpredictable. Hell, some could say I loved him.

Maybe I did, but who cares?

RIIINGG!

The phone on my nightstand ringing broke me out of my thoughts as I lay in bed and my eyes furrowed as I glanced over to it. Could that finally be her? Took her long enough. I rolled my eyes out of annoyance as I picked the phone up, pressing it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Riley," The person on the other side stated bluntly. It was Billy.

I instantly smiled, my annoying mood seeming to completely wash away, "Billy, hey," I greeted flirtatiously, twirling the phone cord around my two fingers. "I was just thinking about y-"

"I'm coming over," Billy cut me off harshly. His voice was more stern than normal which told me he was in a crappy mood. Maybe he needed some cheering up.

I chuckled, "How come?"

"My bratty little sister ran off to hang out with those loser kids and now we have no clue where she is," He grumbled. I could hear the jingling of his car keys in the background which meant he was about to leave his house. "I'm pissed off beyond belief, so I'm coming over."

"What kids, Billy?" I asked him curiously.

"Hell if I know; they're freaks," He tried to explain. I still had no idea who he was talking about and he scoffed at my silence. "Jesus, Riley, they're the ones that hang out with the zombie boy. You know, the one that practically died and they brought him back to life or some shit."

I felt my smile sink as I finally realized what kids he was referring to and I gulped, "His name is Will," I said quietly. "I'm friends with his older brother so please don't talk about him like that."

"God, you can be so pathetic, Riley," He spat. "They're all freaks, can't you see? If we're gonna keep doing this, then you gotta drop them. Shit, it would be great if you would drop them just like you drop your pants every time I'm around."