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Steve notices Billy stops bringing, or even buying, lunch on a Tuesday in April ‘85. They’re not sitting together, obviously, but Steve can see him from across the cafeteria.
For some reason it sticks out that Billy was sitting there with nothing in front of him while he talked to Tommy. The rest of his groupies at the table acting like nothing was odd. Steve watched as every now and then Billy would grab a fry or a chip off of someone else’s tray, but that was it.
Steve got distracted when Nancy and Johnathan joined him at their usual table, quickly dragging Steve into their conversation. Throughout the rest of the period, he couldn’t stop looking back over to the table across the room.
~.~.~.~.~
On the following Monday, Billy doesn’t bother going to the cafeteria during lunch, opting instead to go out to the back of the school. Sitting at the table without any food just felt weird and it made him even more hungry. There was also the fact he was starting to worry people would notice he hadn’t been eating. He didn’t need to deal with that shit.
He leaned against the brick wall to smoke the cigarette he took off Tommy since all the money he got lately now went to food. He lit up his cigarette and cursed his dad for what must have been the millionth time.
It had been a long time since Neil found a new way to punish Billy. The last time had been when Billy got the camaro. He hated himself for thinking even for a second that the car meant complete freedom. As soon as the metal of the keys touched his palm, his dad started making demands. Drive Max here, pick Max up from there, run to the store for this, etc etc. Neil even started to monitor his gas usage and mileage, and would make little comments about it. It was like he was reminding Billy that even when he was alone, he was still being watched.
But the newest method was a whole different kind of horrible. Neil had started commenting on how much it cost to feed a family. Especially a teenager. Especially Billy. At first it was just the comments, so Billy tried to cut back on what he was eating. But apparently that wasn’t good enough, because Neil started to monitor everything that Billy ate and drank in the house. Then Neil made sure Susan stopped packing a lunch for Billy and very pointedly only put enough lunch money on the counter for one. Billy of course handed it to Max and assured her he had money of his own. He didn’t.
With having to skip lunch and his food being cut back at home, he was so damn hungry. It was a constant ache in his stomach and like an alarm going off in his head, “So hungry. So hungry. Food. Where can I get some food? I need something to eat.”
That was probably why he didn’t notice Harrington until there was a paper bag being pressed up against his chest.
Billy looked up, ready to shove the pretty boy away if he was asking for a fight.
“My mom must have been half asleep this morning, she packed me two lunches,” Steve said as he let go of the bag, forcing Billy to grab it or else it would fall to the ground.
That was a lie. Billy had heard Max on her little radio just last night saying that Steve’s parents left earlier that day and weren't going to be back for at least a week. The kids were planning on having a pool party at his place now that the weather was getting warm enough.
Billy still hadn’t said anything as Steve slid down the wall Billy was leaning against and pulled his food out of his own bag.
Billy wanted to crumple up the bag and throw it in Steve’s face, but fuck he was so hungry. He slid down the wall and sat next to Steve, their knees touching. Billy stiffened, ready to pull his leg away, but Steve didn’t show any reaction so he tentatively left them touching. He opened the paper bag and pulled out the sandwich, smirking when he saw the Capri Sun and a bag of Lays chips in there as well.
“Max have lunch?” Steve asked without taking his eyes off the gym class running around the field across from them.
Billy bit back the immediate and powerful anger at that question. Of course Max had lunch. She’s not the one they hate. She’s not the one that has something wrong with them. She’s not the one that gets slapped and punched and pushed and screamed at. But the anger died just as quickly as it came. He was glad it was just him, he wouldn’t ever wish this on Max.
“She’s good.”
Steve nodded and they continued to eat in silence.
~.~.~.~.~
It pretty much goes like that for the rest of the school year.
Billy goes out to the back of the school during lunch and a few minutes later Steve shows up with some flimsy excuse as to why he has food to share.
“I was really hungry when I was making my own lunch, I thought I would want two.”
“I heard you’re acing math, I’ll trade you this sandwich if you help me with my math homework.”
“If I didn’t use up the bread today it was going to go bad.”
“Can you help me bring a couple kids to the arcade this weekend? They don’t all fit in my car. I’ll give you half my lunch if you say yes.”
Billy obviously knew what Steve was doing, but he was so hungry he didn’t really care. He was also really starting to enjoy the time they spent together. Steve was funny and sarcastic. He could tell he was protective and loyal by the way he talked about all those kids he hangs out with. And fuck if he wasn’t the prettiest person Billy had ever met. His big brown eyes and those gorgeous moles dotted all over his skin; Billy ached to be able to see where else they were on his body. And that hair. There was no wondering why people called him Steve “the Hair” Harrington.
Now it’s the last day of school, only a half day so they didn’t have lunch that day. Everyone had run out of the school the second the bell rang, like if they didn’t get out in time they would be kept there over the summer against their will.
But somehow Billy and Steve both gravitated towards the back, to that wall that they spent their lunch periods sitting against together.
Steve even pulled out a brown paper bag, causing Billy to laugh, and handed some of the contents over. Billy pulled out the last of his two cigarettes and handed one to the brunette.
“You got plans for the summer, Hargrove?” Steve asked in between bites of his PB&J.
“Working as a lifeguard at the public pool,” Billy answered with a shrug. “You?”
“Got a job at the new mall opening up, “Steve replied with his own shrug.
Billy nodded and looked down at his sandwich, trying to think of an excuse to bump into each other throughout the summer. It would be too weird to ask him to just hang out, right? That’s not what this was all about, becoming friends, like Billy wished it was.
“Maybe,” Steve interrupted his thoughts. “Maybe we can hang out? Sometime? If you want?” he laughed awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair.
He didn’t really know what possessed him at that moment, but the next thing Billy knew, he was leaning over and pressing his lips to Steve’s. Softly at first, and then a little harder when Steve didn’t pull away.
“I’d like that, pretty boy,” he pulled back to whisper.
Steve’s smile was blinding before he leaned in and pushed their lips back together.