Chapter Text
Looking at all the other girls in bikinis made her feel sick with jealousy. They didn’t have a muffin top, or rolls when they sat down. Their thighs didn’t jiggle and have cellulite and stretch marks on them. Maybe it was a good thing Nancy stood her up? She’d only look like a beached whale next to her stick thin best friend.
So much for a best friend. Nancy had been busy with her new summer job at the newspaper. It was her idea that they meet up at the pool on her day off to catch up - Barb would have never suggested coming to such an embarrassing place, but she guessed skinny girls didn’t fear the pool as much as fat girls. But for her so called best friend, she would put on a brave front and expose her body to be ridiculed. All the anxiety of shaving her body and deliberating what to wear, only for Nancy not to show up. She was probably hooking up with Jonathan. She saw Jonathan everyday, why couldn’t she spend a few hours with her instead? Barb placed a towel onto the lounger next to her to reserve it, only to look like a fool when no one came. She came all this way, and not wanting to waste all the shaving she had done, she decided to stay at the pool.
Skinny people looked hot when they were sweaty, but to Barb, she looked like expired meat. Her thighs were sticking together, and her pale face was flushed red. She didn’t go to the beach or pool enough to warrant buying new bathing suits that fit, so she wore an old bikini top that she soon discovered was now too small for her with the weight gain she had since her last vacation, and wore a pair of cotton shorts over her bikini bottoms to hide her belly. She decided she would take them off when Nancy arrived and they went in the pool, but that never happened. She didn’t feel comfortable in her bikini top either. It showed off her arms and stomach, neither of which were toned. She just fucking hated her body, and at the pool, there was no way to hide it.
Aware that sitting up would show everyone her flabby stomach, she decided to lie flat on her back, this way she would look as thin as possible. But she found it hard to read her book like this, so decided to sit up comfortably, and tried to avoid everyone’s gaze. She believed everyone that saw her would be disgusted, she was wrong!
Billy Hargrove sat high on his lifeguard chair. The sun beamed down on him, and he soaked in the rays, missing the California sun. Having this view gave him the perfect opportunity to stare at more than just the public in the pool. He could perv on all the women lying around, and no one could call him out for it, because he could say he was making sure everyone was safe. Maybe it wasn’t morally right to do, but he was a teenage boy, he was in his element. He had the moms that all posed for him. Some of them were nice. Then there was the high school girls. He knew all of them, mostly from being inside them one way or another. But in the corner was a girl he didn’t recognise. Was she new? There was no way she was on summer vacation, who the hell vacationed in Hawkins?
Billy would find out who she was, because my God, she had the best tits he had ever seen. Like, nothing out of any of his porn mags could even compare. There was something about how her breasts were spilling out of her tight bikini top that got him riled up. She was sat in the shade reading a book, not interested in the pool or him. He knew he was the reason most of the women were there, and he kind of liked the attention. But this chick didn’t give a shit.
She had hair down barely reaching her shoulders, big framed glasses on her head, but Billy was mostly staring at the bikini top that was barely holding her breasts in. Did she buy the wrong size bathing suit? Was she trying to get a guys attention? Because it was working! Only when he heard a loud splash did he turn back to the pool, realising he hadn’t even been paying it any attention.
“Hey fat ass. No bombing!” He shouted after blowing his whistle.
He kept looking at his watch, counting down the minutes until he swapped with someone. He wanted to speak to this girl, and couldn’t risk her leaving before he was able to leave his station.
When Katie came to swap with him, Billy climbed down the ladder of the chair and took a moment to prepare himself. He smoothed down his red shorts, pushed back his hair, flexed his abs just to make sure they were still there. The neighbourhood moms all loved the display, and said hello to him as he walked past. Normally he would flirt back with them and have a bit of fun, but not today. He was a boy on a mission.
Barb had removed the spare towel on the lounger next to her, but still no one took the space. Billy saw this as the perfect place to introduce himself. She was reading her book, and didn’t even spot that someone had sat down next to her.
“Is this spot taken?” Billy said. His voice was low, and when Barb moved her book away from her face, he looked into her eyes.
“No,” she dismissed and went back to her book.
This was a first for Billy. Normally, he has no problem getting a girl’s attention. A flash of his blue eyes and handsome face usually did the trick, but this girl didn’t care.
Barb saw it was Billy, and once she gave her reply, gave him no further thought. Sure, he was really hot, but she had the mentality of ‘there’s no point having a crush on someone who wouldn’t like you back’. Billy would never like her back, hell, he wouldn’t even give her the time of day. It was kind of freeing. Due to him being so out of her league, she didn’t care what she looked like in front of him. He would bully her whether she was wearing a bikini or her usual shirt and jeans.
“You all by yourself?” He asked.
“Uh yeah,” Barb replied, almost sarcastically. She was alone, of course she was by herself. He had eyes, he could already see that. She didn’t know why he was trying to start a conversation with her. He was probably trying to humiliate her. Tommy was probably around somewhere watching this go down, trying to stifle his laughter.
“Are you new round here? I could show you around. Give you a true Hawkins experience,” he offered. This new girl in town had no friends yet, and he was definitely going to snatch her up before any other boy got the chance.
“Is that a joke? Billy, we go to school together,” she defended. It was one thing to believe the popular kids didn’t know you existed, but another for your theory to be proven true.
Now he was really confused. He would recognise that rack anywhere! How could she go to school with tits like that and not got his attention?
“Stop acting dumb! I think it’s really unprofessional to annoy someone while you’re working. Go and tell Tommy he can fuck off too,” Barb cautioned.
“Hey, woah woah. I’m not…..I’m sorry I don’t know you. We must have not been in the same classes. Because I promise, if I met you, I would remember you. I don’t recall ever seeing a girl looking like you at school,” he reasoned, and tried to bring back the flirty mood.
“Well yeah. I don’t normally go to school wearing this.”
Barb was seriously over this conversation. Why couldn’t he just go and harass someone else? If he was attempting to flirt with her, he must have heat stroke, or perhaps he fucked every other girl in Hawkins and was now making his way around the rejects.
“You should,” he said all sultry. Barb shook her head at this attempt to mock her and brought her book back to her face. “What’s your name?”
“Barb Holland. You know Nancy Wheeler? I’m her friend.”
“Yeah, isn’t she Harrington’s ex?” He asked. He knew he hated Harrington, but choosing to date Nancy, when her friend Barb was an option, the boy was clearly idiotic. Some guys might be into the extremely skinny girls, but not him. Of course, he wasn’t that picky when it came to girls, but when it came time to settle down, there was no way he could ever marry a girl like that.
Barb nodded, and paid attention to her book again.
“You know Barb, I can’t stop looking at you,” Billy cooed. Now close up, he noticed more than just her boobs. She had milky white skin with freckles placed all over it. Nice cushioned thighs. She looked soft. Like a hug from her would cure you from anything.
Barb waited for Billy’s big punch line, expecting a harsh joke to come about her weight, or ginger hair. Probably something like ‘I can’t stop looking at you because you’re so huge’.
“You’re just….you’re gorgeous,” he said, leaning closer to her.
Barb didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. He was probably waiting for her to get all giddy before laughing in her face. After all, hot guys were assholes. And hot guys definitely didn’t like nerdy, ugly, chubby girls.
Billy wasn’t used to getting a cold response like this, so he soldiered on.
“Can you swim?” He asked. Maybe that was why she didn’t go in the pool and he was more than happy to help teach her.
“Yeah,” nodded Barb, her nose still in her book, not even bothering to flit her eyes in his direction.
Well, there sent Billy’s idea of giving her a private lesson out the window.
“Why are you lying in the shade? Can’t stand the heat?” He teased.
“I’m ginger,” she stated.
Billy knew all too well from Max and Susan how easily red heads burned.
“Well, the sun’s coming over in this direction so you won’t be in the shade for much longer. Do you need help putting sunscreen on?” Billy was sure she would now crack. The desperate moms would fight each other for the chance of having lifeguard Billy massage them with lotion.
“No, I’m fine,” she ignored.
“Barb, please. I can’t in good conscience let a ginger sit in the sun unprotected.”
“Why are you so desperate? I dont think applying sunblock is in your job description.”
“Well, what can I say? I care deeply about public safety,” he bragged.
“Urgh, if you do this will you leave me alone?” She huffed and closed her book, took out her lotion and turned over to lay on her stomach. Billy didn’t give her a reply, because he wanted to do the exact opposite of leaving her alone.
Billy smirked, this was his time to shine. He moved over to her sun lounger and placed his legs on either side, then sat down on top of her ass.
“What the hell are you doing?” She protested, not prepared for his weight on top of her.
“Gettin’ close,” he teased.
He poured the lotion out onto his hands and rubbed it to warm it up, before placing his palms on her back. The middle aged women looked on from around the pool, jealous that some random teen had captured Billy’s attention. But Karen Wheeler knew better.
“Barb’s not like this. She’s not like…..” She didn’t want to say “like us”, but she thought it.
“Ungrateful girl,” another woman complained.
Even once the lotion had been rubbed in, he kept rubbing and massaging her back. She didn’t need to know that technically he was done and should have gotten up from her already. He worked his fingertips just under the string tying her bikini on, to fully protect her of course. If he was alone and the mood was right, he’d be pulling on that string and letting her breasts free of their confinement.
He moved onto her shoulders, and rubbed any excess onto the backs of her arms.
“Are you a masseuse now too?” Barb taunted.
“I can be for you. Whatever you want babe. Sports. Deep tissue,” he flirted, making sure Barb understood the innuendo.
“I knew you were a pig, but I didn’t know you were this much of a pervert. Are you getting off on this?”
Billy didn’t respond, because the answer was very much YES.
He stood up again and sat back down on the chair next to her.
“You know Barb, I am dying to take you out. So, what about tonight? I can pick you up if you’re free,” he offered.
“Absolutely not,” she rejected. She had no desire to become the town’s laughing stock once he had ridiculed her. Plus, there was no way he wanted to get laid so badly that she was an option for him.
This was new to Billy. No one had ever said no to him, because why would they? He was hot, athletic, popular, tall, had a nice car. He was a catch! He could bone everyone in the town if he wanted.
“You’re breaking my heart over here. Have some compassion.”
She gave him a confused look. How was he not getting the message? “Are you high?”
Billy didn’t want to look desperate and beg her to reconsider, so he finally walked away. When he left, Barb felt like she could finally breathe again. That was the must frustrating and bewildering five minutes of her life. She made a reminder never to go to the pool again.
Billy swiftly went inside to the bathroom to look at a mirror. Maybe he had something on his face and that’s why she said no? Or had a bird pooped on him without him knowing? But his reflection gave him no answers. He looked hot! So why the fuck did this girl reject him? She’s not the usual type that teenage boys desire, so it’s not like she had a long line of suitors. Hell, the only reason he was even interested in her was because he saw her cleavage. Nothing else about her drew her to him.
Well, except maybe her thighs, and perhaps her ass too. Boys don’t like chubbier girls, or at least no one ever admitted to it. You could never get with a fat girl because the boys would all mock you for it.
He jotted down his phone number on a piece of paper from the front desk and walked back out to Barb still engrossed in her book. She didn’t bother to hide the disappointment on her face when he returned. She thought he had finally left her alone!
“Just incase you need a bookmark,” he joked and leant in to place the paper on top of the page she was reading.
“I don’t,” she replied, and waved him off again.