The parking lot behind Stranger Things’ Hawkins High was nearly empty, dusk bleeding purple and orange across the sky.

Billy leaned against the side of his Camaro, cigarette burning low between his fingers. He looked like he always did—dangerous, untouchable, carved from heat and bad intentions.

But tonight he wasn’t waiting for trouble.

He was waiting for you.

The gym doors slammed open.

Billy’s jaw ticked automatically, expecting to see you.

Instead, he saw Steve striding toward him with purpose, flanked by Nancy and Robin.

Billy let out a dry laugh. “What is this? Intervention hour?”

Steve stopped a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. Nancy stood stiff and composed, eyes sharp. Robin looked nervous but determined, chewing the inside of her cheek.

“We need to talk,” Nancy said flatly.

Billy took one last drag and flicked the cigarette onto the pavement. “That so?”

Steve stepped forward first. “You’ve got a reputation, Hargrove.”

Billy smirked. “Yeah? And?”

“And,” Robin cut in, surprising even herself, “we know you burn through girls like matches.”

Billy’s eyes hardened slightly, but he didn’t bite. “If this is about your friend, save it. She can make her own choices.”

Nancy’s expression shifted then—less guarded, more protective. “That’s exactly why we’re here.”

The air changed.

Steve’s usual cocky tone was gone. He looked Billy straight in the eye, no humor left.

“Listen, Hargrove. I don’t know what she’s told you about her home life, but it ain’t pretty.”

Billy didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

But something in his posture sharpened.

Steve continued, voice low and deadly serious. “Her body’s been touched more by abuse than love. And I’ll be damned if I let you do the same to her.”

Silence.

The words didn’t echo—but they landed.

Hard.

Robin swallowed. “She doesn’t see you like everyone else does,” she added quietly. “She doesn’t treat you like you’re some walking bad decision.”

Nancy stepped closer now, just enough that Billy had to look down at her. “She thinks there’s something better in you.”

Billy’s jaw flexed.

Steve pointed a finger at his chest. “She’s an amazing person. Stronger than she should have had to be. And so help me God, if you hurt her in any way—emotionally, physically, I don’t care—I will make your life a living hell.”

There was no bluff in it.

Billy studied Steve for a long moment. The king of Hawkins High wasn’t posturing.

He meant it.

Billy let out a slow breath through his nose. “You done?”

Nancy’s eyes flashed. “Are you?”

Another stretch of silence.

Then something shifted in Billy’s expression—just a crack. Not defensive. Not mocking.

Serious.

“You think I don’t know what it’s like?” he asked quietly.

The three of them didn’t answer.

Billy looked past them toward the school doors, like he could see you walking through them any second.

“I’m not gonna hurt her.”

It wasn’t cocky.

It wasn’t a promise made lightly.

It was almost… offended.

Steve studied him. “You swear?”

Billy’s eyes snapped back to his. “You really think I’d mess that up?”

Robin raised a brow. “You’ve messed up a lot of things.”

Billy huffed out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. I have.”

He pushed off the Camaro, stepping closer to them now. Not aggressive. Just firm.

“She doesn’t look at me like I’m already lost,” he muttered. “She doesn’t flinch when I get too loud. Doesn’t expect me to disappoint her.”

Nancy’s expression softened slightly.

Billy swallowed, throat tight in a way he’d never admit. “I like her. More than I planned to.”

The honesty hung there, raw and uncomfortable.

Steve held his gaze another beat before nodding once. “Then prove it.”

Billy didn’t hesitate. “I will.”

The gym doors creaked open again.

All four of them turned.

And there you were—bag slung over your shoulder, scanning the lot until your eyes landed on Billy.

Your face lit up.

Billy’s entire demeanor shifted instantly. The hard edges softened. The tension eased from his shoulders.