ocean eyes ✧ Billy Hargrove

[ 015 ]

Daphne and Tina were headed to the parking lot after a long, frustrating day. They had planned to hang out at Daphne's house, trying to unwind after the mess that had unfolded during school.

But as they approached the parking lot, Daphne's eyes locked onto Billy, who was waiting for Max by his Camaro as usual. Only this time, he wasn't alone—Vicky Carmichael was with him.

Vicky had once been part of their group with Tina, Carol, and Daphne, but after some drama, she had drifted away, leaving a trail of bitterness. Seeing her now, cozying up to Billy, made Daphne's stomach churn with anger.

As they got closer, Daphne overheard Vicky's voice. "So, is your sister coming or what?"

Billy took a drag from his cigarette before tossing it to the ground. "Screw it. That little shit can skate home," he muttered, his tone cold. "And don't call her that."

"What?" Vicky asked, a bit taken aback.
Billy's eyes narrowed. "Sister. She's not my sister."

"Okay?" Vicky replied, clearly confused by his sudden harshness.

Before getting into his car, Billy glanced over at Daphne. He smirked, his expression full of smug confidence, as if their heated exchange at lunch had never happened. "Get in," he told Vicky, as he turned and strutted over to Daphne, ignoring the tension that had been between them all day.

"Hey, Byers," Billy drawled, his tone as cocky as ever.

Daphne crossed her arms, her anger simmering just below the surface. "Hargrove, what are you doing?"

Billy raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting her cold tone. "What do you mean, what am I doing? Just saying hi."

"Just saying hi?" Daphne echoed, disbelief dripping from her words. "After what happened at lunch? You've been avoiding me all day, acting like you couldn't care less, and now you're here pretending everything's fine?"

Billy's smirk faltered, but he quickly recovered, shrugging nonchalantly. "I didn't think you'd still be hung up on that. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Daphne's voice rose with frustration. "You basically shut me down, Billy. You wouldn't even talk to me, and now you're acting like nothing happened? And all of this just because I dared to ask you if everything was fine after seeing a fucking bruise on your cheek!"

Billy's demeanor shifted, his easygoing attitude replaced by a hint of defensiveness. "Look, Byers, I don't know what you want me to say. I don't want to talk about it so I preferred avoiding you, alright?"

Daphne shook her head, her frustration mounting. "You can't just brush me off whenever it's convenient for you and then waltz back like everything's fine. You said we had things to finish talking about, but you've rejected me instead."

Billy's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone becoming colder. "I didn't mean to do that. I just needed some space. You're taking this way too seriously."

Daphne scoffed, her anger flaring up again. "Seriously? After everything that's happened, you think I'm taking this too seriously?"

Billy shrugged, clearly irritated. "I don't know what you want from me, Daphne. I'm just trying to get by."

Daphne's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a cold, hard edge. "What I want, Hargrove, is for you to stop playing games. I'm not someone you can just pick up and drop whenever you feel like it."

Billy opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Vicky called out from the passenger seat, "Are we going or what?"

Billy shot Daphne a final glance, his expression unreadable, before turning away. "Later, Byers." he said, his tone dismissive as he walked back to his car. He got in, started the engine, and without another word, drove off with Vicky, leaving Daphne standing there, seething.

"Unbelievable," Daphne muttered under her breath, her fists clenched at her sides. She turned to Tina, who had been watching the exchange in silence.

"He's such an ass," Tina said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Daphne sighed, feeling a deep sense of frustration and betrayal. "Yeah, he is."

Trying to push the anger aside, Daphne remembered that Billy had left Max to find her own way home. "We should pick up Max," she said, making a sudden decision. "I have to pick up Will anyway."

Tina nodded, though she seemed distracted. "Can we get a milkshake before we get there? We'll be really quick."

Daphne rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small smile. "Fine, but not more than ten minutes."

When Daphne and Tina finally arrived at the middle school, they saw Joyce speeding into the parking lot, clearly agitated. Daphne's heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong.

"Mom?" Daphne called out as she approached. "I was supposed to pick Will up. What happened?"

Joyce's face was etched with worry. "Something's wrong, I can feel it. He lied about being with the AV club."

A chill ran down Daphne's spine as they hurried into the school. They weren't alone for long. As they entered, they found Dustin frantically calling out for Will, his voice echoing through the empty halls. Max stood nearby, looking worried.

"Dustin!" Joyce called out, her voice urgent. Dustin turned, his face lighting up with a mix of relief and panic. "Mrs. Byers?"

Max's eyes widened when she saw Daphne. "Daphne? What are you doing here?"

Joyce ignored the exchange, her focus solely on her son. "What's going on, Dustin? Where's Will?"

Before Dustin could answer, Lucas came barreling around the corner, panting and wide-eyed. "The field!" he gasped, barely able to get the words out.

Without a second thought, they all rushed outside, fear driving them forward. Daphne's heart pounded in her chest as they reached the field, and what she saw nearly made it stop.

Mike was standing next to Will, who had his eyes closed and he was frozen.

"I just found him like this!" Mike cried, his voice trembling with fear. "I think he's having another episode!"

Joyce rushed to Will, her hands shaking. "Will! Come on, Will!"

Daphne reached her brother too, followed by a shocked Tina, with tears welling up in her eyes. "Willy, please! Wake up!"

Joyce's voice cracked as she pleaded with him. "Please, Will. It's Mom! Wake up, baby, please!"

Daphne's own voice was desperate, her heart breaking as she watched her little brother suffer. "It's us, Will! It's okay, just wake up!"

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Will gasped, his eyes fluttering open for just a moment before he fainted, leaving them all in a state of fearful uncertainty.