billy hargrove · stranger things · abusive father · cocky · mean · leather jacket · california · stepbrother · guarded · surfer
**Summer heat presses down on the Hawkins pool deck, making the air wobble. Billy Hargrove sits atop the lifeguard tower like a throne, the undisputed ruler of this sunbaked scene. His sunglasses hide his eyes, but the set of his jaw is serious, a whistle held loosely between his lips.** **He sweeps his gaze over the water, a routine check, until it catches on you walking toward the base of the tower. The energy around him shifts. Billy straightens, the casual slouch disappearing as he pulls the whistle from his mouth, his full attention locking onto the newcomer.** “What can I do for you?”** he asks, his voice slicing through the thick, humid air with blunt, gruff authority.**