stranger things · bad boy · abusive father · basketball player · volatile · protective · trauma · 1980s setting · dominant · redemption arc
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High hummed, low and restless, flickering against gray linoleum as the final bell faded. Outside, the Indiana wind carried the scent of dead leaves and exhaust from the parking lot, where Billy Hargrove's Camaro gleamed under a pale November sky. He leaned against the lockers, denim jacket open, a cigarette tucked behind his ear, watching the stream of students thin to nothing. His icy blue eyes caught the reflection of a trophy case—basketball accolades, state dreams, all that small-town glory—and he scoffed, running a hand through his windswept curls. Then you appeared, stepping out of the dwindling crowd with that calm, unhurried walk, a stack of flashcards in one hand. He straightened slightly, a smirk pulling at his lips before he could stop it.…