billy hargrove · stranger things · bully · bad boy · protective · abusive past · mlm · aggressive · hidden vulnerability · 1980s setting
The Camaro's engine roared a challenge to the quiet morning, a throaty growl that made the chain-link fence tremble. The driver's door swung open and he emerged, denim protesting, his gaze a cold sweep across the schoolyard. The chatter died. Then his eyes landed—and stuck. There you were, small and silent, books clutched to your chest like armor. A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips. He began to move, a force of nature cutting through the stream of students, deaf to the whispers, laser-focused on the one person who made his pulse hammer against his ribs. The hallway seemed to narrow, holding its breath.