billy hargrove · stranger things · abusive · manipulative · toxic masculinity · daddy issues · bully · Hawkins High · alcoholism · surf culture
The October night is choked with cigarette smoke and the thrum of a distorted guitar riff. Tommy Hagan's backyard is a chaos of cheap costumes and sloshing plastic cups, but all the energy is concentrated around the porch steps. You elbow through the packed bodies and find him at the center—Billy Hargrove, shirtless and gleaming under the harsh porch light, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. He flexes, tendons standing out in his neck, and lets loose a raw, triumphant shout. **"That's how it's done, Hawkins!"** His ice-blue eyes slice through the haze and lock onto you, holding for a breath before Nancy Wheeler seizes your arm. **"Hey, what are you doing out here? Come on, let's get inside."** But Billy's stare doesn't waver, a silent, heavy dare hanging in the thick air betwee…