Daphne and Tina still were on the bleachers, trying to focus on cheering for Steve, but it was clear something was off.

Steve looked distracted, his usual confidence on the court missing. Billy, on the other hand, was dominating the game, his aggressive energy filling the gym.

"Steve's totally off today," Tina whispered, leaning closer to Daphne. "You think it's because of what happened with Nancy last night?"

"Probably," Daphne replied, her eyes narrowing as she watched Billy make another flawless shot. "But Billy's being a jerk about it."

As if on cue, Billy sauntered over to Steve, a smug look on his face. "Harrington, right? I heard you used to run this school. That's true? King Steve, they used to call you, huh? Then you turned into a bitch."

Steve's jaw tightened, but he tried to keep his cool. "Hey, maybe you should just shut up and play the game."

Billy grinned wickedly before grabbing Steve's shoulder and roughly shoving him to the ground. Daphne's eyes widened in shock and she stood up. "Steve! Hey, coach, that's a foul!"

Steve quickly got to his feet, waving her off. "I'm fine!" he shouted, but his frustration was palpable as Billy casually sunk another shot.

"Woah," Billy said with mock surprise as the ball swished through the hoop.

"That's what I'm talking about!" the coach yelled, clearly impressed by Billy's play.

Just then, the gym doors opened, and Nancy walked in. Both Daphne and Tina exchanged surprised glances.

"Steve? Can we talk for a second?" Nancy called out, her voice cutting through the noise of the gym.

"Sure," Steve muttered, following her out of the gym, leaving the game behind.

As the players took a break, Billy spotted Daphne and Tina on the bleachers and walked over as if nothing had happened. His signature smirk was plastered on his face as he addressed them. "Hey, beautiful ladies, enjoying the game?"

Daphne crossed her arms, giving him a cold look. "Your point made itself clear," she said tersely.

Billy's grin only widened. "That point was for you, Daphne."

Tina, feeling like she was third-wheeling, stepped in to defend her friend. "You think that impresses her? Or anyone, for that matter? You're just being a bully."

Billy raised an eyebrow, glancing between them. "Bully? Nah, just playing the game, sweetheart. Harrington's gotta learn he's not on top anymore."

Daphne's glare didn't waver. "If that's your idea of impressing me, you're doing a terrible job."

Billy's expression flickered, a hint of something unreadable crossing his face before he shrugged it off. "Suit yourself, babe. But I think deep down, you like a guy who doesn't play by the rules."

Tina rolled her eyes, clearly done with his act. "You're not as charming as you think, Hargrove."

Billy leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. "Maybe not to you, but I think Daphne knows what I'm about."

Daphne's jaw clenched, her patience wearing thin. "What I know is that you're pretending like nothing happened between us this morning."

Billy's smirk faltered, but before he could respond, Steve walked back into the gym, his face set with determination. The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of the break.

"Guess we'll have to finish this conversation later," Billy said, his eyes locking with Daphne's for a moment before he turned and jogged back onto the court.

Daphne watched him go, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She couldn't shake the anger, but there was something else there too—something she wasn't quite ready to admit.

"Daph, you okay?" Tina asked softly, nudging her.

"Yeah," Daphne said, though her voice lacked conviction. "I'm fine."

"Good, because that guy is seriously bad news," Tina said, giving Billy one last glare as the game resumed.

Daphne nodded, though her thoughts were far from settled. As the game restarted, she couldn't help but wonder how much of Billy's act was real, and how much of it was just a mask for something else entirely.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur for Daphne. By the time lunch rolled around, she had to confront him. She spotted him at his usual table, surrounded by some guys from the basketball team and a few girls who seemed to hang on his every word.

Taking a deep breath, Daphne marched over, determined to get some answers.

"Billy," she said sharply, causing the entire table to fall silent. His blue eyes flicked up to meet hers, and for a moment, something like surprise crossed his face. But it was quickly replaced by his usual cool, detached expression.

"What do you want, Byers?" he asked, his tone flat and indifferent.

"We need to talk," she insisted, ignoring the curious stares from the others.

Billy sighed heavily, clearly annoyed. "We already talked earlier. Didn't we? Or was I dreaming?"

Daphne's frustration bubbled over. "You said we'd finish our conversation. But now you're acting like I don't even exist."

Billy leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Maybe because there's nothing left to say. I told you how it is. Take it or leave it."

"That's it?" Daphne shot back, her voice rising. "You just get to act like an asshole and expect me to be okay with it?"

Billy's jaw tightened, and he looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. "You don't get it, Daphne. Just drop it."

"No, I won't just drop it!" Daphne's voice was trembling with anger. "You can't just mess with people and then brush them off like they don't matter. I thought you were different, that maybe there was something real underneath all that bullshit, but I guess I was wrong."

Billy's eyes finally met hers again, but they were colder than she'd ever seen them. "You were."

That single statement hit her like a punch to the gut. She stood there for a moment, stunned, before finally finding her voice. "Fine. Enjoy being alone, Hargrove. You're really good at it."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stormed off, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the tears threatening to spill but blinked them back, refusing to let him see her break down.

She made her way back to where Tina was sitting, her fists clenched at her sides. Tina looked up as she approached, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

"What happened?" Tina asked, concern lacing her voice.

Daphne dropped into the seat next to her, still seething. "I was wrong. He's just an asshole, like everyone said."

Tina reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry, Daph. I know you thought there was something more to him."

"Yeah, well, I was naive," Daphne muttered, trying to push down the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "He's just another guy who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself."

Tina gave her a sympathetic look. "You deserve better than that. Don't waste your time on him."

Daphne nodded, but the truth was, it wasn't that easy to just switch off her feelings. As much as she wanted to forget about Billy, she couldn't shake the hurt and anger gnawing at her. She had opened up to him, let herself be vulnerable, and he'd thrown it back in her face.

The rest of lunch passed in a haze. Tina did her best to keep Daphne distracted, chatting about anything and everything to take her mind off what had just happened. But no matter how hard she tried, Daphne couldn't stop thinking about Billy's cold, dismissive words.

As the bell rang and they headed to their next class, Daphne made a silent promise to herself. She wasn't going to let Billy Hargrove get under her skin anymore. She would move on, and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he'd hurt her.