Daphne wiped away the last of her tears as she and Tina sat in the car. Tina, always the sensible one, glanced at her friend with concern.

"You should go home, Daph. We can hang out another time," Tina suggested gently.

Daphne wanted to protest. Spending time with Tina was a welcome distraction, but the weight of the day had taken its toll. "Yeah... I think I'll do that," Daphne replied, her voice soft and weary. She forced a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm just... tired."

Tina nodded, understanding. "Get some rest. Promise you'll call me if you need anything."

When Daphne finally pulled into her driveway and stepped inside her house, she found her mother, Joyce, tightly hugging Will. The sight was comforting, yet her mother's worried expression made her heart sink.

"Hey, Daph. Where were you?" Joyce asked, her voice laced with concern.

"With Tina," Daphne answered, avoiding her mother's gaze as she shrugged off her jacket.

"Doing what? After what happened to Will, I thought you'd come home right away," Joyce pressed.

Daphne sighed, feeling the tension creeping up her spine. "Forget about it, mom. I'm here now, okay? I'm just going to my room, I'm tired." Without waiting for a response, she headed upstairs.

Once in her room, Daphne laid on her bed, staring out the window. The events of the day replayed in her mind, each moment feeling heavier than the last. This was supposed to be the best year of her life, but everything seemed to be going wrong.

Later that night, long after the house had settled into the quiet of sleep, Jonathan returned home. After checking on Will and seeing his mom sleeping beside him, he was confused. He knocked on Daphne's door, and she let out a tired sigh before getting up to answer it.

"What is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you," Jonathan said, looking over his shoulder toward Will's room. "Why's mom with Will? Did something happen?"

Daphne leaned against the doorframe, still groggy. "He had another episode, but it was worse this time. He said he could feel the entity everywhere. He couldn't sleep, so she stayed with him. Why did you come home so late? Got a secret girlfriend?"

Jonathan's face grew concerned, but he nodded. "I was studying in the library. Well thanks for telling me. Go back to sleep, night."

"Goodnight, Johnny" Daphne replied, closing the door and glancing at the clock. It was past midnight.

As she crawled back into bed, she heard a noise outside. At first, she dismissed it as an animal, but then another noise followed—a distinct clatter of a rock hitting her window.

Her heart skipped a beat as she approached the window, peering out to see Billy Hargrove standing there, a crying mess. His eye was still red, and though the bruise on his cheek had darkened, it wasn't enough to hide the raw pain in his expression.

Daphne opened the window slightly, her voice edged with irritation. "What are you doing here? I can't fix things, and you don't want my pity or my help, remember? Just go home, Hargrove."

"Please... I need you," Billy's voice cracked as he spoke. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you. It's just... I'm not used to people wanting to help me. Can you just let me in? It's cold out here."

Daphne hesitated, her initial anger softening as she took in his broken appearance. She didn't want to forgive him so easily, but she had never seen him look so lost. Her conscience won over her anger, and she pushed the window open wider, gesturing for him to come in.

"So? What happened?" Daphne asked once Billy was inside, her tone sharp. "Or are you just going to yell at me again for asking?"

Billy shook his head, guilt and exhaustion etched into his features. "Byers, I already said I'm sorry. What else can I do?"

"Act like you mean it," Daphne shot back. "You can't just barge in here, say you're sorry, and expect me to forgive you. You hurt me when I was the only one actually trying to care for you."

"I know..." Billy's voice was almost a whisper. He looked down, unable to meet her gaze, his usual confidence had just disappeared. "I just... I couldn't stay in that house any longer. Can I crash here? I'll sleep on the couch. I just need to get away. Just for tonight I swear."

Daphne's anger melted into concern as she saw the depth of his despair. "What happened, Billy? I just want to help you."

Billy hesitated, but then he started talking, the words spilling out as if they had been bottled up for too long. He told her about his father, how the beatings had gotten worse since he married Susan. "He says Max is my responsibility... that I need to take care of her. But I just want to enjoy my last year of high school, you know? I just want to be a teenager, but he won't let me."

Daphne felt a pang of sympathy in her chest. She had seen glimpses of this side of Billy, but hearing it like this made her realize just how much he was hiding. "You can stay... but only tonight," she said softly. "And you're sleeping on the couch."

Billy nodded, too tired to argue. "Thank you, Daphne."

She watched as he made his way to the couch, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Just as she was about to turn off the light, Billy looked up at her, his eyes full of unshed tears. "Thanks and goodnight" he whispered closing his eyes, finally able to rest.

"Goodnight, Billy," she whispered, before heading to her room. But the image of him, broken and vulnerable, stayed with her long after she laid down, unable to shake the feeling that, despite everything, she was getting pulled deeper into his world.

Daphne laid awake, the weight of the day pressing down on her chest. She had always been strong, always known what she wanted.

But now, everything felt uncertain, like she was losing control of the life she had carefully planned out. And as she stared up at the ceiling, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something much darker. And she didn't know if she was ready for it.