Just as Daphne was about to get into her car, her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of someone biking furiously toward the Hargrove house. Daphne squinted, trying to figure out who it was. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the familiar silhouette.

"Shit," Daphne muttered under her breath. "Lucas!"

Lucas Sinclair was pedaling as if his life depended on it, his face set in a determined grimace. Sweat glistened on his brow, and his breath came in quick, shallow gasps as he approached.

Daphne's heart rate spiked, sensing that whatever had brought Lucas here wasn't good news.

Without thinking, Daphne quickly moved toward him, waving her arms to get his attention before he could reach the porch. "Lucas! What are you doing here?"

Lucas skidded to a stop next to her, nearly toppling off his bike. He was clearly winded, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "Code red," he finally managed to say, his voice urgent and strained. "I need Max."

Daphne raised an eyebrow, concern flickering in her eyes. "Let me guess, Dustin called you?"

Lucas nodded, still trying to steady his breathing. "Yeah—how did you..."

"He called my place first," Daphne interrupted, already piecing together the situation in her mind. Her thoughts quickly shifted from Billy to the more pressing danger. "He told me everything. Something bad is happening."

"Wait here, I'll get Max," Lucas said, already jumping off his bike and making a beeline for the porch steps.

Daphne instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm, her grip firm. "I don't think it's a good idea... fuck this."

But Lucas was already halfway up the steps, too focused on his mission to be deterred. Daphne let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that there was no stopping him now.

She watched, anxiety bubbling up inside her, as Lucas knocked on the door. For a moment, everything seemed to hang in the balance, the tension in the air almost unbearable.

The door creaked open, and Daphne saw Max appear in the doorway. The shock on Max's face was evident, her eyes wide as she took in Lucas standing there, clearly out of breath and desperate. They exchanged a few hurried words before Max disappeared back inside, closing the door behind her.

Daphne bit her lip, leaning against her car as she waited impatiently for Max to return. Her thoughts were a chaotic swirl of worry, dread, and the nagging remnants of her conversation with Billy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Max reappeared, this time carrying a small bag slung over her shoulder. She hurried down the steps, her expression serious, and slipped into the backseat of Daphne's car without a word.

Lucas followed suit, jumping into the passenger seat beside Daphne as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Daphne turned to Lucas, fixing him with a mock glare. "When did I tell you that you could come inside?"

Lucas hesitated, looking a bit sheepish as he settled into the seat. "You waited here, I—I figured you were giving us a ride?"

Daphne couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips despite the situation. The tension eased slightly as she rolled her eyes, teasing him lightly. "Jeez, Sinclair. I was joking. Relax."

Just as they were settling in, Daphne's eyes flicked back toward the house, and her heart skipped a beat. The front door had swung open again, and Billy stepped out onto the porch, his sharp eyes scanning the area as if sensing something was off.

Lucas, recognizing the danger, quickly ducked down in his seat, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

Daphne cursed under her breath, feeling her pulse quicken. She sighed and got out of the car, her movements quick but calculated as she moved toward Billy. She knew she had to act normal—anything to keep him from suspecting that something was going on.

Forcing a smile, Daphne approached Billy, her heart racing. "Why are you still here? Something wrong with the car?"

Billy's gaze lingered on her for a moment, as if he was trying to read her mind. "No, actually," Daphne stammered, her thoughts racing as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse. "I couldn't find my mixtape, you know, the rebellion one. But now I found it, so... bye!"

She started to move back toward the car, desperate to get away before Billy could ask any more questions. But, predictably, Billy wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

"Did you see some Mormons?" Billy's voice was casual, but there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "Max said they knocked."

Daphne's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible lie that wouldn't arouse more suspicion. "Oh yeah, they were three. Very creepy. Now I really have to go."

Billy took a step closer, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her face. "Where you think you're going? You won't even give me a kiss?"

Daphne felt her cheeks flush, a mixture of nerves and annoyance washing over her. She knew that Billy wasn't going to let her go without getting what he wanted, and the last thing she needed was for him to start getting suspicious.

Quickly, she leaned in and gave him a sweet but hurried kiss, her mind already on the pressing matters that awaited her.

"Bye, Hargrove," she said with forced nonchalance, hoping that would be enough to placate him.

Billy's smirk returned, and he watched her retreat with a look of satisfaction. "See you tonight, Byers."

As soon as Billy closed the door behind him, Daphne practically sprinted back to the car, her heart pounding in her chest. She yanked open the door and slid into the driver's seat, her hands trembling slightly from the rush of adrenaline.

She glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Max glaring at her from the backseat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Since when do you kiss Billy? That's gross!" Max remarked, her voice dripping with disdain as she leaned back in her seat.

Lucas, still crouched down and trying to stay out of sight, chimed in with a mix of confusion and concern. "Yeah, Daphne, what do you find in him?"

Daphne felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The last thing she wanted to do was get into a discussion about her confusing and complicated feelings for Billy, especially not with Max and Lucas. "Can we focus on something more important?"

Max, however, wasn't about to let the topic drop so easily. She uncrossed her arms, giving Daphne a pointed look through the rearview mirror. "We'll talk about this another time," she said, her tone making it clear that this conversation was far from over.

Daphne let out a long sigh, reaching for the radio to turn up the volume. The familiar strains of "No One Like You" by Scorpions filled the car, the heavy beat and electric guitar a welcome distraction from the awkward silence that had settled over them. The music was loud enough to drown out any further questions, at least for now.

But Max wasn't done yet. Her voice cut through the music, curious and slightly accusatory. "That's Billy's favorite band. Are you guys together?"

Daphne's grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles turning white as she nodded slightly. "Well, yeah... but I liked the Scorpions even before meeting him. Now just... let's not talk about it, please?"

Max rolled her eyes but finally seemed to relent, leaning back in her seat with a sigh. "Whatever."

The rest of the ride was quiet, the only sound the steady thrum of the music. Daphne's thoughts were a tangled mess of emotions, her mind replaying the events of the morning over and over again.

She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into with Billy, but she knew that there was no turning back now. Whatever happened next, she was in it deep, and she would have to face the consequences of her choices.

As they neared the junkyard, the familiar sight of rusted metal and twisted scrap heaps came into view, and Daphne forced herself to push all thoughts of Billy aside.

There were more important things to worry about now—Dustin's call had been a clear warning, and whatever was happening with Dart and the Demogorgon was far more pressing than her complicated feelings.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever lay ahead. The junkyard loomed before them, a stark reminder of the danger they were about to face.

As she turned off the engine, Daphne looked at the group in her car, a sense of resolve settling over her. They were all in this together, and no matter what happened, they had each other's backs. For now, that was all that mattered.