Steve pulls away from the kiss, keeping his hands on my cheeks and he rests his forehead on mine. "I don't care?" Steve asks me, and I shake my head. "Liz, I am crazy about you. I always thought we were so close because I liked you so much as a friend." He lets out a soft laugh. "Let's be real, we were never really just friends."

The door creaks open and the four kids stand there, watching. Max looks shocked. Disappointed. I quickly move away from Steve and walk inside. "We didn't want you getting a cold," Dustin states, noticing he made a mistake.

Lucas looks at him, confused. "No, we wanted Steve to move that dead Demodog, it's creeping me out," he explains. Steve nods his head and yanks his sleeves up. He walks inside and heads towards the Demodog, grabbing a cloth on his way there.

He picks it up and turns to head out of the door. "Whoa, whoa, hey," Dustin calls out to Steve. "Where are you going?" Steve points out the front door, straining from carrying the creature. Dustin shakes his head and pulls everything out of the refrigerator, including the shelves. "All right, it should fit now."

"Is this really necessary?" Steve questions, looking at the fridge.

"Yes, it is, okay?" Dustin tells Steve, pointing to the creature. "This is a groundbreaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."

"All right, all right, all right," Steve gives in, walking towards the refrigerator. "But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?" Steve tries to put the creature in the fridge but struggles slightly. "Christ, help me out."

Dustin shrugs his shoulders at Steve. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Get the door, man," Steve instructs Dustin. "The door." He exhales sharply, beginning to close the door. "Ew!" Steve exclaims after touching the slimy skin of the creature. "Jesus! Ew! God!" He quickly shuffles out and the two slam the door shut before it falls about out again.

Mike begins pacing in the dining room, worried about everyone who's gone to close the gate. Lucas and Mike start bickering about their safety, Mike fearing the worst and Lucas assuring him that they'll be safe.

"Listen, dude," Steve begins, walking into the dining room. Dustin and I follow him into the room as I take a seat to sit down. "If a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it, okay?" Steve explains to Mike.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike shakes his head at Steve, clearly not taking a liking to him. "And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

"Right, so my point is..." Steve stammers, wiping his hands with a clean cloth from the table. He pauses for a moment and thinks about everything. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do."

I think for a moment as everyone stands in silence. "That's not entirely true," I speak up, everyone's attention on me. "I mean, these creatures-" I pause to turn to Dustin. "Demodogs- you said they have a hive mind, right?" Everyone stays silent. "Like when we were on the bus, they ran away. They were called away."

Lucas nods his head, rubbing his fingers on his chin. "So if we get their attention-"

"-maybe we can draw them from the lab," Max continues, adding everything together. Mike looks up instantly. "And clear a path to the gate," he adds on. A wave of pride washes over me - I have finally contributed something useful to the group.

"Yeah," Steve says, turning to face me. "And then we all die." Steve looks at me and shakes his head.

"I mean, that's one point of view," Dustin responds to Steve, patting me on the back. "I got you."

"No, that's not a point of view, man," Steve shakes his head at him. "That's a fact."

Mike pushes past us, walking towards one of the walls with the map strewn across it. "I've got it!" He exclaims. "This is where the chief dug his hole," he explains, pointing to a part of the map with a red cross through it. "This is our way into the tunnel. So..." He walks back into the dining room, pointing to a part of the map on the floor. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire-"

"Oh yeah?" Steve calls out, pointing in the air. "That's a no."

"The Mind Flayer would call away his army," Dustin responds to Mike, ignoring Steve's disapproval.

"They'd all come to stop us!" Lucas inputs, everything starting to make sense to them.

"Hey!" Steve calls out again. Mike ignores him and continues to talk. "We circle back to the exit-" Steve turns to me and shakes his head. "This is on you. Guys!"

"-by the time they realize we're gone-"

"-El would be at the gate."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Steve yells, clapping his hands at them to get their attention. They all turn around to look at Steve and he puts his hands on his hips. "This is not happening." Mike opens his mouth to protest. "No, no, no, no!" Steve raises his voice, striking fear in myself. "No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."

I exhale sharply, not agreeing with Steve. "I didn't make any promises, so if I have to, I'll drive them there myself, with our without your help," I tell Steve.

"No, Liz," he shakes his head, putting his foot down. "We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand that?"

"This isn't some stupid sports game!" Mike shouts again, getting irritated by Steve's sports references.

"I said, does everybody understand that?" Steve repeats, pointing to each of us in our faces. "I need a yes." Everyone falls in silence, which is soon broken by the revving of an engine.

Max dives to the window in a panic. "It's my brother," she panics. "He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us."

I walk over to Max and put my hand on her shoulder. "I won't let him hurt you," I shake my head at her. "Any of you," I add on, turning around to look at the rest of them, my eyes landing on Steve last. "Not a finger."

Steve nods his head and walks over to the front door. The car door closes and a few moments later he speaks up. "Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?" Billy asks, not seeing me hiding behind Steve. I place my hand on his back, lightly.

"Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants," Steve replies, sarcastically. Billy takes off his jacket, throwing it on the floor. Steve pushes me inside and closes the door, but leaves it open a crack. I peer out of the crack in the door to watch the two.

"What are you doing here, amigo?" Billy asks him, the pair walking over to one another.

"I could ask you the same thing," Steve responds, stopping a few feet away from him. "Amigo."

Billy puts his lit cigarette in his mouth and takes a drag from it. "Looking for my step-sister," he responds, exhaling the smoke. "A little birdie told me she was here."

"Huh," Steve replies, shrugging his shoulders. "That's weird, I don't know her," he lies to Billy.

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch?" Billy lists, trying to describe Max to Steve.

Steve continues to shake his head. "Doesn't ring a bell, sorry, buddy," he tells Billy, trying to get him to leave us alone.

Billy nods his head and takes another drag from his cigarette. "You know, I don't know, this..." he pauses, waving his hand in front of his face, trying to think. "This whole situation, Harrington, I don't know." He pauses again, looking Steve dead in the eyes. "It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

Steve doesn't reply for a few moments before cocking his head to the left, ever so slightly. "Oh, yeah?" He begins, playing with part of his sleeve for a second. "Why's that?"

Billy shrugs his shoulders, inhaling some more smoke. "My 13-year-old sister goes missing, all day," he begins. "And then I find her with you in a stranger's house. And you lie to me about it."

Steve chuckles, shaking his head at Billy. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what?" Steve jokes around with Billy, probably not at the best timing. "I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here."

Billy nods his head, taking yet another drag from his cigarette. "Then who is that?" He asks, pointing to the window in the living room. I turn to see all four kids sat on the couch, watching.

They all duck, frantically. "Shit!" Dustin curses, obviously feeling stupid for letting himself be seen so easily. "Do you think he saw us?" He questions, hoping to God he didn't.

Billy pushes Steve to the ground. "I told you to plant your feet," he tells him, disgraced by Steve lying on the floor. Billy kicks Steve in the crotch, sending Steve groaning in agony. Billy walks straight past him and heads to the door. I hide in the kitchen, hoping he doesn't see me.

"Well, well, well," I hear his voice enter the building. He slams the door behind him. "Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise," Billy says, taunting them with the tone in his voice. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy, go away," she almost doesn't manage to get out.

"You disobeyed me," he growls at her. "And you know what happens when you disobey me." I put my back against the fridge and push my head against it, looking up at the roof. "I break things." I hear a loud crash before seeing him walking in, pushing Lucas up against a wall. He doesn't see me. "Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will. You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?"

"Billy!" I scream at him, scared of seeing this extreme violent side to him. He shoots his head in my direction, shocked to see me. He lets go of him and knits his brows together.

"Liz?" He questions, confused. "What are you doing here?" He asks before the realization hits him. "Harrington," is all he replies. He begins walking up to me, angrily. "This is what you do when I'm not around? You spend all the rest of your time with him?!" He grabs my wrist tightly, close to breaking it.

"Billy!" I yelp out in pain. "Billy, get off me, that hurts!" I scream at him with tears filling my eyes. He pushes me against a wall and I screech in fear. I look in his eyes and I see a wave of anger I've never seen before. A fit of anger that's capable of terrible things.

"You come home with me," he orders. I shake my head, tears now streaming down my cheeks. "Liz! If you don't leave now, you're dead!"

"No!" Steve yells, rushing into the room, pushing Billy off me. "You are!" Steve pulls back his right arm, swinging his fist, landing a punch right on his nose. Billy stumbles back, nearly falling to the floor.

Steve grabs me and pulls me close to him. Billy stands up, laughing hysterically. He turns around and blood pours down from his nose. "Looks like you've got fire in you, after all, huh?" Billy continues to laugh, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everyone's been telling me so much about." His eyes land on me. "Everyone told me you were his Queen. I've got to admit, people told me you were a slut. Didn't believe it until now. I've got physical evidence, right here."

I begin to tremble and Steve stands in front of me. "Get out," he orders Billy, putting his arm between him and Billy. I step back a few steps and Billy takes a deep breath before throwing a punch at Steve. He ducks, Billy's fist swinging over his head. The two beginning fighting, beating one another to a pulp.

The four kids begin cheering on Steve, but I begin to get worried. These are the two people I care about most. I can't just sit back and watch. I step forward to intervene, but Mike pulls me back, shaking his head.

Billy picks up a plate, smashing it around the side of Steve's head. A scream escapes my lips as I watch him stumble backward. Billy takes this to his advantage and drags Steve into the living room. "No one steals my girl," he growls at Steve, pushing him to the floor. He pins him down, punching him repeatedly.

I rush over to the two, grabbing Billy. "Get off him!" I yell. "You're going to kill him!" I scream and tears still stream down my face. Billy pushes me down to the floor, making me hit my head on the coffee table in the middle. I fall down with a crack. My ears start ringing and everything goes bright. Lucas helps me sit up and I touch the back of my head to check if it is bleeding. Which, of course, it is.

My eyes land on Steve's bloodied face and I ignore the pain from the back of my head, standing up to try once more. "Billy, leave him alone, or I swear to God!" I sob, shaking in anger, fear, and pain. Max pushes me aside, stabbing a needle into Billy's neck. He grunts, finally leaving Steve alone.

He stands up to look at Max and he shakes his head. He pulls the syringe from his neck, wincing in pain. "The hell is this?" He questions, walking up to her. "You little shit, what did you do?" He begins to fall backward, so I quickly grab him arm, helping him to the floor.

I kneel by his head, moving a strand of hair out of his face. Tears still stream down my face, this time stinging almost as much as the blow at the back of my head. Billy starts laughing, still conscious. Max picks up Steve's bat and holds it over her shoulder. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone - including Elizabeth - do you understand?"

"Screw you," Billy replies. Max swings the bat down, landing right between his legs, extremely close to his crotch. "Say you understand!" Max shouts, pulling the bat up, threatening to swing it again. "Say it. Say it!"

"I understand," he mutters. With that, he passes out, his eyelids quickly fluttering shut. I turn to face Steve and gasp at the sight of his face. I shuffle over to him on my knees and examine the cuts on his face. He is too dazed to respond, unconscious, even. "Let's get out of here," Max speaks, holding up Billy's car keys.