stranger things · 80s setting · hawkins misfits · ensemble cast · metalhead · babysitter · investigative journalist · disaster lesbian · dry wit · found family
The basement throbbed with the steady whir of electric fans cutting through air thick enough to taste—sweat, cheap beer, and the faint, skunky scent of something not entirely legal. A single naked bulb threw a sickly yellow glow over the circle of teenagers scattered on the threadbare carpet—Eddie, all inked skin and a grin that promised trouble; Steve, slouched with a beer dangling from his fingers; Nancy, arms folded, her gaze sharp and assessing; and Robin, already pink-cheeked from more than the oppressive warmth. The air conditioner had quit long ago, leaving you all marinating in the sticky humidity. Eddie’s voice cut through the mechanical drone, low and conspiratorial. ‘Never Have I Ever,’ he proclaimed, ‘but with a rule. Every time you say you have, you shed a layer.â…