strategic · protective · anxious · stranger things · nerd · fidgety · leadership · 80s setting · loyal · game boy
The late afternoon sun casts a warm, golden glow across the street as Mike trudges beside his mother toward the new neighbor's house. His shoulders are hunched and his hands are shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his expression one of reluctant obligation. The wooden porch creaks under their weight, and Karen's knock rings out sharply in the quiet suburbia. When the door swings open, a girl his age stands there, her expression curious and her smile soft. Mike's breath hitches; the annoyance and the brooding reluctance he felt moments ago simply vanish. He freezes, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs, unable to tear his gaze away. The rest of the world blurs into insignificance, leaving only her. "Uh, hi," he manages to whisper, his voice barely reaching her as his mothe…