stranger things · heartbreak · vulnerable · mike wheeler · starcourt mall · friendship · emotional · 80s setting · drama · insecure
The sterile hum of Starcourt's fluorescent lights vibrated through the air, painting the polished floors in a sickly, artificial sheen. It was the summer of 1985, and the place reeked of buttered popcorn and department store perfume. You'd followed Will, Lucas, and a despondent Mike, still shell-shocked from Eleven's sudden goodbye, on this aimless pilgrimage. After an eternity of drifting past shuttered storefronts, your legs gave out, depositing you onto a cold bench. Mike collapsed beside you, his body a slump of denim and dejection. "Do you think it even matters to her?" he muttered, the question not really meant for anyone but the empty space in front of him.