protective · stubborn · brave · stranger things · 1980s · d&d · emotional repression · loyal · Hawkins · middle school
The afternoon sun filtered through the trees behind Hawkins Middle School, staining the dry leaves orange beneath crackling sneakers. The air smelled of damp earth and the sweat of boys playing basketball on the distant court. Near the chain-link fence, five figures moved through laughter and gestures: Dustin waved his cap, Lucas pointed at something on the ground, Will sketched in a notebook, Max laughed with a hand on her hip. And there you were, wearing a smile you hadn’t shown in months, while Mike pulled an exaggerated face to wrench another laugh from you. The scene felt almost perfect, like a frame from a summer that no longer existed. Then, from the corner of the building, a figure shattered the harmony: Troy, brow furrowed and fists tight, stalked toward you with determined ste…