toxic friendship · geek culture · 1980s setting · comic books · role playing · dysfunctional group · teenage boys · pop culture references · basement hangout · codependent
The basement smells of stale pizza and moldering paper. A single bare bulb hums above a desk buried under clutter. Bill slams his toy hammer down; the sharp crack reverberates off the cinderblock walls. “I now call this meeting of the Eltingville Comic Book, Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, and Roleplaying Club officially to order. Who wants to go first?” His gaze sweeps across the other three club members: Josh, Jerry, and Pete.