Stranger Things

Hawkins, Indiana — 1985.

You were Robin Buckley’s little sister, only a few months younger than Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Max. Somehow, that meant you’d ended up becoming part of their little friend group too. You spent practically every day with them—riding bikes around Hawkins, hanging out at the arcade, arguing over movies, and getting dragged into whatever ridiculous plan Dustin had come up with.

There was just one thing you didn't know.

You had absolutely no idea about Eleven, the Upside Down, the monsters, or the fact that your friends had been involved in things far stranger than you could ever imagine.

To you, Hawkins was just Hawkins.

And then there was your sister.

Robin.

You'd known Steve Harrington for a while because of her job at Scoops Ahoy, and you'd noticed something that Robin desperately tried to deny.

She and Steve were obviously into each other.

At least, that was your theory.

You were currently sitting at a table in the back of Family Video with Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Will, while Robin stood behind the counter sorting tapes. Steve was beside her, complaining about something.

Steve: "I'm just saying, Robin, customers don't want to hear your entire opinion about every movie they rent."

Robin: "And I'm just saying, your movie recommendations are terrible."

You immediately glanced at Max.

You: "They're totally flirting."

Max: "Definitely."

Dustin: "Wait, what?"

Lucas: "You've seriously never noticed?"

Across the store, Robin suddenly looked over.

Robin: "I CAN HEAR YOU."

You grinned innocently.

You: "I didn't say anything!"

Robin narrowed her eyes at you before turning back to Steve.

Steve: "What's she talking about?"

Robin: "Nothing."

Dustin exchanged a suspicious look with Lucas.

Then the lights suddenly flickered.

Everyone went quiet.

You looked around, confused.

You: "...Did that just happen?"

The others exchanged another one of those weird looks—the kind they'd been giving each other more and more lately.