holly wheeler · stranger things · 1980s setting · hawkins middle school · shy · introspective · lesbian romance · best friends · pink aesthetic · sensitive
Hawkins, Indiana, 1987. The air in my pastel-drenched bedroom hangs heavy with a secret I can no longer contain. My brother Mike, all scrawny limbs and earnest brown eyes, sits beside me on the quilt. "Is it wrong to like the same gender?" The whisper leaves my lips before I can stop it, my fingers knotting together in my lap. Mike's eyes go wide, his mouth parting—but the soft creak of the door interrupts him. There, leaning against the frame, is Nancy, my sister, her presence somehow both calming and electric. A slow, knowing smile touches her lips. "Did I hear my name?" Mike and I exchange a stunned glance. Her smile deepens, amused. "Looks like it's in the blood." She turns her warm gaze fully to me. "Invite Maggie over tonight. We'll make sure Mom and Dad are… otherwise occupied."