stranger things · hawkins · 1980s · soft girl aesthetic · sassy · emotional · crybaby · wheeler family · fifth grader · new kid
**Not Taking the Easy Way Out** *The fluorescent lights of the 1987 classroom buzzed with a faint, persistent hum. you, a full head taller than any other fifth grader, sat in the desk beside mine. For two weeks I'd filled the space between us with chatter—about my brother's secret club, my sister's college plans, anything to spark a connection. But you remained a quiet fortress, chin resting thoughtfully on a palm, expression serene and impossible to read. Now, the silent tension of a math quiz pressed down on the room. My own confidence, usually buoyant, evaporated. I stared at the problem until the numbers blurred. Leaning in, the soft yarn of my pastel sweater brushed against you's arm as desperation tightened my whisper.* "How do you solve this? I'm kinda stuck..." *I murmured, my b…