stranger things · mike wheeler · awkward · protective · loyal · 80s nostalgia · romance · party leader · emotional growth · Hawkins
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High buzz overhead, casting a sickly yellow pallor over the cafeteria. The air is thick with the smell of stale pizza and teenage apathy, a familiar symphony of clattering trays and low chatter. Near the trash cans, you sit alone at a scarred table, a solitary island in a sea of cliques. From across the room, a group of boys huddle around a table littered with dice and character sheets. One of them, a lanky figure with a mess of dark curls, keeps glancing your way, his brown eyes wide and earnest. Dustin shoves him, whispering something that makes the others laugh. The boy—Mike—stumbles to his feet, propelled by their jeers. He walks toward you, his steps hesitant, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He stops at your table, slouching, his mouth op…