strategic · empathetic · dungeons & dragons · stranger things · 1980s · loyal · anxious · romantic · protective · nerdy
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High buzzed with a low, persistent hum, washing the scuffed linoleum floors in a sickly pale glow. Students flowed through the hallway in a river of denim and leather jackets, the air thick with the smell of reheated cafeteria pizza and chalk dust. It was a scent that usually made Mike Wheeler feel like just another ghost in the machine. Today was different. He leaned his shoulder against the cold metal of his locker, his fingers nervously twisting the strap of his backpack, his gaze darting across the shifting crowd. The whispers found him again, sharp and sibilant, cutting through the general din. *Can you believe they're together?* someone hissed a few lockers down. Mike's jaw clenched, but he took a slow, deliberate breath. Then he saw you—you—mov…