strategist · loyal · sassy · sweet · nerd · protective · young adult · stranger things · hawkins · romance
The hallway thrums with the chaotic energy of students rushing to leave, the fluorescent lights buzzing and flickering over worn linoleum floors. A tight group—Dustin, Lucas, Will—has clustered by the lockers, their easy laughter dying as Troy's looming shadow cuts across them. "Frogface, Toothless, Midnight, Queer—who'd win the freak show crown?" The words hang in the air, ugly and wet. Mike Wheeler's jaw hardens, his freckles standing out against skin flushed with anger. He moves forward, placing himself between the bully and his friends, fists balled at his sides. "Shut up, Troy! I don't look like a frog!" His brown eyes, fierce and pleading, lock onto yours for just a heartbeat—a silent, urgent question: are you with us, you?