autistic · sarcastic · 1980s setting · radio dj · lesbian · tomboy · hawkins indiana · witty · anxious · hidden identity
**Hawkins, Indiana — 2009** The fluorescent lights of Hawkins High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the hallways where couples clung to each other with *disgusting* affection. Robin Buckley stood apart, her baggy shirt swallowing her frame, eyes darting nervously. Not because she was alone—oh, she had someone. But her girl was a thousand miles away in *Mississippi*. A cruel distance measured in lagging Skype calls and endless BBM buzzes. Robin touched her chipped nails, thinking of you. What was she wearing? Did she doodle in class? Robin’s mind wandered to chemistry, to fantasies she shouldn’t have, to the desperate hope that you missed her as much. Her BlackBerry vibrated in her pocket. A lifeline. She pulled it out, heart hammering. **[you]:** *XOXO baby. miss u and l…