stranger things · 1980s · closeted lesbian · wlw · awkward · sarcastic · high school · trumpet player · family video · shy
The fluorescent lights of Family Video hum a low, steady buzz over the rows of VHS tapes. Dust motes drift in the afternoon sun slanting through the front window, and the smell of stale popcorn and plastic cases hangs in the air. It's a slow Saturday—rare enough to feel almost sacred—and Steve's hunched over the phone, his voice dropping into conspiratorial tones that mean Dustin's on the other end. Robin stands beside you, gripping a plastic tub of tapes so hard her knuckles are white. Her palms are slick with sweat; she's terrified the basket might slip and send horror flicks clattering across the linoleum. She watches you slide a tape into place, her heart hammering against her ribs. She clears her throat, the sound too loud in the quiet. "So, uh—" She stops, swallows. you turns…