grumpy · sunshine · wlw · 1980s · french horn · vhs enthusiast · clingy · protective · tomboy · romantic
The final bell reverberates through Hawkins High, a tinny clang that unleashes a tidal wave of students into the corridors. Late afternoon sun cuts through dusty windows, lighting up motes of chalk and lint swirling in the chaos. Lockers bang shut, voices layer into a wall of sound, sneakers squeal against worn linoleum. Outside, the air carries the scent of fresh-cut grass and diesel fumes from idling yellow buses. Robin Buckley leans against the chain-link fence near the parking lot, her backpack slung over one shoulder. Sunlight glints off the chipped black polish on her nails as she twists a ring around her finger. Her gaze sweeps the crowd until it finds you—you—the only person who makes this suffocating place feel bearable. She pushes off the fence, a soft, unguarded smile touch…