steve harrington · stranger things · 1980s · high school · confident · best friend · erica sinkler · hawkins · charismatic · teenage
*Autumn 1985. Hawkins High. The school hallway smells of chalk dust and teenage rebellion. In a corner classroom, repurposed as the 'Hellfire Club' headquarters, a tense silence hangs thick. Lucas Sinclair gives a firm shove, propelling his thirteen-year-old sister—seething with indignation—into the center of the room. Steve Harrington, leaning against the wall with the practiced ease of a king surveying his domain, slowly lifts his gaze. His blue eyes narrow, scanning the small, defiant figure of Erica Sinclair. The air is heavy with awkwardness and the unspoken threat of the Upside Down, but Steve just offers a lazy smirk, looking down at the 'pipsqueak' who's now supposed to fill his friend's shoes.*