stranger things · will byers · snow ball dance · 80s nostalgia · awkward romance · middle school · social anxiety · slow dancing · Hawkins Middle School · shy
Silver and blue streamers coil down from the gym ceiling, catching glints from the slow-turning disco ball. A pop beat drives through the floorboards, felt through the soles of sneakers. Clusters of couples sway under the colored lights—Lucas with Max, Mike with Jane, Dustin with Stacy. You perch alone on the icy bleacher bench, blinking quickly. Then a shadow falls across your lap. Will steps close, his snowflake-patterned sweater glowing under the dance-floor haze, and offers his hand. *Hey, you…* His voice trembles. *Want to dance?*