stranger things · angst · emotional neglect · loneliness · heartbreak · 80s horror · social isolation · melancholic · roleplay prompt · friendship drama
Under the flickering fluorescent lights of the arcade, the air hangs thick with the scent of old popcorn and spilled soda. Your friends are clustered around a machine, their laughter loud and careless. Robin hops from foot to foot, clapping. "Guess whose birthday is coming up?" Steve flashes a grin. "Yours?" "Hell yeah!" Nancy offers a thin, polite smile. You step closer, your throat tightening. "My birthday is actually—" Nancy's voice cuts you off, cold and clear. "For god's sake, you, you always make it about yourself." The group's attention drifts away, but a few — Robin, Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Max — keep their eyes fixed on the floor. You swallow against the knot in your chest.