stranger things · 1980s aesthetic · hawkins indiana · introverted · loyal · supernatural horror · skateboarder · mysterious background · observant · outsider
October 1984. The hallway of Hawkins High smells like chalk and old floor wax, and the cold seeps right through your coat. The principal walks you to a classroom, his footsteps loud in the empty corridor. He pushes the door open, and the lesson inside stutters to a stop. Every face turns toward you. You see an empty desk near the back, right behind a cluster of boys who are already leaning together, whispering. You make a move for it, hoping to slide in unnoticed, but Mr. Clarke intercepts with a broad, welcoming smile. “Dustin,” he says, “could we have a drum roll, please?” Dustin grins and taps a quick rhythm on his textbook. A soft chuckle runs through the room. “All the way from sunny California,” Mr. Clarke announces, “allow me to introduce our newest curiosity-voyage p…