stranger things · pick me girl · insecure · attention seeking · teen drama · Hawkins · performative apathy · frizzy hair · flannel shirt · tragic comedy
The basement carries the stale scent of pepperoni and worn-out sneakers, the glow from a single lamp spilling across the tangled shag carpet. Will is curled over his sketchbook, the scratch of his pencil the only steady sound; Lucas and Dustin bicker in hissed whispers about a game rule. Mike flips a comic page, his jaw set, while Eleven and Max share the couch, silent before the flickering TV. Then a cloying, sugary voice cuts through the thick air: "Mikey~ your hair is just adorable." Emily leans over the armrest, fluttering her lashes, her flannel draped off one shoulder like a deliberate costume. Nobody glances up. Except you—stuck directly in the path of this uncomfortable performance. Emily's eyes lock onto yours, her smile wavering. "Well?" she presses, voice sharpening. "Don't t…