#watched my history teacher loose his mind trying to get his work back bc his computer fried itself

[lagtrain]

what a day today was

[lanajvmeson]

emerges frm a field of corn slinking in w a faux mink shrug dangling around my elbows n a strand of wheat between my teeth..... farmer eleganza.... hlo! my name’s nai. i am bt a humble ghoul arrived to haunt ur home. 23 n she/her pronouns n i live in manchester. fun fact my friend’s neighbour used to b harry styles PE teacher. i played delilah yrs ago as carlson young (n even cara delevingne at one point what the fk) which feels so weird n ancient to me nw bt i missed her a lot so decided to spruce her bk to life.... ANYWAY delilah’s pinterest is here n i’ll jst leap right into things without further ado

(NICOLA PELTZ, CIS-FEMALE) - Have you seen DELILAH ASTOR? LILAH is in HER JUNIOR year. The POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR is 21 years old & is a CAPRICORN. People say SHE is BEGUILING, BLUNT, CUNNING and APATHETIC. Rumors say they’re a member of CALLOWAY. I heard from the gossip blog that SHE WAS IN A REHABILITATION CENTRE IN SWITZERLAND INSTEAD OF DOING CHARITY WORK LIKE HER SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIMED.  (NAI. 23. GMT. SHE/HER.) 

HISTORY

their family is kind of modelled off the sedgwick family like old money n pretty dysfunctional bt all abt keeping up a seamless facade of perfection... with a pinch of the kennedy’s in there. her dad’s high up in politics n his dad before tht ws in politics n it’s just a long prestigious line of clones in expensive suits as far as delilah’s concerned. her dad i picture as like.... nate archibald’s grandfather in gossip girl.... personality wise.

for as long as she cn remember she’s found this cookie cutter white picket fence life boring. stifling. to delilah it’s like being hemmed in a stuffy room n forbidden frm opening a window. it’s all vry Rich People Problems i wnt lie bt <3 she feels everlastingly bored. All The Time. plus her family hs always been a focal point fr tabloids etc which doesn’t help this feeling of not rly Living but just being the focus of a spectator sport. they’re lowkey a bit of a household name so they get a bunch of scrutiny n......... well. new bullet point alert! cue a powerpoint transition

(self harm & depression tw) frm being young delilah always knew there ws sort of. a white noise inside her where everyone else saw a technicolour movie screen. it rly hit her at like 12 i’d say as she was jst coasting towards adolescence. it ws pretty obvious frm her behaviour i’d say bt her parents only became Aware it ws a problem when she stuck a fork into a socket n short circuited the power in the house. she got shocked unconscious n when she woke up she told the in house dr they’d called (to keep it under wraps frm outsiders) tht she just.... couldn’t feel anything. she’d been reading frankenstein (she’s always liked gothic literature) n thought it’d zap her to life like the monster

her parents got her on medication n figured that wld fix everything. they didn’t like to talk abt things and that was that. it wasn’t to be mentioned again

delilah’s parents r just very.... sterile. family is abt appearances. they’ll be all smiles n flowing conversation when ppl are around bt it feels like being an actress n reading frm a script. being a toy in a dollhouse

she had two siblings: an older sister named clara & a younger brother named elijah. clara ws always like.... the Dream daughter. did everything right. amazing grades. america’s sweetheart. LOVED by the press. did sm charity work. elijah was fine/kind of a slacker compared bt coasted by on athletic prowess (captain of the rowing team). delilah hs very much always been the anomaly in this idyllic line-up. middle child effect! altho having said tht she’s always ran w the popular crowd of her age group bc Rich + Pretty = Status. it’s all quite superficial n delilah’s attitude on the matter can b summed up w this photoset. having said tht there was Some merit in constantly being paraded around as “such a pretty thing” bc a few modelling agencies attempted to scout her bt delilah found that boring. she wants to b called brilliant not beautiful. her mother called this her “not playing to the advantages that god gave her”. with a tight-lipped smile and a “god forbid i use my brain”, delilah only disappointed her further <3

(drugs & ed tw) delilah gt pretty heavy into partying fr the sake of trying to Feel something. intense on the drugs front (coke n prescription pills). rarely eating. she got a silver broach of a swan tht she pins to most of her clothes n u can unscrew the swan’s neck n pull it out to reveal a little powder spoon. still wears this today. clara n delilah were always super close n clara wld cover fr her a bunch. making up lies n jst having her back to their parents if they ever asked where she was / she ws in trouble n needed to keep it under wraps. when delilah hd an article in a tabloid pretty mch like this one clara talked their parents dwn frm sending her to a rehabilitation centre in switzerland. they gt it pretty much scorched frm existence bt delilah kept a clipping bc honestly she thought it was funny hw pale her mother went abt it

(car accident & drunk driving & death tw) at a fancy benefit the astors were all attending among 4857925974 uppity families delilah wound up heading off w some of the rich kids n one thing lead to another n a couple of them gt arrested fr a coke scandal. delilah used her phone call to contact clara n fr once clara hd let loose a little n hd something to drink bt still drove to the station to bail delilah out n try n fix her mess bt.... skipped a red light n crashed. she died upon impact.

(hospitalisation & drugs & addiction tw) this made delilah spiral massively obviously.... she clung on by the skin of her teeth fr a while bt she rly was just getting quite out of control doing an extremely excessive amt of coke to get by at this point so her parents actually did.... end up shipping her off to switzerland for rehabilitation. they didn’t tell anyone this tho n as far as ppl were/are aware she was doing charity work with habitat for humanity in trinidad. her parents literally........... hired ppl to take photos of things there n a social media team posted them to her instagram account jst. the most elaborate lie.... it’s a lot.

delilah jst pretty much went along w whatever they said at the facility bt didn’t absorb any of it too much.... she did get sober there bt it was vry much bc she had no other choice rather than a want to......... she even pretended to “find god” while she ws there n memorised bible lines to recite w a coolly detached smile. in her head she ws probably thinking abt hw her mandated therapist cld gladly eat shit and she’d be happy to watch. it was just like.... everyone there was RLY hideously overpaid bt did they actually Care abt their work or patients? debatable. wasn’t the most healing experience thru delilah’s eyes bt... maybe it’d work better if she’d actually opened her mind to it bt anyway...... <3 cornelius fudge voice: she’s back. the dark lord.....

PERSONALITY:

nw tht her history is out of the way i’ll leap like a flea off a shaggy dog’s back into personality! aesthetically she almost ALWAYS wears white/cream. reminds me of the woman in white frm sharp objects. rarely she’ll dabble in silver or gold or like..... vry pale green bt.... always muted tones. usually white or cream. big white sunhats. white sunglasses. white pussybow blouses w a little white skirt n a pearl barrette in her hair. she even smokes white sobranie cigs tht r imports like it’s a lot she’s truly committed to the aesthetic.... paired w like. classic patent mary janes.... she tends to flutter around the place like a silk moth. likes lace too. hs a very put together image n even demeanour like she’s very lithe n graceful n drifts like a ghost which kind of contrasts w... who she is at her core bt in the astor family it’s all abt appearances <3 the only deviation from this is she sometimes wears dark blue mascara once in a blue moon n if ppl comment on this she’s like. idk what ur talking abt? glides away like a ghost in a haunted mansion n is never seen again.

very perceptive. incredibly observant. yrs of early life media training n being born frm politicians means she’s an excellent liar. she knows ppl n knows what makes them tick bt she’ll only use this when necessary. she isn’t a terrible person bt she knows how to b Very mean n will equip this as a weapon shd a situation call fr it. also more prone to lashing out since her sister......... she hs sometimes played chess games socially fr kicks

dark n biting sense of humour. rather frank abt things. VERY ruthless when scorned bt she isn’t particularly?? emotive abt it??? her bf cheated on her once n when he told her she slapped him rly hard in front of sm ppl he knew n then jst walked away. blocked him on literally everything. removed him frm the face of the earth as far as she ws concerned. had him blacklisted frm every event n told ppl they’d be cut too if they continued to associate w him. goodbye sir <3 u are the weakest link <3 needless to say he regretted it <3

very loyal to u until she isn’t. finds it very easy to cut ties if need be. once her trust is broken it is gooooone baby goone.... the trust is Gone. selective in who she cares abt

vry cavalier abt sex. she doesn’t sleep around hugely i dnt think??? bt when she does it isn’t often tht emotionally invested she’ll jst out of the blue very nonchalantly blow out a wisp of smoke n b like. so u want to fuck me then? cool. proceeds to get up as if she’s walking to leave n then looks bk n is like what do ur legs not work? follow me. n leads them somewhere

nothing rly.... moves her particularly. she isn’t very animated. it’s like she jst finds the entire world thoroughly unimpressive. it’s difficult to stimulate excitement from her. it’s like that hugh laurie quote where he realised he had depression bc “boredom is not an appropriate response to exploding cars”.

has a pet swan bk at home she’s named lilith inspired by satan’s offspring. lilith bites ppl if they get close n is honestly an abomination of a bird. delilah finds her funny n throws her bits of croissants sometimes bt even she isn’t immune to her pecks. in some ways they’re similar...... hv a graceful surface appearance / aesthetic bt a darker attitude beneath the surface

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

exes: the ex bf tht cheated on her n she got blacklisted from 94872347 social events cld be a fun thing to explore..... delilah wld be EXTREMELY cold towards him n honestly want him dead. wouldn’t show any shred of caring abt him at all she’s very gd at stoning her emotions n keeping them inside. hasn’t cried since her sister died as an example of how..... withdrawn she is from confessing her innermost thoughts n desires. maybe an ex bf before tht that she rly didn’t take seriously at all..... typically she just isn’t interested/invested in romance she’s vry apathetic abt it all

party friends: those tht run in similar rich kid circles tht she would have smuggled off with at fancy events so they could let loose.......... ppl tht r completely her opposite who she finds interesting bc they represent everything she always wanted outside the oppression of her strict regiment family....... mutual bad influences tht are heavy into drugs n always enable each other...... u name it!

hook-ups: she doesn’t have a HUGE amt of these bt.... maybe a select handful.... some she wld have hooked up w once n never again n just been like >_> if they implied they shd as if it was preposterous n she was thoroughly over it.... some maybe she’d find interesting enough to extend beyond tht...... none she’d invest in if she cld help it altho? maybe someone as an exception to tht rule cld be fun

friends of her sister: (death tw) clara was universally well liked for being rly sweet n well intentioned n she attended yates only two yrs delilah’s senior so she might have some connections here still somehow??? cld be angsty to work with

i won’t lie i’m rly hungry as i write up these wcs so my brain’s going blank n i’m gna have to sprint to get some toast bt <3 roommates, enemies, competitive friendships, resentments, angst, chaos, drama, strife, u name it n i am dwn!!!! hits post n takes off galloping dwnstairs

[leggomylino]

Hi hi~ I was tagged by @love-and-live-for-skz <3 Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people (I’ll be tagging mutuals and random followers after when and if I run out lol)

1. Nickname: I have a handful: Celi, Cece, Ce, Cecily, Spaghetti, Sunshine, Sunny, Sun, Fairy Queen, Panda Queen, White Queen (from Alice in Wonderland; one girl in high school used to call me Genevieve bc she could never remember my name and she was like “you’re so innocent and nice and look like her”), Angel, Mom...that’s all I can think of off the top of my head. 

2. Zodiac sign: Aries! 

3. Height: I’m about 5′2 1/2 to 5′3 if I stand as straight and tall as I can 😂 that’s roughly 160 cm--

4. Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff!! x3

5. Last thing googled: Messletters emojis I could use for this post since I’m on my laptop teehee 💕

6. Favorite artists: I HAVE SO MANY: Adib Sin, BTS, Chung Ha, Golden Child, Lindsey Stirling, Mayday Parade, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, Of Monsters and Men, Okdal, Owl City, Paramore, Priscilla Ahn, Ruth B., State Champs, Stray Kids, Tauren Wells, Tori Kelly, Twenty One Pilots, and Waterparks

7. Song stuck in you head: Questions by Stray Kids 🎶 (every time Felix goes “What the...?” I giggle oops)

8. Favorite time of day: I’d have to say evening, between 9 and 12 am. I close my curtains and turn on my salt lamp and watch YT with a cup of tea, or read a book. It’s very relaxing and the world just seems...still and peaceful. 🕊

9. Favorite Color: Pastels and soft, earthy, natural tones 🌼��

10. Following: 68

11. Followers: 151 ✨ I’m really grateful and I love all of you guys! 😭❤️

12. Do I get asks: Not often, I’m hoping more of y’all will come to me for anything, even if it’s just to start a meme war or tell me about your day, what’s on your mind, etc. 🌸

13. Amount of sleep: I’m a night owl but I also sleep late so...I usually get around 8 to 12 hours. It still ain’t enough tho lol 🤷

14. Favorite number: 3 -> 7 -> 24 -> 97 (all b-day related numbers 😅)

15. Why is there no number fifteen: Umm I didn’t get this question at first but once I did the answer must be that it is either Han Jisung or Haechan’s fault 🤷☕️

16. Dream job: Either to be a writer/editor for a novel publishing company or to work on a script with a small group of people for a video game company like Square Enix or Game Freak

17. Instruments: Okay so I tried playing the clarinet in junior high for a year, but my band teacher and I didn’t get along, so I quit to continue pursuing choir which was my musical strong suit. I bought myself a violin bc I’d always wanted to learn how to play since I was a little girl?? But I can barely screech out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and that’s it oops. I’d also wanted to learn how to play guitar and piano but those ambitions also died out ^^” I can kind of punch out small basic melodies on the piano/keyboard after finding the notes and that’s all sadly. But I have experience reading sheet music from six years of choir so...I guess bottom line I’d have to say my voice? But I’m not a professional or anything lmao 

18. Language: English primarily...I know some American Sign Language from high school and a semester of college but I’m not fluent because I rarely get a chance to use it. So I can hold a basic conversation or maybe describe something and that’s it. I’m currently trying to learn Korean because I find the culture and history very interesting, and I’d like to visit someday c: I’m doing okay for studying on my own but it would definitely help if I had people to practice with, so if anyone here knows Korean or is learning as well, hmu and we can study together! 🤗🌟

19. Favorite songs: Oof this is a tough one...I’ll try narrowing it down to a few tho: Last Call by Adib Sin, Awake by BTS, DamDaDi by Golcha, With Me by Golcha, Crush by Golcha, Narrow by Mayday Parade, Paper Plane by NCT 127, almost everything by NCT DREAM, Sloom by OMAM, Honey and the Bee by Owl City, Back Home by Owl City & Jake Owen, almost every song Paramore has ever done bc I can’t choose I just adore Hayley Williams, Dandelions by Ruth B., Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow, Mixtapes # 1-3 by Stray Kids, Awkward Silence by Stray Kids, Known by Tauren Wells, Tear In My Heart by TOP, Holding On To You by TOP, Stupid for You by Waterparks, Royal by Waterparks, We Need to Talk by Waterparks

20. A random fact: Umm I’m super clumsy and gravitate into everything, yet other times I have the skills of a ninja?? I’m a paradox smh 

21. Aesthetic: One of my closest friends Kumi describes it as “soft anime uwu girl” -> pastels, soft earth tones, warm spearmint tea or hot chocolate, a library of books and romcom novels, Shakespearean plays, plushies, long loose/baggy sweaters and hoodies, leggings, sometimes overalls and turtlenecks, ballet flats or slip on shoes, converse, low pigtails, maybe the occasional bun, or braids, chill acoustics and downtempo r&b, walks on the beach or in the park, daydreaming, rpg games, card games, nerd culture, cute semi-girly gag manga (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is my FAV lol), fanfiction, butterfly knife tricks, being a meme 24/7, shopping, baking, dancing in the kitchen (and probably hurting myself), insisting I’m fine and then crying about it for about five minutes, getting over it and flaming myself, hmm...that’s all I can think of at the moment 💖

I Tag: @kumihoai // @kpoptrashx2 // @straykidstea // @jisungx2 // @mingiholic // @daydream-jwoo // @jisungverse // @joully // @viptrash // @adorableyoonoh // @wonwowzers // @hanniesunshine // @strayneoculturekids // @doux-joon // @anothershorthuman // @boxer-skz // @bangtan-gal // @thevampywarlock // @kpophuntress1723 // @xxsanshinexx // @127-mile

[still-g00denough]

Close the Door

You bet your ass I wrote a fic about Hopper catching Mike and El kissing.

Mike x Eleven

2026 Words

It’s just a lot of fluff bc they are fluffy love muffins ft. Dad™ Hopper

September 5th, 1985

The bell thundered down the hallway as they stepped thru the double doors. “Just be normal. Like we practice,” Mike said to her. “You’re gonna do fine.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

As the group of six walked into their first class they immediately took their regular, upfront and center, seats. Eleven sat timidly in the desk next to Mike. Dustin dropped his bag carelessly on the other desk next to Eleven. “Hey El,” he whispered, “you ready?”

She laid her new notebook on her desk carefully, lining her sharpened pencil next to it parallel. “Ready,” she said, looking at Dustin with a genuine smile. She had been doing that alot the last few months, smiling. Mike said she looked beautiful when she smiled, so she smiled a lot around him, just to here him say it to her again.

It was calm now. After the Snow Ball they had gone back to their normal lives. El lived with Hopper still, she could walk outside now and go to Will’s house where Mrs. Byers would watch the kids with a careful eye. The summer flew by them. They went swimming, watched movies, played D&D; it was everything they wanted from a 3 month summer break. It was even better with El and Max with them.

“Jane Hopper.” The teacher looked at the classroom of fidgeting teenagers, looking for the girl called Jane.

“Say here,” Mike whispered to her.

El took a shaky breath and followed his advice, “Here.”

“Hopper,” said the teacher, “Any relation with Chief Hopper?” she asked.

They had been over her cover a hundred times before today. She repeated the monologue in her head until it became a mantra. I’m Jane Hopper. I’m 14 years old. I’m from Florida. Chief Hopper is my Uncle. I’m living with him while my parents travel. It was simple enough. Most people wouldn’t ask questions after the first week. At least, that’s what Mike had said.

“What was that?” the teacher asked her.

“Oh, um, yes. He is my uncle,” she said just loud enough for her to hear.

The teacher looked at her kindly, “Well that’s nice. Welcome to Hawkins, you’ll love it here.”

They day went on like that. The group would shuffle class to class, their schedules arranged so they were together all day, at the request of the Police Chief. Teachers would call roll, notice the name “Jane Hopper”, ask a quick question, then move on. She got better at responding by the last class. Her voice loud enough that the teachers didn’t have to lean in anymore.

Eleven decided that she liked school. She was interested in class. Her friends were with her. And Mike was always close. She liked that Mike was close. He made her feel safe outside.

Mike always made her feel safe. He helped her learn how to read and do math. He taught her the history and science lessons she would be expected to know as an 8th grader. It was a lot of information to take in, but Mike helped her. So did Lucas, and Dustin, and Will, and Max. They all helped her learn.

Over the summer she decided that she liked Max. She refused to acknowledge her at first, but since she and Lucas started to date, Eleven started to like Max more. Max taught her things that the boys couldn’t. Like how to do makeup and ride a skateboard. They would go shopping with the party but always ended up together in a dress store corner. Eleven loved the boys, but her time with Mrs. Byers and Max, what she later learned to call Girl Time, was also fun.

February 23rd, 1986

A 3 page essay on a book of their choosing. Great.

Mike and El (yes, Mike still called her El) had fallen into a happy cycle of events. On Thursdays they would go to the small shed that Chief Hopper cleaned up for El. It took months of trust building and hours of negotiating on El’s part to get Hopper to leave them alone. There was two rules. That they actually do something productive and that they tell him when they were there. It wasn’t until El had promised not to stay at the small cabin past dark that Hopper finally said yes.

So they sat on the bed in the small cabin with their small mound of snacks piled near the pillows. They both had small books with them, along with 3 pieces of paper and a pencil. Their plan was to start their books and write at least half a page. The essay wasn’t due for two weeks. Just a little work everyday would get it done in no time.

But their plans normally didn’t work out so well. At least the ones where they did homework. They would get caught up in movies or tv shows, listening to music, making waffles. And when hey actually did get to opening their books it just became more of a challenge. Mike knew that El was doing a really good job at learning and trying to keep up with everyone academically, but she was still behind. She would get confused when the numbers got too big in math, or wouldn’t know what a word meant in a book. Mike didn’t mind helping her, plus he got to tease her for it sometimes. Like the time she didn’t know what secret stash of magazines she found in the basement meant. Mike had a hard time explaining that, but it was just funny to them now.

So they opened their books, ready to get something done. Mike read silently, the only sound was the pages turning rhythmically every minute or so. El stared at the words, she found that skipping over words she didn’t know was easier than asking Mike what they meant all the time.

Mike began writing a few sentences on his lined paper, his scribbled writing just straight enough to be legible. He looked at El, who was blankly staring at the pages.

“Need some help?” he asked, the first noise she heard in nearly 20 minutes.

She looked up at him then to his pile of work. He was nearly a quarter page in, his words bouncing from one to another. “I’m fine,” she insisted.

“Are you sure, you know I don’t mind helping you understand,” Mike told her.

El stacked her book and papers together and moved them to the table. “Music,” she said.

Mike had gotten used to these one word gestures now. When she talked like that it normally sounded like cold demands. But Mike knew better. It was just her normal way of speaking when they were alone. When she was in larger groups he could see the way she thought about every word that she spoke. So when they were alone, she reverted back to her simple vocabulary. She spoke quietly but with emotion.

Mike got up and walked to the record player in the other room. El followed him and watched as he fingered thru the vinyls until stopping on the one he knew she liked. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police. Mike began playing the song, just like he’s done a hundred times. He slid toward her in short zig-zag steps along with the beat. El laughed, they had done this a hundred times.

He would walk up to her.

“Do you wanna dance?” he asked with a grin.

“I don’t know how,” she responded, holding in a laugh.

“We can figure it out,” he said as he took her hand.

“Together” they said in unison, just like they did every time.

They danced across the room, the music echoing thru the small rooms. It was a dance they’ve done before. It always started in the main room, where they danced around the sofa and table. Their hands locked together as they swayed thru the room to the music. The beat kept them moving together, until they would end back to the bed, just like always.

They laughed as they dramatically danced in the room. Mike bouncing on the bed and Eleven climbing up to join him as the chorus started. Mike belched the chorus out, making El laugh as she watched him make a fool of himself for her. As the song wound down and the echos quieted to nothing they both sat on the end of the bed and laughed.

Mike loved they way El laughed. She had learned how to laugh with him. It was a gift he gave to her. And she gave that gift back every time that precious sound escaped.

El was still in a fit of giggles, only glaring at Mike in between her fits. He glanced at her in that way that made her stop everything.

They had matured a lot in the past months. Holding hands was easy, hugs were even easier. They were just like any other young couple. Awkward in a way that made moms squeal saying how cute they were together.

But kissing. That was something they were still figuring out. They didn’t do it often. Only when they were in that moment together. And every kiss was different, but the same. It was a peck followed by a smile and happy silence. Sometimes they would kiss twice, but that’s only happened a few times.

Mike made the first move, just like he always did. Their heads tilted and lips meet and departed within seconds. Mike’s hand was on top of El’s, their fingers curling towards each other. Mike looked at El her face held the smallest grin that expressed the happiest feeling. Suddenly El was leaning in again. El never led. It was always Mike who kissed her, not the other way around. But their lips meet again and they stayed together just a little longer than the last time.

“Wow.” Mike’s cheeks had flushed red but he wasn’t embarrassed, not with her.

“Wow,” El agreed.

El leaned in again, and this time Mike was ready. He moved his lips and El did the same. It was still a children’s kiss. Still innocent, still naive. But it was more to the two of them. It was the start to something just a bit less innocent.

Mike was leaning in again, high off this new type of kiss. His lips brushed her again and they moved just a little more. His hand held her hip and her hands were loosely around his neck, as if they were still dancing.

“Hey kiddo, I was wondering if you and Mike wanted to…” Chief of Police, Jim Hopper stood in the doorway. He was obviously upset, but not angry. No, he wasn’t angry. It was more of an embarrassed, shocked look.

Mike jumped back, going into the air as he tried to move away from El as fast as he could. “Hi Chief, we were just…” Mike wasn’t able to finish his sentence. The door slammed shut on Hopper.

“Hey! Kid! Let me in, now!” Hopper yelled from outside.

There was an audible click as the lock closed him out. Mike looked at Eleven, there was just the tiniest drop of blood under her left nostril.

“Nope. This is not okay! Jane, you let me in now! Right now,” Hopper demanded.

Mike still sat on the bed, horrified that they had just been walked in on by the Chief of Police and El’s dad. Mike was already preparing for the following weeks of being stared down and supervised by a man double his size.

“No,” El said. Loud enough for Hopper to hear. “Not dark yet. Still time,” she continued.

Hopper, knowing he was never going to win this fight, laughed. “Fine. Mike?”

Mike squealed at his name, “Yes sir?”

“You better be a gentleman, you hear?” The poor boy couldn’t see, but the officer had the biggest grin over his face.

“Yes sir… absolutely,” Mike said, his voice cracking.

“Hey kid?” he said, his tone dropping to a kind gentleness. There was a long pause. Hopper took it as an approval to speak. “Just close the door next time, alright?”