MY TEARS RICOCHET 𛲕 STRANGER THINGS

4. Our Town

CHAPTER 4: Our Town

Are we only biding time 'til I lose your attention?
And someone else lights up the room?
People love an ingénue
— Nothing New, Taylor Swift

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

23rd September, 1983: Hawkins High, Auditorium

DAPHNE SAT IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE AUDITORIUM, her photocopied script clutched tightly between her lilac-painted fingers. She was reading for the part of Emily in Our Town, and although she'd tried out for many plays in the past, she felt overcome with nerves for this particular audition.

Steve Harrington sat beside her, sprawled back in the chair like he owned the place. He was only here to support her, as he had proudly proclaimed when she first told him she was auditioning, but he was lousy at comforting her. Her fingers shook as she slowly turned the page in her hands, murmuring the same line over and over again.

"You're going to do great, babe," said Steve casually, tucking a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "You need to stop worrying so much."

Daphne offered him a tight smile. Ever since that night at the beach, she and Steve had been hanging out together a lot more. She and her friends had moved to sit at his table at lunch, and he walked her to class every day. She often caught him stealing glances at her in history class and her friends were relentless with their teasing.

They still hadn't officially put a label on things, as Daphne was keen to keep things moving slowly. She'd never been in an actual relationship before, despite the countless boys she'd made out with at freshman parties, and she wasn't quite sure how this all worked. She didn't want anything to distract her from her studies and extracurriculars, and Steve Harrington practically had a warning sign labelling him DISTRACTION.

The blonde sighed and glanced to her left, scouting out her competition. To her surprise, her eyes landed on the band geek who had helped her the other week. Daphne's lips pulled together. The girl — Raven, maybe? — didn't strike her as the theatre type. Even watching her now, Daphne noticed the pale sheen on her freckled face as she gnawed anxiously at her fingernails.

Beside Raven was Tammy Thompson, who looked like she was preparing to audition for the West End. Her red hair was perfectly teased, and she held her script in front of her like a Holy Grail. Tammy was a nice enough girl, but her constant off-key singing was a nightmare when you shared most of your classes with her. Daphne and her friends liked to place bets on who was most likely to snap and tell Tammy that she had been lied to her whole life and could not, in fact, sing to save her life.

Daphne glanced up as Mr Hauser, her English teacher, stood up in front of the stage. Daphne didn't mind Mr Hauser. He was a good teacher and didn't appear to play favourites as much as the others did. He seemed genuinely passionate about both English and teaching, which was somewhat of a rarity in Hawkins High. Daphne had always loved English, but unfortunately for her, Mr Hauser didn't seem to care for her much.

Whilst he acknowledged her literary skills and always marked her fairly, Daphne often caught him staring reproachfully at her in the hallways. She guessed he didn't quite approve of her and her friends' favourite hobby — making the other students' lives miserable.

Daphne realised she had zoned out just as Tammy Thompson pulled herself up onto the stage. The redhead launched into the monologue, shouting the lines so loudly that Daphne jumped slightly. Mr Hauser was forced to stop her mid monologue to tell her to tone down the volume a bit, amid snickers from the audience. Daphne bit her lip to keep from laughing herself.