MY TEARS RICOCHET 𛲕 STRANGER THINGS

18. Film Critics

CHAPTER 18: Film Critics

If I pushed you to the edge but you were too polite to leave me
Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?
— Coney Island, Taylor Swift

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

25th December 1983, Harrington Home

IT WAS CHRISTMAS DAY, AND DAPHNE WAS SANDWICHED into the corner of Steve's armchair, her boyfriend taking up two-thirds of the seat all on his own. He was drinking eggnog and talking animatedly to his parents — good people, but noticeably hard on him. Daphne was smiling, trying to force herself to contribute to the conversation, but she felt like she was all out of words.

"Daph is the best cheerleader in Hawkins," Steve was saying, intertwining her hand in his. "And she's also a sick actress."

"We'll have to come and see one of your plays, Daphne," said Mrs Harrington, smiling warmly.

"Oh, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," replied Daphne, forcing a laugh. "Steve exaggerates. And the production quality isn't exactly Broadway standard. Steve told me you guys like to see shows there, sometimes."

"Oh yes — just last month we saw Phantom of the Opera," nodded Mr Harrington. "Fascinating stuff. Are you aspiring to be an actress after high school, Daphne?"

"Oh, no," said Daphne quickly. "I mean, I've never thought about acting professionally. It's just a hobby."

"So what are your plans for after high school?" asked Mrs Harrington. "Are you a science whiz like your father?"

Daphne laughed nervously. "I wouldn't say that. I'm not entirely sure what I want to major in at college yet."

"She likes English," Steve piped up. "She's really good at it. She reads all these classic books and writes poems and shit."

"Interesting," said Mr Harrington. "Maybe you'll be a good influence on Steve, then. Did you know he's failing three classes this semester?"

Daphne glanced up at Steve, who had gone pink. He was scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Daphne hadn't known that Steve was failing his classes — but then again, she'd never really asked. She knew she had been acting selfishly lately, whilst Steve had been nothing but supportive to her. She had been so focused on dealing with her own shit that she'd completely neglected her relationship. Just another thing that Daphne Davenport was bound to screw up.

"He's been working really hard," responded Daphne softly. "It's been a difficult year. We're going to study together this semester and hopefully get our grades up."

"Well you don't need to get your grades up," Mr Harrington pointed out. "Steve tells us you're a straight-A student."

Daphne blushed. It wasn't entirely true; ever since Fern, her grades had been slipping. Not for a lack of studying — in fact, she spent most of her time in the library these days. It helped to keep her mind off of things. But she could never bring herself to concentrate during pop quizzes or end-of-topic tests. She always found herself staring at Fern's empty seat and before she knew it, time was up.

Several of her teachers had spoken to her after class to see what was going on with her, but Daphne hated the pitying looks. She never wanted to use Fern as an excuse for not doing well in school. Soon enough, the teachers stopped making excuses for her and she was written off as just another high school burnout.