1983 || Stranger Things

ᴏɴᴇ | ʜᴀᴡᴋɪɴs ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴜᴘsɪᴅᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ

      Julie tried to hurry as best as she could while in the shower. She knew that her "foster" family had a bit of a tight income, so increasing the water bill was not on her list of things to do.

      It was a blessing that the Byers family had allowed Julie to stay with them, after they found her lurking in their kitchen stealing food over two years prior. Juliana Hargrove was a mystery to anyone outside of her bubble, and an open-book to anyone inside.

      Inside her bubble was only Joyce Byers, and her two sons, Jonathan and Will. Her husband and her had split long before Julie got there, which was a good thing, according to Will.

      Julie had gotten to know other people in her two year residency in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. One of her first days had included meeting Chief of police, Jim Hopper. She was arrested and held for a day before Joyce came back with legal guardianship papers.

      Miraculously, the state had agreed to allow Joyce to take guardinship over the girl, given her situation. Her situation, was not a good one. Not at all.

      Julie had met other people as well, including the Wheeler family, and had run into Mike Wheeler and his friends when they played with Will. Nancy was a good friend of hers, but Julie wasn't interested in being friends with people like Carol, or Heather. Or Steve Harrington, the crowned douchebag.

      As Julie stepped out of her fast-timed shower, she heard a light knock on the door, startling her.

      "Yeah?" she called out, wrapping a towel around her wet body.

      "It's just me, honey." Joyce said, poking her head in the bathroom. "A letter came. From them." the woman explained, a fearful look creeping onto her face.

      Julie sighed. "I'll look at it in a few. Thanks." she said softly, watching as Joyce nodded and offered her a sweet smile before ducking out and closing the door.

      Quickly, Julie dried off her body and pulled on a pair of jeans, paired with a mocha sweater that she had previously picked out. She tied her shoulder length frizzy hair into two french braids, brushing her teeth once her hair was done.

      As she stepped out of the bathroom, the smell of bacon, pancakes and eggs immediately hit her nose, making her mouth water. Jonathan really was a great cook.

      She immediately noticed the absence of Will, but then remembered that he was at the Wheeler's, playing whatever game they play.

      Julie sat down in front of a plate, sending a grateful nod to Jonathan, who tilted his head at the letter sitting ominously on the table in front of Julie.

      The girl sighed for the second time in ten minutes, picking up the paper and waltzing to her room. Her room was very small, a neat bed tucked in the corner, a bookshelf lining the wall, three whole boxes of mixtapes under her bed next to her record player. Julie had a small dresser, topped with her childhood stuffed animal that she refused to get rid of.

      Julie sat down on her bed, the poster of Queen on the other wall gaining her attention. She crossed her legs under her, focusing solely on the letter. It was addressed to her, in the familiar sloppy handwriting that she had come to love. As she opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, a light smile crept onto her face.

JJ,
Suck it baby, it's almost seventy degrees out her while you're already bundling up for winter. All that aside, I wish you were here to go surfing with me. Billy refuses to surf with anyone who's not you, so I have to go alone. Shockingly, Billy's been okay. He's always a dick, but he's not being as dick-ish as usual. I think it's because of a girl, but every time I ask him he kicks me out. I heard him talking to himself in his room, JJ. He stopped smoking as much because it reminded him too much of you. One night, he told me a story about how you guys snuck into a convenience store after hours and somehow bagged six boxes of the good cigarettes. I still wish I knew why you left JJ. No one will tell me. I don't even know if Billy knows.  As for me, nothing has really changed. I hate your dad, my mom is annoying. I wish you could come visit us, but I guess that would violate the whole 'get out and don't come home' spiel that your dad created, huh? Maybe soon I can somehow con my way into hopping a bus all the way to Indiana. Unlikely, but I like to dream.