in 1983, will byers goes missing. the town is at a frenzy wondering where the sweet boy has gone. everyone was searching for him.
but still, when will's friends - mike, lucas, and dustin - find out that caroline harrington was among those people, th...
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dinner in the harrington household was often a silent affair. it was, after all, the only meal they shared together. for breakfast caroline and steve would just grab a piece of toast from the counter, mr. harrington probably just eats in the hospital while mrs. harrington didn't eat at all. the two kids would be at school for lunch and mr. harrington would eat in the hospital and, again, mrs. harrington didn't eat.
derek harrington, the patriarch of the family, was a doctor, a neurosurgeon. he was rarely at home. either he loves his job, or his mistress. out of his two children, it was caroline he favored. it wasn't because she was the light of his life, it was just because he hated steve.
addison harrington, however, was a stay-at-home wife. she's never lifted a finger her entire life, even as a wife in the 80's. the maids in her house were brought to the harrington household when the two influential people got married. she, unlike her husband, adored steve and despised caroline.
it was ironic, really. steve stole most of his features from derek, who hated him, and caroline stole most of her features from addison, who hated her.
"so, i heard from your adviser you might be valedictorian this year?" addison said as she bit a piece of her steak. what happened to quiet dinners? caroline thought as she kept her head low after nodding.
despite being only a family of four and rarely having guests over at their house, they had a long rectangular table fit for a banquet. addison and derek ate at each end of the table while their children were on opposite ends.
"that's excellent, caroline," derek said before turning to his son, "and what of you, steven? do you enjoy your younger sister being smarter than you in every turn?"
caroline didn't have to look up from her plate to know steve was gripping his spoon tightly. there was a time, that whenever her father belittled him, steve would wince. he stopped when their father mocked him for it.
addison used her knife to cut the steak, but it ended up scratching the ceramic plate—causing the attention to drift to her. she never did like it when steve was being bullied by their father. "now, now, derek, at least steve has basketball. i don't see caroline showing any signs of athleticism."
"actually, i heard she's the fastest girl in their grade. her pe teacher, mr. johnson, told me," steve said, speaking up not for himself but his sister. caroline looked up from her plate and subtly sends him a smile.
derek lets out a scoff. "your sister, the academic and the athletic, and you?" he says, cutting into the steak loudly. he stares straight at his son as he chews the meat, "nothing. nothing but a disappointment to our name."
"will byers is missing," caroline said, trying to diffuse whatever it was her father wanted to start with steve. "hopper talked to us."
