Alexithymia | STRANGER THINGS [ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]

twenty five | the hellfire club

With an eyebrow raised and a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth, Matthew watched as Mike quickly made his way into the kitchen and over towards a closet that they had in the kitchen.

And while Mike started to look through the closet, Karen said to him, "Michael, I know your D&D club is tonight."

In turn, Mike said to her, "Hellfire."

While Mike started to walk over towards their toaster, Ted asked his youngest son, "Why don't you just call it the High School Dropout Club?"

While Matthew simply snorted to himself and started to pour himself a glass of orange juice, Karen told Mike, "I want you home no later than nine tonight, okay?"

Mike replied, "Yeah, okay, I'll try."

Karen said to him, "No, no trying. You need to go to bed early tonight."

In turn, Mike asked her, "Why?"

As he started to make his way over towards where Mike was standing, Ted said, "It's a six-thirty flight, Michael."

With a nod of his head, Mike replied, "Yeah, I know, but—"

With a shake of her head, Karen said, "No buts. Nine or no California."

Then Ted said, "And no sweetie pie."

It was then that Nancy yelled, "Mike!" Then she raised her car keys and yelled, "Let's go!"

With a shake of his own head, Mike said, "Jesus. How am I gonna survive a whole week without you guys?"

With a snort, Matthew said, "You can barely survive a whole week with us." While Mike grabbed his toast and started to walk over towards Nancy, Matthew told him, "Knowing you, you probably won't even last a day in California, much less a week."

After giving her eldest son a pointed look, Karen took a couple of steps out of the kitchen before she said, "Nine."

As soon as Mike had closed the front door behind himself, Ted asked Karen, "Remind me, when do they become reasonable human beings again?"

In response to Ted's words, Karen only sighed to herself before letting out yet another sigh when she turned her head and saw Matthew throw his backpack over his shoulder and push his way past his parents and then open and close the door behind himself.

It wasn't long after that that both Karen and Ted could hear Mercyful Fate's Evil blasting from Matthew's car before he sped away from the house and towards the Forest Hills Trailer Park, where Valerie was waiting for him to give her a ride to the school.

* * *

With a screech of his tires, Matthew's car came to a sudden halt in front of the trailer that Valerie had been living in with her mother and her sister for a while now before he pressed his hand onto his steering wheel.