Method Acting || Joe Keery

Robin and Kaya || Bonus Chapter

Happy pride month!! To celebrate pride month, I'm throwing in a bonus chapter, especially for the queer community.

If you couldn't tell from my fruity-filled cast of characters in this book, I myself am queer, and my queer cast means a lot to me.

I've always had an idea of Robin and Kaya's relationship before they broke up, and Kaya and Robin met Steve, but I don't know if I'm ready to commit to a complete stranger things fan fiction book, so I hadn't done so just yet.

But, in the spirit of pride month, let's look at them before the events in this book.

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The library is cool today. The librarian, Mrs James, has opened the windows to let the spring breeze in, and if I inhale, I can smell a touch of the peonies planted outside, mixed with the smells of old and new paper, crisps someone has snuck in and freshly sharpened lead pencils.

I walk through the aisles, taking my time and looking for what I need. The library is the one place in this school I feel like I can breathe. The one place it doesn't feel like people are staring at me, trying to read what's inside my head.

I spot the book I was looking for and hum. It was higher than I'd hoped and heavier looking than expected. I stand on the tips of my toes and manoeuvre my fingertips onto the groove of the spine and inch it towards me, readying my hand to catch it once it comes out of place.

I hold my breath as I'm stretching, it's moving little by little, but I can feel it is definitely moving. I give one more tug, and it falls out of place, but I run out of breath simultaneously and lose balance on my toes. I can't catch it in time, and I can see it coming for me.

This is it. I'm going to die in my safe place. All the times I've quieted my mother's worries about how much time I spend reading by saying, "At least I can't get into trouble from books!" Runs through my head. I imagine her saying, "I told you so", through sobs during my eulogy at my funeral.

Something grabs me from behind and rushes me backwards. I feel the air rush from my lungs as I'm winded in the process, and I start to cough as my lungs begin to function again.

"Are you okay?" A soft yet slightly crackly voice says over my shoulder.

My brain slowly starts to piece together what's happened, like an old steam train moving all its parts for the first time in fifty years.

It wasn't something that grabbed me. It was a person. I look down at the hands still holding my waist. The long slender fingers, the chipped nail polish on the nails, the gentle yet secure way I'm being held.

It wasn't a person. It was a girl. I swallow and breathe deeply, her scent of citrus and vanilla hitting me, and I start straightening myself up. Her hands drop from my waist.

I turn around slowly. Maybe a little sheepishly, to face the person who saved me from death by book.

The girl that saved me is tall. She's looking down at me with deep blue eyes, the colour of a deep dark ocean. When I look into them, I wonder what mysteries her eyes hold, the same way I wonder about what lies in the depths of the sea.

I nod first, trying to gather my thoughts. Then I answer her question.

"Yeah, thank you. I knew that book was too high for me," I laugh, trying to shake off my embarrassing near-death experience.

"Damn place is a death trap," She chuckles.

I grin. I know she's just humouring me to make me feel better, but the crackle in her voice and her laugh sends a jolt of electricity through my nervous system, and I do feel better.