𝔇𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 || 𝔖𝔱𝔢𝔳𝔢 ℌ𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔱𝔬𝔫

𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲

Danielle Gomez sat in her car, taking in the warmth before she would have to get out to the chilly November weather of Hawkins, Indiana. She was sent by her older sisters to deliver a package to the Wheelers that they had gotten Karen and Ted Wheeler for their anniversary. The Wheelers and Gomez had always been close after Danielle and her sisters moved to Hawkins from California.

Danielle's family was broken apart when her father died when she was 5, and Danielle's mother, Susan, went on to marry Sam Mayfield. Sam and Susan had a child together, Max Mayfield, but the couple split up only a few years later. In 1979, Danielle and her biological sisters moved away from their mother and half-sisters and went to Hawkins, Indiana, where Danielle's oldest sister Gabrielle Gomez, became the guardian for both girls.

Now, Danielle didn't know anything about what happened to her mother and half-sister, but from what she heard is that her mother had began a relationship with Neil Hargrove and the two were now engaged. They got married in the fall of 1983, and Danielle recieved an invitation to be a bridesmaid, but she declined and hadn't talked to her mother since..

Danielle grabbed the package and opened her car door as she made her way to the house. The garage was open to reveal multiple kid bikes, and Kiana could only assume that Mike Wheeler had his friends over for another round of Dungeons and Dragons. Kiana walked up to the door and knocked on it as she stuffed a hand into her pocket and shivered.

The door opened to reveal Karen Wheeler, and a large smile spread across the older woman's face, "Danielle! Oh, it's so good to see you, dear!" Danielle was pulled into a strong hug by the woman, "Please, come in."

Karen gestured for her to come in, and Danielle walked in with a smile. Danielle held the package out to Karen with a smile, and the woman glanced at it, "My sisters found this when they went shopping a few days ago, and they thought it was the perfect gift for you and Ted."

"Oh, thank you!"

"Yeah," Danielle breathed with a smile as Karen took it from her, "Well I should probably get going. Got school in the morning."

"Oh, nonsense. Come, I was just getting some coffee, and I would love the company," Karen said, and she grabbed Danielle's forearm softly and dragged her to the kitchen.

Danielle took a seat at the counter, and within moments a cup of coffee was in front of her, while Karen was leaned against the counter in front of her.

"So, any exciting things going on? Boys?" Karen asked with raised brows as she took a sip of her coffee, and Danielle chuckled and looked down at her coffee.

"Uh, no. Trying to focus on schooling and education, after this summer there's really no boys on my mind," Danielle said solemnly and with a small shrug and sad smile. During the summer, Danielle had began dating Steve Harrington, and she believed that he really did love her, but that ended quickly when he broke her heart before school. He did what he does to every girl, pretend to be in love with them, and then he turns his feelings off as if he never had them. "But, Isabelle and Gabrielle got enough money to take me to New York, so I can go tour NYU."

"Ahh!" Karen squealed, "When are you guys planning on going?"

"Uh, we're thinking about Thanksgiving break."

"Well, I am so happy for you, but you better come back and visit," Karen said, reaching across the counter and grabbing Danielle's hand.

"Of course, just because we move away, doesn't mean it's forever," Danielle said with tears brimming her eyes.

The plan when the Gomez sisters got to Hawkins was to each get a job, and they would get enough money to afford NYU for Danielle, where they would all move once Danielle was in college.

Karen and Danielle looked at each other for a moment, before Karen wiped a tear, and they looked away.

"Well, look at that, it's already past 8 o'clock," Karen said, gesturing to the clock, and Danielle glanced behind her, while Karen made her way to the basement door, "Mike!"

"I take it the boys' campaign went on longer than they said," Daniele said with a smirk, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Of course," Karen muttered, opening the door and looking downstairs, "Mike!"

"Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign!" Mike called from the basement.

"You mean the end?" Karen questioned, tapping her watch, "Fifteen after."

Karen walked away from the door and back to the kitchen counter. Danielle could hear the voices of Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, and Will Byers from the basement, causing Danielle to chuckle as Mike ran up the stairs, "Mom, wait, just 20 more minutes!"

"It's a school night, Michael," Karen said harshly, "I just put Holly to bed. You can finish next weekend."

"But that'll ruin the flow!" Mike whined, and Danielle chuckled.

"Micheal-" Karen said, but Mike cut her off again.

"I'm serious, Mom. The campaign took two weeks to plan. How was I supposed to know it was gonna take ten hours?"

"You've been playing for ten hours?" Danielle and Karen questioned in unison and Mike scoffed.

Mike then saw his father, Ted Wheeler, who was crouched in front of the TV on in the living room, attempting to fix it. Mike walked over to his father, "Dad, don't you think that 20 more-"

"I think you should listen to your mother," Ted said harshly, and the static on the TV crackled even louder, "Dang dumb piece of junk."

Mike sighed before going to the garage, and Lucas and Will quickly rushed up the stairs and followed him.

"Hey Dani!" The two boys called as they ran past her, and she gave a small wave to them.

Dustin then came up with a partially empty pizza box, there was only one slice left. Dustin looked at Danielle with a smile, "Hey, Danielle. There's a slice left if you want it. It's pepperoni and sausage."

"I'm good, Dustin. Thank you though," Danielle said politely, sending him a smile.

He smiled back before going up the stairs to the bedrooms, and Danielle finished her coffee before standing up and turning to Karen. Karen looked at her with a smile, "Are you heading out?"

"Yeah, can't let my sisters worry to much," Danielle said, and she wrapped her arms around Karen.

Karen smiled and held Danielle to her tightly, and they let go.

"Drive safe," Karen told her, and Danielle nodded before going to the door and walking out of the Wheeler house.

She noticed Lucas, Dustin, and Will pulling out of the garage and onto the driveway, and they rode to a stop next to her as she smiled at them, "Hey, any of you need a ride home? I got room."

"No thanks, see you later Danielle!" Lucas yelled, peddling off, with the other two close behind him.

Danielle chuckled with a smile before going to her car and getting into it, before slamming the door behind her. She turned her car on, but her front lights began to flicker, and she looked at them in confusion. She turned her car off before turning it back on, and the lights turned to normal, causing Danielle to shrug and pull away from the Wheeler house.

What she didn't know, however, is that she would be one of the last people to see Will Byers before he disappeared.