THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT ｡ STRANGER THINGS

EPILOGUE: SUMMER DAYS

SUMMER OF '85
Hawkins, Indiana

Summertime in Hawkins, Indiana was dead boring; children had once made up games with their stuffed toys, murders about Mr. Rabbit and disappearances of Miss Barbie. Now, teenagers had replaced their toys for cups of chilled beer from a keg, and replaced their silly storytelling for loud music and the thrill of dancing against somebody else. 

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears For Fears was the song that blared through some random kid's house, leaking into the backyard where the graduating class of 1985 splashed in the pool. The song was the summer anthem for Hawkins teenagers that celebrated their last summer before heading away for college in new cities. Many familiar faces littered the crowd, some no longer students, others still waiting for another year for their chance at freedom; Carol Perkins, her ex-boyfriend, who was now dating a senior boy on his basketball team, Tommy Hagan, Heather Holloway, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Dottie Fields, Robin Buckley, Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Daisy Lonsdale, and the shining Marigold Lonsdale. 

Currently, Marigold was sipping on her solo cup of beer, eyes searching the crowd from a bedroom balcony. Should could barely remember the host of the summer bash, maybe Tina, who was infamous for her parties, but it no longer mattered, because this was Marigold's last summer in Hawkins, for a while, at least. Next week she would pack her bags and fly across the country to Dallas, a new city for a new mystery. Behind her, Billy Hargrove was smoking in the bathroom, rubbing ice across his bare shoulders to cool down. He was not leaving town, which meant their friends with benefits relationship was done and dusted. 

"Heather is pretty cute," Marigold said, sliding her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. She watched Heather below, dancing alongside her sister, who was on her fourth cup of beer, which meant her vision was a little blurry. "She might be alright for a summer romance."

Billy came to stand beside her, a single hand flattened across her hipbone. He drew circles under her dress, kissing her shoulder blade. His cigarette blew smoke across her face, but she didn't mind too much. She would actually miss his scent; smoke, sandalwood cologne, adrenaline. Billy watched Heather too, not very interested. He worked at the community pool with her, she was nothing compared to Marigold. "Hawkins won't be the same," he grunted, "Not without you."

Marigold smiled, she liked that little notion. "Was that you're own way, of telling me you'll miss me? Nice to see you've grown a little more sentimental." 

"Who's the sentimental one now?" Billy hummed against her skin, teasing her back to bed. He did not get the chance to tempt her mind, eyes spotting a redhead in the crowd below. He pulled away from Marigold. "What the fuck is Max doing here?"

Marigold spotted his sister too. She was not alone, apparently, the entire party had snuck into the summer bash, not that anybody cared, most of the teenagers below were wasted. "Hey," Her fingertips gripped his chin, jerking his eyes back to her own. "You promised you would be kind to her. She doesn't need an asshole for a brother. Remember that?" 

Billy gave a gentle nod of his head, sucking in another blow from his cigarette. Marigold kissed his cheek, one last kiss for goodbye, before she unwrapped her body from his own and padded down the staircase in search for her sister.

She found Dottie Fields first, who was strapping her feet into her rollerblades next to Robin Buckley, who was still wearing her Scoops Ahoy uniform, a blue and white sailor outfit. "Dottie, Robin, hey," Marigold smiled. "Have you seen Daisy?"