DESIDERIUM [ 3 ] ↠ STRANGER THINGS

1. A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

DESIDERIUM
CHAPTER ONE

➝ A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

     THE HARRINGTON'S PARKED OUT FRONT OF THE CARTWELL HOUSE, as Mr. Harrington adjusted the rear view mirror to find that the two teenagers had fallen asleep in the backseat. Steve's face was pressed up against the window, while Colleen was cuddled up beside him with her head on his shoulder. Six was standing outside the doorway, as Mrs. Harrington turned around in her seat and gently shook Colleen's knee. The two teens stirred in their sleep until they finally pulled away from one another, and Colleen rubbed her eyes. She looked up to find that Six was standing inside the doorway and then she looked back over to Steve, "We're already home?"

"Only twelve hours later," Mr. Harrington joked as he opened the front door to get her luggage out of the trunk. Every single summer, the Harrington's take a trip to the Hampton's for a week to visit their relatives. They have been going for years, Chris and Colleen joining them a couple of years back. But after her father's passing, they didn't want to stop the tradition for the young girl. Colleen opened her door and stepped out of the car, the warm air hitting her skin and she heard Steve climbing out behind her. Mr. Harrington laugher, "You two fell asleep when we crossed into Ohio."

Steve chuckled in her ear, "It is tradition."

Colleen laughed along with him, and his father kept looking back and forth between the two teenagers. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Steve, uh— why don't you go and help Colleen get settled in? Your mother will have dinner ready by 6:30, before you have to head over to work for the night."

Steve nodded his head and flashed his best friend a wide, excited grin, "Gladly. Hey, now we can listen to that new album that you got!"

Steve grabbed her suitcase out of the trunk and the two made their way towards the house. She picked up her pace by the stairs and pulled Six into a hug. Six waved to Mr. Harrington one last time before they all watched the family pull out of their driveway and pulling a house over, into their own.

Steve opened the front door and the two teenagers walked into the house, as Six followed behind. Colleen saw Nine in the living room, and as soon as he saw that they were home, he came out running to greet them. "Hey guys, how was everything while I was gone? I missed you guys so much!"

She could smell something cooking in the kitchen and she inhaled the aroma deeply, "We're making dinner for tonight. Hopper and El are coming over, we're having a family dinner."

She nodded her head eagerly before Steve pulled her upstairs towards her bedroom, carrying her suitcase for her. She opened the door and the two teens entered the room, and Colleen immediately walked over to her turntable to place the new record on top. The record wasn't technically new, but it was new to them. They had found it inside a small antique shop along the boardwalk, and Steve spotted it on the rack by the front door and practically dragged her inside and her eyes lit up.