Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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Mike and El are walking on either side of his bike. They're following the train tracks through the forest. Orange and brown leaves cover the ground heavily and their footsteps are the only noise for a while. Dustin and Lucas are behind them; Lucas refuses to be near the girl with the shaved head, and Dustin knows he should give Mike some space alone with El.
"Mike. Friends tell the truth," El's voice carries across the wind.
"I was tripped by this mouth breather, Troy, okay?"
"Mouth breather?" she repeats, confused. Lucas rolls his eyes at Dustin.
"Yeah, you know a dumb person. A knucklehead."
"Knucklehead? I don't know why I just didn't tell you. Everyone at school knows. I just didn't want you to think I was such a wastoid, you know?" Mike spills, his voice getting a bit higher.
"Mike."
"Yeah?"
"I understand," she smiles.
"Oh," Mike sighs. "Okay, cool."
"Cool."
Dustin and Lucas look ahead of them as Mike and El exchange smiles. "Shit," Dustin blurts. The other two look as well.
"Trying to catch the afternoon train, boys?" calls Robbie.
El spreads her legs, narrowing her eyes at Robbie and Chris, who stand a few yards in front of them. El jerks her head to the side, and Robbie goes flying into a tree. El looks to Chris, concentrates, and jerks her head again. Nothing happens.
Lucas and Dustin go crazy, dropping their bikes and running over to Chris and Robbie. Mike grabs El's arm. "El! No!"
Chris hurries to Robbie's other side as Dustin and Lucas fall into the leaves. Robbie groans, coughing. He grabs at his side. "Ahh, what the hell?"
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit," Dustin repeats over and over. He glances over at El and Mike. El wipes at her nose, listening as Mike explains to her that Chris and Robbie are friends.
Chris puts a hand on Robbie's cheek. "Can you breathe?"
"Does it look like I'm breathing, Hopper?" he snaps, eyes growing dark in anger. Robbie reaches for the front of Lucas' shirt. He yanks the boy toward his face. "Spill. Now. All of you!" he yells, his eyes traveling to them.
Dustin and Mike give Chris guilty looks. Chris leans back on her heels, folding her arms. "You heard him."
Ronda and Nancy reach Barbara's car; it hasn't moved since last night. Ronda walks around to the passenger door. She tries to open it, but it won't open. "Locked," she mumbles to Nancy.
Nancy peers inside the driver's window, noticing her shirt lying in the back seat. "She didn't come back..." Nancy lifts her head up. "Barb?" she wonders, moving out to the street. She hopes for a better view.
