Andy Hopper had enough to deal with. She hated her mom's new boyfriend, she was still grieving the death of her sister, and she hadn't seen her dad in years. The last thing she needed was to be packed up and shipped off to the small town of Hawkins...
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ANDY HOPPER WAS GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT as she shifted uncomfortably in the hard beige seat of the airplane she was cramped in to. She was fortunate to land herself the window seat, pressing her face against the glass of the small window to watch the clouds beneath the aircraft as they flowed by like floating balls of white cotton candy, however, that wasn't enough to excuse the discomfort of the cheap seat or the quickly rising temperature. Strands of blonde hair stuck to her glistening forehead and her insides felt like bubbling lava. The only relief was the slight breeze from the air conditioning above but that only left a bitter taste in her mouth. To make matters worse, she positively couldn't wait to get home, making the two-hour flight feel like a lifetime. Because back home in Hawkins was the one thing that made the horrible plane journey all worth it.
Steve Harrington.
The last eight months had been what Andy could only describe as pure bliss. Throughout every moment she felt like she was going to burst with happiness. She was so in love that her body physically felt it was dripping in liquid sunshine from within. It felt the way she knew it was meant to the first second she saw Steve, like perfection. And maybe they weren't two perfect individuals, but together felt like nothing less. Andy was living her very own teenage dream. Nights under the stars, never-ending makeout sessions, butterflies in her stomach, dates at the movie theatre, and much more. Way more than she had ever imagined herself ever having. Her walls had been built so high for so long and all it took was one boy - one stupid boy from Indiana with ridiculous hair and a cocky smirk, to knock them all down. She might've been annoyed if she wasn't so damn in love with him.
For the last three weeks, Andy had been in New York visiting her mom. Every time she went back to the city it was a weird reminder of the life she used to live. The privileged, monster-free, and very normal life that she had left behind. Though Andy did not regret her decision, it was a harsh insight into the way her life could have been. However, she'd come back time and time again, despite all of that, if it meant she would get to see her mom. She missed her, desperately. She had lived with the woman for sixteen years of her life and though that hadn't been the case for almost two years now, it was still a strange adjustment. But it was for the best and both were happier for it.
She spent most of the trip with her mom drinking in fancy coffee shops and perusing through countless boutiques and department stores, typically treating herself and being treated by her mom, here and there. Andy did her best to avoid Bill, the boring Wall Street accountant who still utterly despised his stepdaughter, as best she could, however, it was unavoidable at dinnertime and in the evenings. They were forced to make small-talk to both of their dismays but did so to keep the woman they both loved happy.
Though she had thoroughly enjoyed her time in New York and being with her mom, Andy couldn't wait to get back to Hawkins and spend the rest of her summer there.
