Hawkins, Indiana is just some small town that nobody knows where to pin on a map. It's a small, close-knit town where nothing ever happens, and when it does, it's the only event of the year. Rebecca Newby lives in that town, and luckily enough - or...
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"You got your bag and everything?" Bob called, standing next to the open driver side door, looking to the entrance of his and his daughter's new house. Rebecca was attempting to lock the door with her dad's house keys. She was supposed to get her own set soon, but the locksmith was taking longer than expected to fulfill the order. Beck had to jiggle the key in the lock and pull the door closed to finally get it to lock, the little click signaling her success. She huffed and pulled the key out, trying the doorknob to be sure it was completely locked. It didn't budge.
"Yeah, Dad. Catch." she called as she turned around, tossing the keys at her father. He barely caught them - the set hit his chest and fell into his palms, fumbling to get a grip on the metal ring. Beck jogged down to the car and opened the passenger door, tossing her school bag to the floor before hopping in herself. Bob was soon to follow and was about to start the car, until he started patting down his pockets. "Did you forget something?" Bob continued to pat down his pockets.
"Ah, nope, here it is." he replied, pulling a leather wallet out of his back pocket. "Here, buy yourself some lunch, and we'll get groceries or something after school." He pulled a five dollar bill out, handed it to his daughter, and stuck his car key in the ignition.
"Thank you." Beck said, sticking it in the front pocket of her bag. As he backed out of the driveway, her father replied, "No prob, kiddo."
The drive out of the small and isolated neighborhood was quiet. Any drive Beck took with her dad was usually quiet. Even though Bob was a talkative guy, he knew his daughter didn't usually have much to say. Sometimes, he'd talk and she'd listen, but most of their drives were short enough that they didn't feel the need to speak - and, as she found herself doing right now, Beck had a habit of reaching for the stereo knobs.
Bob had recently had a mechanic replace the stereo in the family's older car. He always had access to the newest technology from RadioShack. The stereo looked newer than the rest of the car - it probably looked newer than the house they had just moved into - and it sounded brand new, too. The audio was clear as day the second Beck turned it on, and the sound of Rick Springfield's voice sounded through the speakers. 'Jessie's Girl' was one of Beck's favorite songs, so she couldn't help but mutter along in tune.
"Jessie's girl... I wish that I had Jessie's girl... " she mumbled, looking out the window. She had her arm propped up on the car door, a fist against her temple while she watched the traffic and buildings of small-town Indiana pass them by. She saw a few kids riding their bikes - one of them was Mike, Nancy's younger brother - probably on their way to school.
Beck didn't always drive with her dad to school. Before she moved, she would take the bus every morning, unless Mrs. Wheeler offered to give her a ride. The Newbys used to live only a few doors down from the Wheelers, but things change, as much as Beck hated to admit it. Moving was one of the most frustrating parts about her parent's divorce. Changing houses just because her mom wanted money off the house seemed like a lot of extra work, but Beck knew her father only agreed to it so he could keep the peace - anything to settle.
