/ "and i have to speculate that god himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay" /
Michelle "Mickey" Hopper has a lot of problems. An alcoholic father ignoring the loss of his youngest daughter, her sister, Sarah...
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...Thursday, November 1, 1984... hero takes a fall - the bangles
Mickey was already up and around by the time Hopper went to coax Eleven out of her room that morning. While she filled a travel mug with coffee for her skate to school, he came back to the kitchen with a small smile on his face. "Is she coming?" Mickey asked.
"El would never turn down an Eggo extravaganza," Hopper said proudly.
Sure enough, a minute later, Eleven emerged from her bedroom and quietly took a seat at the dining room table. "Well, I wish I could stick around, but I need to get out of here if I wanna make it to school on time." She first stayed in the kitchen and pulled her dad into a side hug. "Go easy on her. She's hurting."
"I know, kid. I'll be good," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "Hey, you never told me how your party went last night."
Mickey shrugged. "Uh, I don't think it's really my scene anymore. I'd rather stick with just my carefully chosen friends. But it was a nice last hoorah at the party scene."
Hopper laughed lightly. "Alright, kid. Get out of here and don't be late."
Mickey smiled and rounded the kitchen peninsula to the dining table. She leaned down and kissed Eleven's curly head of hair. "Be nice, alright? Remember, he just wants what's best for you."
Eleven looked up at her older sister and hesitantly nodded. "Bye, Shelly."
"Bye, El-bell. To both of you, I'm working tonight so I'll be home late. Love you both. See ya!" she called as she made her way out the door. If only Mickey had stayed, perhaps she would've been able to calm the ensuing blowout fight between her father and sister.
...
Mickey left her first period English class that morning still looking over the essay their teacher had handed back. An A- would be good enough for most, but Mickey was caught up on all the little things she could've done better to earn that perfect one hundred percent.
She finally looked up as she approached her locker, finding Steve leaned up beside it as he often was between first and second period. Nancy and Mickey shared their second hour physics class and Steve always insisted on escorting them before he went off towards the gymnasium. This morning, however. Mickey was suddenly dreading it.
She took a deep breath and started inputting her locker combination as she said, "Hey. How was your morning?"
"I remember," Steve replied instead of answering her question.
"Remember what?" Mickey asked innocently without striving from her routine.
"Mick... stop. We're gonna have to talk honestly about this at some point. You can't just wish this away."
"Steve, it's no big deal. I mean really, it was no big deal. It was barely even a kiss so now you can get back together with Nancy. I'll wish you guys the best and we can go back to normal, right?" Mickey looked up at him to see hurt playing across his features.
