"I'm sorry my heart's too big for my own good! I just want to be a good person!"
~
Theodore Chambers moves from his home in London to Hawkins and realizes this town isn't what it seems
Or
In which the new kid in town is thrown into all sorts of insa...
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chapter eight; the skate date
Look, a skate date may not have been Teddy's ideal date. Certainly not the one he planned when thinking about his trip to Lenora, but if that was what El wanted to do, he was perfectly content with going. He would do anything she asked. He wanted to see her happy, see that pretty smile light up on her face. After three long months of being without her, he just wanted to do something, anything, with her. So... if his Ellie wanted to roller skate, then goddamnit, Teddy Chambers was going to stick it out, perhaps fall multiple times in the process, and skate with his girlfriend.
After having burritos for breakfast—which Teddy had to admit was much better than he expected—Argyle drove them to the awaited destination: Rink-O-Mania. It was hard to miss with its pink and blue exterior and the other youth of Lenora flocking inside with their bright clothes and bags that carried personal skates.
Teddy gulped, his fingers tapping along the inside of his palm to soothe his rising nerves as they pulled into the parking lot. There were so many people, it was just like... like... dread pooled in his stomach as his brain linked Rink-O-Mania to Starcourt.
Rationally, he knew those places were not that similar, a roller rink and a mall, but the anxious part of his subconscious didn't believe it. All those people, all those noises... it must be the same place... and if it's the same place, then... well, something bad is going to happen.
He didn't want to think about those horrible memories from last summer. He was going to ruin the day by letting these thoughts get the best of him. This was supposed to be a break from everything, why was he getting so freaked out? He managed to finally take a breath, as he didn't even realize he'd been holding it. He needed a distraction... he needed... Teddy's gaze searched for something to relax his mind, and luckily, she was right there. Oh, his amazing girlfriend. El's feet danced in place along the van floor, a smile playing across her lips as she stared out longingly at the building.
'You're alright,' he told himself. 'This is not Starcourt. Everything is okay. Ellie is right there.'
As Argyle's van slowed to a stop in front of the building, El eagerly pushed her way out, with Teddy right behind her (Mike and Will following as well). She held her hand backward as if to summon Teddy's hand to her own... and of course, Teddy obliged, their hands lacing together. Hand-in-hand, the couple made their way inside.
'It's alright,' he reminded himself.
It was not.
Immediately, it was a sensory nightmare, like walking into Starcourt for the first time all over again. The blaring music of "You Spin Me Round" by Dead or Alive (a song he'd recently grown fond of but now did little to soothe his nerves) echoed all around him. Bright, flashing lights from arcade machines clashed with the ambient glow of the rink. The clatter of roller skate wheels on the wooden floor, the incessant chatter and laughter of other teens—Teddy heard and saw everything. His heart rate spiked, a familiar tightness gripping his chest. His eyes darted around, searching for an escape, his mind racing with a desperate need to find a quiet corner. Somewhere, anywhere, that didn't remind him of Starcourt.
