An Old-Fashioned Love Story

Chapter 1

"Unbelievable....." Y/N ends the call on her cell and smiles, thinking to herself. I can't believe I got the part. Me? In the next couple of seasons of STRANGER THINGS.

On a whim, Y/N had auditioned for a part as one of the adult extras on the series, thinking it was just a bit walk on or background person. She got the call and was offered a speaking role of "Tracy O'Donnell," English teacher at Hawkins High School. Sister to one "Ted Wheeler," "Tracy" would be interacting mostly with the students and with her niece, "Nancy" and her friends. But the best part? She was going to be in a conflict with one of the students, "Jason Carver" to be exact, as well as his father, wealthy Hawkins businessman "Samuel Carver". Y/N could hardly stand it. Casting had called at the last minute to let her know things had changed with COVID and the Duffers wanted to start doing some early table reads with the cast before there was a shutdown of filming, which would happen soon in Georgia. At 43 years old, Y/N never thought they would want to hire her, but they loved her audition and felt that she worked well with Natalia during the callback. The casting directors liked the idea of an adult to be able to be a friend to help the group of kids with their situation. No details about the story line had been provided, there were strict instructions to remain quiet about everything and not discuss the script once it had been received and the first table read.

It was just what Y/N needed in her life. She had recently found out she had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and had gone into a depression, which combined with her bigger body, made her very self-conscious. All she wanted was a fresh start and going to Georgia for filming was just what she needed for a new outlook. She grabbed her laptop and crawled into her bed to check into a temporary relocation. Due to the secrecy of the filming, the Duffers had set up a sort of "commune" for the cast and crew to keep the press as well as other prying eyes away. Most of the main cast had their own little apartments and some had private cabins on their own if they had their family with them. Y/N was a little nervous when she found out she would be in the building with some of the main cast, namely Natalia, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, and a couple of other actors who were in new roles like her. Y/N took a deep breath, smiling as she thought about what was happening. She would be getting on a plane from California to Georgia in a couple of days and there would be no looking back.

A WEEK LATER*****

Y/N got out of the Uber and look around at the complex where she would be spending the time while filming. Tentatively, she would be there as long as 7 months, but there were no guarantees. She grabbed her 2 suitcases from the car and stood there for a minute soaking in the moment, scared and excited at the same time.

"Y/N?" Natalia walked over and gave her a hug. "I heard you got the part! I was hoping they would pick you."

"Yeah, I was pretty surprised to say the least. And now, here I am."

"Well, you're gonna love it here. Except for the crazy work schedule, everything is pretty relaxed." Natalia went on to explain how everyone in the building liked to hang out at the pool and in the theater when there was down time. She kept talking about social gatherings the cast tried to have every couple of weeks, but ensured Y/N that there was plenty of time to rest. Y/N sighed, relieved that Natalia remembered them talking about her CFS. When they arrived at her door, Y/N smiled and thanked Natalia for the tour:

"I really appreciate everything, Nat. Can I ask you a big favor though? Can you please not say anything about my CFS? It's really not a big deal and I don't want any special treatment."

Natalia smiled and nodded, "Sure. Mum's the word. I think you're one of the last ones to get here and everyone is settling in. You'll get to meet everyone else at the table read tomorrow afternoon." Natalia waved as she left and Y/N went into her apartment.

Y/N had been settled into her cozy little condo for about an hour when she got a text message from Shelly in the casting department. The Duffers wanted to have the new cast come to pick up the script for the table read that would be tomorrow. Y/N took a deep breath and got a little nervous about meeting new cast members, but knew it had to be done. These are the people she'd be around for the next few months on a regular basis and she wanted to be sure they saw more than her size. So far, everyone had been very polite to her from casting, Y/N figured it was a "respect for your elder" mindset. When she arrived for the script, Shelly smiled sweetly and handed Y/N the script, saying "Yes, ma'am/sir" to everyone, despite their ages. Y/N took the script and smiled looking at the cover with the name TRACY O'DONNELL SEASON 4 STRANGER THINGS EPISODE 1 VOLUME 1: "HELLFIRE CLUB". Y/N started reading a little as she turned to walk away, not realizing she was walking right into one of the other new cast members, knocking him down.

"Oh my God." Y/N gasped as she dropped the script. "I am so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Not to worry, I think my bum got most of the damage." He stood up smiling gently, speaking with a soft, British accent. "Are you new too? You must be if you're here to get the script. I'm Joseph. Joe Quinn." Joe smiled as he took her hand to shake it, keeping his brown eyes on her.

"Y/N Y/L/N. Nice you meet you. Yeah, this is my first season. I'll be playing Ms. O'Donnell, the English teacher giving Jason Carver and other seniors hell."

"Brilliant. Eddie Munson, one of your many senior victims, it seems. Are you heading back to the condos? Want some company?" Y/N nodded, grateful to be able to meet another cast member and Joe seemed like a nice enough kid. She enjoyed making small talk on the short walk back to the condos, asking Joe about his previous roles. She felt at ease talking to him, there was something welcoming and endearing about his chipper demeanor that made her drop her guard. Usually, meeting new people, Y/N kept her guard up out of fear of being rejected for her size. There was something different about Joe, something in his eyes that gave her a sense of peace. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in many years, and she liked it.