"either way, we're not alone..."
In which Sophie Hargrove struggles to close off her heart, especially when she starts to let Steve Harrington in.
STRANGER THINGS
SEASON TWO - SEASON FIVE
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(tw: physical and mental abuse)
A few years ago, when she was around twelve or thirteen, Sophie used to do paper rounds for her old neighbourhood. She didn't adapt quickly to the bike her father reluctantly purchased for her, having missed out on years of past lessons. There were a few tumbles and Sophie had to walk with it by her side a couple of times, but she had managed it by now.
The bike Dustin gave her was barely adult-sized, causing her to bend her knees and lean over the rusting handles. The wheels squeaked at every turn as she tried to keep up with the young boy, peddling fast down the street.
Grey and white feathered clouds drifted above their heads, faintly lit by the setting sun. In silence, she wondered if Hawkins had many tornadoes. Before they moved here, she read up on it and learnt they were somewhat common in Indiana, but she hadn't seen a single siren in the area.
They parked outside the residence of Mike and the rest of the Wheeler family, dropping their bikes onto the concrete. As Sophie leapt off, she said. "So, your friend, Mike, is Nancy's younger brother?"
She'd been asking a lot of questions on the way, and it was beginning to infuriate Dustin. "Yes!"
"And Jonathan's-"
"- Will's older brother, keep up!"
The pair approached the front door, and Dustin rang the doorbell, waiting outside. "Do you have an older sibling I don't know about?"
"No!" he exclaimed, angrily ringing the doorbell a second time.
Then a third, shortly followed by a fourth, until he began to press it a relentless number of times -- he was going to break it if he wasn't careful.
Soon enough, the door flew open, and they were greeted by a tight-lipped, partially grey-haired man with large glasses. "Your line has been busy for two hours, Mr. Wheeler. Do you realise this?"
"Oh, I do realise." Mr. Wheeler responded with a curt nod and half-closed eyes.
"Is Mike home?" the boy questioned.
He lightly shook his head. "No."
His eyes narrowed. "No?"
Sophie dropped her head back, groaning. "Why is everyone you need out today?"
Dustin didn't appreciate the constant commentary from his reluctant ally, but he withheld his disdain a little longer. "Well, where the hell is he?"
The man peeked back inside, raising his voice as he asked. "Karen, where's our son?"
His wife returned a prompt reply. "Will's!"
"Will's." Mr. Wheeler was about to close the door on the odd pair without uttering a single farewell.
