TO FIGURE OUT (STRANGER THINGS!)

prologue ─ a tale of two unknown lovers

act one , prologue ...
a tale of two unknown lovers !

( may of nineteen eight - five ! )

( now playing ... rockin' down the
highway ─ the doobie brothers ! )

── ✧ ──

" JJ , C'MON ! I NEED HELP WITH THESE BOXES ! "

" I'M COMIN'! " SAYS A TEENAGE GIRL WHO CURRENTLY rushes down the stairs to help her father carry the rest of the boxes into the house. Moving back to his home town of Hawkins with his teenage daughter was not a part of the plan. Yet, here they were, in the vicinity of where he used to live as a child. On Maple Street, a father and a daughter chose to embark on a new path after his wife and mother of his child died a few months back, not knowing what he was going to truly face moving back to where he used to live. Stuart Johnston had two goals. Protect and to provide for his daughter. Nothing else mattered to him as of yet. Only the determination of moving forward with his and his daughter's life. One that would hopefully be a good one for both of them.

Down comes January Johnston. JJ, as she prefers to be called, a teenage girl with brown, semi-long hair wearing an Anthrax t-shirt. She quickly runs down the stairs, almost stumbling in the process. She makes it to her father, who's struggling to push one of the boxes to the door. She comes over to him, giggling in the process.

Stuart Johnston, a thirty-four year old man with curly hair and glasses, wearing a Rush t-shirt struggles to push one of the boxes into the house. He stands up once he sees his daughter laughing at his struggle.

"You packed those boxes pretty heavy, huh?"

"You packed them. This is the one of the boxes that go up to your room," Stuart grumbled, still struggling to push it. He looks up at his daughter. "What are you waiting for? I need a little help here."

"Alright! Alright," JJ giggles, "You grab one end, I grab the other?"

"Yeah. Just don't let it fall. If it falls on your foot, good luck," Stuart joked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, dad," JJ says back, "Don't break your back trying to lift this box."

"How old do you think I am?"

"I don't know. But you're ancient," JJ snickered, which makes Stuart roll his eyes at his daughter's so-called jokes, "On the count of three."

"Alright," Stuart replies, "One. . . Two. . ."

"Three!"

Both of them pick up the box, JJ almost falls over because of how heavy the box is. They both quickly, but carefully go up the stairs and into JJ's room. They put it down near the other three boxes that she had in there.

"Of course you pick the bigger room," Stuart sighs.

"You barely even use a bedroom. You'll spend most of your time in the basement!" JJ tells her father, "You spent most of the time smoking."

"I do not."

"You totally do," JJ quips back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just help me with the rest of these boxes," Stuart told her.

"Aye aye, captain!" JJ says happily, before running out to the moving truck, Stuart following behind her.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town were a family of five who lived on the semi-quiet street on Cherry Lane. A family who has escaped the abuse of someone who was supposedly a wife and mother to those children. The house was pretty chaotic. There was always so much going on with all of them. Another father only trying to do his job to take care of his five children while trying to work was difficult. But he made it work. Clarence Stevens wasn't one to give up easily. Not when it came to his children and everyone else around him.

Clarence Stevens, a brown-haired man with the signature Marie Antoinette syndrome stripe on the front right side of his hair had been in his baker's uniform. Almost out the door when one of his children, Janet, one of the youngest children with dark hair and a dark sense of style, reminds him of the summer musical auditions, one of the things that slipped his mind.

"Janet! I told you to remind me, yesterday!"

"I know, I forgot, I'm sorry!" Janet told her father, "I was focused on something else."

A sigh escapes the baker's lips. "You think Gordie will take ya?"

"I don't know," Janet answers.

"Well, please, find out, I'm already late," Clarence says, looking at his watch, "Kat, of Gordie can't take Jan, will you take her?"

Katherine, one of the elder girls gives a nod, which makes Clarence sigh in relief. "Thank you," He says to her, "I'll see you guys later. Janet, be on your best behavior I don't want Florence telling me that you scared those kids with that mask again."

"Fine," Janet says, letting out a groan in the process.

"Bye, Pa! Love you!" Calls Sinatra, the only brother in a group of sisters.

"Love you, too," Clarence replies back quickly, before closing the door behind him.

It takes Clarence at least twenty minutes to drive to the bakery that he works at. He was already going to be at least five minutes late due to talking about Janet auditioning for the summer place, so he was already practically driving like a madman. But he was careful enough so that he wouldn't crash into anyone. That would've been another delay that he did not want to have.

The Cozy Crumb Bakery was a place that he had a soft spot for. Not only because of his love for baking, but because it reminded him of a place he used to work for at home. But it was much better. He had coworkers that he actually loved, and he actually loved doing his job. To him, it was his home outside of home.

The bell above the door rings once he enters it. It captures the attention of some people, including none other than his fellow friend and coworker, Alessandra Rossi. She was an italian woman with jet black hair, currently tied into a bun due to the hairnet that she was wearing. She looks at the door to see Clarence.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I know," Clarence responds back, "Those kids. I love 'em but sometimes─"

"They drive you up the wall?"

"Sure. You can say that."

Alessandra gives a small chuckle. "Well, we're busy today. Remember that five dozen cookie order?"

"Oh, shit. I forgot," Clarence groaned.

"That's alright. I already started. But hurry and put your gloves and hairnet on. Today's busy."

"Clearly," The southern man chuckles.

Two men, two very chaotic lives of their own. Unknowingly bound by the invisible string attached to them. Barely knowing of each other's existence.

Both unknowingly going to change each other's life.