Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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Chris gets out of her car, glancing over to the middle school. She grabs her bag from the passenger seat, and shuts the door. She sees the four boys all dressed in their Ghostbusters gear, however, none of the other middle schoolers are dressed in their Halloween costumes. It seems that this is the year the children have decided to stop wearing their costumes to school. The party didn't get the memo.
"...Why can't there be two Venkmans?" wonders small little Will, looking between Lucas and Mike, who seem to be in some sort of dispute.
"Because there's only one Venkman in real life. We planned this months ago," informs Mike, his voice rising. "I'm Venkman, Dustin's Stantz, you're Egon, and you're Winston."
"I specifically didn't agree to Winston," says Lucas, shaking his head.
"Yes, you did!"
"I don't think he did," says Will quietly, looking to Dustin, who shakes his head.
"No one wants to be Winston, man."
Chris puts her hands on her hips as she reaches the boys. "What's wrong with Winston?"
Lucas turns to Chris, narrowing his eyes upon her. "What's wrong with Winston? He joined the team super late, he's not funny, and he's not even a scientist!"
"Yeah, but he's still cool," defends Mike.
"If he's cool, then you be Winston."
"I can't!"
Chris raises an eyebrow at Mike, confused. "Why not?"
Mike pauses, stuttering a bit, he looks helplessly at Chris. "Because..."
"Because," Lucas starts mocking Mike. "You're not black?"
"I didn't say that!" snips Mike, turning red with anger.
Chris holds up her hands, pushing between the two of them. She throws a look at Dustin and Will. "All right, knock it off you two. Deal with it, okay? Look, I gotta talk—"
Dustin turns in shock, calling for everyone's attention. They all turn to him. "Why is no one else wearing costumes?" The school bell rings. Younger students are getting off the bus, no one is wearing costumes.
"It's okay," assures Chris, adjusting the strap of her backpack. "It happens to everyone. People just decide to stop wearing them."
"Everyone dressed up last year," says Will, frowning. Being lost in the Upside Down last year felt like a lifetime for Will, trying to go back to normal and catch up on all these new changes hasn't been easy. Not that Will would tell anyone how much he struggles.
"It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you," Dustin mutters.
"Just be cool," Mike replies, heading for the front doors.
