Maxine Mayfield and her family had just moved into Hawkins, Indiana from the glistening, sunny state of California.
He first saw her at his football game and he couldn't stop thinking about her.
It wasn't long before Max and Nathan were acquainted.
...
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STEVE HARRINGTONhad gotten home fairly late after having to close up the Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Parlor after the mall closed. He pulled into the driveway, which was completely empty. He squinted his eyes at the unoccupied bike rack in suspicion.
Had his brother actually spent the night somewhere else?
There was no way he could've been that mad at Steve for just trying to help him.
Steve should've figured that his little brother might have taken it this far if he was mad. In Steve's words, Nathan was a... "growing boy with hormones and all that other biological shit."
The older Harrington had turned his car off, taking his key out of the ignition and stuffing it into his shorts' pocket as his car's engine stopped roaring. He took a step out of his car, closing the door behind him. Steve breathed in, hearing the cricket chirps all around him at the dead of night. It was kind of peaceful to the Harrington after having to be in a crowded mall slinging ice cream all day long.
Sometimes he wished to have taken that lifeguard job like Nathan but he had to admit, Scoops Ahoy's air conditioner beats a day at sitting by the pool any day.
Steve walked toward his house, stopping by the bike rack next to the front door of house.
Steve raised an eyebrow in confusion. Maybe the bike was parked in the garage or behind the house.
Steve froze when he saw a stain on the door knob of the front door. He breathed in, a crimson substance had dried on the metallic door knob of the Harrington House. The boy walked toward it and put his hand on the door knob to feel it. It was definitely going to take a lot of grit to clean out.
Was it ketchup or something?
Steve twisted the handle, finding the door unlocked. His face went white and his nerves start to grow as he entered the house, the door making a creaking sound. He looked around warily, spotting nothing upon entering the house. He closed the door behind him, making sure to actually lock it this time.
Or maybe blood?
All he knew was that someone was here and stained it.
"Nate...?" Steve asked.
This time, Steve's gaze spotted a familiar stain that had made a little trail going up the wooden hand railing of his house's staircase.
Whoever had been here had stained the front door knob and his family's railing with some type of dark, crimson fluid. They also hadn't even bothered to lock the front door. Steve wasn't an idiot though, he knew something was off.
His mind started thinking of the worst.
His pace and breath quickened as he started walking up the stairs, following the trail like a pack of bloodhounds hunting the scent of their prey. He got upstairs, spotting the door to Nathan's room, which was farther down the hall, shut and the door to his room, which was right next to the staircase, slightly open.
