𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐂. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿ ¹

001

𝟬𝟬𝟭. 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆

HAWKINS WASN'T MADE FOR PEOPLE LIKE TONI HENDERSON. The town was too small, too quiet, a place where everyone's business was everyone else's, and no one dared to break the cycle. But Toni? She wasn't here to follow the rules or fit in. She was here because it was a stopgap, a temporary holding place between her and the rest of the world. She didn't belong to this town—and she hated how everyone else did.

Her Mustang was her only escape from the grind. The 1967 Ford Fastback gleamed under the hazy morning sun, black and polished, like a panther waiting to pounce. The car was powerful, its engine a constant, rhythmic growl, an extension of her every thought. When she was in that car, everything else melted away—the frustrations of living in Hawkins, the pressure of being a Henderson, the endless parade of mundane conversations with people she barely cared about. She didn't need anyone. Not in this car.

The leather steering wheel fit perfectly in her hands, under the pair of chunky rings she always wore. It was like the car had been made just for her. The smooth hum of the engine under her fingertips was a constant reminder that she could go as far and as fast as she wanted. It was the only thing that could make her feel something other than the suffocating boredom of Hawkins. The Mustang was freedom. And it was hers.

"Do you really have to go this fast?" Dustin's voice broke through her thoughts. She hadn't even noticed that he was rambling on beside her until now. He was fiddling with the seatbelt, clearly trying to make himself comfortable in the passenger seat of a car that he didn't exactly fit in with. Dustin was all enthusiasm, but he never got it—what it was like to just want to feel something other than the ordinary.

Toni didn't respond, keeping her eyes on the road ahead as she pressed her foot harder on the gas pedal. The Mustang surged forward, the tires screeching with excitement, as if it too was hungry for speed. Hawkins didn't know what to do with people like Toni. It was too slow, too familiar, too... safe.

The buildings blurred by as the car picked up speed, the wind whipping through Toni's hair, as she adjusted her rearview mirror to face her. She didn't look at Dustin, not even when he let out a little squeak of panic, grabbing onto the armrest. She liked the chaos of driving. The way the world seemed to move in slow motion while she was moving at full speed. It was her rebellion, her statement that she wasn't going to sit idly by and let Hawkins dictate her life.

"Goddamn it, Toni, slow down! We're gonna die!" Dustin yelped, his voice panicked. He gripped the door handle with both hands, his knuckles white, and she could practically feel him bracing himself for the inevitable crash he thought was coming.

"Shut up, dipshit," Toni muttered, her eyes narrowing in the rearview mirror. "We're fine."

She could feel his nervous energy vibrating in the car, like a puppy afraid of loud noises. But she wasn't about to slow down. Not now. Hawkins' sleepy streets weren't meant for someone like her. She wasn't some ordinary kid who was happy with the usual routine. No, she wanted more, and she wasn't going to let Dustin's complaints ruin her mood.

Toni's foot slammed harder onto the pedal, pushing the car even faster, her hands steady on the wheel. The car roared beneath her as if it was alive, like it was born to go faster, to break free from this place. She felt her heart thumping in sync with the engine's growl, and for a moment, it was like nothing else mattered.

Dustin's voice cracked through the air again, "Toni, I swear to God, if we get pulled over—"

Before he could finish, the sudden flash of blue and red lights behind them made her stomach drop. The whine of the siren felt like a slap in the face, but Toni didn't care. She wasn't about to back down.

"Shit," she hissed, her foot easing off the gas but not completely letting up. She didn't slow down entirely until she was certain the Mustang was no longer accelerating at breakneck speed. Hawkins wasn't the place for fast driving, but it sure was the place where a cop could get you for any stupid reason.

As she slowed to a stop, she could feel Dustin's nervousness bubbling up, his words lost somewhere between panic and frustration. "We're so gonna be late, and now we're gonna get caught. And we're gonna get locked up."

Toni smirked, letting the tension rise in the car as she didn't even bother to turn the engine off. She wasn't intimidated. Not by Callahan, not by anyone.

The squad car came to a halt behind them with a hiss of tires on asphalt. The door opened, and Officer Callahan stepped out, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes, his uniform crisp like he thought he was important. He was Hawkins' idea of a "good cop"—by the book, straight-laced, and predictable. Toni couldn't stand him.

Without waiting for him to approach, she rolled down her window, the soft purr of the Mustang's engine still a constant hum beneath them. Her rings gleamed in the sunlight—silver and bold, each one making its own statement. Her nails were painted black, matching the sharpness of her gaze.

Callahan leaned down, his voice gruff. "You know how fast you were going?" he asked, a little too smug for someone who clearly had nothing better to do than harass kids.

"Don't you have better police things to do?" Toni questioned, her eyebrows furrowing, "You didn't seem to care this much when missing cases were at an all time high last year."

She wasn't worried. She'd been pulled over enough times by now that she knew the drill. It wasn't about the punishment—it was about the principle of it. She didn't take orders from anyone. Not from Hawkins. Not from the law.

Callahan's jaw tightened, his eyes flicking over her rings, her confident posture. He didn't like her attitude, and it showed. "License and registration."

Toni pulled out the documents with practiced ease, handing them over without a second thought. She didn't even glance at Dustin, who was practically sweating bullets in the passenger seat.

Callahan took his sweet time, flipping through the papers as if hoping to find some reason to punish her. But Toni wasn't going to make it easy. She wasn't going to give him anything to work with.

It felt like hours passed as Callahan examined her papers, his frustration growing. But before he could make a move, a voice broke through the tension, rough but not without authority.

"Callahan, cut her a break," Hopper's voice carried over the silence, deep and heavy. The sound of his boots against the pavement was unmistakable. He appeared from the side of Callahan's car, broad and imposing, his sheriff's badge glinting in the morning sun. His eyes met Toni's, but there was no judgment there—just an understanding. He wasn't about to punish her for a little speed.

Callahan stood frozen for a moment, but eventually, he relented, grumbling as he handed the paperwork back to Toni. "You're lucky, Henderson," he muttered, clearly not pleased.

Toni raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "I always am."

Hopper just shook his head, but there was something in his eyes—something like approval, or maybe just weariness. He turned to leave, but before he did, he shot her one last look. "Just don't make me regret this, kid."

Toni didn't answer him, just put the Mustang in gear, ready to leave this little pit stop behind her. She wasn't going to apologize. She wasn't going to explain herself. She didn't need to.

"See, Dustin?" she said as the engine roared back to life. "Told you.."

Dustin sighed, his hands resting on his lap, his voice flat. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Can we just get to school now?"

"Only if you stop whining," Toni retorted, a laugh barely escaping her lips as she slammed her foot down on the gas once again, the Mustang surging forward into the quiet streets of Hawkins.

The day was just beginning, but Toni already knew it wasn't going to be like any other day in this town. Not for her. Not in that car. Not with her.

- IRIS

you're gonna love toni and hopper trust