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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June 29th, 1985
Hawkins, Indiana
Leaning back in her chair, Chris adjusts her baseball cap to look over at Ronda, who is sitting above her in a lifeguard tower, wearing a bright red one-piece suit. She has a whistle around her neck and her hair is pushed away from her face. Her fingers and toes are painted with matching red nail polish, and she feels warm in the sun.
"Dustin comes back today."
Ronda glances down at her friend, smiling a little. "That should be fun. He's been gone a while." Ronda surveys the pool, checking the kids. Some are splashing in the shallow parts, some are diving off the block, where Heather is watching from her tower. Some adults are doing laps in the roped off section of the pool. It's a busy day. In fact, it's been busy all summer and there hasn't been a lot of rain in Hawkins. People are usually at the pool, or at the new Starcourt mall, watching movies, shopping, eating ice cream—doing anything they could imagine.
This new mall in Hawkins is nothing like anything the small-town folks have ever seen. People have come long distances just to see this mall and enjoy what it has to offer. Most teenagers Ronda and Chris's age have jobs there. In fact, it's one of the only places left in Hawkins to find a job. Everywhere downtown is practically shut down, much to Chris's disappointment. She hated having to get a new job at the movie theater in the mall. She loved the Hawk. but Mr. Mark Green, her old boss, couldn't keep up with Starcourt's competition. He had to close it, and it crushed him to do so.
"I hope so. The boys and girls have missed him." Chris sighs, resting her shoulders against the plastic sunchair, she watches two little kids play with squirt guns, aiming for their sisters. "I missed him."
Ronda giggles a little. "You know this means you'll see Steve less, right?"
Chris raises an eyebrow at her friend. "More time to spend with you, and Nic of course." Chris glances at the pool again. "Speaking of, shouldn't Lisa be bringing him here soon?"
"Soon." Ronda glances at the large clock hanging over the concession stand, restrooms, and the locker rooms. "My shift ends in two hours. I'm overlapping Heather and Billy." Ronda's voice trails off with slight malice in her voice. She rolls her eyes at the thought of Billy Hargrove working with her as a lifeguard.
"He hasn't been giving you trouble, has he?" Chris squints up at her friend again. Her baseball cap isn't doing much to block out the sun. Ronda shakes her head. "Good," Chris huffs.
"Here he comes," Ronda mumbles out, her dark eyes traveling the length of the pool as Billy Hargrove saunters across with ease. He has his whistle dangling loosely from his puckered lips. His golden curls are combed and placed perfectly around his head. Every teenage girl and woman at the pool watches him. Most of them are fawning over him, but Ronda and Chris just watch like he's a predator too close to prey.
