STRANGER THINGS IMAGINES

2. ROOMMATES| PLATONIC STEVE AND JONATHAN

Hawkins was a dead-end town, filled with people who had either reached their final destination and couldn't be bothered leaving, or with people who knew that they were never really going to escape the town that seemed to trap everyone inside it. So many citizens couldn't even think of going somewhere else, of packing up and moving out of the town because it was everything they'd ever known. And for some people, that reality was something they could live with, they felt no urge to move, nor would they ever. But for Steve Harrington, this town felt like a chain around his neck, always choking him and trapping him in the small town.

For as long as he could remember, Steve believed that he would never be able to leave the town, that he would never have enough money or even enough guts to get out of the town that had only given him and his friends hell. Yet suddenly, his mum was telling him about some woman she used to know at NYU and how she said there were class openings if he was interested.

It was as if a lightbulb was suddenly turned on then because soon Steve was trying to get his mum to tell him more, and even though she didn't have the answers he wanted, she passed him a piece of paper with her friend's number on it, and then he was darting over to the phone, punching in the numbers and waiting, impatiently.

His letter appeared in the mail a week later, and even though he had been accepted on a favour, he knew that the letter would say he got in, he couldn't help but let out a yell of joy as he saw the words printed on the white paper.

*********

His room was littered with cardboard boxes, filled with pieces of clothing, shoes and other junk he had no need for. He was going to get rid of it all, sell it for a bit of extra cash and only take the things he actually needed with him to New York. Robin stood in his room, hands on her hips as she surveyed the damage he'd made in the process of clearing out his belongings.

"I guess you're serious then." The girl crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the boy, nearly not believing him when he told her he was leaving for the big city in only a matter of days.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, Robin? You're leaving for Los Angles next week, and Dustin is growing up. No one needs me here anymore." Steve glanced at the girl, turning away to dump another pile of unwanted clothes into a box. "Look, it'll be good for me, getting out of this town. You know it will."

Robin let out a sigh, nodding her head to agree with him even if she didn't want to. But she knew he was right, and she knew he couldn't stop him leaving, nor would she ever try to. Everything bad that had ever happened to Steve, happened in this godforsaken town. Nothing good for him would come from Hawkins. She knew that deep down.

"C'mon, don't look so upset, I promised Dustin that we'd have a movie night tomorrow before I leave, it's not like I'm going right now. Plus, maybe I'll pick up a lady in New York, who knows?" Steve moved closer and squeezed Robin's shoulder, pulling a small smile from the girl as she quipped back.