🍦When Ellie Sinclair returns to Hawkins after her first year at college - it wasn't exactly what she was expecting. A brand new mall brings hope, hustle and bustle, and sugar rush to Ellie's hometown. Hoping to get a jump start on her summer readin...
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CHAPTER ONE HOME SWEET HAWKINS
SHE'D DONE IT. SHE'D ACTUALLY FUCKING DONE IT. Ellie Sinclair sighed in relief, stuffing the last bit of her dorm room into a suitcase. All her muscles ached as she wrestled with the zipper to the case like a bull. As much as she'd miss her college life for the summer— her new peers, frat parties every weekend, and the quaint coffee shop that Hawkins so lacked— a whole year at an Ivy League (as Hawkins' folk called it) was enough to make her almost miss the little shit-hole town.
"Well, uh, have a good summer?" Ellie's all but dreadful roommate, Claire, awkwardly shrugged. Claire was the type of roommate that would drunkenly steal Ellie's stash of water bottles and sleeves of crackers, then deny it all the next morning whilst gripping on to the toilet like her life depended on it, hungover from the night before. Claire was from some small city in upstate Jersey and Ellie felt like that explained everything.
She didn't necessarily hate Claire — She didn't necessarily like her, either.
The pair hugged, awkwardly, and Ellie waved goodbye before making her way downstairs. Whatever possessed her to take the stairs she quickly cursed as she exited the tall dorm building. Finally slamming her car door to get the old Honda to close, she huffed in relief that she finally made it out of Claire's path of bubblegum scented perfume (that she was pretty sure her fifth grade sister wore. Her fingers grasped her beloved mixtape out of the glove compartment as she settled into the drivers seat.
"Three whole hours," she'd leaned her head into the steering wheel, yawning. "Do not let me down," Ellie kissed the mixtape before popping it into the cassette player, making her way home to none other than Hawkins, Indiana to the opening beat of Mr. Blue Sky.
*
"Guys! Wanna come play D&D for the first day of summer? Like we used to?" Will asked excitedly, full of hope, as kids on the last day of school normally are.
"That old tradition? Can't. I've gotta go to El's!" Mike protested.
"Gotta pack for camp," Dustin popped his lips and shrugged.
"If I'm not at Billy's car in three minutes, he'll wring my neck," Max groaned before finally running off towards her step-brother's car.
"Sorry Will, Ellie's coming home today! She left first thing this morning just to be here by the time school let out!" Lucas jumped a little as he spoke, eager to get home to his big sister. As the boy rode home, he stopped by Hawkins Elementary to pick up his other sister — the one he didn't enjoy as much.
