Sienna passed him last. "Thanks, Steve. You're a hero."
"I swear if anyone hears about this" he started but the full group finished it as he said this every time they snuck through the back this summer which was a lot
"We're dead" They all shouted in unison running down the hallway
As they snuck through the door that got them into the cinema, they squeezed their way into seats, just as the lights dimmed.
Sienna ended up between Max and Mike—pure coincidence, unfortunately for her heartbeat.
Max leaned closer. "You okay? You seem... prickly."
"Not prickly," Sienna whispered back. "Just—late boys stress me out."
Max grinned knowingly. "Uh-huh."
Mike leaned in slightly from the other side. "You're not mad, right?"
"About what?" she said, eyes on the screen.
"You know... being late. Or El pulling me away."
Sienna shrugged casually, even though her stomach flipped. "I survive worse things. Like Lucas's fashion sense."
Lucas hissed two seats down, "I HEARD THAT."
The group giggled, and the tension melted.
As the movie played, Sienna whispered comments to Max, poked Mike when he jumped at a loud scene, and tried not to blush when he whispered jokes back to her.
For the first time since moving to Hawkins, surrounded by chaos and popcorn and a bunch of weird, loud, loyal friends, Sienna felt like she belonged in the seat she was in.
And she wasn't giving it up for anything.But then the movie stopped, and glitched out and Sienna groaned and shouted and threw a couple M&Ms at the screen she snuck in through Mikes bag
"Come on"She and Max groaned at the same time
It's was out for a couple seconds, if not mint before coming back on, the cinema clapped before falling back into that comfortable silence where everyone's swapping snacks, passing comments about the movie, half watching the movie half laughing at the people around them
✮.𖥔 ݁ ˖
By the time Sienna stepped through the front door of the Hart house, the sun had dipped low enough to wash the living room in a warm orange glow. Her house always felt... half-unpacked. Like her family still hadn't fully settled into Hawkins, even months after moving in. There were still boxes against walls, picture frames leaning instead of hanging, and furniture that didn't quite feel like it matched.
But Sienna didn't mind. She didn't hang out downstairs much anyway.
She kicked off her shoes, called a quick "I'm home!" toward wherever her mom might be, and headed straight to her room—her favorite place in the entire world.
The moment she opened her bedroom door, she was greeted by pink. Pink everywhere.
But not little-kid pink.
Not bubblegum princess pink.
It was a soft, warm, teenage pink—a mix of pastel and rose, layered with personality and things she loved.
Her room wasn't perfect or neat, but it felt li her.
Her walls were covered in a collage of posters—bands she liked, movies she loved, and magazine clippings she'd taped up in a messy but somehow aesthetic way. A string of star-shaped lights ran along the perimeter of the ceiling, glowing faintly even in daylight.
Her bed was a mound of fluffy pillows in different textures—some velvet, some cotton, some shaped like hearts or stars. Her comforter was a soft pink quilt with embroidered edges. She flopped onto it face-first, letting out a dramatic groan that only the walls could hear.
Her vanity sat against the opposite wall, covered in makeup palettes, hair clips, bracelets, and a little mirror ringed with stickers. Not messy—just busy. Like she'd used everything earlier that day and hadn't bothered to rearrange it back into perfection.
Her dresser was topped with more personality—Polaroids of her and Max making faces, a couple of notes from school, a half-decorated journal, and a small ceramic bowl filled with earrings she never remembered to pair.
Near the window, she'd set up a tiny "sanctuary":
a beanbag chair, a stack of magazines, and her record player.
It was childish in color, mature in how she curated it, and totally unapologetic.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
Starcourt had been fun. Chaotic, but fun. She could still hear Max laughing at Lucas, still feel Mike leaning a little too close during the movie, still remember the weird way El looked at her.
Sienna sighed and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed.
She walked to her vanity and gently wiped off the smudged eyeliner from the day, humming under her breath. Her mirror reflected the soft pink of the room behind her—warm, safe, comforting.
She brushed out her hair, set her bracelets in the jewelry dish, and swapped her outfit for soft pajamas with tiny strawberries printed on them. Childish? Maybe. Cute? Absolutely.
She flopped onto the beanbag chair, pulled a magazine into her lap, and let the record player softly spin one of her favorite songs.
Her room smelled faintly of vanilla lotion and cotton sheets.
Her lights glowed softly.
Her world felt peaceful.
Whatever weirdness Hawkins held...
whatever monster stories Mike told her...
whatever awkward feelings she kept locked behind jokes...
Here, in the pink warmth of her room, she didn't have to think about any of it.
Here, she could just be Sienna Hart.
chapter one x
Start from the beginning
