✓ Her Mixtape, Stranger Things

xxxviii. forever young

　It was only the ghosts of their childhood that remained, and their laugher was slowly fading away just like their battle wounds and marks. Oh, the scars they had gotten much too young, not only marking at their skin — but twisting any delightful memory of youth into a loathing one.

　It wasn't fair.

 　They weren't kids anymore.

　This was something music couldn't distract her from. Not one song could help the mourning feeling in her chest that made her want to ball up and cry in realization. There wasn't a song that could cheer her up and bring her to a world that only consisted of music and sunny days.

　But maybe there was a song she could relate to? A verse that could help her let it all out. After being one of the biggest music geeks and living with two more, Rue knew very well there was a song for everything.

 　Forever Young by Alphaville played in her ears, and the grip on her old walkman tightened. El had found it in her room when they went back to the cabin, and Rue was grateful to have it back.

　Have you ever gotten that feeling when you heard a song? — Like, when butterflies fill your stomach (Yes, it might sound silly.) But all you want to do is drop and just. . . listen. With nothing going through your mind but the lyrics of the song or just the melody. Or (And I can't stress this enough) Fall? Could you imagine yourself falling — it does not matter from where — but when you find that one song that makes you just want to escape reality? That one song that makes you want to disappear from the face of the earth?

　Or maybe once those butterflies fill you up, you want to change? The lyrics inspire you to be a better version of yourself — to do better things — lyrics that remind you of better days. It was so easy to get lost in another world with the simple tone of a song. So easy to lose yourself and what you were doing. Everything around you slowly disappears until there's nothing — just nothing.

　Nothing but you, and your favourite song.

　And with every step Rue took, the real world faded away, and she could only see herself somewhere else. In a car — one of those expensive ones without a roof. And with every new beat of the song, whatever feelings it brought her came to life.

 　Forever young, but what did it mean to be young?

　Happiness . . . freedom . . . creativity. . . no judgement. . . risk-taking. . . excitement. . . just pure joy.

　And the music blared in her ears, and she was wearing her heart-shaped glasses again — God knows which box they had gotten stuffed in. — Rue's entire front half was out the car window, and the wind thrashed all around her. She leaned back, trusting the passenger seat door a little too much from the car that drove at high speeds. It was night time, the moon was out, and she was bright — she shared the sky with her beautiful companions, the stars.

　The city lights got blurred from the speed the car went in, but they were colourful and bright — was it Las Vegas? Rue smiled at the night sky, letting her amber hair become a whisking mess around her as she thrust her arms in the air, reaching for the sky. She closed her eyes and let the feeling sink in. The air was sweeter, it tasted like freedom, and it was a moment she would love to remember forever. If this was what life would feel like forever young, it was exactly what Rue wanted.

　The music became louder, and new calls were singing along. "Forever young! I want to be forever young!" They sang horribly offbeat, and most of their voices had cracked. Rue sat up from leaning on the door and looked towards the backseats of the car, where Lucas, Will, Mike, Dustin, and Alex were swaying side to side, bright smiles on their faces and their hair becoming a mess with the wind. But who cares? They seemed happy as they wrapped their arms across each other's shoulders and sang, "Do you really want to live forever? Forever? Or never?"