Elijah Brooks's life is turned upside down when his best friend Will Byers goes missing one night. Teaming up with an unlikely group of friends, Eli finds himself transforming from a quiet bookworm to a courageous adventurer willing to do anything f...
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"YES! ANOTHER WIN FOR ME!" Rene's excited laugh bubbled out of her cherry lips as the game over music blasted from the Frogger machine. The Campbell's blue opal eyes gleamed triumphantly as Eli let out a defeated huff and grabbed his Coke can from Eve. "Just face it, Eli, you'll never beat my high score. Maybe you should stick to writing."
Another gush of bitter soda scurried down Eli's throat, and he wiped his wet lips with his sleeve before replying. "Yeah, don't worry, I am. At least I've still got Will beat."
"Speaking of," Eve interjected, mindlessly passing another round of shiny tokens to Rene's eager hand. The female Brooks twin wasn't one for video games, and usually assumed the role of token holder and spectator rather than player. "Where is he? And the others?"
Eli just sagged his shoulders with a useless shrug. "How should I know? Maybe Dustin held everyone up again because he took too long trying to find some quarters."
"Oh, that clueless boy," Rene chattered, her eyes glued to the buzzing screen of Galaga now as she battled with the bright yellow joysticks. "What will we ever do with him?"
"You tell us," Eli's mouth twitched evilly. "You're the one with a huge fat crush on him."
"Hey, cut it out! There's no need to bully me just because you can't beat a girl at video games," Rene fired back deftly, and Eli just waved a quick hand to show he was disinterested in continuing their banter.
"Eli!" A voice cut through the boisterous sounds of game machines and token slots. The Brooks boy turned and saw a certain dark-haired boy careening towards him. He tried his best to tame the unruly excitement swirling in his chest
"Hey Mike," Eli grinned, well aware of his sister's always watching gaze burning into the side of his skull. "Where's everyone else?"
"They're already drooling over Dragon's Lair. Dustin's trying to beat Lucas's top score," Mike replied, his smile illuminated by Palace Arcade's neon lights.
"Ha! Don't ask for Eli to help with that!"
"Alright, Rene," Eli grumbled over his shoulder, the brunette girl grinning like a cat but keeping her eyes trained on her game. "I get it!"
Mike let a melodious laugh leave his lips at the light-hearted jab, his hands bouncing around in his coat pockets. "Wanna join?"
"Yeah sure," Eli nodded enthusiastically, and the Wheeler boy was already bouncing on his heels and leading the way. He turned back to his sister, offering her the nearly empty Coke can. "Will you throw this away for me?"
