CHAPTER ONE
a familiar face.
⋆.ೃ࿔*
𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒, 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀
𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓
LIFE WASN'T WORKING OUT for Emmy. She hated just about everything. She hated her mother for not understanding her. She hated her father for abandoning her the way he did. And most importantly, she hated herself.
The past eight months have been the absolute worst. Better days have yet to arrive and it's not like she's the most optimistic person that you'll meet. She's alone. She's scared. And she doesn't know what the hell to do about it.
At first, she found ways to cope. Drugs. Alcohol. You name it. Emmy was spiraling. Her mother already lost her husband. She refused to lose her daughter too. So, what was the possible solution to Emmy's problem? Well, it was either Emmy went to rehab to receive the help that she desperately needed, or she moves back to Hawkins to live with her aunt (also known as her mother's twin). It's not like Emmy had a choice. Both options were awful, and the last thing she wanted to thing was to be away at some rehab center with total strangers.
Without giving it much thought, Emmy made the decision on coming back to the one place where everything felt normal: Hawkins, Indiana. In fact, there was nothing normal about this town. Emmy didn't know that though.
It's only been a few years since she last stepped foot into her old hometown. What could really go wrong?
●・○・●・○・●
IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK, and Emmy is finally leaving her house. This is all thanks to Alexis, who was tired of witnessing her niece wasting away her life. It was Summer. The weather was great, and it was a perfect excuse to do teenager things. So why wasn't Emmy taking advantage of that?
Alexis knows all about the things Emmy went through when she lived in New York. It was actually her idea to become the guardian of her niece, just to provide her with a new change of scenery. When Emmy first arrived, she was rather silent. She only interacted with her aunt and cousin when it was time for dinner. Now, things are a little bit better. She's leaving her room more. As of yesterday, Alexis heard her laugh for the first time! Alexis was thrilled. The progress was little, but it was still being made and that's all that matters.
Currently, Emmy was basically being forced to leave the house. Alexis woke her up this morning, demanding that she does something productive today. "How about you go shopping?" were Alexis' words. As expected, she was met with defiance. "What? Why do I need to go shopping?" This was Emmy's response. She thought that she basically had everything she needed. She wasn't in need of clothes, but if we're being honest, you could never have enough clothes.
"You haven't visited The Starcourt Mall yet. Neither have I, but this isn't about me," This statement caused Emmy to roll her eyes. "But, Romeo has been there a few times. And he said it's really big and there's so much to do there," Alexis grins. At the mention of his name, Emmy's younger cousin, Romeo, joins the conversation. "Yeah, I think it's cool. You should go there today."
Alexis gives her son a thumbs up, before looking back at her niece. She could always count on Romeo to back her up. "So, will you go? At least for me?" Alexis clasps her hands and pouts her lips. She knew that she looked ridiculous, but she didn't care.
Emmy took out a deep breath. It honestly didn't take much convincing. "Okay, fine," She says, her lips turning upwards into a smile. "I'll go." Alexis' eyes lit up at this, eager at the fact that Emmy didn't put up a fight. She squeals and cheers, "Look at you—doing something to make your aunty happy!"
There was a major personality difference between Alexis and Amara. Alexis was the cool twin—she wasn't strict, whereas you had Amara, who took everything seriously. Although they were identical, it was pretty easy to tell them apart. All you had to do was look at their facial reactions—Alexis always wore a smile.
Truthfully, Amara didn't know how to deal with her daughter. Yes, she sent her away. She felt as though she didn't have a choice. Between dealing with her profession of being a surgeon, and a rebellious daughter...she couldn't manage dealing with both at the same time.
All Emmy wanted was for her mother to be there. Sadly, she never was.
Amara believes that their time apart will be beneficial for their family dynamic. She thinks that it would bring them even closer—when truthfully, it's driving more distance between them.
"Yeah, yeah. Do I have to go alone?" Emmy didn't share the same enthusiasm as her aunt. However, making Alexis happy is something that she wants to do. The Dawson girl didn't want company or anything, but she wouldn't mind if Romeo tags along. Truth is, Emmy didn't have any friends in Hawkins. She didn't know what happened to her old friends and she doubts that if she runs into them they would recognize who she is. For right now, she is riding solo.
Romeo makes eye contact with Emmy, who is giving him a look. She needed an immediate response from him. Unfortunately, Romeo had other plans. "I won't be able to come. I'm going over to Mike's house today. Lucas and Will be there too." If the circumstances were different, Romeo would've definitely hung out with his older cousin today. He thinks that she's pretty awesome. She's older than him and he looks up to her. Additionally, he thinks the world of her. Emmy is nice to Romeo. She often suggests for them to watch movies together, she reads comic books with him and she also gives him advice about girls.
Emmy nods her head, "Right. You're going to be with your nerd friends," She jokes. She knows all about their game that they love to play. Romeo has tried a few times to explain to her what D&D is about. He made it as simple as possible by giving her basic information. Emmy was confused every single time.
Romeo chuckles, "You're just jealous that my friends are cool."
"Oh right, I'm so jealous," Emmy teases slightly. The two continue their playful banter. They become interrupted by Alexis who lets them know that she's going to be heading to work at any given moment. Before she exits the house, she cheerfully tells her niece, "Have a great day today!" Followed by, "Try to meet new people!" While also telling her son, "Be good! Make sure that you're home before it gets too dark!"
●・○・●・○・●
STARCOURT MALL was bigger than Emmy expected. But she can admit, there were an endless amount of things to do. As requested, she was able to do some shopping. It wasn't a lot, mainly because she was getting bored. Overall, the mall wasn't packed or anything. This could be because it is literally after 10 am in the morning. She contemplated on whether or not to take a seat on one of the benches. Maybe she could rest for a few minutes and then head back home. She was becoming bored. It wasn't possible for her to explore the entire mall. Emmy was very close to calling it a day. But then, she came across an ice cream parlor: Scoops Ahoy.
Inside of the parlor looked vibrant. It instantly caught her attention and her curiosity grew. It didn't take long for her to make her decision and suddenly, she was in the mood for ice cream. With her shopping bags in her right hand, the blonde-haired girl (freshly dyed by the way) takes small steps until she is eventually face-to-face with a female employee.
Her name tag read Robin and Emmy's first impression of the girl is that she obviously didn't want to be here. Robin was occupied with two customers, who collected their ice cream. Before leaving the parlor, the young couple gave Emmy tight-lipped smiles. Emmy returned the favor, just to be polite. She knew that the smiles were fake anyway. Now, Emmy was the only customer left. She couldn't help but observe how well put together everything looked. She knows for a fact that the colorful colors attract a lot of children. The employees must go through hell, Emmy thinks to herself.
Robin Buckley was grateful that business was moving rather slow at this hour, however that didn't give Steve Harrington a reason to leave all her alone. He's been in the back—God knows doing what.
Once Emmy approached the counter, Robin gave her usual introduction, trying her best to sound optimistic. "Hi," Emmy greets her. "I'm kinda new in town," This was partially true. "Do you have any good recommendations?" She motions towards the ice cream flavors.
Robin blinks rapidly, taken aback that a teenager asked her for her opinion. Normally, it's the children and parents of the children. She regains her composure. "Oh, hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Robin." She half-heartedly smiles. "Emmy. My name is Emmy. And it's nice to meet you too.
"That's a pretty name. Well, welcome to Hawkins!"
Emmy nods her head, the smile failing to disappear from her lips. "Thank you, Robin." She appreciated the compliment. Emmy came inside with the intention of getting a sweet treat. But instead, she engaged in a quick chat with Robin, getting to know each other a little bit more. Emmy learned that Robin will become a senior at Hawkins High once the new school year starts and that she's a part of the school's band. Emmy didn't have anything interesting to say really—just that she was turning eighteen soon. It was something totally random but she wasn't comfortable sharing her private life just yet.
Suddenly, a door opens revealing a young gentleman. He had on a similar outfit to Robin. Emmy didn't know what to think about the uniforms...they were different?
He looked around her age, and honestly, he was good-looking. He didn't notice her at first. With the presence of a next figure, Robin says to Emmy, "Give me just a quick second, Em."
She glares at her co-worker, "Thanks for finally coming out, dingus." Her tone was sarcastic. Steve immediately replies, "You won't be thanking me for long," He is no longer by the door, he is now beside Robin. "I'm going on break soon."
Steve meets Emmy's gaze. He honestly didn't know that they had a customer. "Oh, um—sorry about that." He tries to apologize for not giving her the standard protocol for when customers enter the ice cream shop. Emmy lets him know that it's okay and it's not that big of a deal.
Steve nods his head, "Right." He was quiet for a few seconds. His eyebrows knit in confusion, his mind trying to piece together something that popped up as soon as he saw the girl in front of him. His stare lingers on her for a little. His mouth opens, but then it shuts. He pauses for a few. And then he opens it once more. This time, he was able to put his thoughts into words. "For some reason, you look oddly familiar...like I know you or something? I don't know..."
Emmy purses her lips, she didn't think much of it. "Maybe we were friends a few years back," She shrugs her shoulders.
Steve's eyes widen. "Really?" He couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. "Yeah," Emmy simply says. "I sort of lived here before,"
Robin interjects, "Wait, I thought that you said that you were new in town?"
"Yes and no. I moved away a long time ago," She answers.
Now, Robin understood better. "Okay, Emmy, I get you." At the mention of that particular name, everything started to make sense. He knows exactly who she is.
Steve snaps his finger, "Emmy! Oh my God—" He chuckles, his eyes bright. "I remember you!"
Emmy frowns. Because although he remembered her, she didn't remember him. Steve noticed that she looked confused, like she wasn't registering that it's him—one of her closest friends from middle school. It's him—the young boy who was devastated when he told her that she was moving and leaving him behind. It's him—Steve Harrington who had the biggest crush on Emmy Dawson.
Was he basically unrecognizable? He knows for a fact that he grew up to be so handsome but did he look that different?
He points to himself, "Steve...Harrington. It's me." Hopefully, his name rings a bell.
Emmy taps her finger on her chin, pretending as if she was deep in thought. Her eyes travel from Steve, and up to the ceiling, and then, she looks back at him. "Nope. I don't know who you are." She observed how disappointed he looked like he was hoping that she remembered who he was. And that's the thing. Of course, she remembered Steve Harrington.
A small, sweet smile forms on her lips. Steve mirrored her reaction, chuckling at how she tricked him. The next words she spoke were, "I never forgot you, Steve." How could she though? Their friendship impacted her life in so many different ways. He was her right hand in everything she did—it was always just the two of them: Emmy and Steve.
At this exact moment, Steve couldn't help but admire the person who was once so far away, but never escaped his heart. Here she was...after all this time. Was he dreaming? Is this real life?
In fact, he was here and so was Emmy. And he couldn't find a word to describe how he was feeling, but all he knew is that his heart has been beating non-stop. He never knew that it was possible...as a guy...to feel butterflies. Well, now he knows.
—ren's thoughts
oh how happy I am to finally post the first chapter of this book! 😭
happy reading everyone 🤍