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Summer schmucks

  August 26, 1983 at Starcourt mall

15:16

In the afternoon of summer break two teenagers stood in front of the tall building looking around for something to do. Families accompagnied their children for a healthy dose of school shopping to prepare the start of the new year. Mothers could be seen happily choosing various textbooks and eye-straining pens to show to their enthusiastic kids, or gloomily buying what they would like to show off to their classmates. It was almost festive, how each shop would advertise ostensibly those pen vending machines or the brightly colored stickers with the signature unicorn, what with the bustling of people and the wail of parents.

Mike, the lankier of the two, considered walking in the direction of a supermarket.

''I'm bored. Mom went looking for something and didn't even give us some money.''

His friend immediatly gave him a big watermelon smile at that. Rummaging around in the back pockets of his jacket he grabbed something that seemed big enough to hold in his palm : it was a small pouch that jingled. Dustin shook the small purse in emphasis. Gling gling. Mike gaped at him.

''Look Mike, I managed to convince my mom to sew some extra pockets and ta-dah ! We now have extra inventory to carry around. I figured it would be easier to shop around like this.''

Mike declared ''Great, but what are we going to do ?''

Dusting held the tip of his cap as if to salute him, turned around and pointed directly at the big sign of the full supermarket illuminated by pink and blue neon lights.

''We could go there and get all the stuff we want ! There's that new action figure of that She-Ra Swiftwing unicorn that would totally look rad for the new campaign ! Will said-'' Mike just cut him off ''-but my mom is going to come back until we buy it !'' ''Then we'll get her something too ! I swear I have enough for like, jewellery or whatever.''

He nodded repeatedly while advancing towards Mike, who was frowning, unsure wether they would get in trouble. He faced the ground, closed his eyes, and tried to manage the buzzing in his head. After a few minutes of debating, he came to a decision. ''Okay let's go, but we need to be fast.'' Dustin ran past him.

   August 26, 1983 at the supermarket, clothing aisle.

15:42

At the female section, the clothes seemed to be closing in on them. The two boys were back to back, like a traffic circle, each facing the circulating people peering at the articles that peeked their interest. Mostly teenage girls. Some were just looking while others would comment on the last trending style of the season, complaining that it was their best or worst season yet. Chatter stirred the room with a certain want for the ostentacious too. A couple of girls passed by them. Classmates, most likely, they were giggling when they glanced in their direction. A moment that would surely turn into gossip, Mike and Dustin started to realize. The latter raised two fists up to his shoulders and let out a heavy huff of air, determined to reach their goal : find a gift for Mike's mom so she won't get too mad at them.

''Dude, getting that figurine just had to be too easy. I mean what are we even looking for ?'' complained Mike.

''I don't know ! Just keep looking.'' But they stayed together, ruffling about the aisles and checking behind their backs like suspicious shoplifters. Dustin held up a simple pearl necklace. His friend shook his head. He held up another accessory, this time a broken heart with 'BFF' carved on its center, which made Mike sigh wryly. As a way to not make himself seem completely clueless, he in turn showed Dustin a pair of scrunchies with holographic pink glitter all over it, it's borders embroidered with lace. It shined in the yellow light of the supermarket.

''There's no way we'll find something fast.''

''Hey ! She goes to that gym-aerobic mom stuff every Wednesday, that would totally work for her hair.'' defended Mike.

''Oh yeah sure, as if she had not already had that before. Redundant much ?''

''But girls like stuff like this.'' he said, inspecting the object.

''Mike your mom's not a girl ! She's like, 30 or something, we need to step up our game if we want this to work.'' Mike put his hands over his eyes, head tilted back.

But suddendly an idea popped right out of his head :

''We could just ask, like, around.''

Dustin just blinked at him owlishly.

''Okay you ask around while I go looking for someone that works there. There were girls standing over something a few minutes ago, maybe we could start there.''

''No, you do it. And I'll go to that spot.''

''Mike, no offense, but you have zero taste.''

''You dress like a grandpa.''

''Grandpas are very stylish, I defend.''

''Oh yeah ? Do they put on makeup ?''

''Well they don't but that doesn't prove anything ! I still have more taste-'' ''-Yeah right.''

''Dude ! You live with a sister and your mother and all you managed to choose was a hair tie.''

''Whatever !'' huffed Mike, tapping his foot.

They were glaring at one another, similar to two sentient statues keeping the same offensive pose. After a few seconds, they sat down on one of the available benches some shoppers were sitting on to try their potential new purchases, gazing at the ceiling. Dustin held up a coin and turned to Mike, who was still looking at the hair accessory section.

15:52

The constant hum inside their heads could be heard in the distance. Dustin was still gazing in mild disinterest, or desperation, at the various displays of feminine wear. They seemed to have lost all hope on understanding the world and toils of the opposite sex, a small bile formed at the bottom of their stomachs and their limbs now felt a little jittery at the prospect of being the object of Mrs. Wheeler's punishment. Mike let out a heavy sigh, turning his head to the side, ''This is bad.'' Dustin did not reply.

Then perhaps out of anxiety setting in or because he needed to just do something, he pointed at a girl who looked like she knew where she was browsing. The colors of her clothes were strong enough to lean against. ''Let's go ask her.'' ''No'' Mike said, looking in her opposite direction.

Surprisingly, he further explained that she wouldn't talk to them anyways. ''Aaaargh !'' Dustin wailed, while still holding that coin. ''See this ? We're gonna flip heads or tails if we're to stay here like... like... total weirdos ! Now choose, heads or tails ?'' Mike sat up a little straighter at this outburst. ''Dustin are you sure-'' ''-Heads or tails, Mike ?'' asked Dustin, close to his face, holding his coin with three fingers. ''Tails, jeez.''

Dustin flipped the coin. It landed on tails. Mike was repulsed.

''Oh come on !'' he said, throwing his arms in the air.

''Yeah man, now go talk to this girl so we can figure something out and finally get out of here !''

Mike stood up, glared at this friend and finally deigned to advance towards the girl, probably a little older than him. His heart was thumping hard against his chest. He could feel an invisible shiver running from the top of his head and down to his spine, his breath becoming slower and more restrained from what was about to come. Even his anxiety acted with a kind of pattern, it kept coming back, pulsing, in tiny hits, at about the same rythm as his heartbeat. He actually could walk surprisingly well, but he still seemed to hesitate on which posture to take when he'll be engaging with his interlocutor. All of the social conventions he had learned from his parents have flown right out of the window. Resolutely still, maybe for his friend, he managed to utter a, ''hi.''

''O-oh hi !''

''Hey, uhm, could you help us ? Help me ?''

'' 'Us' ?''

''We're trying to find a gift for my mom and we don't know what to get, so...''

''Oh, cute. Well, what do you think she likes ?''

''I don't know'' he admitted, shoulders falling.

''Well there is this very good brand of hairspray, my friends have been raving about it, it's a nice gift if you ask me. I'd be happy to get it, and it's cheap.''

''Hairspray ?''

''Yeah, your mom will think it's one helluva good one. I think it's sweet.''

Pause.

''Uh-Uhm, thank you.''

''You're welcome'', she said, with a smile.

Mike was walking back to his friend when thought he forgot to add : ''Thank you for your advice ! I mean...''

Then trotting back to Dustin, who was watching the scene from afar (discretly, behind another aisle) he raised a thumbs up and congratulated him. ''Wasn't actually that bad eh ? What did she say ?'' Mike stood stiffly in front of him, arms as straight as a stick and while he complained in a manner that looked familiar to Dustin, that he will get to him later one day, he confessed that it was not as hard as he had thought it would have happened.

''Hairspray ? Really ?''

''Yeah...''

And so they went and bought the hairspray, surely thinking that the were ready to face Mike's mother.

  August 26, 1983, Starcourt mall entrance.

16:21

Mrs. Wheeler was furious. She was, 'worried sick !' and 'could not believe that they will get away this easily'. Upon hearing that, both boys presented the little bottle of Aqua Net hairspray, and she couldn't help but sigh irritably at their gesture. However, it seemed like it worked, or maybe it wasn't the first time she witnessed them try to pacify their upcoming prejudice, because she did not try to continue the conversation yet. Looking at them, they thought, or rather liked to think that she came to the conclusion of school lurking in just a few days, and grounding them at such a timing might not be the greatest idea she would think of. Especially at the cost of their own shopping. She shook her head disapprovingly with the hairpsray bottle in her hand and asked ''We're going home, what would you two like for dinner ?''

#stranger things #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #karen wheeler #fanfiction #awkward teens #i tried to not make them OOC #i wrote as if the reader had not watched the series #first time wiritng :')

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