May 24, 1985

AMARA ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT AUTUMN was her favorite season, but then spring would arrive and she'd think differently.

        The sky was tinged a rich azure as she drove home from Robin's house, the two of them having studied for their final exams for hours. It was close to the end of May, and her life had reverted to normal once more in the absence of bloodthirsty Demodogs and parallel dimensions, but the world wasn't about to give her a break just because she had helped save it. On top of her exams, Amara also had three job interviews on Sunday, a prom dress to buy, and a surprise birthday to help plan for Dustin before he departed to science camp for the month of June. To say she was busy was an understatement.

        But busy was good. It reminded Amara that unlike a year ago, she actually had a purpose and was more than just a girl with autism. She was a part-time babysitter to a group of misfit teens, a (hopefully) future employee, and a friend. Most importantly, she was a person of worth and she wished she'd realized that sooner.

        She soon approached the familiar red brick house perched at the juncture where Cornwallis met Cherry, parking her car adjacent to Kevin's. They still hadn't cleared out the garage enough to fit more than one of their cars, but it was the next item on Eurydice's task list. Amara could only hope that she'd get a job before her mother insisted on her help in the matter. Even so, it was nice to only have to worry about inconsequential things for once in her life.

        The scent of carbonara permeated the atmosphere as Amara shut the door behind her, hanging her backpack on one of the hooks in the front hall before seating herself at the kitchen table. Only Scott was there; Eurydice was finishing cooking and Kevin was in his room, undoubtedly talking on the phone he had raised enough money to install there.

        "Hey, honey," Scott beamed, leaning forward so he could chastely kiss Amara's forehead. "How was today?"

        "Pretty hectic," Amara replied, tucking a flyaway strand of burnt sienna behind her ear. "It's basically all about the final exams now at school, and all of my teachers are talking about college already when Nancy's probably the only person in our grade who's ready for it. Tomorrow I have to meet with Dustin's friends to plan his surprise party; Mike and his, umm, girlfriend and Lucas and Max are pretending to have 'couple time' tomorrow so he doesn't get suspicious, and Will's going to be pretending to write up a new D&D campaign," Amara made certain not to mention Eleven, who Hopper was still keeping under wraps even if he now let her spend time with the friends he'd deprived her of for a year. She was sure that not even Mike's parents knew about her.

        "Glad to hear," Scott voiced, removing his reading glasses as Eurydice came over with the food. "Work's been busy as well, but I guess I should be lucky that we're one of the only businesses left running after Starcourt opened."

        "You're also the one who wants me to get a job there," Amara pointed out.

        "Not that we support the mall or anything, but it's probably the only place where you'll make any money," Eurydice reasoned, extracting her cooking gloves before hollering, "Kevin, get off the phone! Dinner's ready!"

        Amara picked up on a faint scuffle upstairs before Kevin came bounding down the stairs, attired in ripped khakis and a denim jacket. His handsome face was creased in vexation as he joined his family at the table, making no effort to hide his emotions from his parents out of spite. "God, I can't wait until I get to dorm next semester," he muttered loud enough for Eurydice and Scott to hear, helping himself to pasta.

        "Well until then, dinner's at 7:30 every weeknight," Eurydice reminded Kevin with a scowl. "Why do you even need to talk to your girlfriend on the phone when you saw her earlier today?"

        "I was talking to her because I didn't see her today," Kevin corrected through a mouthful of food. "Our classes conflicted."

        At some point following the New Year, Kevin had started dating Ximena Williams, a girl in his year at the University of Indianapolis. He had previously gone out with a girl named Rosemary for the latter half of his senior year of high school, only for them to break it off when he had to move to Hawkins. While Kevin hadn't been with Ximena long enough for him to feel comfortable introducing her to his family, she seemed nice enough from everything Kevin had told them about her.

        "Oh, I see," Eurydice realized. "Either way, you were on the phone for half an hour. You'll jack up the phone bill if you aren't careful enough."

        "Understood," Kevin yielded. While he and Eurydice loved each other dearly, the two of them appeared to be squabbling more often than usual, especially when it came to subjects such as work or college. Amara supposed it had to do with the fact that Kevin was an adult now, but she did her best to tune out their disputes by distracting herself with the science fiction novels lining her shelves or the mixtape Robin had gifted her for Christmas, just as her family found ways to make do with her defects.

        After a few minutes of the Reid family eating in silence, Eurydice spoke again, "So, as you both probably know, your father and I will be celebrating our twenty-fifth anniversary in a month and a half."

        "Yeah, I know," Kevin responded, twirling spaghetti around his fork. "It's the exact same date as your twenty-fourth anniversary was."

        "It's our silver anniversary," Scott piped up, eying his son warily as he prepared to break the news of the plans he and Eurydice had finalized the night before. "Your mother and I purchased tickets to see Beehive on Broadway on the 2nd of July. We'll be traveling to New York City for a week."

        "That sounds so cool!" Amara answered before Kevin could, the latter irritable that he couldn't still be on the phone with his girlfriend. "I hope you two have fun."

        "It also means that the two of you will be in charge of the house for a week," Eurydice added. "Since your father won't be able to work while we're gone, I expect you both to go to your jobs every day other than the Fourth of July. That includes you, Kevin."

        "But Melvald's is barely getting any customers at this rate!" Kevin contended. "Everyone's going to the mall now, we're lucky if we can even get five customers daily. Maybe I should just quit and get a job at Starcourt, I'd make a lot more there."

        "You've been working at Melvald's for nearly three years, which means you have credentials," Scott told Kevin. "Either way, you landed that gig at the Indianapolis Star this fall, so you won't be working at Melvald's for much longer."

        "I know," Kevin sighed. "It's just so boring when nobody's coming in except the Chief when he's ranting to Joyce about his, umm, back problems." He also made sure not to articulate Eleven's name, the girl he had never met but heard a lot about from Amara, Joyce, and Hopper. But he was referring to her relationship with Mike in particular, which was the source of Hopper's complaints.

        "That's a part of work, son," Scott stated, clearing his throat. "I have to deal with annoying co-workers and customers all the time, but those experiences only help us grow."

        "What day do you guys get back?" Amara queried, keen to shift the conversation away from Kevin's work troubles.

        "July fourth," Eurydice informed them. "We couldn't find any earlier flights this far in advance. Sorry we have to miss the Fourth of July parade this year."

        "It's fine, it won't be any different than the ones we've already been to," Kevin assured them, slinging an arm around Amara's shoulders. "Well, you guys have fun, and let's hope I haven't had to ban the Chief from Melvald's by the time you get back."

        "He's the Chief of Police, he can go wherever he wants," Amara brought up, spooning more carbonara onto her plate.

        "Don't tell him that!" Kevin warned Amara. "He might get ideas!"

        And just like that, Eurydice and Kevin's altercation faded into the background as the four of them erupted into peals of laughter. Because trivial arguments about finances weren't permanent – the love they had for one another was.

THE SUN WAS HIGH in the sky as Amara drove half of the Party to Melvald's to search for supplies for Dustin's upcoming birthday, faintly humming along to Electric Light Orchestra. While they would have had arguably better luck at Starcourt, Amara wanted to support small businesses, especially one where someone who had taken all of them under her wing worked. Mike and Eleven had taken advantage of them feigning having 'couple time' that day to actually go ahead with it, leaving Lucas, Max, and Will as the only ones left in on the plan.

        "I hope Dustin doesn't get mad at us," Will fretted. He and Dustin were the only two members of the original Party without girlfriends, although the former had never appeared to display any interest in girls. Amara vaguely wondered if it was because his exposure to the Upside Down had hindered his growth, given that he was one of the only Party members still enthusiastic about Dungeons and Dragons while his friends preferred the mall or spending time with their significant others, or if it was something more. But she wasn't close enough with Will to delve into his personal life.

        "Don't worry, I called Steve to make sure he's got company," Amara reassured Will, smiling while keeping her eyes fixed on the road. It was almost painful how lifeless downtown Hawkins had become, but she supposed it was the result of 'good old-fashioned American capitalism,' as her dad would say. "They're probably watching Star Wars for the millionth time now."

        "I can't believe Steve likes Star Wars now," Lucas commented from where he and Max were seated in the back of Amara's Honda. "You and Dustin are corrupting him."

        Compared to Mike and Eleven, Amara found Lucas and Max easier to be around as a couple; while they had their issues, mainly Max dumping Lucas every time he angered her, they made sure to balance time with each other and their friends, specifically in the case of prepping for Dustin's fourteenth. Even if Mike and Eleven were making up for all the time they'd lost, Amara didn't believe it to be healthy of them to spend every second in each other's company and abandon their friends. Though they cared about one another deeply, Amara knew that Will and Dustin missed when their Party was a Party and not a bunch of couples.

        The one consolation of Robin being gay was that it would be a while before she met a girl who was also attracted to girls, let alone had feelings for her. As for Amara, even if she had friends who loved her in spite (because, it was because) of her autism, she was still under the impression that no one would ever want to be with her romantically if they knew of it. Bullshit.

        "I'd say we're enlightening him," Amara offered, turning left onto Main Street. In the last five months, she'd introduced Steve to a broad range of science fiction movies (not books, since he didn't like reading) including E.T., Starman, Indiana Jones, and more. It almost made Steve feel bad that he didn't have anything as good to offer to her. "Who needs parties when you can have fake lightsaber fights?"

        "Fair point," Lucas conceded, unbuckling his seatbelt after Amara parked her car outside of Melvald's and stepping out along with everyone else. As they'd expected, the store wasn't bustling with townspeople the way it was only a few months ago. A banner promising fifty percent off of any purchase greeted them as they strolled indoors, the familiar woman behind the cash register perking up at the noise of the bell jangling. Hopper wasn't there, though that might have been because Mike was only allowed to be over at the cabin when he was there as well.

        "Oh, hey guys!" Joyce greeted them with a warm smile. "What are you here for?"

        "We're just picking up supplies for Dustin's birthday next week," Will briefed his mother, sidestepping her before she could ruffle his hair. It had taken time, but the obliteration of the supernatural world had convinced Joyce to shed her protectiveness of her younger son even if she still worried about him occasionally. Lucas and Max had strolled down an aisle and located a crop of party hats, throwing eight into a basket. Meanwhile, Amara wandered to the back of the store, where she was greeted with all manner of party horns and noisemakers.

        It felt nice for Amara to diversify who she hung out with. Afternoons with Robin, study hall with Nancy and Jonathan, and weekends with Steve and the kids. These were the people she'd needed all her life.

        "Okay, looks like we've got everything," Max relayed once they'd regrouped near the entrance to the store. They'd also collected streamers and confetti – all they needed left was Eleven's telekinesis to grant them access to the Henderson residence and to bake a cake the day before May 29th. Amara placed their purchases on the counter, but Joyce raised her hands in protest.

        "You don't have to pay for any of this," Joyce insisted, attempting to push the gear back into the basket. "You guys are family."

        Amara's heart melted at Joyce's statement, but she quickly reminded herself how much Melvald's was struggling to stay afloat. How unjust was it that a business that had been operating for more than a decade was on the brink of collapse due to a commercial mall that had only existed for months? "No, it's fine," she dug into her wallet and handed Joyce seven dollars and twenty-eight cents. "Here you go."

        "Okay, fine," Joyce gave up, knowing full well that she just might need that money. "But you keep the change."

        Amara decided not to argue with that. She pocketed the change and bagged up their supplies, following her three younger friends out of Melvald's. Unlocking her Honda, she shoved the items into the trunk before closing it and taking residence in the driver's seat.

        "Jesus, Amara, you're so noble," Lucas grimaced as though paying seven dollars for party equipment was such a scandal.

        Will, on the other hand, was immensely grateful. "Thank you," he made sure to tell Amara. "My mom really needed that money."

        "Anytime," Amara replied. With a twist of her keys, the car engine roared to life. "So, where to next?"

        "Maybe we could play D&D?" Will suggested, though his heart sank at the notion that his offer would be turned down again. "I could teach you how to play if you'd like."

        "It's no fun without everyone else," Max reminded them. "There's this really cool skateboard I've been saving money for at the mall. Plus, I'm in the mood for some ice cream. What do you guys think?"

        "I'd be down for that," Lucas nodded, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. "Sorry, Will."

        Amara turned to face Will, who looked dejected as he stared through the windshield. She sympathized with him in the sense that similar to him, her field of interest wasn't of the cultural norm. They were all nerds, but some of them were gradually losing interest in nerdy things. Will was a boy who had been robbed of his childhood and wasn't quite ready to grow up, but his friends were and he could either sprint to catch up with them or be left behind, and no one would check in on him because his life was no longer in peril.

        "There's this D&D club at Hawkins High," Amara disclosed to Will. "It's called Hellfire. I've never been interested but you'd probably love it. You should check it out next year."

        "Thanks, Amara," Will's voice quivered mid-sentence, and Lucas and Max almost regretted suggesting they go to Starcourt. "I really needed to hear that."

        Maybe Amara would have loved D&D just as much as the Party did (or used to) if she had friends growing up. But she didn't, so she'd never participated in a game that required more than one player if it wasn't a game of Sorry! or Parcheesi with her family. But at the end of the day, her empathy was unmatched. It was a trait everyone who got to know her admired about her.

        With that, Amara pressed her foot on the accelerator and took off in the direction of the mall she'd deliberately chosen to avoid when looking for supplies for Dustin's birthday. Because there was only one place in all of Hawkins where they'd be able to get a new skateboard, ice cream, and a prom dress.

"I GOT THE JOB!"

        It was Sunday afternoon and Robin Buckley was ecstatic upon leaving Starcourt after three back-to-back interviews. When Amara had suggested that they both get jobs over the summer Robin initially hadn't been interested but acknowledged that she'd likely grow bored if her best friend was working all summer. She had booked interviews for Scoops Ahoy, the Gap, and Starcourt Cinemas, but had been leaning towards the third option mostly because it gave her the opportunity to watch movies for free.

        "Congrats!" Amara exclaimed. Originally, the idea of applying for a job had been daunting to her, especially if any employer found out about the numerous amount of schools she had been expelled from. But while crafting her résumé, Eurydice conveyed to her that she didn't need to include where she went to elementary or middle school, which was a tremendous relief for her. It also helped that she was able to include that she was a part-time babysitter, even if she didn't get paid. "Did you get any others?"

        "I also got Scoops, but they're facing an employee shortage and it's literally just slinging ice cream," Robin mentioned as Amara backed out of the parking lot and started down Prospect. "I didn't get the job at the Gap, but that was mostly a backup option. What about you?"

        "I got both Scoops and Waldenbooks," Amara relayed, easing her foot on the gas pedal when they approached more traffic, most likely townspeople who had lost their jobs assembling for another protest in front of Mayor Kline's office. "They put me on the waiting list at Kaufman Shoes."

        "Maybe we could sling ice cream together," Robin proposed. By now they were stuck behind a line of cars that seemed to stretch as far as the next block. "I mean, it would probably get boring after a while but I'd much rather work with you than some creep. And I wouldn't get to go to the movies for free, but at least we'd get free ice cream."

        "I'll consider it," Amara answered. Waldenbooks had been her first choice with its wide array of novels and records, but she also liked the idea of working alongside her best friend.

        She just had to see what her other close friend would be doing over the summer.

        Steve Harrington's grades were shitty but met the required standards for him to graduate high school. However, he hadn't been accepted into his top choice of college, the Indiana Institute of Technology, or anywhere for that matter. At least he wasn't Eddie Munson, Hawkins High's drug dealer and leader of the Hellfire Club who would be repeating his senior year for the third time next fall, but it wasn't exactly a high bar for him. And after a shouting match with his father in which the latter had called him a disappointment again, he wasn't even allowed to work for Harrington Hardware.

        If it wasn't for the addition of Amara and Dustin in his life, Steve would have felt as though he'd lost everything. His girlfriend, who he was now thankfully over, his popularity, even his charm. A few days ago he'd tried flirting with Hannah Underwood during basketball practice but she'd been too preoccupied ogling Billy Hargrove's toned abdomen to pay him any mind. And even then, Steve had kept fumbling over his lines.

        Maybe he was out of practice. Or perhaps there was a part of him that didn't want to be with someone who didn't truly know him.

        "Dude, I know you're thinking about her."

        Steve pivoted to face Dustin, his sunkissed features arranged in a toothless grin. They were watching Return of the Jedi but Dustin had noticed that Steve appeared to be staring through the screen rather than at it. He had been gazing off into space a lot recently, leading Dustin to deduce that he had feelings for someone, namely Amara. To be fair, he'd called it from the beginning.

        "No, I'm not thinking about Nance, okay?" Steve played off with an airy wave of his hand. "She and I are friends now. I'm happy for her and Jonathan."

        "I'm not talking about Nance, and you know that," Dustin shot back, pausing the movie. "I'm talking about Amara, who you obviously like."

        "For the last time, I don't like her that way," Steve tried to convince himself as much as Dustin. "She's just a friend, that's all. A friend."

        "Sure, and you don't stare at her all the time," Even if they were good friends, Dustin still relished getting under Steve's skin from time to time. "And she isn't the reason you've been so happy these last few months – "

        "Because she's my friend, Henderson," Steve reiterated, though his cheeks were flushed. "You're friends with Max and El and you don't like them that way, right? It's the same for me and Amara."

        "Well to be fair I liked Max for a bit," Dustin pointed out thoughtfully, "but after she and Lucas got together my feelings for her just... faded away, I guess. And El and Mike have always had something special. My point is that you're less likely to fall for someone if there's a barrier in the way, such as a boyfriend. Amara isn't dating anyone but she could if you don't say anything – "

        "Why are you the one giving me advice right now?" Steve challenged, attempting to deflect the discussion. "I'm the one who's supposed to tell you how to win someone over, not the other way around."

        "Well if I may recall, your advice is really shitty," Dustin deadpanned, crossing his arms over his torso. "I don't remember it helping me at the Snowball or on Valentine's Day, and I doubt it's going to help me at Camp Know Where. And are you seriously going to try to win Amara over by pretending not to care about her?"

        "I'm not going to try to win her over or pretend not to care about her because I don't like her!" Steve clamored, shoving Dustin harsher than he meant to. Before he could say anything else, the phone rang and he was immediately on his feet and darting to the other side of the living room, tuning out Dustin's laughter the best he could as he pressed the phone to his ear.

        "Hello?" he said.

        "Hey, Steve!" Amara spoke from the other end, having returned home after dropping Robin off at her house. "Have you figured out where you'll be working this summer?"

        "Not for my dad," Steve responded, his voice despondent. Dustin had left the couch to join Steve by the phone and was eagerly listening in on their conversation. "What about you?"

        "I got offered positions at Scoops Ahoy and Waldenbooks," Amara informed Steve. "My friend Robin also got Scoops and Starcourt Cinemas, but we're thinking of working at Scoops together. Maybe you could apply there as well?"

        "Yes, he'd love to apply there!" Dustin had pried the phone from Steve's hands and was speaking into it before Steve could even come up with an answer. "He loves ice cream and he also thinks you'd look pretty in one of those sailor outfits."

        "Give me back the phone!" Steve snarled, succeeding in wrenching it from Dustin's grip. He could detect Amara's giggle from the other end as he muttered, "Ignore him, he's crazy."

        "So will you be applying there?" Amara inquired, disregarding Dustin's remark. "They're having an employee shortage, so you'll probably have no trouble getting the job. And there aren't any qualifications required, you just have to be good at scooping ice cream."

        "Okay," Steve decided, cool with the idea of working with Amara. "I might need your help with the application, though. I doubt my dad's up to assist me, not when he still thinks I'm a disappointment."

        "I'm sorry, Steve," Amara's voice was sympathetic; Steve had recounted numerous tales of his dad calling him a disgrace, especially after he'd been turned down from every college he'd applied to. If only Steve's father knew how much his son meant to everyone he had protected from Billy and the Upside Down. "I'll see you tomorrow. Tell Dustin I say hi!"

        "See you tomorrow," Steve bid Amara goodbye before hanging up the phone. He remained stationary by the landline for a moment, until –

        "You're down bad for her, Steve," Dustin articulated with that shit-eating grin that drove Steve crazy.

        "Shut up!"

published to quotev: 10/21/22
published to wattpad: 9/14/24

AUTHOR'S NOTE

welcome to season 3, aka my favorite season of stranger things! season three is full of good vibes and features a more confident, sure of herself amara! i'd like to start off by mentioning that robin exhibits autistic traits in season 4 including difficulty reading social cues, sensory issues, and thinking outside the box. i didn't realize that she might be neurodivergent when i first published this, so i wanted to make sure to include it without it being so sudden. i don't know if robin actually has autism/adhd but as a person on the spectrum i would love for it to be confirmed or at least further explored in season 5.

also my heart broke when writing this chapter knowing will's not gonna get the chance to join hellfire :( poor boy deserves so much better.

love, lydia xx