Chapter One
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Keith the Geek

October 1984

Olivia Henderson's favorite season was fall, especially in her small town of Hawkins, Indiana. The town was festive when it came to the season. The streets were lined up with orange pumpkins, orange and yellow reefs were hung on front doors for decoration, and the smell of apple cider lingered in the air. Olivia gazed out her window dreamily as she was sprawled on her bed while holding her telephone close to her ear as she talked to her best friend Nancy Wheeler on the phone.

            Ever since the dreadful events of last year, Olivia and Nancy became close friends and now she could never imagine her life without her. While she wished last year had never happened, she was grateful to have gained a wonderful friend out of it. Nancy was the kind of best friend any girl dreamed of having— she was loyal, kind, and brave.

"Liv, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to night?" Nancy questioned.

"Sorry, I'm going to the arcade with my brother. He's been complaining that we haven't been hanging out enough since school started," The bushy-haired girl laughed softly. "Plus, I promised Joyce that I would keep an eye out on Will."

"You hang out with your brother too much," Nancy joked. "Hey, doesn't that weird guy Keith work there?"

Keith Cardarople was a good friend of Olivia's, and while he was awkward, they both bonded over their love of Star Wars, and he was one of the few people who Olivia felt like she could be her true self around. "He's not weird, Nance!" Olivia defended with a giggle. "He's just geeky, is all. But there's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh, he so has a crush on you!" Nancy sang. Despite Olivia's denials, the statement was true. Keith often followed the Henderson girl around at school like a shadow. "It's so painfully obvious. But you can do so much better then Keith Cardarople."

"Keith and I are just friends, Nance," Olivia scrunched her nose at the thought of dating him.

"Look, all I'm saying is, is that you should get out there. You're the best person I know and you deserve someone to make you happy," Nancy sighed on the other end of the line.

"I just don't think I'm ready," Olivia replied honestly. "And it's not like guys are lining up to date me," She meant to say it as a joke, but Nancy rolled her eyes even though Olivia couldn't see.

"Are you kidding me?" Nancy scoffed. She knew the eldest Henderson has always had insecurities about her looks, and it baffled Nancy that she couldn't see how beautiful she was. "You're gorgeous, and any guy would be lucky to have you."

Before Olivia could reply, the door to her bedroom opened, revealing it to be her brother. Dustin gave her a toothy grin and pointed to his watch, signaling that it was time to go.

Olivia said goodbye to Nancy, hanging up the phone and the two siblings drove off to the arcade.

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            Once the siblings arrived at the arcade, Olivia immediately spotted the party who were already there. The arcade sign was brightly lit in neon letters. Olivia liked the arcade— it was one of the only places of entertainment the quiet town of Hawkins offered.

            Dustin immediately rushed towards the Dragon Lair, his favorite game. Olivia rolled her eyes as she watched Dustin and his friends play, eagerly waiting for him to beat his high score. As much as she loved watching Dustin get excited over the simple things in life, it made her wonder about what Nancy said to her on the phone, and that maybe it was time for her to get out there.

            Olivia crossed her arms as the boys yelled frustratedly at the game. Dustin kicked the game in disbelief, not believing that he lost. "Whatever," He mumbled. "I'm still tops on Centipede and Dig Dug."

            "You sure about that?" Keith said from behind them in his usual monotone voice, glancing at Olivia who was standing behind group of boys.

          "Sure about what?" Dustin panicked. Keith remained silent, munching on a cheetoh. Olivia's stifled a giggle. It was rare to see Keith without some sort of snack in his hand.

            Dustin panicked and pushed through the crowd of kids to see what Keith was talking about with Olivia following behind him.

            "751,300 points?" Will exclaimed, reading off of the screen.

            Mike widened his eyes. "That's impossible!"

            "Who's Madmax?" Dustin asked curiously, turning back to Keith.

            "Better than you," Keith retorted.

            "Is it you?" Will asked, pointing at Keith.

            "You know I despise Dig Dug," Keith scoffed.

            "Then who is it?" Lucas questioned.

            "Yeah, spill it Keith!" Dustin demanded.

            "You want information, then I need something in return," Keith's eyes travelled to Olivia, arching his eyebrows.

            All the boys turn to Olivia with pleading looks. Olivia widened her eyes as it slowly dawned on her what Keith meant. "No," She said firmly. "No way, Keith. You know you and I are just friends."

            Keith shifted his gaze from her to the ground, and a wave of guilt washed over Olivia. "Come on, Liv!" Lucas begged. "Just go on one date with him!"

            Olivia turned to Dustin and he looked at he pleadingly and she almost gave in.

            Dustin looked back at the boys. "You know what, we're not prostituting my sister!" He exclaimed, and Olivia covered her mouth with her hand, trying not laugh at the situation wounded herself in. "Don't go on the date, Liv. He's gonna spread his nasty-ass rash to our family anyway. And I don't want acne!"

            "Dusty!" Olivia scolded him. "That's not nice."

            "Yeah," Keith agreed with a small nod. "Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid."

            "Keith," Olivia warned.

            Dustin signaled for his sister to stop talking. "Oh, I'm a wastoid?" He snorted. "Liv deserves better than you and she wouldn't go on a date with you. You make like what, $2.50 an hour?"

            The boys continued their silly bickering as Olivia tried to stop them but to no avail. "Guys! I'm literally right here," She tried, but the boys ignored her.

            She frowned and turned around, only to notice Will was missing. She panicked inside and glanced around the arcade, looking for the boy. When she couldn't find him, her first instinct was to run outside. She wouldn't know what to do with herself if Will was missing, when Joyce trusted her to watch him.

            She felt her shoulders relax when she finally found the small boy, gazing up at the arcade sign outside. "Will, are you okay?"

            Will flinched and Olivia tilted her head at him in concern. "Yeah... I just... I needed some air."

            His answer made Olivia frown, knowing that he wasn't telling the full truth. She decided to reluctantly let it go, not wanting to pry. She extended her arm out for him take. "Come on. You're up on Dig Dug," She smiled softly.

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             Olivia walked in the hallways of Hawkins High with Jonathan and Nancy. The three stopped in their tracks when her and Nancy get handed a bright orange colored flyer. "Hey Nancy, Hey Olivia." Tina Anderson, one of the most popular girls in Hawkins High, greeted them kindly. Olivia was a bit surprised that the girl even knew her name, let alone was handing her an invitation.

            Nancy took another flyer, handing it over to Jonathan. "Come and get sheet-faced," Jonathan read the flyer, and Olivia chuckled to herself at the joke.

            "You're coming to this! The both of you!" Nancy chirped.

            "No, we're not," Jonathan and Olivia chorused, sharing a glance with each other.

            "I can't just let you sit all alone on Halloween. That's just not acceptable," Nancy shook her head at the pair.

            "Well, you can relax. I'm not gonna be alone. I'm going trick or treating with Will and Liv will be with us with Dustin," Jonathan informed as Olivia nodded along.

            Nancy raised her eyebrows. "All night? No... no way. You guys are gonna be home by eight. Jonathan, you'll be listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something. And Liv, you'll probably be listening to the Bangles."

             Olivia smiled at her best friend, knowing how well Nancy knew her. "Sounds like a nice night," Jonathan shrugged.

            "Just come, you guys," Nancy pleaded. "I mean, who knows? Maybe you guys could go together?"

           Jonathan and Olivia both immediately take a step apart from each other. "It's not like that! We're just friends," She said quickly, her cheeks tinted pink. She would die if Jonathan ever found out about her feelings for him.

         "Really? You guys are so close, I just assumed that you liked each other," The Wheeler girl trailed off.

           Olivia shifted uncomfortably before Steve started sneaking up behind Nancy, wearing shades that made him look like Tom Cruise. He pulled Nancy close to him and Nancy nudged his shoulder playfully. Olivia let out a heavy sigh, looking up at Jonathan who had the same sad expression as her. As much as she was happy for Nancy, it made her wish that she had something like that, someone who loved her. More than anything, she desperately wanted that with Jonathan but she knew it would most likely never happen. Her heart sunk as she solemnly walked away with Jonathan.