STEVE HARRINGTON and his younger sister, Haven, hurried to get ready for school—well, Haven was the one hurrying.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be late!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Steve, far less concerned, shot her an unimpressed look. "If you'd give me one second, you wouldn't have to set me on fire," he muttered.

Haven huffed, rolling her eyes, but didn't argue further as they finally rushed out the door. They piled into Steve's car, and after a quick drive, pulled into the school parking lot. The moment they arrived, Haven's face lit up at the sight of Harper Lane, one of her childhood best friends.

Without wasting a second, she hopped out of the car and ran to greet Harper with a tight hug.

Steve, offering a casual, "Hey," in Harper's direction, didn't stick around—heading off to class, or wherever else he planned to be.

Haven caught Harper watching Steve walk away, prompting her to swat her friend's arm.

"Hey! Why are we checking out my brother?" she teased, shooting Harper a knowing look.

Harper let out a dramatic sigh. "Listen... Steve and Eddie are just so cute!" she gushed, though most of her rambling quickly turned to Eddie.

Haven smirked—she'd always known Harper had a bigger crush on Eddie, and honestly, she had to admit they'd make a pretty cute pair.

"Oh please, we all know Olive has the hots for Steve," Haven said with a grin. "But you? You'd look way better with Eddie."

Harper didn't argue—her dreamy expression said it all.

"Well, my dear friend, let's go make sure Chrissy isn't busy snogging Mike in the halls," Haven teased, giggling as she grabbed Harper's hand and pulled her toward the bustling school entrance, where the hallways buzzed with chatter.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

At lunch, Alicia Harlett, Robin Buckley, and Olive Croft were already seated, waiting for Haven and Harper to arrive.

"Ugh, finally!" Robin quipped dramatically, pulling them both into quick hugs. The group grinned at each other, launching into stories about their summer.

Being the first day back, they all knew it was only a matter of time before the weight of classes and homework hit them full force.

"Why can't your brother just admit he likes me?!" Olive groaned, dropping her head onto the table in frustration.

Haven smirked. "Because he's a total scaredy-cat."

Olive shot her a glare and nudged her side. "Is not! He's sweet!" she insisted, before suddenly sitting up, her expression shifting to panic. "Wait—what if he actually doesn't like me?"

Haven chuckled, shaking her head. "You're a lot to handle, Croft."

Olive rolled her eyes, but the moment she spotted Steve walking by, her face flushed a deep shade of red.

Steve flashed the group a smile as he strolled over. "Hey," he greeted casually.

Robin smirked. "Hi, dingus," she teased, giving him a wave.

Meanwhile, Olive stood completely frozen. Harper, noticing her predicament, discreetly nudged her side, urging her to say something.

"Oh—uh, hi!" Olive finally mumbled, her gaze dropping to the table.

Haven chuckled to herself, shaking her head. They were hopeless. But everyone knew that.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Brooklyn Moon moved quietly through the halls, her headphones on, music drowning out the noise around her.

Arms wrapped around her stomach, she walked with purpose—heading toward the counselor's office.

Max Mayfield caught sight of her, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Something about Brooklyn's demeanor seemed off, but Max ultimately shrugged it off, slamming her locker shut before heading toward the bathroom.

Lately, Brooklyn hadn't been sleeping well. Nightmares haunted her every night, relentless and vivid.

All she could see was the Upside Down.

No matter how much she told herself it wasn't her fault, she still carried the weight of every loss over the past two years.

Maybe it was because she had been too deep in it—too tangled in this nightmare to ever truly escape.

She didn't know.

But she hated it.

✧.* hello my dear loves!! how are we enjoying this? I hope i did well! please comment interaction ideas if you have any for your oc with any character! ♡︎