" EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, AND EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE, EVERY STEP YOU TAKE, I'LL BE WATCHING YOU. "

MORGANNA HAAS sat with Max Mayfield and Haven Harrington, the three of them huddled together like they had been friends forever. It was only the second week back at school, yet somehow, they had formed an unexpected—but completely irreplaceable—trio.

Sleepovers had already become a regular thing, as had sneaking out to the arcade, though they sometimes got caught by Haven's older brother, Steve.

Haven let out a sleepy yawn, resting her head on Max's shoulder. "El should be coming to school this week," she said with a smile, relieved that her sister would finally be starting ninth grade.

"Really?" Max perked up, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Yes! I'm so glad she'll be here! I missed hanging out with her every day," Haven grinned, practically buzzing with excitement at the thought of having her sister at school with her.

Max nodded in agreement. She had become good friends with El last year, though their friendship had gotten off to a rough start.

Suddenly, Max sat up, stretching her arms. "Do either of you know Brooklyn Moon?" she asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Brooklyn? Yeah, I know her," Morganna said, taking a bite of her pizza. "I've seen her a few times, but every time... she's acted, you know, weird."

Max blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "Weird?"

Haven nodded, resting her head on Max's shoulder. "Yeah, strange. She seemed fine the last time I saw her... but I do think something weird has been going on with Brayden Griffen," Morganna added with a shrug.

"Brayden Griffen?" Max repeated, her interest piqued. "I know him."

Morganna nodded. "I mean, I've seen him hanging around Clarence Heyward a lot. Maybe she knows what's up?"

Haven shrugged, absentmindedly picking at her food as curiosity lingered in her mind.

"Maybe, but I bet it's nothing," Morganna said dismissively.

Max nodded, then suddenly smirked. "Sooo... Morganna."

Morganna looked up at her, suspicious. "Hm?"

Max grinned. "Don't you and Matthew have something going on?"

A faint blush crept onto Morganna's cheeks as she rolled her eyes. "I mean... I guess..."

Max leaned in closer, her smirk widening. "I've seen him staring, you know."

Morganna's eyes widened as she swatted at Max's arm. "Max! Shut it!" she groaned, trying to suppress her embarrassment.

Haven laughed, throwing an arm around Morganna's shoulders. "Yes, hun, let's leave the poor girl alone," she teased, looking at Max, who crossed her arms with a dramatic huff.

Max squinted, watching as Steve and Olive chatted, completely wrapped up in their conversation. She chuckled, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"Look at them! Oh, please, they are so oblivious," Max said, pointing toward Steve and Olive. The two stood close, blushing and smiling at each other as they talked, completely unaware of their audience.

Just then, Eddie Munson strolled up, plopping down beside Morganna with a dramatic sigh. "Jeez! They're so oblivious, I had to get out of there," he said, shaking his head.

Morganna laughed, glancing at Eddie before turning her attention back to Steve and Olive. Steve must have noticed the group staring because he shot them a pointed glare.

That only made them laugh harder.

Graham Lindy and Will Byers sat quietly in the library, though only one of them was actually studying. Will was mostly there for the company, sketching absentmindedly instead of flipping through textbooks.

A small cassette player sat between them, playing Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash at a low volume—just quiet enough for Gray to focus.

"Hey, Will," Gray hummed, tapping his shoulder.

Will looked up, smiling. "Yeah?"

"Do you think superheroes are real?" Gray asked, his tone thoughtful.

Will hesitated for a moment before his lips curled into a small smile. The new group—friends of the original crew—didn't know the full truth yet. They had no idea that monsters and superpowers weren't just stories. But some of them were curious.

"I think anything's possible," Will answered simply. It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the whole truth either. Not yet, at least.

Gray hummed in response, nodding before turning back to his studies.

Will watched him for a moment, frowning. He wished he could tell Gray everything—the truth about monsters, powers, the Upside Down. But he just couldn't.

What Will didn't know was that Gray already had his suspicions. He wasn't sure why, but deep down, he knew superheroes—and maybe even something else—were real.

One night, he had stepped outside to let his dog, Teddy, into the yard. The woods loomed just beyond the gate, dark and eerily silent. At first, everything seemed normal—until Teddy's fur bristled, and he began barking wildly, his growls sharp and frantic.

Gray's breath hitched. His eyes widened.

And then—the porch lights flickered.

He swallowed hard, peering toward the treeline. His heart nearly stopped when he saw it—something tall, shadowy, and wrong. Its face—or lack thereof—sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Without thinking, Gray bolted back inside, dragging Teddy with him, slamming the door shut behind them.

Now, back in the library, he blinked himself out of the memory, tapping his pen against the table as he squinted at a question in his textbook, forcing himself to focus. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Most of the friend group had gathered after school—Haven Harrington, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, Alicia Harlett, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington, and Marlene Collins.

Some of their friends couldn't make it, caught up with other plans, but no one seemed to mind. The group still had plenty to talk about.

Steve and Alicia were deep in conversation with Robin when Alicia suddenly huffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, please, I never liked him. What? Why are you looking at me like that, Steve?"

Steve smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Because! You totally looked at him all lovey-dovey."

Alicia groaned, turning to Robin for backup. "I bet they're just friends, Harrington," Robin said with a laugh.

Steve sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just saying, Alicia—you should put yourself out there, you know? You might meet someone."

Alicia forced a small smile, but deep down, she hesitated. She wasn't ready to talk about her sexuality—not yet. Instead, she shrugged. "I guess," she murmured, her gaze flickering to Robin, who wasn't paying attention.

Alicia smiled as she glanced over at Christine and Mike, who were whispering and giggling to themselves. Christine suddenly grinned at him, folding her arms as she studied his face.

"You look paintable!" she giggled.

Mike's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to respond, then quickly shut it, completely caught off guard.

"I look... what?" he asked, staring at her in shock.

Lucas and Dustin exchanged amused glances, barely holding back their laughter.

"He'd look good in blue," Dustin whispered to Christine, who nodded in agreement.

"I should totally paint your nails!" Christine squealed, clapping her hands excitedly as she turned to Mike.

"Oh, uh—I think I'm good..." Mike mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Nuh-uh! You'd look so pretty in blue!" Christine insisted, beaming at him.

Mike felt his face flush slightly. With a small sigh, he gave in. "All right... if you say so."

The group was lost in their own world, completely unaware of the reality surrounding them. What they didn't realize was that everything was about to change—and fast.

✧.* hi guys!! chapter two is now here!! everyone please message or comment ideas here for your character and maybe even the s/o's for them!! idea's would be amazing since they are your oc's! i love you guys!! hope you enjoyed this! ♡︎

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