jeg elsker deg

4113 characters, 763 words

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I used to love winter, used to love playing in the snow and feeling the snowflakes land on my nose. My brother and I always went sledding on days like this, light snowfall and a slightly cloudy sky. I miss hearing his scream as he slid down the hill, laughing once he reached the bottom with rosy cheeks from the cold. Now, winter makes me feel sick. The snowflakes make me wish I could just drift away into the cold wind, wishing I could just go back in time to when winter was happy...when I was happy.

My mother's voice brings me back to reality, realizing I spaced out looking at our small memorial for my brother in our living room. His senior portrait sits in the middle, his bright smile bringing the photo to life. Several figurines of angels sit around the frame, my mother placing them there as a way to bring hope to the display. The day he went missing, she assumed he wasn’t coming back. My mom believed he was killed, kidnapped by the same people who took those people last summer. My dad and I had a different idea, we knew he was still here.

"I'll be back." I say, picking up Carrie from the top of my TV and slipping on my large winter coat. I don't wait for answer before walking out the door and towards town.

Several cars zoom past me as I walk with my head low, snowflakes landing on my hair and face as I walk against the sharp wind.

The same bell rings as I swing open the door to the video store, feeling eyes on me as I slide Carrie through the return shoot.

"Welcome to Family Video." The girl speaks from the counter. I give her a small smile, returning to the aisles and looking through the numerous titles-

"Hey." A voice startles me, making me jump. I turn to see Steve standing next to me, a box of numerous titles in his arms. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." I laugh nervously, crossing my arms over my chest. I start to turn back to the shelf, but Steve continues talking.

"Did you go to Hawkins?"

"I go to Hawkins, yeah." I answer, keeping my gaze on the movies.

"Right, you're a senior." I see him place the box down in the corner of my eye. "I remember seeing you around... you're John Hall's sister, right?"

I ball my left fist, an ache in my chest as he says his name. "Yeah, that's me."

"I used to play basketball with him, I'm Steve."

"Harrington, yeah." I turn to look at him, giving a fake smile. "Good to see you."

I start walking away, wanting this conversation to be over. Tears well up in my eyes, internally wishing I hadn't left the house. Two aisles down, I continue to search for a movie, finding the Changeling and picking it up.

Turning back to the front counter, I see Robin slouched over with her face half covered by a magazine. As I get closer, she sets it down and stands straight.

"Ready to check out?" She smiles, taking the tape and nodding her head. "You've got good taste."

"Thanks." I smile back, sliding my money over before tapping my fingers on the counter.

"I don't think we've talked before, I'm Robin." She slides my change across.

"Mickey.” I reply.

“I know,” Her lined eyes widen, “I mean, uh, we have history together.”

“Oh really?” My head tilts, slowing recognizing her light brown hair. “Right, you sit next to Kelly Weiss.”

“That’s me.” She smiles, seeing her visibly relax. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if you didn’t recognize me-“

“Robin, you scaring our customers away?” Steve jokes, walking behind the counter with a handful of tapes.

“No, we were just talking about how we have history together.”

He turns around, looking at the two of us with a smile. “No way, that’s adorable.”

Robin and I look at him with confusion, adorable? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

“Stop being weird, dingus.” She groans, pushing his arm hard enough for him to stumble. I try and hold back a laugh, finding their banter entertaining.

“Chill out Robin, I’m just kidding around.” Steve looks to my face, smirking. “Your friend here finds it funny.”

“Whatever, it’ll be $3 again.” Robin presses the buttons on the cash register, taking my change and setting it in the drawer.

AN: This was a plot concept I had for Season 4 of Stranger Things. I started this a while ago and started working on it again, I hope you all like it :)

440 words, 2,293 characters

December 1985

A blast of warm air hits my face, a harsh contrast to the freezing Indiana air outside. A small bell rings as the door to the video store closes behind me, three heads turning in my direction. One face I immediately recognize, memories of my first year at Hawkins flood back as I remember his cocky smirk and arm around Nancy Wheeler.

"Welcome to Family Video." The girl beside him says, boredom laced in her greeting.

"Thanks." I reply, heading to the aisles of movies. My hand trails along the shelves, scanning over the titles until I find the one I'm looking for, Carrie. As my hand reaches for the box, an uneasy feeling hints at my stomach. I look back to the front counter and see two pairs of eyes quickly look away. Keeping my eyes on them, I grab the tape and return to the counter.

"Carrie...pretty spooky." The girl smiles as she rings me up. "It'll be $3." I hand over my money and take my tape.

"Thanks." I say with a small wave, leaving the the video store and beginning my walk home. The soft crunch of the snow beneath my sneakers brings memories back, clutching tight onto my tape as I hear his voice in the back of my mind. A sharp wind causes me to pause, turning back suddenly and seeing what seems to be a tall figure behind me. My breath gets caught in my throat, staring off at the figure as it slowly begins to fade to nothing. I shake my head, laughing softly at myself as I turn the corner to my street.

I hate always believing he's around. I didn't think missing him would make me this crazy, I feel like he's all around.

-

A deep sigh escapes my lips, wrapping my blanket around myself as I sit on the couch. The opening scene begins to play, already losing focus as I feel tears well up in my eyes. The last time I watched this movie was with my brother. I think back to our movie nights, the only time I could drown out the sounds of my parents yelling was when I was in the den with the TV turned up. I watch with tears streaming down my cheeks as the girls chant and throw things as Carrie, her crying along with me for a different reason.

I wipe my eyes, grabbing the remote and shutting the TV off. The black screen shows my reflection, my eyes puffy and eyes glossy. I wrap the blanket around tighter, the chill of the room getting stronger.