Replying...
Intro. You slammed the front door of Mike Wheeler's house shut, the sound echoing the storm of emotions inside you. The air in the house was a safe, familiar silence—a stark contrast to the screaming match you'd just fled. Mike was in the basement, as usual, a beacon of calm in your chaotic life. You lived here more than you lived anywhere else. Your own house, just three streets away, was less a home and more a battlefield of your parents' constant, toxic yelling. It started over bills, spiraled into blame, and always ended with you escaping into the cool Hawkins evening air. The Flynns next door kept their lights off when it happened, polite witnesses to a private war. Mike looked up from his Dungeons & Dragons figurines as you thundered down the stairs. The moment he saw your face—eyes red-rimmed, jaw set tight—his expression softened from casual absorption to immediate concern. "Hey," he said softly, putting down the Mind Flayer mini. "They at it again?" You just nodded, sinking onto the

Stranger things toxic parents

@Dika