Chelsea Steely had always been a fun girl. She'd often take hikes up the west coast mountains or sunbathe on the sandy beaches. She'd attend fairs every year like clockwork and had a group of friends who were always more than willing to accompany her on joy rides. She was young and free with an adventurous heart, and yet somehow she ended up in Hawkins, the place where time seemed to literally stand still.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride?" Chelsea asked as she ran her hand through her wavy brown hair yet again. The spring day was oddly humid with warm winds and the sun showing itself for the first time that week. She wiped at the light sheen of sweat that sat on her forehead and sighed. She was bored, something she found was not uncommon when you'd been forced to move to a town in the middle of Indiana. The only interaction she'd had in the past few days since arriving had been with her cousin's friends, a group of kids who seemed to get into more trouble than even she could handle.

"No, I'm good," Dustin replied. "My friends will just stare at you again. You're too pretty."

She chuckled at his reference to the previous days where the younger boys seemed to focus on her every move as if she was a new creature to them. She couldn't even grab something from the kitchen without one of them watching intently.

"You think I'm pretty," she awed, her hand touching her heart. Every year Dustin would spend a week with her family out in California so she was more than fond of her little family member. He wouldn't ever admit it out loud but he thought she was pretty cool as well.

"Ew no, gross. You're my cousin!" He quickly corrected. "But you're a girl."

"Max and Jane are girls," Chelsea pointed out. She'd met the two girls and she was convinced they were the coolest of the bunch. She especially liked the redhead as she seemed adamant to be nonconforming to the typical gender stereotypes. She saw herself in her and the younger girl seemed elated to have someone older she could talk to.

"Yeah but you're a real girl."

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"Come on Chels, why don't you just hang out with Steve? I know you're bored," Dustin replied as he scoured the sofas for spare change. She sighed deeply, not liking the idea of being left home alone.

"I've seen enough of Steve this past week," she commented. She'd met Steve considering he was always around. She'd been surprised to wake up and find a strange boy in the kitchen making breakfast but he was charming with his jokes and fluffy hair. She found that she actually enjoyed his company but today just wasn't the day for it. Steve was great and all, and it was nice to have someone her age to talk to, but she wanted to meet more people. She'd be starting school soon and the thought of only knowing one person was intimidating.

"Alright, come on. I'm taking you." She waved away Dustin's protests as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her keys. "Don't worry. I won't go inside the arcade. I'll just hang out outside. Maybe catch some sun." "We don't get sun here like you did in California," he replied as he followed her out the door. "I've noticed," she looked at her legs, noticing the way her tan had faded in just a week.

"An hour. That's it," Billy said as he looked at Max. She rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement, knowing better than to fight when he had that tone of voice.

"Fine. I won't be late."

"You better not. You don't even have a skateboard to skate home on."

She frowned at the reminder of her broken skateboard. No amount of tape she added was enough to mend it and her mother refused to buy her a new one, insisting she should act more like a girl.

"See ya," she said as she hopped out of the car. He took off almost immediately, almost crashing into another camaro that was going at nearly the same speed. She heard him swear loudly as he passed by it, taking off towards what she could only assume would be some lonely girl's house. She watched as the dark purple camaro pulled up, instantly recognizing both the driver and the passenger.

"Jesus fuck! You almost killed us!" Dustin exclaimed as he got out of the car.

"Hey! It's not my fault that asshole was driving so fast!" Chelsea defended as she slammed her door shut.

"You were driving fast too!"

"Hey guys," Max interrupted with an amused grin. The two looked over at her, momentarily distracted from their argument. Chelsea smiled as she recognized the red hair.

"Hey Max!" she greeted as she embraced her. Max smiled, the affectionate gesture more than welcome.

"Hey," Dustin greeted with a nod. "Let's go inside. I bet the guys are waiting."

"Dustin! Wait up," his cousin called out before he reached the arcade entrance. He motioned for Max to go inside as he walked back towards her. She held out her hand, dropping two dollars worth of quarters into his palm. "Have fun."

"Thanks Chels," he smiled, exposing his teeth in a cheesy grin. She nodded as she watched him run inside with more money to spend and some added excitement in his step.

"Chelsea, you're looking great."

"Hey Steve," she greeted as she leaned against the trunk of her car, basking in the sun. The warmth on her skin reminded her of home and for the first time since setting foot in Hawkins she found herself missing it greatly.

"You ready for school tomorrow?" he asked as he joined her. Her eyes remained closed as her head tilted upwards, the sun illuminating her tan skin. Even her hair seemed to have bits of the sun woven into it with strands of gold catching the light.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Looks like I'll be having lunch alone."

"Nah, you've got me," Steve's voice was nonchalant as he reminded her of his offer to accompany her during her first days of school. Being new was always scary and she was Dustin's cousin which meant she was definitely going to be around. Besides, he liked her. She was funny in an effortless way.

"Hmm, mighty King Steve to my rescue. How charming," she hummed. Even those stories hadn't escaped her, especially when Dustin idolized him so much.

"I'll see you around, Chelsea," he chuckled as he walked towards his car.

"See you around."

The sound of blaring music and screeching tires filled her ears. Immediately she knew it had to be that asshole of a driver that had almost crashed into her. She could practically hear the obnoxiousness in his music choice alone.

"Don't look, Chels. You know you'll just get mad," she muttered to herself as she stretched, her eyes still tightly closed as she continued to soak in the sun.

Billy couldn't help but stare at the brunette as she stretched, revealing a tan midriff as her shirt rode up. He looked her up and down, noting her toned legs and the way her hair seemed to bounce down perfectly. She looked drastically different than the girls in Hawkins with their horrendously teased hair and colorful jackets. She seemed toned down, and somehow that brought out a beauty that he only every associated with the oceans from where he had once called home.

It took him a moment to realize that this was the same girl who he had nearly crashed into on his way out of the parking lot. Her car was similar to his except for its color. He pulled up close enough to take a peek at her license plate, surprise filling him as he saw that it was from California.

The door of the arcade swung open and out came Max looking happy. He scoffed at the expression before his eyebrows furrowed. He watched as Max made a quick beeline for the pretty brunette, embracing her in a giant hug before jogging up to his car. He made eye contact with the tanned beauty as Max climbed into the passenger seat.

"Who's that?" he asked gruffly, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Dustin's cousin. She's nice," Max replied simply.

Billy nodded, his eyes still locked with the brunette's. She raised an eyebrow at his blatant stare as if daring him to say something. A smug grin broke onto his face as he sent her a wink that caused her to roll her eyes.

"Since when is she here?" Billy questioned as he pulled out of the driveway at an alarming speed. Max buckled her seat belt out of habit as they headed home.

"It's been a week. She starts school tomorrow."

Billy nodded, a clear end to the conversation before turning the volume up of his car stereo and speeding all the way home.