dunhaven; ic community.

Do you ever think about how, to the demogorgons, this is the Upside Down?

TOBIAS

I know it's been awhile since I last texted or called or...saw you. All of the above. Sorry. Everything just feels really complicated right now and I guess part of me wants to spare you the messiness of it. I'm not being distant on purpose, I just...don't really know what the hell I'm even doing right now.

So I was thinking that we could hang out soon? With the stipulation that there's no talking about life, past or present. Maybe you could teach me everything about baseball so that I'll actually be able to come to your games next season and know what I'm watching. Or we could watch some kind of weird wildlife documentary. Or we could play several rousing rounds of Gin Rummy. I just want to spend time with you and know that one part of our lives isn't all that complicated.

There will probably be chocolate cake in it for you, too.

JOSIE, TOBIAS, & ROWENA, filtered separately

I need to talk to you. I'd hoped this would one day be on my own terms but [...] anyway, I just need to talk to you if that's okay.

What does anyone even write for college essays? Why do I want to go to college? Because I want to learn things. Why do I want you to give me money to go to your college? Because I want to be able to afford to learn things. What else is there to say?

[Sent around 6AM, after this.]

[Texts to Josie]

» Despite the fact that we've lived here our entire lives, the barista's at Java Chip still endearingly can't spell our names right.
» You got Jerciy. I'm Bow.
» I also have a blueberry muffin half the size of my face that I could use assistance eating because I can't stomach anything
» Can you have breakfast with me if I promise to get you to school on time?

[Texts to Tobias]

» I'm not going to make it for our run this morning.
» I'm ditching classes.
» I've already e-mailed all my professors and told them I'm sick.
» It's partially true.

Dear residents of Dunhaven, VA. This is me suggesting that all of you have a chili cook-off so that I can eat twenty bowls of chili. Thank you.

JOSIE

How was Homecoming?

ROWENA

Hey. Sorry I kind of fell off the radar. It's been a busy week or so. How are things?

TOBIAS

I'm heading over to Stella's to work on an essay I have due in English tomorrow. I don't know if you've got any homework right now or not, but I figured I'd ask if you'd want to join me. I'll grab one of the roomier tables.

WHO: Bea Prewett & Tobias Epstein
WHEN: Saturday, October 7, 2017; Evening
WHERE: The Docks
SUMMARY: Bea skips out on Homecoming, and she and Tobias share some truths.
WARNINGS: Mentions of child abuse.

( If you put two lonely people together, are they lonely anymore? )

I'm never eating flamin' Cheetos before bed ever again.

WHO: Bea Prewett and Tobias Epstein
WHEN: September 30, 2017
WHERE: Dunhaven University → a restaurant
SUMMARY: Tobias and Bea go on maybe a date (??)
WARNINGS: None! Still in progress.

( He still didn’t really have the energy to worry too much about how this would go and what the exact nature of this outing was. )

TOBIAS

Do you actually exist between one time that I see you in person and the next? Just wondering because I haven't found any evidence (a text message or an email, for example) that you do.

ROWENA

I found a DVD player at Goodwill today and was wondering if maybe you had any movies you would recommend?

JOSIE

Hey, I'm going to have to cancel on hanging out tomorrow night. I'm picking up the closing shift at Wilkerson's. Sorry :(.

I had this weird dream last night that felt like it lasted five seconds but I'm sure I was in it the whole time I was sleeping. I was standing on a moving train, looking out through the side door and then I back up and took a running start and jumped off of it onto the roof of a nearby building. I can still feel the gravel sticking into my knees and the sound of my dream clothes whipping around me as I jumped. And then it changed and I was standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam, looking down in awe at the sheer vastness of it. The someone pushed me and I woke up.

Cool story.

WHO: Tobias Epstein & Bea Prewett
WHEN: Sunday, July 30, 2017; Afternoon
WHERE: Wilkerson's
SUMMARY: Bea and Tobias meet by chance and sense something ~vaguely familiar~ about one another.
WARNINGS: N/A

( Bea’s breath caught in her throat and, for a moment, she felt something tugging at her heart, like she knew in some fundamental part of herself that she knew him. )

Personally, I just think my mom wanted one more thing to be able to restrict my access to when she decides I need to be grounded.