The fall of 1986 started with a bang, but not the good kind. Just weeks before Vecna's insidious attacks began, Steve Harrington and Lara Henderson—Dustin's sharp, independent, and fiercely protective older sister—had their most devastating fight yet. Their on-again, off-again romance finally crashed and burned over the perennial question: the future. Lara was ready for college applications and a life outside of Hawkins, while Steve, comfortable in his self-proclaimed role as "Mama Steve," couldn't imagine leaving the small, familiar world of Family Video. The resulting breakup was messy, leaving them both hurt and stubbornly holding a grudge.