So what happened to Barb Stranger Things? She got sacrificed on the altar of teenage romance and poor situational awareness. But honestly? She also gave us a huge life lesson. If your friend is sitting alone by a pool while you’re making out with a guy who wears his polo shirt collar popped, you are a bad friend.
Check on your Barbs, people. Invite them into the conversation. Don’t leave them to fend off interdimensional horrors while you chase a crush. It’s the polite thing to do, and it might save them from a very specific, tragic fate.
Barb’s Ghost Lives in All of Us
Every time you’re the one holding the grocery bag while your friend chats up a barista, you channel Barb. Every time you get a “sorry, I forgot to reply” text, you taste her pain. She’s the patron saint of being undervalued. We laugh, but we also nod. Because we’ve all been there, even without the Upside Down.
So drink a glass of cheap wine, put on some glasses you don’t need, and pour one out for Barb. She died so we could learn that friendship requires effort. Also, never sit alone next to a swimming pool at night. Ever.
