Chapter Text
The first time Mike Wheeler saw her was in class. He sat relatively in the middle of the classroom next to his friends Lucas and Dustin, his leg bouncing against the floor as he practically tried to move the clock’s hands with his mind. It was science, and, god, he hated science.
Their highschool science teacher, Mr. Clarke, moved at the front of the classroom, a smaller shape following behind him, head down and face non-visible.
Huh. This was new.
Mike shifted in his seat, pressing forward as he squinted, staring at the other person, wondering just who they were. They rarely got new kids, being new juniors, so of course he was excited. Sue him.
“Class,” Mr. Clarke started, one hand on his hip and his voice echoing as he directed them.
In an instant, they all stopped their chatter and leaned forward, wondering why they were interrupted.
“We have a new student here with us this year.” He continues, pausing and nodding to Dustin, who grinned excitedly and started to tap his fingers against his textbook.
Teacher’s pet, maybe. Still, Mike was fond of Dustin. He’d met him way back in kindergarten—along with another boy who was rather short and sported a bowl cut. His name is Will, but he had a different period—and the two had bonded since then. When they got into a fantasy game called DnD in third grade, they met a geeky boy with curly hair named Lucas, and he tagged along. They’d been a group of four since then.
“So, class, welcome Maxine Mayfield and allow her to join us on the curiously voyage this year!” He clapped pitifully.
Maxine, on the other hand, finally raised her head. The sun touched her hair just briefly and it seemed to glow a sharp orange, fading into auburn once the sun’s light moved onto something else. She had opal blue eyes that seemed to glint like cold ice as she narrowed her eyes in a seething squint toward their teacher.
Turns out, her voice was colder than her glare.
“It’s Max.”
Mr. Clarke blinked, turning to her in confusion. His brows furrowed, he queried, “What was that?”
Annoyed he hadn’t heard her clearly the first time, Max’s face distorted into something like a snarl as she growled, “I said my name is Max; not Maxine .”
Bemusing, she was. A quick temper and a hothead. Just as Mr. Clarke started to recuperate, there was a jab at his shoulder. Slightly annoyed, Mike glanced over to see Dustin, his eyes wide and an amused grin on his face. He was pointing past Mike, on his other side.
Blinking, Mike’s head whipped around again, his onyx curls falling into his face momentarily as he stared at Lucas, whose mouth was completely agape. It looked as if his jaw was about to fall to the floor. His brown eyes were round like saucers, and he turned to Mike with the same expression.
“What?” Mike whisper-yelled, his brows furrowed. “It’s not that impressive to talk back to a teacher.”
“What, because you do it every day?” Dustin cut in with an even louder whisper.
Being the only one who could actually speak in such a tone as a whisper, Lucas shook his head and finally shut his mouth. “She’s cool, I mean, c’mon.”
“No, she isn’t!”
That was a complete lie; he did think she was a little cool, but he’d never admit it.
“I want to be her friend, is all.” Lucas shrugged, his eyes squinted as he turned back to his desk, staring down.
Dustin made an ooo sound, as if he were cooing over Lucas. “Awe, are you sure being her friend is all you want?”
A grin involuntarily made its way along Mike’s face as his two friends bickered, one in a small tone, and the other in a booming voice.
Max, he observed later on, sat not too far away from them. Right next to another girl with chestnut hair that stopped just at her shoulders—Jane Hopper, who they sometimes called El. She was Will’s adopted sister, who could be very quiet at times. When she did speak, she was genuinely funny and, hell, Mike considered her one of his best friends, too.
He watched, slightly curious, as Max leaned over, her posture tense, and whispered something along the lines of pen.
Jane jumped, her brow furrowed as if she hadn't even noticed the new girl’s arrival. Blinking her doe eyes, she overcame the startelement and pulled out a small pouch, reaching in and handing Max a red pen with a plastic heart at the end of it.
Max stared at it for a moment, before taking it. For the first time, he witnessed her smile and whisper thank you , underneath her breath as she turned back to her desk.
Jane just nodded, a small tentative smile on her own face as she slowly turned her head back to him, like she knew he was watching.
She grinned, her eyes crinkling with the warmth, and shyly raised a thumbs up as if to say Look Mike, I’m making friends!
Mike shook his head, trying to stifle the small giggle escaping him as he returned the thumbs up with one of his own.
Something told him Max Mayfield would play an important role in their lives.
He didn’t know how he’d feel about that just yet.
Mike was relieved when the bell went off and he was finally able to stuff his textbook into the pile of things he had to carry with him, heaving himself up from his chair without pushing it in.
Lucas and Dustin did not do the same, he mused.
Jane grabbed all of her supplies and tucked them into a neat pile, pushing her chair in with her foot.
He saw Max scrunch her nose up at this, but nonetheless walk back over and hold out her hand, plan uncurling around a red pen.
Jane just shook her head, gently moving Max’s hand back with a sincere smile. Mike heard her grin, “You can… keep it, Max.”
For a moment, Max seems to forget her name was announced when she was introduced in front of the class, but after realizing, she holds out a different hand this time, to shake Jane’s. “Well, since you know my name, what’s yours?”
Jane stares at her hand in puzzlement but gingerly sticks out hers to shake it. “I am Jane, nice to meet you.”
Max nods and turns around, pulling a bag over her shoulders and not turning back to face Jane as she calls out, “Thanks for the pen, Jane!” And leaves.
Jane seems as confused as Mike is.
He’s excited, however, when the next period is lunch and he races out—Lucas, Jane, and Dustin at his side—to meet Will at their table. Will is sitting alone, waiting patiently with his head practically buried into his sketchbook.
Mike rolls on the balls of his feet, rocking back and forth as he peers over Will’s shoulder, poking the other.
Will jumps, just like Jane does, and blinks up at him. He relaxed, an amused grin equivalent to the sun glowing on his face radiantly as he whispers, “Hey, Mike.”
As Lucas, Dustin, and Jane approach, Will shuts his sketchbook—pencil marking the page—and smiles at them all in warm greeting. “Hey, guys, how was Mr. Clarke’s?”
Dustin looks like he expects Lucas to start, but Jane does, fidgeting her hands at her chest. “It was wonderful! I met this girl and her name is Max. She has orange hair.”
Will blinks, because it’s not often that Jane enjoys science, but he’s happy that his sister met someone.
“There’s a new girl, then?” He asks as they all settle down with their food.
Will sits in between Mike and Jane on the right side of the table. Dustin and Lucas sit on the other side of the table—which might not be the brightest idea, Mike thinks as he watches Lucas and Dustin fight over a cracker, but it’s always been that way.
Mike nods, twirling a black curl around his finger as he prods at his food with a white, plastic fork. “She’s strange. Maxine, her name actually is, but she goes by Max.”
“You think everyone is weird.” Lucas shrugs, grinning as he gets the upper hand with his muscle and bites down on the cracker, watching Dustin’s face fall.
“That is true.” Jane supplies, and Will snickers his agreement.
“I don’t think you guys are weird!” Mike stammers, trying to rush to the defense of himself.
“You think everyone new is weird. How is Max weird?” It’s Will now, gently asking him and he already knows this will send Mike into a ramble—most of the time, and that time is not today because Mike doesn’t actually know why he thinks of Max that way.
“She just is .” He settles for, lips falling into a pout.
“Well, nevermind that, because Lucas thinks she’s so cool and he’ll marry her one day and—“ Dustin goes on and on to Will, who watches with an amused face, but Mike isn’t listening.
He’s staring over at Max, who sits alone at a vacant table with a walkman plugged in, an old pair of headphones buried in her orange hair. She isn’t actually eating either, just playing with it, and Mike doesn’t blame her: cafeteria food sucks.
What was so strange about her?