(DISCONTINUED!!) 𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 ⁎⁎⁎ Stranger Things AU

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

Wheeler Residence - 6:30 AM - Monday

Mike's POV

Mike stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Something felt off. He studied his face until he finally saw the problem - The dark eyebags under his eyes. He remembered now- He stayed up way too late last night thinking about the first day of his junior year at Hawkins High. He had planned out an outfit for the following day, and then scrapped it. Too preppy. He planned another. Too monotone. He repeated this cycle over and over before finally deciding on a plain teal button up shirt and black jeans. 

He stared at the dark circles under his eyes, wishing he hadn't stayed up so late. He tried washing his face, using eye drops, anything that might possibly make the spots go away. He finally gave in, and decided to consult his mom, who was upstairs making breakfast for him and his sisters. The smell of bacon hit him hard in the face as he entered the kitchen. His mom looked over at him and smiled.

"Morning, Mike! Breakfast is almost ready." She looked back down at the pan on the stove in front of her, pushing the scrambled eggs around so they would cook easily.

"Uh, mom?" He stuttered, standing there awkwardly.

"Yeah, sweetie?" She answered him, but kept her eyes on her cooking.

"Do you know how to get rid of eyebags?" This caught her attention. She looked up and studied her son's face, seeing the dark spots. She laughed and nodded her head, setting her spatula down. She gestured for him to follow her up to the bathroom, where she applied some kind of makeup to his eyes. He looked into the mirror and grinned. "Thank's mom. Didn't want to go to school looking like I haven't slept in weeks.

⁎⁎⁎

Mike waved to his mom as he closed the car door. His gray backpack hung on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and entered the building, where he was immediately greeted by Troy. 

Troy Walsh. The boy who had bullied Mike all through middle school. Mike eventually got taller than him, big enough to fight back, so Troy left him alone. Mike got popular last year, and now Troy acted like his best friend. Mike knew he only wanted popularity, but it didn't matter. As long as Mike kept up social status, he was fine with it. That was all that mattered at Hawkins High. Popularity. You either had it or you didn't. 

Mike waved at Troy from across the hall. Stares of awe and admiration followed him as he walked through the hall. Mike looked around for his girlfriend, Eleanor, or El, as everyone called her. As he looked around, he made eye contact with a shorter boy. He held his gaze for a second, trying to remember the boys name, but he was snapped out of that thought by a shout of his name from across the hall.

"Mike!" It was El. She was run-walking to him, grinning, with her arms open, ready for a hug. Mike pulled his gaze away from the boy and turned to his girlfriend. His face lit up as he approached her, picking her up as he hugged her. 

"El! How are you?" Mike set her down, but kept his hands around her waist.

"Better, now that you're here!" She stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek, leaving a faint lipstick mark. He didn't respond and just hugged her again. He saw the boy looking at him again. He was probably looking at El. A lot of the boys liked her, and were jealous of Mike. The boy probably wasn't an exception. 

Mike held his girlfriends hand as he walked through the halls, looking for his locker. When he finally found it, there he saw his best friend, Lucas Sinclair, the star basketball player, standing next to it. He was digging around in the locker next to Mike's. Mike grinned. He already knew this would be the best school year yet.

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Word count: 679