its' branches reach for me // mike wheeler

CHAPTER ONE

                                  FILMS, TAPES AND PROGRAMS

MAGGIE HENDERSON wasn't exactly what the teachers at Hawkins Middle School had in mind after meeting her brother. She used to have been like him, maybe. But not anymore. Because, sure, they both know how to play Dungeons and Dragons, one has no front teeth, and the other has squirrel teeth. (according to Troy..) 

One went to Back to School night, and the other stayed home because she was "overwhelmed about school starting" (she really just wanted to listen to music and eat snacks) But anyways, that's beside the point. She had just yet to meet the reason Dustin was out so late. (they had multiple arguments about whether his friends were real or not) 

                    _____________________________________

Maggie walked into Biology with the rest of the students when the bell rang. Wearing an un-buttoned dark green button-down with rolled up sleeves, some jean-shorts with a belt, and a black tank top, it was a normal day. It didn't look like it, but she had a plan. A plan that would make a certain curly-haired boy the happiest he'd even been. Margaret Henderson, the girl that everyone either idolized or despised, was going to join the AV club.

 When the bell rang, she strolled over to Mr. Clarke's desk. "Hello Miss Henderson! Nice of you to stop by, what can I do for you?" He said, with way too much enthusiasm for it being 10:00 AM in the morning. 

"I'd like to join the AV Club, Mr. Clarke." She spoke, anticipating a "no" because of her reputation with the teachers. He looked at her for a moment, making Maggie's nervousness increase. "Miss Henderson, I'll be seeing you after school, then. You're welcome to join!" Mr. Clarke replied, with a wide smile on his face. She sent a small smile back his way, then exited the Biology room to go to her next class.

                         ____________________________________

School passed by in a flash, and before she knew it, she was on her feet, heading back to Mr. Clarke's classroom. When she opened the door, she entered the room to three boys she had never talked to in her life staring with their jaws to the floor at her, and one boy, who she knew in a crowd of a thousand people, with the wide smile she knew would be on his face. 

"Maggie, YOU'RE the one joining the AV club?" Dustin exclaimed, clearly very happy. "Yup. I heard about it from your rants about it when mom drives us home, and I just knew it would be an amazing club to join." She said, partially lying, because, the only two reasons she really did this was, one, she was getting bored of being home alone for an hour, two, she was almost out of her mind wondering if Dustin's party was real, and three, she want lying because Dustin really did go on happy rants about this club.

"You— you're so— I—" A small boy with hair clearly cut by his mother stuttered, still in disbelief that Maggie was really joining this club. "I should probably introduce my party to you, Maggie!" Dustin spoke up, satisfied now that she knows the party members are real. 

"This is Will, our party's Cleric." Dustin gestured to the boy who had attempted to say something to her a minute ago, but miserably failed. "This is Lucas, our Ranger." He put his arm around the boy standing next to him, who Maggie remembered Troy calling "midnight." Lucas looked at her and gave her a small wave.

"And then this is Mike, the Paladin." Dustin finished, looking at a raven-haired boy who was leaning against the wall. "Nice to meet you."  He replied almost instantly, clearly quite nervous. "You as well, Wheeler." 

Dustin looked at Maggie, then looked back at Mike. "How do you know his last name? I thought you guys haven't met before." He questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right. There was this one time where I got partnered up with him in 5th grade for a fluency test and we were sitting at his desk, and I just remembered seeing it on his name tag." Maggie explained, forgetting that she hadn't told Dustin.