Salt To The Wound (A Stranger Things Story)

Season 1-Chapter 2: Something Mysterious(Maxs Pov

Max had many friends last year in her freshman year, but something changed in the summer she found out her brother died in a car crash with her mother, and he dad died from being shot all in one week. Her grandmother watches her but not even she can do enough for her. Max was too far gone, she would get panic attacks and due to this, the only way to calm herself down was to take pills. It started as just 1 a day but now it's around 10, she would steal her grandmother's money to get them. Going through a quarter of a pill bottle a day, she needed a new edge this wasn't going to help her for long. She resulted to drinking whatever and whenever to help her, it would ease her, for a little.

Max had her hair in a ponytail, wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt underneath, and wearing her black and white converse, and ripped black jeans. She was hiding 3 different pill bottles in her backpack as her grandmother stopped buying alcohol and her dealer somehow disappeared. She stood at the bus stop looking ahead listening to running up that hill almost at full volume when someone tapped her. She turned to see a little brunette boy who had on blue jeans with a grey long-sleeved t-shirt smiling at her. She looked at this boy for a full minute and almost immediately thought that he was gay kind of like her. He waved at her and she waved back taking off her headphones. "I'm Will" He put his hand out a little shaky, scared max was going to reject him. She shook his hand "I'm Max, Max Mayfield." Max distanced herself from all of her old friends and she didn't mind making some new ones.
When they got on the bus they sat next to each other, talking. Both of them had problems with their dad. Both of them loved horror movies. Both of them had a hatred of math. They instantly clicked and that's when she knew she was going to have a good time with Will.
They walked into ELA class and nearly every seat was filled except one next to Mike one of her old best friends he came out last year and nobody wanted to be near him because of this. El also sat alone she stands up for mike a lot but Mike doesn't care he's unapologetically himself. She turned to see Will looking at Mike speechless. She smiled to herself, she told will to sit next to Mike and she sat next to El, either way, it would've been awkward. Mike was her ex-best friend, and El was her ex-girlfriend. It was going to be painfully awkward. "Hey, how have you been?" El asked Max. Max pretended she didn't know her and class started.
When class ended Max went up to Will when she and Mike locked eyes "H-," He started to say but she interrupted him. "Will! Let's go to our second period" she said locking her arm with his walking away. "So I'm guessing you two have history?," Will asked her. "Yes we do he was my best friend last year but over the break, we stopped talking, same with el," she says nonchalantly. "Well both of them seemed so sweet so what could they have done?" He asked Max but she just kept walking trying to escape the topic. But Will had a pretty good idea he could tell by the way she said it and the way she was. She was going through something shutting everybody else out. "Well time for art, the art teacher is so nice and he's gay too but only really told some of the nice people because some of the guys here are relentless," Max said hoping Will would stop thinking about Mike and El. "Oh wow that's nice," Will smiled and Max smiled at him back. "Well I don't want to go home and my grandmother wouldn't care either so let's go to your house and give you a makeover because you like a dirty ass rat no offense," she smiled like she didn't just insult Will. "Uhm okay I guess," he said to her and they walked inside the classroom.
It was finally lunch time and max and Will stood there, they had nowhere to sit. That was until mike waved at them, el, Dustin, and Lucas were also sitting there and the 3 tables surrounding them were empty, nobody wanted to be around Mike like he was some type of plague. "I know you might have bad history but let's sit with them," Will said and Max agreed, Will sat next to mike and el and max sat next to Dustin and Lucas. It was so weird because max ghosted and distanced herself from all 4 of these people but what else could she do? "Hey Will," mike said smiling at Will. "And hey max," mike said looking at Max but max just put on her headphones and put on music to block everyone's voices out.

Authors Note
This one was longer than the last chapter I know but the next chapter will be in Mike pov. I've never really been in a situation like Max's but I took inspiration from her depression in the show as well and a little bit of what I've seen on websites I hope it was accurate enough