you're my hope ~MILEVEN AU~

ii - the curious boy

Mike Wheeler had seen the small brunette that seemed to rush out of the classroom before anyone else could get near her, he had even noticed her sometimes talking to Mr Clarke before class. But he had never discovered her name or found out who she spent her time with. 

As soon as Mike bumped into Jane he felt terrible, like he had made her day even worse just by knocking her to the floor. She was quiet when she spoke and her tone was flat, maybe even slightly cold. But for some reason Mike just couldn't stop looking at her. 

She was small and slim, usually wearing baggy jumpers or a big coat to cover herself like a protective shield. Her hair was different to many people that Mike had seen, many girls had long hair that they decorated with different clips or bows. But no, Jane's hair was just brushing her shoulders and it was curly like cute little springy ringlets that bounced when she hurried out of class, wild and unkempt. It was a color that reminded him of honey, a pretty light brown that matched with her deep caramel eyes that seemed so warm despite her cold exterior. Her button nose scrunched up like a cute little bunny when she brushed herself off and stood up, glancing at the floor and Mike found himself losing track of what he was going to say. 

He never noticed how pretty she was. Mike had never been the type of boy to take notice in many of the girls at their school, usually too busy focusing on his homework or spending time with his friends. The one girl he spent time with had a crush on his best friend Lucas and most of the time annoyed the hell out of him. 

But he found himself unable to stop himself from looking at Jane, and he definitely couldn't stop himself from letting out a soft sigh when she walked away from him, hoping that he would speak to her again soon. 

He couldn't help himself, he just had to find out more.

He tried to force himself to take it slow and steady when he started the conversation with his friends about her, but the words seemed to bubble out of his throat without his permission. 

"What do you know about Jane Hopper?" 

As soon as he blurted out the words he regretted it when his friends stopped their debate and turned to him. They had forced him to the cafeteria, which made him relax slightly knowing that she couldn't be nearby listening. 

"Huh?" Max frowned. 

"Uh...do you know anything about her?" Mike tried to seem like the words were careless, flattening his voice out but his friends were not idiots. 

"Why do you care? You didn't even know her name until yesterday" Lucas questioned, leaning forward slightly. 

"I just..uh- I bumped into her yesterday outside the AV room..."

"Did she speak?" Dustin egged on, his eyes widening. 

"Yes" Mike rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, for some reason feeling himself get irritated. "She seemed okay."

"She's a weirdo" Lucas muttered. "I can't believe she spoke to you, she never speaks! I just know that she is the chief's daughter."

"I see her with Mr Clarke sometimes" Dustin added with a shrug. 

"Huh" Mike breathed softly, his mind drifting back to meeting her. 

"I wouldn't get so caught up on it if I were you" Will spoke up. "She seems to like her own company."

Mike nodded but something felt wrong inside his chest, like he didn't agree. She must feel awfully lonely with no friends and nobody to speak to, Mike couldn't imagine what he would be like if he didn't spent all of his time with his friends. He would be bored and probably bullied non-stop by Troy and James.