make you mine.

five

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PUSH
FOG LAKE
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[ chapter five! ]

"i didn't know you were friends with that wheeler kid" hopper says curiously as he looks at jane from across the dinner table.

"we're not friends- were just- i don't know. it's complicated" jane mumbles as she leans her head in her hand.

"is he causing you any trouble?" hopper asks defensively as he notices the dull expression on jane's face.

"w-what? no." jane says as she sits upright and faces the concerned man sat in front of her.

"kid, you remember our rule?" hopper says with a sigh as he cuts his eggos angrily.

jane immediately rolls her eyes. she knew the rule. of course she did. a while back, hopper had set up a list of rules that jane believed to be completely and utterly useless. one of the rules was 'friends don't lie'. jane tried to follow this rule, however it was proven to be tricky at times.

"i promise, ok? he's done nothing. i-i'm just really tired" jane mutters, faking a yawn as she rubs her eyes.

hopper looks at the young girl for a few seconds, coming to a conclusion that she clearly didn't want to talk about it. he knew she wasn't telling the truth, but she needed space, and he could accept that. "ok kid. just know if i'm here if you ever want to talk. ok?"

jane nods in response with a small smile before running into her small room, feeling happy, which is something she hasn't felt in a long time.

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the school hallways were crowded as per usual the constant talking amongst students and lockers opening and closing could be heard. jane was stood by her locker, throwing in her textbooks lazily as she hummed quietly to herself.

"hey"

the voice that suddenly came from beside her caused jane to jump slightly as she grips onto her locker. mike was leaning on the locker next to her, looking at the girl awkwardly.

"o-oh, hi mike" jane says quietly, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

"do you wanna have lunch with the party?" he asks the shy girl stood before him.

"uh- i don't want to intrude-" jane says timidly, looking down at her feet.

"jane, you're not intruding." mike says with a small laugh as he shakes his head at her.
jane smiles awkwardly at the tall boy before walking with him down the hallway.

"so- uh- what made you change your mind and apologize to me?" jane asks curiously, taking a quick look at the much taller boy walking next to her.

"well- max convinced me at first. she made me do it. but then- i don't know. i just felt like it was the right think to do" mike explains with a small shrug as he continues to look ahead.

"how come you never liked me at the start?" jane asks, beginning to become worried she was annoying him, however curiosity got the better of her.

mike stays silent for a few seconds, staring ahead blankly. "there was never a point when i didn't like you, i guess i just listened to what everyone else said about you and judged you off that"

jane nods understandingly, appreciating his honestly.

"i-i've just been going through some stuff recently" mike says suddenly, breaking the silence between the pair.

jane was both confused and surprised to how open he was being with her. jane looks at him for a few seconds, and she notices the sadness in his eyes as he tells her this. she grabs his arm and pulls him into an empty classroom.

"what's wrong mike?" jane then asks softly, letting go of his arm slowly.

mike looks at her with a confused expression on his face before quickly shaking his head and looking down at the floor. "n-nothing. it's stupid"

"mike. you can talk to me."

these six words were something mike was longing to hear. he wanted someone to be there for him, he wanted people to actually care. hearing someone be genuinely concerned about him made him feel cared for, which was a feeling he was hoping to experience.

"well- uh- my mum and dad are going through a rough patch right now. and i feel as distant as ever from my sister. so i feel as if i have no one to ever talk to. i trust my friends, but i want to talk to family, you know? they are the people that know you best. but i feel as if my family are too busy dealing with their own problems to help me with mine, and it constantly brings me down."

jane is left surprised as mike tells her everything. he always seemed as if he had everything together, a perfect family, good grades and a group of friends. but she has learnt that there is more beneath his usual careless exterior.

"mike- that's awful. you should never feel as if you have no one. because there are so many people that love you, s-so many people that would happily sit here for hours and listen to you while you talk about how you feel. you don't deserve to feel like this. and just know, i'm always here"

"how do you do it?" mike suddenly asks, looking at the girl with his mouth slightly open.

"do what?" jane asks, confused to what the boy was asking.

"how are you nice to me despite what i said you?" mike asks, looking down as he felt guilt build up inside of him when he remembered the awful things he called her.

jane shrugs, because honestly she didn't really know. it was a completely normal thing for her, she was kind to everyone, and it's something she has always felt came naturally to her. "i don't know- i guess i just don't agree with treating people badly when you have no idea what's going on in their life."

"that's what i did to you. i treated you like shit but i don't even know anything about you" mike mumbles coldly as he becomes angry with himself.

"h-hey, it's okay. i've forgiven you. like you said, we can't turn back the time and change what happened, we can only move forward" jane says as she gently puts a hand on his shoulder.

mike gulps and immediately shakes off her hand uncomfortably. "i- uh have to go." mike mumbles quickly as he immediately stands up and bolts out the room.

jane is left confused. she felt as if she had done something wrong, or if she had pushed the boy away completely.