YOU NEVER SAW ME | m.w.

Prologue

T H E  P R O L O G U E

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Y/N HOPPER and Mike Wheeler had always been best friends for as long as they could remember.

Being Jim Hopper's daughter, Y/N got out of the cabin a lot, always playing at the arcade while her dad worked and she has hung out with Will and Mike since they were little kids.
Y/N formed this huge crush on Mike, always blushing at all his jokes he cracked or when he would give her a hug of congratulations if she won the campaign of Dungeons & Dragons.

Over the years, as they all got older, the party got bigger, including Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Y/N.
That was, until Eleven and Max came along.

  When El came into the picture, Hopper took her in as his own, and she became sort of like a sister to Y/N, with all eyes and priorities set on Eleven.
Y/N was pushed to the side like a child when a parent brings a newborn baby home.

  Hopper would focus more of his attention on Eleven, making sure she had the things she
needed—being a telepathic and all.

  But Y/N couldn't help but feel like her father was drifting from her, hardly finding the time to spend it with Y/N anymore.

  Y/N wasn't envious of El, no.
Jealous? yes.
  Jealous that Hopper pushed her to the side to focus on El.
She was jealous that Eleven's boyfriend was Mike.

This summer, instead of playing D&D like Y/N wanted like the old days, Mike seemed
infatuated with El, his eyes always in the shapes of hearts when he saw her.
  It hurt Y/N to see her best friend and first love just completely drift away from her.

Sure, Y/N and the party would still go to the movies and hang out at the mall, but Y/N couldn't ignore the sense of heartbreak that Mike didn't love her the way she loved him.

This summer of love had changed everything.

"I know, right? why couldn't we have just played d&d ?"
Will exclaimed, flailing his arms to emphasize his point.
Y/N and will stood a few inches apart in the center of the ruined mall complex as she ranted to him since he was practically like her brother, and Joyce was the only mother figure in her life.

Y/N and will were about to separate so Y/N could help Hopper, Joyce, and Murray with the portal, even though they really didn't want her to because they feared she might get hurt, but Y/N knew she could hold her own.
"Hey. Be careful down there, okay? Don't be stupid."
Will warned, holding Y/N's shoulder firmly as his eyes filled with worry for what felt like his little sister—even though Y/N and him are the same age.
"I will, don't worry about me. I'll be..okay."
Y/N reassured, pulling him in for a hug before they parted ways for the big battle.

Y/N said goodbye to the rest of the party, before she came across Mike—standing there as he supported El and her injured leg.

"Hey, Mike."
Y/N called for him, making his head shoot back to see you, waving her hand to come talk to her.
He made sure El was stable before releasing her arm to walk back over to Y/N, his gaze softening once he saw that she looked sorrowful.

"Hey, N/N. I was just about to come wish you luck—.."
Mike began, but stopped mid-sentence once he saw that Y/N's eyes were tearing up, not able to stare Mike in the eye as she thought of her feelings for him.