Matchbox

I. Life Goes By A Rule Book

One. Life Goes By A Rule Book
Mentions.      Abuse, Drugs

Vera Stonem's life went by a rule book.

A routine that was never broken. Not when her father ran off with a twenty year old college drop out. Not when her mother started to drink and swing, harder. And not when Vera would break her own mirrors because she stared at herself for too long. Her poor, poor knuckles.

Scars tell stories, kid, her dad use to say.

Come down to her sophomore year in high school, the universe said yeah, let's finally fuck that up for you, sweetheart!

She'd fallen in love with a dude who very much wasn't at her level— He was literally older than her. Her cat went missing, and was eaten by a huge slugish thing (?). She met a little girl with super powers (?). Will Byers was taken. She found an entire new group of friends that only talked about saving Hawkins from the Upside Down, or whatever. Then there was Billy Hargrove who really wanted to get into Vera's pants (he was super jealous of Vera's said love interest), and then he was dead after he saved her life. Jim Hopper was also dead after saving lives. The Byers family, plus the little girl (who isn't so little anymore) with super powers, left Hawkins to fend for themselves in California. The little girl, Eleven, Jane, whatever, she also lost her super powers..

   Oh! Forgot to mention, Vera did indeed end up with the dude who was too cool for her after his girlfriend totally alienated him with their break up. Apparently, he really, really liked Vera after moving on, that's what Dustin said anyway. But, y'know, that was like two years ago? Three? She doesn't really remember.

All she knows is it threw her off track, badly.

   But, still, ever after all of that she tried to be normal. She tried to act like the perfect cheerleader she once was. And everyone on the outside knew she was doing great, everyone on the inside? Not so much, Mike Wheeler was always wincing in her favor. Thanks Mike, love ya!