The Other Wheeler // S.H x Oc

Trouble with Jackie

Mavis' POV:
I'm nervous. Well, that's the understatement of the decade. I'm scared about what my conversation with Jackie is going to cause. Will I no longer be a cheerleader? Will I be exiled by everyone? Thousands of questions stream through my head as Steve drives the car.

I'm in too much fear and confusion to even join in on their conversation. The second I get out of the car, I go to search for Chrissy with the hope that she can explain what exactly is being said about me. Whilst walking, I feel as though everyone's eyes are on me despite it probably only being a couple of people.

In a town as small as Hawkins, news spreads like a wildfire even Mike had heard about it at school and he is in Middle School. At dinner, my dad asked me if I'm dating someone called Eddie and he doesn't even leave the house other than to go with mum and Holly or to work.

Lucky for me, first period was physical education with both my freshman class and a sophomore class which has Chrissy in it. Most of the lesson is talking to her whilst doing tennis. That ends quickly enough but soon break arrives and I'm standing in the girl's bathroom with Jackie.

During my first lesson I found out that people thought I had either bought drugs from him or slept with him. Neither were good for me so all Chrissy could tell me to do was deny everything I was asked or accused of doing.

Jackie looks at me in the mirror as she does her make up. "I'm gonna ask you this only once, did you sleep with that freak, Munson?" she says and I do what Chrissy advised; I denied. "No" was the simplest way to go with that.

Each question she asked, I denied whilst trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall when I remember how Nancy seemed to genuinely believe that some of the rumours might be true. The fact my own sister believed random strangers spreading rumours about me before even talking to me in the first place.

When she finally left, I hid in one of the stalls and the tears finally fall. Even though I looked up to Nancy, I haven't been able to talk to her or Steve since that car ride yesterday. Despite them trying to act normal this morning, I just wouldn't listen to either of them.

I look up as the bathroom door opens and try to quiet my crying but then there is a knock on my cubicle door. "Sorry, um, this is occupied" I say with shaken breaths and trying to wipe away any remaining tears.

"No, it's not that, I just wanted to see if you are alright" the girl says and at that moment I recognise her voice and open the stall to see Barb, my favourite of Nancy's friends. "May, are you okay? I've heard about what's going on" Barb asks with a genuinely friendly smile.

"I'm just having a nightmare of a week" I answer, going to the tap to see how bad I look. "Well, at least it's Thursday so it's almost over" Barbara says, rubbing me on my back as I flick water into my face with the hopes of getting rid of the red blotches.

"Don't take this as rude but I preferred the old you" Barb says I turn to look at her, "before you became so fake and tried to fit in with all the 'popular' people here. You were a lot more fun."

"Thanks, it was better back then but I need to have something on my college resume if I want to be a perfect as Nancy" I explain, "do you know how many teachers compare me to her? It feels terrible having a teacher tell you maybe one day you'll be like your older sister when handing back my work."

"That sounds terrible but that doesn't mean you need to be perfect, Nancy makes mistakes all the time. She once got quadratic formulas mixed up and the same with the formulas for aerobic and anaerobic respiration in a finals test last year" Barbara tells me and for a moment I feel like less of a failure.

"Honestly, thank you, this has made me feel a lot better" I say but just then the bell goes off to tell us it's the end of break. "This is part of the reason you are my favourite of Nancy's friends, you're the nicest of all of them."