BEST OF YOU, stranger things | will byers

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of abuse and homophobia.

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     THE FEELING OF ISOLATION WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR TO MILES MURPHY. It's something he's felt constantly since he was a child, even in a room full of people he'd always felt so alone, and high school was no different. 

In the movies, with the help of puberty, the nerdy dweeb who got picked on all the time would go through some magical transformation and suddenly everything would change, and everything would change for Miles, just not how he'd hoped.

It's been about 6 months since the party started high school and the Byers' moved to California and everything has fallen to absolute shit for the Murphy boy.

The final bell rang for the school day and Miles nearly sprinted out of the classroom, though his excitement was short-lived, groaning as his side slammed into a row of lockers, his backpack slipping from his shoulder and spilling onto the floor. "Watch it, Murphy." Troy glared at the boy as he passed, turning away to laugh with James.

At least Miles had something constant in his life, even if it was the constant torment of the brainless douchebags Troy and James.

Miles' face heated up in embarrassment as he felt people's stares bore into him from all around. He leaned over, frantically shoving his belongings back into his bag before taking back off down the hallway towards the front doors.

High school tended to have its cliques and those who didn't fit in became easy targets for bullies like Troy and James. Mike and Dustin had Hellfire, a club for nerds to play D&D, led by Hawkins' very own super-senior Eddie Munson (Miles had no idea how old he was and he honestly didn't want to know). Lucas joined basketball, living it up with Jason Carver and the rest of the team. Miles was happy for him, though the same couldn't be said for the other two boys who constantly complained about him missing Hellfire campaigns. Miles was just glad he no longer had to endure the bullying they'd all faced in Middle School.

Miles himself had gotten involved in theatre at the beginning of the year for their fall musical Little Shop of Horrors. He had found that he was actually pretty good at singing and acting; getting the lead role of Seymour as a freshman. Though he didn't stick with it for second semester, not being able to afford it and also not being as interested since their next show would not be a musical.

Then there was Max, she was another constant for Miles. They were still best friends, even if Miles worried about her all the time (little did he know she felt the same about him). 

Since Billy's death, Max hasn't quite been the same. She and Lucas broke up and she started to hang out with the whole group less and less as the year progressed. The only person she'd really make time for was Miles, likely because they were the only people who knew of the struggles they were each facing in silence.

Not only had school been rough, but home wasn't much better for Miles. Fred Murphy started a new job as a trucker in late September, meaning he was gone almost all the time; sometimes he would leave a note, and sometimes he wouldn't. When Fred was home he was incredibly hostile which had made Miles' anxiety skyrocket, worrying about things no 14-year-old should have to worry about. There were times Miles had been left for weeks to fend for himself, which quickly led him to get a job.

You heard that right, Miles Murphy is now a proud employee of the one and only Hawkins Family Video. Even though Miles was only 14, with a great recommendation from Steve and Robin, he got the job, and boy did he love it. One thing about Miles is that he loves movies, and what could be better than getting paid to talk about them for hours on end?