you're my hope ~MILEVEN AU~

i - the lonely girl

Jane Hopper walked through the hallways of Hawkins Middle School alone. The chatter of students all blurred together as she made her way to the back of the classroom by the window. She was not someone that you would walk up to, someone that you would talk to or god forbid, somebody that you would try to befriend. 

Jane was used to everyone leaving her alone by now. They all seemed slightly scared of her if anything, like she was a dangerous animal in a cage waiting to pounce. It never bothered her anymore, being alone was almost peaceful, like a safe haven. She didn't have to worry about anyone hurting her or breaking her heart like everyone else at the school seemed to gossip about, it was almost like a protective barrier. Like a superpower keeping away the bad men in the world that would only attempt to hurt her if they got close enough. 

But after one simple kind gesture, that seemed to become a challenge for her. 

After class, Jane tried to escape to the Hawkins Middle AV room during lunch, somewhere that she would normally use as a quiet place to read instead of sitting alone in the cafeteria with everyone else. Most days she would go undisturbed, with only the teacher Mr Clarke peeking his head through the door to check that she was okay alone. He often invited her to eat lunch in his classroom but Jane did not want to seem that pathetic no matter how kind the teacher was. 

Reaching for the door handle, she gripped her bag tighter as she heard voices from inside, sighing quietly. Sometimes a small group of boys, occasionally joined by girl with red hair, would stay in the AV room to talk about science if they could not use the room after school. Jane did not know much about them other than their names and that they seemed to be a close knit group of friends that stuck together, suckers for science and all that bored Jane herself. 

"Guys, I am not sitting here and listening to this nerdy debate, can we just go get some food?" the girl groaned and Jane looked around silently, checking there was nobody else nearby before deciding to wait until they left silently outside the door. 

"I want to stay in here" a velvety voice grumbled from inside. "I hate the cafeteria." 

"Mike, come on! You never want to come to the cafeteria, don't be so boring!" Max complained and Jane furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to listen. 

"Shut up, Max" Mike drawled and Jane tapped her foot impatiently from the other side of the door, wanting them to leave so she could read or sleep during her lunch hour. 

"Everyone goes to the cafeteria! Well, apart from that quiet girl in our class that sneaks off, god knows where she goes" Lucas piped in and Jane's eyes widened slightly, her body standing up straight all of a sudden. 

They knew about her?

"Who?" Max jumped in. "What quiet girl?"

"I think her name is...Julie..no, Jane! Jane Hopper, she is the chief's daughter. Bit weird" Dustin mumbled under his breath but Jane heard, her hope deflating. 

"What do you mean by weird?" Mike questioned quietly. 

"Never speaks to anyone, I don't think she has any friends" Dustin sighed and she heard him pick up his backpack. "Everyone just kind of stays away from her."

"The girl is probably a weirdo" Lucas shudders. "She creeps me out, always reading or watching everyone else." 

"Don't be so mean" Max cuts in with a strained voice. "She may just like her own company. Don't make assumptions."

"Why doesn't she have any friends?" Mike's voice remained soft and Jane listened closely, her palm resting on the wood of the door gently. She could almost imagine a frown on his freckled face as he tried to learn more about her.