☡

Clove didn't always ride with the boys to school, but it was very rare. But today, on a cloudy morning in Hawkins she chose to ride alone, telling her father bye she pedaled off down the road. The school wasn't too far from her house, if it were her Father would never let her go. Waving to Karen and Holly as she passed the Wheeler household Clover smiled as the wind wiped through her hair.

She was nearly was at school when she saw it, or her. It was a small opening in the forest and she noticed the familiar tan skin and red hair. The brown orbs that Clover also had stared back at her, the eighth-grader slammed her breaks hard enough that made her fall off the pink bike and skid her hands on the gravel. With a groan, she sat up and looked in the direction she once saw her but noticed her mother was no longer there.Rolling her eyes, she got back on her bike and ignored her bloody hands as she straightened out the jean dress she wore with a fitted multicolor long sleeve under neither, "Stupid imagination."

"You're about to make us late, Reyes! Two minutes, this is why we all ride together every morning." Lucas said annoyed as she rode into school.

"Where were you?" Dustin scolded her as the girl parked her bike with the others in front of the school.

""Sorry late morning, long night" she shrugged.

""What happened to your hands?" Lucas asked as he saw they were bloody.

"Feel off my bike, no big deal." she shrugged while they went toward Mr.Clarks classroom.

"Did something happen?" Will asked as it fell to awkward silence.

"No, I just fell. It happens to you guys all the time." Clove rolled her eyes.

"Yeah but this is different, I-" Lucas began but was cut off.

"Guys! Leave her alone, if she wants to talk she will." Mike said as they walked into the classroom and handed Clover a tissue for her hands, she sent him a grateful look along with a smile as they all sat down.

"Meet the human brain, I know I know it doesn't look like much.. a little gross even, right? But consider this, there are a hundred billion cells inside this merical of evolution all working as one. No, I didn't misspeak. A hundred billion" Mr.Clark said to the unamused class just as the door slammed.

"Ah, this must be our new student." Mr.Clark smiled as Clover sat up more when she saw the redhead.

"Indeed it is, all yours." Their principal spoke as he walked out of the classroom.

"Alright hold up there, you don't get away that easy" Mr.Clark said as he stopped the girl who was speed walking to her desk.

"Come on up, Dustin... drum roll," Mr.Clark said as Clove hit her forehead, knowing how embarrassing this was for the new girl as the boy with curls began patting on his book, "Class, please welcome all the way from sunny California the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine." Mr.Clarke grinned as the girl quickly added in.

"It's Max."the redhead corrected him quickly which caught the Five's attention.

"I'm sorry?" Mr.Clarke asked.

"No one calls me Maxine, it's Maxzl she said once again as the boys all shared a look but Clover couldn't help but grin at the fact that it was a girl that beat them at a game, not a guy.

"Well aboard Max." Mr.Clark grinned as Max walked to the back of the class where the boys eyes followed her, when the four looked away Clove glanced over her shoulder at the strawberry hair colored girl who meets her eyes and glanced behind her to see if Clover was looking at her, when she looked back the brunette sent her a small wave as the redhead grin slightly and waved back subtlety.

"Hey, Clove." Lucas called out to her while they walked out to PE

"Hey, sorry I figured you went with the other three out there already."Clove said as he nodded with a small grin.

"Yeah, no don't worry about it. I just um... I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Seemed really off this morning, no offense." he said as Clove sighed"

"It's crazy." the girl shook her head"

"Are you not aware of what happened last year? I'm well past thinking things are crazy." Lucas asked, making Clove laughed"

"I saw my Mom," Clover said as Lucas blinked"

"I thought she was..." he trailed off as Clover nodded"

"She is, I think it was just lack of sleep maybe. I don't know but it just made me feel weird you know? Kinda sad I guess." she shrugged while staring down at her yellow flats.

"Wait so let me get this straight...you feel off your bike and thought you saw her?" Lucas asked while they walked side by side.

"No I thought I saw her then I fell off my bike." Clove said in an annoyed tone.

"Okay okay," he said while holding his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I know you don't like to talk about what happened with anyone but you know I'm always in your corner if you ever need anything." Lucas said as he bumped into her slightly"

"Thanks, Lucas."Clover smiled as she swung her arm around him

"There's no way that's Madmax."Mike said as they all watched the girl skateboard.

"Yeah, girls don't play video games." Will added in making Clove clear her throat"Well, besides Clover," Will said as the Reyes girl gave him a grin.

"Even if she did you can't get seven hundred thousand on dig dug, I mean that's impossible."Mike said.

"But her name is Max," Lucas said with a duh look.

"So what?" Mike asked him annoyed.

"So? How many Max's do you know?" the boy asked him.

"I don't know." Mike shrugged.

"Zero, that's how many." Lucas said causing Mike to roll his eyes.

"Man, a girl at our school shows up with the same name a day after beating our score? I mean, are you kidding me?" Dustin added in, agreeing with Lucas.

"Exactly."Lucas said.

"Well if she is Madmax, she's pretty freaking awesome," Clove said as she watched the girl skate along the ramp.

"Yeah, she rides a skateboard. Pretty awesome." Dustin agreed as the two friends shared a grin.

"I'm gonna go say hi."Clover said as she went to walk-off.

"What? Why?" Mike asked her with a judge look on his face.

"Because I remember being the new kid, if you wouldn't have come over and talked to me I wouldn't have known what to do." she said as he gave a small grin with his face flushed her way as she turned and walked away.

"Hey there Cherry Wine." Clove greeted her as she walked in front of her.

"Cherry Wine? Haven't heard that one before" Max said as she grinned.

"I just wanted to come to introduce myself, I'm Clover but it's usually just Clove." the girl grinned while she rocked on her heels.

"Nice to meet you just Clove, I'm Max but you already knew that from the awkward introduction." Max said with a cringe on her face as Clove laughed.

"Yeah, those can be brutal." Clove said as she looked at her.

"Those your friends?" she asked while nodding toward the four that were watching them.

"They are." Clove nodded.

"Well I'm hoping you aren't a stalker too." Max said as she raised her eyebrow.

"Oh no, no way." Clove shook her head quickly.

"Messing with you, c'mon... no one gave me a tour of this dump school yet and I need to find somewhere to skip without being caught." Max said as she pulled Clove along with her.

"Messing with me again?" the shorter girl asked while Max threw something into the trash can.

"Something like that." Max said as she held the door open for Clove.

"So California?"••••

my girls met and i'm so happy, you'll probably hear more about the whole situation between El and Clove