my friends, the stalkers

. ✧ ・゜. +・o ✧

The only problem with Alina's plan to introduce herself to Max was that she had no idea where the new girl had gone. So, with a sigh, she began to wander the halls, searching for any sign of her. Perhaps if she did end up finding Max, she could ask her once and for all if she really was Mad Max, and solve her friends' stupid mystery.

Alina scuffed her feet as she walked. The halls were mostly empty, many of the students playing outside during recess, so it was easy enough for her to make her way around. Breathe, Alina. She repeated her comforting chant in her head over and over, especially as she got nearer to the section of the wall her dad had propped himself up against the day he died. When she passed it, she averted her eyes, staring at the ceiling, but that didn't help her from seeing the blood that had drenched the tiles that day. Suddenly, she stopped thinking of breathing, and was reliving the moment over again.

Blood. There was so much blood and destruction and ruin. Alina closed her eyes, but that only made the scene even clearer. As Alina watched, she opened her mouth and let out a scream, red light bursting out of her and slamming into the walls. Stop. Stop it. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Kept seeing her dad's dead eyes piercing right into her.

"Midnight Girl."

Alina's eyes opened, and she realized she was just standing in the middle of the hall, her breath leaving her in sharp gasps. And right in front of her was Daniel Tree, staring at her with his lip curling.

Daniel Tree had obviously looked up to Troy and James, the bullies who had somehow managed to graduate Hawkins Middle and moved on to Hawkins High. He was a tall but skinny white boy with red hair that stuck straight up on his head, and a face pockmarked with acne. He'd been picking on her and Will more than anyone else this past year. He'd even spray-painted Will's locker once, and had ended up in the office with a broken nose. Mike's doing. But he still wouldn't relent.

Perhaps last year, before everything bad had happened, that week when Alina began to feel confident in herself, she would've stood up to him. Midnight Girl? She'd say. How about you come up with a more creative nickname instead of stealing them from Troy and James? It wasn't even creative in the first place.

But she didn't say anything now. She didn't need to stand up for herself anymore, because insults like these didn't matter. James had held a lighter to her face. Her dad and her friend had died. And it was no longer worth it. She was no longer worth it.

So, instead, Alina made to move past him, but he held out his arm, effectively blocking her path, and spoke. "I'm talking to you, freak."

Asshole. Alina ducked under his arm and continued her way, her cheeks burning, wanting to avoid a confrontation. She couldn't believe he'd caught her in the midst of a flashback. He was bound to go spreading some rumor now that she was crazy. Perhaps last year she'd care. This year she didn't.

Maybe I am crazy. Maybe he's right.

Alina gritted her teeth, remembering what she had come inside for. She pushed open the door to the girl's bathroom, deciding to look for Max inside there. Daniel Tree stared after her as she went inside, his brow furrowing. He was sure that anyone else would fight back, but Alina Fairgrieves hadn't even said a word. And she'd been standing in the middle of the hallway freaking out, like a total looney.

Whatever. Perhaps later he would spread the news that Alina Fairgrieves belonged in a looney bin. But for now he had to find another way to get under her skin. But until then...

The new boy was walking by. And he was as weird as it got.

Inside the bathroom, Alina found a skateboard propped against the wall, which meant that Max was indeed inside. Sure enough, there soon was the sound of a toilet flushing and Max pushed her way out of the stall, shaking her head. Alina quickly turned on the water to the sink and pretended to wash her hands, and Max headed to the one beside her, her eyes darkening with recognition when she realized who it was.

It's game time, Alina. You are going to make up for that embarrassing incident in the hall just now.

"Hi."

"Uh, hey." Max cocked an eyebrow, looking cool and defiant.

"You're in Mr. Clarke's class, right?" Obviously, Alina. She was introduced in front of everybody.

"Yeah." Max turned off the water, and Alina realized with a jolt that she'd just been letting her own run over her hands. She hastened to turn it off. "And you're one of the stalkers."

Alina shook her head. "No, I'm not. I didn't want to spy on you through the fence or dig through the trashcan or any of that shit. I just... they were curious about you, and I went along with it because they're my crazy friends."

Max scoffed, drying her hands with paper towel. "Why are you even friends with them?" she asked. "They're weird."

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first, too. But they're actually really cool when you get to know them. When they're not stalking new girls. Speaking of that, I have a question. My friends were curious about you because someone with your name got first on the leaderboard on Dig Dug. Was that you? Are you Mad Max?"

Max actually smiled at this. "Yep."

"How... how did you get seven-hundred thousand points on Dig Dug?" Alina couldn't help but feel impressed. Max was so... cool. And she was apparently really, really good at video games.

"Practice." Max cracked her knuckles. "Do you play video games, too?"

Alina nodded. "I love Dig Dug. That's why I'm so impressed. I've only ever reached six-hundred thousand points before." She smiled, sticking out her hand. "I'm Alina."

"Max." Max clasped her hand and shook, before standing up straighter. "Hey, maybe you can come to the arcade with me some time," she suggested, shrugging her shoulders. She seemed to have warmed up to Alina a little more after finding out she wasn't stalking her. "I can teach you a couple of tricks."

"Yeah, sure, that'd be cool," said Alina, trying not to look too excited. She didn't really talk to other girls besides Eleven, so it was nice to actually be bonding with one. "Uh, I've got to go to class. See you around, Max."

"Bye, Alina."

Alina left the bathroom feeling accomplished. She'd thought Max was going to be one of those people who didn't like talking to anyone, but she was actually pretty cool. And now the Mad Max mystery had officially come back to a close. Maybe now her friends could stop going on and on about Max—especially Lucas. Maybe now things could go back to normal.

Things did not go back to normal.

Alina was on her way to the arcade after school, wanting to take her mind off things when another wave of heat went through her. It had been happening lately. She'd be biking or walking somewhere when she'd break out in a sweat, even in wintertime, the heat accompanied by a pounding headache. She always brushed it off, but now they were getting more and more frequent, and she was beginning to get a little worried.

Alina took out her bottle of water and took a few swigs, trying to get her body temperature down. She wondered if she was getting sick. But soon enough, she cooled off, and let out a sigh as she arrived at the arcade. She was just about to go inside when she noticed two boys crouched behind a car, one with binoculars held up to his eyes.

With a sigh, Alina turned around and headed towards them. Lucas, whose eyes were still trained on the arcade, didn't notice Alina as she came up to him, and when she tapped him on the shoulder, he actually jumped.

"Oh, hey Al," he said after a moment, trying to play it cool. He gave her one of his famous Lucas Sinclair grins that usually made her heart race, but not today. Today she was mad at him.

"You two are freaks." She shook her head. "No wonder she thinks you both are stalkers. You really are."

"What are you doing here?" Dustin asked quickly.

Alina tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I wanted to get my mind off of things, but seeing you two here has brought it all right back. Seriously, just leave Max alone. She doesn't want to be stared at by a couple of nerds with binoculars."

"We want to find out if she's Mad Max," Lucas tried to explain. "So we're watching her for scientific purposes."

"Well, you don't need to do your stupid research anymore, because I already talked to her," Alina sneered. Anger was washing through her at the sight of Lucas with his binoculars, seeming so eager to get a glance of the new girl. "She admitted to me that she's Mad Max, so you can go now. Mystery solved. Detective Fairgrieves strikes again."

"Wait, you actually talked to her today?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, like I said I would."

"We didn't think you were serious," Dustin explained. "So, what's she like?"

Alina huffed out a breath, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She was unnaturally grouchy today. "She's fine. A little grumpy, but cool. She called me a stalker for hanging out with you guys, which is fair. And, uh, she offered to teach me tricks in Dig Dug sometime. So watch your second-place spot, Dusty."

Dustin and Lucas exchanged a glance. "Well," Lucas said eventually, "we're just going to make sure she's telling the truth. So, uh, yeah. You can go inside now."

"Alright." Alina knew she was getting nowhere with her friends, and tried to blink away the tears brimming in her eyes. "I'll be visiting you two in prison soon, I guess. Stalkers. See you later, Dustin, Lucas." Her voice broke on the final word, and she turned away from Lucas and Dustin, her urge to numb her mind with video games suddenly gone. She kicked a stone as she headed back to her bike, trying to strangle the sob in her throat.

The time had finally come. The time when Lucas got tired of being friends with her, tired of holding off, and began noticing other girls instead. Max was a whole package, too. With her vibrant red hair, her skill at video games, the fact that she skateboarded... she was everything. And Alina was a freak who had panic attacks in bathrooms.

"Why did she say your name like that?" she heard Dustin ask Lucas as she mounted her bike. "Lucas, why did she say your name like that?"

Alina resisted the urge to flip him off and began to pedal away, heading home. She didn't know why she was so angry. Although she still did like Lucas, Alina didn't know if she was ready for (or deserved) a relationship yet. Lucas could do whatever he wanted. He could kiss girls, he could kiss boys, he could make out with a frog for all she cared.

But even as she kept repeating that over and over again in her mind, Alina knew it wasn't true. She knew she still liked Lucas. She only wondered why.

Then the voice that preyed on her darkest fears came back to life in her mind. It was a voice that didn't even sound like her, but Alina knew it had to be her, because who else would it be? With a dark chuckle, the voice growled, he doesn't like you anymore. He never did. You're nothing compared to Max. Why would you ever think you deserved him?

Alina bent her head, tears sliding down her cheeks, and tried to think of something else as she got closer to home. But all she could think of was Lucas's face when he talked about Max.

She didn't realize that Lucas had left soon after she did, heading to his own house, guilt burning in him. He'd been the one to suggest they wait until they were fourteen, but he hadn't known how long Alina really had needed when she said she needed some time. It could've only been a couple months, and he'd ruined everything.

Maybe it was time to move on. He'd try speaking to Max tomorrow, perhaps invite her to come trick-or-treating. He'd realize then what his true feelings were.

. ✧ ・゜. +・o ✧

a/n: uh oh. things don't seem to be going well with lucas and alina! he definitely seems to be developing a little crush on max :(( meanwhile, alina has actually begun to strike up a friendship with her! i didn't want alina and max's relationship to be that trope where two girls hate each other solely because they both like the same boy, so it's gonna be a little different here. i hope you don't mind me choosing this route for them!

i hope you enjoyed this chapter! as always, don't forget to vote and comment if you did!

'till next time!