we've made it to the epilogue! I won't say much because I'm uploading an authors note immediately after this but I hope you enjoy this last installment.


June 26th, 1989

"Mama!" Jane called, hurrying out of her room and standing at the top of the stairs. "Have you seen my earrings?"

"They're right here on the coffee table where you left them!" Her mom called back from the living room.

She ran down the stairs, her flats clicking on each step. Jane spotted the bag from the jewelry store she'd been looking for before she even got all the way down the staircase. She could hear her mom gasping as she grabbed the bag off the table and pulled out the box inside.

Her mom stood up from the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Jane, you look beautiful."

After Mike asked her to go to prom with him Jane started the search for a dress almost instantly. She quickly found out she didn't like any of the dresses in the store. The large shoulder pads and vibrant colors didn't exactly suit her. Since the next closest dress store was two towns over, and way too expensive for their budget, Jane was at a loss. Like every other melodramatic teenager who couldn't find something to wear she felt like the world was going to end. Her mother quickly saved the day by suggesting that Jane wear her old prom dress back from the 60's and get it altered to fit her. That weekend they drove up to her grandparents house, where her moms dress was, and brought it back down to Hawkins.

When she had put on the dress and looked in the mirror she felt like Frenchie from Grease. It was almost identical to the yellow dress in the movie only a light baby blue version. Which was an incredible relief since blue looked much better on her than yellow did. The hem had been shortened, since her mother was a good bit taller than her, along with a few other altercations.

Jane wasn't used to feeling beautiful. It was a bit of a foreign concept to someone typically so plain. But for once she truly did. As she put in her earrings she looked up at the clock on the wall, her eyes widening. "6:50 already?" She said, running back towards the stairs. "Mike's going to be here in ten minutes and I'm nowhere near ready!"

She bolted up the stairs and collapsed at her desk where every item of makeup she owned was laid out. All she had done, besides getting dressed, was her hair. Jane did her makeup as quickly as she could without making it look messy. On top of her desk she had a magazine flipped open to a page she wanted to use as a reference. The girl in the picture had blue eyeshadow, dramatic lashes, and pink lipstick. Jane seriously doubted her lashes were that long, and lipstick wasn't really her thing. So she was simply aiming for the eyeshadow look.

Applying makeup was yet another foreign experience to her. Especially powder. For the first time she wished either she or her mom were more girly so one of them would know how to do makeup. She put the powder on her face, noticing a little too late that it wasn't quite her color. Then she picked up her small eyeshadow pallet. The one with six colors that she'd gotten from a drugstore a year ago under her friends influence and had hardly touched since.

After five minutes of applying and then wiping way she was finally satisfied with her work. Instead of the hot pink lipstick the girl in the picture wore she opted for lipgloss. It was much more subtle and Jane was already a bit too noticeable for her liking. Once she was done she got up and stood in front of the mirror on the back of her door. With the combination of the dress she wore, her makeup, and her hair which was wavy instead of curly she looked almost like an entirely different person. Almost. She still looked enough like herself to be recognizable.

Jane was still surveying herself in the mirror when she heard the doorbell ring. She hurried over to the window, a large grin spreading on her face at the sight of Mike's car parked outside her house. With one last look in the mirror, making sure she looked as perfect as she could, she opened her door and headed for the stairs.

xXx

Once the flash of the camera went off Mike let go of Holly's hand and let the smile on his face drop. "Okay, that's enough." He told his mom, who lowered the camera in her hands so she could look at him. They'd been taking pictures for almost ten minutes which, in his opinion, was nine minutes more than necessary. "I have to go pick up Jane."

"Just one more, I promise." She told him which only caused him to roll his eyes. "You haven't taken any with me."

"Okay, but quickly."

She stood in the doorway of the living room and starred at his father who was sat in front of the television. "Ted? Can you come and take my picture with Mike?"

It took a moment for her words to fully register and for him to push himself to his feet. He took the camera from Karen before she came over to Mike. She straightened his jacket for the hundredth time then stood next to him and put her arm around his waist. "I can't believe how grown up you are."

"Mom-"

"I'm done."

His father snapped one picture then handed the camera back to his mom. Before anyone could take anymore pictures Mike grabbed his keys off the keyring an insisted that he had to leave to pick up Jane. He quickly headed out the front door, closing it behind him and hurrying to his car.

As he drove to Jane's house a swarm of butterflies erupted in his stomach. Prom was something entirely out of his element. Hanging out with Jane at lunch or her house was familiar to him and comfortable. But a school dance was a world totally unknown to him. He had been to dances before back in middle school. But that was something else entirely. Middle school was a life before Jane and when their friend groups had yet to collide. As scared as he was he would be with Jane. He had to remind himself that they had been through so much worse than a school dance.

He pulled up in front of her house and looked up at her illuminated bedroom window. Mike waited for a few moments, hoping to catch a glance of her, but after not seeing any sign of her he gave up and got out. As he walked up to her house he wiped his now sweaty palms on his pants. He rang the doorbell and waited anxiously for the front door to open. After counting all the way to ten it finally opened and revealed her mom standing in the doorway.

Over the course of the trial he had gotten even closer with Jane's mom than she had with his. She stood to the side so he could walk in, then gave him a hug once she closed the door. "Mike, you look great." She told him, adjusting his jacket in the same motherly way his own mom had been doing for almost an hour. "You're hair's getting so long too."

"I'm surprised Jane hasn't tried to cut it yet." He said, a smile starting to grow. It had taken his mom almost ten minutes to notice his cut bangs the night Jane came over after the trial. He was admittedly a bit surprised that she had done such a good job.

"Well I don't think there will be any scissors laying around tonight so you're safe for now." Terry said. She then lowered her voice so her daughter upstairs wouldn't hear. "She's been getting ready for almost an hour. I think she's a little nervous."

Mike kept his voice quiet too. "Really?"

"She probably wouldn't admit it, but yeah."

If his mother had admitted something like that to Jane he would have been mortified. But Terry was much better at knowing how to keep her voice down.

After hearing he wasn't alone in his nervousness he began to feel better. He stayed downstairs and talked with her mom for a minute or two more while he waited for Jane to come downstairs. When he heard her bedroom door open and close his anxiety started to peak. Mike quickly turned around at the sound of her footsteps. He struggled to keep his mouth from hanging open when she came down enough for him to see her, yet he still wasn't sure he had fully succeeded.

She came over to him with a shy smile. Mike was suddenly scared his heart was going to beat out of his chest. "You look beautiful." He told her

"Thank you." She said. Blush quickly rose to her cheeks. "You look really nice too."

He would have undoubtedly starred at her forever, and would have gladly done so, if her mom hadn't spoken up a few feet away. "Okay, just one picture I promise."

Though he doubted it would truly only be one picture he didn't mind waiting a little longer. Out of all the pictures that would likely be taken that night the ones he wanted the most were ones with Jane. She was already the most beautiful girl he knew, by far, but she now looked like Jane 2.0. A new version of something that needed no improvement yet managed to make some somehow. She'd never worn the shade of blue he dress was before and he intended to buy her a shirt in the same color it looked so good on her.

They stood next to one another with heir arms around each others waists, wearing wide smiles as her mom held up the camera. When Mike dropped her off later that night he intended to ask her mom if he could get a copy of the picture. Maybe two. He had a feeling two would be better, since his mom would likely want to have a copy to put in a picture frame. Her mom snapped, at the most, three pictures, before lowering the camera and revealing a wide grin on her face. He half expected her to take a few more until she set the device down on the table.

"Okay, now you kids get out of here before you miss the party." She told them

Jane grabbed her purse off of the coffee table, giving her mom a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before linking her arm with Mike's as they headed out the door. He struggled to not stare at her as they walked towards his car and was only somewhat successful. She met his gaze and flashed him a wide smile. One strong enough to make his heart melt into a puddle.

When they got in the car Jane dug in the glove compartment for the mixtape she had made specifically to keep in his car that was filled with her favorite songs. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which was surprisingly her favorite song, was a track on the tape twice. She popped it in and the first song started to play (Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley which, for some reason, always made her laugh whenever she heard it). As he started the car and drove away from her house he was now forced to keep is eyes fixed elsewhere from her. Which was admittedly a disappointing realization.

Like she always did when she sat in her passengers seat she was turned to face him. She rested her elbow on the armrest and propped her chin up on her hand. "Are you excited?" She asked

"Yeah." He said, sparing a quick glance at her. "Are you?"

Her smile grew even more. "Totally."

"You know Stacey was right." Mike told her. "It's too bad you're not a senior. You would definitely be prom queen if you were."

In his peripheral vision he saw her roll her eyes and let out a groan. "I definitely would not be."

"Well I guess we'll never know, since we're still juniors." He said, then added "Of course there is next year."

"No way I would be prom queen." She said and pushed his arm gently

Though he knew she was right, that prom queen was a perfect example of how much control the social hierarchy of high school had on situations, he still thought she looked enough like royalty. Despite how much he loved her natural beauty, makeupless face, and crazy curls he also loved seeing her so done up. If he weren't forced to keep his hands on the wheel he would have been running them through her hair. He would have to wait for when he pulled into the parking lot of the school.

"It's weird how fast this year went." Jane said as she gazed out the window. "We're going to be seniors in a few months."

"There's a whole season between now and then." He reminded her

She looked over at him, "Yeah, that's true." She admitted. "But summer is three months. That's the same amount of time I've been here."

Mike suddenly felt what he imagined she was feeling. The time that they had known each other had flown by. Would summer go by just as quickly? He certainly hoped not. Mike intended to spend as much time with her over the vacation as he possibly could. From the few jokes she made about them spending every day together when the break finally came he assumed she was thinking the same thing. Three months on paper was a long time. But Jane was right. He suddenly felt like he had to go shopping for school books.

"Do you know where you're going to apply to college?" Jane asked.

It was the first time they had ever discussed life after high school and it was already a conversation he didn't like. One of the most well known facts about high school relationships was that they typically didn't last long after graduation. The thought that the same would happen to him and Jane made him feel sick. He liked to think that they would succeed unlike everyone else because he'd yet to find a relationship between kids their age quite like theirs. They'd been through the ringer together and dealt with things he doubted anyone else in Hawkins High School had experienced. Still it was sometimes hard to convince himself.

Instead of saying anything going through his head he simply responded with "No, not really." Then added "Do you?"

"No." She admitted. "Though I'd like to go somewhere with a good English department."

Mike raised his eyebrows. She'd never said a word about college before but her answer didn't quite surprise him. Her grades in English completely dominated his own and not just because she read one of the books already. He had proofread the research paper she did for the class and, though he knew she would never admit it, it was fantastic. His jaw had practically dropped on the floor when she showed him the score she'd gotten on the final; a 93%. "Do you want to major in English?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shrug. "Maybe." She said, then looked at him with a small smile. "I haven't had that much time to think about it."

She certainly had a point. Mike had scrambled to study for finals after the trial ended. It had been so hard to focus on anything else up until then. His grades had started to slip effortlessly. Needless to say he put 110% into studying so he could make up for the slacking he'd been doing. All of his teachers were understanding of the situation, the little they knew about it, and a few had even told him they were surprised yet glad he had done so well on his final exams.

Prom was being held in the ballroom of a hotel in the next town over, one of the few nice places that was suitable for the occasions. When he pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later it was already decently filled up. He spotted a few students walking inside, all dressed nicely but not nearly as nice as Jane. Mike turned off the car and dropped his keys in his pocket, then looked over at her. "Ready?"

xXx

Jane starred across the parking lot at the entrance to the ballroom with large double doors propped open to give her a limited view of the dimly illuminated room. From where she sat she could already see some of the decorations, including a balloon archway right in front of the doors. She was suddenly overcome with nervousness and self consciousness for reasons unknown. The best excuse she could come up with was her sudden change in appearance. Only six people in school had seen her wear something other than jeans. The thought that everyone would see her looking so, dare she say, glamorous made her heard pound.

She looked over at Mike when he spoke, some of her nerves instantly fading away. Throughout everything he had been her rock. He answered every time she called him and didn't hesitate to come over when she needed in-person comfort. When she started to feel overwhelmed at school she simply reminded herself that Mike wasn't far away. Had she been sitting in the car alone she may have been to nervous to get out. But he was there with her. They'd faced much worse than a school dance.

"Ready."

She opened the car door and stepped out, her arm wrapping around his once she stood next to him. Her heart pounded as they walked towards the building so she inched towards him. The closer they got the more clearly she could hear music playing loudly inside. She couldn't help but wonder why dances always had the music so loud so she had to scream to talk to the person next to her. She'd lost her voice after the last dance she'd been to a few years back.

When they walked inside Jane quickly surveyed the room. There were balloons, tinsel, and large cut out stars covering the entire room. Hanging from the ceiling was a disco ball, spinning slowly and sending scattered reflections across the walls and floor. Students were already dancing in the middle of the room while others were closer to the walls sitting or getting food from three tables pushed together. They decided to first find the rest of their friends and walked towards the tables on the right side of the room.

They walked close to the walls to avoid getting in the way of dancers. Jane recognized most people in the room and took note of what everyone was wearing. The majority of the girls sported big hair and dramatic shoulder pads/ruffles. Needless to say she stood out with her shoulder less dress that was so twenty years ago. As they walked through the room a few eyes fell on the pair and were instantly drawn to the dress Jane wore. A girl in her math class, who she'd only spoken to a handful of times but was always nice, smiled at her as she passed. By the time they reached their friends Jane's cheeks were ablaze.

The first to notice them walking over was Dustin, who's eyes went wide before he blurted out "Holy shit."

Everyone else turned towards them as they sat in the two empty seats. Max, who sat next to Jane, starred at her as if they'd never met. "Holy shit is right." She agreed, reaching for the outer layer of tool on her dress. "Where the hell did you find this?"

"It was my moms." She said, "We just got it altered a little."

Lizzie, who sat across the table between Will and Dustin, grinned at her. "You look like you're in Grease."

"I know."

Max smirked at her. "You gonna do the leather look next?"

Jane bumped her shoulder with her own. "I'm saving that for graduation." She joked

She looked at the dresses her two friends wore. They looked just as transformed as she was. Lizzie, who never wore her hair down, had finally ditched her ponytail. Her hair, perfectly blonde and perfectly straight, went almost all the way down to her elbows. The shade of red lipstick she wore perfectly matched her dress, and Jane was pretty sure she was wearing mascara as well. Max hadn't undergone as much of a transformation as she and Lizzie had yet still looked much more girly than usual. She wore a dress that looked like it was taken directly out of Cyndi Lauper's closet, which was surprisingly fitting. Her hair was tied up in a French braid. Almost as long as Lizzie's but not quite.

"Hey, Mike." Lucas, who sat on his other side, said to him. "Guess what."

"What?"

"You came with a date." He said before pointing at a table almost ten feet away. "And Troy didn't."

Everyone looked over at the table where Troy sat with a handful of his friends. Sure enough they were all male. Not to mention he didn't look nearly as dashing as Mike. While he sported an all black suit, looking incredibly classy, Troy was wearing a grey suit that didn't quite fit him. Jane looked back over at Mike who starred speechlessly at his bully for a few moments before his gaze returned to his friends. "Wow." He said simply.

"Ever think that would happen?" Will asked him

"Absolutely not."

Jane glanced back over at Troy to find he was already looking at her. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he turned away while a sheepish expression took over his face. He'd yet to bother her or any of her friends since the indecent and she had even noticed him picking on people less in the hallways between class. It seemed the wound to his ego was worse than she thought it had been. For a second she felt a pang of guilt. If there was anything she'd learned from her father it was that violence wasn't the answer.

She bit her bottom lip, her brows coming together. A question hung heavily over her head; should she or shouldn't she. Jane reminded herself that Troy had no way of knowing what her home life was like, or what anyone's home life was like for that matter, when he bullied people. She knew as little about his life as he had about hers. Before she could talk herself out of it she pushed her chair back. "I'll be right back." She told her friends before walking across the room.

Halfway before she reached his table one of his friends pointed her out. Troy turned towards her in his chair, fear briefly crossing over his face. The seed of guilt that had just been planted in her stomach started to sprout. She could feel the awkwardness before she even reached him. Jane cleared her throat, looking down at him. "Hi."

"Hi?" He replied, his response coming out sounding like a question. His friends looked just as shocked about her presence as he did.

"Um…" She scolded herself slightly for not planning out what she was going to say before coming over. "I just- I'm sorry I hit you. It was immature and I shouldn't have done it." He glanced at his friends as if to make sure he was hearing her correctly. She continued before he could answer. "What you said was really immature too, but you didn't deserve to get hit."

Troy blinked at her. Jane may as well have been speaking a different language he looked so confused. A few moments passed before he finally spoke. "I'm… sorry too." The words seemed to struggle to come out of his mouth. She wondered if he'd ever apologized in his life. "That stuff about your dad that's in the paper, is it true?"

"Yes."

He let out a short puff of air. "I didn't know you had that shit going on. I wouldn't have said it if I knew."

Her lips tugged into a hint of a smile. "Thank you." She said, "But you shouldn't have said it anyway."

His expression turned even more sheepish. "You're right."

Jane turned away with just enough time to see the shocked expressions written across all his friends faces before she heard Troy's voice behind her again. "Jane?" She turned back towards him, her eyebrows raised. "Tell Wheeler I'm sorry, too."

Her smile grew. "Why don't I tell all of them?"

"Yeah." He agreed after a moments hesitation. "Okay."

As she walked back to her friends Jane was beaming. It was such a shame no one had managed to stand up to him before. Especially since it seemed to be the thing that caused a bit of change in him. Besides he wasn't so scary. He was one person, shorter than Mike was and with an average amount of muscle for someone his age. Why was everyone so intimidated by him? She considered that she was the only one who hadn't been scared since she'd faced far more evil men than Troy Harrington. He was the equivalent to the kid that chased people on the playground in comparison to someone else she'd had to face.

Her friends gawked at her when she returned to her seat, Max being he first one to speak up. "What the hell was that?"

"I apologized for hitting him." She said simply

Her friend looked at the others at the table, making sure she wasn't crazy, then back at Jane. "And why would you do that?"

"Because I shouldn't have hit him. Violence only makes a conflict worse. It doesn't solve anything." No one had an argument against her so instead of offering one they looked over at Troy's table. "He apologized too."

Across from her Will's jaw dropped. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yup." She told them. "And not just to me. To all of you."

This seemed to be the one thing she said that they didn't believe. "No way." Dustin said, "Troy would never apologize to people like us."

"I'm people like you and he apologized to me." Jane pointed out. "I think he only did it because he was doing it through me." She let them sit with the thought before adding "He originally just wanted to apologize to Mike but I suggested he include the rest of you."

"He was probably just scared you would hit him again." Lizzie said, leaning her chin on her hand

Jane shook her head, "I think he meant it." She looked over at Mike, a wide smile growing on her face. "Now you have a date and an apology. How does it feel?"

He smiled back at her, his hand wrapping around hers. "I think I'm dreaming."

xXx

Mike dumped his now empty plate into the garbage as the song shifted from Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (which Jane was incredibly happy about) to Time After Time. From the spot he stood in, next to Will against the wall, he has a perfect view of her dancing with an equally energetic Lizzie and a slightly muted Max. Seeing her so happy, so totally carefree, was a weight lifted off his shoulders. Though the trial ended about a month before he still worried about her every single day. Just because it was over didn't mean her pain was. She was so good at faking a smile and pretending she was okay that he was forced to learn how to read her well. Seeing her smile so wide that he could see the tops of her teeth, which was always a telltale sign of a genuine smile from her, was a relief.

Next to him Will followed Mike's gaze over to Jane then looked back at him. "She really has you whipped, doesn't she?" He asked, only half joking

Mike couldn't help but smile. "I can't help it."

"I didn't think it was possible for you to like her more than you did when you met her." Will admitted, "Man was I wrong."

"I love her." He knew he'd never said so in front of his friends before and was sure that Jane hadn't either. One look at Will's face was enough confirmation for him to know he was right. Shocked but not surprised.

As he looked back in Jane's direction he instantly spotted her walking towards him. She slipped between couples who were now slow dancing. A few hairs that had fallen out of placed after dancing to such an upbeat song hung on either side of her face with a slight curl at the end. Her cheeks were flushed a light pink color and he can see even from a distance she was still a bit out of breath. When she reached him she grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor without a word. He kept close to her and squeezed past those who were already dancing. She stopped once they were in an empty spot, turning towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Mike pulled her closer to him by his hands on her waist.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" She asked him. "Apologizing to Troy?"

"If you think he really meant what he said then yes." He told her. While he found it hard to believe that Troy Harrington would apologize to him, even if it was through someone else, he trusted her judgement. Besides he hadn't been included in the conversation. He had no choice but to trust her.

Jane thought for a silent moment, her fingers grazing the top of his neck and sending goosebumps up his arms. "I think he meant it." She finally said. "He said he read about my dad in the paper. I think it made him really guilty."

"Good."

A smile spread across her face. Jane was, simply put, the most amazing person he had ever known. And he had a feeling she would remain the most amazing person he'd ever known for a long time if not forever. Only Jane could be focused on his safety twice as much as her own in a dangerous situation or fret about him on the day she had to take the stand. He didn't know anybody else who would apologize to someone who had said what Troy said about her, not to mention get an apology for all of her friends on his behalf. Jane was magic. There was not a doubt in his mind that she was a completely different species. Humans could not compare to her.

She had cast some kind of spell on him when she walked in the homeroom door on her first day. It was the only explanation he could think of. Before he met Jane he'd thought it was impossible to fall for someone he way he had fallen for her. As fast as the speed of light and deeper than the bottom of the ocean. He especially thought that someone his age couldn't fall in love like he had. Before he met her he thought he would be well into adulthood before he had any sort of strong feelings for a girl. He had been exponentially wrong.

Not only was it so surprising that he had fallen for her in the way that he did but he was even more shocked that she too had fallen for him. She was singlehandedly the most beautiful girl he'd ever encountered. That alone made it difficult for an outsider to believe she had feelings for Frogface Wheeler. But she was also incredibly kindhearted, strong, smart, and funny. She was the perfect package. The few flaws he had found in her, which were pathetically slim, were ones he hardly minded. He'd yet to find a downside to Jane.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him suddenly.

The train of thought he was in the middle of was too complicated to get into, so he simply answered "That I love you."

Jane beamed at him, standing on her toes and pressing her lips against his. She pulled away quickly so they wouldn't get scolded by the chaperones who patrolled the room ready to catch kids lip locking. The librarian had even made a few couples who danced too close to one another separate. Mike hoped they stayed out of her sight so the same wouldn't happen to them.

"I can't wait for the summer." She said, "Your family's going to get so annoyed with me being at your house so much.

"I doubt that." He told her, "They love you. If both of your parents were unfit they would have adopted you by now."

Jane's nose scrunched up. "I'm glad they haven't." She said, "Then I'd be your sister."

"Ew."

"Yeah."

He was even more thankful than usual that her mother was just as wonderful as she was. The idea of Jane being his sister, even just by adoption, was disturbing to say the least.

Jane pulled one of her hands away just enough to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, which was hardly long enough to stay in place. "I think I'm going to buy a bike for the summer." She told him. "That way you don't have to drive me all the time and I can get to places on my own."

"I'll give you my old one." He said. "I don't use it anymore and Holly's too young for it."

Her eyes lit up, her smile growing even more. "Really?"

"Yeah, an you're the same height I was when I was thirteen so it'll be perfect for you."

Jane rolled her eyes at him. "You still haven't shown me any of your pictures from when you were younger." She said, "You promised you would show me."

"I got a little distracted with other things after that conversation."

She smiled at his comment. If anyone else heard them making jokes about the situation with her father they would have likely thought the concept was sick. Mike had learned that by making such lighthearted remarks it made the whole thing less scary. With every day that passed it became easier to make jokes instead of being too scared to talk about it. They agreed it was better that way; desensitized and unafraid.

As the song ended her hands slipped from the back of his neck to his shoulders. "It's hot in here." She said. "Do you want to get some air?"

"Sure."

He held onto her hand as they walked towards the doors they had entered over an hour before. It was hard to believe how quickly the night was going by. Mike wished it would last forever and that he would get to see Jane looking so especially beautiful for more than a couple more hours. Though he knew he would eventually miss her jeans and t-shirts. And he sure as hell didn't want to stay in a suit any longer than he had to. Lizzie was hosting an after party at her house, just for their immediate friend group, but he intended to stop home and change into something much more comfortable before heading to her house. He had a feeling Jane would want to do the same.

They sat on a bench about twenty feet away from the doors. Scarce fireflies lit up for quick seconds before once again disappearing into the darkness. As soon as they sat down Jane kicked off her flats and let her feet hang just about the ground.

"Do your feet hurt?"

"A little." She admitted, "Mostly just sweaty though." He laughed at her honesty and she grinned back at him. They were silent for a few fleeting moments where Mike simply starred at her as her eyes were fixed on the parking lot. "I was always terrified of falling in love." She said, likely in the middle of a train of thought. Jane looked over at him as the corners of her lips turned upwards. "I'm glad it's not as scary as I thought it was."

He wrapped his arm around her waist. "I always thought it was overrated." He admitted. "I also always thought that kids who 'fall in love' in high school were bullshit."

"Really?" She asked

"Yeah, I mean, I never really thought that you could actually fall in love when you're young. Like my parents fell in love and got married right out of high school. And now they're… you know." Jane just nodded in response. "But I was really wrong."

She rested her head on his shoulder and let out s sigh. "My mom got married the same month that she graduated." She told him. "I don't wanna get married until I'm, like, twenty five."

"Okay."

"And I want to move somewhere special." She continued, "Like L.A. or Manhattan." Jane picked her head up so she could look at him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere but Indiana."

Jane smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We should take a road trip over the summer or something." She said, "Just you and me, to get out of Hawkins for a little while, even if we don't go too far or stay too long."

"Do you think your mom would say yes to that?"

She shrugged. Mike could feel her fingers brushing against the back of his neck the same way they had only minutes before when they were dancing. "We could just lie and say the whole group is going. That might sway them a little."

He grinned at her. If they could get away with it this summer could easily be the best one yet. Even a few days totally alone with Jane had the potential to put a permanent smile on her face. The idea was a dream come true. "That sounds amazing."

She leaned towards him and pressed her lips against his. It was already hard enough to say goodbye to her at the end of the day. Mike already knew that it would be nearly impossible to say goodbye after spending a few days nonstop and totally alone with her.

They went inside a few minutes later and scanned the room for their friends. Jane spotted them first. The group was in line to get their picture taken in front of a backdrop by a teacher. He held onto her hand as they walked through the room in their direction. The line for pictures was over ten people long, each student eager to get such a professional looking photo. As they started to get closer Dustin was the first to notice them approaching. "There you guys are." He said, grabbing the attention of the others in the group. "And here we thought you were too busy making out in the parking lot to get in the picture."

"We weren't making out in the parking lot." Jane said, her tone heavy with sarcasm. "We were making out in the bathroom."

Mike snorted at the look on his friends faces before they realized she was kidding. Their mouths hung open and their eyes went wide. Once the realization hit them they all let out a sigh of relief which was followed by Max muttering "Not funny." Under her breath

"Who do you think is going to be next?" Jane asked, looking over at Mike and speaking in the same sarcastic voice she had just used. "Stacey and Dylan or Max and Lucas?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see blush instantly coating their two friends faces. "Max and Lucas." He answered, "Definitely."

Max pushed Jane's shoulder with just enough force to make her stumble for a split second. "Shut up." She grumbled while her face continued to turn as red as her hair. Lucas, on the other hand, stayed completely silent while his cheeks burned just as bright.

Their reactions only put a wide grin on Jane's face. She and Lizzie glanced at each other with a knowing look, giving Mike the feeling they too had talked about Max's possible feelings towards Lucas. Before anyone could say much more Mr. Callahan, who stood in front of the camera called "Next." Over his shoulder

xXx

They struggled to get everyone into the shot and only managed to do so with the help of Mr. Callahan who told them who was getting cut off. After trying out several arrangements Dustin, Will, and Lizzie opted to crouch down in front of the other four. Jane practically had to stand in front of Mike to stay in the shot. Which was totally fine with her once he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to his chest. She smiled wide and Mr. Callahan prepared to take the pictures, wide enough that her teeth were on display (which she hated doing). The flash went off and momentarily blinded her. It was a relief that she didn't have to worry if her smile looked genuine enough in a picture.

While he didn't seem thrilled about the idea of arranging for all seven of them to get a copy he did it anyway. He handed each of them the film, which they had to keep safe until Monday when they could get it developed by the photography club, who had generously volunteered to handle everyones photographs. Jane doubted the process would be quick and was already anxiously awaiting her copy of the only picture she'd ever taken with her friends. She made a note to herself to get a photo copy of the picture so she could finally fulfill her promise to send Kelly a picture of Mike.

After realizing she didn't bring a purse to tuck her film safely away into a frown appeared on her face. She spotted Lizzie, who seemed to have the same issue, tuck it into her bra. After a moments hesitation and briefly wondering if getting sweaty would affect the film in any way she did the same. She kept her fingers crossed that the film would be fine despite the heightened temperature in the room. Jane followed the rest of the group back to their table, only getting halfway there before she heard someone's voice behind her.

"Jane!"

She turned around to find Jennifer Hayes and Melissa Duncan, who sat at a table in front of her in science, following her. Jane stopped along with the rest of the group who were just as curious as she was. The two girls looked at each other before Jennifer spoke up. "So, we were thinking- you know how the juniors don't have prom queen?"

"Yeah."

"Well we thought that was totally unfair." Melissa said. She wore a black and sequined dress with puffy shoulder pads in a remarkably similar shade of blue to Jane's dress.

"And if there were a junior prom queen it would definitely be you." Jennifer continued

"… It would?"

They nodded in unison like twins did in the movies. It was especially creepy considering the fact that two incredibly popular girls just told her she would definitely prom queen. "You deserve it more than anyone after everything you've had to deal with."

Jane had no idea what to say. While she could provide a whole list of reasons why she didn't deserve to be prom queen she had never thought she would need to include her dad to the list. "Really?"

"Yeah." Jennifer moved her hand from behind her back and held out a small tiara towards her. "It's not much. But it's better than nothing."

She couldn't do anything but stare at the tiara in her hands. It was store bought, yes. Definitely made of plastic. But that wasn't what mattered to her. Jane was left speechless that not only did they think she deserved the title of prom queen but that they felt strongly enough about it to go out and buy her a tiara to give to her. She was, irrationally, afraid to touch it in case it turned to dust the second she did.

Sensing her shock Jennifer held it closer to her. "You're more real than any of the senior girls actually running for prom queen." She told her. "And you're really cool."

"Plus you're not in a totally cliche high-school-movie relationship that's totally nauseating." Melissa added with a quick glance at Mike next to her, "Which is more than can be said for, like, everyone else

Jane struggled to speak as if she had suddenly forgotten her 17 years of experience with the English language. "I- I don't know what to say."

"Then just take it and say something on Monday." Jennifer said, grabbing Jane's arm and putting the tiara in her hand. "Stay badass." She told her before the two girls turned their backs and disappeared into the crowd of dancing teens

As she once again faced her friends her eyes were glued on the tiara. She was only partially aware of the shocked expressions on their faces and Will whispering "Wow" to himself. Two of the most popular girls in her grade had unofficially crowned her prom queen. Yet she found herself unable to put the tiara on her head. Mike must have read her mind, in the way only he could, by the way he took it from her hands and put it on top of her head before she could wordlessly stare at it much longer.

She couldn't help but mirror the smile on his face when she looked up at him. "They're right." He told her, "You deserve it."

"Holy shit." Dustin said, "Is there something in the water that's making all the popular kids go crazy?"

Lizzie shut her red-painted mouth that had been hanging open. "That was really freaky." She said, "But really awesome."

"I think I'm dreaming." Jane said, repeating Mike's previous words from the beginning on the night.

She truly did think she was dreaming. And she hoped she never woke up.

xXx

Hours later everyone in the group was changed into more comfortable clothes and dancing to music played on the radio in Lizzie's living room. Her parents were having dinner at a family friends house to give them some privacy, which was the very reason why Lizzie's house had been chosen to hose the party. Around an hour and a half after everyone showed up she made the discovery that her parents had forgotten to lock up the liquor cabinet. It didn't take long for the bottles to be passed around the group several times.

The more time passed the more tipsy they all became. Max had loosened up enough to actually dance with Lucas in front of everyone else. Something Jane excitedly pointed out to Mike as they danced together on the other side of the room. The only one more drunk than her was Dustin, who seemed just about ready to pass out on the couch. As they danced to an upbeat pop song her hands were firmly planted on Mike's shoulders and her head hung down slightly. He had a feeling she held onto him so tightly to keep herself standing.

She looked up at him as the song started to wind down. "Can we go outside?"

"Yeah."

Mike kept an arm wrapped around her waist as he led out out to Lizzie's back patio. He remembered how terrified he had been the last time the two sat on the same steps. Scared not only by what he had just learned but how he suddenly wanted to make her father miserable. Looking back he recognized it as one of the first signs that he was falling in love with her. At the time he had been too worried about her to notice. Once they were sitting she rested her head on his shoulder and let out a small sigh.

"I love you, Mike." She told him. Her words were slurred from the alcohol she had drank but the words made his stomach flip none the less.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

Jane turned her head just enough so that she could look at him. Her eyes were slightly glazed and a bit unfocused. She searched his face, for what he wasn't sure, before she spoke again. "Like I really love you." She said. "Like I wanna marry you."

"Yeah?" He reminded himself that she was drunk. That she had already said a few things he doubted she meant. But it didn't change the fact that his face started to burn and his heart was beginning to pound.

She nodded. "Yeah." Jane put her hand on his other shoulder. "Do you wanna marry me?"

"Yeah of course." Mike mentally crossed his fingers that she was too drunk to remember their conversation the next morning.

Her lips spread into a wide smile. "Let's get married when we go on vacation over the summer." She said. "We just can't tell our parents."

"I thought you didn't want to get married until you were twenty five?" He asked

Jane frowned at him. "I don't know if I can wait that long."

He pushed her hair behind her ear. Mike wanted an uninterrupted view of her face. "I'll wait if you will."

"I don't want to." She protested. "What if you break up with me when we're like twenty two?"

Mike had to keep himself from laughing at her. "I won't. I promise."

"What if you change your mind?"

He shrugged. "You'll just have to trust me."

Jane once again searched his face as she mulled over the idea. The idea of running away and getting married as soon as they could was tempting. But the last thing he wanted was for her to regret anything they did. The night that Mike had the house to himself, and Jane lied and said Nancy would be home, it had taken her half an hour to convince him that she wouldn't regret him being her first. He didn't fully believe her but stopped protesting when he could see her getting annoyed. It wasn't until afterwards, as they lay tangled in his sheets and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, that she believed him.

She once again rested her head on his shoulder. "Fine." She said, though she didn't sound too happy about it. "I'll wait."

Mike knew that, statistically, the odds were stacked against their relationship working out. The rational and logical part of him whispered that he shouldn't sound so confident in his promise that they would wait. But the rest of him knew he had never loved anything the way he loved Jane. Ever atom of his existence was deeply in love with her. He knew he would do anything for her. If she still wanted to get married the day they were both eighteen when she was sober he would gladly drive her to the court the day of his birthday. Mike had discovered the meaning of life since meeting Jane; to make her happy. The lengths he would go just to make her smile were dangerous. She had so much control over him and his emotions. But he hand't cared in a long time.