"Look at that ass, hey Wheeler, wanna get your weiner wet?"

And that would be the queen bitch herself. Mike thought to himself.

There were four of them. They called themselves The Bitch Squad. Stacy was Bitchy . Max was Superbitch, Jane was Bitchin' , although Mike thought that wasn't that bad a nickname. And Kali was Scary Bitch.

They were known behind their backs as The Skank Squad . But no guy would ever say that to their faces. Most guys in Hawkins High school were scared of them. Except for Mike, he liked to rephrase their nicknames with skank instead of bitch. They didn't like it, but they never did anything about it.

Mike knew there were two reasons why. The first was that Skankin', also known as Jane Ives stopped them for the most part. She was the only one allowed to insult him, or so it seemed.

The very last day of Mike's stay and Hawkins Middle he'd gotten beaten up badly by Troy Walsh. "Something to remember me by during the summer frogface" He had sneered.

That was the summer Mike decided that his first day of Hawkins High was going to be different. He worked out over the summer. A coffee shop needed help and Mike was more than happy to carry around one-hundred pound bags of coffee beans. He also had a bit of a growth spurt so he towered over his friends and any potential bullies.

He towered over the Skank Squad too, so between Jane's no touch policy and Mike's physique they got no pleasure out of bullying him.

The second reason was that Mike had saved Jane Ives' life when they were both nine years old. A HNL van had been careening through downtown and was headed straight for the girl who's hair had bee very short at the time, almost buzzed. Mike didn't even know her name.

Mike had pulled her out of the way around a corner of a brick building, they were shielded from the flying shrapnel of the van as it exploded. She had been scared to death, but she'd never forgotten.

Her dad had actually hugged him while thanking him. It seemed he could do no wrong in Hawkins. Mike wasn't that kind of guy anyway, The thrill of getting caught by the cops wasn't any kind of thrill for him, it actually made him sick to his stomach.

He her dad had taken her to live somewhere safer, and Mike hadn't seen her for almost two years after that.

When he did, she had longer slicked back hair, heavy eye makeup, leather pants, and a leather jacket with the right arm sleeve torn off. Mike had no idea why she left the left one untouched but she started a trend with her look and the bad girls glommed onto it.

So Mike had no problem pissing off the would-be girl gang.

"Hey it's Skankin'! No thanks, last time I dipped it in pondscum it almost rotted off. Can't imagine what I'd get from you!"

The one thing he knew about Jane Ives was that she was smart and that really pissed off the teachers, she had an attitude, got in trouble, but pulled straight A's. Just like Mike's sister Nancy had done.

She gave him a look, the same look she gave him every time Mike had what sounded like a snappy comeback. It was almost a wistful look, a Mona Lisa wistful look. Mike never knew what the hell she was thinking.

And he could almost set a stopwatch by her response, "Don't even think about it Kali, he's hands off."

She didn't intend for Mike to hear that. Sometimes he heard her, other times there was too much noise in the hallway, but it looked like she almost always said it to Kali, aka, Scary Bitch, aka Scary Skank. Kali's dark eyes could bore holes into you. They were quite remarkable.

But nothing like Jane Ives eyes, even with the makeup they were pretty. Too bad she'd chosen to walk on the wild side. Mike wasn't interested in her. Not in the least. But he loved insulting her back. He gave as good as he got.

"Oh, but hey, thanks for the offer, I'm sure the Tigers would be interested, you could probably do ten or twelve of them before they got the hint. Hell split the difference, call it eleven."

This time she gave him a different look. A scared look. So scared that Mike actually said, "Sorry Jane."

Mike was floored by the second new look from her. Her face softened, like she'd accepted the apology, and Mike thought, Oh… she's really pretty once she loses the forced bad-ass look.

XXXXX

The next day, it was the same attitude. So that brief moment where they might have connected as ordinary young adults was gone.

"Hey Wheeler, you suck on something of mine I'll suck on something of yours."

"Nah, I don't really want to taste the last four or five guys who had you. Thanks again for the offer, Skank. Gonna pass again."

Mike decided he was just gonna flat out call any of them a skank. He knew there wasn't a thing they could do about it. The whole thing was starting to get on his nerves anyway. He thought he might amp it up a bit next time she harassed him. It had gone on now for almost a year.

XXXXX

"Hey Wheeler, You wanna feel me up in the back of your car? Maybe even finger me a little?" She had that set to her mouth that made Mike just want to pile drive her in the face. He was getting pissed off.

"You know what skank?" Mike saw that she noticed he didn't use skankin' this time.

"I'll leave that job for your dad, hate to think he'd miss out on it after all these years."

This time Mike wasn't expecting the expression on her face at all. Her mouth down turned a little, and he saw that tears had actually started.

"That's mean." She said and ran off to be with her friends.

XXXXX

That night Mike was working in the coffee shop, he injured his hand on a wooden palette, and had to be rushed to the hospital. His hand was put in a cast up to his elbow.

The next day, he saw Jane, she looked mean and she was with her friends.

Here it comes. Mike thought.

"Hey Wheeler, wanna blowjob from four cuties?" But she saw his hand and decided to add to it. "Ah, I see you're just fine jerkin' off with that hand, I guess you missed a stroke and sprained it?"

Mike gave her both barrels, "Sort of, I was so turned on thinking about your mom's pussy that I slipped." He sniffed the air, "Cuties? Did you mispronounce skankies?"

Jane came over and slapped him hard. Much harder than he would have possible. "Don't you ever say anything about Mama again. That goes for my dad too. You'll regret it. I promise."

"I'm sorry Jane. Let me apologize, fuck off. You and your the rest of your skank friends can go fuck each other. Sideways. And Upside Down. I'll draw you a picture with the other hand if you if you can't figure it out."

He looked her in the eyes.

"You know what? I"m done with you."

Fuck it. He thought. He felt uncomfortable even saying this to a girl but he went ahead anyway, "You're a cunt"

XXXXX

"Why do you hate me?"

Mike was head first in his locker, he hesitated but pulled back to look around this locker door. It was Jane Ives she was leaning against the locker next to his.

"I don't hate you. How can I hate you? I don't even know you."

"But you don't want to know me."

"Correct."

"So you don't want to go out with me?"

Mike barked out a laugh. "You got that right."

"Is there anything about me you like?"

"Yes."

She looked at him expectantly with those eyes. Mike suddenly felt self conscious that a girl this pretty was paying any kind of attention to him.

"I like the fact that you are smart. And…" He gave her a big sigh. Here goes nothing. "You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen."

Jane Ives actually blushed.

"Let me add one more thing, I like that we just had an honest, civil conversation."

She smiled at him.

"...and if you use that against me next time you are with your friends… just going to ignore you for the rest of my life."

"I won't." She said and looked down.

Mike shrugged. "Doesn't make any difference to me whatsoever. We will never be friends. But civil towards each other is always a possibility."

Mike would have sworn she looked a little sad. "See you tomorrow."

Ok, that was weird. She seemed like a totally different girl.

XXXXX

Mike could see the skank squad coming his way while he was at his locker. He was about to give Jane a friendly smile but then…"

"Hey Wheeler, do you want to honestly jerk off while looking into the prettiest eyes you've ever seen?"

Mike didn't get angry or even try for an insulting reply. He briefly shook his head at her and shrugged. He turned way.

Once a skank always a skank.

XXXXX

For the next two weeks Mike ignored their insults, especially Jane's and he could tell it was bothering all of them, except for her. He would not rise to the bait, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

One day he was at his locker, and he heard, "I still remember that day."

Mike was finished putting away his books. He looked at Jane. "I'm sorry did I stutter last time.?"

He got within an inch of her face, she actually closed her eyes and titled up towards him as if she was expecting a kiss.

"Cunt."