Chapter Text
The last thing Will remembered was coming out to the gang.
He didn't want to, of course. But, he felt like he had to. Or else Vecna would've done it for him. You don't want to know what he meant by "do it for him". Everyone was hugging him as a flashing light came. Everyone was temporarily blinded by it.
He woke up a couple minutes later. Everyone was there—including Holly. Mike and Nancy ran over to her and hugged her tightly. "Why are you bleeding? Are you okay?!" An obviously concerned Mike asked. God, Mike was always so patient with Holly, he'd practically raised her this past year. "where are we?!" An angry Hopper said with a demanding tone.
Robin was running around the room, looking for a way out. She suddenly stopped and picked something up off the floor. "Uh guys? I found a note." Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to read it.
"Sorry for the scare. I'm not Vecna, I promise. I've brought you here to read something Mike writes in the future! Fun, right? I thought it would be nice to distract you from what's happening in your town right now. I've stopped time, don't ask how it's possible, you won't get answers. I've also made a seating chart!
If Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Jane could sit on the couch farthest to the left, that would be great. Also, if Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin could sit on the couch farthest to the right while everyone else sits in between would be pretty awesome."
p.s: The books have a lot of mentions of violence, murders, and slurs are thrown around here and there
-a random stranger, Grace."
After Robin finished the note, no one knew what to say. Violence? Murders? Slurs?
Everyone looked to coffee table and saw five books, which was weird, considering they weren't there prior to Robin reading the note. No one knew what to say or do, do they believe this? Trust their guts and find a way out? Mike was the one who really was speechless. Books written by him? He enjoyed writing every now and then, but to think he'll write actual books? Awesome! He wondered if they're well-liked books. Maybe they're unpublished. Or extremely hated. He hoped they weren't hated. He really hoped they weren't hated. there was only one way to find out. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the wrapped book on the top of the stack labeled '1'.
"Mike, what are you doing? This could be a trap set by Vecna." Will, the boy he was in love with friends with, reacted to him picking up the perfectly wrapped book. "It could be a good distraction from Vecna, plus the note said time was stopped. Might as well see what it's about." No one could really argue with that. Everyone sat down. Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eleven sat on the couch farthest to the right, while Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin took up the couch farthest to left. Joyce, Hopper, and Holly sat on the couch in between the other 2.
Mike stared at the book for a minute before unwrapping it. The book cover was completely white with an orange paw print in the middle; the title read "The Foxhole Court"
He turned the book over and read the description:
"Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential - and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.
But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for."
Everyone looked interested to read the book after Mike read the description out loud. Steve started talking, "Murderous crime lord? Exy? What the hell are you writing, man?"
Another note appeared, this time in Lucas' hand.
"I'm glad you asked! This book series is a mix of sports and the mafia. There's a little romance sprinkled in there, too. As for exy, it's a sport that Mike made up for these books."
-Your friend, Grace."
"Well, that explains it." Mike was conflicted. The mafia? Sports? Romance? He wasn't interested in any of those things, why would he write five whole books about it?
Mike passed the book over Will. "I want you to do the honors and read the first chapter. Will's heart fluttered as he took the book from Mike. There was another note inside. "Please read EVERY page, even if it's a title page, please."
"THE FOXHOLE COURT
Mike Wheeler
ALL FOR THE GAME
The Foxhole Court
The Raven King
The King's Men
The Sunshine Court
The Golden Raven
Copyright 2013 Mike Wheeler"
"2013? Is that when this was written?" Max asked. Mike, again, didn't know how to feel about this. 2013? That was, what, 26 years away?
Will took a deep breathing before turning the page: "Chapter 1"
"Neil Josten let his cigarette burn to the filter without taking a drag. He didn't want the nicotine; he wanted the acrid smoke that reminded him of his mother."
Robin made a comment, "Jeez what a great way to start a book."
"If he inhaled slowly enough, he could almost taste the ghost of gasoline and fire. It was at once revolting and comforting, and it sent a sick shudder down his spine. The jolt went all the way to his fingertips, dislodging a clump of ash. It fell to the bleachers between his shoes and was whisked away by the wind."
Will paused for a moment. Mike always had a haunting way of describing things. He had said Mike was just his Tammy, but deep down he knew that wasn't, and never would be true.
"He glanced up at the sky, but the stars were washed out behind the glare of stadium lights. He wondered —not for the first time—if his mother was looking down at him. He hoped not. She'd beat him to hell and back if she saw him sitting around moping like this."
Oh, so that's what Grace meant by violence, jesus. Hopper thought.
Jonathan, Max, and Joyce all flinched at that.
Will's words were caught in his throat. Lonnie. What an asshole of a character and she's only been mentioned once.
"A door squealed open behind him, startling him from his thoughts. Neil pulled his duffel closer to his side and looked back. Coach Hernandez propped the locker room door open and sat beside Neil.
"I didn't see your parents at the game," Hernandez said.
"They're out of town," Neil said.
"Still or again?""
That hit a little to close to home for Steve. His parents were never home and when they were, they were either hosting parties, or at parties.
"Neither, but Neil wouldn't say that."
"So the main character of Mike's book is an orphan." Dustin commented.
"He knew his teachers and coach were tired of hearing the same excuse any time they asked after his parents, but it was as easy a lie as it was overused. "