Work Text:
Dear Will,
Hey Will,
Will,
How are you?! How’s Lenora?? How’s school going?! Have you made new friends yet? I hate highschool. I suck at Spanish and Lucas ditches us to hang out with stupid basketball jocks who used to bully us. Everything sucks without you. I really miss you.
Dustin and I joined this new D&D club. It reminds me of you. Did you join a new party? It’s really cool. There’s this Dungeon Master named Eddie who dresses like a rockstar and is teaching me to play guitar after school sometimes. He’s Steve’s age and still in high school trying to graduate, but he is so unapologetically himself, he says being weird is a good thing! He’s kind of like my role model right now. I think you’d love him. He reminds me of you. Everything reminds me of you.
I’ve been trying to call but I think the phone line is too busy with Joyce’s new job. Call me when the line’s open? I need to hear your voice. I miss you so much it hurts. Why do I miss you more than-
Anyways, please write back and answer all my questions! Are you still drawing?
Love,
From,
Mike
Will,
How are things going? I haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you busy with your new friends? Did you forget all about me? I’m still hating high school. Nancy kept saying it would get better, but I don’t think I believe her anymore. Dustin had Suzie change his failing Latin grade to an A, but I don’t have a super genius Mormon girlfriend to hack into Hawkins “super secure data base” and change my C in Spanish. Things with El are weird. We don’t have much to talk about.
How are your classes? Do you like your high school? Have you made new friends? El says you are painting for a girl you like. What’s she like? I can’t wait to see you and El again. Please don’t forget to write back. Or call. I miss you so much, my mom is starting to worry about me. I never have energy to do anything anymore. Everything was so much easier with you here.
Love,
From,
Mike
Dear Will,
I don’t know why I keep writing these. I’m too much of a pussy to send them. It’s not like you want to hear from me anyways. Why don’t you answer the phone? Why don’t you call me? Why don’t you write any letters? How could you forget all about me so easily?
I could never forget about you. You’re all I can think about these days. It’s starting to scare me. I can’t tell Eleven I love her. But you know what I noticed? I wrote it on your other letters without even thinking about it. I know what I feel for you is wrong. Boys aren’t supposed to feel like this about other boys. Why do I keep having dreams about you? The nightmares aren’t about you going missing, or dying, or being possessed anymore, they’re about you leaving me behind. Finding new friends, or a girlfriend. I knew you’d get one eventually, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. Why did you have to paint for her? Every time I think about it I want to throw up. I thought sharing drawings was our thing. Of course it was all in my head, you’re normal and I’m…
What happened to wanting to stay in my basement and play D&D all day? I keep wondering what I did to screw it up. You know what really sucks? There are so many different things I’ve fucked up with you, I can’t even narrow down which one it was. I miss you so much, it feels like a chunk of me is missing. I need you back with me. I need you. I wish you needed me. I wish I wasn’t like this anymore. I don’t want to be different. Why can’t I just love Eleven? Why can’t I just like girls? Why can’t you just answer the phone?
Love,
Mike