Chapter Text
I've always been a quiet kid. At least that's what my mother tells me. I've never loved being those loud kids that make scenes during class. It's weird to me that kids are even like that in the first place. Though, being a quiet kid has its disadvantages. For one, I'm terrible at making friends. The thought of talking to someone I don't know gives me anxiety and I get all clammy.
Maybe that's the reason why I've been avoiding my roommate, Mike, like the plague. He's a nice guy as far as I can tell but he's rather loud and is always telling me I should come to parties with him. Sounds like my worst nightmare. Apart from that, he really is a nice guy that I wish I had the courage to talk to but I honestly can only mumble a few words before retreating back into my room. I'm such a coward. What doesn't help is how insanely attractive he is. With dark black hair and sharp features, so tall too. He's got this effortless gleam about him that could make anyone fall for him yet he's such a gentleman. He never brings any girls home, nor guys as far as I'm concerned and is constantly doing little deeds for me despite me basically ignoring him all day long. He's kind and I appreciate that about him a lot. He's not one of those broody guys that care only about football and girls. He's on debate and tends to write a lot. He's told be about wanting to be a novelist on one of his nightly rants while I study in silence. It's our routine by now.
As for making friends, I do have some back at home. Lucas, and Dustin. I haven't talked to them in so long though. Our friendship wasn't as strong during high school due to me moving all the way to California because my mom decided she wanted me and my sister, Jane, and my brother, Jonathan, to have a fresh start from all the bullying. Funny enough, it helped little to nothing because I still got bullied. It was better than Hawkins though. Everyone would just call me a queer and stuff but I could never defend myself. Dustin and Lucas did though. And my childhood best friend. The thing about him is I could never remember his name. I know it started with an M but that was all I could remember. Maybe Milo? or Maverick? No, definitely not. He moved before me, to Michigan with his family, right before middle school. Lucas and Dustin barely remember him either.
After I left, Dustin kept playing D&D, Lucas played basketball, and conversations between us slowly fizzled out. I reach out to them every once in awhile to catch up but they have their own lives at their own colleges while I have mine here at Syracuse University. Still, I do think about the group we had. Our Party. Before it got destroyed as we all started to leave. I wish I remembered his name. So we could maybe find each other again and play D&D like we promised when he came back. He never did though. I hope he's okay.
I hear the door to the dorm unlock and footsteps shuffle in along with the unzip of a jacket. This lets me know Mike is finally back after, usually, work. And by the smell of him, it's exactly where he just came from. He works in a coffee stop except he is constantly getting coffee on him so when he walks through the door, all I can smell is the disgusting smell of coffee. See, I'm not a coffee drinker myself and the smell isn't exactly the best either. I personally love tea. Herbal teas are alright but orange pekoe is my favourite. From what I can tell, I think Mike just likes regular coffee. Not black though. He always keeps the coffee creamer in the fridge and leaves his empty sugar packets on the counter that I clean up in the morning. At least I know he's not a total psychopath that only drinks his coffee black.
"Hey, Will. I got you a sugar cookie. They're bear shaped," he sings as he comes and meets me on the couch where all my study supplies are laid out. I guess I got kind of unfocused at the moment. Oh well, I got most of my studying done anyway.
I smile at Mike and take the cookie. It's really cute. Christmas themed. It's a brown bear with a Red and Green Christmas sweater and a Santa hat on top. I wonder if he made it or one of his coworkers did. Probably not him, actually. He's always telling me how bad he is at art, especially when he sees what I'm working on. I guess you could say art is one of my many passions.
"Thanks," I mumble back. God, I was terrible at this. I will say, I have been slightly warming up to Mike over the days but I still wouldn't exactly call us... buddies. I mean, one word answers were better than nothing right? He was a nice guy but I was really awkward. He didn't seem to mind though.
He gives me a smile and climbs onto the couch near me but not next to me, giving me the space I need to function. He learned quickly I don't do well with people crowding my space unless I know them well enough. If he keeps his distance, I can stay and chat for a few minutes longer than I would be able to do if he was looming over me.
"Of course. What's on the go today? I see you've immersed yourself in studying but do you have any plans for after you're done?" he hums while looking around at what I'm working on. He flips through my psychology textbook and my hundreds of notes.
Exams were soon and I had to go over every piece of work I had. Honestly, I was super stressed out. I liked psychology but it was deep and super confusing to understand if you first looked at it. See, I didn't exactly know what I wanted to know when I graduated so I was testing everything out now. I was majoring in the arts though, that was clear. I wanted to do something artsy but that doesn't bring in a whole lot of money so I was trying to figure out what else I could do. I mean, being an art teacher didn't sound that bad until you think about the amount of talking I was going to have to do for a bunch of judgy kids. Yikes.
"Um, no. I have to... work on an art project. But that's all." I mumble but celebrate in my head. That had to be the new record of words I've said to him in one sentence. I notice his smile brightens slightly so I believe he noticed it too. Or he's about to ask me to go somewhere with him.
"I see somebody's talkative today." he chuckles and I smile back. He has a pretty smile. A pretty laugh too. Everything about him is pretty about honestly. "So you've got nothing going on?"
"No. I'm free. Why?" I look over at him and see the biggest grin on his face as if he really believes I'll go to whatever he's going to ask me about.
I wasn't into parties. Like, at all. They weren't my scene and I didn't love the chaos that goes with them. Drunk people, fights, weird people, druggies. I wasn't exactly keen on getting bombarded by a bunch of drunk guys who know I'm gay. I am speaking from experience. I went to one high school party where everyone knew I was gay and a bunch of guys came up to me and started wrapping their arms around my shoulders and picking on me. Jane had to come rescue me from them and I made her leave early. I felt really bad because she actually was having fun but I had to ruin it for her. I didn't want to do that to Mike. Parties are kinda his thing and to make him leave early because I'm uncomfortable doesn't exactly seem like the best thing to do.
"So you can come to a party with me tonight?" he smiles and I hesitate immediately, opening my mouth to say no when he cuts me off. "Before you say no, it's going to be very relaxed. It's just my friends from debate and some of their friends. No ones going to be there that's mean or do stupid shit. Listen, I know you've been stressed out from studying a lot for exams but take this one night off to just relax and meet some other people. Maybe this can help. Plus, there will be alcohol. You know, to ease you up and get you talking," he pauses for a second to gauge my reaction but I don't know what to say. My immediate response would be no still but something about the way he talks about this "party" doesn't seem half bad. But even so, I really don't know if I have the social capacity to be around a whole bunch of people Mike knows and I don't.
"Please, Will. I really want you there," he says a moment later as I continue to stay silent, trying to figure out what to say to him.
Half of me wanted to stay home and binge on another one of my TV series I have yet to finish but the other half of me wanted to see what it would be like to go to an actually enjoyable party. If there was a bunch of people there I would feel uncomfortable but Mike said it like there wouldn't be that many. I trusted him. And if it was really a laid back party I could leave whenever I wanted to. I take a deep breath and turn to look at Mike, coming to my decision.
"Okay."