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The four boys stand in a circle, Dustin still high off of the interaction with Stacey. She invited them to her party. As if they would ever stoop so low to accept an invitation from her, of all people.
“I’ve got a better idea. Let’s ditch the stupid party and play one last campaign.” Mike suggests, not noticing the uninterested looks on his friend’s faces. He believes it’s a perfect way to end their high school years. The last game they’ll ever play as kids, a way to enter a new chapter. After a beat of silence, Lucas responds, “Dude, seriously? It’s not like we’re all leaving tomorrow. We can play D&D another time.”
Mike can’t hide the fact that his friend’s statement hurt, “Wha – Dustin? Don’t tell me you really wanna hang out with the girl that dumped you all those years ago.” The valedictorian crosses his arms, “People change, man. She’s totally into me now. She even pretended to get my references. Besides, even if she doesn’t like me, there’s gonna be other girls there.” “You literally talked about D&D in your speech! I thought we were losers, I thought we weren’t conforming!” Mike exclaims, and Dustin responds, equally loud, “Well this is a party! A party, Mike! Let’s think back to all of the times we got invited to parties.”
He pauses, giving Mike time to remember all zero times they were invited to any type of social outing by any of their classmates, “Oh, that’s right, none. It’s the high school experience we never got. Let’s just be kids for one day, Mike.”
Will, despite being silent for most of the conversation, speaks up, “Dustin and Lucas are right, I mean – We’re always gonna have time for Dungeons and Dragons, but did you really think we’d never go to parties?” Mike pinches the bridge of his nose, “Oh my God, Will, you too? I’m not going to this stupid party, you guys.”
Another beat of silence passes, Dustin fidgets with the diploma in his hands, “Well, I am.” He says. Immediately, Lucas and Will agree, saying ‘Yeah same here.’ and ‘Me too.’ Mike doesn’t say anything, he just walks away to join his family. Dustin cringes when he sees his friend next to his father. Mike’s starting to look like the asshat, Ted, he thinks.
After photos and talking with the rest of the group’s families, the boys go home to get ready for the night ahead of them. Dustin just gets out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, when his walkie comes to life. Will’s staticky voice comes from the speaker, “What’s everyone wearing, tonight? I’m honestly at a loss for ideas.” He says, sounding dejected.
Dustin replies, “Honestly, Will, I couldn’t tell you. I’m actually in my birthday suit as we speak.” He hears a crackle, and then the voice of Max, “Dustin, we did not need to know that. Also I’m just wearing what I always wear. Don’t stress over this too hard, Will, it’s a graduation party, everyone’s gonna be half naked and drunk anyway.” A lull occurs in the conversation, Dustin pushes the button on his walkie and says to his friend, “If it helps at all, I think you can pull any look off, Will.”
Lucas joins in, “Oh absolutely. You managed to look good in our death row prisoner caps and gowns.” Will exclaims, his smile evident in his voice, “Lucas! You guys are so dumb.”
Mike shakes as he holds himself, sobbing silently into his pillow. He listens to the voices of his friends fade in and out on his walkie.’ Why did those assholes have to use the party channel?’ He mumbles solemnly, ‘Do they think I can’t hear them, or something?'
“As someone who’s been to a party, trust me, clothes aren’t nearly as important as you think they are.” Another lull before Lucas’ voice sparks back to life, “Oh shit, Erica’s finally out of the shower. I’m gonna get ready, see ya’ll at 8.” Dustin throws the walkie on his bed and walks over to his closet. He settles on his tan cargo pants and a white shirt underneath a Metallica sweater.
Dustin drives down the road in his beat up truck. It’s not the prettiest, but it was cheap, and gets him where he needs to go. He was surprised it even survived the one day drive when he went to tour colleges. He parks in front of Lucas’ house and irritably checks his watch. 8:03, and Lucas was talking about some ‘see ya’ll at 8’. “You guys better not be making out in there.” He says into his walkie. Lucas responds, “How’d you know?” “I can see you guys through the window for fucks sake.” Dustin lies, and he can hear Max and Lucas freaking out on the other end. He sees a curtain shut and he barks out a laugh.
“Dude, I was just messing with you. I didn’t see shit.” “Asshole!” Max yells, “You’d better get your asses down here, though” After about two more minutes, the couple walks out of the Sinclair’s front door. Max is wearing a white crop top and light blue baggy jeans. Lucas is wearing a red jacket and faded blue jeans. They get in the car and head towards Will’s house. No one bats an eye when they drive past the Wheeler’s.
After picking up Will, they get lost in the streets of Hawkins before eventually finding Stacey’s house. They get out of the car and see a dozen already drunk teens lounging in the front yard. The door is cracked, so they walk in. There’s loud music blasting and bustling crowds of dancing young adults scattered across the house. Chance’s voice is heard over the commotion, “Hey, looks like the freak made it.” He slings his arm over Dustin’s shoulder.
He doesn’t really have a problem with the nickname anymore, it’s become something of an inside joke between them. Jesus, an inside joke between him and a jock. He really has no idea how he managed to befriend Andy and his goons. “Stacey’s been waiting for you dude.” Chance walks Dustin over to the kitchen. Will looks back only to find that Lucas and Max have been swept into the crowd by the rest of the basketball team, already taking shots. He crosses his arms, awkwardly tugging at his long grey sleeves.
He walks over to the kitchen, hoping that maybe Dustin would be able to guide him around. He feels like he’s bitten off more than he can chew, and Dustin knows a lot of people here. Will frowns when he walks into the kitchen only to see Chance, and nobody else. “What’s wrong with you?” He slurs, and Will stutters, “Uh… I –” “Have you had a drink yet?” “No –” Chance bends over and rummages through an ice chest on the floor. “That’s your problem.” He gets up and tosses Will a bottle of beer. He slaps him on the back as he walks to the living room, “Lighten up, it’s a party.”
He takes a swig of the disgusting liquid. He’s not sure how anyone could like this crap. He leaves the kitchen and walks around, hoping to somehow fit into the chaotic atmosphere. Some girl bumps into him, and he’s the one who ends up apologizing. She turns around and looks him up and down, “You’re cute.” She says. “Let’s dance.”
Before Will can respond, he’s being dragged into a huge crowd of people. He sways around to the beat of the song and occasionally takes a few drinks of his beer. He jumps around and sings the lyrics to some corny pop song. There’s a large bottle of whiskey being passed around, and when the bottle gets shoved into his hand, he takes a deep swig. “Oh god.” He says. The back of his throat feels like it’s on fire. There’s whooping and clapping all around him. It feels good to be this involved. The girl next to him looks him in the eyes, and she leans in to kiss him.
He immediately backs up, and excuses himself, saying he's going to get another bottle of beer. At least he wasn’t really lying to her. He throws the empty glass away and fishes in the ice chest for another one. When he gets back up, he notices how dizzy he is. Will feels a wave of nausea hit him and moves to go outside.
There’s a few people in the backyard huddled around a bonfire. One guy is playing guitar and singing, but he’s also drunk, so it sounds terrible. Lucas and Max are sitting on a lawn chair cuddled into one another and making conversation with one of the girls out there. Will walks up to them. “Will! Having fun?” Max asks, sounding slightly out of it. He notices the smell in the air. Something he would smell all the time in Lenora.
He giggles, “Oh my god, are you guys high?” He asks. “I am. Lucas is too scared to take a hit.” She teases, smiling up at him from where she’s cradled underneath his arm. “Too much smoke. Don’t blame me when your lungs are black.” He says, rolling his eyes, or at least attempting to. He ends up just kind of looking up at the sky really quickly. He’s definitely drunk.
“Where’s Dustin?” Will asks, and Lucas responds, “Probably getting laid. I saw him and Stacey go upstairs not too long ago.” “Oh, cool.” He turns on his heels and makes his way back to the living room. Will downs multiple shots and finishes his second bottle of beer. He feels jealous of someone. Who it is, he can’t figure out.
He sees an open door with a staircase leading into the basement. He hadn’t been down there yet. He decides to check it out and carefully walks down the stairs.
Holly and her friends are being loud and obnoxious. Mike wipes his eyes and gets up from his bed. He can hear them all the way from his room and they’re in the basement. “How come I don’t get to be a barbarian, Holly?” “Because, it doesn’t fit you! You’re more like a knight.” He thinks about his friends. They’re probably at the party by now. He wants to go over there, wants to get drunk with them.
He opens his bedroom door and walks to Nancy’s room, only to not find her in there. Probably hanging out with Robin. He was going to ask her for a ride. He goes to the garage and takes his bike out instead. He’s not even sure exactly where Stacey lives. He doesn’t need to do much looking before he can hear the faraway sound of blasting music. He follows the sound until it gets louder, and discards his bike in the front yard once he gets there.
Will gets to the bottom of the stairs and sees Dustin sprawled out on a couch with two other people laying on the floor. They’re passing around a joint, and Will takes a seat on the couch. “Hi.” He says, looking directly into Dustin’s eyes. “Hi?” Henderson says, confused. Realization hits him once he sees Will swaying slightly, despite being seated. “Oh my god, you’re wasted. Wasted Will.” He laughs at the name, and the other two people begin chanting it with grins on their faces. “Wasted Will, Wasted Will, Wasted Will!”
“You want a hit?” Dustin asks, holding the joint in front of the boy’s face. “Uh. No, I’m good. I think the alcohol’s enough.” Will says with a sheepish smile, “I didn’t know you smoked.” One of the teenagers on the floor chimes in, “Oh he doesn’t.” The other one says, “Mr. Valedictorian here has been taking it like a champ. A few shots, a few hits. Nerds get down.”
The strangers fall into their own little conversation, and Will turns to Dustin, the shorter boy’s legs now on his lap. “What happened with Stacey?” He asks, and Dustin blows a puff of smoke into the air, “We kissed a little bit. Then I got bored and left.” “You got bored?” “Oh yeah, she’s lame as hell, dude. Her bed is soft as shit though, check it out."
He grabs Will by the arm and leads him up the stairs. They walk through the living room and up to the second story. Dustin opens Stacey’s door and closes it behind them. He turns on the lamp and lays down on the bed. Will follows suit, landing on the soft blanket with a loud ‘puff’. The two of them lay there for a moment, watching the ceiling fan spin. Will turns, and props himself on his side to look at Dustin.
“Have you ever kissed a guy before?” He has no idea why he asked the question. Worry rises in his gut when he sees Dustin’s shocked expression. “Uh… No. Have you?” The words come out slurred and unsure. “No.” He responds. Dustin turns to face Will. The two of them sit up. Dustin lays his hand on Will’s thigh and murmurs, “I bet it’s not as boring as kissing Stacey Albright.”
Mike makes his way through the crowds and finds his way to the kitchen. His breath gets heavier, he looks for water. There’s nothing but beer in the ice chest. He looks in the cabinet and steals a bottled water. He chugs it, anxiety bubbling in his gut. He doesn’t know half of the people here well enough to talk to them. It’s all just a bunch of jocks and popular girls who used to make fun of him.
He speedwalks to the back door. He slides it open and steps outside, inhaling the fresh summer night air. “Mike! You made it, hell yeah!” He sees Lucas and Max and feels nauseous again. “Hah… Yeah, I’m here!” He tries to sound interested and walks back inside. He feels trapped. Everywhere he goes, there’s someone there. This is exactly why he didn’t want to go to this stupid, packed party. Everyone’s having fun and he’s having a damn crisis.
Will leans in and presses his lips to Dustin’s. They break apart, and come back together, this time more desperate. Dustin wraps his hand around the taller man’s waist, and Will grabs a handful of curly hair, keeping his hand on the back of Dustin’s neck. They get lost in each other, forgetting that they’re kissing in their classmate’s bedroom. Dustin holds Will’s chin and timidly sticks his tongue in the other man’s mouth.
Will pushes back, Dustin gasps and he takes the chance to explore his mouth. He runs his tongue over the shorter man’s braces, kissing into him with all of his drunken might. There’s a smokey flavor with a hint of tequila and he thinks he’s addicted to the taste. Dustin groans into WIll’s soft lips. The two part for a moment, catching their breath.
Mike walks up the stairs. He doesn’t want to be that guy, but he’s probably just gonna hide out in the restroom until people start leaving. Maybe he’ll sneak out the window. It just sucks that he doesn’t know which doors lead where. He opens one that leads to a closet.
After about half a minute, Will nearly launches himself into Dustin’s lips, again. He licks and laps at the boy’s mouth. Dustin pants as he tries to keep up with Will’s vigor.
The next door Mike opens leads to a bedroom. There’s a huge bed in the middle and a restroom inside. He doesn’t want to use that one. He assumes it’s the parents bedroom. It’d be awkward to get caught hiding in there by two adults. The next door he tries is another bedroom. A bedroom with two people on the bed. Two people who happen to be his friends. His friends who happen to be kissing.
Will looks at him, breathing heavily. Dustin looks like a deer caught in headlights and it takes all of Mike’s power to not punch him in the mouth. “Fuck you, dude. Fuck. You! Both of you!” He shouts. Dustin gets up and raises his voice to the same level, “What the fuck is your problem? Did you just come here to ruin our night? We get it, you didn’t wanna come! Quit making it everyone’s problem.” “You’re not even talking correctly. You’re drunk, you’re literally slurring your words. You and Will don’t know what you’re doing.”
He’s lucky the music is so loud or else there definitely would’ve been ten to twenty jocks at the door asking, ‘What’s the problem?’ They’d definitely defend Dustin, their new valedictorian king. He acts like he’s so cool now, socializing with everyone like he wasn’t being beaten weekly by the same people he calls his ‘new friends’. “So it’s about me?” Will asks, “Because, last I checked, you never even gave a shit about me.” Dustin’s jaw drops as he watches Will stand up and confront Mike.
He realizes he probably shouldn’t be in the room and hobbles over to the backyard, ready to hang out with the drama-less couple. a.k.a. Max and Lucas. “Dustin probably doesn’t even like you.” Mike says, desperate for god knows what. Anything, he just needs Will to give him anything. “You don’t know that. He’s sweet, and he’s done more for me than you ever have.” Will yells. Bitterness laces his words and they fly out of his mouth like daggers, impaling Mike through the heart. “I thought – I thought you were fine with being friends. Best friends.” Mike pleads.
“I was, until you cussed me out for finally being happy with someone else! Do you want me or not, Mike? I’m tired. I’m so tired of playing your stupid games. Tell me what you really mean, and stop being so vague. Please.”
Mike gulps and raises his shaky hands to Will’s. He clasps their palms together and looks his friend in the eyes. “I’m in love with you, Will. I’m – I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to say it.” He leans in and closes his eyes, lips slightly parted. Will’s hands are yanked out of Wheeler's grasp as Mike's mouth is met with his best friend's palm. The shorter boy steps away. “It’s gone.”
Mike’s eyes well up with tears, “What?” He asks, voice trembling. “I don’t… I don’t feel anything towards you anymore, Mike. It’s gone.” The taller boy just stares in disbelief. “I moved on.” Will walks past him and out the bedroom door. “Yeah.” He mumbles. “Yeah I get that. You moved on. Sorry.” Tears leak out of his eyes as he talks to nobody at all.