Chapter Text
Sat 3rd Nov 1990
Will
As I get home, I throw my bag on the floor, causing many items to fall out and roll across the floor, and collapse into the armchair. My arms ache from the constant painting my college course requires. Sometimes I honestly regret the course I took, if only Max hadn’t convinced me to go through with it. I can still hear her excited words on enrolment day;
‘Come on Will, you know you’ll enjoy it!! You already love art in general, why not actually try to make a career in it? You’ve always wanted to.’
Which is true. Painting has always been a passion of mine, especially when I was younger and it was the only way I could express my feelings without being ridiculed for them. However, there’s a difference between the freedom of doing what I want with my artwork, and what we’re told to do based on the college course.
Currently, we have to create something that represents ‘nostalgia and childhood’ as my teacher, Ms Williams, called it. She seems to like me, but she says I have more potential than I show in class.
Every now and again I rethink my whole decision to even go to college. However, aside from the classes, it isn’t all too bad. Sharing with Max has really helped me to feel more comfortable with myself, which has allowed me to actually make new friends for the first time in years. Now that we’re in the same friend group again, we can continue to hang out like we did before we graduated.
She’s the only one who knows my secret and I trust her with it. I’m not ready for anyone else to know yet. I was barely ready to tell anyone the first time, but given the situation, I had no choice. I can still remember the look on my best friend’s face as he realised I had feelings for him.
No matter how much I see it, though, I can never work out quite what he’s thinking about it. He wasn’t outwardly against it, but then again, he refused to touch me afterwards, so maybe he thought I was gross??
I wipe my hands down my face and sigh. I can’t go down this rabbit hole again. I chose a college far from Hawkins so that I could get away from the poison that is mike wheeler and the childhood crush I had on him.
I decide to push the memory of him to the back of my mind, where I wish he would stay, as I look across the room at the list of reminders Max has written on the fridge, including ‘Party Friday 7pm- BOTH OF US’, ‘call Lucas’, (maybe I should call Mike? No. leave him alone.) and ‘buy new toothpaste’. I can’t help but smile at Max’s attempts to get me to go to parties with her.
When we first started here, I always went. Then, once, I got so drunk that I kissed a girl, and I decided that I wouldn’t ever get drunk at a party again. The next few times I went with Max, she seemed to feel bad for wanting to leave me behind, so I just decided to stop going with her. I’m assuming when Max gets home, she’ll try to convince me to go. Every time she asks, I feel myself caving, which means I do want to go, right?? I just don’t like the consequences of it. I’m glad she enjoys them, because I truly did too, I just can’t go. I don’t want to drunkenly kiss someone ever again. Unless it’s mike. STOP IT.
I push myself up from the armchair and make my way over to the fridge, accidentally kicking a couple of pencils that fell out of my bag to the other side of the room. I’ll need to pick those up before Max gets in.
I open the fridge and look inside to see if I actually want anything, or if I am just bored. Nothing particularly sticks out, so I’m assuming I’m just bored. I rub my eyes as the door closes, and when I look up the first thing my eyes land on are ‘call Lucas’.
Fuck it.
I’m going to call Mike Wheeler.
Mike
I run down the stairs as fast as I can, hoping to keep up with the girl running away from me.
‘Paige, please stop!’
‘No Mike. I’ve had enough of your bullshit. we’re over. And I mean it this time!!’ My girlfriend shouts in my face before she storms away. Well, ex-girlfriend, I guess.
I take a deep breath as I try to process what the fuck just happened. I wait for a few seconds, trying to think of what I even did to cause her to walk away. When I realise I can’t remember anything that would provoke her to do so, I slowly make my way back to my room, with my mind blank.
Paige was probably in a mood, and felt the need to take it out on me. She’ll be back at my door tomorrow begging for forgiveness like always.
I let my door slam behind me once I’m back inside, and I head straight towards my bed. God, I need to sleep. I’ve been working too much trying to find someone who’s willing to publish my book, but I’ve had no luck. I’m so close to giving up and just forever working at the record store I currently work at instead.
I fall face first into my pillow and just lay there for a while, contemplating if it’s worth me calling Paige in the morning, instead of waiting for her to talk to me. I can feel myself falling asleep when suddenly I hear a high-pitched noise from the other room.
Is that the phone??
Who the HELL is calling at this time?? Had Paige already noticed her mistake and was calling to apologise? But how did she get home so fast?
I cautiously pick up the phone, with no clue as to who it could actually be.
‘Hello?’ I say first. And the voice that replies causes me to freeze.
‘Mike?’ Will Byers. William fucking Byers.
We haven’t spoken since 4th July, when my mom hosted a party in our back garden, back in Hawkins. It takes me a few seconds to realise I’m even holding my breath.
‘Will??’ Why did I ask that? I know it’s him. I spent my childhood listening to him talk. Even when he shows up in my dreams now, I can imagine his voice accurately. I’d never forget Will’s voice.
‘Yeah, it’s me’ I can hear the nervousness in his voice, which means something is probably wrong, seeing as he never talks to me if he can help it.
‘Hey man, what’s up? I haven’t spoken to you in ages! Did something happen?? Why are you calling?’ it all spills out and kind of sounds like a blur and I can barely make any sense of it, so I’m surprised when he responds,
‘No, nothing’s up, I just wanted to see how you are. You know, because we haven’t spoken in a while.’
‘Oh. Yeah, I’m good.’ Confusion gets the better of me, because it then takes me a few seconds to follow with, ‘Shit, sorry, how are you?’
I hear him suck in his breath. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I’m good too.’ The silence that follows afterwards is so awkward it genuinely makes me cringe. When I give up hope of him saying something, I decide to fill the silence.
‘So, how’s college? Are you still taking art?’
I try to sound as interested as I can because, I truly am interested, but our friendship broke down last year after the argument we had when he announced where he was going to college. As we grew up, he’d always promised that we’d go to the same college and be roommates. Then he made one of the biggest choices of his life without even consulting me, and I may have been a bit too offended. I said some things to him which I wish I could take back, and I have apologised for countless times, but I still feel like he resents me for them. I don’t blame him. I’d be upset if someone had said those things to me.
‘College is good, I think. Lessons are fun, it’s nice to be working towards a career in something I’m passionate about. I’m sure you feel the same way. How are you doing with your writing? Have you finished a book yet?’
I feel something in the pit of my stomach as he asks his questions. It reminds me of when we would have sleepovers as kids and stay up talking all night. IT’s nice to have the feeling that he’s interested in listening to me again. But that can’t be why it feels like my stomach is churning, can it? I’m probably just hungry. I haven’t eaten properly in days. Yet again, I blame my hunt for a publisher.
‘No, honestly, I have no idea what I’m going to write about. Which is pretty shit because it means I’ve spent the last year doing nothing and completely wasted college.’ That’s a lie. I have finished a book. I don’t know why I lied to him. It’s not like he’d ever find out the book is about him. But just to be safe, I don’t think I’d ever tell him about it.
‘I’m sorry, that sucks. I’m sure you’ll think of something soon, you’re a really great writer.’ I feel heat rising in my cheeks, as I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from saying something irrational on impulse.
‘Mike? Are you still there?’
Crap. ‘Yes. Yes I am. Sorry.’ I can imagine him nervously playing with the bottom of his sleeves, a habit he’s always done, since we were kids. ‘Thank you, I hope so too. I really don’t want to have to work at the record shop for the rest of my life.’
‘Is it seriously that bad?’ Why does it seem like he knows about it?
‘Did someone tell you about it?’
He laughs. Did I say something funny? ‘Yeah Mike. You did.’ What is he talking about?? ‘My 4th of July pretty much consisted of listening to you rant about how rude the customers are, and how much you hate it.’ Oh yeah.
‘I forgot. Did I really talk about it that much?’ Did it annoy him?
‘Yes. But don’t worry it wasn’t annoying. It was nice to hear you actually talk after being so closed off for ages.’ He always finds the most unique ways to compliment someone. That’s one of the many things I love about him. I wish we hadn’t lost our friendship. I wonder if he has replaced me at his college. I want to ask him. I shouldn’t ask him.
But I do.
‘Do you have any friends?’
There is a moment of silence as I can hear he’s clearly taken aback by my question.
‘Y-Yes I have friends.’ I feel myself tense. Am I seriously jealous? I shouldn’t be. It’s been over a year. I should be glad he’s not alone. ‘I do pretty much just hang out with Max here though.’ I let out the breath I didn’t even realise I was holding. Why am I jealous? I’m not his best friend anymore. It only makes sense that he’d want to replace me.
‘I forgot you share an apartment with Max. Is she home right now?’
He laughs again. Is he making fun of me? ‘Please. She’d kill me if she was home.’
My brows scrunch in confusion. What does he mean? Does Max still have a temper and take it out on him? I can’t help but feel worried for his safety, even though I know that’s not my job anymore. I’m sure he has a boyfriend to do that now. I’m unable to stop my eyes from rolling from that thought as I ask. ‘What do you mean? Why would she kill you?’
'She gets mad-’ he starts to reply when he’s cut off, and everything goes muffled. From the other end I can just make out a voice saying, ‘Will WHY would you do that?? I swear to fucking god-’ and then the line cuts out. I stare at the phone disappointed, wishing I could talk to him more and that I knew why Max is mad at him, before I slam it down.