Chapter Text
7:38 AM
The quiet after class was Will’s favorite part of the day.
The art studio always felt different once the students were gone like the room finally exhaled. Afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows, casting long rectangles of warm gold across the scattered easels. Paint jars sat half-open, the faint smell of acrylics lingering in the air. It felt like home in a way few places ever had.
Will hummed under his breath as he worked through a stack of his students’ assignments. Some pieces were timid, others bold, but all of them reminded him why he loved teaching. He liked watching people find their voice in color. He liked guiding them through that first terrifying step of putting something personal on a canvas.
He was writing a note about complementary contrasts when his phone buzzed.
Then buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
It vibrated across the tabletop like it was trying to escape.
Will frowned. He already knew exactly who it was. Dustin had three texting modes normal, excited, and the world is ending. This was very clearly the third one.
He picked up the phone.
________
Dustin:
DUDE ANSWER YOUR PHONE
CHECK YOUR EMAIL
NO SERIOUSLY CHECK YOUR EMAIL
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY
NOT A CHEMISTRY ONE THIS TIME
JUST GO LOOK
________
Will blinked. A chemistry emergency had been his original fear, so the clarification only helped a little.
“Okay,” he muttered. “What now?”
He opened his email.
One new message.
From the State Contemporary Arts Exhibition Committee.
His heartbeat stumbled. That couldn’t be real. It had to be spam. Or a reroute. Or a mistake. His hands trembled as he clicked it.
The message loaded painfully slowly, like the universe was dragging out his torment.
Then he saw it.
We are pleased to inform you that your piece, “Lost to the Shadow,” has been selected.
He didn’t see the rest.
Everything else blurred into static.
His lungs stuttered, hands flying to his mouth as his vision went watery. His breath left him in a shaky, disbelieving laugh.
They chose it.
They chose it.
“Lost to the Shadow” wasn’t just any painting. It was the painting the one he poured his whole fractured heart into. The one he’d started on a night he couldn’t stop remembering everything he’d been through. The one he finished on a morning he realized he had survived it.
He’d been terrified to submit it. Convinced they’d reject it for being too raw. Too personal. Too him.
And now…
Now it was going to hang in a gallery he’d visited since he was a kid. People would see it. Stand in front of it. Feel something because of something he created.
“Holy shit,” he whispered, covering his face as tears spilled freely. “This can’t be real…”
Of course that was the moment the door flew open.
“Will!”
Jane burst in like a hurricane, Lucas right behind her. Will jumped so hard he nearly knocked over his mug.
He wiped at his face quickly, but Jane was already storming toward him wearing a very telling grin.
“You saw it, right?” she demanded. “Please tell me you saw it.”
Will swallowed hard. “The… email? Yeah. I just opened it. Jane, it… it got in.”
Jane’s grin widened. “I told you it would. You should’ve believed me.”
Lucas held up his phone. “The university literally posted about it on their homepage before you even checked your inbox. You’re officially campus famous.”
“Please don’t say that,” Will groaned, mortified. “I don’t want to be campus famous.”
“Well, too bad,” Jane said, grabbing his shoulders. “You deserve it.”
She pulled him into a tight hug, and Will melted into it, still shaky. Lucas joined in, clapping his back with enough enthusiasm to rattle him.
“You’ve worked so damn hard,” Lucas said. “We’re proud of you, man.”
“Super proud,” Jane added. “And we’re celebrating tonight.”
Will stiffened. “Tonight?”
“Yep,” Lucas said.
“No exceptions,” Jane said.
Will looked between them like a trapped animal. “We really don’t have to celebrate…”
“Yes,” Jane said. “We absolutely do.”
“Just say yes before she becomes unhinged,” Lucas added.
He would’ve fought it, but they both stared him down with matching determination.
“…Fine,” Will mumbled. “I’ll go.”
Jane beamed. “Good. You’re not backing out.”
Will sighed, but a small smile tugged at his mouth. Their excitement made everything feel a little more real.
—
3:35 PM
The café smelled like cinnamon and espresso when Will and Jane walked in. Fairy lights twinkled above the chalkboard menu, and mismatched couches made the place feel cozy and lived-in.
Max stood behind the counter, steam curling from the espresso machine. She looked up and narrowed her eyes immediately.
“Alright,” Max said, waving a spoon at them. “Why do you both look suspicious?”
Jane snorted. “Suspicious? We look celebratory.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”
Will rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… my painting got accepted to the State Exhibition.”
Max froze mid-wipe.
“…Will,” she said. “Will Byers. Don’t lie to me right now.”
“It got in,” he said softly.
Max screamed.
Not a horror movie scream an overly excited, fireworks type scream. She vaulted from behind the counter and hugged him so hard he wheezed.
“Oh my god!” she yelled. “Will! This is huge! This is—”
“Max- air,” Will croaked, laughing.
She finally let go, eyes shiny. “I’m so proud of you I could actually cry.”
He looked down, overwhelmed. “Thank you. Seriously.”
They settled into a booth by the window once Max started her break. Plates of pastries were shoved between them, and the conversation flowed like it always did.
“We need a wedding date,” Max said, chewing her croissant. “Lucas wants something traditional. I want something chaotic.”
“Chaos fits you,” Jane said.
Max shrugged. “I’m a simple woman.”
“And speaking of chaos—” Jane added, “Dustin almost lit the lab on fire again.”
Will groaned. “What happened this time?”
“Magnesium,” Max said. “Sparks everywhere. Sprinklers. Screaming. Dustin swears it was ‘controlled.’”
Will buried his face in his hands. “Oh my god…”
But he was smiling.
Being here with them loosened something in his chest. These were the people who had stuck with him through everything.
Eventually, Max leaned forward.
“So. There’s this bar in the next town.”
Will immediately tensed.
“No,” he said.
“You didn’t even let me finish!”
“Because I know where this is going.”
Max ignored him. “They have live music tonight. Supposed to be a really good band. Maybe a little messy. But like… good messy.”
Jane perked up. “Fun.”
Will groaned. “Guys…”
“Celebration,” Max said. “Mandatory.”
“I’m introverted,” Will tried.
“And we love you anyway,” Max shot back.
They stared him down.
He sighed.
“…Okay. Fine.”
Max pumped her fist. “Celebration starts at eight.”
Will checked his watch and winced. “I can’t. I still have grading.”
Jane and Max exchanged a look.
“Okay,” Max said. “Nine-thirty.”
Will gave a tiny smile. “Nine-thirty works.”
Jane nudged him. “You’ll have fun. I can feel it.”
Will wasn’t so sure.
He felt cracked open. Raw. Like something inside him shifted when that email arrived—something good, something terrifying.