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Will Byers hated crowds, but he loved roller coasters. Amusement parks had never been his forte. Too many people, too many noises, too many smells. But the second he sat in those stupid, uncomfortable plastic seats with belts that dug into your hips and shoulder guards that restricted your breathing, he knew he had never experienced such joy.
Alas, none of his family felt the same way. They didn’t like heights… or speed… or loops. So Will got very acquainted with the single rider lines, no matter what park they were at.
Usually, single riders were sunburnt tourists, single parents whose kids didn’t want to ride, or middle aged dads who no one else wanted to sit next to. Today, though, Will felt a shift in the atmosphere.
He stood in line, pressed tight against the gates, anxious for the ride. To his right was a little boy, bouncing on his toes with a parent behind him. To his left was a group of three boys, probably around his age. Two of them looked green, like just the thought of a ride would make them throw up. And Will wasn’t usually one to listen in on conversations that weren’t his own, but sometimes you make exceptions.
“Mike, dude, you have to be fucking kidding. You told us there were no loops on this one,” the shorter of the three said. He had long-ish curly hair with a baseball cap on top and glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose.
The tallest one, presumably Mike, turned to face them. He was lanky, had curly hair, and was actually really fucking pale. Will felt his heart do a flip. “If I had told you there were loops, Dustin, you wouldn’t have even gotten in line.”
The last one, a kid with what Will could only describe as an 80’s flat top and basketball shorts, rolled his eyes. “Fucking hell, Mike. We’ve waited in line for an hour for a ride that I would rather die than actually get into.”
“Lucas, you literally saw the ride before we got in line. Why are you lying out of your ass right now?”
“I didn’t think it was this one! You told us this was an easy one!”
Will smiled and ducked his head so they couldn’t see. He’d never really had a friend group like that. He was embarrassed to admit that his mom and his brother were his best friends.
Mike’s voice rose a frantic octave, drawing a few skeptical looks from the people around them. “It is an easy one! You just sit there and close your eyes and then it’s over.”
“Yeah, sit there while my internal organs are rearranged. No, thank you. Come on, Lucas, let’s go back to the arcade where there’s air conditioning and no surprise drops,” the kid with the hat, Dustin, said.
The heavy gate that Will was leaning on gave a sudden hiss as it started to open. He stumbled a bit, but kept his footing. The people in the row in front of him shuffled out, hair wild and faces nothing less than terrified. Will climbed in behind them, falling into the bucket seat on the left side. The seat next to him stayed empty, so he could only guess that the people that were behind him had gotten into the wrong line and we’re actually a part of a group that wanted to ride together. Once again, he was riding alone, which was not a bad thing.
The ride attendant stepped out onto the loading platform as seats started to fill up. “We have an open seat here in Row 3!” he called out. “Single rider spot! Up here!” He pointed to the spot next to Will and Will prayed and prayed and prayed that either no one got in, or that tall kid got in.
Whatever God was up there was looking down on Will Byers that day. He heard heavy thudded footsteps behind him, then saw Mike collapse into the seat behind him. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
“So, your friends abandoned you?” Will asked, pulling the shoulder belt down with a click-click-click.
Mike snapped his head around so fast Will thought he might give himself whiplash before the coaster even started. Dark curls smacked against his forehead, and his wide eyes darted to Will, then down to the safety harness, and then back to Will’s face. He looked entirely caught off guard, like he’d expected to suffer in a vacuum of his own misery rather than be perceived by a total stranger.
“Abandoned is a nice word for it,” Mike got out, his voice a little breathless as he lunged forward to grab his own over the shoulder restraint. He yanked it down with a desperate, aggressive sound that practically pinned him to the seat. “They mutinied. Left me for dead. I’m pretty sure Dustin is running for the first time in his life just to get to the air conditioned buildings.
Will couldn’t suppress the laugh that bubbled up, a sound completely contrasting to the heavy breathing coming from Mike. “Hey, at least you stuck it out. That counts for something.”
“It counts for a one way ticket to cardiac arrest,” Mike muttered, though a faint self-deprecating smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Up close, he was even more striking—all sharp angles, high cheekbones, and a smattering of freckles across a nose that was currently wrinkled in pure anxiety. He gripped the yellow safety handles so hard that his knuckles turned a ghostly white. “I’m Mike, by the way. Preparing for my untimely demise.”
“Will,” he replied, settling deeper into his own seat with ease, though his heart was beating seven million miles a minute. “And you’re not going to die, Mike. The first drop is the only part that really tests your survival instincts. After that, the adrenaline takes over.”
“Oh, wonderful. Adrenaline. My favorite drug,” Mike shot back, though his sarcasm was just a flimsy shield for the sheer panic radiating off of him.
Before Will could offer any more reassurance, a heavy, metallic clunk resonated beneath the train, signaling that the cars were locked and loaded. The ride attendant gave a casual thumbs up from the control booth, and with a sudden lurch, the coaster began to roll forward.
They slipped out from under the relative comfort of the station roof and into the flaring, unfiltered afternoon sun. Directly ahead of them, the massive metal track of the lift hill loomed, stretching up toward the sky at a daunting angle. The rhythmic sound of the chain catch engaged beneath the car, pulling them slowly up to the sky.
Mike’s entire posture went completely rigid. His shoulders locked up against the harness, and his breathing immediately turned shallow, his eyes glued to the track as the ground began to shrink below them.
Will watched the sheer terror take over the previously confident boy’s face and felt a sudden, protective tug in his chest. “Hey,” Will said, softly, leaning his head slightly toward Mike’s side to cut through the rising click of the gears. “I know we literally don’t know each other at all and we’ll never see each other again, but if it helps, you could hold my hand? I don’t know if that’s weird to offer or if you are comfortable with that but—” He was cut off by Mike grabbing onto Will’s safety handle to hold onto his hand.
“Fuck, sorry in advance if I squeeze too hard. I know I seemed all confident and shit but—HOLY FUCK—”
The sudden peak of the lift hill caught Mike midsentence, slicing his frantic apology clean in half.
The mechanical sound of the chain lift abruptly ceased and an eerie silence hung over the air instead. The front cars of the coaster had already tipped over the crest, and now row three was hovering right on the precipice. The entire park layout stretched out below them like a miniature toy set, dazzling and impossibly far away.
But good things can only last for so long. Only for a moment can you be infinite.
Gravity took over.
The car plunged.
Will heard nothing, save for the sound of rushing air and Mike screaming “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit—” over and over. Will’s breath was ripped from his, and his hair was sent flying back from his face. It was pure, unadulterated speed, the kind of vertical drop that made your stomach float up into your throat.
Beside him, Mike let out a sound that was half-yell, half-gasp. His long frame was tensed completely against the plastic. True to his word, his grip on Will’s hand tightened instantly. It wasn’t just a polite hold; Mike’s fingers locked around Will’s with a white-knuckled desperation, anchoring himself to the only stable thing in his immediate universe. Will’s hand was pinned firmly against the yellow safety handle, enveloped entirely by the unexpected warmth and strength of Mike’s grip.
Instead of pulling away, Will squeezed back. He’d never experienced a heart rate so fast and he wasn’t sure if it was from Mike or the ride.
The coaster slowed with a curve that pressed them deep into their seats, then immediately rocketed upward into the first massive loop. The world flipped upside down. The blue sky replaced the track, the horizon spun on its axis, and the roar of the wind grew deafening.
Will stole a quick glance sideways through the absolute chaos of the momentum. Mike’s eyes were shut tight, his jaw clenched, and his dark curls were a wild, windblown halo around his face. But despite the absolute terror in his aura, he hadn't let go. If anything, as the car tore through a shark corkscrew and sent Will leaning hard into Mike’s shoulder, Mike’s grip only grew tighter. Will was pretty sure Mike had even run his thumb across Will’s knuckles.
By the time the train finally hit the mid-course brake run—slowing down with a heavy hiss that made them both jolt forward against their harnesses—the worst of the drops were behind them. The coaster was still coasting at a high speed, but the terrifying intensity had smoothed out into a series of jerky turns. Mike slowly opened one eyes, looking incredibly dazed, his face flushed a brilliant, lively pink from the adrenaline rush. He looked down at their joined hands, still firmly locked together, then looked back up at Will.
“Are we… are we alive?” Mike breathed out, his voice completely raw but carrying the faint, unmistable trace of an adrenaline-fueled laugh.
Will smiled, his own heart hammering against his ribs for reasons that had very little to do with the coaster.
“Told you,” Will said, his voice a little breathless as he tried to match Mike’s newfound, shaky humor. “You survived the worst of it. The rest of this is basically just a victory lap.”
Mike let out a sound that was a mix between a scoff and a wheeze. His eyes tracked up Will’s arm, stopping on their intertwined hands. He didn’t make any move to let go, and instead, leaned a little more into Will’s space. “If this is a victory lap, I’d like my medal now. Preferably in the form of a large cup of water and a place to sit down where the ground isn’t moving.”
“I think they give out little stickers at the photo booth if you look pathetic enough on the camera,” Will joked, nodding toward the booth down on the ground.
“Oh, God, there’s a camera?” Mike groaned, instinctively trying to smooth down his wild halo of curls with his free hand, only to give up when a sudden dip rattled the car again. “Great. There’s going to be photographic evidence of me looking like a little Victorian ghost experiencing electricity for the first time.”
Will laughed a bright, genuine laugh that seemed to pull the remaining tension right out of Mike’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m sure my face looks like I’m seeing the secrets of the universe, so we can split the embarrassment.”
The coaster rounded the final bend, the heavy metal fins beneath the train sliding into the magnetic brakes with a smooth, decisive shhhhhhh-clunk. The sudden deceleration jolted them forward one last time before the car began its slow, mechanical crawl back into the shaded loading station.
As the dim light of the platform surrounded them, reality seemed to catch up all at once. The loud chatter of the next group of riders waiting behind the gates filled the air.
Mike blinked, looking down at his hand. With a sudden flush that crept up from his collar to the tips of his ears, he loosened his grip, his fingers sliding away from Will’s with an awkward, lingering hesitation. “Srroy,” he muttered, rubbing his palm against his denim shorts. “I, uh… I think I probably cut off your circulation there. Thanks for not letting me plunge to my death.”
“It’s fine,” Will said quickly, flexing his fingers to hide the sudden, cold emptiness where Mike’s hand had just been. He offered a reassuring smile. “You have a pretty solid grip for someone who was convinced they were about to meet their maker.”
“Adrenaline,” Mike shrugged, smirking again, as if adrenaline was the excuse for everything. They had to have said the word at least 1738 times now.
With a loud pffft of compressed air, the heavy restraints unlocked from their shoulders, lifting upward and freeing them from the plastic seats. Will swung his legs out first, his knees feeling a bit like jelly—though he couldn’t entirely blame the G-force for that. He grabbed his canvas backpack from the mesh pouch, slinging it over one shoulder.
Mike scrambled out right behind him, his long limbs making the exit look twice as complicated as it actually was. He stumbled slightly on the platform, so Will reached out and caught him by the forearms.
“Woah there,” Will murmured. “Got your land legs back yet?”
Mike stared down at Will’s hand on his arm for a fraction of a second before looking up, his dark eyes wide and remarkably bright. “Working on it,” he admitted, a lopsided smile breaking across his face. “Turns out gravity can really do a number on you.”
They walked side by side down the exit ramp, following the arrows toward the photo monitors. The air outside the ride structure was thick with the scent of fried dough and sunscreen, the heavy midday heat settling over them again.
“So,” Will started, adjusting the strap of his bag as they reached the shaded viewing area where rows of screens displayed the mid-ride photos. “Are you going to go hunt down the traitors at the arcade, or are you staying on this side of the park?”
Mike stopped in front of screen number four. There they were in all their glory. “Oh, it’s worse than I thought. Look at me. I look like a startled bird.”
Will looked up at the monitor. The camera had acute them right at the apex of the loop. Mike’s eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth was open in a silent grin, and Will’s head was turned slightly toward him, a wide, thrilled grin on his face. But the clearest part of the photo was right in the middle: their hands, completely locked together over the yellow safety bar.
“I think it’s a good photo,” Will said softly, a sudden wave of boldness washing over him. “Gives the story character.”
Mike dropped his hands from his face, his gaze dropping from the screen back down to Will. The nervous energy from the line was completely gone, replaced by something much more attentive.
“Yeah?” Mike asked, his voice dropping slightly. “You don’t think it looks too embarrassing?”
“Not at all,” Will replied, holding his gaze. Mike’s eyes drifted to Will’s backpack and where it was slung over his shoulder. He looked up and down the strap, clearly studying the buttons Will had put on.
“Are you queer?” Mike asked suddenly. Will could guess that he had just taken note of the pride pins placed right at the top of the strap. Will swallowed nervously and felt a tremor go through his body. He wasn’t really out to most people, and he always felt a rush when he did come out.
“Uh, yeah. I’m gay,” he said softly.
Mike nodded with a smile. “Cool. Happy pride. I’m bi.”
Will smiled. He loved when he got to know other queer people. He grew up in a small town where there wasn’t much education or representation of the community, so he always felt so grateful when he got to meet new people.
“Happy pride,” Will responded.
Before Mike could say anything more, an obnoxious whistle pierced through the ambient noise of the crowd.
“Wheeler! Holy shit, he’s alive!”
Will turned his head to see Dustin and Lucas jogging up the bottom of the exit ramp. Dustin was holding a massive neon pink stuffed gorilla under his arm while Lucas gnawed on a giant pretzel.
“We checked the casualty reports and everything,” Dustin shouted, sliding to a halt next to them. “We were fully prepared to tell your mom it was an honorable sacrifice.”
Mike’s demeanor shifted instantly back into annoyed-best-friend mode, though there was a distinct lack of real anger in his voice. “You two are dead to me. I’m officially disowning you. Look at this,” he pointed dramatically at the screen. “I had to hold onto a complete stranger just to keep my soul from leaving my body.”
Dustin’s eyes flicked from the screen, down to Will, and then back to Mike, his eyebrows raising behind his glasses. “A stranger, huh?” Well, smooth one, Mike. At least you didn’t cry.”
“I didn’t cry!” Mike hissed, his face turning red again.
Lucas turned to Will. “Did he cry?” Will smiled, happy to be a part of the conversation.
“Just a little,” he said softly, looking at Mike with a smile.
Lucas patted Mike on the shoulder, offering him a piece of the pretzel. “It’s okay, buddy. Come on, the line for the bumper cars is actually short for once.”
Mike hesitated. He looked at Lucas, then Dustin, then he turned back around to face Will. There was a sudden, heavy awkwardness in the air, the realization that the MikeandWill bubble had popped, and they were supposed to go back to their normal lives.
“I, uh…” Mike rubbed the back of his neck, his dark curls shifting under the touch. “I guess I have to go make sure they don’t lose the gorilla.”
“Yeah,” Will smiled, keeping his hands tucked safely in his pockets so they wouldn’t shake. Go get your bumper cars, Mike. It was nice meeting you.”
“You too, Will,” Mike said. He took a backward step, his eyes lingering for a second too long. “Thanks for… you know. The hand thing.”
“Anytime.”
Will watched as the trio started to walk away. Dustin was already explaining how he won the gorilla first try on ring toss which had never happened before. He felt a familiar ache in his chest—the reality of always being a single rider and always watching groups move together while he stayed on the sidelines. He set off, turning the opposite way and heading to the food court.
“Hey! Will! Wait up!”
Will blinked, turning around. Mike was jogging back toward him. Dustin and Lucas were standing by a trashcan, looking absolutely flabbergasted. Mike stopped a few feet away, slightly out of breath. His cheeks were flushed and he was panting.
He fumbled in his shorts pocket, pulling out a crumpled receipt from a food stand and a chewed up pen. He bit the cap off and quickly scribbled something on the back of the paper against his palm.
He stepped forward, pressing the crumpled piece of paper into Will’s hand.
“I’m usually parched after a whole day walking the park,” Mike said, his voice a little rushed, a nervous grin breaking across his face. “And my friends are annoying. If you… I don’t know, want to get a lemonade or something later? Since we’re both alone. Or, well, I’m not alone, but I’d rather be alone with you. That sounded weird. Nevermind. Ignore that.”
Will looked down at the paper. It was a phone number with Mike (the guy who didn’t want to die) written underneath it.
A warm feeling bloomed in Will’s chest, completely eclipsing the rush still buzzing in his body after the coaster. He folded the paper carefully, slipping it into his front pocket like it was made of gold.
“I’d love to get a lemonade, Mike,” Will said, his smile bright and completely unguarded.
Mike let out a visible breath of relief, nodding quickly. “Cool. Great. I’ll, uh…” He started taking a few steps backwards. “Call me?” he asked, a hopeful expression on his face. Will nodded with a smile so Mike grinned. “Cool.”
“Go back to your friends,” Will laughed. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Mike gave a quick wave, turning on his heel and sprinting back to his friends, nearly tripping over a stroller in the process. Will watched him go, noting the way Dustin immediately began teasing Mike with a shoulder shove and a kissy face.
Will turned towards the path again and rested his fingers on the paper in his pocket. For the first time in his whole life, he didn’t mind the crowds at all.