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Best Dressed.
Most School Spirit
Most Likely to Succeed.
Best Smile.
Cutest Couple.
Did any of them mean anything? Out in the wider world, not really. But at Hawkins High? Absolutely.
Everyone agreed the superlatives were stupid. They were basically a popularity contest for the most part. And yet every year, without fail, they would be the first things students raced to find in the yearbook. This year was no exception.
“Class Clown’s gotta be Henderson.”
“Dude, no way! Henderson’s gonna be Most Likely to Succeed. Didn’t he get accepted to Harvard or something?”
“What? Where the hell did you hear that?”
Will watched the jocks swagger past, pushing and jostling each other. He let out a quiet sigh, then closed his locker.
They were talking about that stupid yearbook again. The same thing everyone in the school had been talking about for the last two weeks. Day in, day out.
“Will, you okay?” A familiar hand landed on his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch.
“Yeah. Hey, Dustin didn’t get accepted into Harvard, did he?”
Mike cocked his head, looking confused. “No? Pretty sure he didn’t even apply. Why?”
He shrugged. “Just heard some people talking about it.”
“What? Why?”
“Yearbook.” That one word was enough to explain everything.
“Urgh, seriously? Can’t people talk about anything else?” Mike complained.
“Exactly, thank you!” Will laughed, grinning at him. He didn’t notice, but a few people started looking their way. “It’s all anyone’s been talking about.”
“Talking about what?” A voice hissed in his ear, making him yelp.
“Jesus, Max!”
He swatted at her. She immediately dodged and laughed. Will couldn’t help but admire how easily she moved now. She’d only ditched the crutches last week and it was still strange seeing her move so freely, after everything that had happened.
Lucas watched his girlfriend with a besotted look. “Talking about what?” He repeated her earlier words. The other two immediately groaned.
“This goddamned yearbook. I mean who cares who gets Cutest Couple—”
“Me and Max,” Lucas interrupted.
Mike gave him a withering look. “—or Best Dressed—”
“Stacey Albright,” Will added.
The look Mike gave him was noticeably softer. “—or even Most Likely to Succeed?”
“Dustin.” They were all in agreement.
“Yeah?”
Dustin and El were coming towards them all. El immediately attached herself to her step-brother and Max, linking their arms together and ignoring his exaggerated huff.
“Hey, did you get into Harvard? Because that’s what everyone’s been saying,” Mike said.
“Did I what? No. I didn’t even apply to Harvard. Do you know how insane it is to try to get a place there? I’m nowhere near that level.” Dustin looked utterly perplexed. “Why the hell are people even saying that?”
“Yearbook.” They all chorused together.
“You’ve got Most Likely to Succeed in the bag,” Lucas assured him.
“Urgh, who cares? It’s all a load of shit, anyway.” Despite his words, the others could tell Dustin was secretly pleased.
“It is. But it’s shit everyone cares about,” Max replied.
Will just barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes at that. El noticed immediately and nudged him. He nudged her back and the two shared a smile. A few more people looked at them as they headed out the door.
“Anyone else notice people are staring at us?” Mike commented.
Max snorted. “Oh please, they’re not staring at us Wheeler. They’re staring at Will.”
“They’re what?” He gave her an incredulous look. “No they’re not.”
Dustin snorted. “Dude, they totally are. Not just the girls either.”
It was well known that Will was actually pretty popular with the entire female population of Hawkins High. Apparently at one point he even had his own little fan club. But since Max had been laughing when she told him that, he hoped that was just yet another ridiculous rumour about him.
“Why?” Mike demanded, already taking a step in front of Will, to block him from a group of giggling girls nearby.
“They think he’s gonna be Best Smile.” El giggled at the expression Will made. “It’s true, I heard Jennifer talking about it.”
“Huh.” Lucas looked thoughtful.
“You know, I can see it.” Dustin cocked his head, then nodded.
“He does have a great smile,” Mike agreed. They all stopped and stared at him. “What? He does! It’s not weird for me to say it.”
It absolutely was weird for him to say it.
“Sure, Mike.” Lucas and Dustin exchanged looks.
Mike and Will’s relationship had always been weird. And even though Mike and El were supposedly still together, Mike had been known to say things once or twice that weren’t strictly platonic. But Will knew better than to read too much into it. Mike was just possessive. More so after learning about his little crush. Which made things all the more awkward, because things had actually been changing for Will lately.
“I bet you know who thinks he has a great smile too,” Lucas teased.
Will groaned under his breath, cheeks pink. Naturally, the others took that as an opportunity to tease him some more as they made their way to their cars.
That was another thing that had changed for them. Mike had gotten Nancy’s old car for his birthday, while Lucas’ parents got him one for his. Then just last week, Hopper had surprised Will and El with a car for them to share. Thanks to them, riding their bikes to school together became a thing of the past. Naturally Lucas drove Max everywhere she wanted. While Mike, Will or El drove Dustin around like they were his personal chauffeurs. Or so he liked to claim.
“Speaking of Chance, isn’t he driving you home today?” Dustin asked.
Max looked like Christmas had come early. “He is? Hold up, Byers, you didn’t tell me that. Why’s he taking you home?”
He wisely kept his mouth shut.
“So they can make out in his car,” El confirmed.
“El!” He hissed at her, bright red now. “That is not why!”
“It’s totally why,” Lucas muttered to Dustin. He shot them both a withering look.
Mike scowled. “If Will says it’s not why, then—”
“Hey.” An all too familiar voice came from behind.
Will was smiling before he even realised he was doing it. Of course the others noticed.
“Hey, Chance. What’s up?” Lucas held a hand up, the one that wasn’t wrapped around Max’s waist, for Chance to high five him.
“Nothing much. Just gotta borrow Will. We uh, we got somewhere to be.”
There were students still looking at them, but Will did his best to ignore them. Ever since he and Chance started hanging out, always with at least two of the others in tow when in public, they’d become the subject of fascination. The jock and the nerd was a classic trope and more than once he had caught groups of girls giggling, whenever they saw them together.
As one of their star basketball players, Chance had some protection against the rumours no doubt flying around about him and Will. The basketball team was intensely loyal, everyone remembered what happened with Jason. So even if Chance was half queer, he’d been with girls and guys before, they were willing to overlook it as long as he continued to win. Since getting together with Will, he hadn’t lost a single game. So, the entire team was invested in keeping them together until their last game of the season. Which meant Will got some of that protection too. As Jay had once put it, he’d become something of a good luck charm. Like Max was to Lucas.
“Ooh, I wonder where,” Dustin teased. Will shoved him. He shoved back. Both grinning at each other.
“Are you gonna be home for dinner?” El asked.
Chance smirked. “Oh, I don’t know. I thought we could get some food later.”
“Dinner and a movie?” Lucas waggled his eyebrows, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face.
“Shut up,” Will whined. “It’s not like that.”
“It’s not?” Chance looked wounded. But Will knew him enough to know when he was just being a little shit. He scowled at him. Chance chuckled.
“Oh hey, since you’re here, what do you think? Doesn’t Will have a great smile?” Max asked. She wasn’t even trying to hold back her smirk.
“Absolutely.” Chance didn’t even hesitate. “Why? This about the yearbook?”
Mike scowled. Sensing his irritation, El linked her arm with his, causing him to soften just a little. They all knew he barely tolerated Chance and only did so because of Will. Even if he was supposedly straight, the jury was still out on that one, he was just so damned possessive, that it was a real struggle for him to accept that Will might have finally found someone. Especially when that someone was a reformed asshole with suspiciously great hair.
“Yeah. Some of the girls think he’s a shoo-in for Best Smile,” El explained.
“Oh he is. Without a doubt.”
Will turned away, trying to contain his smile. It didn’t work, everyone could see the way his face lit up when Chance said that. But they were nice enough not to call attention to it.
“So, you ready to go?”
He nodded, following Chance to his car after handing over the keys to El. She gave him a knowing look before promising to keep Hopper and their mom distracted until he got back. He really didn’t deserve her sometimes.
“Don’t get pregnant!” She hissed at him with a wicked smile.
Max choked. Lucas and Dustin looked stunned by her words, while Chance just started laughing. Poor Mike looked mortified.
“What? El, what the hell?” He hissed back at her.
She blinked innocently. “What? That’s what Hopper tells me when I go on a date with Mike. Now it’s your turn.”
Mike’s low groan confirmed that was unfortunately true. Max looked like Christmas had come early.
“Wait, have you two—?”
Will left quickly before he could hear the end of that question. Chance was still chuckling as he followed behind him. Minutes later, the two were pulling out of the parking lot.
“So, Best Smile, huh?”
He shrugged, smiling a little sheepishly. “It’s stupid.”
Chance kissed his cheek. Out here in the woods, the odds of someone finding them were pretty low. And honestly, he was hoping to do a little more.
“I don’t think so. I mean it’s true. You do have the best smile in the school. I swear some of the cheerleaders actually sighed when they saw you laugh yesterday.”
Ah yes, yesterday, when Dustin shoved a couple of tater tots up his nose in an attempt to cheer Will up after his recent math test. It had been a long time since Will had laughed that hard, even if the others hadn’t found it nearly so funny.
Will grinned at the memory. “Shut up, no they didn’t,” he playfully pushed at Chance’s shoulder. Chance chuckled, then leaned in for another kiss.
“Oh, they did. But who cares, right? You’re all mine. Those smiles of yours are all mine too.”
It was ridiculously cheesy and yet, Will couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe. But I’m yours. Your…your boyfriend, yeah?” Chance asked.
Will pulled back, eyes wide. Boyfriend? They’d never actually talked about what this was. Part of him had always just assumed they were just make out buddies, who didn’t really have any other options.
“You’d want that?” He had to be sure.
Chance shrugged, but his tense shoulders and set jaw betrayed just how badly he did actually want it. “I mean, yeah. If…if you want that too?”
The kiss Will gave him was all the answer he needed. But just to confirm, Will beamed back at him after, giving a resounding, “Yes!”
There it was, the smile Chance had fell in love with even back when Andy was still around. Was it any wonder that half of the school was bewitched by that exact same smile? The smile that convinced him to stop being such a dick and actually make changes to his life. The smile that had guaranteed Will the Best Smile award. It wasn't even a question. Tony, from yearbook, had already confirmed it.
They’d work out what it all meant for them later. As seniors, their time was already coming to an end, but both were content with just living in the moment and enjoying whatever they could get. They still had an entire summer before college started.
The yearbooks were out.
Naturally, everyone was obsessed with finding out who won what.
Best Dressed - Stacey Albright
Predictably, she strutted around school with the smuggest look on her face all day.
Most Athletic - Chance Romanillos
As one of the stars of the basketball, swimming and track teams, was anyone really surprised? Will vowed to celebrate with him later.
Most Likely to Succeed - Dustin Henderson
As if it could be anyone else.
Class Clown - Peter Dubwalski
Who could forget the jock’s legendary prank getting that cow on the roof of the school. Of course, getting it back down again had proven to be more of a challenge.
Cutest Couple - Jennifer Hayes and Charlie Thompson
Max hadn’t exactly looked happy about that. But then she and Lucas disappeared during lunch and returned in a much better mood, so Will assumed everything was good once more.
Most School Spirit - Jane Hopper-Byers
El clearly hadn’t expected it. But after finally being allowed to come to school, once everything was safe, she had thrown herself into living out her dream high school life. One filled with committees and dates and making friends with everyone she could. Thankfully, her attempts had received a much warmer reception this time around, compared to how things had been back in Lenora.
Best Smile - William Byers-Hopper
Will really didn’t know how to feel about that. All day, girls kept begging him to smile for them. They even asked him to sign their yearbooks, much to the rest of the Party’s amusement. By the end of the day, his cheeks were sore.
Best Hair - Maxine Mayfield
Even Max had looked stunned by that. But no one could deny that her loose fiery curls were pretty damn eye-catching. More so when she didn’t use even half as much product as the likes of Stacey, who had looked monumentally pissed when she found out.
There were others of course, but none that mentioned any more of his friends, so Will didn’t care. El still gave him the highlights, looking awfully pleased with herself. He could practically see her checking this off her imaginary checklist for what she wanted her high school life to be like.
Did any of it matter? Not really. And yet, as much as he had complained about it all, he couldn’t deny that it felt good to be noticed. Not just by his friends, but by everyone. For something good this time.
After school, Chance once again drove him home. With a considerable detour along the way. One that wouldn’t have him coming home until well after dark. But it was fine, even if Hopper flipped out. Because today they were both gonna celebrate.
“There’s that smile,” Chance murmured, kissing his neck.
That only made Will smile brighter.