𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞

𝟖.

Will Byers

"Are you sure that it's okay for you to look after Holly?" Mrs Wheeler asks for what seems to be the millionth time.

"Yes- it's going to be alright. I'll make sure to look after her well so there's nothing to worry about." I reassure her and she exhales, nodding.

"Okay... okay. I'll make it up to you!" She yells before slamming the door shut, leaving Holly and I alone in the hotel room.

I kneel down to her height and smile, briefly looking around the room. "I guess it's just you and me..." I say, and she smiles sweetly.

"Do you want to color? Mommy got me a new book yesterday." Holly suggests, her way of pronouncing certain words being the cutest thing ever.

"Sure! Of course." I get up and move to the table, sitting and waiting patiently for the blonde girl to present her coloring book. When she does, I notice that it mainly consists of pre-drawn My Little Pony pictures.

"Woowwwwww, it looks so cool!" I remark enthusiastically, looking through her collection of colors. "Can I color Fluttershy?" I ask while looking for the pastel yellow and pink crayons, to which she replies with a nod.

After a few minutes of coloring in silence, Holly breaks it by looking up at me with a grin.

"Willy, can I have juice, please? The fridge is big." She asks me, getting up and skipping to some random direction of the hotel room while I head to the kitchen.

As I pour down the juice, I stop in my tracks due to another random question Holly asks.

"Willy, what does queer mean- and gay?" Um- what? I furrow my brows, making my way to the living space to find Holly by the TV.

"—Rumours that you have queer tendencies. Like not that you're homosexual, but that you like boys as well as girls. Would you like to tell us a little bit about that?" I hear the interviewer say, none other than Michael Wheeler sitting across from her. Wow.

I give Holly her juice and sit down on the sofa, my gaze continuing to soften as I watch Mike's left knee jerking on his seat — an obvious sign of discomfort or anxiety. How could anyone have the heart — no, lack of heart — to ask him that to his face, knowing that the whole state is probably watching??

"Oh um- I never really thought about it but... n-no. I wouldn't think so—" Mike smiles nervously, looking down at his lap after.

I know that he isn't queer - that isn't the point. But imagine if he is? If he is and he didn't know how to answer?? I mean generally, I can only imagine what he's probably thinking right now — that someone started rumours.

After I manage to jump out of my trance, I switch the TV off, not being able to bare watching this any longer.

"Willy, can't you tell me what it means?" I hear someone say, then remember. Oh yeah, Holly.

I kneel down to her height and sigh, thoughtfully looking at her in wonder on how to answer.

"Uhh well... if someone is queer, then they... like-like the same gender. Like... a boy has a crush on a boy." I say, and she cocks a brow.

"But that's weird."

Ouch.

"Maybe, but for some people it's normal." I smile at her, and she returns it with a nod.