𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞

𝟓𝟎.

William Byers | 2:29pm

"Will, relax..." Lucas places his hand on my shoulder, probably noticing the consistent tapping of my feet against the floor as we wait for someone to open up. I gulp when the lock of the door jiggles, shifting my gaze upwards when it opens up to the sight of Nancy Wheeler.

"Oh— hi boys! And El!" She gives a brief smile. "Do you need something?..."

Crap... I'm gonna feel rude just asking directl—

"We want to see Mike." Dustin confesses and I side-eye his straightforwardness.

"Well— if it's... okay." El adds, and I politely nod in agreement. If Nancy says no, I don't even know what I'll do. I need to see him now — I need to see that he's okay, which he probably isn't but if that's the case, I want to be there for him. El, Lucas and Dustin want to be there for him.

"Come in. I don't know if he's up to talking to you guys, but it's not my call."

"Thank you." I smile, walking in when Nancy moves aside, the other three following me.

"How is your mother?" I ask, taking my shoes off.

I meet Nancy's gaze, my eyes softening when she looks at the ground, presumably in search for appropriate words.

"She's fine."

Is her answer and even though her body language says otherwise whether her mother is still affected mentally or physically, I leave it alone and just nod before walking up the stairs, catching the gaze of Mike's cousin for a moment. I simply just flash a small smile and he reciprocates it gradually.

The poor boy witnessed everything...

Maybe I'll talk to him later about it.

I really hope Mike isn't sleeping because I really just want to talk to him, to be there with him and see that he's alright after yesterday. I could not believe my ears when dad told me what happened. I had to cry the whole night before managing to call the others.

"Guys... is it okay if I talk to him in private for a bit first? Then you guys can come in?" I blink

They all stare at me in silence and I just stare back, waiting for a response.

"Uh... yeah, sure." El shrugs before backing up as well as the other boys. I nod before locking my gaze onto Mike's bedroom door as I walk down the corridor. I can hear dialogue coming from his room, but it's too vague to make out what he's talking about.

Knock, knock...

Michael Wheeler

After being so used to Max blabbering on for half an hour, completely spaced out, my brain wakes up again when she starts referring to me.

"Well, what about you? Did anything happen for you on Valentines?"

I blink, looking down at my bedsheets.

"No, uh..."

Then my mind becomes blank. The only answers to the question she inquired are about Will or my dad. Talking about Will isn't a good idea and I don't feel like talking about dad. What's there to tell, anyway?

"Nothing special." I scoff.

"Sucks to suck." She giggles.

"Right." I return the laugh dryly, trying to swallow down the large lump in my throat at the same time. I clear my throat, flinching when I hear knocking come from the door. It's probably a good time to hang up, now.

"Max I got to go. Mom wants me to unload the groceries."

I hold my breath. Just static for a few seconds.

"Oh,'Kay. Well— good talking to ya, Wheeler."

"Mhm, you too! Bye, Max" And I hang up, placing the phone back in the cradle before bringing my attention back to the door.

"Come innnn—" I call out in a monotone, making myself comfortable in my bedsheets. My eyes dilate in surprise when I see Will standing by the door.

"Will." I speak with a breathy yet short exhale.

He rushes towards me just moments later and embraces himself in my arms. When we release the hug, he places his hand against the side of my neck and pulls me closer until we are forehead against forehead, comfortingly tracing my cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Are you okay?" The beautiful boy asks, and I meet his eyes with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine... don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?... Are you still hurting? Mike, we're all worried sick..."

We?

The others are here.

I soften my gaze, nodding for the sake of his assurance.

"I'm sure... how are you?"

"It doesn't matter how I am... I want to talk about you. Do you want to tell me what happened yesterday?..."

I swallow, searching for a way to avoid the situation, but I remember that Will is my boyfriend. He's there for me all the time and I know it— that's why the others didn't come in because he wants me to remember that I can tell him things that the others don't need details about. He's someone I can trust and he means everything to me. I love him.

"Well... I was talking to Richie and..."

Shit... I can't out him.

"Well— he asked me about my Valentine and me and you happened to slip out. My dad overheard, that's all..."

Will softly plants a kiss on the tip of my nose, resting his forehead against mine again, inevitably causing the side of my lip to weakly lift up.

"I'm sorry... but things are gonna be okay. My mom will make sure that your embarrassing excuse of a dad doesn't come home. It's for the best."

"I know..." I answer.

I sigh and think for a moment, just collecting everything that has happened the past few months. I came out to my mom, Richie and maybe telling the party is worth a shot too. I don't want to hide what me and Will have anymore. Not between our friend group, at least.

"Will, I've been thinking of something but... it's kind of crazy, I don't know."

"Oh?"

I open my mouth in contemplation, wondering if it's a good idea to even ask in the first place.

I give in.

"Do you want... to tell the party about us?"

To Be Continued...

a.n. ONE MORE CHAPTER!!! More like a second part to this one so I'll be sure to write it and release it today!!! <3

i love u byler nation 🥳🫶🏻