SOUR CANDY KISSES ➭ MAX M.

v: WILLY

🗒 ❛ y / n ༉‧₊˚✧

"SOMETHING WRONG with the meatloaf?" mrs. wheeler asks us as we were too anxious to eat.

"oh, no," lucas stammers, searching in his head for an excuse. "i had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. i don't know why."

"me, too," dustin says as bev and i raise our hands in agreement.

"it's delicious, mommy," holly's voice rings.

"thank you, sweetie."

"so, there's this," nancy pauses, cutting her food. "special assembly thing tonight, for will at the school field. barb's driving."

no way. there is no way nancy just used will's disappearance as an excuse to see her crummy boyfriend.

"why am i just hearing about this?" mr.s wheeler inquires, looking at all of us.

"because it's not true and nancy just wants to see steve," is what i wanted to say. i'm sure mike did too. but we all kept our mouths shut.

"i thought you knew," nancy said innocently, shrugging her shoulders.

"i told you, i don't want you out after dark until will is found," mrs. wheeler says in disapproval. you tell her mrs. k.

"i know, i know," oh boy, here we go. "but it'd be super weird if I'm not there. i mean, everyone's going."

"just," no!. "be back by 10:00." dammit.

"why don't you take mike and his friends too?"

we all mutter a chorus of 'no's, making it more suspicious.

"don't you think you should be there? for will?" mrs. wheeler asks as eleven comes downstairs.

but dustin thought quickly, hitting his arm on the table to distract everyone. "sorry, spasm," he awkwardly giggled.

-

WE ALL WALK downstairs to here static from mike's radio.

"hey el," she started to freak out when hearing his voice.

"no adults!" he quickly said, calming her down. "just us and some meatloaf."

"and maybe candy," i offer as mike glares at me.

"really? you want to give her that stuff?" he asks me as if i had gone crazy when all i really wanted to do was help.

"it's so sour it could hurt her!"

"right, sorry," i say with a slight chuckle to lessen the tension. which didn't work.

"i think he's just on his period," beverly reassures me as i start laughing at her comment.

"don't worry, they won't tell anyone about you. they promise. right?" mike asks us as we nod.

"we would've never been upset with you if we knew you had superpowers," dustin said truthfully, muttering a slight 'ow' when mike hits his leg for it.

"what Dustin is trying to say," mike says, looking at the curly headed boy in accusation. "is that they were just scared earlier. that's all."

"yeah, we just wanted to find our friend," lucas confirms, nodding his head in agreement to mike.

"'friend'?" el asks lucas, looking at mike in question.

"yeah, our friend willy," i say as mike glares at me again.

"what is 'friend'?" she asks, is she serious?

"is she serious?" lucas asks, "um, a friend—is someone you'd do anything for," mike interrupts.

"you lend them your cool stuff," i continue.

"like comic books and trading cards," dustin elaborates.

"and they never break a promise," mike says, looking at me angrily. what did i do.

"especially when there's spit," lucas says, nodding.

"spit?" el questions as bev and i look at lucas in disgust.

"my friends would have spitting contests," bev says sadly.

"don't worry, you can see them during summer break! we both can," i tell her as she strats to smile.

-

"what's the weirdo doing?" lucas asks as i nudge him with my free hand.

"el?" mike asks the girl as she picks up the 'will the wise' figurine.

"will," she mutters, taking me by surprise as all the candy in my mouth falls out.

"really y/n? god, you're annoying," mike breathes out, sweeping the candy up.

'you're annoying.'

"hiding." i hear el say, as bev looks at me with sympathy.

mike has never been this rude to anyone before.

not even troy.

and it wasn't even much of an insult. i guess what hurt the most was that it was coming from mike.

"will is hiding? from the bad men?" mike asks eleven in confirmation as she shakes her head 'no'.

"then from who?" bev asks, confused as eleven slams the demogorgan piece on the flipped board.