the yellow box

christmas

It begins in July earlier that year, when her brother's soul seems to move away with the Byers. Holly was never particularly close with Mike, but she can't help but wonder why he shuts himself in his room all day, why he only comes out for dinner and school. She wonders how long it's been since he last uttered a sentence.

Holly vaguely remembers a time when it wasn't like this. At the dinner table, Mike used to tell dramatic tales of his school day, talking so much that her head would hurt. He used to have all of his loud friends over and they would play in the basement. Sometimes she would sit with them, but sometimes she would be in her room upstairs (from where she could still hear their screams and laughter and fighting).

Mike used to be made of big smiles, loud laughter, contagious energy. And now he's all downcast eyes, perpetual scowls, and harrowing silence, sneaking out through his window at night and returning hours later.

It's a cold Tuesday night, warmed up only by the fireplace burning under the Christmas stockings and the smell of Mom's gingerbread cookies. Christmas Eve in the Wheeler household feels less Christmas-y without Nancy. Holly's big sister was supposed to be home by now, but she and the Byers had gotten stuck in a snow storm on the way.

Mike is buzzing with energy for what feels like the first time in years. Holly sits at the kitchen table, watching Mom decorate the little figures with red, white, and green icing. She's tempted to get some icing on her finger and suck on it, but she knows better. She turns to look at Mike, who is pacing around the living room anxiously with a small yellow box in his hand. She briefly wonders what's in the yellow box, but her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Mom opening the oven to take out the second fully baked batch of cookies.

Hours later, after the headache-inducing noise of greetings and hugs and "I'm so glad you made it!"s and "We're so sorry, we didn't expect the horrible weather"s, everyone is finally settled.

Her father is sitting on his La-Z-Boy, holding a bottle of beer - Holly finds it hard to imagine him without the drink in his hand. Mom is in the kitchen with Mrs. Byers, quietly chatting with wine-flushed smiles. Nancy and her boyfriend Jonathan are sitting on the sofa together, and Holly is curled up next to her. Mike is perched on the floor, his girlfriend El's head resting on his shoulder.

His best friend Will is a good seven feet away from them, his knees pulled to his chest and his eyes fixated on the Christmas cartoon playing softly on their television.

Holly likes Will. He's gentle and kind, not rowdy like Mike's other friends. Holly remembers how he would help her with the coloring assignments that she hated. Or how he would say goodnight to her whenever he slept over. But most importantly, Holly thinks, he made Mike happy. Mike and Will were always together, ever since she could remember. She looks at Will again, sitting by himself, looking impossibly alone. She wonders why he seems so sad. She wonders why Mike isn't talking to him.

Mom calls them for dinner, and she soon forgets Will's melancholy expression as she fills her stomach with delicious chicken and mashed potatoes. She goes to bed early that night.

Holly wakes up early the next morning, overjoyed and bubbly, the expectation of Christmas gifts and festivities pulling her out of her sleep. She knows that it's some ungodly hour - the sun is barely peeking over the horizon - but this is how it is every year.

She pads down the hall and quietly descends the staircase, careful not to wake her family or the Byers. Unable to contain her gasp as she sees the abundance of colorful presents under the tree, she runs down the last few steps and sits on the floor. She starts sorting through the presents to see which ones are hers, only feeling a little guilty.

While skimming over the gifts, her eyes land on the small yellow box that Mike had been holding the day before. Curiosity overtaking her, she slowly reaches for the box.

Suddenly she hears the sounds of floorboards creaking. Holly immediately drops the box and whips her head around to see Will standing at the archway between the kitchen and the living room. He recoils, almost spilling his glass of water.

"Oh- um, good morning!" he says, straightening up. "It's... early."

"I always wake up early on Christmas," she replies matter-of-factly. Will rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"How many presents do you have this year?"

"I'm still counting."

"I see."

Holly shrugs and goes back to counting her presents. A big one from Mom and Dad. A box of what she presumes to be clothes from Nana. A medium one from Nancy. A disappointingly small one from Mike.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Will sit down next to her, placing his cup of water on the floor. She turns her head to look at him, really look at him, for the first time in far too long. Before the Byers had moved away, Will was at the Wheeler house so often that she sometimes felt like he was her second brother. Strangely, she had sort of missed him.

She sees dark bags under his eyes. His skin seems paler than usual. He looks back at her.

"So... how's school?" he asks. Holly shrugs. What is she supposed to say? This might be the first time she's even been alone with him. Will shifts under the silence. "Do you have a lot of friends?"

"Nicole and Mary-Ann," she replies. "Do you have friends?"

He raises his eyebrows, as if he didn't expect that question. He fidgets with his hands slightly. "Um, yeah. California's great. Lots of, um... lots of cool people. I like them a lot."

Holly suddenly remembers the previous evening, how terribly small he had seemed while sitting alone on the floor. How uncharacteristically quiet things had been with him and her brother.

"Do you like them... more than Mike?"

Will doesn't respond for a long time. He stares at the floor. She starts to think that he didn't hear her.

"Of course not, Holly."

His voice seems strained, but she doesn't have the chance to dwell on that for long before she hears Mom's footsteps come down the stairs.

Christmas comes and goes quicker than she would have liked. Her parents get her a Sylvanian Families set. Her nana gifts a few striped jumpers and a pair of denim overalls that only slightly interest her. Nancy's present to her is a Pound Puppy that Holly is ecstatic about. Mike gives her a pair of blue lace-up shoes, and Will teaches her how to properly tie them like the big girl she is.

She watches everyone exchange gifts with each other - seeing their delighted faces and grateful hugs brings a special warmth to her chest.

She notices that Mike never gave Will a present. She notices that the yellow box is nowhere to be seen.

After dinner, around 9:30 p.m., Mike and Will retreat into Mike's bedroom. Holly goes to bed shortly afterwards, falling asleep to the faint sound of rock music coming from next door.