ghosting

prelude

the prelude
chapter 0: longing

friday, novemember 4 1983

Xavier hummed as he parked in the Byers' driveway and pressed on the horn. He watched as Jonathan rushed out of his house, stumbling to put on his shoes. Xavier chuckled and smiled at the older male (Jonathan was only a couple months older, however he always loved to rub it in).

"Welcome to my car," Xavier said as he was pulling out of the driveway. "How are you this morning, Byers?"

Jonathan hummed as he dug through Xavier's glove compartment, " 'm fine." he sighed. "Will said he was biking to school with Dustin, Lucas and Mike."

"Mhm," Xavier hummed. "Dustin told me that too,"

Jonathan laughed as he pulled out a mixtape from the glove compartment, "Black Sabbath?"

Xavier turned to look at Jonathan (his face was scrunched over in disbelief and the way he was looking at the tape as if it had offended him in some way) and raised an eyebrow, "yeah? Not my tape though," he said as he turned left on the road and kept his eyes facing forward. "It's my boyfriend's. He left it here last time we were together."

Jonathan turned to put it back into the glove compartment and kept digging. "When will I meet this infamous boyfriend of yours Xavi?"

"When he's comfortable enough to let you know who he is, John," he replied. "Here, put in the Vicente Fernandez tape."

Jonathan hummed as he pulled it out and put the tape on. The first song started playing through the speakers and Xavier giggled as the first song started playing.

"A un cuaco de linda estempa," Xavier sang.

-

Xavier walked out of the car and swung an arm around Jonathan's shoulders and whispered in his ear. The pair walked into school together and headed to their respective lockers. Jonathan Byers' locker was across from him, their backs were always facing each other.

The relative peace didn't last for long as Xavier felt someone shoulder check him and his body slammed into his locker.

"Well if it isn't loser Henderson," snared a voice.

"Oh if it isn't my favorite bully ever," Xavier's voice slick with sarcasm. "Tommy H."

He turned to face the older boy and raised his eyebrow at him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being slammed into the lockers at," he turned his wrist to look at his watch. "7:50 am."

Tommy scowled, "just you being a loser," he turned to look around. "Wouldn't do this to you if you weren't such a fag."

Xavier was used to this. The terroizing from Tommy and Carol, the slurs, the names, the constant body checking. He supposes however, that he got lucky, the only slurs thrown his way were based more on assumptions about what he liked (and who he liked) and not based on his ethnicty. He hummed and turned his back again and went to open his locker. "You can leave now," he said. "Called me a loser and a fag right as I entered. School hasn't even started, aren't you tried, little Tommy?"

He could feel Tommy glare at the back of his head and Xavier turned his head slightly and spotted Steve "the hair" Harrington behind Tommy Hagen. He smirked lightly as he turned to face the two older boys.