Forced to move (glad I did) Ziggy Katz X Will Byers

Chapter 9 - Apologies

    It was Sunday afternoon just before Halloween and Will just gotten off his computer.  He used the modem to contact his friends back in Portland using a 1980s version of an internet chatroom before the internet.  Usually 1 or both are with Zebra most of the time so Will can contact them.  It was nice that Hopper had a teen line installed at the house so he could use the computer more often.

    Since he was contacting friends he thought about Dustin.  He was fuzzy on the details since he wasn't there, but Jane said Dustin tried to take his own life.  This was after Vecna's defeat and just after school was let out for the summer.  Will was in Portland at the time and didn't know what happened until sometime in July when Jane told him on the phone.  Jane and Joyce didn't want to stress out Will so they held off on telling him because Dustin recovered fine.  Of all the Party members to potentially go down that dark path, Will thought Dustin would be the only one not to.  He seemed so self-assured and witty that nothing seemed to bother him.  Will realizes that outside appearances mean nothing since Will knows a thing or two about masks.

   Will felt like crap when he got a phone call from Max, Lucas and Mike that summer about why he didn't call about Dustin or try to reach out to him.  Will tried to explain that he wasn't aware of what happened to Dustin but they thought he knew.  They said he was a bad friend and wanted an explanation of what happened during the Vecna battle.  Will said he would have to see them in person to talk to them.

    Dustin and Claudia moved that summer to Indianapolis when Claudia found out about the true nature of what had happened in Hawkins. 

    Will called Steve to see if he could get Dustin's contact information.  "Steve, do you have Dustin's address and phone number.  I need to contact him.  I wonder if writing or a phone call would be better." 

"Call him so you can have a two-way conversation." 

"I am so stupid for waiting this long to talk to him, I wouldn't blame him for hating me now." Will felt terrible for putting this on the back burner for so long.

"Don't be hard on yourself.  I don't think Dustin hates you at all.  He would like to hear from you."  Steve gave Will Dustin's address and phone number in Indianapolis.

    Will was nervous when he dialed the number, it rang 3 times before a warm friendly voice came on the line:  "Hello"  "Mrs. Henderson is Dustin home, can I talk to him?" "Who is calling?"  "Will Byers"  "Oh Will how have you been.  I haven't heard about you much lately."  "Good"  "Ok here he is"

    "Who is this?" Dustin asked

    "Will Byers, I am so sorry for not calling sooner but I didn't know how to get ahold of you.  I don't blame you for hating me or never talking to me again since I am a terrible person."  "I..."

    "Will fucking Byers.  You have some nerve calling here."  Dustin was trying to build some tension but chickened out.  Who am I kidding , how have you been?"  Dustin had his usual friendly joking demeanor.  "I am glad you called because I just thought of you last week when I was on the toilet."

    "Oohh, gross.  You were thinking about me when you were taking a dump.  Did I anger you that much over the years I reminded you of a piece of shit."  Will was confused on what to feel other than bad.

    "Not like that at all.  I have all my great thinking moments on the porcelain throne."

    "So to get a world-saving idea out of your brain you just need to poop." 

    "Yup."   

    "I called to apologize and say I am sorry for this summer.  I wasn't aware what happened.  Jane and mom told me in July.  I feel badly about not be in touch with you.  I would of came back to hug you if I known..."