Wasted

Annie Was Wrong

Part Three

Eleven's heart was beating a mile a minute.
The sun came out tomorrow just as Annie told the group it would. Will had a bright cheery smile plastered on his face.

The pursuit of happiness, the short term never long term. Will was finally happy he found Mike mourning his love for Eleven. However, Will wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons. His mind raced he wanted to be a kid again.

Everyone else was growing up too fast, Will thought his crush on El was temporary. He wasn't growing up, he didn't want to. Paint me yellow and call me a fucking ray of sunshine. Was Will's mindset for the summer's day drawing out to be like every other day on this dreadful earth.

A boy watching the bird sat on a stone bench binoculars glued to his eyes. A white cheerful smile on his face. Willam Byers was intrigued he wanted to be like that boy. Therefore, he was happy today he was happy.

Promising himself to look ahead on the day's work instead of the week's work. Mike and Lucus were off finding the girls somewhere, Dustin was with Steve. Nancy, Jonathan was working on an assignment down at the printer's office. 

Joyce was working on issues that resided in Will's cluttered teenage mind. The fact Will was so traumatized Joyce sought help to fund someone who could care enough to help her boy. Meanwhile, back home in the Byer's residence. Will's blood ran cold, as the familiar flickering of a lightbulb burning out struck a nerve.

Will's breathing began to anxiously creep deeper and deeper. His hand grazed his short 80's shorts.  The faded blue fabric felt silky and cool in his sweaty palms. Will's mind flashed over to Eleven who was somewhere in the pitch-black void. He could sense her watching him. "Eleven! El!" Will screamed in agony somewhat hoping she would hear.

"Mike! Lucus! Dustin! Jonathan!" Will screamed backing himself into a corner. His vision became blurry, he saw the upside-down in his surroundings. "Mom!" Will took a breath and his yell came out almost like a faint whisper. The new home phone rang Will shot up his legs and felt like jello.  Burning and aching as he ran to answer it. "Will?!" Eleven's voice rang through the wall phone. Her voice was angelic and soft.

Eleven seemed to calm the boy after his newest recurring venture into the nightmares he's been having for weeks. Mike seemed to feel unsatisfied with the fact his girlfriend was calling his best friend in an almost state of panic.

Eleven could feel Will's mind racing almost as if she were connected to him. Eleven had no idea what a soulmate could be. Nor would she believe in the soulmate saga once she realized what it was.  Max was her influential mentor in a way. The land of Boyfriends was unexplored between the both of them,

However, Max had an older stepbrother named Billy who was the newest addition to fuckboy central. Damaging to her body was the amount of exhaustion from the heatwave striking Hawkins. Following Will's house were Lucus, Max, and Dustin, behind Mike and Eleven.  Someone was going to be sunburnt by the end of the bike ride. By '84 the children were using their Walkman's to walk.

Silence was eager enough to forget music blaring at full blast in the earbuds trailing behind Dustin's bike. Eleven clung to Mike's waist cling to not fall off his bike as he peddled quickly leaving the others behind. Max soon got ahead on her skateboard.

Upon arrival at Will's house,  Mike seemed tense. The friction in between his legs from the old faux leather bike seat rubbing against his legs. The shorts he wore were so small due to fashion trends.Mike appeared to be limping as if he just got done running a marathon.

Eleven wasn't at his beck and call to aid his heat rash.  Jane was into the mystery of why Will Byers hadn't had a clean feeling. Mike just went home; he didn't feel like third-wheeling his girlfriend and his best friend as they got closer. Most days he was dark. Today seemed darker than usual. Mike Wheeler was jealous of Will Byers.

He knew the way Will looked at Eleven and that Will would be much better at taking care of Eleven. However, he felt connected to her; the drifting apart was a tell-tale sign that Mike needed to let go. "Mike? Mike?! Michal Wheeler!" Nancy shouted "What?!" Mike shouted back at his older sister. Her dark pink printed dress fell to the knee and her hair was short and simple.

"Mom told me to take you to grab some food. Let's go." Nancy was bluffing that Karen hadn't given attention to her children since Billy Hargrove got into town. "Fine," Mike huffed, blowing a bit of his dark hair out of his face.

The bowl cut look was what he had been attempting for the past few years. "What is up with you lately Mike?" Nancy asked genuinely concerned for her little brother.  Mike simply ignored her question by turning his head to watch the trees pass by out of the dirty window of the Wheeler family car.

Storm clouds were brewing a summer storm above the town of Hawkins.  Meanwhile the place was filled with the smell of pizza and the sound of screaming children. Some say laughter is contagious but they had never had children presumably.

Because Mike was beginning to get a migraine from the thoughts racing around his head like birds around an injured cartoon. Adding into the forming migraine was the laughter of children and a few babies screaming as he sat next to Nancy with his head resting between his hands hunched over.

Everyone never asked how he was doing it was always "Mike how is Will?" or "How is Eleven?" never "How are you?" Those three words began to take a toll on his mind and his relationship.

"Mike lets go." Nancy told him with two large cheese and pepperoni pizza held in her hands. Nancy reached out with one hand holding the pizza in the other. Before they escaped the parlor rain started to beat down on the roof of the car, hard.

"Run?" Mike turned and asked his sister. They looked at each other for a moment plotting a scheme. Nodding and they ran out from under the dry roof of the pizza parlor into the salty warm rain.  Laughing their asses off like crazy people the rain was coming down like cats and dogs. They could've gotten sick yet, in the moment they could care less. 

They were wild and free. Mike finally smiled for real, he had forgotten about Eleven and Will. Nevertheless Nancy's brilliant plan worked. She had a tone that was light and airy that always calmed Mike since they were children. The sun began to shine and it created a rare double rainbow. Love is evil, and such a shame Mike fell into that rabbit hole.

Nancy once did as well and she thought she loved Steve Harrington. Turns out he is just a damn good babysitter and never the one who would steal your girl anytime soon. Mike had forgotten everything for in  that time being.

Meanwhile on the other side of town. Everyone else was huddled under a gazebo in the town park. Lucky they were the only ones in the park at that time. However, the cold wind from the trees around the gazebo was another story.

Eleven got goosebumps from the water flicking off of the trees. It was cold. Feeling the water droplets on her bare skin. Will pulled Eleven close for warmth totally not because he was madly in love with her. No not at all Dustin had gone home in the rain. Max and Lucas weren't as daring.

An AV club member was riding home, and another dancing in the rain. While four members sat in uncomfortable silence.

Published: April, 5th, 2023
Song: Last Time- Reese
Word Count: 1388
A/N: Two years later, with a brief over-view and small bits of editing. Mort frequently updated is my one-shot book with more things like this. The book is called Elusive Dreaming.