~ Growing Up Is Not All Its Cracked Up To Be ~

~ The Friendship Establishes The Party ~

September 7th 1976, Hawkins Elementary School. 

Today was the very first day of school for a lot of children in the small town of Hawkins. The first time in life a lot of these kids will be wondering away from home to make all new friends. It was a sunny day, beautiful out, and you could hear a lot of mothers crying. 

"Michaels gonna be fine dear" Ted sighs holding his wife. 

"I know... I just can't believe he's starting school already..." Karen sighs. 

Karen and Ted have been through this together already. Michaels sister Nancy started school a few years before him.  

Michael slowly wondered away from his parents heading towards the swing set where he saw a little boy swinging all by himself. he approached the swings and sat down on the one beside the other boy, he looked over and gave him a small smile. 

"Wanna be friends?" Michael asked.    

"Yes" Smiled the boy from beside him. 

Michael smiled and began to swing, pumping his legs out and in. 

"My names Mike" 

"I'm Will!" The other boy said swinging slightly faster then Mike, It took no time for them at all to turn that into a competition. 

The bell soon rang, and the teachers helped all the children get into the school, find their classrooms, and their seats. 

Mike and Will thankfully got sat together. Within the few minutes they knew each other they were best friends. They loved the same color, Blue. They loved dinosaurs, coloring, and swinging. As the two sat down at the table where they found their names, two other boys sat down at the same table. 

"I'm Dustin!" the one boy basically yelled with the curly hair. "I like your shirt!" He smiled pointing at Will. 

Will was wearing a shirt with a lot of dinosaurs fighting on it. One of his favorite shirts. 

Mike smiled looking at the other shyer boy across from him. "Hi, I'm Mike" 

"I'm Lucas" the darker boy smiled and greeted him. 

"I really like your backpack" Mike grinned. 

Lucas's bag was blue and had a space theme to it.

"Thanks! I love space!" He laughed. 

That was the very beginning to their beautiful friendship. 

Four boys who started their first day of school, all become inseparable. Mike tended to be the more caring and sensitive one. Will was the creative and quieter one. Dustin was the loud jokester. Then Lucas was the one who loved a challenge and any physical activity . 

Everyday the boys looked forward to school, just so they could see their friends. They colored, played tag, played in the sandbox, they did everything together at school. Once that summer came, all their moms exchanged phone numbers so the boys could keep in touch. The moms were constantly bugged to let them play together. It usually ended up at Michaels house since the Wheelers basement was set us as a huge playroom. 

The boys grew up together. Always in the same class, always seen together. Once they got old enough for bikes, their parents were lucky if they knew where they were. They were always biking to each others homes. They never fought. Well, I mean they fought, but stupid boy fights that were solved within an hour. They always talked about the future together, what high school classes they'd take, what they wanted to be, their future girlfriends, future cars. Everything. 

In Grade five they found a new love. Dungeons and Dragons. The four would play for hours, which their moms weren't so happy about, but kids will be kids. That's when it formed. THE PARTY. They thought it was the best thing ever. Something to keep them bonded. The other kids at school didn't think it was as cool as they did. They got called dumb or nerds, but it didn't seem to bother them as much. 

"You think we'll be popular in middle school?" Lucas asked as he collapsed onto the basement couch of the wheelers house. 

"We're gonna be the coolest! With the coolest girlfriends!" Dustin yelled grabbing snacks from their hidden stash from Mikes mom. 

Mike laughed rolling his eyes throwing his bag by the couch. "Keep dreaming guys, we're the lamest kids in school"

"Oh Michael, you gotta dream big! We're gonna be the cool smart kids in middle school!" Dustin smiled. 

"Guys! Lets just enjoy the summer before worrying about Middle School, we still have two months of freedom!" Lucas yelled sitting up turning on the television downstairs. 

"Nothings gonna get in the way of our friendship right guys? we're gonna be separated into different classes now." Will asked.

"Definitely not Will. I don't even know what could possibly get in our way" Mike smiled patting him on the back.  

"Every lunch and afterschool we will meet up, and we will be going to the arcade constantly im sure" Lucas smiled reassuring him.