Two Worlds Apart // Will Byers x Male!OC

ii. - PROLOGUE

chapter two .||. prologue

[birds of a feather, we should stick together]

Kids older and younger shuffling their bikes along the roads or stepping onto the bus for school, excited chatter buzzing the small town of Hawkins.

Theodore didn't feel that excitement, he had just moved into a new town, living with his dad. He was almost certain his dad would get tired and send him off, most people got tired of him. A troubled kid was always too much hassle that most didn't want the burden of.

"Bye, Kiddo!" Benny Hammond called after his son as they pulled into the elementary school parking lot. They barely knew each other. Hell, Benny didn't even know he had a kid up until a few weeks ago.

"Bye." Theodore replied quietly, his head hung timidly as he shuffled into the doors of the school.

He walked into one of the two fifth grade classrooms shyly, waving goodbye to the nice office lady that had escorted him there.

"And who do we have here?" Mrs. Kelly asked nicely, ushering Theodore into the room. She checked the paper roster and smiled, "Theodore Hammond? I didn't know Benny had a kid." She smiled at him gently, patting his tense shoulder. "Class, this is Theodore Hammond. Theodore, why don't you go have a seat next to Micheal, over there." She pointed him in the direction of a boy with raven black hair and obsidian eyes.

Michael had a baby face, features smooth and soft with a little bit of chub in his cheeks. The boy smiled and waved Theodore over, his smile was toothy and awkward and he was missing his front tooth.

Theodore shuffled awkwardly towards the empty seat next to Micheal, bumping into multiple desks and muttered apologies on the way. He had hit a growth spirt and was quite lanky and tall for a ten year old, he didn't know what to do with the extra part of him.

"Hi! I'm Mike!" The boy next to him chirped, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "Wanna be my friend?"

At recess, Theodore sat alone. Until a boy missing his front teeth with unruly hair bounced up to him. Four other boys in tow.

"Hi! I'm Dustin!" He said happily, the lisp in his voice making it sound like he was much younger than he was.

Dustin plopped down beside him, offering a half of his sandwich. "It's bologna and cheese, maybe some ham. Noticed you didn't have a lunch." Dustin spoke in a mouthful of food.

"Gross, Dustin." A boy cringed, he had light brown hair that was shaped like a mushroom.

"Anyways," Dustin swallowed his bite, "You've already met Mike. This is Archie, Will, and—" Theodore cut Dustin off when he laid eyes on a familiar face. "Luke!" He sprung up and embraced his longtime friend in a squeeze.

"Ho-how do you kn-know each other?"Archie questioned with furrowed brows. "We go to the same summer camp."
Lucas said, a mischievous, look in his eyes, like he knew something they didn't.

"Theo, this is Archie. He'll be going to the same summer camp as us next year." An unspoken understanding washed over the three. "What cabin?" Theo inquired with a raised brow, sitting back down on the bench and taking a bite of the half of sandwich Dustin had given him.

"El-elev-eleven. You?" Archie said with feign nonchalance, eyes still slightly wide. "Four... you're new to this, aren't you?"Archie nodded vigorously, smiling. "Yeah.. i-it's crazy!"

An unbroken bond happened between the six boys on the playground that day, sharing lunch and playing tag. Will ended up scraping his knees and Archie got a splinter, but all boys had the times of their lives and begged their respective parent to take them to the park every weekend after that, even when the weather was in the negatives.

Mostly Edited

A/N:
I CHANGED EDDIES NAME TO THEO BC OF EDDIE MUNSON AND I WANTEF WILL TO LEEP CALLING HIM TEDDY