Will pushes his bashed up bike into the school bike rack and winds a lock around it. it's 9am now, the sun is risen, he's out of his pyjamas and he's here; standing in Hawkins high parking lot.
He's not sure if he's coming to terms with the news or just trying to forget about it. Either way, he's not really sure what he's supposed to do. He doesn't want to go to class like this, but he can't just stay home either. He takes a deep breath and heads inside.
The hallways are crowded with students, chatting and laughing as they make their way to their first period. He tries to push through the masses, but the throng of students is thick and unyielding.
Finally, he reaches his locker and opens it, fishing through his bag for his books.
The inside of his locker is plastered with photos of the party, and seperate ones of just El, Jonathan and Mike, plus a giant poster of The Cure that Dustin got him for Christmas. He grabs a dilapidated physics textbook and a few pages slip out.
Ben comes up and bangs on the locker next to him threateningly,
" Hey, your book fell apart!" He calls out, louder than needed considering Will is right next to him
Will sighs "Really?" he asks sarcastically.
the jock chuckles
"It must have looked at your face. PWAH!" He high-fives his klatch of buddies and moves along.
The funny thing is that Ben Ritonz secretly wants me. Jocks like him always want freaks. Girls with horn-rimmed glasses and underground band shirts and Goth makeup. Guys who play the cello and wear Converse All Stars and want to be children's librarians when they grow up. Oh yeah, jocks eat that shit up.
Will catches Ben looking back at him for a brief second with mixed feelings.
They just won't admit it, because they're supposed to be into hot bad-girls like Max. Who, incidentally, is into nerds.
Will looks at Max who stands at the far end of the hallway, talking animatedly with Lucas.
⭑
Students bustle about the classroom, as the teacher, Mr Clark tries to (Not very successfully) maintain order. Will heads toward his desk and sets down his bag.
"People! We're doing our photomagnetism lab today, so find your partner and break out into fours." Mr Clark calls out, finally getting his students attention.
Will looks up and meets eyes with his longtime lab partner: Mike. Sound the gong of awkwardness!
Mike looks away, then back again. The both separately make their way over to their usual lab station, Will shifts awkwardly.
"Well! Nothing like experimenting." Will claps his hands together, trying to overcome the awkwardness.
"I did the prep questions for this lab last night. You can copy my answers if you need to." Mike says as he slides a piece of graph paper in front of Will without looking at him. Will wants to grab his shoulders, shake him, yell at him 'Look at me dammit!' but he refrains.
"Oh, I couldn't copy your work." Will says, looking up at Mike, trying to catch his eyes.
"But you copy my work every week." Mike states humorously, still avoiding Wills gaze.
"Oh yeah. I'm kind of a deadbeat lab partner, huh?" Will chuckles sheepishly.
"I don't mind. You definitely bring something to the table." Mike faces him finally and smiles.
"Charisma?" Will offers
"Or something." Mike chuckles, turning back away.
Their other two lab partners, a humourless couple, join them at the station.
The awkward silence returns and Will clears his throat.
"So, who's ready for some photomagnificence?" He offers, trying to lighten the mood. The humourless couple groan at his gesture, but Mike chuckles.
"I have a menstrual migraine, and I can't look at bright lights today." The girl states.
"Laura, I told you to go to the infirmary and lie down. You never listen." The blond guy, presumably her boyfriend, says.
"No Josh, I don't take orders. Not from you and not from any man." The girl, Laura, flicks her hair and smacks her lips.
"You know, you've been acting like this ever since I went up to see my brother at Mankato. I told you, nothing happened!" Josh says a little too loudly, Mr clark sighs and a few students turn their heads.
"Something happened. Because your eyes?" She pauses for a dramatic effect "Are very cold? They're very cold, Josh. They're cold, lying eyes."
"What? My eyes are not lying!" He grabs her arms, attempting to pull her closer but she pushes his chest in defiance.
"Yes they are, Josh. Since Mankato, They have been lying eyes."
Will and Mike just observe the argument like tennis spectators, fascinated by the dynamics of a 'real couple'. They themselves weren't a couple, but they didn't act like that, were they meant to? Will swats that though away, he likes what he and Mike are...Whatever they are.
Mike clears his throat and turns to Will in defeat.
"Okay...I'm going to set up the apparatus. Can you get the C- clamp out of that drawer?"
Before Will can answer, Laura flicks her hair and mumbles "I'm going to the infirmary."
"Good. Call me when you're OFF the rag." Josh calls after her and Will cringes at the rudeness of it all.
"Fine. Call me when you learn how to love just one person and not cheat at your brother's college just because you had four Smirnoff Ices and a bottle of Snow Peak Peach flavoured Boone's!" She yells, her thin eyebrows furrowed.
"I'll be sure to do that, Laura. I'll make a note of it." Josh grumbles as he furiously scrawls a fake memo in his notebook.
"Snow Peak Peach is the best flavour of Boone's. Right, Mike?" Will jokes, turning to Mike hoping he'll continue the bit.
Mikes face just reddens as he continues constructing the apparatus.
Laura storms off and Mike shakes his head and rifles through his textbook.
"So um..photomagnetism huh?" Will says, feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation.
⭑
Will examines the large ad in the newspaper that depicts a distraught teen girl clutching her head in a moment of staged conflict. The ad reads: "Pregnant? Find the clinic that gives people choice. Planned Parenthood Health Center."
Will sighs and picks up his hamburger phone, dialling the number. For a moment, he attempts to copy the melodramatic pose from the ad, checking himself out in the mirror with a laugh
The phone finally answers, "Yes, hello, I need to procure a hasty abortion?...What was that? I'm sorry, I'm on my hamburger phone and it's kind of awkward to talk on. It's really more of a novelty than a functional appliance." he smacks the phone a couple of times.
"Right, sorry about that. Better? Okay, good. Yeah, as I said, I need an abortion,...sixteen...Um, it was approximately two months and four days ago that I had the sex. That's a guestimate. Okay, next Saturday? Great, thank you." Will hangs up the phone and chews his bottom lip thoughtfully.
I hate it when adults use the term "sexually active."What does that even mean? Can I deactivate someday, or is this a permanent state of being? I guess Mike went live that night we did it. I guess he hadn't done it before, and that's why he got that look on his face.
YOU ARE READING
Anyone Else but You
Fanfiction⭑ When precocious teen Will byers becomes pregnant, he chooses a failed rock star and his wife to adopt his unborn child. Complications occur when Henry(ew), the prospective father, begins viewing Will as more than just the birther of his future chi...
