stars will fall - byler

.1

~ MAY 29th, 1988 | 3:15 pm ~
• Will Byers •
Hawkins High School

i run out of the school doors with all of my friends running by my side. max was gripping onto my arm excitedly since school was out for summer,
-"finally!" lucas sighed with his hands in the air.
-"sophomore year is officially over." mike groaned.
-"were juniors now!" max laughed.
we began dumping everything out from our backpacks into the outside trash cans before throwing our bags over our backs.
-"all of you are going to make it tonight, right?" dustin pointed at all of us.
-"shit, mike and i can't." max groaned.
-"yeah, we have a show tonight." mike added
-"we completely forgot to tell you." max sighed sadly.
-"you can't move it to another night?" dustin shrugged.
-"i wish we could, but this is a really important show!" max expressed.
-"this could really launch our band." mike agreed.
-"fine.. we're just going celebrate at the arcade anyways." dustin rolled his eyes.
-"your having your birthday party at your place of work?" i laughed.
-"yeah, aren't you sick of seeing that place everyday?" mike agreed, sharing eye contact with me. his smile was so contagious, it was hard for me to stop smiling when our eyes met. but it eventually did when i saw his girlfriend, el pop up from behind him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. she was also my ex stepsister.
-"hey, babe." he smiled, kissing her cheek and making her laugh. i couldn't watch. i glared at the ground and gazed in the corner of my eye when they eventually left with each other.
-"they're so cute." max gushed while grabbing Lucas's hand as they began to walk to the parking lot together.
-"happy birthday, dustin!" she waved before disappearing around the corner. i turned my attention towards dustin again and he wrapped his arms over my shoulders as we started heading the same direction.
-"7, right?" i asked.
-"yep, meet at the arcade at 7." he confirmed as we separated to walk to our cars on opposite sides of the parking lot.
-"see you then!" i waved before shutting my car door and turning the AC on, losing my breathe from the amount of heat that filled the car. i turned the radio on, listening to The Cure that played over my speakers. i turned the engine on and a took a deep breath, relieved for school to be over with. i'm halfway done with the worst years of my life.
high school.

•••

i pulled into a parking space in front of the Palace Arcade at 7, seeing lucas' and dustin's car already parked. i turned the engine off and placed my keys in my front pocket before getting out of the car and making my way inside the building. i saw lucas and dustin at a machine with another familiar friend.
-"byers! i thought we were missing someone." eddie wrapped his arms around my shoulder and messed up my hair, hurting my scalp with his rings.
-"hold up, where's wheeler?" he asked while looking around the arcade.
-"at his little concert." dustin grumbles, annoyed.
-"max too." i added.
-"their band is so sick, i've seen them play a couple times." eddie bragged.
-"of course you have! your boyfriend is the drummer." lucas scoffed before eddie pulled his arm off of me and slapped lucas across the head.
-"could you be any louder, dipshit?" he grumbled as dustin and lucas laughed.i joined my friends as we played dig dug, fighting each other for top scores all night.

-"stupid piece of shit!" dustin slammed his hand into the machine after he had lost.
-"looks like someone can't beat my top score." lucas chuckled cockily
-"shut the hell up." dustin groaned and rolled his eyes before keith appeared from behind the machine in front of us.
-"pizza is in the back. happy birthday, henderson." keith slapped his back before we all walked out behind the counter and to keith's office in the back.

we all sat on keith couch as we ate pizza, watching License to Drive that dustin put in the cassette player. i stuffed the pepperoni pizza in my mouth while paying attention to the television. as i was watching, keith's clock chimed from his desk. i quickly checked my watch, reading the time.
-"shit, it's almost past curfew!" i shot up from the couch when i saw the time was 9:27.
-"curfew at 9:30?" eddie tilted my head, assuming i was lying.
-"my dad is very strict about it. happy 17 dustin!" i waved before darting out the door and ducking under the counter, making my way out the arcade. i pulled my keys from my pocket and turned the engine on, cursing to myself when i realized my gas tank was on empty. i was going to be late, he's going to be so mad at me.

i had to drive all the way across town to the cheapest gas station. i parked my car next to a pump and walked inside to pay with cash.
-"$10 on pump 2." i handed the lady at the front desk the money before walking out towards my car again.

as i was pumping gas into my car, i heard loud noises coming from across the street. it was coming from the Bonnie's Night Club. that was the most popular and busy bar in town. i noticed a big red van in the parking lot that belonged to mike, then it hit me. they're having their concert there? that's a pretty big deal. a lot of people must be watching.
i debated on going to take a look, my dad would be so pissed by how late i am. but i'm already late, so what's another few minutes?

i pulled up to the front and parked my car before making my way towards the door. i peaked inside, not wanting to get caught for being inside underage and getting kicked out. i saw steve at the drums. their name Cupids Bullets written in red ink on the drums and the logo of cupid with a gun in the middle. i saw max with the guitar in the corner of the stage. her hair was pin straight and she wore black jeans with a rhinestone belt, a dark red baby tee with their band logo in the middle and a black collar around her neck. her style had changed tremendously when she entered high school, she is a lot more edgy now. but i personally love it. i saw robin in the other corner with the guitar, her hair lighter than i was used to. she wore the same shirt as max, except in black and the logo was red. my eyes quickly scanned to the main singer, mike.
my best friend, mike. his curly hair bounced back and fourth as he pounced his body to the music, running his fingers on the guitar strings. he wore dark washed jeans and a dark red tee shirt with the same logo.

- "we walked a million hills. I must've died alone, a long long time ago." mikes voice sung in the microphone standing in front of him.
his voice made my heart thump faster and harder. he was so talented.  i couldn't help but feel so in love with him.
i hate myself for feeling that way.
-"who knows? not me. i never lost control. your face to face with the man who sold the world."
listening to max and robin play the guitar sent chills through my body. i've only seen them play once and it was when they first created this band.. and they were not this great. at all.
i didn't realize i was still watching them until the song ended and everyone started clapping and cheering.
-"that's my little sister!" i heard billy cheer from the crowd. i quickly realized i was still staring at mike on stage when we made eye contact with each other from afar. i panicked when he shared a small wave with me. i smiled awkwardly and waved, embarrassed i was caught. i checked the time and realized i was 15 minutes past my curfew.
i rushed back to my car and turned the engine on, flying my way out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

my car drove on the bridge over the eno river before i pulled up to the Forest Hills trailer park. i stopped my car outside the house and opened the door, being greeted with my father in the living room while he sat on the couch.
-"you're late." he grumbled.
-"i know, i had to get gas." i excused.
-"i don't care. if you're not in this door by curfew next time you'll be sleeping outside, got it?" he scolded me before standing up and walking towards his room, slamming the door shut behind him. i rolled my eyes and walked down towards the end of the hallway and shut myself in my room, feeling the sensation of anger filling me.
i hate my father so much. i miss my mom more than anything.
i wish she was still here.