Where Do We Go Now?

Chapter 3

Will's POV

We've been on the road for 24 hours, and we still have 9 or 10 more. The drive has been miserable, but it'll all be worth it soon.

I've been feeling queasy, almost nauseous since I talked to El. I can't believe I told her that I would talk to her about what's been going on with me. I'm praying that she's forgotten about it. I mean, what am I going to tell her? That I've been madly in love with her boyfriend for years? I doubt she even knows what gay means—so she might think I'm even more of a freak than most people would think. Although, her being so clueless about the world might be good. She hasn't been taught to hate people in the same way everyone else has. My biggest concern is that she'll tell someone, specifically Mike.

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It is now 1:30 in afternoon, and we've been on the road for over 30 hours. We finally see a sign that reads "Welcome to Hawkins."

El and I exchange smiles, and I unplug my headphones.

"Only 15 more minutes to go!" Mom says.

"I bet you two are excited," Jonathan says.

El and I both nod and smile.

"Are you excited to see Nancy?" I ask him.

"Of course I am, it's been way too long."

"Excited to see Mike?" He asks.

"Very!" El replies.

I nod, and realize that I'm blushing. Dear God, I hope nobody notices.

We pull up to our new house a few minutes later. It is bigger than both of our old houses, and it's only a few streets down from the Wheelers.

We get out of the car, and El and I race upstairs to claim rooms.

I run into the one that appears bigger, and set my backpack down.

I head back outside to help unload boxes, which ends up taking the rest of the day.

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It is 6:30, and I still haven't seen any of my friends.

I pull put my walkie-talkie, and hope someone is available.

"Can you hear me, it's Will. I'm in my new house, over." I say.

Almost immediately, Mike responds.

"Oh my god! You're here! I'm coming over, what's your new address? Over."

I give him the address, and ten minutes later, he rings the doorbell.

We hug the second I answer the door, and my stomach fills with butterflies.

I show Mike to my room, and pull out the painting that I made for him.

"I made you something," I say, handing it to him. "It's not very good, but—"

He cuts me off. "Will, don't say that, all of your artwork is amazing."

He unrolls the painting, revealing a portrait of 2 little boys playing on the swings.

"Is that us?" He asks me.

"Yeah, it was the day we met."

He hugs me again, all of the butterflies immediately returning.

"Thanks. I love it," he tells me.

"Oh my god! Mike!" El squeals, and runs into my room, kissing him and pulling him in for a hug.

The kiss lasts far too long, and it makes me want to gag.

"I should be the one kissing Mike," I think to myself.

Their lips finally separate when Jonathan walks in.

"Dinner's here, Mom ordered Pizza." He says.

Mike and El rush downstairs, but I stay put for a moment. I was so happy to see Mike again, and I still am, but El just had to rub salt in my already opened wound. But I can't blame her, I would be all over Mike if I could, and she doesn't know that she's hurting me. It's my fault that I'm being too sensitive.

"Hey, Will, are you ok?" Jonathan asks me, closing my bedroom door.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie, holding back tears.

"You know you can talk to me," Jonathan whispers, "I'm not going to judge you. You're my brother, and I love you. Nothing in this world could ever change that."

At this point, I am full on sobbing, and there is no holding it back. I want to tell him, I really do, but I am terrified. I've never said it out loud.

"I can't." I cry softly.

"Sure you can," he whispers. "I'll love you no matter what you tell me. And I won't tell anybody."

I take a deep breath.

"Jonathan," I start, still crying.

He looks at me and nods.

"I, uh, I-I'm," I stutter. There's no going back now, so I should just rip the band-aid off.

"I'm gay," I whisper, and start crying even more.

Jonathan pulls me in for a hug, and I keep crying.

"It's ok if you hate me, you probably do, just don't tell mom," I cry.

"Will," Jonathan says, " I love you so much, and I am so proud of you for telling me."

I just keep crying. I can't believe I said that out loud, I can't believe he doesn't hate me.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here," he begins, now smiling. "But uh, do you like Mike?"

I shyly nod, and look away.

I'm really embarrassed, to be completely honest, but I feel a huge weight off my shoulders.

"Well, we can talk about this later. Mom's probably wondering where we are. We should go eat," Jonathan leaves the room, and I wipe away my tears.

Jonathan and I haven't been talking enough, so I'm really glad we did. Even though he's just one person, I feel so much better. He's the best brother I could've ever asked for.

Will told Jonathan, but will he be honest with El? Joyce? Will he confess his feelings to Mike? You'll have to find out. Thank you so much for reading my story!