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FIRST THING In the morning after her Dad left for work, Julie biked down to the Wheeler's home.
She knocked and waited for an answer before Mrs. Wheeler came to the door. "Oh, hello, Julie. Are you here for Michael?"
Julie gave a polite smile and nodded. "Yeah."
"Michael! Julie's here!" Karen yelled, and she immediately heard footsteps bolt up the stairs. "Hi," he smiled.
"Hey," she gave a small wave before walking inside.
He led her down to the basement.
"Hey, Mike." she tapped his shoulder.
"Yeah-" he turned around.
Julie enveloped the boy in a warm embrace, sensing the heaviness that hung over him. It was clear he wasn't feeling his best—who could blame him? As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, his head nestled gently on her shoulder, she could feel the tension in his frame start to melt away. In that moment, it was evident that he desperately needed this hug, this simple act of comfort that spoke volumes without a single word.
They stood there for a few moments, wrapped up in the warmth of their shared presence, until the soft tension between them loosened and they finally broke apart. Smiles danced on their lips, filled with unspoken words, when suddenly, Julie's gaze shifted, and she noticed Eleven.
"She's still here?" she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper, she settled onto the couch beside him, the cushions shifting slightly under her weight.
"Yeah, I know she's a liar, but I couldn't just kick her out." He let out a sigh.
Eleven started making the walkie-talkie crackle. "Can you knock that off?" Mike asked, trying to be polite, but you could hear the annoyance in his voice.
They continued to look through Will's drawings before she started to do it again.
Julie groaned. "Knock it off!" she shouted.
"Lucas was right about you," Mike said afterward. "All along."
The girl had this really sad look, kinda like a puppy.
"That one's cool," she said, pointing.
"Yeah, that's 'Will the Wise,' his character in D&D," he said to the girl.
Eleven was back to fiddling with the walkie, which was starting to bug Julie. But then they picked up Will singing over the radio.
Mike and Julie observed Eleven, who was bleeding from the nose.
"Holy shit," Julie murmured as she and Mike hurried over to kneel in front of the girl.
They continued to listen to Will sing over the radio, and Julie's eyes widened.
