A World Turned Upside Down: A Will X Reader X Mike (ST)

Be an Eleven

Nancy
"When alpha particles go through gold foil, they become?" Barb reads of my flashcards as we walk through the school halls.

"Unoccupied space," I answer.

"A molecule that can—"

Steve comes by, grabbing the flashcards out of Barb's hands.

"Hey!" I complain.

"I don't know. I think you've studied enough, Nance," he says.

"Steve—"

"I'm telling you, you know, you got this. Don't worry. Now, on to more important matters. My dad has left town on a conference and my mom's gone with him, 'cause, you know, she doesn't trust him."

"Good call," Tommy says.

"So, are you in?"

"In for what?" I ask.

"No parents? Big house?" Carol says.

"A party?" I ask.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Carol says.

"It's Tuesday," I point out.

"'It's Tuesday,'" Tommy mocks. "Oh my God."

"Come on," Steve says. "It'll be low-key. It'll be just us. What do you say? Are you in or are you out?"

"Um . . ."

"Oh, God," Carol says. "Look."

"Oh, God, that's depressing," Steve says.

I glance over in the direction they're looking and see Jonathan Byers hanging up what appears to be a poster about his missing brother. "Should we say something?"

"I don't think he speaks," Carol says.

"How much you want to bet he killed him?" Tommy asks.

"Shut up," Steve says, shoving Tommy.

I make the decision to walk over to Jonathan, approaching him with a simple "Hey."

"Oh, hey," he says.

"I just . . . I wanted to say, you know, um . . . I'm sorry about everything." I look back at my friends. "Everyone's thinking about you. It sucks."

"Yeah."

This conversation is ridiculously awkward, but I couldn't just stand there while my so-called "friends" made fun of him. "I'm sure he's fine. He's a smart kid."

The bell rings.

"I have to go," I say. "Chemistry test."

"Yeah," he says, smiling.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Jonathan
"Attention all students and faculty," they announce over the intercom. "At eight PM tonight, there will be an assembly on the football field in support of Will Byers and his family."

I don't know if she says anything else, because I walk out of the school too quickly.

(Y/N)
I was awakened by someone contacting me through my walkie-talkie.

"(Y/N), wake up!" they said, and I automatically recognized the voice to be Will's. "Wake up! (Y/N)!"

I picked up the walkie-talkie, groaning. "What time is it?" I ask, too lazy to look at the clock.

"I don't know; about seven?"

That woke me up. "Shit. I forgot to set my alarm."

"Just hurry up! I'm already waiting for you outside."