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

Coke Is It

Nancy
I look at Steve, who's sound asleep on his bed, and think about what Barb said. Maybe he really does just want to . . . "get in my pants".

I put his sweatshirt on. "Steve?" When he doesn't reply, I put my hand on his bare back, shaking him a little. "Hey, Steve?" He moans in response. "I'll . . . see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Mm-hm."

I purse my lips, grab my stuff, and head out. I'm left to walk home, and once I get there, I sneak inside. The light blinks on and Mom comes walking down the hallway.

"Oh, Jesus, you scared me," I say.

"Oh, I scared you?" she asks, clearly mad at me for being home late.

"I know I should have called," I say.

"Where have you been?" she yells, then lowers her voice. "We agreed on ten."

"After the assembly, some people wanted to get something to eat," I lie. "I didn't think it'd be a big deal."

"You didn't think to call and let me know? With everything that's been going on?"

"I didn't realize how late it was, okay? I'm sorry, Mom. What more do you want?" I start up the stairs and she stops me.

"Hey, wait, whose sweatshirt is that?"

"Steve's," I answer after a second.

"Steve's," she repeats. "So is Steve your boyfriend now?"

"What? No! It was just cold, so I borrowed his sweatshirt. It's not a big deal." I continue back up the stairs but am stopped again.

"Nancy?"

"What?"

"You can talk to me. You can talk to me. Whatever happened."

"Nothing happened," I say sternly.

"Nancy."

"Nothing happened. Can I please go?" She doesn't answer, but I take it as a "yes" anyway.

Jonathan
I wake to the sound of Mom's muffled talking. When I hear her say Will's name, I immediately slip on a shirt and rush out of my room. When I go into Will's room, Mom's at the foot of the bed, talking to . . . a bunch of lamps.

"Mom?" I ask.

"Jonathan! Come here." She beckons to me. "Come here."

"Mom, what is this?" I ask, joining here on the bed. "What's going on?"

"It's Will. It's Will," she says. "He's . . . He's trying to talk to me."

"He's trying to talk to you?"

"Yes, through . . . Through the lights," she says.

I shake my head. "Mom—"

"I know. I know. Just . . . Just watch. Will, your brother's here. Can you show him what you showed me, baby? Please . . ." A light blinks and she gasps. "Did you see that?"

"It's the electricity, Mom. It's acting up. It's the same thing that fried the phone."

"No! It's is not the electricity, Jonathan! Something is going on here! Yesterday, the wall—"

"What? What about the wall?"

"I don't know!"

"Mom, first the lights, then the wall?"

"I just know that Will is here."

"No, Mom."

She stands. "Maybe, if I get more lamps . . ."