Will
Will stood at the desk of the staff room, waiting to collect his timetable, replaying the events that took place 3 minuets before in his head. He'd done it again, he'd cocked up, he'd joined the wrong party. He was probably banished from the party now. He was alone.
Again.
"Here you are sweetie, now you may need to sit out during gym class as I presume that you don't have kit?"
Will nodded his head in response (his mother had made sure he was prepared for any situation on his 1st day) to the spectacle wearing woman, inwardly cringing as he watched her pink lipgloss smear her teeth and stick her lips at the corners.
"Okay, well then if that's all, good bye Mr Byers."
That name.
"Thanks." He muttered as he closed the door behind him, the blinds clattering against the glass loudly.
Lonnie Byers.
Wills father.
Lonnie Byers is the reason that Will is now stood in the hallway with shaking hands and a ringing in his ears, Lonnie Byers is the reason Will is even standing in Hawkins, in a new school, with a new house. Joyce Byers had threatened to divorce him numerous times for his behaviour towards his sons, Will mostly, but in the end, it was Lonnie who had walked out that door. Lonnie who had ruined Wills early years of his childhood, changed Wills perception of the world, muddled up wrongs from rights.
And Will hated him for that.
Though Will would never announce these feelings towards his father, for the consequences to follow would form a great reminder of how 'worthless' he was, how he 'didn't deserve the food placed in front of his ungrateful ass'.
Of how much of a faggot he was.
Wills hands shook so hard he creased the timetable he had forgotten he was staring at. Double PE next, oh how lucky Will was, changing in front of a group of judgemental boys in his grade, sure to tease him if how small he was, how skinny he was.
Will breathed in sharply whilst pocketing his timetable, an other reminder of his father, no dinner unless you make it yourself when moms not around. Johnathan was sick and Joyce was working double shifts to pay for his medication, Lonnie worked from home sometimes and lucky for Will, he was that week. Will had tried to make something out of the small selection of food in the house, but costing him a punishment after burning it severely. Will unconsciously grabbed his wrist where the fair scars were, the after math of having his father yank it and shove it onto the 100 degree grill. Joyce Byers remains unaware of that incident to this day.
Will sometimes subconsciously traces the shallow indents on his skin, usually when sat at the end of his bed at 2am thinking about how little he deserves and how little he will get. How much it may hurt to run away. How much it may hurt to leave this world, to escape its firm grasp on him, to rid himself of the broken life it's leading for him.
But no, Will mustn't think these things, for the devastation it would cause his mother to know just how ill her son was, how sick and how much of a freak he really was. Will couldn't put her through something so bad again, he'd already caused her husband to forsake their marriage. He'd already caused the divorce.
The bell rang and before Will knew it he was standing outside of the changing rooms debating faking an injury. What if they see...?
"Will!" A familiar voice calls, Mike ran up to Will, relief flooding his face, two boys running after him. "We've looked everywhere for you! Where were you? Did Troy do any thing? Are you hurt-"
"Mike he looks fine," The boy with curly hair intervenes, "probably just got lost or something."
Will looked at the boys to realise they were Mikes friends from earlier.
"Oh and hey, I'm Dustin," He turned his attention from Mike to Will, "sorry about earlier by the way." He smiled apologetically, Will noticed the evident gap where his front teeth should be and furrowed his brows, "Where's your teeth?" Slipped from his mouth.
Dustin threw his he'd back laughing, his curls bouncing around causing his red white and blue cap to tilt a bit. "It's this genetic disorder I have, cleidocranial dysplasia. I do have teeth they're just coming in, oh and I can also do this-" the boy pushed his arms out in front of him, shoulders following close behind, and with a sickly popping sound, his shoulders touched, hiding his neck from view. "No collar bones. Pretty cool huh?"
Will just stared in a bewildered awe.
"Jeez Dustin, you're already being annoying." The dark skinned boy butted in sarcastically. "Lucas," he stuck his had out for Will to shake, "sorry about everything earli-"
"Lookie here, new boy making friends already." The 4 froze, Will turning to see Troy (James following close behind) staring him up and down, grinning evilly.
Mask it Will.
"Leave him alone, Troy." Mike spoke up, glaring at him.
"Oh, sorry Micheal. Didn't mean to hurt you or your boyfriend." The two snickered cruelly, a few boys looking over at them.
"What the hell? He's not my boyfriend." Mike wrinkled his nose.
Will couldn't deny the sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Grow up, Troy. Go pick on some one your own size." Lucas said, Will felt his face heat up a bit, your own size.
"Oh- wait do we," He looked between the three in mocking confusion, "do we have a three way here?"
Will thought he would just about die.
"Y-you know what," Mike spat-
"Boys!" The gym teacher yelled at them, "Class has started, get changed."
Thankful of the opportunity to escape, Will rushed to the changing room, not really processing the fact that he was just called Mikes boyfriend, Mike who he had met that day.
That he had been called gay.
•••
"Bastards." Dustin said flatly.
"Ass holes, maybe even more." Lucas said
"Who cares what exactly they are, they are both just weeds that will never go away in this shit garden we call school." Mike added, opening a locker to shove his bag inside, Dustin and Lucas mimicking his actions.
"Um, Mike?" Will asked, standing awkwardly fiddling with the string of his PE bag. "Yeah? Oh um, you can take the locker next to Dustin, okay?"
"Okay."
But no. It really wasn't okay. Will yearned to run, run far, far away from this locker room, and never see these school grounds again. He couldn't change here, not with Lucas, Dustin and Mike, not with the 20 other boys in this room, not with the two bullies standing at the other end of the room also. He needed a plan.
He wracked his brains and lucky for him, there one was, an idea.
So he slowly began to remove his shoes, taking extra care with the laces, because maybe, maybe if he went slow, just slow enough, he would be able to change his shirt in the company of no one, they'd all be gone, he would be able to conceal his dignity just a bit longer. He would be able to hide just a bit longer.
But if it didn't work then Will didn't know if his mask would be enough.
"Will hurry up!"
"Guys we need to go! He's called us into the tracks!"
"Will!"
"Shit, guys, come one!"
"Will just-just, say you got lost!"
The door closed and...
silence.
Will was alone.
He frantically pulled down his pants, folding them hurriedly afterwards, then unbuttoning his shirt he kicked his shoes under the bench, hastily pulling on his shorts and socks, leaving him with only his vest to take off.
Will shook the violent thoughts out if his mind. You are a pussy. His fathers voice echoed in his head.
No, he wasn't, he wouldn't be a pussy, he wouldn't be a coward. Not this time. He peeled his vest over his head and
Creeeeeek
He froze. His top now balled in his fist, his flesh turning goosey.
Someone was here.
Someone was watching him.
Will Byers was not alone.
•••
Mike
"That's weird, I don't see him." Mike said looking down the line of boys, standing on his toes to search harder for the small boy.
"How come your so obsessed with him, like you met him this morning!" Lucas said.
"Well, it's just, we-we bonded?"
"You bonded."
"Shut up Lucas."
"Hey guys," Dustin broke into their squabbling, "guys!"
"What?!" The two said in unison.
"Where are Troy and James?"
The four boys looked and one an other in distress. Mike looking towards the stadium door, before his friends could lecture him, he was sprinting towards them.
"Oh dear god." Dustin said looking helplessly after his friend.
"Oh dear god indeed." Lucas replied before running after Micheal Wheeler, with Dustin following suit.
Oh dear, dear god indeed.
