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Ben Hanscom had always been an awkward kid. He was the shy kid in the class with a book in his hand and tried to ignore most of the students who tried to talk to him. After all, no one really liked the appearance of an obese kid, even though his mother always tried to talk him out of saying those horrible things about himself.
His appearance wasn't something he liked either. He had blonde hair that was immediately recognizable that formed his chubby cheeks. He sometimes thought about if he didn't look like this, maybe the girl he liked who never really saw him, Bev, could see him for once. He didn't mind being in his body, nor did he like it. He just kind of survived with it. He was a healthy boy who finished his mother's dinner whenever she couldn't and it wasn't wrong for kids getting a bunch of candy as his mother would say.
He lived in a nice home with his mother, who worked as a journalist for the Derry newspaper. She always loved reading, a trait that was passed down onto Ben ever since he had known of the library. Mrs. Hanscom always believed that Ben would become a great novelist someday, maybe even writing about the mysteries of Derry itself, but Ben wasn't really fond of writing. He was more into reading about the disappearances of children than writing about them. That is why Mike and Ben had first met at the library both looking towards the same thing. This friendship was what started their bond in joining the group of nine.
Ben let out a shaky breath, wiping his hands on his jeans as he walked through the white, brick walls that covered the entire school. His heart was pounding anxiously, thinking of the most possible mistakes he could make and ruin his reputation even though he really didn't have one. His eyes looking back and forth at the numbers on the walls next to the doors while he walked quietly. His eyes looking around while he walked through the hallways of the empty middle school, clutching his backpack straps that huddled on his shoulders. Right now, it was lunchtime for the middle school students and would rush to the cafeteria to eat his lunch, but he had to go talk to a large group of people to help with their theory on what happened the day of the disappearance of Will Byers.
Ben knew after talking with Mr. Clarke that the boys shared their lunch in the AV Club room. He had never really known the boys who went there, but he once was friends with Eddie, Stan, and Bill when they were younger. It wasn't until first grade when he was put into another class and never really talked to them ever again. Ben was the shy kid at school and believed that friendships only lasted for a few years, but after this he knew he was wrong.
He could feel his stomach grumble while he walked through the hallways of the middle school, trying to find the number of 1116 in the numbers next to the door. He tried to ignore his stomach, feeling the urge to eat his two ham sandwiches and chocolate pudding that he had gotten from his mother, but he ignored it. He sighed, why did he have to do this. He had told Mike yesterday that he would tell them to come over to his house and they would ask them questions about what had happened, if they would be okay with it. He wasn't going to force them to come over, but he hoped they would.
