prom dress

oo4 | 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱

It was a hot summer day and Will was finishing packing for the trip with the Wheelers, they would spend a few days in Florida and Will was very anxious because he had never seen the sea and there was something about it that fascinated Will. The little boy had taken and put everything in his bag a few times, he was scared to forget something but so far everything was fine: t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, briefs, swimwear, sunscreen, toothbrush, pajamas and obviously, papers and his pencil case.

Will closed the suitcase and headed down the hall, it was still too early, and he did not want to make a noise and wake up El - who was also invited but decided that he would stay in town to keep Max company. The boy went downstairs with his suitcase and saw Hopper preparing pancakes - the best pancakes in town, according to him.
"Good morning!" Will said as he sat down at the table.
"Hey," Jim took the plate of pancakes and laid it on the table. "good morning big time! Are you excited?"
"Yes!" Will said with a bright in his eyes.
"Just do not fall in love with any mermaid!" Hopper said and ruffled Will's hair, causing the boy to laugh.
Joyce walked into the backdoor, kissed Will's head, and sat down at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.
"I can't believe my boy is growing up so fast..." Joyce said.
"Mom..." The boy - with a mad face - said.
"Okay, okay... I got it!"
Jim joined them and had breakfast together. As soon as Will finished, he opened his suitcase and asked his mother to help him check if he was forgetting anything. Will had not even opened the suitcase, and Joyce said:
"Towel!" Joyce got up and actually, Will was forgetting one of the most important things, after all, he was going to the beach. Joyce returned with three towels in her hand.
"Three?" Will endured.
"Yes, three," Joyce said as she packed the towels inside the suitcase. "one for bath and two for the beach, wet towel smells like wet dog."
"Believe me," Jim - who was standing at the door of the room, drinking his coffee, said. "You don't want to smell wet dog."
"Hell no!" Will said.
"Language," Joyce said.
"As you said, I'm growing up..." Will said making Jim laugh.
After a few minutes, they heard a horn, it was the Wheelers, the three of them got up and went toward the front door. The car was there, in front of the house, Mike had sunglasses and two strips of sunscreen on his cheeks, he got out of the car, waiting for his friend to enter. Will kissed his mother and hugged Hopper, grabbed his bag and headed for the car but stopped when he heard a voice calling his name.
"Will," it was Eleven, she ran down the stairs. "Wait!" Will turned and saw his sister walking quickly. Eleven hugged Will. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too!" Will said.
He released Will and looked at Mike, who looked slightly uncomfortable.
"Jane, you should go with us next year, sweetie!" Mrs. Wheeler said.
"Yea, you totally should!" Mike said awkwardly.
"Yea... who knows?" She said with an embarrassed smile. "Take care and have fun!" Eleven gave Will another hug and joined Jim and Joyce who were hugging each other at the entrance of the house.
Will waved his hand and headed for the car, Ted got out of the car and helped Will pack his suitcase.
"You know we still have 16 hours to get there, right?" Will said mocking Mike as he got into the car.
"Jealous much?" Mike laughed.
The engine started, and they left, waving at Jim, Joyce, and El.
                              ---
Mike was really prepared for a 16-hour trip, snacks, comics, some action figures, anything that could make time go faster. The first few hours were going fast, but after 4 and a half hours Will and Mike were bored, they did everything they could possibly do, so Mike decided to take a nap, put the pillow in the middle of the bench and lay down, all crooked. Will tried to sleep but he couldn't, he didn't know if it was the car movement or if it was the excitement of seeing the sea for the first time. Will pulled a notebook out of his backpack and started sketching a drawing with his crayons. Mrs. Wheeler was also sleeping, by that, the only people awake in the car was Will and Mike's father. Mr. Wheeler glanced at the backseat, confused and curious at what Will was doing.
"What are you doing?"
"Just drawing ..." Will replied without taking his eyes off the sketch.
"Oh..." Ted said. "Mike told me you're a great drawer."
"I wish!" Will said with a sky laugh.
"Can I see it?" Ted said.
"Oh, uh," Will said. "sure..." Will handed the notebook to Ted who acrobatically picked it up.
"Let me see..." Ted raised his eyebrows. "wow, you are a good drawer!"
"Oh, thanks, Mr. Wheeler!" Will said as he took the notebook back.
"Call me Ted, Will. Just Ted!" Ted said.
"Okay, Ted..." Will said with a laugh.
"Much better."
It was strange for Will to see Mike's father talking and being nice to him... Will knew that since his disappearance, everyone had seen him as a weirdo, as if he had done something wrong and ran away from home and forged his own death but Will wasn't complaining, it was great that Ted was treating him that way.
Will closed his notebook, put his pencils in the black case - which he had since he was a child, leaned back against the headrest of the car and closed his eyes.
                              ---
The time went slower and slower, Will and Mike were still asleep while Ted and Karen were talking, the driver yawned for a minute, he was getting sleepy, it was almost 6 o'clock, the sun was almost on and Ted, without a choice, opened the car window and put his head out, letting the strong wind hit his head in a successful attempt to make sleep pass. Karen looked back and saw Mike sleeping with his head in the middle of the bench with one of his arms on Will's lap and the other boy with his arms folded with his head hanging over Mike.
"These two are going to be up all night, they've been asleep for eight hours!"
"Wake them up then!" Ted said. "Wait, I have a better idea!" Karen looked at her suspicious husband. "On three, you scream..." Ted whispered.
"Ted, what?" Karen asked, confused.
"Just scream..." Karen shook her head. Ted put his hand on the horn and counted to three with his fingers. "OH MY GOD!"
"JESUS!" Karen said.
Will and Mike were scared by the screams and they jumped up, Will's first reaction was to find Mike's hand and hold it, both still static looked at Ted and Karen who were laughing, Karen turned back and Ted looking the rearview mirror. Mike looked at his hand - twined with Will's, and as if in a fright the two of them let go.
"Mom, dad, what the heck?" Mike said, angry.
"Rise and shine!" Ted said laughing still looking at his son in the rearview mirror.
Will's heart still pounded but he took a deep breath and started to laugh, after all, it was a good catch.
                              ---
A few more hours had passed and finally, they had just arrived in Miami, the final destination of the Wheeler's trip. It was already 11 o'clock at night, the lights and movement of the city were very different from what Will was used to in Hawkins, huge buildings, lights everywhere Will looked, his eyes glittered like never before. The Wheelers drove for a few more minutes until they arrived the hotel where they were staying for the next few days. Ted turned the car off and a driver came to open the door for them, Will was shocked, he knew the Wheelers had money but seeing a person opening the car door for them was a totally unreal.
Will and Mike followed Ted and Karen through the hotel lobby, Will stopped to admire every little part of the hotel, every column, light, pictures on the wall while Mike waited for his friend with his hands in his pocket.
"Mom," Mike said making Karen turn back. "I'll show Will the pool!"
"Wait a minute, get the keys to your room!" Karen said taking a card - which served as the key to the boys' room, Will put the key in his pocket and left thru the lobby of the hotel.
"Are we going to share a room?" Will asked.
"Yes, I always share with Nancy!"
"Where's Holly?"
"Grandma's!"
"Oh," Will stopped. "aren't we going  to help your parents pack their bags?"
"Will..." Mike chuckled at his friend's innocence. "the hotel employees do this!"
"Oh, my bad!" Will laughed and continued to follow Mike to the poolside.
"God bless Miami!" Mike said as he took his shoes and socks off, sat on the floor and put his feet in the pool. "You should try it bud."
"I hate you when you call me bud!" Will said as he pulled off his sneakers - joining Mike, with his feet in the pool. "It makes me feel so much smaller than you!"
"But baby, you are ..." Mike said as Will rolled his eyes.
"Fuck you, Michael!" Will said, laughing.
"Hey, language, respect me, I'm older than you!"
"Oh," Will said. "I'm sorry, I forgot you have a lot of hair on your leg, what a man..." They both laughed.
Mike put his hand in the water and threw a little at Will, and within seconds the two were making a water war on the edge of the pool.
"BOYS!" Karen screamed. "The pool is closed... come on, let's go up!"  The boys followed Ted and Karen into the hotel.
They looked at each other, grabbed their sneakers and climbed along with Mike's parents, leaving all the hallway wet. As soon as they arrived on the 11th floor, Mike and Will were about to run into the room.
"Coffee is served at 8, be there!" Karen said and the boys' bedroom door was closed. "No good night? I hate this teenager phase Mike is going thru..." Ted laughed and entered with his woman in the room.
"Wow!" Will said as he entered the room. Mike threw himself on the bed with the clothes on.
Will headed for the balcony door, opened the curtains, his chin almost touching the ground as he saw the sea.
"Pretty sick, huh?" Mike said as he joined his friend on the balcony of the room.
"I have no words..." Will said looking at Mike. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life!"
"Stop Byers, you're making me blush!" Mike said patting Will's arm.
"Fucker..." Will said with a laugh.
Mike went back to the bedroom, took off the clothes he was wearing and put on his pajamas, did not care that Will was in the room, after all the little boy was still looking at the sea, delighted. Mike lay down on the bed with a comic book in hand and began to leaf through. 30 minutes passed and Will was still on the balcony, watching the moonlight. Mike yawned and went to his friend.
"Can you believe in this sky? Look at the moon, look how many stars, even with so many lights in the city the stars still manage to shine and not be overshadowed ... Incredible ... "Mike stopped for a few seconds to look at the stars and indeed, they shone in a way inexplicably intense.

"These stars are nothing compared to the ones I've seen in your eyes."
Heart racing. That's the only word that defined that moment for the two boys. Will blushed and looked at his hand that was on the balcony railing with a shy smile on his face. Mike brought his hand closer to Will's, the boys' little pinkies leaning against each other, and Will felt a chill run all through his body. Mike put his finger on Will's and embraced the small boy finger. The two of them stood for a few seconds looking at the sea, in silence...
"Mike!" Ted entered the room without knocking, the boys released their fingers as soon as Will's father entered the room. "Did you saw my glasses?"
The two boys turned, still white as the sand of the beach - which was not far away.
"I think it's in my backpack!" Mike went to his backpack and grabbed the sunglasses he used earlier. "Here!"
"Thanks, good night!" Ted said and closed the room's door.
Mike looked at Will, who was still red and could barely look into his friend's eyes. Will went to his suitcase, picked up his pajamas and went into the bathroom, after a few minutes he came out wearing his blue pajamas, which looked like the one that Mike was wearing.
"Don't you get tired of trying to be me, Byers?" Mike said as he saw his friend's pajamas. "You want me so bad, is that right?" Will went blank when he heard what Mike had just said. "I mean, you want me to be so bad..." Will breathed in relief.
"Of course, who wouldn't want to be like Michael Wheeler?" Will said, lying down.
"Many want it," Mike turned to look at Will, who was on the other bed. "but no one can!"
"Sure..." Will said with an ironic laugh. "good night Mike!"
"Good night buddy!" Mike loved to annoy Will.
"You know I hate when you call me bud!"
"Alright, alright," Mike said. "good night baby!" Mike said with a smile and managed to tear out a timid laugh from Will's lips who was putting his best annoyed face.