Remember Us // Byler

Will

Will. Come one Will, you can do this. It's not like the world will come crashing down it's just one action. Okay. Close your eyes and do it. Oh no...why is my whole body shaking? I shouldn't have to hide it anymore, I can't hide it anymore. The effort in hiding something that is a part of me is exhausting, I just have to let it out. I mean I am revealing something so personal to me, so it isn't totally unreasonable. Right enough! Just count to three...
one,
two,
three!
"Woah Will that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks El, you really like it?"
She takes the paper from my hands and scans it, her smile increases as she lets out a little giggle. "Yes! I really like it!" she turns to me and her eyes direct to mine. I let out a sigh of relief, she begins to giggle even more and directs her attention back to the sheet of paper I gave her. Her light hazel hair cutting of a portion of her face and so she takes the strands of hair blocking her view, delicately pushing it behind her ear. I never noticed just how much El's hair had grown over the last year. We could never take her to get it cut and I guess we just assumed she'd prefer to grow it. Dead ends and straggly lines in her hair have resulted from it. It isn't bad. No, it's actually quite beautiful. Her highlights are enlightened by the shine of light peaking through my bedroom window. But her eyes stand out the most. Differentiating her from everything around. As she examines her way through my drawing I can't help but stare at them, her long eyelashes flickering in most seconds with the chocolate of her eyes determining the judgement. I wait patiently for her approval.
I see her mouth close and her left eyebrow raise. "So... have you figured out who I drew?" I question. El is hesitant to give an answer,
"El?"
She snaps out of the state she was in when looking at the picture and turns to me. I can see she is puzzled as she quickly looks right back at the paper again.
"Um... well... I thought I knew but now I'm not so sure..." she starts to place her finger on the paper and I see her calculating something.
"Well why don't you just say it and see if you were right?" She gives a quick smirk.
"Um... give me a clue"
I can see now that she is completely confused and if she is right then this would ease her mind.
"Okay" I begin "well... we are going to visit them next week for summer and-" before I can even finish she proclaims "Oh! So it is the party!" A smile beams across her face and her eyes widen. She turns to me and we both laugh, but then she reverts back to her confusion state and looks at the drawing of our friends. To break the awkward tension I ask "why didn't you think it was the party? I mean it was pretty obvious". Still no answer.
I look off to the pictures on my wall, the ones I took with me from Hawkins. I wonder why she wouldn't of thought it was the party, I mean I always draw them the same and the evidence or clues are right there. I smile at the memories of which I drew these, knowing I'm seeing all of my friends next week. It's been so long since I've even seen them. Nearly six months. We visited them for christmas but it's different now. My family and I are settled. The thought of going back to Hawkins is daunting... considering who I'll see once I get there.
"Well I guess it's just..." El finally breaks the silence and so I look back at her. Her face tilts up to mine. "I was confused cause not everyone is there". What is she talking about?
"What do you mean El?"
"Well there is only five people in the picture..."
Now I am silent... I couldn't have forgotten any of them. I mean it's impossible.
She returns the drawing to me and points her finger at the blank space. The space that is next to El on her right and I am on her left.
"See? You forgot Mike"
I take the drawing from her hands and stare at the blank space. It couldn't really be true? How could I forget Mike? But as I scan across the party members one by one I get to the end and he isn't there.
"Huh?" I say in a confused tone "I guess I did forget him"
"But how is that possible Will? You two are so close" The girl is staring at me for an answer but I can't give her it. I mean how could I? I didn't have an answer. This was the first drawing of mine I've given her, I have been putting it off for a long time. She kept asking me, as she is always watching he colour so intensively. I never show her anything though. Until I offered a deal: if I could get her Eggo's for one morning since there was only enough for one portion, I would in turn give her one of my drawings. She gave me her beloved snack in exchange I would show her one of the drawings I finished .Since that day I was trying to figure out which one to show her and I couldn't. All mine were just too personal and embarrassing. So, I worked on this drawing of the party up last night before I went to bed. Making sure nothing was embarrassing or wrong with it only for this to happen.
I lower the paper from my vision, turn my back to El, so I can place the drawing on my desk.
"I'm sorry El" I say discreetly, still looking at the incomplete drawing on my desk. "I promised you a finished drawing" I mean I might as well confess I drew this last night, nothing more embarrassing could happen.
"Will it's okay, I know you drew this last night"
Oh she knew... wait what? She knew! I spin to look at her and she is trying to hold back her laughter. She grabs her mouth with her hand to hold it back. I see the blue ribbon tied to her wrist, she finally composed herself.
"Will, I know you aren't ready to show me your real drawings. But I still wanted to see your talent! And it's amazing Will!" I am still in a state of shock. I examine her royal blue top and black shorts trying to focus on something else.
"I know you'll show me when you are ready Will, but this does mean the deal is still ongoing!" She smiles at me and skips off out my room. My eyes follow her hair waving around as she prances out my door and I walk to my desk to sit on the chair.
What just happened? That went from bad to really bad. But she is so sweet. El really is the perfect girl. Over the last few months we have grown really close, sibling close. While my mom has been helping her with reading, I had the idea to give El a different book every week and at the end to give her questions on it. She isn't allowed at a school so this was the best option to help her catch up. El has been so determined to get it right. Every book she reads she gets better every time, and though sometimes she comes to me or Jonathan for help, she always seems to work it out in the end. Considering everything she has been through, El is truly exceptional. Perfect. The kind of girl Mike deserves.
I feel tears clog my eyes and I open my drawer, taking out a light blue binder. Scrolling through the binder I revisit every drawing I've made since living here. All with Mike in mind to give to. He was always the person who asked for more drawings and so I would always give him more. When he put them up in his basement it meant so much and to see them not taken down after all these years, makes me so happy. I hope they are still up right now. I've lost count of every drawing I gave Mike but I know for a fact he wouldn't of thrown them away. Mike isn't like that. He's kind and caring. Especially to me. After I returned though he was lost without El, he still worked his hardest to get me to feel better. He's a good friend.
I hear my mom's voice calling for me.
"Will! Lunch is up, come get it while it's hot!"
"I'm just coming!" I whisper back and so I repeat the same words while pushing the binder back in my drawer, running to my door. I can't wait to show Mike all the drawings I've done. I can't wait.