12 letters ||Byler||

Prologue

Hi. I'm Will. Will Byers, a pretty normal guy of a small city called Hawkins. I'm almost 16 years old, second year of high school... Sounds good huh? Well, not for me, you have to live on my own skin to know how does everything suck... a lot actually. Exams are almost impossible! And people focus on stereotypes and prejudices and it's awful. Knowing that even the way you walk, or raise your head is important. It's suffocating! And usually, it tempts students to feel inferior. Not me, I know really well who I am, but I hate being part of this society. I  mean, I don't look at others like they are a piece of meat with a label. Like: "there is that hot girl of 11th grade!" Or: "wow if only I could be like that smart guy of the AV club. I know! I'll be nice to him and ask him for his notes!" I hear that pretty many times, maybe because I know that guy, and he's not that clever, I would call it astute, is not the same. But anyways, the point is that I don't like the way people is used to act. Call me anti social, you won't be the first one, but my brother said to me a million times that I have to be really careful. Last year I wasn't. I was dumb, and I believed in innocent people as me that were looking for fitting in a new environment. How cute of me... Unfortunately, I forgot the people I was going to deal with, such as Troy, who hadn't bothered me since 8th grade and all of a sudden started doing it again. Why? In order not to feel inferior. I would be it instead. And that's what I became. The lonely and anti social boy of middle school with a weird brother. Jonathan didn't help me either to have a worthy reputation, but who cares at this point? The thing is that before I came to high school I had never failed a subject, and now I have to study for three tests if I want to pass the subjects. Great. And I have no kind of reinforcement in house. Jonathan is in college and my mom doing full time job to pay his studies and mines. So, as you see, I'm not the optimist boy everyone loves, but believe me when I  say that I have a heart. I'm really sensitive, I'm just, not opened to others to see that side. No one has demonstrated me enough. It's true I have a few classmates I get on really well. But do I consider them friends? Maybe I should, I don't know. I don't know them that well to know if they are reliable people. But I think it would be good for me. That is what the counselor says to me. Week by week. Oh yeah, the teachers oblige me to go and see Ms Roosevelt once a week. They say it will be good for me and my "personal issues". It's completely absurd, don't get me wrong, I love talking with Katie, she's sweet and all of that but she's not the best counselor. I just want to feel okay, confident and safe wherever I go. Am I asking for too much? Really? The only thing I know for sure, is that if I don't pass those exams, I'm dead, and my mother is not going to cheer me up and support me for all my effort. C'mon... my brother is in NYU... I need to prove her I'm as good as him... but shit, it's complicated. Oh, and then there is this tiny detail, that is that if I repeat next year, my father will report my mum and ask her for my safekeeping. You see? My father and I have a...love-hate relationship. Actually, he hates me. And I hate him. When I was little he used to call me things, and insult my mom all the time. Then he decided to abandon us and start drinking. Now I have no idea of where he can be, and I don't wanna guess. So I have to do something. And if Katie Roosevelt is the way, then I will go as many times as possible. Okay, once I've told you half of my life, let's introduce you to today...

Thursday, February 13th, 1987

Good morning! For those who have them. It's 6:45 am. I have to take a shower, do my bed, clean up my bedroom, do the homework I didn't do yesterday, have breakfast, and take the bus. Let's see how many things do I need to quit of my list. First of all, as motivated as I can, I get up and go directly to the bathroom. I get my pajamas off, and get in the shower. Other days I would play some music just to cheer me up, but today is too early and my mom is still sleeping so I just sing the lyrics of Blue Boy while drops of water touch my skin. After a while, I get out and dress up with the clothes I left for myself yesterday. I do my hair, put some cologne and exit. Okay. Uh... Homework is more important. Let's do it first. I had exercises of Spanish class, and two equations to solve... Maths is easier. So I grab the pen, and start looking for the unknown quantity. Fortunately, I like numbers, so I have no problem with it. Haha! Yeah my humour is a bit nerdy but anyways, now Spanish. I don't like this! Actually, Spanish is one of the subjects that I've failed. But I have Spanish class after the break... I could go to the library. Okay. Let's go on. I do my bed, grab my books and notes and put them in my bag. Sometimes I surprise myself. I take a look at my watch and see that I have 15 minutes to have breakfast, so I go to the kitchen and glad my mom, already up.