𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐞 ; 𝘉𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘳 ✓

𝟏.

The Byers Residence | Sun 4:36 PM
Will Byers

The wooden floor creaked as Will walked across the house, carrying boxes from Johnathan's room to Joyce's car. Every time Will stepped outside, he was hit with hot air and the scent of pine trees that came from the wilderness surrounding his house.

He retreated back to the cool air inside and walked to his older brother's now empty room. He marveled at his work, feeling proud of himself for doing it alone.

Will wiped the sweat off his forehead and left the house once again to hug Jonathan one last time before he went off to college. Will was excited for Jonathan and he knew that he deserved this, he just wished that Jon wouldn't leave him alone in the house with their father.

Joyce had taken Lonnie back, despite how abusive he was to both her and their kids. Will had resented Joyce for this, feeling as if she didn't care about his safety, but he was still supportive.

Today however, Lonnie was the least of Will's worries. Tomorrow was his first day of sophomore year and judging from last year, Will felt this year would be just as terrible. He felt a pit in his stomach just thinking about it.

"Have fun." Will said while hugging his older brother. He pulled away and watched as Joyce and Jonathan boarded the vehicle. He waved to the two as the car started to back away from the house. Jonathan smiled and waved back to his younger brother.

Will stepped back inside to a house that he was all alone in, and he knew he'd be feeling that way for a while.

***

The next morning, Will woke up to the chirping of birds. The light blue tint of the sky shined through Will's blinds and crept into his eyes, blinding him a bit.

He groaned as he turned over in his bed to look at the alarm clock that sat on his nightstand. 7:32 it read. Will was very late.

When he realized the time, a surge of energy sparked through him and he quickly got out of his bed and ran to the bathroom to take care of his hygiene.

Will brushed his teeth so fast and forcefully that his gums began to bleed. The taste of blood caused him to gag and blindly spit. He yelped at the sight, grabbing a rag and wiping off his now blood-stained mirror.

Will felt like he was a mess, and honestly he didn't know what he expected. He didn't think to set an alarm the night before or even already have clothes set out. He mentally punched himself and then continued his morning routine.

He put on all his clothes including his shoes in under a minute, and then grabbed his book bag while heading out of the house. He softly closed the door so he wouldn't wake up his parents and then ran to his bike.

He was supposed to meet Dustin nearly 20 minutes ago, and assumed that he'd get tired of waiting and leave without him. But to his surprise, Dustin was there at the end of the dirt road, sitting on top of his bike.

"Dude! What the hell!?" Dustin said when he finally saw Will.

"Sorry, forgot to set an alarm."

Dustin rolled his eyes at Will's response and got up off the ground and back on his bike. The boys began to pedal down the street and towards the school while talking to each other about their plans for the school year.