Chapter Text
Growing up, the world had always been one-sided. In comparison to most, Will never minded the simplicity of daily life. Years of finding where to shove himself made the ease feel like a finally touchable dream.
Senior year felt highly anticipated, but the morning of the first day of school was vexingly normal. Maybe there was too much animation put on the idea of one last year of high school. While Will sat slumped over a bowl of cereal, he was realizing that might just be the case.
"Will, honey, I'm not going to be home tonight until late, so if you need anything just shoot me a text alright?"
Leaning over, Will let her kiss his cheek, "alright, have a good day, mom."
"You too, baby-- oh, and please make sure Jane is awake."
"I will, now go you're already late."
She sent him an overdramatic wave, "alright, alright I'm going!"
He watched as she quickly stumbled out the front door. It was a regular occurrence, Joyce Byers was rarely ever on time. The house went quiet for a few moments and he basked in the peacefulness of it.
Looking over at the clock, he let out a sigh, "Jane!" Waiting, he tuned his ears in, trying to hear any signs of rustling, "Jane--"
"What!" She retorted. Before Will could counter back, she walked into the kitchen with a look of annoyance gracing her features, "do I look stupid?"
"No, you look normal--" Jane came over and flicked his head, "ow! What? You do, that's not a bad thing."
"I mean do I look good? If I show up looking like a frump then I'll set a pattern for the year."
He raised a brow in question, her logic never seemed to be reasonable, "no one is going to remember or care about what you wore the first day of school. You do look good, stop worrying about it."
"Did Mom already leave?" Jane asked, easily moving on from the conversation.
Will stood and scrubbed his bowl, placing it in the dishwasher, "yeah a few minutes-- shit!" He cursed loudly as the top rack fell, "I just fixed this a few days ago."
"We need a new one."
"Yeah well we can't get a new one."
Jane shrugged, agreeing but not giving anything else to the conversation. Will carefully picked up the broken rack and placed it on the counter, feeling guilty over the idea of telling his mom yet another thing in their house was broken.
"Do you think I should join cheerleading or something this year?" Jane asked, a spoon full of yogurt hanging out of her mouth, "reinvent myself?"
"Ask Chrissy, maybe she'll give you lessons," Will said, walking over to his backpack and picking it up, already grimacing at the uncomfortable weight.
Jane groaned dramatically, "no that's the worst, she'll know I suck and still be like, 'it's okay! you're doing great!' I do not need to be patronized."
He let out a snort of amusement, "then join chess club instead."
The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, throwing away the yogurt cup and grabbing her backpack as well. Will pulled his keys out of the bowl by the door, praying that the car would actually start.
"Maybe I'll just follow you around instead," Jane muttered, slouching into the passengers seat.
"That's really awkward because I've actually been following you around--"
Jane scoffed, "oh shut up, you've got the whole...thing going for you, football captain and everything, but oh no that couldn't be enough. You also have to be an amazing artist with a soft spot that acts like a little puppy--"
He flushed, "what has got you so bitter this morning?"
"Mom woke me up by doing the light flickering thing."
Will smiled, almost yelling in triumph when the the sad engine roared to life. The beginning of their drive was filled with silence, Will assumed Jane was also attempting to get ready for the long day ahead of them. He had always enjoyed school, not that he really let anyone know that. As far as the outside world was aware, no one knew of his most intimate interests. Will had been drawing for as long as he could remember, but didn't want many people to see the side of him, it was like they'd be staring into his open heart.
"You have practice today?" Jane asked as they grew closer to the school.
He sent her a guilty smile, "yeah sorry, Chrissy doesn't though so you can just ride with her."
"I'll ask her, but if not can I take the car?"
Will pulled into the parking lot, trying to focus on not hitting anyone, "you only have your temps, Jane, that's illegal."
"I wouldn't get caught, mom says I'm getting really good too."
He rolled his eyes, "don't care, I'm not getting in trouble just so you don't have to wait here. Ask Chrissy, you know she'll say yes."
"I know, that's why I feel bad."
"She lives right by us--"
"Byers!"
He barely got a foot out of the door before he was being tackled into a hug. Stumbling back, Will reached up and patted Lucas on the back.
"I see you're excited," he said, not at all phased by the extreme amount of affection shown by his best friend.
Lucas smiled, "well it's always a gift to see the Byers siblings, how you doing Jane?"
A part of Will's heart warmed, out of everyone Lucas had always been the most sensitive with Jane. They shared a lot of the same friends now, but growing up Jane used to have a hard time getting to know people and coming out of her shell, through all of it Lucas had always been there.
"Fine, but it just hit me that we have to be here everyday for a year," she muttered.
"It'll be a grand affair," Lucas said in a terribly loud voice, "have any of you seen Steve yet?"
Will shrugged as they walked into the crowded school, trying his best not to run into anyone. The hallway was spilling over with people, making it nearly impossible for him to see where he was going. Staying to the side, he listened to the surface-level conversation Jane and Lucas had engaged themselves in.
"No, no Steve I am not doing that, don't even get me started on that shit--"
"Henderson, it's a tackle, you have to at least try."
They made it to their table in the cafeteria, and before they even got in eyesight range, he could already hear Steve and Dustin arguing loudly with one another. Will rolled his eyes at their dramatics and sat down. Throughout highschool their group had morphed perfectly together, a mix of different personalities making it feel like a family to him.
"Will listen to this, I shouldn't have to worry about this right? I'll be benched all season," Dustin asked, smacking his shoulder.
"I don't know, I won't say that, you're getting really good--"
Dustin let out a huff of disbelief, "come on Byers, you don't need to be nice, give me the answer I want so Steve will leave me alone."
"Oh come on, I'm trying to be a good friend--"
"Too bad you're just an annoying jackass instead."
Will looked over at them, "alright guys calm down, it's only eight in the morning."
"Hey guys!" Chrissy walked up to them, her usual wide smile plastered on. For years people had described the blonde girl as a walking bubble of sunshine, Will never understood how that so perfectly encapsulated her.
"Chris, can you drive me home today?" Jane asked.
"Of course! I don't start practice or anything until next week," she sat down next to Jane, "alright guys, guess what we're doing Friday?"
"Staying home--"
"No," Lucas said, cutting him off. Will slumped in defeat.
"Come on Will, we're doing something fun! We're going to this party I heard about, literally everyone is going to be there," she paused, "but before you guys freak out, Venus Panic is playing--"
"Nope, no we are not associating with those assholes," Steve said quickly, throwing his hands up as if it was the most extreme suggestion. The other's quickly agreed, but Will just sat there, sending Chrissy a tiny little smile as she looked at him pleadingly.
"It could be fun," he said, staying timid.
Lucas looked at him with his mouth dropped open, "you're kidding! Will no, those guys are the worst."
"We're not going to have to talk to them."
Chrissy nodded, "yeah! I mean, it's a concert, so many people are going to be there--"
"Nope, no, absolutely not," Dustin said firmly.
After that, the conversation faded out, but Will couldn't ignore how upset Chrissy looked at being shot down. The other's seemed to ignore it, but as the bell rang, Will hung back a bit so he could catch her.
"Hey," he said softly, walking close as they moved to their first class, "I'm sorry about that."
She huffed, "it's fine, but they're so annoying you know? Like, I get they don't get along with those guys and Steve has his whole thing, but it's such a dramatic rivalry."
Will couldn't help but agree with that, "I'll go with you, how about that?"
A huge smile pinched her face immediately, "really?"
"Yeah, I mean, if they're going to be assholes we can just sneak out, it'll be a little secret."
She hugged his arm excitedly, "you're the best, Will."
Just like Lucas, Chrissy had been a staple in his life from a young age. They met at an art camp in middle school and latched onto each other, she had always been one of his best friends, one of the only people he could truly confide in. Seeing her upset about their friends response to her idea was enough to make him go out of his comfort zone.
"Okay, but you can't let them know, they would kill us."
She snorted out a laugh, "I know, oh my god, could you imagine?"
They made their way into math, and Will really questioned their luck on how they got the worst subject first period.
"God, you better let me cheat off you this year," Chrissy muttered as they sat in the back of the class.
"I'm not good at math either, so we're just going to fail."
People started to file into the class, but Will didn't pay them any mind. Jane was right, having to be in class every single day for hours on end was finally hitting him. It wasn't the worst, but just the idea of sitting in uncomfortable chairs with his head bent forward over a worksheet sounded like torture.
"Have you actually ever talked with people in...well, you know," Chrissy asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear.
He shook his head, "no, barely even know who they are, Steve and Lucas make sure of that."
"What do you think even happened?"
Will glanced around the room, "Steve, he had a thing with the guy who plays drums, Eddie, apparently things didn't end well. After that they had this whole fight and now Steve dragged all of us into it. I try and ignore everything."
She nodded in understanding, "well, guess we'll have to see for ourselves what they're like."
"Guess so."
"Alright class! I'm going to start off by saying we're not doing any introductions or slow days, there is a lot to cover this year so lets jump right into it," the teacher said, walking in with a stern and grim look plastered on her face.
Chrissy leaned towards him, "we're so screwed."
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"Will! Are you trying to kill us?"
He laughed, bending over and trying to catch his breath, "come on, Lucas, it's not that bad--"
"Not that bad? Six laps isn't that bad? And in the heat too!"
Rolling his eyes, Will pulled his shirt up in attempt to wipe away the moisture that was rolling down his face. Unlike most, he actually enjoyed sweating, it was somewhat therapeutic.
"Well it's over now so stop whining about it, besides, you need to get back in shape," he said cheekily, walking by and patting Lucas on the shoulder.
"Byers you're a little shit, you know that?" Steve trotting over, hair falling in front of his eyes, "this is why I should be captain, I would never--"
"Oh shut up Steve, your ego is too big to handle that," Lucas said.
Will sat down on the bench, taking a sip of water and checking the time. The day had been long and he was ready to get home, a lot of the team had already scattered, leaving the second they were allowed to.
"Gotta go, mom wants me home," Lucas said, walking by and picking up his bag, "see you tomorrow?"
"See you," he said. After everyone had left, Will went around picking up the left over cones, using the silence to find peace of mind. The day had been hectic and he was just happy it was finally coming to an end. Getting used to the shift from summer to the school year had always been difficult, the days taking out pints of energy.
Throwing a baseball cap on backwards, attempting to keep the hair out of his face, he made his way to the parking lot. It was mostly empty, only a few cars scattered around. Will meandered to his car and was about to get in when something caught his attention. Pausing, he looked over, something drawing his attention to the other side of the parking lot.
Will recognized him, it was impossible not to. He didn't know his name, but felt an itch inside to quickly figure it out.
The boy was leaning against -what Will assumed to be- his motorcycle, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He seemed lost in thought, which was good since Will most definitely looked like a creep.
He was -metaphorically- dark, that was the best way Will could describe it. His hair fell with uncontrolled black curls, casting a shadow on his features. Will couldn't see much of the taller boy's face, but couldn't help but wonder about every detail of him. He wore dark washed jeans, black boots, a tight white t-shirt with a flannel over it. A effortless look that deftly grabbed Will's attention. The slowly falling sun casted on him, making it easy for Will to see the other boy's hands that were covered in gleaming rings, wrists holding a fair amount of bracelets. He looked like a rock star, but in a much softer sense. Their was a roughness about him that could still be brushed right out, leaving a pulchritudinous beauty that could whisk away anyone's attention.
Will quickly snapped his eyes away when the dark-haired guy began to turn his head to him. He cleared his throat and practically fell into the car, embarrassed to think he might have gotten caught. Driving off, Will kept his gaze forward, cursing himself for how his cheeks stayed heated.
He didn't dare look towards the boy's direction again, easily missing the sharp gaze that followed him right out of the parking lot.