1983 || Stranger Things

sᴇᴠᴇɴ | ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀs

      In a run-down house under a starry sky, everyone was on edge. They should've been. Will Byers was dead. Julie liked to think that because Will was gone, he was in the stars that were overhead. It made her feel better.

      The lights were still strung up, and the cops were combing through every inch of the house with flashlights, while the two remaining Byers sttod, and their loaned child sat on the couch.

      Jim Hopper was in front of them, explaining how Will was found, but it was all white noise to Julie. She wasn't paying attention to anything besides her shoes, which she was intently staring at.

      Julie knew that Joyce wasn't listening either. The way she stared off into space was the key. Julie didn't even pay attention when Joyce started ranted, and Jonathan tried and failed to calm her down.

      Before Julie felt that any time had passed, the police lights diminished, and Jonathan was snapping in Julie's face to wake her up. So, Julie went to bed, not even bothering to change her clothes.

      She was numb. She cursed herself for getting so attached to that family, that it hurt that much to see Will gone. More than anything, Julie wished she wasn't such a screw up, because maybe she wouldn't be here crying herself to sleep over the death of a little boy.

      A little boy, Julie thought. So much life left to live, and so much more to see. All ripped away. All gone. And Julie wanted to know why life was so cruel.

•••

      Jonathan and Julie didn't go to school the next morning. Julie probably should've, to give Joyce and Jonathan their space, but Jonathan insisted that she go see Will. He wanted her there for someone to lean on.

      It was a sad, heavy, and tense atmosphere in the house that morning. To Julie, it felt that they were all in a powder keg, and all it would take was one match for everything to go to shit. The match was flickering, and Julie felt it.

      "You ready?" Julie poked her head into Jonathan's room, seeing him tying his shoes.

       Jonathan nodded, and Julie and him went to wake up Joyce, who spent the night in the living room with an ax.

      "Mom. Mom! Wake up." Jonathan leant towards Joyce's face, the woman very out of it.

      "What... what time is it?" Joyce stammered, opening her eyes.

      "It's almost 8:00. We have to go." Jonathab said.

      "Go where? Where?"

      "To see Will."

      That's exactly what they did. The three people, two emotional and one with a stoic expression on her face piled into the car and drove to the morgue.

      Julie was using all of her energy to remain emotionless. She didn't want to appear weak, and she felt that she shouldn't be able to be heartbroken. Will wasn't her brother, after all.

      Once in the morgue, Julie and Jonathan stood on either side of Joyce, waiting for the coroner to reveal Will. He pulled the sheet back, and Julie gasped softly. Her eyes immediately traveled to Jonathan, who coughed and left the room on the verge of tears.

      Julie rubbed Joyce's shoulder soothingly, before going after Jonathan. She followed him out to the waiting area where the Chief was, pulling on his arm and hugging him tightly.

      Jonathan barely had the energy to hug her back, but he did, and the pair sat down next to Hopper.

      "How's your mom doing?" Hopper asked softly after some silence.