𝐛𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ☾ ˎˊ˗

➳ 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬-𝘰-𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢

—1986—

Today is the day. March 21st, 1986. The last day of school before Spring Break.

And that's not even the exciting part for Will. Tomorrow is his birthday, and in just a few more hours, he's gonna be seeing his longtime best friend and crush, Mike Wheeler.

Mike had told him through the letters he'd sent Will that he will be flying from Hawkins to Lenora for Spring Break and that he'll be staying there for about a week, basically until the break is over. And of course, he had to be there for Will's birthday.

Today's Friday, and Will is at school as it's the last day. He's almost done with his last class, and he can't wait until school ends because he will be picking up Mike from the airport along with Jonathan and his new friend, Argyle.

El would come but sadly, she can't. She had promised two of her new friends that she'll be joining them for a girls night before Spring Break as they're both gonna be spending their vacation somewhere away from California. She would love to be there at the airport for her friend's arrival, but she'd told Will that it's fine as Mike's gonna be staying there with them for another six days anyway.

Plus, she knows that Mike and Will have been best friends for so long, and their reunion may be too special for both boys, so she's giving them space.

And, she knows that Will has a tiny crush on Mike.

Not like the brunet had told her, it was just too obvious.

Finally, Will hears the school bell go off. Before the teacher could even tell them about class dismissal, all students were already packing their stuff and causing extreme chaos as they begin leaving the classroom one by one. Will stands up from his seat, zipping his backpack to a close as he hangs the straps over his shoulders. He picks up the books and papers that he'll be storing in his locker, holding them gently with one arm.

He makes his way towards the unlatched door, giving the teacher one last smile before stepping out of the classroom. He walks over to the lockers, unlocking his own compartment. He shoves his stuff inside, not even bothered about the fact that his locker is a complete mess. It's as if he doesn't have time for it now. He closes the metal door shut with a loud bang, and gladly, no one has noticed as everyone's busy with their own doings.

He treads down the hallway, approaching the school exit with a huge smile on his face. He knows how embarrassing it is, smiling like an idiot while walking alone in the school hallway, but he doesn't care. He's happy and that's what matters, not what people think.

As he draws closer to the main door, he catches sight of El, along with her new friends Reese and Katie, walking out of the hallway from his left. When she sees Will, she immediately waves at him and runs towards his direction.

"Will!" El yells, stopping in front of Will, who had also halted walking.

"Hey," Will greets, also giving the two other girls a light wave who stood at either side of El. "How's school?" he asks as his eyes set back on his sister.

"It's amazing! We had so much fun today. Reese helped me in art class. We even spilled the pink paint by accident," she giggles, and that's when Will noticed the pink stain on El's — who used to be Will's — gray shirt.

Before Will could even open his mouth to speak, El cuts in. "Please don't tell Joyce."

Will chuckles, his hands mindlessly sliding up to grip on the straps of his backpack. "Of course," he smiles, and El lets out a sigh of what seemed like relief. "Anyway, uh, you sure you're not coming? To the airport?"

El gives her brother a small smile before nodding her head. "Yes, Will. I've already planned my day with Reese and Katie."

"I know, but..." Will pauses, shooting both girls a glance, who only smiles back at him. He sighs before grasping onto El's arm, pulling her away from her friends to give themselves privacy to talk.