Mike
When Micheal Wheeler arrived home that day, he did not greet his mother, nor his father. He did not greet any of his family, all he did was storm into the basement and kick a table over.
He knew what he did was wrong, that it wasn't Wills fault he had been tortured all those years, that he couldn't pin the headmasters defiance towards believing him on the victim himself.
But Mike couldn't help it, though he now despised himself so as he sat with his hair in his fists over thinking about what had just happened.
"Mike? Mike do you copy?" Dustins voice came from his walkie talkie, which was buried amongst a pile of washing that Mike had knocked over during his unceremonious burst of anger.
Dustins muffled voice stopped and waited for a reply, before continuing again, "mike i know you're there. Mike mike mike mike mike mike mike mike mike mike mike mike-"
"What, Dustin?-over." Mike replied finally, giving into the irritating chanting of his best friend.
"Where the hell were you? Me and Lucas waited for 15 minuets and you didn't show!"
"What? When?-over."
"After school dummy!"
"I forgot. Oh and say over when your done so I know when you've finished talking- over."
"What do you mean 'you forgot' you don't just forget, mike. What happened with Will.- over."
Mikes stomach clenched at this, guilt consuming him, he winced slightly and responded shakily, "n-nothing.-over"
"Don't bullshit me Mike Wheeler. What happened?-over."
"We talked that's all-over"
"Talked about what exactly mike.-over" mike could hear the impatience laced in Dustins voice now, he began to grow nervous, clawing his brain for what to say, cause after all, Mike Wheeler was a terrible liar.
"The- the, uh, the AV club! The AV club..." mike sighed in relief, thanking the lord for giving him that escape. Dustin didn't reply, and mike furrowed his eyebrows, before coming to the realisation, "Oh, and over."
"Huh, took ya long enough. So is he coming tomorrow then? To the AV club of course. -over"
Shit.
"Y-yeah, Yes! Yes he, he is. -over"
"And your sure nothing else happened. Not after what... happened and all... -over?"
"Yes. I'm sure.-over"
"Ok... well if your certain. But we're still gonna have to do something. Over and out."
Mike began to sweat upon hearing the uncertainty in Dustins voice. Dropping the walkie talkie in front of him sighing. He looked around the trashed basement that he stood in, eyes landing on the Dungeons and Dragons board now laying upside down on the floor, the only figure still standing was the wizard. What may have been Wills character. Regret filled the pit of mikes gut.
Oh Mike, what a terrible lie that was.
•••••
Mike Wheeler couldn't sleep that night.
He tossed and turned underneath his thick winter quilt his mother had insisted on buying in fear of him getting ill. His mother wasn't a worrying parent, no, she did let Mike have the necessary freedom for a boy of his age, not before giving him the appropriate times to be home and what areas he should not venture. Other than that Mike was completely free.
Some may ask, what about your father? Well Mikes father was a complete different case to his mother, that was because, Ted Wheeler, married to his mother, Karen Wheeler, did not spare a thought to either of his two children.
Yes, two children.
Mikes elder sister Nancy was just 16 years old, and that was a big old yikes for Micheal, cause having a 16 year old sister was not at all that great being their 12 year old brother.
Boys in Mikes year other wise would die to have Nancy to live under the same roof as them, though he hated to admit, Mikes sister was beautiful and everyone knew it.
It was not only the fact that Nancy was a good looker herself, Nancy from what they thought had friends who were good lookers also, them being convinced that Micheal Wheeler was surrounded by hot girls all night was beyond ridiculous.
Mike Wheeler wasn't at all fazed by girls.
And do not ponder why, cause the answer you seek is clear.
Mike Wheeler was gay.
And he was yet to discover that.
•••
At 4:07am Mike had decided that there would be no sleep, seeing as the school day would start in 5 hours. He sighed heavily, pushing the violent images of Will being held up against the lockers by Troy out of his mind and making his way carefully down the steps of his house, cause if he were to wake any one at this hour questions would be asked and ,of course, Mike was a terrible liar.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he went down the stairs, sighing in relief once he had made it to the very bottom, leaving his family undisturbed.
Faint snores could be hear from the living room but Mike did not care, for nothing could wake his father even if it were a hurricane.
Mike jogged down the basement stairs, his baggy sweatpants bouncing as they were so big on him the drawstring was rather tightened. Looking around the basement he spotted his walkie talkie laying on its side on the arm of the couch where he had carelessly dropped it upon earlier, he walked over and picked it up ,out of sheer boredom and curiosity, he began to fiddle with the dial.
The cracking sounds emitted from the speaker each time twisted the dial, slipping into different channels each turn. Lucas didn't live too far so him and Mike could radio each other and such, unlike Dustin who was way out of range.
As he continued to twist the dial his mind shot back to earlier this day, Will Byers, oh what chaos that boy had already caused.
He was already Troy's.
Troy had drawn first blood, as Mike had seen him claw Wills thy, Troy's finger nails were caked with blood after so.
Mike shuddered at how Troy had touched Will. Then he thought back to how he had treated the poor boy in the bathrooms, how he shouted at him when all he needed was comfort.
Mike threw the walkie talkie across the room.
He needed to tell somebody about what had happened, he longed to release him self from the guilt he felt, but it was too late for that, he had lied to Dustin. He had lied to his best friend.
From across the room the walkie talkie started humming, Mikes hands began to shake and his breath began to shallow, the walkie talkie was humming the same tune was what Will Byers was humming during History.
Mike Wheeler had channeled Will Byers.
He had found him.
•••
AN/ so, sorry for the wait, it's really hard to figure out what shall happen next when you have absolutely no clue, maybe comment some suggestions?
Any ways thanks for the reads + your comments are just amazing they make my day better! Byeeee
