you guys aren't ready!!!
it's eight o'clock at night, and the old friends are all gathered in max's home, the strange atmosphere obvious and prominent.
they've unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, paired off into their previous groups. richie and eddie stick close to stanley and el, and bev grabs drinks for them all. lucas and ben are off to the side, and it's clear that lucas would rather not be here. mike, dustin, and will all stand together, and it's a warm surprise to see them catching up. max moves between the groups, trying to keep them all invested in one conversation, but it isn't as easy as it seems. even bev, who'd attempted to fix it all on multiple occasions, can't quite diffuse the groups, especially without bill, her somewhat partner in crime, who'd decided not to come due to stanley's attendance.
"it's not working," bev whispers to one of her girlfriends, and max looks out into the living room with a sigh. "what should we do?"
max shakes her head after a minute, and presses a small kiss to the side of bev's head. "let me figure something out."
bev offers a small smile as max moves swiftly into the kitchen.
the doorbell rings then, and max, from her spot near the fridge, calls out, "pizza's here, someone get the door!"
stanley volunteers, separating from the group and pulling open the front door.
as soon as he sees that it's, in fact, not the pizza man, his soft laughter stops and his expression darkens.
the boy stands in front of him, hands shoved in his pockets. he's wearing an army green jacket, which protects him from the wind, and his hair is messy due to the kind of extreme weather.
when he finally looks up, the surprise is evident in his eyes.
"it's not the pizza," stanley faintly hears behind him, and it's from bev, her sweet voice slightly soothing as she calls out to max.
"who is it?" max questions as she moves into the living room to join everyone else.
stanley feels his throat go dry as he tries to answer. "bill."
