The Spy (Will Byers x Reader)

Chapter 19

—One Month Later—

I shut my locker and lean against the wall as I place my books into my bag. I look around at the high schoolers. They are all chatting and laughing. Some are even smashing their faces together.

Jane has told me that this action is referred to as a kiss. She also mentioned that people in romantic relationships often kissed. She then tried to explain what a romantic relationship was, and I am still very confused about it.

I reach out with my brain and look into the mind of my nearest classmate. It is as easy as I remember it to be. A shiver travels up my spine. I ignore it at first, but it is impossible not to acknowledge the relief of using my powers again. Whenever I go to long without using them I get sick.

This boy has light hair and bright eyes. A smile stretches across his face as he makes conversation with his friends. I reach into his mind and find myself in shock.

I find myself in a sea of self hate and doubt. Pain rushes up my arms as tiny cuts dot them. Screams echo around the room that is only shrinking. A whisper finds it's way into my mind above everything else.

'She hates me. They all hate me.' My breathing stops as something pulls me down into the water. I can't escape. I try to pull myself out but I can't. I'm trapped. I struggle and struggle and finally stop when the whisper comes back. 'I should just end it all.'

I give myself up to the chaos, and let my body float to the surface. The screams go away and my arms heal. I breath in fresh air. Then I pull myself out.

It takes a minute to come back. I slowly open my eyes. Two big brown eyes stare into my own. My back slams into the locker.

"What the hell?" I glare at Jane with false annoyance. Her puppy eyes, yet another thing Jane had taught me about, force me to soften. She grabs my hand and we start walking down the hall.

"Sorry about that. You were zoned out," she tells me as we make our way towards the front doors.

Spring air tickles my skin with a light warmth. The sun hangs high in the sky. The days have been getting longer. Soon enough summer will come around and school will end. It will also mark the end of my period with Jane. Papa gave me one year to get Jane to come back. Not to mention he's due for another visit sometime soon. The last time he visited was before I bailed on his plan. I hope I'll be able to fake it as long as I need to.

Soon enough Jane leads me towards the group of boys. I see Will from the small distance. His brown hair billows softly in the spring breeze, and his cheeks are flushed. The others are all laughing while he attempts to hide his blush with his jacket sleeve.

We finally make our way over. The boys attention shifts from Will to me. I find my back arching away from them as their gaze lingers.

"Are you okay?" His voice travels and tickles my spine. Or maybe it is simply the lingering chill of winter that causes me this feeling. I look at him to find that is eyes are soft with concern. I stare for a little to long before an answer formulates from my lips.

"I'm fine," I've never told a lie that didn't sound like truth until this moment. I didn't think it was possible for me to tell a lie badly. Hesitant looks appeared on all of the faces around me. A crinkled brow, soft eyes, a small hand reaching for my own. "I'm fine." This time the words are harsh. I didn't mean them to be, but nevertheless my emotions took control. Something that I rarely allow to happen. I storm off towards the abandoned house I call home.

——

The sheets on my bed are disheveled from tossing and turning as I attempt to fall asleep. My nerves have caused my brain to move 200 miles a minute with no breaks for rest. I keep thinking up different ways that Papa will punish me for not completing my task. Maybe he will lock me in my room for a week with only one glass of water and a bowl of uncooked rice. Or he might banish me to the Upside Down again. There is always the possibility that he will kill me as soon as he sees my face, but Papa isn't that forgiving. He will not let me have an easy death. I did betray him.

A soft knock echos on my window. Softer than the one from earlier in the evening. Jane had come to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk. The steady rapping on my window quietly dulls. I hear an exasperated sigh.

"I know you're awake, (Y/N)." This voice isn't Jane's. It is Will's. Why is he at my window at midnight? If Jane put him up to this I'm going to be upset with her. She shouldn't make Will come all the way out here in the middle of the night because I have a "crush" on him. At least Jane calls it a crush. I am still not entirely sure what the concept of a crush is. All I know is that I apparently have a crush on Will. I've come to learn that a crush is not as great as Jane makes them sound. In fact, they are quite infuriating.

"Please," a soft echo comes from the window as he knocks another time. I stand up completely exasperated. If I wasn't going to get sleep before, I'm definitely not going to get any now.

My oversized shirt and basketball shorts are wrinkled from the long night, but I don't have the time to change them. If I do Will might leave. So I walk to the window to find Will staring at me through the opposite side. I open the window. We stare at each other for a while in silence. His eyes don't drift from mine the whole time, but I can't help to observe his attire. He is in his pajamas in the middle of a spring night, the chill of winter still biting against his skin. A thin jacket lays across his shoulders.

"You look cold," I say. My voice is thick from disuse. I open the window all the way and allow him to step through. He hesitates for a second. He acts as if he didn't, but I saw the slight distrust in his eyes.

"Thanks."

Another silence overtakes the dreary room. I take a step back and end up crashing to the floor in a tangle a limbs. I glare at the comb that caused me to trip before my eyes find Will's bare feet. Great, he walked all the way out here without shoes.

"If Jane made you..."

"She didn't make me," he interrupts me. He stares at my body sprawled across the floor. "I came by myself. I was worried about you. You aren't one to let your emotions take control of you."

He reaches down a hand. My mind goes blank as I memorize the small lines that run across his skin. I slowly lift my hand hand up. There is only a slight pause before he pulls me up to my feet. He is quick to drop my hand. I miss the tingling warmth that spread through my palm at his touch. My hands are always cold, but only a few minutes inside, sheltered from the cold, his hands are warm.

All signs point towards discomfort: failure to withstand touch, shifting eyes, and reluctance to strike up a conversation. In other words, he hates me. Or at least hates being around me. I should have studied human discomfort longer at the library last week. Why would he pretend to be my friend if he dislikes me. That seems painful and useless.

"You said you wanted to be friends," I look him in the eyes. He furrows his brow at my statement. "Friends don't lie. So tell me why you are here?"

Shifting from foot to foot Will's eyes refuse to met my gaze. Add that to the list. He finally looks towards me, but not into my eyes. A sign of lying or embarrassment. I do not wish for either.

"I... I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm the middle of the night?"

"Yes."

Why?" A simple question in response to a vague answer. He lightly shakes his head. The light coming in through the window illuminates his flushed face. He stutters as if he can no longer speak. So I wait.

I fight the urge to intrude into his brain. That's what Papa taught me to do. But it hurts. It hurts so much. My bones are weak and I can never get sleep. My mouth pulses with pain whenever I eat. And loud sounds cause me ear pain. The only cure is using my powers. I used them yesterday but that only made my body crave more. Still, I do not enter his mind. I will wait. Just like anyone else.

"I care about you, (Y/N)." And with those words I finally allow myself to break.

-geekywriter15