Someone You Loved [Wax]

Chapter 1 - A New Normal

It had been hard to cope with his loss. Will had been hurried away to the hospital, where his brother Jonathan had told her only a couple hours later that he had died in the hospital.

Then, just like that, the Byers had disappeared. Nobody knew quite where they went. There was no funeral for Will, everyone assuming that they had left town quickly to avoid the expenses.

The Byers had never been a rich family, though nor had the Mayfields. Though Billy was only her stepbrother, he felt like family. It was understandable why they had taken it so hard—for Joyce, to lose her youngest son, and for Jonathan to lose his best friend. Max knew how Jonathan felt. She and Will had been close, closer than most friends in their small, sunny Californian town.

She missed him. His crazy, always-unkempt brown hair, the smile permanently plastered onto his face. His brown eyes always shining happily. He had never been a skater like she was—more of the artsy type. He was an amazing artist though, easily depicting his character Will the Wise and the wizard's castle: Castle Byers.

His death was her fault.

They had been hanging out together at the beach, chatting as they usually did. Will had decided to go in the water for a swim. Max decided to stay on the beach for a little while before joining him. Will had been caught in a riptide. The duo always liked to hang out on the beaches where nobody else wanted to go—no lifeguards. When Max had saw him, or rather, not seen him, she had dashed out to the edge of the water and dove in, following his yells for help. It was a while later that she found him, unconscious and hooked around a large boulder underwater. When she had dragged him back to shore, she had found that he was bleeding from his chest where he had hit the rock.

She had tried to save him, but by the time Billy had arrived to pick her up, Will was already dead. Or seemingly so. Max had managed to bring him back to life, in essence, but it was short-lived. Literally. He had been taken to the hospital where he died.

Max couldn't shake her guilt. If only she had been paying better attention, then he wouldn't have been caught in that riptide and dragged out to sea. Or, at least, she would've died with him.

She felt it would almost be better if that had happened. 

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Her life had changed the day her parents told her about their decision to move to some small town in Indiana.

They wanted to get away from her real dad. That much was obvious. But to Indiana? Why not somewhere with a coast, even if it wasn't the west, it could be the east. But no, they had decided to leave everything behind, all of the memories and friends, and move to Somewhere, USA.

Max couldn't take it.

Even though the Byers had moved away three years ago, she still felt a connection to them. Max knew they were still around—somewhere. Even though Will was gone, the Byers had once been her second family; the hideout when her parents were fighting and when they had finally divorced—they were her protection. Her family. 

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They were packed in the cramped car together, heading along the long drive to Indiana. Max wished they could be flying—but they had too much stuff. Or riding in Billy's Camaro, but he was very protective of it. He had said there was no room in it anyway, but she saw the empty passenger seat beside him.

She glared at the back of the passenger seat, her legs bouncing up and down. Neil was her stepfather—an absolute horrible person, dirtbag, in her opinion. She didn't understand what her mom saw in him—he was cruel, rude, and abusive to Billy. Then again, Susan Hargrove was always known for getting in toxic relationships.