𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝; byler

-¢нαρтєя 2 -

"GUYS! OVER HERE!" Dustin called, yelling over the crowds of people coming in. Will never understood why he did that, they always met in the same spot... Mike and El went towards them, Will a little ways behind them. He was struggling to walk a straight line; he kinda overdid it this morning. He always overdid it when he needed to... but he didn't want to think about it yet. Maybe he just always overdid it, period. After all, isn't having any drink whatsoever overdoing it when it's 8:30 am on a Wednesday and he's at school? Anyway, The bike ride to school had been really dangerous. 

"Hey, whats up?" Dustin asked when they got there. He was laying with his side on the wall, his arm around his girlfriend of two years, Suzie. Suzie moved down to Hawkins a few months back, and was a grade under the rest of the party. They didn't really hang out with her, didn't really know her, but Will guessed she was nice enough. Lucas was sitting on the ground, his girlfriend Max lying with her fiery red hair all in his lap. Mike and El sat next to them. Will was going to stay up, but suddenly the ground moved up and he was on the floor. He tried hard not to laugh.
"Shit, Will. You okay?" Lucas asked as Will tried to straighten himself up.
"Yeah, yeah." Will said.
"Your elbow!" Max said, and Will looked down. A bloody red spot was coloring the sleeves of his shirt.
"I walk you, nurse's office," El said as she got up. She was being sweet, but Will felt a pinch of anger. She had been with normal people for years, couldn't she speak normally?
He got up, ignoring the spinning world around him.
"See you in class," El said as she planted a kiss on Mike's lips. Will felt like he was punched in the stomach.

"Stop," El said when they walked inside the school building. She put her arm on Will's shoulder, and Will tried to breathe out of his nose. He had chewed on some coffee grounds after his drink, but you could never be to safe. Wow, was El taller then him? figures. Not only was he the only single one in their party and the only gay one, now he was also the shortest one.
"Are you okay?" El asked, her chocolate eyes staring into Will's hazel. Will tried not to panic. There was no way she knew...
"Yeah, of course." No, I'm very much not okay. I need help! Please, help me! He screamed in his head, trying to get El to understand. Because he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Friends don't lie," El said again, still staring at him with that intense gaze. Damn, she was good. But there was no way she knew his secret. Otherwise, she would never speak so publicly to him about that. Will's mom had taught her better then that.
"Look, I'm just tired. I'll be fine." Will said. The bell rang, and the brown haired girl was still studying his face. Then, she seemed satisfied. She smiled her cute smile at Will and gave him a tight hug. Will hoped his clothes weren't stinking of alcohol, because that would be hard to get out of... his heart started racing, before he understood the El probably didn't even have an idea what alcohol smelled like. Even if there was a smell, she might've thought it was simply cologne. Then Will stepped to class, trying very hard not to bump into the lockers that seemed to appear in his way. Had he really had so much?

                                                                                       ✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴                                                                                      

"we're heading to the mall after school to get food and maybe catch a movie. You guys in?" Max asked as the whole party headed to the cafeteria.
"sure, I'll ask Suzie after school." Dustin said, looking to Mike and El. El looked at Mike, and Will knew her well enough to recognize the look in her eye and see she definitely didn't want to go. Mike and El never went to anything, they always preferred a make out session in El's room. 
"I'm in, a movie sounds nice!" Mike said, much to Will's surprise. He looked up to Mike's face, and saw that Mike was trying his hardest not to look into El's eyes. Was there trouble in paradise? Will's heart fluttered for a moment, then-
"El, what do you think?" Mike asked El, throwing his arm around her again. El nodded happily. Maybe Will had misinterpreted the situation....
 "Hey, it's the virgin queen! how you doing, zombie boy?" Will suddenly felt someone bump into him, forcing him to stop. He looked up, focusing through the slight haze to see Troy smiling his idiotic smile. Will felt his face grow warm. It wasn't like it was the first time he had been called any of those names, but it was the first time that day... it always hurt the same. a little less like now, when he was drunk.
" Tell me, what's it like sucking cock?" Troy asked, laughing at his own stupid joke. Will didn't understand it; it was one thing when they all got picked on together in elementary school and middle school, but no one seemed to hurt his friends anymore. Just him. Will tried to think of a clever response, but his mind was still foggy.
Troy shoved Will lightly, but thanks to Will's shaky balance he fell on the floor. "Come on, Byers! don't be a fag! fight back!" Troy sighed, stepping over him. Will was suddenly brought back to seven, eight, nine years ago, his dad standing over him yelling the same words- it was all he could do not to cry. Lucky for him, that's when his friends noticed he wasn't among them anymore. Mike ran back from where everyone had stopped, The rest of the party behind him.
"Come on, Troy! Just get the fuck away from here!" Mike said as he reached them. He was taller then Troy now, although he was leaner. He wasn't scared of the stupid bully anymore. he wasn't a fag.
"Just stop already, it's really getting old! we're juniors for fuck's sake!" Dustin added, reaching them too.
"Whatever," Troy muttered, stepping away. That was the thing; Troy actually wasn't very strong or brave. He wasn't considered a problem in their grade, not since 8th grade. It's just that Will was such an easy target, Troy never had the urge to stop.
Lucas sent his hand down, helping Will up.
"You okay, man?" he asked. Will nodded. "You've got to stop letting him hurt you!"
"Don't be an asshole, Lucas." Max said.
"Also, of course he's okay! the guy is like fucking Hercules, Lucas! or do you no remember that he was literally possessed? Some high school bully can't hurt him, he's tough!" Dustin added enthusiastically,  casually bumping Will's shoulder. They started walking again, not unusually bothered by the incident. It's not like it was the first time any of them saw Will get hurt, and definitely not the worst. But Will was hurt. Really bad.
As they sat around their usual table, talking and laughing normally, a terrifying thought crossed Will's mind for the first time ever.

Would anything really change if I wasn't alive at all?

[AUTHOR SAYS]

Okay I know there isn't really any Byler yet but I'm trying to do a slowburn... don't worry it's coming!!!