WILL POV-

---- Next day: Saturday 11:23 AM ----

Will sat alone, sprawled over one of the booths in Rink O' Mania; a popular roller-skating rink for children and adults alike. Resting his foot on the cushioned seat beside him the brunette sighed; his stitched leg a painful reminder of the events that put him in that position. He scowled, wishing he could give Troy and James a piece of their own medicine; hopefully, Mike and the rest of the party were able to get that revenge.

"The party..." Will sighed, a frown painting his face wishing they were here. Yes, he only knew them for a limited time, but something about them felt so real; they were tons of fun and cared more than any children his age; oddly strange.

Now, you might ask why Will Byers was all alone in a roller-skating rink on a Saturday morning, and that would be an amazing question, but unfortunately the brunette had little idea. His mother wanted to give both her sons a day out after all the chaos that had ensued; even taking a day off from work so she could spend uninterrupted time with both her boys.

But right now, Will was left all alone, his mother merely a few meters away buying food for the group. She passed a small wave from the line with a bright grin, to which he reciprocated. However, his brother was outside waiting for his 'friend' Argyle; the pair seemed close; very close indeed. The small boy was suspicious about their relationship, but sad as it may be Argyle was also Will's only friend... a bit pathetic if he thought so himself- that his only friend was his brother's (suspected) boyfriend.

The idea of coming to a roller-skating rink was honestly a stupid one. Due to the stitched wound in his thigh, he was told to keep things casual and not to do any extreme sports, which was lucky for the brunette who never really liked partaking in physical activities. But that also meant he was not allowed to go roller skating in fear of the stitches coming undone.

Will leaned against the wall, his leg stretched out on the booth ahead of them. He couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over him feeling isolated and alone. Watching from afar as other groups of children his age had a great time allowing his frown to only grow more.

Turing his head back, his eyes widened hiding his face away as two boys approached... Josh and Martin: his bullies. With everything going on with the dimension hopping, the brunette forgot they even existed; they just weren't that important to him... like at all!

"Hey Zombie Boy!" Martin sneered,

Will rolled his eyes knowing this was the best they could do. If he could survive two weeks in a mysterious dimension and fall off a building as well as avoiding two murder attempts, this was a piece of cake. But showing no emotion would be his downfall as his bullies exchanged a look, outraged by the lack of a reaction.

Suddenly, Josh slammed his hand down on the table alerting the attention from neighbouring booths. Although the place bustled with noise and music blasted from every speaker, the sound remained distinct, "Hey Zombie boy! Answer us when we are talking to you!" domineeringly grinning a ghastly smile.

But before either bully could say another word, a voice flowing with authority filled the air, "Hey, what's going on here!" Will recognised the girl; it was Nancy Wheeler, a strong-willed and compassionate girl. Beside her, the prior King of Lenora High himself: Steve Harrington. The pair used to date; deemed the schools 'it' couple as well as voted last year's prom King and Queen, but mysteriously broke up one day and no one knew why. Where they back together?

"Uh... N-Nancy?" Josh turned a bright red, everyone in school knew he used to follow her around like a lost puppy during his freshman year. She showed no interest in him; not even entertaining the idea, as on multiple occasions breaking the news nicely to him.

"What we're you doing to Will?" The strong-willed girl furrowed her brows

"You know Zombie Boy?" Martin asked, knowing the brunette had no friends, let alone two of the most popular people in the school.

"Zombie Boy?" Steve questioned, crossing his arms; he wasn't a scary guy by any means, but his popularity gave him a terrifying public image, as his commanding presence instantly unsettled the bullies.

"I mean Will is our friend... Yeah our friend!" Josh nervously giggled

"Just go away Josh!" Nancy sighed, rolling her eyes

Seeing the bullies retreat back to their friends Will felt relieved, not knowing how to diffuse the situation if it continued.

The girl turned to face him, "You okay, Will?" Nancy added with concern.

The brunette nodded, "You know my name?"

"Everyone knows your name!" A girl around the same age as Steve and Nancy appeared wearing a bright smile on her face. Multitudes of punk Jewlery adorned her arms, she seemed cool; extremely cool.

"Robin!" Nancy hissed nudging her side knowing that it wasn't best to remind someone how famous they had gotten because of their disappearance.

"And who are you?" Will questioned

"I'm Robin, Nancy's girlfriend!" pointing over at her.

"That's a secret!" The strong-willed girl reprimanded

"Oh... I mean not Nancy's girlfriend!" The blue-eyed girl stood stiff waving her arms around.

"Hi 'Not Nancy's girlfriend'!" The brunette repeated, chuckling.

"I like this one!" Robin smirked toward Steve, sliding into the booth beside Will and batting his feet away so she could sit comfortably. Nancy and Steve sat on the opposing seats, completing the circle of support. His side of the table was quiet as the other side erupted with laughter; Nancy and Steve, although being in a prior relationship still seemed like the best of friends, Will smiled watching their interaction but pulled out as the girl by his side spoke.

"Hey Byers, right?" She started upon seeing the boy nod, "So, where's all your mates, then?"

"Robin!" Steve reprimanded

"Oh, come on! It would only be so long until we could go avoiding the question!" The blue-eyed girl threw her hands in the air, "I could hear the man behind me breathing!"

"HEY!" The old man called, his wrinkly skin sagging.

"Well maybe you should breathe quieter Gerald!" She remarked

"My name is Francis!" The old man answered back, his voice horse

"Okay Gerald!" Robin completely dismissed the notion

"You know Will..." Nancy began talking staring a death look at her girlfriend in hopes she wouldn't be interrupted again. "I have a brother... Micheal, he umm... He went missing last year, before you did!" she began, her voice wavering as Steve placed a hand on her back, soothing her nerves, while Robin stretched a hand over the table to hold hands comfortingly, "So I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you're actually the same age as him surprisingly." Laughing the last word. "When I saw your name on the news and how you got found, it... filled me with hope!"

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother!" The brunette frowned, compassion filling him, hoping he could help just as she helped him in his time of need.

"It's fine..." The strong-willed girl choked, putting on a brave face while she was talking, the brunette could tell she was hurt, it was evident to feel that way in this type of situation. "It was a long time ago... I guess we shouldn't dwell on the pass too much!"

"I know but... if you ever want to talk to me... you can!" Will softly smiled

"Thanks, Will!" Nancy passed a look of understanding over

"Hey don't try and steal my girlfriend away from me!" The blue-eyed girl pouted

"Oh, don't worry about that... I'm gay!" The small boy confidently proclaimed.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you" The blue-eyed girl smiled, "Robin Buckley: Lesbian, at your service!"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Will Byers; Gay!" The brunette chuckled back

"Maybe in a different universe we could've like fought crime as a duo!" She suggested, wiggling her shoulders.

"Or maybe we're the ones that cause it!" Will had a better idea, unable to contain himself

"I thought I was your crime fighting sidekick!" Steve pouted, crossing his arms

"Sorry little Stevie, but Will here is now under my wing!" She excitedly chirped... "I'm Batman and he's like a little Robin"

"But your name is Robin!" The funky boy deadpanned.

"Thats just a minor technicality!" Robin joked.

Suddenly Jonathon rushed to the booth alone, confusing the brunette who thought he was waiting for Argyle,

"What are you guys doing here?" Jonathan pointed at the older teens, but shook his head with more pressing issues

"Never mind that!" His brother panted heavily, "When I was waiting outside, these kids in school uniforms came running up to me shouting, 'Will! Will!' and I thought they were playing some prank or something, but I found out they were talking about you Will!"

Everyone at the table exchanged a glance confused, allowing Johnathan to continue his story, "They were all muddy and dirty; they looked like they've been rolling around in a swamp and I couldn't make much sense of it, but they said they need to talk to you Will!"

"Johnathan... How do I say this in a nice way?" the brunette sucked the air through his teeth, "Are you- Are you high?"

"I'm never high!" His brother exclaimed, "Now just follow me!"

"Okay... fine!" Will got out his seat scooting pass Robin to the entrance, "Where are they? Did you leave them outside alone?"

"Argyle's talking to them!" Jonathan smiled

"Oh no" The brunette panicked

"Argyle isn't that bad!" His brother argued

"He tried to sell me a blunt last time!" Will deadpanned

"He's just got that Entrepreneurial spirit" Jonathan shrugged

"He's got something alright..." Will rolled his eyes, and without wasting a moment the doors of the roller-rink opened. His eyes widening upon seeing the students... his friends; the friends he thought he lost forever. The nervousness and anticipation overwhelming him; rubbing his eyes to ensure what he was seeing was indeed the truth... He must actually be going crazy- this isn't normal person behaviour, but as clear as day, he saw them all: 

Mike, Lucas, El, Dustin and Max! 

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1763 Words

There is a line that hints the next book I'll make... can you spot it?

Stay Safe <3