Flower Boy ||Will Byers X OC||

Leaf

It's not perfect. But I'm really tired right now. And I can't... Like... Even the leaf lol. First thing that isn't the actual picture in the book. Might change that, might not. It's pretty sha and I'll forget all about this soon enough. I just need sleep, yeah? So it'll have to do, it'll all have to do. G'bye 👋🏾

For some reason, Parker doesn't see Will at lunch. So he decides to go look for him, walking past Mike on the way. The Wheeler boy sends him a glare that he returns with the smallest smirk, then he suddenly freezes when he sees Will at the end of the hall, looking ethereal as always. Mike also seems a bit stunned behind him and when Will glances in their direction, his eyes widen in fear at both and Parker can't help but feel confused.

What's he possible done to deserve that look? He thought they'd had a nice day before, on that hill. Screaming their lungs out like maniacs. Will manages to bring out sides of his true self he didn't even know existed without trying. And he gets that he might have gotten into a spot of trouble with his parents but was it truly that bad that he couldn't even look at him? That he'd avoided lunch with him, probably on purpose?

It makes Parker feel deeply anxious and out of control. Completely disinterested in spiralling, he walks straight up to Will who dodges into his classroom, then slips in there as well. The students there give him some looks, not that he gives a damn or even notices. All he can think of is sorting things out with his only friend. His ghost buddy.

"Hey, stranger. I'm pretty sure you beat me in that competition of ours but it's all good."

"Ooh... What competition?" Max mumbles, butting into their conversation without a care in the world. Parker tries to hide his irritation at momentarily losing Will's attention to some girl, forcing himself to stop being so weird for a second.

"Oh, nothing. Just a game." He sends her a signature charming smile and she smiles a bit more while Will can tell it's fake from the very get-go, wondering what could possibly be upsetting him.

"Well whatever, he might be good but no one could ever beat Mad Max at the arcade!" Lucas chips in from behind them. It seems the whole gang is here. He should have just dragged Will away from the room entirely but it was too late for that now. A teacher walks in just as Dustin says "I can totally make her eat my dust though, get it?" while some of their mates giggle secretively, glancing at Parker.

At this rate, he's going to get caught soon but there isn't all that much else to be expected. Will feels sort of happy to be with his friends for a while but then Mike and Jane appear at the door and he remembers how alone he began to feel around them recently. It silently gnaws at him and he realises that, with this new rule, loneliness is all he's going to have now. Maybe he deserves it for all the stress he causes people. He'd caused so much drama by being kidnapped, then falling gravely ill. He should have just died back then-

"Will? Hey, sweets, where did you go?"

"Hmm? Nowhere."

"Anywhere but here, I'm guessing?"

"Parker, you aren't in this grade. You should leave before something happens, I don't want you getting in trouble like I did."

"There's no one alive who cares enough to scold me, Willy, only you. Feel free to do so now, I'm just happy you're acknowledging I exist. You kinda made me feel like a ghost again, earlier. And I... Well, I thought we were supposed to be that together."

"Parker, I-"

"Excuse me? Would you like to share your conversation with the class since you couldn't afford to find your seat all this while?"

"Err... Sorry, mister, be out of your hair soon. Well..." Parker takes a second glance at his shining head and clears his throat, looking to the ceiling as he wills himself not to laugh. "Yeah, sure, your hair."