Human [Jonathan Byers]

Chapter 7:

I opened the front door and walked in.

"Mom?" I called closing the door behind me.

When she didn't answer I walked into the living room to see her staring at the television.

"Mom?" I asked putting my bag down on the ground.

She looked up at me and stood up from her chair.

"I'm so sorry." She shook her head and walked over to me.

She pulled me into a hug.

"What are you on about?" I asked worried and confused.

"They found Will's body in the quarry."

I looked at her in disbelief. "No."

"I'm so sorry." She looked at me heartbroken.

My heart shattered. Will can't be dead, he just can't. I shook my head and took off out the door.

"Lee!" My mom called after me.

I ignored her and ran until I fell to the ground. Sitting on the ground, I started crying. Between my sisters and Barb disappearing and Will's body being found everything seemed like it was falling apart.

"Lee!" My mom screamed.

I looked up to see her looking at me.

"Lee."

Her voice came out in a tone of heartbreak. She ran over to me and pulled me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her and she rubbed my back.

"Mom." I cried.

"Shh." She whispered while continuing to rub my back.

'It's okay." She muttered. "It's okay."

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I woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast. Rolling out of bed, I made my way downstairs to see my mom cooking.

"Anything on Angel and Lori?" I asked.

She turned to look at me. "Hey sweetie."

"What's this?" I asked looking at all the food.

"I was thinking. Maybe you could skip school today and take a break? With the twins going missing and Will's body being found, I figured you needed one." She was now looking back at the pan.

A small smile formed on my lips. "I can't. I'll be behind on school work."

She sighed and walked over to me after turning the stove off and moving the pan off the burner.

"I know you're worried about everything but you shouldn't have this kind of weight on your shoulders, especially at your age." She looked at me concerned.

"Mom..." I started but she cut me off.

She put her hands on my shoulder. "Skip school. You need it."

I slowly nodded and she smiled in truimph.

"Go ahead and grab yourself some food. I don't think you've eaten anything in a while." She gestured to the variety of food on the counter.

I agreed and grabbed a plate, filling it with pancakes and bacon. After I sat down my mom joined me and had a plate of her own. We ate in silence.

"So anything new you want to tell me about?" Mom finally spoke.

I shook my head.

"Oh come on. Right now I'm your best friend, not your mother." She pushed.

I looked at her and she was looking at me like she knew I was going to cave.