complicated; byler.

I

Will rushed down the halls, eager to see Mike. It was the first day of school, but the boys had discussed their schedules prior. They both had English as their first period.

His bag was heavy on his back, as if it were slowing him down. His whole body bounced and buzzed with excitement and anticipation.

 
He entered the classroom and spotted his darkhaired friend. A smile spread across Will's face as he went to sit next to Mike.

"Hey!" he greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello," Mike replied, his voice light, as if he weren't paying attention to the blooming conversation. His brown eyes were focused elsewhere. Will nervously tracked his gaze and it landed on a girl he had never seen before.

She had curly hair that made its way down to her shoulders, it seemed to be a light brown with bits of blonde shining throughout. Her skin was pale, while her lips were big and red. She also had brown eyes, but they didnt memorize Will the way Mike's did.

"Huh," Will thought to himself, "weird."

The mysterious girl wore a button up flannel shirt. The first button was left unbutton, revealing what looked like a gray shirt underneath. For bottoms, she had chosen regular blue jeans.

Will didn't understand her appeal, yet most of the kids in the class were staring at her. Sure, it was rare for them to get any new students, but it was the beginning of the year, what else was to be expected?

"So, who's that new girl?" Will asks, nudging Mike's shoulder, "It seems she's captured your attention so much you can't stand to converse with your best friend!" he exclaims dramatically.

Mike ignores him, still entranced by the new student.

"Mikeee," Will continued, his voice dying in his throat. He was probably annoying Mike, and that wouldn't help him be more willing to focus on his friend rather than the girl.

"Hm?" Mike said at last, shaking his head then turning to Will, who had been angrily staring at the wall next to him.

"Who's the new girl? The one you were staring at," Will tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was clearly forced.

"Oh, her? I think her name is Jane. That's what I heard people call her, at least," Mike replies, his gaze leaving Will and returning to Jane.

"Oh," Will whispers, not bothering to try to keep the conversation going. Mike was clearly unwilling.

Truthfully, he wanted to laugh. Of course a girl with a name like Jane would be the one to steal the attention of the school. Of course someone as normal as her would be the one to cause Mike to ignore him.

Soon after their short exchange, the class started. The teacher, Mr. Cadel, called Jane to the front of the class.

"We will all be doing short introductions, but since Jane just moved here she will be going first," he explained.

The class nodded and Jane began her introduction.

"Hello, my name is Jane Hopper. There is not much interesting about me, so I am not sure what I should say."

Jane quickly returned to her seat, walking briskly. One by one, the rest of the class made their way to the front and repeated a short blurb about themselves. Will was too zoned out to notice or care, until, of course, it was Mike's turn. 

"Hey, I'm Mike Wheeler. I, uh, I play D&D," Mike fumbled to find something to say. 

The class burst into giggles and snickers, it was rare for people who liked things like D&D to be treated correctly. 

Mike rolled his eyes, trying to play it cool before going to sit back down at his desk. Next, Will was called up. 

"Hi, I'm Will. I also like D&D," Will smiled over at Mike. Mike returned his grin, yet the class just laughed louder. 

Will sat back down next to Mike and introductions continued. Though Will was meant to focus on his classmates, his eyes were glued to the pale boy next to him. 

Mike felt his gaze, and turned to face his friend. 

The boys made eye contact, and Wills lips began to part in amazement. Mike was just so beautiful. His dark hair that perfectly framed his face, the way his pink lips stood out against his white skin, his deep brown eyes that looked like a forest, filled to the brim with leafless trees whose branches split and allowed bits of sunlight to shine through. Everything. 

Blush crept onto Mike's face as Will stared at him and he stared back. The light rosy color spread from his ears to his cheeks to his nose. 

Will's face colored as well, heat rushing to his cheeks. He smiled quickly and awkwardly before averting his gaze. Mike did the same, though both boys proceeded to stare at each other out of the corner of their eyes. 

The class continued and the two classmates stared at each other on and off.

After class, Mike and Will both exited the classroom. As they walked down the halls a conversation sparked.

"So, what do you think about Jane?" Mike asked.

"I'm not sure, I don't know her," Will shruged, "Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking about how I might try to talk to her. She might want some friends, y'know?" Mike looked down, his face turning pink.

"Oh," Will's voice catches in his throat, his heart sank and jealousy formed in the pit of his stomach. 

"Should I?" Mike looked back up again, his brown eyes shining with excitement.

"Um, yeah, go for it!" Will encouraged, putting his hand onto the other boy's shoulder.

He grinned confidently, "I will then. Today at lunch."

Both boys remained silent until Mike reached his next class. They parted ways in silence, with a simple wave and shared smile.

Will sighed as he contined to make his way to his second block class, science. It was one of his favorite subjects.

He silently hoped it would help brighten up his already shitty day.

He was wrong.

A/N: i have a byler obsession lmao