Byler- The Unwanted Return of Everything (And How It Finally Ends)

Call From a Dead Girl

Will shook his head. He couldn't let Brad get involved. People like him weren't supposed to know about Hawkins. "Nuh-uh. You've gotta stay here. Sorry."

Brad crossed his arms. "What? No. I'm coming with you."

"Brad, I don't need you to-"

"I wasn't asking you," Brad snapped suddenly. It made Will jump slightly, which Brad noticed. He sighed. "Look, Hawkins is kind of dangerous, right? Lots of crime and stuff? I can't have you going there all by yourself. You'll be killed with your physical build. Plus, I need a vacation. I'm coming."

Will huffed. No arguing, then. Brad was coming with him to Hawkins.

Only a few hours later, they boarded the plane. Brad didn't talk to Will as they sat down, as he hadn't through most of the baggage check line and then after. He simply took out a book and started reading it. Will had once described his relationship with Brad like that of a man and a dog. The man houses and feeds the dog, giving him attention and pets only when he feels like it. Other than that, the dog is on its own, to wander the house or lay in its kennel. And then to come back again when the man calls out, deciding he'd like to pet it. It wasn't exactly a bad thing, in Will's mind. He could take care of himself and Brad at least seemed to care about him a little. Enough to go with him to Hawkins. That was really all Will needed. And it was all he could get too. At least Will had a boyfriend. It was kind of a taboo these days. The nineties had been anything but progressive so far, unfortunately. And because of that, Will was just happy he had anything. Brad was the most prominent person in his life right now, and he should be grateful for him.

Still, for some reason, it made him a little uneasy, to go to Hawkins with him. Especially because Mike would see them. Will wasn't sure why he wouldn't want Mike to see them. He was over Mike. He was so over Mike. So why did Will feel like showing up with a boyfriend was a bad thing?

Mike was slightly scared to return to Hawkins. He hadn't spoken to any of his friends in a long time. A stupid decision, really, but he was embarrassed. They couldn't know how horribly Harvard was going. How he hadn't met anyone. How he was made fun of. How he was failing. It was humiliating, and he made it seem like everything was going okay, so they couldn't know the truth.

The call from Max had been unexpected since she was dead. It sure added a little spice to Mike's morning. The call sounded urgent, so he jumped into his car and immediately started driving to the nearest airport, where he bought a one-way ticket to Hawkins, Indiana.

And now he was on a plane, dreading meeting everyone again. They all probably hated him, based on the conversation he had with Will. Will didn't even consider him his best friend anymore, understandably. Mike hadn't tried to maintain their friendship at all. He did think it was a little hypocritical, though. Will accused him of not calling, but Will hadn't really tried to call Mike either, so he wasn't the only one at fault here.

Whoever was to blame, it made Mike's heart break to think that his friendship with Will had dwindled away without him even noticing. He decided the only good thing to blame was Harvard. It sucked away his energy and the relationships he once had. Once, Mike had been a careless young teenager. Now his entire being was built on the lies he told his family and friends about how well Harvard was going, and not wanting to keep up with them.

I love it here! Everyone's so nice! I feel right at home!

Hawkins was the only home Mike would ever have, even if he hated it. He longed for the dangerous adventures of Hawkins during his lectures and long nights of essay-writing. He longed for his friends when nobody at college would talk to him. He even longed for his parents when the teachers gave him another disappointed glare.

I've got a ton of friends. I mean, nobody even cares that I was involved in all the Hawkins stuff. It's like starting a new existence.

Mike was pretty sure no one knew his name. To them, he was 'The Hawkins Guy', and that was about all he was ever referred to (if not 'Wheeler').

Luckily, my studies are going wonderfully. And, yeah! I did pass the test I was worried about!

All the stress. All the lies. It severely impacted Mike's ability to focus on his schoolwork. And now, the boy who used to be a genius was simply mediocre. Barely passing his classes. Failing some. It was a very confusing downfall. Mike had never expected to fall this far from his standing in high school. He'd never expected to earn less than eighty percent on a test. It seemed out of character for him. He hated Harvard. He hated law school. He wanted a literature degree. He wanted to start over.

Overall, he felt relieved to be going back to Hawkins. He was scared of the people he'd meet there, but he was relieved for the place. Maybe he could fix everything and it could go back to being like old times. He wished it were that easy.

The flight was over before Mike knew it. He picked up his suitcase and left the airport, looking for his mother's car. He had called her and said he was coming home and that he needed a ride. Fortunately, she had agreed.

He spotted the car and made his way inside.

"Hi, mom," he said casually. He hoped she wouldn't start up too much conversation.

Karen looked at him in the rear-view mirror. "Hi, Mike. Did you have a good flight?"

Mike's flight had been fine. He didn't do anything besides think the entire time, which wasn't exactly his favorite activity, but still. It had been fine. "It was good, thanks."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it." Karen started navigating her way around the other vehicles at the airport. "You know, I was very surprised when I received that call from you. I hadn't really expected a visit over Spring Break. Thought you'd be too busy with all your fancy Harvard friends."

Mike laughed awkwardly. His fancy Harvard friends weren't real. "Yeah, I just decided to come home. I mean, I missed Hawkins a lot."

"Hard place to miss, no?"

"Not to me." Mike looked out the window. He smiled as he saw the various features of the town come into view. Diners and stores and the library. He wanted to get out of the car and run around, just taking everything in again.

"So, are you coming home first, or do you have somewhere else to be?" Karen asked.

Mike thought about it. "I'll drop my bags off at home, but then I've gotta get over to Jane's. We've got plans."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "You and Jane? I thought you broke up."

Mike groaned. "No, not just us. The others are coming too. The whole party. Dustin and Lucas and Will. It's gonna be a lot of fun." Mike wasn't sure if it was going to be fun. Obviously, something wasn't right. There was a dead girl involved. He shivered at the multitude of possibilities. Something was terribly wrong.