Someone You Loved [Wax]

Chapter 2 - I Remember You

Max tapped her foot impatiently, closing her eyes. She sighed, reopening them and glancing out the window.

"What's got you so jittery?" Billy asked her, glancing over.

"Nothing. Pre-school jitters." Max replied shortly, avoiding his gaze. In truth, she really wanted to see who those other people were. To see if she'd met them before.

Billy didn't respond and simply continued driving in silence. Max could tell that he was slightly worried about her, but she ignored him. There was no reason to worry, really.

Besides, he didn't have to worry about trying to fit in at a new school. One, because he didn't have to go to school, and two, he would probably become the king of any school he was enrolled in. That was just Billy.

But it wasn't Max. She'd always have trouble fitting in, not all frilly like other girls and rather having her knees scuffed up and spending the entire day skateboarding outside than spending hours inside gossiping. It just wasn't her. She'd be 10 times happier skateboarding and hanging out with boys. Heck, her best friend had been a boy. Emphasis on had been.

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The steel-blue Camaro pulled into the parking lot of the high school, Rock You Like A Hurricane playing loudly. Max hopped out of the car and waved to Billy before skating down to the main doors. It surprised Max how packed it was compared to yesterday, people crowding around to get inside. It wasn't like it was the first day either, it was the day before Halloween.

She headed to science, anticipating getting to sit down and put her mind on something else. Instead, she was herded to the front by the teacher Mr. Clarke.

"Dustin—drumroll." He said and a curly-haired kid drummed his fingers on his textbook.

"Introducing the newest person to join us on our curiosity voyage—Maxine!" Mr. Clarke said and the kid, Dustin, stopped his drumroll.

"It's Max." She cut in quickly.

"Hmm?" Mr. Clarke said in confusion.

"Nobody calls me Maxine. It's Max." She explained, her hands in her pockets. It was odd: the girls were muttering things about her like the girls back home did, but the boys just stared.

"Ok then." Mr. Clarke said, sounding uncomfortable. Max grabbed her skateboard and headed to the back of the class, where she sat down in an empty seat with crossed arms and a frown.

She glanced up to see all of the boys—and a shorter-haired girl—quickly turn back to the front. Max stared at the back of the boy's head with the bowl cut. Something about him was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. Not until she actually saw his face better, at least.

Max noticed that he was wearing a puffy red-and-yellow vest, like the one Will used to wear. She remembered that he refused to go around without it, even in the Californian heat. He hadn't been wearing it when he died, but she wished he had been. Maybe it would've served as some sort of life jacket.

Max shook her head to clear her thoughts and tried to focus on the lesson, but found it hard. She found herself staring at the back of his head again, but he didn't glance back. 

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She was skateboarding around the campus when she felt eyes on her. She paused and turned to see the group of boys from her class and that girl again, all staring at her like she was some strange alien.

Max noticed the one with the bowl cut again. It was hard to tell from this distance, but the angle of his face and shape of his large eyes reminded her of Will. She shook it off. It had been a day since the 4-year anniversary of Will's death. No wonder she was trying to find him in everyone and everything she saw.

She leaned on the wall, flipped over a piece of one of her notes, quickly wrote: "Stop spying on me! Creeps!" and tossed it into the trash. Then she went inside, knowing they would check to see what she wrote.

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After school she headed to the arcade, fishing some quarters out of her pocket to play Dig Dug. It was pretty crowded, being the late afternoon after school. Max glanced over to see those boys again.

She decided to say something.

Max strode over to them as they were chatting and crossed her arms, scowling. "Why are you guys following me?" She questioned.

They all turned to look at her in confusion. "Uh, we weren't following you. We just wanted to go to the arcade, and—" the boy Dustin began to ramble but was interrupted by Max. She had ignored what he was saying and was staring directly at Will.

"I remember you." She said, eyes wide. There was no way he could be alive, could he? But here he was, standing right in front of her.

"W-what? How? I've never met you before." Will said, his eyes sparkling with confusion.

Max's mouth dropped open. "What? You don't remember me, Will?"

He blinked, startled. "H-how do you know my name?" He asked, his eyes wide.

She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and her heart dropped right to the floor. Her voice was cold when she spoke. "You're William Byers. 16 years old. Your mom is Joyce, your brother is Jonathan. That's your favorite vest," she

gestured to his vest, "and your character is Will the Wise. He lives in the Castle Byers. You had a dog named Chester, but he died when you were nine. You used to live in California and I was your best friend. Your hair used to be longer and always untamed. You were pulled out to sea by a riptide when we were at the beach together. You slammed into a boulder and died in the hospital not long after."

"All of that is true," Will said slowly, eyes wide, "except for the California stuff. I've always lived in Hawkins, I've never had long and crazy hair, I've never been to the ocean, much less died in it."

"That much is true." Max laughed, her voice going harsh. "Your family lied. That's why they never had a funeral—because you never died. So why don't you remember any of this?" She added quietly.

Will took a step backwards. "I-I don't know how you know all this and why you're making up stuff about my past, but...please don't talk to me again." He said, his eyes wide.

The tall kid squared his skinny shoulders and stepped forward protectively beside Will. "Now I have no idea why you're feeding us these lies, but there is no way that we are going to believe you. Now leave us alone." His dark eyes were narrowed.

Max closed her blue eyes with a brief sigh before reopening them and taking a step backwards, shaking her head. "I can't believe you." She said directly to Will before turning around and grabbing her skateboard. She went to leave, but paused, remembering something.

"Wait. You have a scar down your chest, right?" She said, eyes flashing.

Will turned back around and stared at her. "H-how would you know about that...?" He said quietly. Will's tall friend looked over at him, blinking in confusion.

"It's from when you hit the rock. You started bleeding from your chest. I..." her voice faltered and she swallowed back the spikes in her throat before continuing. "I gave you CPR. You weren't breathing. My brother pulled me off of you, saying you were dead. But then—then you breathed. You were rushed to the hospital."

Will shook his head, looking scared. "I was born dead. I-I was given surgery and brought back to life. Now I don't know why you must be spying on me, but please leave me alone." His voice got quieter as he continued until he was barely whispering.

Max swallowed back tears and looked away, fists clenched. She strode away, board under her arm. Her breathing came in shuddering breaths, visibly shaking.

In truth, she'd be happier if he had died rather than him forgetting her.

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Ooh, it's getting good now! Poor Will, being confronted by a stranger who seems to know everything about him. 

I hope you enjoyed! Please remember that comments and votes give me the motivation needed to continue my fics!