𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛; byler

t w o

"will, this is the waiter's room so basically you can hang here when you're on your break or off hours," max explained, "and that cute one over there is jane hopper." 

jane smiled kindly, setting the cube down. max came to sit by her, leaving will standing in front of them like some sort of a strange job interview.

"jane, will- will, jane," max introduced, and will smiled another painfully awkward smile. he didn't know why he was so awkward, as the girls seemed perfectly comfortable.

"and just a warning, i know she's cute but hands off. she's mine." max added, causing jane to snort.

"what?? you are!" max exclaimed, kissing jane's lips slightly. jane laughed, breaking off the kiss, and then sighed.

"of course i am, but the poor boy hasn't even said anything and you're already telling him off?"

max shrugged, "can't be to careful".

will joined the laugh that followed. 
"don't worry, no danger here," he raised his arm to show off the rainbow bracelet and added, "strictly boys."

the three laughed even harder, and will couldn't even explain the relief that washed over him once again. it wasn't that he had been afraid to tell them- even in his homophobic little town (if you couldn't tell how much he loved it yet) will was out, so it wasn't like he was trying to hide it- but the fact that two minutes at the restaurant and he had met a gay couple was pretty amazing.

it already made him feel like he could be himself.

"i can't, max. see how quick you are to judge?" jane finally said, nudging the redhaired girl. max buried her head in her hands for a few seconds, and when she raised it again her face was slightly red.

"i can't believe it. my radar is usually spot on!" 

will shrugged, smiling. "not your fault, i'm just not wearing the usual sequined rainbow jacket." he joked.

this made the two girls laugh even louder.
"oh my god, you're gonna' fit right in." max added.

will smiled, and started feeling the awkwardness lift. the complete lack of judgment and the fact that he had just made a gay joke instead of having ones thrown at him was incredible. it actually felt like the air was a bit easier to breathe- or maybe that was just ocean's effect.

"so will, what brings you here and when can i see that jacket?" jane finally said as the laughter ceased.

will chuckled slightly. "well, umm, i'm here to try and make enough for college."

"ooo, which one?" jane asked, and will didn't even have to think about it:

"yale".

it was always going to be yale: since will was a kid he knew yale was where he had to go. he always had that dream: being eighteen, studying art in yale.  a pricey dream- and will couldn't really afford to have pricey dreams.

but yale was just something he had to do. he had been saving practically his whole life, and now, at the close of his junior year of high school, it was so close he could almost taste it. early admission application was already sent in, and years of cutting corners and late nights at the arcade would maybe pay off. this summer job should get him to enough, with the financial aid and the help his mom could spare (which wasn't much).

"woah, that's super cool. i really hope you make it!" jane exclaimed, and seemed genuine, "and in any case, i'm really glad you came here! you're staying at the wheeler's, right?"

will nodded, "i think so. they're the owners, right?"

"yeah! and don't worry, they're super nice and their house is really comfortable. i stayed there last summer too!" max interjected, smiling.

"oh, you're not from here?" will asked.

"nah, i wish! found an ad about this and figured why not- and then i fell in love with the place and of course with her (she nudged jane) so i sorta' ended up doing my senior year here- and in the fall we'll both be going to the local college together!" 

will almost audibly went awww. jane and max were so cute it was just a reflex- and he was glad he wasn't the only outsider. 

"that's so cute," he said instead, and jane laughed as she leaned her head against max. 

"thanks! and who knows, maybe you'll find some summer romance- there are some very good looking guys around here." 

will snorted slightly. embarrassing it was, even though he was 17 and about to enter his senior year, will had never had a boyfriend- or even a kiss for that matter. there weren't exactly gay people in hawkins: at least, no out ones.

and besides, he was here for work. here for yale, not the guys.

then, max sighed and got out the chair. "welp, nice as it is to get to know you we should probably open this place up. we should continue this though- go out tonight maybe?" 

will hoped his nod wasn't too eager, but he was so happy he felt like he was floating. maybe some things were going his way today...

"here, get into these and i'll expain everything as we go- it's not that hard. you can leave your bag here." jane instructed as she got up too, pulling a stack of clothes identical to the ones they were wearing from a bag he hadn't noticed on the table and throwing it to him.

"shit, i left the door open!" max suddenly exclaimed, and without waiting for a response she ran out the door, her flip flops echoing even to the small room.

jane sighed, shaking her head. 

" i guess you really can't control who you fall for." she said, before going back to a small smile and turning to him.

"anyways, uniform up!there's a long day ahead of us, especially if you're letting us drag you out after hours."

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟕𝐭𝐡. 𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟑 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.