Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Two: Truth Hurts

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Mrs. (L/N) can feel her heart pumping, terrified of how her husband's drinking could possibly connect to their daughter's disappearance. It definitely cannot be good. Mr. (L/N) tries to word what he says as carefully as possible, not wanting to create too much of an uproar, "I remember...she came downstairs with her backpack on, she was going to the Wheeler's. But, she stopped and stared at me. She was surprised. She hadn't seen me like that before," Mr. (L/N) begins to feel even more disgusted by himself, how could he let his daughter's opinion of him sink even lower, how could he let her see him so disoriented? "Everything's a bit fuzzy...I can't remember very well...but, I do remember, I got off the couch..."

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"And he came towards me, but super slowly, like he couldn't balance very good," (Y/N), unlike her father, remembers every detail, "He asked me what I was doing. Why I was staring. And I didn't really know what to say. So, I said that I was going to Mike's and that I didn't mean to stare. I wanted to leave, so I started to walk away," Will stares intently at the girl's shifting eyes, "But, he stood in front of me..."

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"I was just being a huge d*ck. I was giving her a hard time. Asking her what she was looking at," (Y/N)'s mother is filled with anticipation, she just wants her husband to get to the point.

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"He wouldn't let me leave. He kept asking me questions and he was angry. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. And then he..." (Y/N) pauses and recollects herself, she really doesn't want to cry, but she knows it's inevitable, "He started to call me names and say just...a bunch of mean stuff...like," her voice quivers and she feels her eyes collect fresh tears. Will feels deeply sympathetic for the girl to the right of him, he hates to see her upset. Yes, they've both shed tears of fear multiple times because of the situation they're in. However, the tears she sheds now comes from the true pain she's experienced in a place where she's supposed to be safe. With a person who's supposed to protect her. "He called me 'weird' and told me no one likes me...he said I hang out with rejects and that I should try liking something normal...try hanging out with girls...try to look prettier," shallow sobs embed themselves in between her words. She wipes the tears from her eyes before they can fall too far, however they just keep falling. "I know that's the stuff kids usually say to us at school...I'm used to it from them...But to hear it...To hear my dad say it to me...It was different...It hurt way more. I don't know why, it just did," She wipes snot from her nose.

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"I called her names. I was an a*s. She started to cry and I called her a baby. I just...I said some really mean things. And she kept crying. So, I got mad..." (Y/N)'s father inhales, the look on his wife's face makes it clear that what he's already done is bad enough. She isn't going to like the rest of the story.

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"He told me to stop crying...But I couldn't. He...he took me by my wrist and...he brought me outside..." Will feels adrenaline rush through his body and his face goes slightly paler, he dreads his friend's next words.

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"I went into the shed and...I unlocked the gun cabinet..." Mrs. (L/N) feels her heart speed up an unhealthy amount. She had almost completely forgotten about the gun they owned. Her husband had it mainly for business trips where they'd go hunting. That is the only reason he owned it. The thing went untouched in a dusty case most of the time. The thought of something so dangerous in the same setting as her daughter worried her to the core.

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"My dad...he came out of the shed with a gun..." The girl pauses to let out a few deep, echoey sobs. Will's eyes go wide. "I was scared...but I couldn't run...He pointed it at me...And held it there for a long time..."

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"I didn't pull the trigger. I didn't even cock the thing. I just stood there with it pointed there...and after a while I stormed back into the shed to put it back. When I walked out she was gone. That's the last time I saw her," a tear falls from the remorseful man's eye. He puts his head into his hands and his shoulders heave up and down. Mrs. (L/N) sits speechless, her jaw clenched.

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It's (Y/N)'s turn to break down, again. She slouches and sobs heavily, her vision is fully obstructed by her tears. Will's eyes are also glossed over. He's upset that she even had that terrifying encounter in the first place, but for that to possibly be her last encounter with a parent. That's heartbreaking. Will guides the girl to him, letting her know it's okay that she uses him for comfort. She quickly wraps her arms around his neck and lets her tears soak his shoulder. He embraces (Y/N) back whispering soothing words to her, doing his best to help her feel okay again. That's all he wants. He wants them to both feel okay again. Okay and safe. Is that so much to ask?

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Mrs. (L/N) exhales sharply. She runs her hands through her hair and stands up, the chair scraping against the floor as she does so. Without saying a word the fuming woman storms out of the kitchen and finds herself in her daughter's room.
She walks carefully through it, making sure not to disturb a single thing. She examines framed pictures on (Y/N)'s shelf. One photograph shows her daughter and her close friends holding a trophy they won at a science fair. She'd been very proud watching her daughter earn the award. Seeing her (Y/N) grin ear to ear is the one thing she treasures the most. It sounds cheesy, but it's true. She's taken care of (Y/N) her whole life. She's tried to keep (Y/N) on the right path morally and she's given her all in raising the young girl. Really she thought she'd done an acceptable job. (Y/N)'s mother frowns at the fact that she'd done everything to help her child, the most important thing in the world to her, only to have her husband ruin everything.
Mrs. (L/N) sits neatly on her daughter's disheveled bed, the mother hasn't touched it since (Y/N) went missing. The woman touches the smooth fabric of the comforter and is drawn into a messy sob. Her head falls to her hands. The reality of never seeing her daughter again is all too much. Everything is all too much. She just wants to see her again, to hug her again. She just wants (Y/N) back. And she'll do absolutely anything to make that happen. Anything.

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Hi! I hope everyone is doing well! Thank you all so much for all of the reads and kind comments. I'm so glad you're enjoying my story♥︎ This is just a reminder to always use gun safety. If you're feeling lost talk to someone. Even if you feel like you don't have a single person to talk to, there's always someone willing to listen♥︎ Stay safe and healthy ~WoodCeiling♥︎

*THE CHARACTERS, THEME, AND SOME DIALOGUE BELONG TO STRANGER THINGS AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS*