always, clara • w. byers

twenty four | clara!

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If there was one thing Clara Wheeler hated more than interdimensional slimy dog things, it was school
dances.

The dress her mom had insisted on wasn't by any means horrible. In fact, the one Karen had wanted to get for her daughter originally was bright red, and floor length, with sparkles and a big ass bow right in the middle.

"Hey, Mr. Clarke!" Clara smiled, waving slightly as her brother did the same from behind her.

The twins walked into the gym itself at the same time, connecting their eyes to Max, Lucas, and Will who'd already gotten a table for them.

She tries to look away from Will. She really did. It didn't work.

Her cheeks turned a crimson when she saw him look away bashfully, smiling to himself.

"C, you look amazing," Max laughed, glancing towards her dress.

"Thanks! So do you, Max," she smiled politely, moving to stand next to Lucas.

It was then that they all noticed Dustin, who walked in fashionably late.

"Woah! What happened to you!" Max laughed, Clara snorting with her.

"Dustin, you look like a mini Steve Harrington," she laughed, furrowing her brows.

"Is there a bird nesting in there?" Lucas asked, poking the updo.

"No, dipshit," Dustin swore, swatting his friends hand away.

The sudden melodic, slow tempo song that flooded the g made Clara smile slightly. She turned to Lucas, who was visibly nervous, and winked.

"Clara-"

She walked away when his frustrated voice yelled at her, laughing. She now stood beside Mike, watching as Max and Lucas made their way to the dance floor.

"Hey zombie boy, wanna dance?"

Clara snapped her gaze to Tiffany Andrews, one of the many girls who had bullied her in sixth grade.

"I- uh yeah, sure," Will stuttered, glancing to Mike who stared at him in disbelief, and then Clara.

Ah.

So, he didn't like her.

Clara, however much her heart pounded in her chest, smiled slightly, and then the two went to the dance floor.

"Wish me luck." Dustin was next, going to talk to Stacy.

"C, I'm-"

Clara cut her twin off, "it's okay Mike. I'm okay."

Was she, though?

Mike's gaze had strayed from his sister, as Eleven and entered the building looking utterly confused.

"Go to her," Clara smiled, sadly.

Mike nodded quickly, standing up and fixing his shirt before walking over to El.

Clara also stood, walking in the opposite direction towards her sister, who had previously been dancing with Dustin but was now cleaning up the punch area.

"Hey, Nance?"

The older sibling quickly looked over to Clara, furrowing a brow. "Why aren't you dancing?"

Clara shrugged, "I- didn't feel like it."

"I'm going to go wait outside. I'm a little claustrophobic in here," Clara explained, and her sister nodded worriedly, watching the girl as she exited the gym in a hurry.

Once she'd exited the building, Clara sat down on one of the bricks that guarded the bushes before the entrance, staring up at the clear, star filled sky.

"Clara!"

She snapped her gaze to the front door, the boy she definitely didn't expect to see running towards her.

"Will?" she asked curiously, watching as he stopped before her.

"I- I was gonna ask you to dance, but you weren't there and Nancy said you were out here-"

"Yeah," she coughed, "fresh air, I guess."

Will nodded slightly, "Tiffany, she was- kinda rude, and I knew from the start I would much rather be dancing with you because you look really, really pretty and-"

Clara stopped him, smiling."Wanna dance, Will?"

He let out a breath of relief, reaching out and intertwining their hands.

And so, hand in hand they walked into the building, their friends watching from the table as he places his hands gently on to her waist, and she interlocked hers behind his neck.

They weren't awkward, but it certainly wasn't normal either. This was slightly more intimate than anything they'd ever done.

"I'm really glad I got to dance with you, Clara," Will whispered, basically eye to eye with her, as he was hardly an inch taller.

Clara smiled back softly, "me too, Will."

They swayed softly after that, blocking out the rest of the middle schoolers around them. The song, Time After Time, that they'd listened to before only working to make her more remeniscent.

"Hey, Clara?"

She moved her head up to look at him, head tilted.

"Mhm?"

"C-Can I kiss you?"

The question itself took her aback, the Wheeler girl surprised as she pulled away slightly.

"I-I if you don't want to-"

Clara laughed, leaning up and pressing her lips against his in a soft, quick pressure that was there, and then gone after several short seconds.

"Oh," he mumbled, face a shade as red as Clara's.

"Oh," she whispered back.

And in that moment, everything was okay, everything was perfect.

end of part two.

..

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brb my babies are all grown

also, an important message has been posted on my message board so I would go read that:) (12/29/20)