Word Count: 3,007
In the year 1990, life was good. Will Byers and his friends had trauma that would take at least another decade of therapy to even remotely heal, but life was going smooth enough that the path to healing was wide open.
Part of the healing process for everyone was properly coming to terms with the fact that paranormal things were very real. Even though everyone had experienced the Upside Down and seen it with their own eyes, it still felt like a distant nightmare at times. Everyone believed them, now, but that didn't change the fact that it still sounded crazy.
Nancy, now 23 years old and a successful reporter, had caught wind of something interesting. Some kids in a small town in Maine had reported supernatural happenings two years ago, and nobody believed them. People who knew them said they were off, weird, eccentric. Apparently they called themselves the "Losers Club," and were often seen walking the streets covered in dirt, soaked with river water, splashed with mud, riding their bikes too fast, often bleeding, singing, laughing, screaming for reasons nobody else was privy to. Nancy looked into it. All she could find were small town reporters like herself, from Derry, who had interviewed these kids in hopes of getting the next big story.
"Guys, my mom got a phone call from some chick named Nancy Wheeler who thinks we're cool," Richie said excitedly, bounding up to his friends, "She's from Indiana and says she can drive up here to interview us. She's legit, and she says she believes us! But she says we all have to agree before she makes that drive."
"Sounds like another stupid ass grown up that wants to make us look crazy," Stan brushed it off easily.
"Nobody believes us. I'm saying no," Mike shook his head.
"Well, you don't know that. I saw a lot of papers from Indiana, a town called Hawkins, a few years ago. I know Nancy Wheeler, she wrote a lot of stuff about this supposed place called the Upside Down. She said a bunch of things like Dungeons and Dragons monsters had basically come to life. She said there's a parallel universe to ours that's exactly like our world, but it's infested with monsters or something. A lot of people she interviewed, including a chief of police, vouched for every word she said," Ben weighed in, "I'd love to talk to her."
"Can you bring us s-so-some of the p-p-p- the n-newspapers, so we can read them for ours-ourselves?" Bill asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Yeah! I have a box of them somewhere, I'll bring it to the clubhouse later today," Ben agreed.
"They said yes! All of them! Granted, they're like thirteen, but they know I believe them, and they're willing to talk. Kind of. I'm driving to Maine this weekend. It's gonna take a whole day to get there, but that's worth it, to me. If you and your friends wanna come, I think talking to these kids might help both parties," Nancy said excitedly, running into Mike's room.
"Yeah, I talked to my friends about it, they said yes already. I'll pack," Mike agreed.
"Looks like you're already packed," Nancy observed. Mike's room was half packed into moving boxes. He was 19 now, and packing to leave for college in a month.
"Yeah. Can't wait to go, I outgrew this room forever ago," Mike sighed. He picked up his walkie talkie and extended the antenna.
"Mike to Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Elle, it's a go. Lucas, are you still willing to drive? Over," Mike said into the microphone.
"Lucas to Mike, I can go whenever. When are we leaving? Over," Lucas replied.
"This Saturday, over," Mike replied.
"Dustin to Lucas, I will be at your house later today to put water and snacks in your car. Over," Dustin chimed in.
"Nancy to all," Nancy picked up the walkie talkie, "Will can bring Jonathan if he wants to. I'm bringing Steve, Robin, and Eddie. Over."
"Tell Eddie to bring his Dungeons and Dragons stuff for the car ride, over" Dustin added.
"Jonathan says yes, over," Will said.
"Great. There are seven kids in Derry, they're in middle school, I think. Do what this information what you will. Over and out," Mike concluded, and pushed the antenna back down.
"Hi, are you the Losers Club?" Nancy asked, approaching a group of kids at the park she had deemed their meeting spot.
"Who's asking?" one of the kids pushed his huge glasses up his nose and crossed his arms. Nancy was stopped in her tracks.
"Woah. You look exactly like my brother. Um, I'm Nancy Wheeler, a reporter from Hawkins, Indiana. I believe it was you that I contacted, Richie, is it?" Nancy introduced herself.
"Yeah! That's me. This is Eddie, Beverly, Bill, Mike, Stan, and Ben," Richie said, pointing respectively to his friends.
"Great. I was hoping maybe I could talk to you one at a time and then as a group?" Nancy asked, "There's an ice cream shop just across the street, my treat."
"I'm first," Richie said, already standing up.
"Great! Let's go. And to the rest of you, my brother and his friends came with me, and they were hoping to talk to you as well. I think you'll have a lot in common. If you see someone who looks like Richie but older with his friends, that's them," Nancy said to the rest of them. Then she walked off with Richie, pen and paper in hand.
"She's pretty, and she seems nice," Beverly observed as she walked off.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm bored already, though. I'm gonna go to the playground," Stan said, and got up. Everyone else seemed to follow.
When Richie got back, Eddie volunteered to be next. He left. Soon after, Richie spotted a group of people headed to the park from the opposite direction.
"Guys, she wasn't kidding. That guy looks exactly like me with longer hair and no glasses," Richie pointed. They all turned and looked.
"And if you were taller. And thinner. And more handsome. And-" Stan interjected.
"Okay, I get it," Richie rolled his eyes.
"Damn. And I thought you were the only one that looked that weird," Beverly smiled.
"Are you guys the Losers Club?" Steve asked as his group approached. They were sort of dispersed, only him, Mike, Eddie, and Lucas approaching the kids.
"The one and only. Nice to meet ya. I notice you have a very handsome group member with you," Richie beelined to Mike and stuck a hand out, "What's your name, Lanky?"
"Mike," Mike replied with a tight-lipped smile, and shook the kid's hand. He was uncomfortable, to say the least.
"Oh, we have a Mike, too," Richie pointed to his friend, "Are you Nancy's brother? I'm just gonna call you Lanky so we don't get you two confused."
"Great," Mike W. replied awkwardly, "I guess I can live with that."
"I'm Steve, and this is Lucas, Mike, and Eddie," Steve said, and clapped his friends on the back.
"We also have an Eddie," Stan said, "He's with Nancy right now."
"Huh. I guess there are only so many names in the world," Steve laughed.
"I guess so. You guys are cool," Richie readjusted his glasses.
"Thanks," Steve grinned.
"Alright, I need the next person. Can I talk to Bill?" Nancy asked.
"Sure," Bill said, and got off the swing he was on to walk off with her.
"Are you guys the people that came with Nancy?" Eddie asked the first person he saw.
"Yeah. I'm Will, nice to meet you," Will said, and patted the grass next to him.
"You can sit down, if you want. I've heard a lot about you guys, I think we're pretty similar," Will smiled. Skeptical, Eddie sat down across from Will.
"I don't think so," Eddie said bitterly.
"Why not?" Will asked.
"Everyone says they know what we're going through and what we went through. And I guess everyone goes through hard times, but nobody can possibly know what happened to us," Eddie shrugged and looked away.
"Yeah, I probably can't relate. In my situation, me and my friends, who were only kids, had to fight a supernatural entity all on our own. Nobody believed us, the authorities thought we were crazy, somebody's brother was snatched by a monster, and then other kids started going missing, and we knew we were next. We were constantly getting hurt and presenting proof, but we were still the neighborhood looneys. We saw stuff nobody should have to see, let alone kids, and still we have to deal with the consequences. Our small, middle of nowhere town turned our trauma into local lore and scary stories to tell tourists. Every time we thought we were safe, something else came up and we had to keep fighting. It was exhausting, and sometimes people still come up to us and act like they know us just so they can hear our side of the stories and then run away to make fun of us to their friends," Will said casually, and shrugged, "You're right. We're nothing alike."
Eddie sat up straighter, frowning.
"Okay...maybe our experiences were kind of similar, but that doesn't mean you know me or what I went through," Eddie said defensively.
"I never said I did. But I'd like to, if you wanna talk. It might be helpful to talk to someone who believes you and maybe gets it a little bit," Will offered, and crossed his legs.
"I can't talk about everything. It's not just the supernatural stuff that makes me sound crazy," Eddie crossed his arms.
"I hear that. There were a lot of things I felt I couldn't talk about for a long time. You don't have to say anything you don't want to," Will said.
"Like what about you?" Eddie asked.
"Well, I like Dungeons and Dragons. People thought I was a Satan worshiper when it first came out. I also had a huge crush on someone who wasn't available," Will said as an example.
"Right. So about the crush...how did you get around that?" Eddie asked, fidgeting with the zipper on his fanny pack. Will grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I really liked...we'll call the person Heart. Heart was in love with someone. And it felt wrong for me to like Heart anyway, even if...she had a boyfriend. When she broke up with her boyfriend, I thought maybe I had a chance, but it still felt wrong until she said she liked me back. It took some getting used to, but we're happy now. We're gonna go to college together. I rest easy knowing there's nothing wrong with liking her, and that she likes me back," Will explained partially.
"Oh. So you guys are like...together now?" Eddie asked, still trying to act uninterested.
"Yeah, we are. I'm assuming you've got a similar story?" Will asked.
"I guess you could say that," Eddie mumbled.
"What do they look like?" Will smiled.
"Um. Black-brown hair. Kind of curly. She's really pale, and she has huge brown eyes. Like freakishly big, but it's cute kinda. Cause she's got glasses that make her eyes take up half of her face like a cartoon. She's taller than me, but everyone is, so I guess that's not saying much. She's mean to me, but that's just how she is. I guess I'm pretty mean to her too," Eddie rambled, looking at the ground.
"So does she have a boyfriend?" Will asked.
"No. She likes girls," Eddie blurted, "And the kids at school call me 'girly boy' but it's not the same thing."
"Ahhh, I see. I have a friend like that, her name is Robin. She likes girls. She's here somewhere," Will said.
"And you're cool with it? With...her?" Eddie asked.
"Oh, yeah. I know a few queer folks. They're just like the rest of us, me and my friends don't have a problem with it," Will replied easily. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, and why Eddie was afraid to talk about it.
"Your friends seem cool, too. Who's that?" Will pointed at Richie. They were far away, so Will couldn't make out distinct features, but the kid had brown hair and huge glasses, and he was tall for his age. Eddie turned around, looked, and turned back to Will.
"Oh, that's Richie. He's an asshole. He calls me short and pushes me out of the hammock back at our clubhouse," Eddie said dismissively.
"Mmmhm," Will hummed knowingly, "How long have you known him?"
"A long time. We hang out pretty often, with everyone else," Eddie said, and unzipped his fanny pack. He took out a strip from a photo booth of them all goofing off. He held it out, and Will took it gently. He stared blankly at it, mouth agape.
"How did you do this?" Will asked.
"What do you mean?" Eddie tilted his head to see if something was wrong with the photo.
"This is Mike, when he was younger. I swear," Will looked closer at the photo.
"No, that's Richie. With the glasses and everything," Eddie explained.
"No, I swear. This is Mike when he was younger. This is freaky," Will frowned.
"Well, I've never met your Mike. I only know Mike Hanlon," Eddie scratched his head.
"I guess there's that theory everyone has seven living doppelgängers," Will reasoned, "Richie must be that to Mike."
"Maybe," Eddie said.
"I told you we had some things in common," Will joked.
"Did you ever break your arm?" Eddie asked.
"Uhhh no," Will said.
"Oh," Eddie said, as if maybe he expected a yes.
"Did all your friends forget your birthday?" Will asked.
"No," Eddie looked away.
"Did they put you in a bike basket?" Eddie asked.
"Almost. Did Richie date your sister?" Will asked.
"No, I don't have a sister. He knows that. But he still jokes about fucking my sister. The one I don't have. And my mom. He talks about banging my mom all the time," Eddie said exasperatedly.
"Ummm aren't you like thirteen?" Will asked, a bit disturbed.
"Fourteen," Eddie corrected.
"Mike wasn't even cursing at that age," Will snorted.
"He's been doing this since we were ten," Eddie added.
"Do I need to call the police on him?" Will asked, only half joking.
"No. I could beat him up, if I wanted to," Eddie sniffed.
"He seems a lot taller than you," Will said uncertainly.
"He's used a baseball bat a few times, big deal. He's a twig and a video game addict. He flinches when I use a paddle ball," Eddie scoffed.
"And you're positive we're not talking about Mike?" Will teased.
"I'm positive. Your Mike sounds nice. Richie is a menace. If anyone is like your Mike, it's my Mike. They sound kinda the same," Eddie reasoned.
"Which one is your Mike?" Will asked.
"He's the- oh, I guess he went off with Nancy," Eddie said.
"How about you go introduce me to everyone?" Will proposed.
"Sure," Eddie shrugged, and stood. He brushed himself off and started walking.
"Where's Beverly?" Eddie asked, as he approached.
"She said something about asshole men. She's hanging out with the other broads," Richie said, hanging upside down from the monkey bars. He promptly fell off.
Eddie looked over to the picnic benches. Elle, Max, and Robin sat with Beverly at one of them. They were all in animated conversation.
"So you're Richie?" Will asked, smiling fondly at the kid sitting back up in the bark.
"That's me, the trashmouth Tozier," Richie finger-gunned at him.
"Okay," Will nodded.
Nancy was amazed at what the kids had to offer. They were all very descriptive, and very honest. It was horrifying, what they had to say, but it wasn't much worse than what Nancy had seen with her own eyes. She felt bad for them that they were so young and had already seen so much, but she only hoped the support her and her friends offered would be good for them.
"That's all of it. Thank you all so much for being so open about everything, I will be sure to back you up as much as I can," Nancy said as she returned Stan to the group, "It is the time my friends and I have to check in to our hotel, so we have to go, but it was great talking to you all. Are any of you available to talk tomorrow as a group?"
Everyone slowly nodded and muttered agreements.
"That's great! Same place, same time. I'll bring cookies or something," Nancy said.
"Hey," Mike W. said, as he, Eddie, and Dustin returned from their walk, "We leaving soon?"
"Yeah, we're saying goodbye," Nancy assured.
"Hi," Will smiled at Mike, and walked the rest of the way to him. He leaned in for a kiss, and Mike met him for it. When they pulled away, Mike put his arm around Will, and Will put his in Mike's back pocket. When Will looked back at the kids, he saw two things. He saw Richie grinning, and thinking 'niiiiice' so loud that Will could basically hear it. He also saw Eddie with possibly the most visibly confused expression he had ever seen.
"What about your girlfriend?" Eddie blurted.
"I don't have a girlfriend. Never did," Will said, as if he had no idea what Eddie was talking about. He put his free hand over his heart. Eddie's eyes widened.
"Good luck with yours, though," Will grinned, and looked pointedly at Richie. Eddie blushed and said nothing.
"I will be seeing you all tomorrow," Nancy said, "Bye, you guys."
They all echoed goodbye to her, and the Hawkins group walked back to their cars.
"What was that all about?" Richie asked.
"Nothing," Eddie dismissed.
"Okay, my love," Richie said dramatically. He called Eddie that all the time, referencing the song Eddie, My Love.
For the first time ever, Eddie didn't correct him. He liked the sound of it.