Grace slammed the door shut and and fell to the floor, grinning. Had she really just done that for the second time? He stomach was fluttering and her breathing was limited from the rush of the situation but nonetheless she continued to grin like the Cheshire Cat.
She got up and looked out through the glass window at the top on her door. The girl was balancing herself on her toes to try and get a good look at Mike leaving.
However, he wasn't in any rush.
Grace could see clearly that the Wheeler boy had bright red cheeks. He was still holding his right cheek with his hand, smiling a bashful smile with a sparkle in his eyes - a look of hope
He was smiling. Which means he liked her kiss. Or maybe he was laughing at her?
Everytime she looked at him the odd feeling of nervousness and fluttering grew stronger and stronger and she hated it. She hated that she loved looking at him, she wished she could look at him more infact. She knew she had a crush on him, she had admitted to her self - hell she had even admitted it to El - so why was it so hard to just say she liked him? From the way he acted around her she occasionally got a breeze of an idea that he might like her too. He'd never really seriously denied not liking her, but only because she had never really seriously asked him.
Why couldn't she just get the guts and do it? In theory it wasn't that hard.
Apart from the fact that if he rejected her everything would be awkward and gross and he'd probably never speak to her again because ew no.
But really, right now she didn't need to know if Mike liked her or not (even though she'd REALLY love to know so the weird feeling can stop), she needed to find Will and she needed to protect Eleven. They were her main priorities right now.
Mike eventually looked up and if he had been 3 seconds earlier he would've seen the top of his crush's head peeking out through the misty window trying to catch a peek at his reaction to her outburst. Getting out the Knightwood's driveway, he picked up his pace and walked home, still smiling to himself.
"I'm home!" Grace announced. She could hear her mother rummaging around in the kitchen. Lizzy quickly came into view afterwards and held her daughter tightly again. It had only been about 2 hours and a half since she last saw her and yet her mother acted as if she hadn't seen her in a week. Grace could feel her mother's tears soaking through the velvet fabric of her dress, her shoulder was damp but she didn't mind at all. Infact, the girl started to cry too. She cried harder than she ever had in her whole life, well maybe not as hard as when she thought she saw Will's body. After everything that had been happening she really needed it. Even when she saw Joyce she never truly got a release, a chance to be comforted and protected against the harsh reality even for a minute.
It was Lizzy who let go first. She looked at her daughter with so much sadness and pity and desperation that made her feel so sad. The eyes were the window to the soul and Grace could peer in and look at all the heartbreak that had affected her mother for the past week. Like her daughter, Lizzy could cover it up but Grace could see through it all.
"Do you want me to make you anything to eat? Your school let me come home early." Her mother asked, stroking her middle child's cheek with her thumb. She used to do it when Grace was sad.
"Uh sure, just a sandwich or something." She replied, drying her tears and slightly smiling. Her mother nodded and returned a smile and hurried back into the kitchen. The girl curiously followed her mom and began to talk. "We're going to Will's funeral tomorrow, right?" Lizzy softly nodded. "We're going alright. It's the least we can do. For Jon. For Joyce." She paused and irritatedly shook before continuing. "For Lonnie." Grace's eyes widened.
"Lonnie?" She couldn't stand the man. Even more than that - she hated him. The things he used to call Will were so despicable. Grace knew the only person that hated him more than her was her mother. Lizzy despised the man for abandoning her best friend and his sons. She didn't consider him to be a father. He didn't deserve that title.
"He'll be there tomorrow. He's with Joyce right now. I tried to visit her but.. he wouldn't let me in. Dad'll be home early tonight. He was so reluctant to even go to work today but I made him go. He'll be off tomorrow too." She was rambling on, clearly frustrated by being rejected to see Joyce. "Mom." She held her mother's wrist. She was furiously spreading butter on the piece of bread that was meant for Grace's sandwich but now had a hole through it. She scoffed after realising she had unwittingly attacked the slice of bread.
"How about we go out for ice cream?" She smiled.
------
The whole trip to the ice cream parlour was fun and distracting. They'd talked about the most random stuff and Grace had finally felt truly happy for once in the week. Like a weight had been lifted of her shoulders. Her mom always knew how to cheer her up.
Eventually, they had to leave. Tabitha was due to be dropped of at home by her supervisor who helped her at school and Delancey would be finished school an hour after that. Tabby practically tackled her as soon as she saw her older sister standing in the stairway of their house. She hugged the girl back with a giggle.
"I'm sorry Will died." Tabby signed, her heart hurt. Her sister loved Will like an older brother just like how Delancey loved him like a little brother.
Speaking of Delancey, the older girl came through the door a long while later and immediately found her little sisters in the family room playing board games to distract themselves from the impending funeral. "Hey kiddos, I'm home." She kissed her youngest sister's cheek to alert Tabby of her presence, to which she smiled and continued to play the game with Grace. When she turned around, Grace could tell that she wasn't the only Knightwood sister that was hurt about loosing someone.
Barb was gone. Her parents had been worried sick, they had called Mrs Knightwood to make sure their daughter wasn't staying with Lance and had forgotten to inform them. "I-uh-met Jon today. Well - me and Nance met Jon today." She corrected herself. Grace's face lit up. She hadn't seen him for the entire past week. Delancey was friends with Jon but there was a teenage awkwardness that brewed between them that prevented them from being as close as they used to be.
"What'd he say?" Delancey hesitated for a moment before answering. Should she tell Grace about the picture they'd found? The picture of Barb and the faceless monster? The kid was already traumatized enough, she didn't need this. "Oh, we were just talking about the funeral. Helping him plan stuff out. He asked for you guys." Grace, honestly, couldn't wait to see Jonathan. He really was like the older brother she never had. Deep down she had always hoped that Lance would've dated Jon but then she didn't want to force a relationship onto her sister that didn't exist.
They'd been awkward the past year, she'd went from accompanying him to photography locations to giving him brief smiles in the hallway. She was popular, he wasn't. It was just teenage bullshit designed to segregate the little guy and give assholes with egos an ever bigger excuse to act like assholes. The police had interrogated her and Nance. Nancy even had her mom with her. They were allowed to go home early but she decided to go to the Wheeler household knowing her mother would probably be at the middle school. Then they pieced the photo Nancy found after Steve broke Jon's camera.
She internally groaned. She liked Steve, but he was seeing Nancy. She knew her friendship with Nancy was more important than a stupid crush. When he broke Jon's camera she didn't know how to feel. Sure, it was a massive dick move. Lance knew how much he loved photography but, he did take creepy pictures of her and Nancy. Then again, the pictures of Barb did prove that they saw something at Steve's house yesterday.
"Police came to the school questioning us about Barb, they were total dicks." Grace giggled but glanced at Tabby to make sure she hadn't lip-read what Lance had said.
Their father came home a while later and was greeted by all three of his daughters tackling him with a hug. He let out his signature chuckle and Grace had never felt happier to be hugging her dad. He locked eyes with his wife who'd joined in playing the board game with the girls. She had emerged from the livingroom door, Richard hadn't seen her since yesterday and had only talked to her over the phone this morning. As soon as his kids let go, he speedily walked to his grieving wife and held her. Rich knew how much she cared for that little boy, he was like a son to both of the Knightwood patriarchs.
Grace could see their mouths moving but they were far too quiet for her to hear them. She could see the tears brimming both of their eyes as they mourned the fake dead body of their best friend's son. She felt terrible for not telling them, but as soon as Will was back and everything was back to normal she'd know it was worth it.
"Hows about we all go out for dinner tonight? We can go to the pizza place downtown? My treat." Delancey answered that question by grabbing her light pink coat. "I'll be in the car." She quickly said before leaving through the door Rich had entered the house using moments before. Tabby started laughing, which triggered a massive laughter chain through out the house.
------
The night was pleasant. The depressing atmosphere of knowing they were attending Will's funeral the next day was replaced with happiness and the smell of fresh pizza. As soon as she got home, she crashed onto her bed. Forgetting to set her alarm, she was woken up the next morning by gentle shaking courtesy of Delancey. "Morning." She smiled. It wasn't a positive smile, it was a, 'I'm going to a child I considered to be a little brother's funeral' smile, which was as macabre as ever.
There was a dreariness that loomed on the household that contrasted with the warmth and laughter of the night before.
Her dress was simple and pure black. Her mother had fawned over the small details but really it was the last thing on her mind. Lizzy's plan was to keep a close watch over Joyce during the ceremony and reception.
She didn't trust Lonnie what so ever, ever since she went to school with him she hated his guts. Actually, no that was a lie. It started with her having a weird crush on him (that she found totally revolting, looking back) after he started dating Joyce she obviously backed off. But from that she realised how much an utter dick he was. He was controlling and impulsive and she wanted him as far away from her and her best friend as possible.
The family had eaten breakfast in utter silence, even her father was quiet as Lizzy fumbled with his bowtie. Tabby somehow seemed the saddest of the bunch.
She'd never really experienced death before. Even when their grandmother died, she was far too young for it to impact her like it did with Grace and Delancey.
Grace finished sorting her hair and dress when she heard a soft sniffling coming from the livingroom. She timidly opened the door to find Tabitha clutching a few drawings Will had done for her and sobbing. Tabby always liked watching Will draw, she was never really good at it herself so Will offered to teach her. She'd always mess up but Will was patient and calm and she liked that too.
Grace put a hand on her sisters shoulder to show her she was there. Tabitha didn't stop crying. With tear filled eyes she looked up at the sister. "I'm so sad. I miss him. I want him to come home." She signed frantically. The sounds of her desperate crying hurt Grace. Her sister didn't deserve to be like this.
Slowly, she sat beside her on the beige loveseat. "Do you want me to tell you a secret?" Grace hesitantly signed. Tabby nodded and loosened her death grip on the piles of paper. "He will come home soon. I promise you." Tabby stopped crying and wiped the tears from her eyes. She stared at her sister for a second, waiting for her to burst out laughing and tell her it's all a joke. Waiting for Grace to tell her not to be a baby and that Will was never going to come back and draw or play with her ever again.
But Grace never laughed.
She kissed the temple of her sister's head and looked her in the eyes.
"I love you." She signed. Tabby nodded and slowly smiled. "I love you too." She sloppily signed back, trusting her sister.
They were interrupted by Lance coming into the livingroom. "C'mon, it's time." She gestured to the door. Grace held her little sister's hand and didn't let go until they reached the graveyard. She noticed many faces but most of all she noticed that Chief Hopper wasn't among them. From what she knew, he was friends with her mom and dad back when they were kids. He had a family but something bad happened and he moved back here. Her parents never told her what happened exactly.
The first familiar face was Jon. She ran over to him and practically tackled him. "I've missed you so much." He chuckled somberly. "It's been a week since I last saw you, Gracie." She let go and looked at him. "And?" He rolled his eyes and hugged the girl again. He wanted to have a break down but right now he had to stay strong for everyone. They were interrupted by a loud cough.
It was Delancey.
Jonathan's face kinda lit up when he saw her. It was as if all social barriers had been lifted and they were on the same level, grieving for Will. He hugged her just like he had hugged Grace only there was a certain intimate factor to it. Like they'd been expecting to see each other in a charmingly awkward way. "Hey." She mumbled into his shoulder. "Hey." He mumbled back. They let go of each other and secretly inspected one another. "Hm, you look nice." She mentioned, trying to play it off casually. He blushed. "Thanks, you look really nice." He replied, they were too shy to meet each others eyes. Grace rolled her eyes and went to look for Joyce.
From the corner of her eye she saw her mother and Joyce hugging each other. Joyce seemed shaky and on edge, as you would be if your son had 'died'. Deciding she'd leave meeting Joyce until later, she searched for her
She saw Lucas and his family and she smiled and waved. He did the same back and met each other halfway. "Have you seen the others?" He shook his head. "They aren't here yet, only us." She nodded and they went and sat on a small stone seating slab. The duo looked at where Will's grave was, the polished wooden casket was closed but hadn't been lowered yet.
"Do you really think he's gonna come back?" Lucas asked. He was hopeful but was in a constant battle with the pessimistic side of himself. Sometimes he'd thought about what it would be like when Will came back. What would they tell him? Would he be safe? Grace paused. "Yes." She simply answered in a monotone voice. "I miss him." He admitted. She felt like crying. "Me too." They sat there on that slab staring out past the graves. Grace turned to Lucas and hugged him. They were best friends but this act wasn't particularly familiar for both of them. He hugged back, remembering her reaction to seeing Will's body was heartbreaking. He almost thought she was gonna cry so much that even she'd turn to water herself.
They were interrupted by hearing Dustin's voice in the distance, accompanied by his mother and father. The Hendersons' were a pleasant bunch, so were the Sinclairs', Grace liked both of their families alot. In fact, Lucas's little sister was friends with Tabby and was learning sign language to keep up with her.
And then the Wheelers' arrived and the gang were together. Even Will was there, kinda.
Mike and Grace gave each other comforting smiles before getting guided to where they'd be standing. Jon, Lonnie and Joyce were sitting beside the coffin. The pastor started to drone on and Grace phased out as usual.
Lizzy had a firm, comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder and all Grace could think about was how Will wasn't dead. She wanted to scream it from the rooftops and dance over his 'grave' but she'd probably get thrown in the nuthouse over in Kerley County.
Next to Lizzy was Karen, who watched over the four kids. A few other classmates were present, which was surprising seeing as the group were seen as partial outcasts. Dustin heard a soft sniffling coming from his right hand side and saw Jennifer Hayes, a girl in their class that they jokingly teased Will for having a crush on (even though they didn't really know if he did or not) softly crying.
The boy nudged Mike and Lucas on the arm and managed to catch the attention of Grace aswell, who was standing beside Mike. "Wait 'til we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral." He said, amused. They were interrupted by Karen who ushered them to be quiet with a 'shhh'.
Grace could see she was upset too.
Eventually the ceremony ended and Grace let out a sigh. Joyce looked uncomfortable and was in a daze staring at her son's casket. Grace's first reaction was to go and hug her.
The woman looked surprised at first but when she realised the familiarity of the child she hugged back. "Hey Gracie. How are you holding up?" Grace let go and raised a brow. "I think it should be the other way round. How are you?" Joyce shrugged and went back to staring.
"I never really got to thank you for supporting Will. You really were his best friend." Grace smiled slightly. She missed him so much. "You don't have to thank me, that's what friends are for." She had joined in Joyce's current activity and was wondering what was inside. A fake body perhaps? What if it was just empty?
"I was there when they found the body." Grace mumbled. "It was horrible." She continued. Joyce looked at the girl with sympathy. No child should have to see the dead waterlogged 'body' of their best friend - almost sibling - being pulled out of a lake after hoping and praying he'd come back safe. "Sometimes it's like he's still here though. Calling for us." Joyce's eyes widened. She grabbed the girl by the shoulders. "You've heard it too? You've seen him?" Grace shook her head. "Not seen him, I've heard him."
Had she heard what Will had said yesterday? How he'd communicated with her? Should she tell the girl about the lights?
"Will isn't dead. You have to believe me." Joyce whispered. If anyone heard what they were talking about Lonnie would try to shut her up again. Grace steadily leaned in. "I know, we just need to find him. He's on the other side. He needs help. I can't say much, but I think I know how. Trust me." She didn't care if they'd promised not to tell an adult. Joyce deserved to know.
The woman nodded just as Lonnie walked over to them. "Thanks for coming, kid. It means a lot." Grace tried everything to conceal the scowl aimed at him. She sweetly smiled. "It's the least I could do. See you at the reception, Aunt Joyce." She waved before looking Joyce in the eyes one last time. They looked at each other with a knowing look, like they'd just cracked the code to the biggest conspiracy ever and only they knew.
She could see Jon sitting with Nance and Lance behind one of the fences but elected to interrupt them. They were clearly planning something, judging by their hunched position and hushed tone.
Grace continued to walk through the tombstones until she saw the boys. She waved at Dustin, who had just noticed she was standing behind Mike. He nudged Mike on the arm and gave him a suggestive look. Mike had filled in Lucas and Dustin about what happened the day before as soon as he got back down the basement. El hadn't been able to make out what was said but could here murmurs of Grace's name as they sat huddled around the D&D table.
"Hey Grace, Mike has something to tell you." Dustin giggled. The mood between the kids had lightened considerably the further they got away from the adults. Mike hit Dustin's arm, who let out an 'ow' and rubbed it, giving Mike daggers. "He's joking. I'll tell you about it later." Grace raised an eyebrow.
Was he going to tell her that he liked her?
"Oh...ok." She offered a slight smile.
The kids were beckoned back to where the main group of attendees were standing by their respective parents. They got in their separate cars and headed to the funeral reception.
A/N:
Sorry for the long wait!
I had a slight touch of writer's block AND I planned to make this chapter so much longer.
This is actually the longest chapter I've written.
Once again, sorry for it being so late. I intended to update on Wednesday but I had a migraine all day and couldn't do anything.
I made the gif of the boys and Grace at the funeral, it's my first manip ever ahah
Don't forget to vote and add to library if you liked, comment feedback and suggestions too it really helps me out!