It was a summer night and Will was in his room doing what he liked most - drawing, it took him 3 hours to try to finish that drawing and to be honest he was almost sleeping over his crayons, the longer the time passed, the longer Will’s eyes were getting heavier, until after nearly destroyed all the progress he had made that day - with a scratch in the middle of the drawing -, he decided to lie down. Will took off his t-shirt and lay down without covering himself.
After a few minutes of lying down, Will heard knocks on his window, as if something was hitting it. The boy - who had been through so much in his life at this moment - stood up and went to the window, with short strides for fear of finding something that was not normal.
Normal, thought Will. - he was not normal, his life had never been moral, especially after the facts that happened some years ago.
As soon as Will arrived at the window, he opened the curtain and almost jumped back in fright when he saw Mike, yes, Mike.
“Mike, what the hell.” Will said, startled.
“Wow, so that’s how do you greet me?” Mike said laughing at Will’s face, which still had a look of astonishment.
“What is it?” Will said gruffly. “You know Eleven doesn’t sleep in this room.”
Mike’s eyes widened.
“Wow,” Mike said. “But I came to talk to you, I wanted to show you something, but I don’t think you want to talk.” Mike said and turned around.
“Mike,” Mike stopped and looked back. “I’m sorry, for real, you scared me and you know, I’m always scared since-…” Mike came close to the window and put his hand over Will’s while he was looking down.
“Will, I’m with you,” Will looked at Mike who was standing in front of him. “And as long as I’m with you, nothing will harm you.”
“And that’s my fear,” Will said, softly, barely audible.
“What?”
“What what?” Will said trying to deflect the subject.
“Whatever,” Mike said. “But I did not come here for this…” Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a car key, which Will suspected was Will’s father car keys. “Let’s go for a ride.”
“You stole a car?” Will asked, startled.
“Of course not!” Mike laughed. “It’s my dad’s car!”
“What if he finds out?” Will designed. “What if they catch you?”
“They will not, stop being so fearful,” Mike said, turning around and leaving. He stopped halfway and looked at Will, who was standing at the window. “you not coming?”
Will walked into the bedroom, checked the door, grabbed the first t-shirt he found in the bedroom and walked out the bedroom thru the window. Mike was already inside the car waiting for his friend.
“If something happens and I get grounded,” Will said as he got into the car. “You’re screwed, Wheeler.”
“Do you trust me?” Mike said.
“Of course…”
“Then let’s go!” Will turned the ignition and left with the car.
It was weird for Will to be in a car with a driver other than his mother, Hopper or Jonathan.
“Oh, I brought something special for this moment,” Mike said as he fumbled for something in the car’s glove compartment. “Where is this shit? Oh, I found it! ”
Mike took his hand out of the car compartment with a tape in his hand, put it on the cassette player, and after a few seconds, a chord started and Will noticed that he knew the music that was playing, looked at Mike who was smiling as he looked to the street.
“Should I stay or should I go…” The two sang together to that song, which in fact was very special for both of them.
The two of them shouted the song as the wind came through the car window and ruffled their hair.
“Tell me,” Mike and Will exchanged glances. “Tell me someplace, any place in Hawkins that you want to go!”
“I do not know!” Will said after a few seconds of thinking.
“Not that there’s too much to do…” Mike said.
“I know,” Will said. “let’s eat something!”
“Is there somewhere open?” Mike said. “Because we can’t go through any Drive-thru!” Mike laughed.
“Let’s have a sandwich and just eat in the car!”
Will said and Mike obeyed. The boys went to the KFC - which was the only place open that hour. - and bought a master bucket of fried chicken and went back to the car.
“And how are things going?” Mike asked as he devoured a piece of chicken wing.
“Oh,” Will said as he sipped his drink. “It’s all right, Mom is happy with Jim, Eleven is a good sister and Jonathan, well, you know more about him than I do, don’t you?” Will said with a laugh.
“I still can’t believe my sister is dating your brother…” Mike said.
“And you are dating my sister …” Will took another sip of his drink, which had more ice than the actual drink.
“I don’t think so,” Mike said, causing Will to stop paying attention to his food. “I don’t know, she’s different, she’s not like she used to be, I don’t know if she likes me anymore, now she only has time for Max …”
“Ladies and gentleman, the tables have turned,” Will laughed. “breaking news: Michael Wheeler, is feeling what it is to be left off and is being jealous!” They both laughed.
“What do you mean,” Mike made a confused look. “the tables have turned? You mean you were jealous of Eleven and Max?” Will stopped laughing and looked at his chicken bucket that was in the middle of his legs.
“It’s not that…” Will said.
“What is it, then?” Mike took a sip of his drink.
“Never mind, you would not understand.”
“Wouldn’t understand?” Mike said. “After everything we faced together? All that I did to save you? I wouldn’t understand?”
“Mike, is not this…”
“What is it, Will?”
“I don’t know,” Will said. “I felt like Eleven was a threat to me, while I was away, you stayed with her, every day and when I came back, you… I don’t know, it’s bullshit.”
“Meaning…”
“You talked about her every day, I understand that she is incredible, and she truly is, she did everything she could to save me, twice, but still, I felt like she had taken everything I had… I know that it sounds selfish from me, but it was har- ”
“What did you say?”
“That I am selfis-”
“Before that!”
“That she took everything from me…”
“What did she took away from you?”
“You!”
“And what else?”
“Nothing…”
“But you said she took everything you had.”
“And she did…”
“But Will…” Mike said.
“Wow, look at how many stars, stop the car somewhere, let’s go down and see the stars.” Will said, trying to deflect the subject.
Mike ride for a few minutes with the car until he arrived with him on top of a hill. Both them got outside of the car with the rest of the food and sat on the front of the car looking at the stars and listening to the selection of songs on the tape Mike had made. Most of the songs were rock, but the next one he played was different, a slow beat, a soft voice began to sing: Put your head on my shoulder, hold me in your arms, baby…
(LISTEN TO THIS SONG WHILE READING!)
“Ugh,” Will said. “I hate this song.”
“Why?”
“It reminds me of the snow ball dance, just when El came back and when you basically forced me to dance with Laura…”
“You have to admit that she was cute…” Mike said as he took another sip of his drink.
“Yes, she is!” Will said. “But I don’t know, it was not a good time…”
“But now you’re a good dancer, she taught you well!”
“I don’t dance!” Will said with a laugh. “I only danced that day because you forced me.”
“Yes, you can dance,” Mike said putting his drink into the hood of the car. “And you’re going to show me!” Mike stood up, put his head inside the car and raised the volume. “I forced you once, and I’ll force you again!” Mike went back to his friend and took his hand, dragging him to the front of the car.
“Mike, no!” Will said laughing but let himself be dragged by Mike.
Mike put his hands on Will’s waist, and Will’s hands on Mike’s waist.
“Yeah,” Mike said with a laugh. “It will not work that way…” Mike put his hands on Will’s shoulders. “I’ll play the girl…”
They danced in silence without making eye contact for more than 0.5 seconds. As soon as the song was over, Mike let go of Will and went over the car and played the song again.
“What was that?” Will asked his friend when he returned, feeling Mike’s hand resting on his shoulders.
“The song had finished…”
“Yes…” Will said as he rested his hands on Mike’s waist. “but why did you play it again?”
“Maybe I do not want this song to end…” Mike whispered.
Will remained in silence, lifted his head and smiled at Mike, who leaned forward and made his lips touch Will’s lips - who at that moment seemed smaller than he already was, Mike embraced Will on his arms making him feel so small, fragile but yet so powerful, he knew that nothing could harm him. Mike could feel Will’s heartbeat and Will felt like he could spit his heart out at any moment. They parted their lips apart, Will rested his head on Mike’s shoulder. No words needed to be said, silence did its job and at that moment they both knew where they really were… home.