It was spring break, which meant Mike was visiting!

A few days ago, that would've actually sounded exciting. Something Will could look forward to other than the monthly call that always left their friendship more uncomfortably unfamiliar than the last, a particle of hope in a bottomless pit. But it all kind of deflated. The excitement—the hope, it just—sank? Because from the moment Mike showed up, it was all about Eleven. Like, completely.

He was the side character even on his birthday, ouch.

Will sat with his knees pulled tight to his chest and back pressed against the edge of the coffee table, watching as Eleven knelt behind Mike, carefully threading pink and blue bows into his hair like nothing else mattered. Mike groaned and rolled his eyes every now and then, but he didn’t move away—just let her keep going.

Something inside of Will itched to say something, make a comment, be part of it. But the words burned in his throat, never making it past the stomach acid that was slowly bubbling up to the surface.

He shifted slightly, trying to make himself comfortable even with the edge of the coffee table digging into his back, pressing his knees into his chest and picking at a loose thread in the rug to try and anchor himself.

Their laughs played over and over again—something soft, like background noise in a room he wasn’t invited into. His stomach twisted and eyes burned, but he didn’t dare speak up about it. If he was honest, it’d just sound like he was jealous, like he wanted attention.

Maybe he did. After all, William Byers loved to play hide and seek.