Hawkins, Indiana. 1987

Will was at school, running late for class. He was huddled in a corner of the men's bathroom, shaking like a leaf. Some idiots from the basketball team—popular kids—had been bullying the poor kid, overwhelming and harassing him to the point of leaving him there alone, trembling and trying to cope with the panic attack on his own, which he was doing poorly at. He didn't have anybody to turn to. He told Mike, Dustin and Lucas he was going to the bathroom. They're already in class. This wasn't the first time this had happened to him. In fact, he was constantly bullied at school. According to his classmates, he was a fag. Not only that, but he's also “Zombie Boy”, which surprisingly enough, people still haven't gotten over. Several girls have been after him, but he's rejected them. He's always felt horrible for it, but he's never been into girls. He doesn't know what's wrong with him.

Panic consumed him. He tried to take deep breaths, to remember his mother's words that used to calm him down, but they didn't help. Tears poured down his red cheeks. The bathroom door creaks open, but Will's too caught up in trying to breathe to hear the approaching footsteps. Besides, the fear that it was another one of his bullies, mocking him for being a crybaby, terrified him even more, so he covered his ears.