March 22nd. A date that should sound familiar to the people surrounding Will.

It is, after all, his birthday—a day once marked by cake, laughter, and the warmth of being known. But this year.. This year, the sun rises over Lenora Hills with no fanfare, no greetings, no recognition. Instead, Will Byers—quiet, watchful, and already feeling the weight of being forgotten—finds himself swept along in a spring break reunion that was never really about him.

Mike had arrived from Hawkins, full of excitement and nerves, his eyes fixed on El. Eleven, in turn, is desperate to show Mike her version of a happy life—an illusion carefully curated, teetering at the edge of collapse. And so, the trio sets out for a day at Rink-O-Mania, the local roller-skating rink, a fluorescent time capsule of neon lights and thudding music.

But for Will, the lights are too bright, the music too loud, and the laughter too far away. Behind every smile he forces, there's a flicker of something hollow—something cracked. Because March 22nd is not just another day. It's a silent echo of a truth he won’t say aloud: they forgot. They all forgot.

And so, as wheels spin and tempers flare, Will drifts further into the shadows of the birthday no one remembered, watching the people he loves dance in the spotlight of each other, never once turning to see the boy standing alone in the glow of a date that should have mattered.

“Can’t believe they forgot..” Will murmurs under his breath. He’s not even sad, just disappointed. He’d thought that Mike coming to Lenora today wasn’t just a coincidence but the pathetic side hug at the airport proved him wrong.