Chapter One Girlfriend Gone

Will waited anxiously by her locker. He and Angelina had been going out for about a year, since the Snow Ball. It took everything in him not to pace in front of it. That would definitely look bad and then she'd know an she'd probably start crying.

He sighed, leaning his head on the locker. He could see out the corner of his eye Max and Lucas. They balanced it so naturally, being friends and being in love. Although. it helped that Max knew pretty much everything: the Upside-Down, Demogorgons, the Shadow Monster, and, of course, Will being possessed by it.

How do you explain any of that to your 100% normal girlfriend? How do you explain that you're a 15 year old with PTSD? Only so much of it could even be explained under the cover of getting lost in the woods. It wasn't for lack of trying on her behalf, really, she stuck around longer than he expected her to. She was nice to him. She was his first kiss, his first girlfriend, and yet, here he was about to break up with her.

She pranced up to him before he could prepare himself. "Will!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. All the words he had rehearsed were vanishing from his mind, like a script shredding.

"So, I was thinking about going to the movies this Friday. A Chorus Line is coming out and I heard that we might be doing it for next year's play, so long as some of the content gets cut. What do you think?"

Will stared and couldn't find the words. His mind shouted, "Say something. ANYTHING!"

"A-Angelina, can we talk?" Will watched her smile fall. He felt like he was going to be sick. She didn't deserve this. "I-I, umm, you've been the most amazing girlfriend. B-but…" he drew a shaky breath and blurted, "I can't keep doing this. I'm not boyfriend material. I'm no where close to normal and I can't keep pretending I am when I'm not. I'm so sorry."

There were the tears. She said with a shaky voice, "Will, I'm here for you. I don't want you to be normal. I like that you're different."

It came out wrong. He didn't want her to pity him. He just wanted her to know that it wasn't because of her.

"I am here for you." She opened her arms to hug him but he backed away and blurted, "I don't love you."

He thought she looked heartbroken before but no, this was heartbreak and it looked like he had just stabbed her in the chest. He ran down the hall and shoved the doors open as the bell rang. She could go home and cry, he could go home and puke. He hated himself for hurting her, but there was a relief for not having to fake it anymore. And he hated himself worse for that.

He waited at the carport for his mom to pick him up. Will hoped his mom would get here before the group did. They always hung out with Will until his mom came but today he couldn't face them. He hadn't told them about what he had been planning for the past few weeks. How could he? Both Lucas and Mike were happily in relationships and they liked Angelina… well…. kind of. Max and Eleven had trouble keeping up with her fast talking and they had no interest in most of what she had to say. They weren't big into the theater or into the social drama that came with play productions. And Dustin would be pissed. He never had a girlfriend and so Will dumping her for absolutely no reason would be grounds for glowering stares for at least the next few weeks, if not forever.

"Come on, mom. Come on," he thought. But, too late, there they were. Eleven and Mike holding hands. How could she do normal so well? How could she hide everything? She had only come back this school year, but she had already seemed to adapt to normalcy. It fit her like a glove, so long as certain people stayed away from Mike, of course. The bullies didn't recognize her, not with the fake glasses and full head of hair.

"Will!" Dustin called. "Where did you go, man? You were supposed to meet us up at the lockers." The group all walked over to him and assumed their spots at the bike rack.

"I.. uhh.. my mom was supposed to pick me up early."

Mike furrowed his eyebrows. He could tell. Why was it he could always tell? "Hey, Will? You ok?" "Y-yeah. Of course."

Eleven was staring. She definitely knew. "Don't say anything, Eleven. Don't say anything."

Will still wasn't sure if she could read his thoughts or not. But apparently not. "Friends don't lie."

"I broke up with Angelina." It just fell out his mouth.

"Wait, what?!" "Why?" "What happened?" They're questions flurried around them. He had nothing. He was exhausted.

He mumbled, "I don't love her. It isn't like what you guys have it's nothing like it at all." He couldn't look at them, especially not Dustin. Mike put his hand on Will's shoulder. There was the pity again. When would he be okay? When would people stop putting him? He saw his mom's car rounding the corner and he ran to meet up with it.