Mike, Lucas and Dustin returned to school the Monday following the Demogorgon's disappearance. They'd been allowed to visit Will in the hospital, but weren't allowed to hang out after school, everyone's parents were on edge after the newspaper headlines over the weekend "Dead Boy- Alive Again". The boys' parents had decided to drive them to and from school- under the pretense that the deep snow would be too much for their bikes. Today Lucas's mother was driving the carpool.
The ride to school was abnormally quiet. The boys all exchanged curious looks, wondering how the school could possibly be open only days after it had been destroyed by the Demogorgon and the Bad Men's attack. They said a polite 'Thank you' to Lucas's mother as they climbed out of her station wagon and turned to the school apprehensive.
"I can't believe it's open," Dustin said looking up at the school.
"I bet half the school is roped off," Lucas added.
"How do you suppose they're passing off all the damage? You think they'll say it was a B&E by vandals?"
Everyone shrugged and walked up to the front entrance of the school. Stepping into the halls of Hawkins Middle School, Mike, Lucas and Dustin looked around in amazement. There were no signs of blood stains in the halls, or bullet holes in the walls. Even the spot in the wall where the Demogorgon had burst through the brick looked undamaged; the painting of the school mascot on the wall even looked aged and was peeling. There wasn't a single sign that anything had happened over the weekend. Dustin walked up to the wall slowly, assessing it. He patted the brick, picked at the paint and ran his hands over it before turning to Lucas and Mike amazed.
"How can it look perfect? It was a giant hole two days ago!"
Mike shook his head and Lucas muttered something about 'the man' and conspiracy theories.
The rest of the day went by as normal, with the exception that there were far more eyes that followed all three boys through the halls and glared across the lunchroom at them. Everyone seemed afraid of them, even their bullies seemed to be giving them more space than usual.
It wasn't until last period- Science with Mister Clark -that the day got weird. Mike seemed to slow as they approached the Science room. His best friends slowed to match his pace and stood on either side as they entered the room. Mike took two steps into the class and stopped. His eyes looked to the workbenches that should have been destroyed and the chalkboard that was so recently smashed in the outline of the Demogorgon. This was the last place he had seen Eleven. All four boys felt the sickening feeling in their guts from standing in the room where their friend had given her life. It felt wrong that no one else in the room would ever know.
"Boys? Is everything alright?" Mister Clark asked watching them as they hovered just inside his classroom. He got up from behind his desk and approached, as Lucas and Dustin turned to Mike who looked pale, and then back to their teacher concerned. Mister Clark knelt in front of Mike and spoke softly, "You don't look well Mister Wheeler. Maybe you boys should escort Michael to the nurse."
"No." Mike shook the image of the Demogorgon from his head. "I'm fine." He hoisted his bag higher on his shoulders and led the others to their regular seats at the front of the class.
Throughout the lesson, Dustin couldn't keep his eyes from wandering, he even crawled under the desks at one point trying to find any evidence of the destruction of the room. Mister Clark had to ask him to return to his seat twice. Two seats over, Mike had his text book open and looked as though he was taking notes, but his eyes never focused on anything in the room. His mind was very far away. Beside him, Lucas focused on the teacher who was paying close attention to Mike. Every time Mister Clark watched Mike too long or looked as though he were getting ready to ask Mike a question, Lucas's hand would shoot up into the air ready to distract the teacher with a convoluted question about the lesson.
When the end of day bell rang, Mike was glad to leave. He waved a half-hearted goodbye to Mister Clark and followed Dustin and Lucas to the parking lot. "I don't get it!" Dustin exclaimed as they waited for their ride. "How can they do that?" He pulled his hat down over his ears in his frustration. "It looks like none of it ever happened!"
"But it did happen," Mike said.
Lucas clasped Mike on the shoulder. "We know." He reached out to Dustin too. "They may have covered up what happened here, but we know the truth. And we won't forget."