Chapter 11:

Finally, Saturday came after a grueling week, and Dustin, Mike, and Eleven joined Will at Lucas' to spend the night. With his parents gone, Lucas had his older cousin buy some cheap beer and a bottle of liquor to spice up the evening.

Of course, as most of their parties often did, the evening led them to a game of truth or dare. Usually, they would do stupid things like prank calls and running through the street in their underwear, things teenage boys would dare other teenage boys to do just to get a good laugh at their expense.

However, it seemed different with Eleven there. It started out more careful; nobody tried to humiliate one another the first few rounds. Most people chose truth, which wasnt as interesting when there were no secrets between them.

Mike should have known better than to bring Eleven to a house with drunk, idiotic teen boys that were just looking to have fun no matter what it took. The beginning of the downhill slide for Mike that night started with Dustin.

"Okay, my turn," Dustin slurred a little, pushing himself upright from where he was laying on the floor. He looked around the group, at a buzzed Will and Mike, a sober Eleven, and a very drunk Lucas. He grinned a little. "Will. Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"No," Lucas quickly interjected. "You're not allowed more than three truths in a row." It was a rule they had decided upon as kids that had been enforced ever since. "You have to do dare."

"Is it his third or fourth?"

"Definitely his fourth," Lucas insisted. "You have to give him a dare."

"Alright," Dustin cleared his throat, pondering for a moment. Due to his sickly past and the present bullying he suffered, they usually gave Will easy dares, things that weren't too stressful or humiliating. Will didnt want them to take it easy on him, but they couldnt help themselves. It was an instinct to shield Will from things.

"I got it," Dustin finally said, snapping his fingers at his own revelation. He grinned over at Will. "I dare you to kiss El."

Mike bit his tongue, literally, nearly drawing blood. He looked over at Will, who seemed stunned and confused. Dustin and Lucas were chuckling at Will's expression, and even at Mike's piercing glare. It was funny to them, but not to the other two boys.

"Come on. You're seventeen, Will. It's about time you had your first kiss," Dustin pushed, the alcohol blocking his usual ability to read the expressions of his friends. In his intoxicated mind, he was doing Will a favor by daring him to get his first kiss over with. Better to do it with a friend who wouldn't judge him if he was bad at it, Dustin figured. He would regret his stupid logic the next day.

"I dont-"

"Dont be a chicken," Lucas prodded with a snort. "It's just Eleven, Will. It doesnt mean anything."

Mike could see it in her face that she was a little hurt by Lucas' comment. She didnt quite understand what he meant by "just Eleven," but it sounded wrong to her. As if Lucas didn't think of her like a woman, like he thought of other girls their age.

Mike knew better. He knew that Lucas thought of Eleven as a friend, like he thought of Mike or Dustin, and that was his intentions behind the words. Regardless, it hurt Eleven because she didn't want to be just one of the guys anymore. She wanted to be a girl.

Will turned to Eleven, his hands rubbing down his legs nervously as he looked at her. His cheeks flushed a bright pink, and Mike felt his whole body tense. He was relieved, though, when Will rushed forward and kissed her on the cheek quickly before backing away again.

"No," Dustin tsked. "A real kiss, Byers. You're not seven. Do the dare or face the consequences."

Will groaned a little, distress in his eyes. He was nervous, shaking even, as he stared into Eleven's eyes. She could see that Will didnt want to kiss her and she wondered why. If Lucas was right and it meant nothing, what was he afraid of?

Mike, on the other hand, couldn't stand it any longer. He was on the opposite side of Eleven from Will, and he couldn't stop himself from intervening any longer. He reached around, taking Eleven's face in his hand gently. Will's eyes widened a little as Mike pulled her until she was facing him, and he kissed her in Will's place.

Hand planted on her jaw to hold her in place, Mike kissed her without holding back, without shame. He was just drunk enough to stop caring if they were watching him. Eleven's eyes were closed, her lips trying to keep up with the movements of his. Mike didnt end the kiss or pull away until Dustin said something.

"Jeez you two, get a room," he teased, laughing along with Lucas. Mike happenes to glance over at Will, who had turned his face away. Even though he looked the opposite direction, Mike could still see part of his face, the part that revealed the blush on his cheek and something that looked like disappointment in his eye. Maybe not disappointment, Mike thought. It kind of looked like envy.

His eyebrows furrowed. Will and Eleven had to spend a lot of time together because she was staying with him and going to school with him. Mike felt as though it was understood among the group that Eleven was his. Eleven had always been his.

Then again, Will had the least clear understanding of that since he wasnt around when Mike developed feelings for Eleven as a preteen. Maybe Mike hadnt made it clear enough to Will that Eleven was off limits to him, to everyone but Mike.

His expression softened as he realized he was letting his jealousy get the best of him. He had never been a possessive person, not with Lilly, not with anyone. It wasnt like him to feel threatened by his friends, and he didnt necessarily liked that seeing that jealousy in Will's eyes stirred up something similar in himself.

"I'll be right back," Mike said, pushing himself up from the floor and heading to the kitchen. Eleven watched him leave, her lips still pink from their heated kiss. Her own face was flush now, but she couldnt help but feel like she did something wrong. Mike seemed upset before he left.

"That doesn't count," Lucas shook his head. "Will needs a new dare then."

"No, Im done playing," Will decided, leaning back on his palms. "I never liked this game anyways, and I feel like were getting too old."

"Dont blame the game for you being too chicken shit to kiss a girl," Lucas joked. He and Dustin chuckled a bit, but Will didnt find it funny. "You cant be a virgin forever, Will. I mean. You could, I guess, but that's not going to help you prove that you're not gay."

"Shut up, Lucas," Dustin warned. It was a sensitive subject, as the rumors about Will were the main reason he was bullied like he was. They weren't true, as far as any of his friends knew, and they knew better than to bring it up. Lucas would regret that comment once he was sober, but for the moment, he had no filter to stop him.

"Well its true. They wont leave him alone if he never gets laid," Lucas muttered. Will hated when Lucas got too drunk. While he knew that Lucas would apologize prefusely the next day, and his concerns came from a good place, Will hated when they brought it up. Part of the reason it upset him so is that he wasnt so sure his friends believed him when he denied the rumors.

"Fine, you want proof?" Will frowned.

"Will-"

"No, I'll prove it, then," he interrupted Dustin. Lucas watched in curiosity as Will inched closer to Eleven.

He hesitated for a moment, but eventually forced himself to go through with the stupid dare. He took Eleven's small face between his hands and pressed his lips against hers for a few moments. He didnt move them, didn't invade the same way Mike did, but it was a rough and panicked sort of kiss. Eleven's eyes went wide, and her hands braced against his shoulders.

"That's my boy," Lucas jeered, patting Will on the back when he finally released Eleven. She sat back, hand flying up to touch her lips. A flurry of thoughts and feelings rushed through her. She didnt like it the same way she liked Mikes kisses, but she didnt hate it. Will got up, then stormed off.

"You're an idiot," Dustin told Lucas, taking away the open beer can in Lucas' hand, "and you're cut off."

"What? It was the truth," Lucas scoffed, trying to defend himself, although it was a sloppy defense.

Mike stayed in the hallway. He'd seen the whole thing, and while part of him worried about Will, another part of him was glad Will stormed off to the guest bedroom. He didnt want Will around Eleven at the moment. He was also concerned about Eleven, though he didnt know how to explain to her that Will didnt mean it or really want to do it without hurting her feelings. Mike didnt know how to tell her she wasnt the problem, Will's insecurities were.

Will leaned back against the door once it was closed. His fingers ran over his lips as he thought about the way it felt, the way her lips tasted. She was a girl, a real girl, and he had kissed her. A real kiss. His heart thudded away in his chest, making his breathing ragged and uneven. Oh what an idiot he was. It wasnt supposed to mean anything, but it did. He was supposed to be indifferent, but he wasnt. Will didnt know what to make of any of it.