Will,
I'm sorry we're not better friends. I'm not really sure why it never happened, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend we're best friends just because I'm dying. The point of this isn't to try and rewrite the past or make me feel better, it's about fully laying out the truth and saying things I never got the chance to in person. And the unfortunate truth is that we barely know each other, and I wish that wasn't the case.
What I do know is how much the other guys care about you. I don't want to share all of their secretes without their permission, but when you guys moved they were all really upset. They put on a good show, tried to act normal, but the rest of the summer just didn't feel right after that. It was obvious none of them really knew what to do without you there. I know they're not exactly the best at saying it, and I'm definitely not in a position to judge given I'm sitting here writing letters instead of just saying what I need to, but they all care about you so much.
They're going to need you. I don't want to put that on you, but it's the truth. You have this calming energy about you that none of the rest of us do. I've never understood how you manage that, how you always seem to stay calm and think through what needs to be done, but I also really admire it. I think that probably makes you stronger then the rest of us, with all of our yelling and fighting. If this goes south, which if you're reading this it did, the others are going to want to go in guns blazing to try and take out Vecna. Even after that though, they're probably going to be angry and confused and not know what to do with themselves. Try to help them figure it out, okay? I'm not expecting you to fix things or make them feel better, I know that's going to take time, and it's not like I think you have some secret answer for how to deal with grief, but I think just being there for them will help. Especially Lucas, Dustin, and Mike. They trust you, more then anyone else. I think they might be willing to open up to you in a way they won't with each other.
I wish I had more to say to you. I wish I knew you well enough to say something. I'm sorry I never made more of an effort. It didn't have anything to do with you, I just was never really sure how to start. You're so creative and thoughtful, and you had a certain level of maturity that the others didn't. It was honestly a little intimidating. Not that you're intimidating, you're one of the kindest people I've ever met, but at that point you had an element about you that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to figure out. Once I found out about everything that happened it made sense, but I was never sure what to say.
Don't let El and Mike get to you. They both genuinely care about you, they just aren't always great at showing it. And trust me, I know they can get caught up in each other, I've spent more hours then I can count talking to El about relationships, but that doesn't take away from how much they both care about you too. Don't doubt that for a second, and that same can be said for Lucas and Dustin to.
Take care of yourself Will, and keep an eye on El for me, okay?
Max