Will had hoped to arrive unnoticed at his new school. He failed; he was using crutches. Now he was not only the new kid, but also the new kid with crutches. Although he was used to people staring at him, things felt different than before. He could only guess to what other kids knew. Maybe nothing – or maybe they knew everything.

Will had intended to make at least one friend today, or at least to talk to someone. However, once lunch break started he hadn't spoken to anyone. El had been assigned to a different class and after walking to the lunch room he waited for her. It didn't take long before she waved at him from behind the table where she was sitting with three other girls.

Will felt like his stomach was flipping around. She had never been to school, and yet she was more social than he was. He didn't exactly look forward to sit around a table with four girls. Their giggling made him nervous; he'd never been good with girls. El was an exception. Max wasn't unfriendly either, but he knew she liked the other guys more than him.

However, sitting all by himself was neither something he wanted, so he walked over to the group of girls. They looked curiously at him. Awkwardly he sat down and stared at the table top when one of them offered him a smile.

"This is Will," El introduced him.

"Is he your brother?" a girl asked. Her voice was shrill, making him flinch.

"Sort of."

"Okay! Hi! I'm Melany!"

The words passed by unnoticed. Only when El subtly poked his side, he realized the girl had been speaking to him. Skittishly, he shook her hand.

"Hey, are you that boy that was believed to be dead?" another girl asked, her eyes wide. "My cousin told me he moved to Willowdale. They had even buried him, right?"

Uncomfortably, Will laced his fingers.

El chuckled, even though her tone told him it she was feigning it. "That has to be someone else. We're never involved in something interesting."

Will didn't dare to look up to the girls to see if they believed her. Probably not. There wouldn't be many Wills moving to this place. He glanced at the clock, hoping the break would be over soon.

It would take a little longer.

His eyes wandered across the room. He tried to assess if there were people that would like him. Kids like Mike, Lucas or Dustin. Outcasts, people with weird hobbies or simply nerds. There were a few misfits, he noticed, but he was too shy to walk over to them.

Suddenly, his neck started to itch painfully. A flash of fear traveled through his body. This sensation had always announced the presence of the Mind Flayer, but they had defeated that creature. He doubted there was really something triggering his fear; it might also be his trauma that was worsened by how uneasy he felt.

He turned his head to the left when he believed that's where the danger was coming from; where someone was leering at him. There was nothing to be seen; just students – seniors, he thought. He just wanted to divert his attention away when someone shoved back his chair, offering him sight on a dark haired boy who was sitting at a table alone. With his foot he leaned against another chair, a book leaning against his knee.

Onyx!

Again he experienced a strange feeling – but this time in his stomach, and it felt more like a nervous tingle. Suddenly he felt the urge to stand up, sat down next to him and ask about the book that he was reading. He didn't dare to. He had expected Onyx to be graduated a while ago, but as it seemed he was still in his senior year. He was sitting all alone, although he didn't look lonely. It rather felt like he felt no need for small talk and preferred to read without being disturbed by others.

Will tore his glance away from the boy and started to eat his sandwiches in silence. Again and again his thoughts shot back to last Saturday, when the boy had been so helpful and sweet; carrying him to his motorcycle and taking him home. A tingling sensation spread through his chest, warm and a little nerve-wracking because it was something unknown to him.

His eyes flashed aside, his heart skipping a beat when they met Onyx's icy blue eyes. He wanted to smile to the boy, but his lips were quivering and he quickly cast his glance down. His cheeks started to glow and suddenly he felt immensely ashamed, without knowing why.

Although his appetite was gone, Will plucked at the bread. He missed his friends, who would have distracted him in a situation like this. Around him there were conversations as well, but he quietly wished Onyx would walk over to him to ask how his leg was.

It didn't happen. The buzzer announced the end of lunch break. Only when Will had studied his timetable and swung his bag over his shoulder, he dared to peek aside again.

The table were Onyx had been sitting was empty.

He was caught off guard by the disappointment he felt. What the hell had he been thinking? That Onyx wanted to be friends with him? He was four years younger, he was shy and he wasn't exactly the best company someone could wish for. That Onyx had helped him after his fall, meant nothing and feeling so upset now wasn't making any sense.

Trapped in his own thoughts he went looking for math class. Only when he had left the lunch room, he realized he had barely spoken to El. Although he didn't think she would be surprised; he was lost in his own little world the whole time. This wouldn't raise any questions in her, and if it did, she would probably keep them to herself.

When Will reached math class, the door was already open. He sat down at a table close to the window. He liked being able to look outside, if not he felt trapped. For a long time he stared at the clouds that slowly floated by, and the traffic driving by in front of the school. Only when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye, he looked aside.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" a black haired girl asked.

Will stared in bewilderment at her. Her eyes were ice blue, reminding him of Onyx immediately, just like her pale, smooth skin. He felt his cheeks flush when he realized he was thinking about the boy again, wondering if they really showed so many similarities or whether it was just in his head.

"Yeah, sure," he muttered softly – too softly. After clearing his throat, he repeated his answer.

She smiled while sitting down. "You're new, right?"

A bit awkwardly he scratched his thumbnail across a few carvings in the table. It felt like a unnecessary question. The school wasn't that big, so she surely knew.

"Yeah," he said nevertheless.

"My name is Ivory."

A little suspicious he studied the girl's face. Were all kids around here named after stones? No – that hadn't been the case with Melany.

"Will," he answered.

"I moved to this place around a year ago," she told him. "It takes time to get used around here, it feels like everyone knows each other their whole lives. Luckily I did make some friends. I can introduce you to some cool people if you like?"

Will doubted her definition of 'cool' would correspond to his. Although – she looked different than most girls he knew. She was wearing a black dress with tulle and small silver chains, and with her dark make-up she reminded him of the few gothic people that had been on his former school. As went with most subgroups, Will had no problem with them; he actually respected everyone who dared to be different.

Slowly, a smile tugged at his lips. Maybe this was the friend he'd been wishing for. She might be a girl, but she surely wasn't the giggly type like the girls that had been with El a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, sure," he said hesitantly.

"Cool!" She flashed him another smile, taking her bag from the floor and taking out her books.

Will noticed how pale her skin was. There was a strange hue over it, like she was made of porcelain.

"What happened to your foot?' she asked after putting all her stuff at display.

Her question made him feel uncomfortable, even though it was a normal question. But many, many questions had been asked him when he had escaped from the Upside Down, and ever since, other people's curiosity made the walls around him grow fast.

"I fell," he answered. "Of a wall."

"Is it broken?"

He shook his head. "No, just strained. But it might still take six weeks before it's healed."

"That sucks. You walked with crutches all holiday long?"

He shook his head. "No – only since yesterday."

Her eyes met his. She seemed to sense that her questions didn't help him to feel comfortable and she kept silent, offering him an understanding smile.

Will was grateful to her. Most girls never knew when to stop talking, but she seemed different than any girl he'd ever met. And he liked it – people who were different and who didn't get spooked by people like him. Maybe he wouldn't have to spend all his lunch breaks alone or intruding himself upon El the whole time.