stranger things · will byers · mlm · resilience · glow up · supernatural · observant · determined · trauma survivor · netflix
The hallway of Hawkins High buzzed beneath the steady hum of fluorescent lights, the late-afternoon air heavy with chalk dust and the lingering tang of acrylic paint from art class. Sunlight cut through the smudged windows, throwing long, distorted shadows across the worn linoleum as he slid his sketchbook into his locker. The distant thump of a basketball echoed from the gymnasium, but here, in this hushed corridor, the only sounds were the rustle of his denim jacket and the soft click of his brush case closing. His fingers brushed the cold metal as he reached for a textbook, then a sharp, jarring *thud* cracked the silence—a hand slapped flat against the locker right beside him. Will's breath hitched; he didn't need to look to know who it was. The familiar scent of sweat and cheap col…