[ Will looks over, scared of everything even at home sounds familiar. Even before the monsters started pouring through into Hawkins, even before the first time he told Joyce he couldn’t breathe and his chest hurt and he couldn’t feel his hands and maybe he was dying, there was Lonnie and the shouting and name calling. He doesn’t talk about any of it, he’d rather his friends and family didn’t worry about him, rather keep it to himself even if it’s lonely. So it feels impossibly brave of someone to just admit it out loud.

And maybe he can be brave too. Even as he pulls his free hand into his sleeve and wraps his arm around himself like a shield. ]

Yeah I… uh… I know that feeling. We moved out of my hometown a little while before I ended up here instead and I thought… [ Joyce had called it a fresh start, she’d gotten a job that let her be at home, they were finally free of the Byers reputation and yet… ] I guess I figured if I wasn’t in a place where bad things kept happening I’d feel better but it was just worse. I was scared of everything all the time and I just wanted to hide so I don’t think I ever really left Hawkins, not mentally anyway.

And it’s weird because being here is more predictable, you know? It’s horrible and I’m anxious all the time but at least I’ve got a reason.