Chapter Text
“Awe c’mon, please!”
Wilma protested from across the room
“No! I told you! I can't go out, I work tonight, and tomorrow night, and the night after that! I honest to god can’t understand why you came to visit this week. I told you I was busy and would have no interest in going out but noooooo you insisted ‘oh it'll be fine I'll just hang out at your…”
“But there's this show tonight and Daisy and Lucy are meeting me there and I just thought…”
“No! you didn't!" Michelle exclaimed, frustrated. She turned to look at Wilma who was wholly unbothered. She was sat criss-cross on Michelle’s bedroom floor next to the bed, texting. Michelle thought for a second about how beautiful her childhood best friend was. She looked the same as she used to, but older somehow. More mature definitely. She seemed more self assured, almost like she knew some secret Michelle didn’t. Michelle wondered if she looked like that too. She quickly pushed these thoughts out of her mind.
“I told you. I can't go out. Not maybe, not if you beg enough, the answer is no.”
Wilma looked up at her, frowning, and sighed in dissatisfaction. This kind of thing, the begging and the pouting, used to really work on Michelle.
“Yeah, I know” Wilma resigned “Worth a shot though. I thought you really hated this job.”
she tossed her phone in Michelle's dirty laundry lazily lumped in the corner and sprawled out on the ground. Michelle rolled her eyes.
“I do, that's not the point” She muttered as she turned back to her vanity to finish her makeup.
“What is the point then? Are you just going to be a server your whole life?”
“The point” Michelle grumbled “The point is I like this apartment and I intend to keep living in it.”
It was a small apartment, if you could even call it that. It was the basement of someone's house with a small kitchenette and their own entrance. The laundry for the whole house was in the basement so they didn't get a ton of privacy but Her and John didn't mind. They were just happy to not have to move back with their parents after college. It really wasn't so bad once they'd decorated.
”Besides, not all of us can just pick our whole life up on a whim”
Wilma's parents moved their whole family out to California the summer before their Freshman year of high school. They'd tried to keep in touch for a bit but whenever Michelle went to send Wilma letters they'd all seemed so forced and unimportant that she never sent them. A few years later Wilma's family moved back just in time for their senior year but things between the girls had never fully recovered. Then right after high school Wilma just sort of disappeared. To New York maybe, Michelle thought. Wilma kept in contact with her parents and siblings but not really anyone else. A few times she heard some tell of Wilma coming to Hawkins for a visit or two. Usually around Thanksgiving or Christmas. She could never be sure though, Wilma never contacted her. Around a year ago she went to Michelle’s parents house for a visit. She got her number from them. It took an additional month after that before Michelle received a call. For a while it hurt her that It took Wilma so long to reach out, the girls used to be best friends after all. She understood to an extent however, Michelle had made no effort to reach out either.
“John says you stopped writing…” There it was. The real reason Wilma was here. Her boyfriend, Wilma's step brother, was worried. Michelle stared at her reflection and tried to control her facial expressions.
“I still write, just on my days off” Michelle swiped some lip gloss on her lips and turned around. “I've just had a bit of writer's block recently"
She had tried (unsuccessfully) to get in with the Hawkins post a few times. Her brother Nicholas and Wilma's Sister Joanne had worked there briefly. It wasn't the type of writing she wanted to be doing but something was better than nothing right? She didn't understand why they were talking about this, it really was none of Wilma’s business. She left Hawkins, not the other way around. Wilma cocked her head slightly as if asking a question but didn't say anything. Michelle searched the other girl's face but couldn't make sense of what she saw.
“Don't look at me like that” she said, defensively. “No one made you come here you know” Michelle turned back around feeling her cheeks get hot. This happened every time the girl got frustrated. Of course John asked Wilma to check on her. Of course Wilma didn't just miss her. The thought made her sick. Why on earth was she getting so worked up about this. She loved John. Of course she loved John. He was sweet, and stable. It was sweet of him to worry.
They had been together for a long time, since the 8th grade. It was a chilly day in early autumn when they'd met. Michelle remembered having to grab a thick knit sweater that morning.
Jamiee Hopper and Wilma’s Dad Joel had been together for a while now and it felt like time to merge the two households. Michelle had biked to Wilma's after school whilst listening to her complaints about having a new step sibling the whole way there. While both girls sat on Wilma's bed, Michelle convinced her to give the boy a chance.
“He seems like he means well, even if he was a little sheltered,” she had said. He really was incredibly sweet. When Wilma introduced them John had stumbled over his words and looked exceptionally confused when Michelle offered her hand for a handshake. Michelle remembered being shocked at how well they all fit together as a family Despite not having any relation Wilma and John bore a striking resemblance. If she squinted in the right way John looked just like Wilma but with short hair. Michelle occasionally caught herself wondering if Laura Byers had given a baby up for adoption without letting Joel know before she skipped town. He was not much taller than Wilma with brown curly hair and a strikingly kind smile. He was a tad awkward but Michelle found it endearing.
“And plus, he's kinda cute”
“EW GROSS!” Wilma protested, “That's my brother!” Despite feeling apprehensive at first, Wilma felt like her and John were siblings almost immediately. He was like her long lost twin.
“Geez relax! I know no one's forcing me to be here, I was just worried about you that's all.” Wilma said sheepishly, immediately sending pangs of guilt through Michelle's stomach. “Daisy and Lucy both said they barely hear from you and when John said you hadn't been writing for a few months I just thought….”
“Again, no! You didn't!" Michelle cut her off. Sure all of this is true but she didn't have the right. She's the one who abandoned us. She was the one who made no effort to keep in touch. “I'm fine here. I'm happy. I have a boyfriend who loves me and great friends. So my job isn't the best. So what! I'm happy! I'm good. So you can just go back to your fancy life in California or New York or wherever the hell you've been all these years and just butt out of my life!” she was practically yelling now. She knew she was being a dick, but she couldn't seem to stop the words tumbling out.
“You know what,” Wilma said, hoisting herself to her feet "you're clearly in a mood so I'm gonna go meet up with Daisy and Lucy early”
She rustled through the pile of dirty clothes to retrieve her phone. Michelle put her head down on the desk and waited for her to leave. Michelle felt like she might just curl up and die. Then she felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder.
“I hope you have a good shift, I'll see you in the morning for breakfast”. Said Wilma before leaving the room.
Wilma had asked John if she could crash on their couch for the week she was in Hawkins. John had said yes without checking with Michelle, much to her dismay.
"I just don't understand why you would agree without at least running it past me first?" Michelle had reprimanded, pacing their shared kitchen.
“I guess I just don't see what the big deal is? You guys used to be best friends. What even happened between you two anyways?” John asked.
Michelle really wasn't sure how to answer that.
"I really wish I knew," she sighed
Michelle went up to visit The Byers on the first spring break they were in California but that trip ended up being a disaster. Michelle just wanted to have a nice spring break with her boyfriend and best friend. However when she got there it was different. John was super excited to see her and to show her around Lenora, Wilma was the one who made it weird. She barely talked the whole time and when she did she was distant and hostile. She had brought a rolled up canvas to the airport but never showed Michelle what it was. John told her privately he thought Wilma had a crush on a boy and that's who the painting was for. Michelle wasn't sure, all she knew is after that week their relationship was never the same. It was like Wilma put an ocean between them that Michelle couldn't cross, not that she had tried very hard.
Michelle’s shift had ran long. The diner was only open until 11 but there had been a few stragglers who took their sweet time when it came to settling their tabs. After the closing list was done it was almost a quarter after 12. Michelle was walking back to her apartment when she got a call.
“Hello?” she picked up, confused.
“Michelle! Heeeeyyyyyy! How was your shift?” It was Daisy. Michelle could hear the band playing loudly in the background. She sounded loaded.
“It was alright, had a few assh…”
“Liiiisten” Daisy cut her off, the background noise disappearing. Michelle thought she must have gone outside to hear better “Wilma isn't feeling the best, she maybe had a little bit too much to drink” Daisy laughed with a snort. “Would you be able to come retrieve her and return her to her brother safely? Max isn't taking me and Lucy home until around 1:30 when the bands done”
Michelle stopped in her tracks and rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses. “Seriously?! how could you guys be so irresponsi... "
“Thanks you're the best I owe you big time seriously! Love you byyyeeeeeee” Daisy hung up.
“You’ve got to be shitting me” Michelle muttered as she turned around and made her way to the only bar in town.
When she got there she found Wilma with Max inside near the exit.
Max had moved from California to Hawkins a year after John did. He was tall, tan, ginger and a skateboarder to boot. All the girls had a crush on him, all except Michelle. She thought he was sullen, sarcastic (bordering on mean) and just generally unlikable. Lucy just says they're just too similar, Michelle couldn't see it.
“Hey, thanks for coming to get Wilma. She threw up a few times but I've been feeding her water for a bit and she seems to be mostly stable now” Max gave her an empathetic look while helping her get a good hold on Wilma. Michelle wished everyone would stop looking at her like that.
“Yeah of course, I am dating her brother after all” she turned her attention to the girl leaning heavily on her shoulder
“Lets get you home” Michelle says gently, trying to usher the other girl out of the bar.
“But why?” Wilma slurred, resisting as Michelle guided her outside to a nearby bench.
“Because it's late” Michelle took a quick glance at her watch. 12:42, way too late by her standards. Wilma would probably beg to differ. “And you look tired”
it was true, Wilma looked like she might nod off any second. Michelle tried again to get the smaller girl to come with her. Despite her size, Wilma put up quite a fight. When her second attempt is unsuccessful she sat down next to Wilma on the bench and fished around in her pockets for a cigarette and a lighter. As she's lighting her smoke Wilma's head shot up as she made direct eye contact.
“Are you going to yell at me again?”
“No, I'm not going to yell at you again,” Michelle reassured her "Just trying to get you to bed"
Wilma got a funny look across her face.
“Are you trying to sleep with me?”
“What?! No Wil, we're just friends.” Michelle looked at the other girl, searching her face for something. “Friends” she mutters under her breath
“You could you know....if you wanted to. You're like sooooo pretty, have I ever told you that?" Wilma slurred, maintaining eye contact almost like she was playing chicken.
Michelle took another, slow drag off her cigarette. She was just drunk, Michelle reminded herself. She doesn't mean it. Not that it mattered anyways. Michelle had been dating John for the better part of a decade at this point. Wilma, seemingly just noticing, made a grab towards Michelle's cigarette. Wilma apparently had a thing for drunk cigarettes. If she was sober Michelle would have gotten a lecture on how smoking is bad for your health.
Struck with an idea Michelle pulled another out of her pocket.
“If i give you your own smoke will you come with me?” she asked, offering.
“No” Wilma made a face and then started looking around absentmindedly “I wanna share with you.”
Michelle rolled her eyes “Fine! If I share my smoke will you come with me?”
“You promise you're not trying to sleep with me?” Wilma’s head snapped back to Michelle's gaze, eyeing her suspiciously.
“I promise I am not trying to sleep with you” Michelle put her right hand over her heart and raised her left, cigarette still between her fingers “Scout’s honour”
Wilma's eyebrows knit together
“You weren't a girl scout, were you? I forget….” She gazed off again. Michelle stood up.
“I was not, it's just a figure of speech” as Michelle turned around to make another attempt at getting the other girl off the bench, Wilma stood up.
Now standing way too close, a wide smile crept over Wilma's face as she slurred "You're really pretty, I said that right?”
Michelle took a deep breath to compose herself as she offered the half smoked cigarette to Wilma.
“And you’re really drunk” Michelle tried to sound casual, Her heart was beating way too fast. She needed to calm down. This was her best friend, not to mention her boyfriend's sister. Still something nagged at the back of her mind. John never made her feel this flustered. Wilma excitedly snatched the smoke from Michelle and took a long inhale. Michelle braced for the coughing but it didn't come.
“You do this often? Bum cigarettes off pretty girls" Michelle asked, amused. A blush crept up Wilma's neck.
“Sometimes Jo shares her pot with me” Wilma admitted, looking ashamed "you're the first pretty girl I've shared a cigarette with” she mused.
The admission hit Michelle like a truck. She really didn't know Wilma at all anymore, did she? Guilt racked her ribs, threatening to double her over. They used to vow to be friends forever. No matter the distance, despite the boys and the drama, they would have each other. How did they get so far apart?
"Huh." was all that came out. Michelle had never been the best at talking about her feelings. It made her feel vulnerable in a way she didn't like, like looking down in a dream and realizing you came to school naked. Wilma took another drag off the cigarette and handed it back. If she had noticed Michelle's change in emotions, it didn't show. This hurt Michelle more than anything else. They used to read each other's minds. People knew when you saw one the other must be close by, like they were two halves of one whole. For a while when they were almost always physically connected, holding hands or sitting with knees pressed together. As Michelle passed the cigarette back their fingers brushed briefly. It hit Michelle all at once exactly how much she had missed Wilma. Her voice, her laugh, her presence in Michelle's life. She just liked being in a room with her. But more than anything she missed the casualness that used to exist between them. She wanted more than anything to address whatever had happened between them but she still couldn't figure it out. Her mind kept getting stuck on the painting. Who did she have a crush on? She had never mentioned any boys. Michelle felt a pang of longing and guilt. Michelle looked over and saw that Wilma had finished the cigarette and was trying to hand the butt back to Michelle. She took the butt from the girl and tossed it over her shoulder.
“Hey! Littering” Wilma whined
“Hey, Wilma?” Michelle said as she pulled out another and lights it.
“Yeah?” Wilma replied, still looking a little out of it. Michelle took a deep breath.
“Who did you give that painting to?" the question had been gnawing at her mind for years at this point "Do you remember? The one you brought to the airport in Lenora. John mentioned it might have been for a boy you liked an…”
Wilma erupted in the loudest fit of laughter Michelle had ever heard. She had stopped walking now, she was laughing so hard. She stumbled a little and almost fell. Michelle reached out to try and catch her, keeping her hand on Wilma’s shoulder.
“Hey, what's so…” Michelle trailed off, a little concerned Wilma had lost her mind. What on earth could be making her laugh this hard “Funny”
Wilma took a few deep breaths before bursting out in another fit of laughter.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry its just" a third fit of laughter ensued "Oh my God"
Michelle stood back, taking her hand off Wilma's shoulder. She felt utterly bewildered. This is the antithesis of how she had thought this conversation would go. Wilma took a deep breath.
"Sorry oh my God" another deep breath "John told you that? That the painting was for a boy?" she asked, clearly amused. Seriously, what could possibly be funny about this. Michelle felt an anxiety bubble up in her chest. She was trying to clear the air and Wilma was laughing right in her face. She felt her cheek growing hotter.
"Yeah, he did and I honest to God can't understand whats so funny abou......"
"Oh my god! I don't like boys!" Wilma burst out.
All of a sudden Michelle is having a hard time forming thoughts.
Wilma........ doesn't......... like.......... boys?
"What?" Michelle asked, half convinced she had misheard.
"I don't...... like boys" Wilma repeated a little sheepish this time. Okay. Michelle still felt like she couldn't comprehend what she had just heard. Wilma doesn't like boys. Does that mean? Oh my God.
"Does that mean....."Michelle trailed off, not even daring to finish the sentence.
"Oh my God, yes that means I like girls. I swear to God, were you always this dense?"
Oh my God. Wilma likes girls. a thought slammed to the front of Michelle's mind before she could stop it, entirely unwelcomed.
Fuck.
She was gonna have to figure out how to break up with John, wasn't she?