Chapter 43

Jonathan turned the engine on and immediately put the vehicle in gear as they started driving away from the Wheelers' house. As they drove on the main road, Will remained silent beside him. For a while, they drove in silence, with only the sound of the engine filling the car.

When the quiet stretched between them for long enough, Jonathan finally broke the silence, glancing sideways at Will to check if he'd heard him.

"Hey, Will", he called out. "I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. It must've scared you a bit", he confessed.

Will gave a short shrug of his shoulders as a response.

"Didn't mean to", he said. "It just came out without thinking. It won't happen again."

Jonathan stared straight ahead, trying to think of something else to say. Finally, he looked back at Will, who had been observing the houses, trees and clouds as they drove past them, for some time now.

"Don't you miss it?" asked Jonathan quietly after a while.

Will raised his eyebrows.

"What? Living in Hawkins?"

"Not really. No", responded Jonathan shortly. "The Wheeler house isn't exactly what you call home".

"Well, neither are we", remarked Will sarcastically, throwing Jonathan a sarcastic smirk. "We live in Derry", he continued.

Jonathan gave him a look.

"Exactly", he acknowledged. "Derry".

They lapsed into another comfortable silence. Will kept staring straight ahead, as if lost in thought. Meanwhile, Jonathan drove silently, trying to process everything that Will had just told him. In the back of his mind, he wondered about the other boy's words. His mind was wandering, as if it wasn't sure whether he believed them or not. It wasn't long before Jonathan realised that this was probably the case; although, deep inside, he knew he was right. He just couldn't quite figure out what it was he was right about. Suddenly, Will spoke up again.

"Jonathan", he started cautiously, causing Jonathan to turn towards him quickly. "Do... Do you think we're safe?"

Jonathan sighed deeply. He knew Will was worried about what happened the previous day, and he felt bad for making the boy think that they might get hurt. He knew what he wanted to hear: that they weren't going to have any problems like last time, but that was definitely far from the truth. He knew what it meant for his health if they actually got themselves caught in this situation, but he didn't see any other way out. They couldn't risk it. Not anymore. This was his best chance, or what was left of it.

Finally, he replied.

"I do", he stated softly.

Silence once more reigned supreme.

Then Will shifted and turned to face Jonathan. He gave the older boy a questioning look.

"But?" he insisted.

Jonathan hesitated for a second.

"I know I should've told you, Will, earlier", he began hesitantly, "but when we found ourselves trapped in the Upside Down, I just didn't think… You have to understand, this isn't easy for us. We never thought things like this would happen. It took a lot of time for us to accept the possibility, and even more time to deal with the aftermath. I know that the fact that someone like me has caused such suffering in your world doesn't change anything about me, but that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty every single day", he paused before continuing with a whisper, "because of what happened yesterday".

For a moment, no word was spoken, as Will listened to his words.

"You are forgiven," was what he finally said after the silence became unbearable. "I know that there are times when people say they're sorry, but I think they really just aren't sorry".

Jonathan shook his head slightly.

"That's just it", he said. "There's no excuse, because none of them ever apologized for what had happened. And that's how it always ends".

"I understand" responded Will, not understanding what Jonathan meant.

"No, you don't", said the older boy, looking directly at him. "This has to end sometime. If we keep running around blindly like this, people are bound to catch us eventually. It's only a matter of time until one of us gives away our location".

Suddenly, Jonathan noticed a car pull up to the curb on the opposite side of the street. As he parked beside their own bike, the car started backing slowly and then stopped completely, its headlights shining brightly in front of them. Jonathan and Will exchanged glances before Jonathan leaned forward and pressed the unlock button on the steering wheel. Once the engine died out, he got out of the car and opened Will's door. Just as he was about to reach in the backseat for his bag, the door of the car suddenly creaked opened from the inside. The man in the dark blue shirt and pants climbed out of the car, his face concealed beneath the shadow cast by his black hair. He approached the door and opened it for Will to step outside. Will did so without hesitation.

"Welcome, Mr. Byers", greeted Jonathan's father warmly.

Will turned around to face the man, smiling broadly at him as he extended his hand.

"Thank you", he said simply.

Then his eyes darted towards Jonathan. Before he could ask him anything, Jonathan answered for him with an amused tone, though he sounded much more tense than usual.

"Dad", he said. "This is Will Graham. Will, this is my dad".

"Oh hello Mr. Byer", greeted Will.

The man returned his smile as he shook the younger boy's offered hand before letting it fall back to his side.

"Call me John", he replied. "I haven't introduced myself to you yet, have I? I'm Jonathan's friend".

Will nodded as Jonathan watched them intently.

"Nice meeting you"

John smiled at him.

"Likewise", he said, turning to face Jonathan as he added, "you should give him a tour before you take off. You know, so he understands everything".

"I will", he promised.

As they reached the house in which Jonathan lived with his grandparents, Jonathan motioned toward it. Will stepped aside so that he wouldn't bump into the wall as they walked down the path. He was still carrying his suitcase and a pair of sneakers. After they reached the entrance of the house, Jonathan went through the door first, leaving Will alone outside to follow him. Will entered the living room, where Jonathan stood talking with his mother. She was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace while his grandfather was standing behind her chair. As soon as Jonathan turned around and spotted him, he beckoned him over with an encouraging nod. Will slowly approached and made his way toward the couch.

His mother looked at him curiously before reaching over and patting the space next to her.

"Sit", she invited.

Will gave her a brief nod and sat. His grandmother, who had been standing behind Jonathan, also took a seat facing Will, resting one hand on his thigh.

"Will", she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay", he answered curtly.

"Is there anything we can get for you?", she asked gently, as if not expecting any different.

Will hesitated for a moment and shrugged.

"No thanks", he said after a pause.