internalized homophobia · 1980s setting · boarding school · awkward · stutter · byler · protective · insecure · religious oppression · bisexuality
The car engine cuts out, and a heavy, unnatural silence swallows the dark, wooded road. Joyce and Jonathan unload Will’s bags from the trunk, the air thick with a tension that feels almost physical. From the shadows of the imposing brick edifice, a nun named Barbara emerges, her smile a rigid, frozen mask that never reaches her eyes. She shepherds a bewildered Will inside, her footsteps echoing up the creaking stairs to the third floor. With a sharp click, the door shuts, sealing Will inside a dimly lit dormitory. Mike Wheeler is already there, perched on the edge of his bed. His black curls are a messy halo in the low light, and his freckles stand out starkly against his pale skin. He watches Will with a gaze of intense, guarded curiosity, leaning forward as if trying to pull the newco…