When Will was around 7 or 8, all of his friends got bikes for Christmas and he was really disappointed that he didn’t get one, but he didn’t say anything to Joyce about it, because he knew that they were struggling to afford bills and clothes etc, so he never mentioned anything to her about the bike.
He would walk to school with the boys and they’d all be on their new bikes, Lucas and Dustin speeding off in the distance, racing each other, laughing loudly as they rode along. Mike would ride slowly beside Will, so that he didn’t get left behind, before stopping and letting him get on the back of his bike and ride with him. Will would always love riding with Mike, clutching on to his jacket and feeling the wind brush against his face as they rode along. He would smile vehemently and play silly games with Mike as they went along, like drawing things on Mike’s back with his finger and having Mike guess what he was drawing. Mike would always laugh, as it was always a dinosaur, Mike’s favourite toy he had.
One day Mike asks Will to come over to his house after school as he has something for him. Will goes with him after school, eagerly wondering what it is Mike is talking about. They walk into the garage to see Mike’s bike propped up in the middle of the room, with a red bow tied to it. Will looks confused and Mike says, “It’s yours! I got a new bike for my birthday, so I don’t need this one now! It’s all yours!” Will can’t believe it and starts jumping up and down like mad. He runs over to Mike and hugs him tightly, still while bouncing up and down from excitement. Mike laughs and says, “ I take it you like it then!?” Will’s tightening grip on Mike, answers the question for him.
Mike then spends Sunday afternoons teaching Will how to ride it. Mike starts off by holding the back of the bike as Will wobbles along, and he falls off every once in a while, and Mike freezes for a second wondering if his friend is okay, but then Will laughs and they both end up in a fit of laughter together. Eventually Will gets the hang of it and ends up being just as good as Mike.
They both take early morning bike rides around the rural areas of Hawkins and one day when Mike’s bike is in for a repair at the shop, Will takes great joy in saying, “Need a ride?” They both ride off on Will’s bike, him feeling warm and fuzzy at his best friend wrapping his arms around him so tightly. Every once in a while, Will pretends his bike has gone for a repair, just to ride on the back of Mike’s bike with him. Mike knows that Will just says it so he can ride with him, but he doesn’t mind, if anything, he quite enjoys having his best friend riding with him and drawing silly doodles on his back of objects, and him having to guess what they are, before they both burst into fits of laughter over how what Will draws on his back, feels nothing like what he says it is, but Will argues that he’s just playing the game all wrong.
