On Monday morning, two weeks after his accident, Hopper is the first one awake in the house. Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, the bright red numbers tell him it's just after six in the morning.
"Hop?" Joyce suddenly whispered when he tried to shift onto his back, causing her to untangle from his body.
"Morning Honey. Sorry, I wasn't trying to wake you." He answered with a yawn.
"What time is it?" She asked.
"A little after six. We still have plenty of time before we need to get moving."
He caught her slight nod from his peripheral as she sat up and automatically raised her arms above her head to stretch. The movement brought the shirt she was wearing up from her hips to show off the little dimples in her lower back and he quickly looked away, not needing to deal with an erection on top of everything else his first day back at school. He knew it was going to be annoying enough as it is.
Reaching for the crutch leaning against the wall, Hopper tiredly got to his feet and hobbled to the bathroom. When he returned Joyce already had his orange flannel and a pair of loose fitting gym shorts, along with a white t-shirt laid out on the bed for him.
"You didn't have to do that." He said, working his way back into the bedroom.
"I know I didn't, I'm just trying to be as helpful as I can. Are you sure you want to go back today? No one would care if you wanted to stay home a few more days."
"Honey, I need to go back. I'm already slightly behind in all my classes, and if I have to stay in this house one more day with mom checking in on me every thirty minutes I might have a breakdown. I need to be around people my own age, and I actually miss Benny. Don't tell him I said that though."
Joyce smiled at his confession. "Your secret is safe with me."
Before Hopper could speak, a quiet knock on their door rang out and Greg appeared already dressed in his freshly pressed uniform.
"Morning kids, moms still asleep so we're gonna grab a biscuit on the way to school if that's fine with y'all?"
Both Hopper and Joyce nodded, knowing that if Mary was sleeping in she was completely exhausted.
"Good, meet me downstairs when you're ready and we'll get going. Oh and Jim, don't forget to take your meds with you. I know you don't want to take them unless you absolutely have to, but just in case. Alright son?"
"Yeah dad, I got them in my bag already."
"I'm going to go make some coffee, I have a feeling I'm going to need it today." Greg said before turning from the doorway.
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Pulling into the parking circle in front of the school, Greg quickly threw the truck in park and looked over his shoulder at Joyce.
"If either of you need anything, don't hesitate to phone home. Mom should be up by ten at the latest. If you can't get her, you can call me at the station. Flo will make sure I get the message."
"Alright dad, we promise. I'll try my best to make it to at least one before I take my medicine. I don't want to be stumbling around campus."
"I know, son. You two try to have a good day and I'll see y'all tonight. Mom will be picking you up this afternoon."
"You too dad, and don't work too hard. Love you." Joyce yelled as she grabbed Hopper's book bag and began walking toward the school's entrance.
At first no one really seemed to notice that the famous Jim Hopper had returned. No one even glanced at him or Joyce as they navigated the crowded halls, and Hopper slowly felt the anxiety that had been thrumming through his veins start to ease.
Until someone started yelling.
"Do my eyes deceive me? or is that my best buddy hobbling down the hallway?!"
Benny quickly came into view, pushing through the crowd of teenagers as if they were second graders and made his way toward Joyce and Hopper with Karen in tow behind him. Benny pulled Hopper into a hug with a few gentle smacks on the back as soon as he was within reach.
"I didn't know you were coming back today or I would have met you in the parking lot! How are you feeling? Still hurt like a son of a bitch?"
"Not as bad as it was those first few days, but it still aches if I'm standing up for too long. I got a few more weeks of lugging this thing around before I get it taken off to see how everything is healing. Depending on what he sees we will go from there." Hopper spoke a little louder than necessary so everyone pretending not to listen to their conversation understood he wouldn't be repeating himself later if asked again.
The ten minute bell suddenly rang and the sea of hormones, body odor, and bad acne began to move faster as everyone headed to their particular destination.
"I'm glad you're back man, we'll catch up more at lunch alright?"
"For sure, see you then." Hopper gave Benny a light smack on the arm just as Karen handed Joyce a neatly folded note. The two ladies grinned at each other before Joyce shoved the piece of paper into the front pocket of her jeans and waved goodbye.
Carefully walking down the hall with Hopper to his first period class, Joyce made sure to lay his backpack down within arms reach, before she kissed him on the cheek and ran off to her own class across the hall.
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By the end of the week Hopper was ready to call it quits with school all together. If he thought the days dragged by before his accident, it was moving like molasses in winter now and every little thing was grading on his nerves. He had gotten used to the quiet of his house and the loud buzz of the student body was about to make him have a mental breakdown. Coupled with the pain of moving around a lot more at school, his medication trying to kill him, and everyone trying to talk to him about how he was doing, he was more than ready for Friday to end so he could sleep the entire weekend away.
"It'll be over before you know it Honey, just one more day." Joyce comforted with a smile as she held the door open for him to maneuver carefully through the entrance of the school on his crutches.
Thankfully many of the students had already approached Hopper earlier in the week to welcome him back, which meant the couple had a few moments of peace as they made their way to their lockers. Peace was something Joyce hadn't had a lot of the last month and she greedily soaked up every second of it she could get.
It wouldn't last however, it never lasted. She was destined to be a target for bullies and shitty people, even if her life had taken a turn for the better as of late. So it didn't surprise her when they turned the corner to meet Karen and Benny at her locker and came face to face with Brandon Greene.
"Well if it isn't the draft dodger." Brandon smirked, flicking his gaze from Joyce to Hopper as he came to a wobbly stop in the middle of the hallway. "Was really hoping you'd been shipped off to the jungle early so I could finally get a taste of why you and Benny fawn over this little number like two love struck morons." He continued, gesturing to Joyce with a lift of his hand.
The loud voices echoing off the walls from the nearby student body suddenly fell silent, and Joyce could hear Hopper trying to stay calm by the way he was breathing. Before anything could get out of hand, she gently touched his arm and shook her head.
Watching as his jaw clenched and his knuckles tighten around his crutch, Hopper waited a beat then started walking by Brandon without a word.
This caused the smaller man to start laughing, along with a few of his friends. "Pussy whipped just like Benny I see. No wonder you found a way out. No one wants a little bitch serving their country. The Jim Hopper this school once knew died the day he started dating the trash of Hawkins. What happened to the man who slammed other guys into the mats without breaking a sweat? The guy who had every girl hanging off his arms trying to get laid?"
Hopper stopped mid step, his pride getting the best of him. He turned slightly, his eyes scanning the halls to see several people watching the confrontation before they landed on Brandon. "Maybe you've forgotten, but I clearly remember slamming your face into a table not that long ago. I might only have one good leg at the moment, but I'll still beat your ass. So come on, get it out. Let the entire school know how you really feel, because this shits getting old."
"Honey please, lets just-"
"No." Hopper interrupted Joyce's attempt to defuse the situation, his eyes never leaving Brandon's. "This ends now. I'm sick and tired of this asshole thinking he can treat people this way when he doesn't get what he wants."
"And what exactly is it that I want Jim?" Brandon asked, moving away from the lockers.
"Apparently another man's woman for a start. A shame she'd never give you the time of day, even if I wasn't here. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have friends that gave a shit about you either."
Brandon glanced over his shoulder at the three guys behind him, then back in Hopper's direction. "And where exactly are your friends?" He asked, looking around for someone who wasn't there. "We all know Joyce here is just a pity fuck to build your reputation." He sneered, taking a step closer toward the larger man.
Hopper felt his restraint break at the mention of Joyce and let go of his crutch, intending to swing on Brandon. Instead a foot made contact with his gut hard enough to send him crashing to the ground, his hip hitting the tile with a sickening crack.
"Jim!" He faintly heard Joyce cry his name as he struggled to return the air that had been knocked from his lungs. There was a ringing in his ears and he could feel hands touching his body, but he couldn't seem to gather his bearings. The pain radiating from his hip and down to his already hurt knee was only fueling his anger and irritation, and the longer he was being touched, the quicker he could feel himself slipping.
"Get off of me!" He yelled, jerking his arms away from people trying to help him stand and pushing at hands pulling on his clothes, completely missing the fact he had accidentally backhanded Joyce in the process. "You're dead Greene!" He winced once he was finally in a standing position, having no clue who he was leaning against to keep his balance.
"Whoa there big guy." A voice said from his left when he tried to take a step forward. It was then he realized Bob Newby was the person currently keeping him from falling over. Suddenly anger he hadn't felt since Travis Horowitz bubbled up inside him, making his entire body shake when he saw a smirk spread across Brandon's face.
"Wow Jim, having Bob Newby holding you up is just sad. I mean, It's Bob the Brain. He's almost a bigger pussy than that little tart you fuck."
It happened before Brandon could finish his sentence. One second Hopper's crutch was lying on the floor between the two of them, the next it was meeting Brandon's Skull. The boy dropped like a sack of potatoes as Lonnie raised his arms to go in for another swing.
"Not so tough now are you Brandon?! Try talking shit to someone who doesn't have anything to lose!" Lonnie yelled, bringing the end of the crutch down onto Brandon's pinky finger as hard as he could. Hopper was pretty sure the fallen man's scream was heard throughout the entire school as teachers came sprinting down the hallway demanding to be let by.
"Mr. Byers! What is the meaning of this?!" Principal Shepherd questioned, looking around at Bob holding up Jim, to Brandon on the floor cradling his broken pinky to his chest.
"Brandon here couldn't keep his nose out of someone else's business. Then decided to be a coward and kick Jim. I'm simply serving justice where it is due sir."
"Is that what happened, Newby?"
"Yes sir. I had to help Jim off the floor after Brandon kicked him in the stomach."
"Greene, Byers, my office now. The rest of you get to class, you're all already late." Principal Shepherd demanded through the murmurs of excited students, all of which would be talking of this event into next week.
Lonnie carefully handed Hopper his crutch back, before nodding at Bob and heading in the direction of the principal's office. Making a show of stepping over Brandon who was still lying on the floor.
"What's wrong Greene? Hand hurt? It's almost as if you shouldn't start shit you can't finish." Lonnie grinned as he passed the small group of remaining students who had yet to leave.
"Knock it off, Byers. Greene, get moving!" Shepherd barked.
It wasn't until all three of them were out of sight that Hopper realized someone was missing.
"Where's Joyce?" He asked, looking around the thinning hallway as he adjusted his crutch under his arm and relieved Bob of his heavy burden.
"Jim, it's not your fault. You were mad and Brandon was talking a lot of shit, and-" Bob started when Benny came running toward them, slightly out of breath.
"Jim! Joyce is freaking out and we can't get her to calm down!"
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She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Joyce could only taste the blood from her busted lip and feel the pounding of her heart. Quiet. She needed quiet in order to calm down and instinctively she put her back to the wall, only slightly taking the edge off her anxiety knowing no one could sneak up behind her.
"Joyce, it's okay. Just try and calm down." Karen urged, not knowing what to do.
"Is not that easy Karen. It's not just something I can turn off!" Joyce growled as she popped each knuckle in her hands.
"What can I do to help?" Karen pleaded, her own discomfort in the situation becoming overwhelming.
"I don't know. Usually Jim is here, but he's the one who caused this and I don't know if I can stomach him touching me right now."
The sound of footsteps startled Joyce when she realized someone else had entered the bathroom. Glancing up from her pacing, she found Benny making his way to Karen's side.
"How is she doing?"
"How does it look like she's doing?! She's freaking out, and I'm starting to freak out because she's freaking out!" Karen practically yelled, causing Joyce to panic even more.
"That's really not helping Karen." She snapped, turning on her heel to start a new pattern of pacing. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as if it was the one thing that was going to bring her down from the roller coaster she never intended to be on.
"Should we get the nurse or something?" Benny wondered, holding Karen's hand to try and keep her from getting worked up as well.
"I don't think that's going to help. The more people in here, the more she's going to panic."
"I'm literally right here guys." Joyce huffed.
The door to the bathroom suddenly swung open, it's hinges groaning with the force behind the push as Hopper tumbled in, saving himself from falling only by grabbing the closest sink.
"Joyce, Honey I am so sorry, I didn't mean-" He started, immediately freezing when his outstretched hand caused her to recoil further into the corner.
Joyce instantly regretted the movement when she saw the pain her reaction caused him, but her body wasn't going to allow anyone to get close to her. "Please Hop, I can't. You can't touch me right now." She pleaded, her words falling from her mouth in a rush of heated confusion. Her mind longed for the safety of his arms, but her body revolted against the thought. Too soon. It was too soon for any sort of physical contact.
Hopper raised his hands in front of him, signaling that he wasn't going to move.
"My hands are here sweetheart, I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to. Just breathe with me okay? Come on Darlin, take a deep breath... that's it."
"I know what to do, Hopper! I'm not stupid!" She practically screeched, her emotions going a thousand different directions. Fear, anger, worry. They were all trying to choke her, to bring her down when all she wanted was to fucking breathe.
"Joyce, I need you to calm down so we can get through this, but you have to listen to me. Focus on the sound of my voice."
Hopper remained at the sink, his weight now evenly distributed between that and his crutch as he watched Joyce pace, her fingers still picking at the calluses on her pointer finger.
"I'm sorry for hitting you Honey. I was angry at Brandon, and so much was going on. Everyone was touching me and I was getting agitated. I just needed to be left alone and I lashed out. I'm so, so sorry. Please just breathe with me. I'm begging you."
Joyce shut her eyes and allowed her body to start relaxing at the comforting sound of his voice. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that he was her safe place, that the entire situation had been an accident and that he would never intentionally hurt her, but she couldn't help being weary of him at the moment.
Time felt like it stood still in the small bathroom as she continued to pace, everyone staying quiet while they watched her slowly come down from the adrenaline rush that had caused so much pain for her over the past half hour. With one last exhale, Joyce slowly peeled herself out of her corner and carefully made her way to Hopper.
His heedful arms gently brought her face to his chest and she wrapped herself around his waist as the familiar scent of his cologne pulled feelings of comfort and safety to the front of her mind, begging her to give in to the protection of his body. His hands threaded through her hair, trying to soothe away the remaining emotions that were plaguing her while speaking as if she was the most precious thing in the whole world.
"It's okay Honey, everything is going to be okay. I'm sorry. So very sorry."
With calculated movements, Hopper carefully reached down and lifted Joyce's chin to make her look at him. A frown immediately overtook his features when his eyes finally landed on the gash upon her lower lip.
Tensing slightly when his thumb made contact with the swollen flesh in an attempt to remove the remaining dried blood , Joyce turned her head after a brief moment to make him drop his hand, and placed her forehead back against his chest to just breathe.
"Would it be too much to ask for us to go home early?" She almost begged, knowing she didn't have the energy to deal with anybody who wasn't already in the bathroom with her.
"Mom's supposed to pick us up today or I would say let's go." Hopper mumbled, the deep sound of his voice resonating through his chest and into her ear.
"I can take you two home. I have gym next and the coach won't mind if I'm a no show." Benny offered.
Joyce shifted slightly in Hopper's embrace to see the guy who used to torment her, pull the one female friend she had into the curve of his body.
"Yeah, actually that would be great Benny. I can give you some money for gas as well."
Benny raised his hand to stop him from reaching for his wallet. "No need for all that. I might just have to hang out at the farm until school is out so my mom doesn't give me shit for skipping again."
Hopper gave him a nod and a silent look of thanks.
"Are you going to be alright riding in the bed of the truck?"
"Yeah, just don't intentionally hit any potholes." He answered with a hint of a smile.
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When the air around them began to swirl with dust, Hopper and Joyce both knew they had started down the long dirt road that was their driveway. It took a few extra minutes with the snail's pace of Benny's driving, but Hopper was thankful he wasn't bouncing around like a cat in a bathtub. Once the truck finally came to a stop, Hopper immediately heard the screen door of the house open.
"Benny? What's going on? Where is Jim?" Mary's voice suddenly rose over the sounds of the front yard.
"Right here mom." Hopper called as he tried to hold Joyce's hand when she jumped over the side of the pick up.
"Did school let out earl- Oh Joyce, honey what happened?"
Joyce flinched slightly at hearing her name and tried to hide her face as she walked onto the front porch, but Mary was having none of it.
Benny carefully helped Hopper out of the truck bed and handed him his crutch, before placing his arm around Karen's shoulders to avoid answering to Mary.
"Is someone going to tell me what happened?" Mary asked with a raise of her voice, her own worry beginning to set in.
"It's a long story, Mrs. H. Might want to grab a couple of glasses of tea for this one." Benny finally answered nervously as he and the rest of the group trudged onto the porch.
"Fine, but I want the whole story. And none of this lying to protect someone, y'all hear me?"
"Loud and clear mom." Hopper groaned and slowly settled onto the porch swing. Joyce eyed the empty space beside him with hesitation, but it was the pleading look on his face that finally had her crawling onto the swing, a few inches separating them. Benny jumped onto the porch rail and balanced himself there, while Karen took one of the last two rocking chairs.
It didn't take long for Mary to bust back out through the screen door, a tray of tea filled glasses and a kitchen towel wrapped with ice in her hands.
"So who's going to start?"
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"You're telling me all this bullying is still going on at school?" Mary questioned as she took a sip of her tea. Her foot tapping a mile a minute on the worn wood of the front porch a sure sign that she was pissed.
"It never stopped, and it's not going to. Not as long as I'm in Hawkins. The majority of everyone here hates me. I haven't done anything to any of them, and they would all rather see me hit by a truck than come to my defense in a situation when someone is bullying me." Joyce spoke around the now soggy kitchen towel she still had placed on her lip. She felt Hopper move beside her and watched as he reached into the front pocket of his jeans to grab his medicine.
The sound of crunching gravel suddenly caught the attention of everyone on the porch, halting the conversation. Glancing over his shoulder, Hopper saw his dad's blazer pulling into its designated spot in the driveway. The four teenagers watched as Greg approached the front steps, scraped off the bottom of his boots, then leaned against the porch railing. He looked at each kid individually before looking at the watch that adorned his left wrist.
"It's a little early to be socializing on the front porch isn't it?"
Everyone turned toward Mary as she uncrossed, and re-crossed her legs.
"Jim was defending Joyce at school today, when Brandon Greene kicked him in the stomach. When he was trying to get up he accidentally backhanded Joyce, causing her to have a panic attack."
Greg subtly clenched his jaw when he finally took in the sight of Joyce's busted lip. "I see. You two alright?"
Both Jim and Joyce nodded, neither sure what to say exactly.
"What happened to the Greene boy?" Greg stated, turning his attention back to his wife.
"Well, another student who saw what happened picked up one of Jim's crutches and knocked him upside his head. That's when the principal showed up and Jim realized that Joyce wasn't with him."
Greg straightened his posture after a moment of silence and reached into the back pocket of his pants. "Honey, take all four of them to the diner for lunch. I'll join you there in about an hour. Order my favorite alright?"
Greg handed several bills toward his wife and placed a quick kiss upon her lips, before giving the teenagers all a nod.
"Where are you going?" Mary asked as Greg climbed back into his blazer and cranked the engine.
"I have an appointment with the principal to either press charges, or to have the Greene boy expelled. I'm tired of the two of them coming home banged up and emotionally drained because of the irresponsible actions of teenagers who think they're adults." And with that, Greg was putting his blazer in reverse and disappearing down the driveway before another word could be spoken.
Once he was out of sight, Mary clapped her hands together and turned to face the teens still gathered on the porch. "Alright. Who's hungry?"