Three days. Three amazing days Joyce didn't have to worry about a single thing. The slight hangover that endured Sunday had been long gone. School had surprisingly gone well, no one wanted to come near her for fear of projectile vomiting. Hopper constantly left cute little notes in her locker, all of which had some kind of cheesy vampire joke on them. Normally she would have quickly put a stop to it, afraid someone would see him lingering around and start asking questions, but after finding out it wasn't a prank, she realized how much she enjoyed the attention. The simplicity of them is what made it so special, so very Hopper. Just those few words written on a crumpled piece of notebook paper propelled her emotional high. She felt as if she could take on anything and anyone in the world. Until the day came she was reminded she wasn't allowed to be happy.
It started with small things. Someone calling her a pervert for snapping shots of the wrestling team working out for the yearbook. Someone making fun of the sweater she'd chosen to wear that day. Stupid petty remarks just to get under her skin and thankfully biology was the last class she had for the day and one she happened to share with Hopper. Unfortunately, due to an ongoing group project, Hopper hadn't been able to move his seat up front next to Joyce. Instead, he had been forced to continue to work with Chrissy, who made a point not to speak to him unless it was about their project.
Of course, no one had wanted to partner with Joyce, so she was yet again going at another project alone. Thankfully, she didn't really need this biology class. She had only taken it as a demand from her father, wanting to make sure she had every possible school period filled. At least she knew most, if not all of the material, so she didn't really need to pay attention.
She had been doodling on a piece of paper ignoring the teacher when she felt something hit the back of her head and it only got worse when she reached up and felt something sticky stuck in her hair.
"Chrissy, what the hell?" She heard Hopper ask, turning around to see him staring daggers at the women to his right.
"What?" Chrissy asked with a shrug. "I thought it was the trashcan."
The class erupted in laughter and Hopper's face turned red with anger. "May I be excused?" Joyce asked, getting a nod from the teacher as she told everyone to settle down.
Joyce quickly grabbed her bag and made her exit, not noticing her camera sliding to the floor in her haste to get out of there.
Thankfully it hit Hopper's shoe when he stood to go after her and carefully scooped it up on his way out of the classroom. "Joyce!" He called when he saw her standing at her locker, struggling to get it open due to her hands shaking.
"Go away...please just leave me alone, Hop." She whispered, not looking at him as she tried her lock for the third time.
"But your cam-."
"Jim!" Hopper was cut off mid-sentence to Chrissy coming up behind them, causing Joyce to turn around. "What are you doing? What is this?" She motioned with her hands to the two of them.
"What am I doing?" He asked sarcastically. "What the hell are you doing Chrissy, Gum? Really? How mature."
Chrissy laughed, a smirk spreading across her face. "So that's what it is huh? You're fucking the trash princess! I couldn't get my head around why you would suddenly leave me after our date. I mean, what other reason is there. Look at me, then look at her." Chrissy pointed her hand at Joyce, popping her hip out for emphasis.
"Chrissy, you don't know what you're talking about. Just go back to class." Hopper instructed not wanting to deal with her bullshit at the moment.
"Why else would you waste your time helping this loser?" Joyce didn't miss the look Chrissy gave her like she was nothing more than a doormat she'd gladly wipe her feet on. "You certainly aren't giving me any, so you must be getting it somewhere."
"Chrissy, I'm warning you. Stop acting like a fucking child. You clearly have no idea what's going on."
"Oh, I don't?" Chrissy took a step closer, running her hand down his chest. Hopper tried taking a step back, but felt Joyce's locker door hit his shoulders.
"I'm not blind Jim, I've seen you around her locker between classes, and the way you stood up for her in the cafeteria." Once her hand reached his waist, she moved it to his wrist where she rubbed soft circles against his skin with her thumb. "And I bet all the evidence I'll need is right here." Before Hopper knew what was happening, Chrissy snatched Joyce's camera from his hand and took a step back.
"Hey!" Joyce yelled, moving around Hopper to stand between them. "Hand it over." This was the first time Hopper had ever seen Joyce actually stand up for herself and it made his chest tighten. Usually, she chose an easier alternative by avoiding confrontation.
Chrissy shrugged and held out her hand. Which seemed like an easy victory until Joyce almost had it in her grasp and Chrissy purposely let it slip from her fingers, sending it crashing to the floor. The sound of broken glass and plastic echoing through the empty hall.
"Did you really think I was just going to hand it over princess? If that's the case you're just as stupid as the fucking clothes you wear."
Something in Joyce snapped in that moment and she tackled Chrissy to the floor, beating the shit out of her. Joyce had one of her hands in Chrissy's hair, holding her head steady while her other fist connected repeatedly with her face. Joyce didn't even notice Chrissy's blood splashing onto her own face with every hit. She wasn't worried about the cuts on her own hands from Chrissy's teeth, or about the screams of her teachers telling her to break it up. All she craved was vengeance for all the bullshit the whore beneath her had cause for the past six years of her life. She barely felt two strong arms, wrapping around her chest, and pulling her away.
Hopper didn't hesitate to drag her down the hallway, leaving a trail of blood and sneaker prints in their wake. Quickly hauling her into the student bathroom, Hopper locked the door and turned to face the now shaking body in of him.
"Hopper, what the fuck have I done?"
"You just beat the shit out of Chrissy Carpenter, that's what you've done." Hopper pulls her to his chest, trying to help her stop shaking.
"No, no, no," Joyce whispered to herself as her mind started to become more clear.
"Shhhh, It's alright, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll tell the principal or whoever what happened and all this shit is going to fall on Chrissy's shoulders, not yours."
"It's not alright!" Joyce spat, clutching at her chest when he let her go. "I'm so fucked, what the hell is wrong with me?" She questioned, her breaths coming faster and shallower.
Hopper dropped to his knees in front of her when she slid down to the floor and curled in on herself. "Joyce look at me." He demanded, reaching out to take her face in his hands. "Relax."
Joyce shook her head, knocking his hands away. "You don't understand. My dad's gonna kill me." Her breathing picked up even more then, scaring him.
"You have to calm down." He pleaded, rubbing her arms. "I won't let anything happen to you. Besides your dad is still in jail."
In almost an instant Joyce's eyes became hazy as she struggled to get air into her lungs.
"Shit." Hopper grabbed her ankles and pulled her forward, placing himself between her and the wall with her back against him. His hand wrapped around her fingers to remove the death grip on her collar and placed his arm across her chest. "Just breathe." He took in a deep breath, holding her tight enough that she could feel his chest rise. "In and out. Move with me." Another deep breath. "Just like that."
Joyce placed her hands on his thighs and fist his jeans between her fingers, rubbing his skin raw with the constant moving as she fought through her panic attack. "I'm right here, you're ok." He whispered, kissing the top of her head, doing anything to ease her pain.
"Hop..." Her voice barely came through as she gasped for air, her whole body shaking. Keeping his arm across her chest, he sat up a little more and used his free hand to brush sweaty hair from her face.
"Don't talk, just focus on me." His hand rubbed up and down her arm gently. "Take in a deep breath."
And she did, moving in time with his breathing. "Good, do it again." He repeated, continuing this pattern for what seemed like hours before she loosened her grip on his jeans and started getting enough air in her lungs to calm down. When she reached up to place her hand over his and he could no longer feel her heart trying to burst through her ribs, he dropped his head back against the wall and shut his eyes with a sigh.
"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me." He whispered, squeezing her hand. He'd only seen her have a panic attack one other time and it was absolutely terrifying. If she wasn't currently shaking she'd more than likely feel the tremble in his own body at how uneasy he was.
"Sorry..." She apologized after a minute, her voice full of exhaustion.
He knew she was tired and would have gladly laid there in his arms until the sun went down, but her clothes were soaked with sweat, she was shivering uncontrollably and the bloodstains on his jeans reminded him of her busted knuckles she needed to clean. "Come on." He said, carefully pushing her to stand.
Joyce protested the movement, but stood anyway, suddenly becoming more alert.
"Holy shit, Hop, I beat the fuck out of Chrissy Carpenter." Joyce voiced in awe, not completely sure where the feeling of relief was coming from.
"You're damn right you did. Guess she won't be messing with you anymore."
"Wait... Hopper, your parents are going to be pissed at me!" Joyce swallowed, fearful of what would happen to her if she didn't have their support.
Hopper took hold of her shoulders and made her look at him. They didn't need a repeat of what just happened. "Joyce it's going to be ok, I promise you."
"You can't promise that!" Tears fell down her cheeks when she had no more fight left. She was completely drained and her body had no other way to release the stress she was feeling. "Even if the school doesn't call about your involvement..." She held up her hands then to look at her bloody knuckles. "I can't hide this from them. I don't know what I would do without the three of you and if they make me leave...Hop, I have nowhere else to go." Joyce cried, trying to keep oxygen moving into her lungs. She was just so tired of the bullies, tired of the abuse and tired of trying so hard to better her life just to get shit on over and over again.
Joyce was the strongest person Hopper had ever met and to see her so broken in that moment destroyed him. She had never admitted defeat before. Even after the worst of the beatings, the teasing, the constant stress of going to college, she always hid behind a face of determination. It's one of the things he loved about her. Even when the world was against her she always pushed through.
Taking her hand, he moved them to stand in front of the sink and turned on the faucet. "What you just did to Chrissy proves you're capable of more than you think."
Joyce let him run her hands under the water once it was warm. Rinsing the blood from her knuckles. "I don't know what happened." She whispered, truly surprised by her actions.
"Six years of bullshit is what happened. Chrissy's a bitch and deserved what she got." Hopper rolled her knuckles between his fingers to make sure nothing was broken and carefully cleaned where he assumed her fist hit Chrissy's tooth and tore the skin. That was the only place he could see where she was bleeding so the rest of the blood had to be Chrissy's. "You really did a number on her." He said with a hint of a smile. Proud of her for standing up for herself.
Pounding on the bathroom door made both of them jump and Hopper carefully put Joyce behind his back, making sure whoever was on the other side would have to go through him to get to her.
"Miss Horowitz's father is on the way. Bring her to the office now Mr. Hopper." The principal's voice range through the door. Hopper felt Joyce go stiff behind him. Turning to face her, he saw the tears once again streaming down her cheeks.
"I thought he was still in jail, dad would have told us if he posted bail." Hopper ran his hands through his hair, feeling the stress rolling off not only him, but Joyce as well.
"It's two o'clock, he's on his lunch break now. What if he posted bail after your dad left?" Her voice is barely above a whisper, her hands already shaking again. "I can't go to the farm Hop, he will kill me, you know what he is capable of! I've never fucked up this bad before."
"You've never fucked up period Joyce, he's the one whos fucked up." Hopper whispers pulling her into his chest.
"I have to go, I need to get my things from the tree house. If I can get out of here before he shows up, I can make a run for it."
The mention of those words had Hopper's heart in his throat.
"What do you mean make a run for it!? Joyce, you can't leave Hawkins, you can't leave me! Look, just come with me. Come home with me, we will grab your little box from the treehouse, tell my dad everything and not just what you want him to know. Then he can arrest that shitbag who's been abusing you for years!" Hopper pleads, willing to drop down to his knees and beg if she wants him too.
"You don't get it Hop, he will find me. No matter where I am or who I am with. As soon as he's out of jail again, he's going to want to punish me and you know he will stop at nothing until he does. I am literally-"
Suddenly the door to the bathrooms is busted open, revealing Joyce's father, the principal close behind him.
"Come along Princess, we need to have a talk at home. You've been suspended for the next three days." Her father's overly sweet voice filled the tiled lined room. His concerned father charade may have the teachers fooled, but he's not fooling Jim.
Standing up to his full height to shield Joyce, Hopper starts a standoff between himself and Joyce's father.
"She didn't do a damn thing wrong and she will not be going anywhere with you." He firmly told her dad, not missing the red tinge that had started to appear above the man's collar.
"I'm sorry son, but are you telling me what I am and aren't going to do with my own daughter?" Travis' thick accent leaked out into the small bathroom.
"You're damn right I-"
Hopper stopped talking when he felt a small pinky finger wrap around his. That was her signal. The signal to let it be before her father tried to hurt him too. Hopper looked down into Joyce's eyes and saw the unmistakable fear there. He also saw determination. She wasn't going to let him get hurt no matter the cost. Joyce quickly squeezed his hand three times in quick succession. Another code they had. Meet at the tree house. She squeezed his hand one last time, before moving from behind him.
He watched as Joyce stepped in front of Travis, her head down, not making eye contact with the man who had been abusing her for years. Hopper doesn't miss the way Joyce flinches as her father gently places his hand on the back of her neck, guiding her out of the bathroom and down the hallway.
"Mr. Hopper, I need to see you in my office." Principal Shepherd states, stepping aside to allow Hopper enough room to pass.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline that invitation, Mr. Shepherd. I gotta get home."
Hopper quickly steps around the principal and is running down the hallway and toward the student parking lot as if a life depends on it. He's grabbing for his keys as soon as his truck is insight. His hands are shaking from a combination of fear and adrenaline so bad he drops them.
"Fuck!" He yells out, trying to find the right one for his truck door on his massive set of keys. Finally finding the right one he shoves it into the lock, throwing his truck door open and climbing inside. He's peeling out of the lot in seconds, not even looking as he pulls onto the main road. He has to get to the station to find his dad. He's the only one who can help Joyce now.
He's doing fifty in a thirty five, praying no one walks out in front of him as he pulls into the front of the Police Station. His dad's blazer is parked neatly in its designated spot. Hopper doesn't even turn his truck off before he's jumping out the door and running inside. Slinging the door open, he startles Flo, his dad's new secretary.
" ! No running in the building!" She calls out after Jim, who is currently busting through the swinging door, eyes scanning the small room for his father.
"Where is he? Where's my dad?" Hopper yells at the officers who are currently sitting around their desks.
"He left about ten minutes ago on a call to old man Henderson's house. What's going on Jim, are you okay?" Mark calls from his desk. He lays his playing cards down and stands.
"No I'm not okay, why is his truck here if he's not? It doesn't matter, I need your radio right now. Right now dammit!" Jim yells as he grabs for Mark's radio.
"Hey kid, knock it off or I'm going to put you in a cell until your old man gets back." Mark states as he smacks Jim's hands away from his shoulder.
"You don't get it! I need to speak to my dad right now Mark!" Jim yells, turning on his heel and quickly stalks to his father's office, grabbing a spare radio off of his desk. He prays it has some kind of charge. Scanning through the various channels, Hopper finally finds channel eleven and begins hurriedly tapping out his family name in Morse code. That was their signal when an emergency was happening. Finally, after repeating this process three times, his dad comes back over the radio.
"Mary? Jim? What's going on? Over." Greg's voice calls back through the channel. Hopper nearly weeps at the sound of his old man's voice.
"Dad, he's got her. We have to go or he's going to kill her! Over." Hopper cries out, praying his dad stays within range.
"Jim what are you talking about, who has who? Over."
"Horowitz, Travis Horowitz posted bail today while you were on lunch. Joyce got in a fight at school and they called him. He picked her up and I don't know where she is! Over!"
The channel is silent for a few seconds, he's sure his father is yelling curses he can't even begin to think of.
"Jim, I need you to go to the tree house son, see if she got away somehow. I'm heading back to the station now. Over." The channel goes silent and Jim throws the radio down on the desk. Running back through the station, he once again startles Flo, who is attempting to make a fresh pot of coffee.
"No running in the station Mr. Hopper!" She yells out with more authority. Hopper doesn't even give her a glance back as he jumps into his truck, throwing it in reverse, and hauling ass toward the farm.
He's running toward the fields the second he's parked in the driveway and doesn't reply when his mother yells out the front door, demanding to know what's going on. He just runs toward the tree house, praying to whatever God that is listening, that she is alive and safe.
