The Hopper household was packed to the brim. Friends and co-workers from the station filled the downstairs of the beautiful farmhouse. It was New Years Eve and everyone was celebrating, ready to put the acts of this year behind them. Mary, ever the proper hostess was asking if anyone needed drink refills or wanted a snack from the vast array of finger foods her and Joyce had prepared earlier on in the day. The kids however, were upstairs in Hopper's room, away from all the hubbub and loud voices.

"Do you have a New Years resolution Joy?" Hopper questioned as he flipped through one of the various car magazines Greg bought religiously.

"I'm not totally sure. I mean, if I had to guess I would say to get some sort of plan together for my life after high school. I want to go to college, but I don't have a clue what for. What about you?"

"My resolution is to kiss you at least four times a day." He grinned over his magazine, catching the blush that formed on her cheeks.

"Well I don't think you're going to have a problem with making sure that resolution comes true." She laughed, getting to her knees to place a kiss on his cheek, his post shaving stubble scratching her lips.

"I love you." He whispers, running his fingers through her hair, watching as her eyes rolled into the back of her head with the motion. Putting the magazine down, Hopper let Joyce lay between his thighs, his hands carefully continuing the soothing pattern into her scalp.

"I love you too Hop." She says, snaking her arms around his waist.

The sounds from the party continued to grow in volume and for once Hopper was glad he wasn't downstairs with his parents friends, sneaking beers and shots when the adults weren't looking, or were too drunk to care.

"You keep playing with my hair I'm going to be asleep before midnight." Joyce mumbles into his shirt. Hopper stopped for a second before she was pushing her head back into his fingers. "I didn't say I wanted you to stop." She whined, causing him to laugh. Glancing at his alarm clock, Hopper noticed it was a quarter until midnight.

"Do you want to head downstairs for a few minutes before the ball drops?" He murmured, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Probably need to, no telling how long it's going to take us to actually find Mom and Dad…it doesn't bother you that I'm calling them that does it?" She wonders out loud, moving to sit up off of him.

"Not at all honey, it makes me happy that you have parents who are worth a damn now." Hopper stands to his feet and stretches, his shirt rising to show off the trail of hair from his stomach that disappears into his jeans. The urge to scratch her fingers through it made Joyce's fingers tingle.

"You okay?" His voice cuts through her thoughts.

"What? Oh yeah I'm fine, just thinking. Come on, let's go find them, it's almost midnight."

"Five...Four...Three...Two...One...Happy New Year!" Hopper was grabbing Joyce within milliseconds, wanting nothing more than to start the new year off with his lips on hers.

"Happy New Year honey." He whispers into her ear as Greg and Mary come up for air themselves.

"Happy New Years kids!" Greg slurred as he put his arms around Jim and Joyce's shoulders.

"Happy New Years." They replied, laughing at the way Greg used the two of them for balance.

"I can't wait to see what the new year brings the two of you." Mary called out, going under Greg's arms to get him off of them.

"Greg? Honey, will you get me another drink?" Mary asks, giving her husband a look she knows he can't resist. Greg gives his wife a two finger salute before slowly walking toward the kitchen, stopping along the way here and there to chat. Mary waited until he was out of eye sight before she stepped closer to her kids.

"There are quite a few people staying here tonight and not that I don't trust them..." Mary looks around scanning their surroundings. "But accidents do happen. So I give you permission to lock your door tonight Jim, just in case." She finishes, looking up into the eyes of her son. She knew he wouldn't let anyone hurt a hair on Joyce's head, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

Joyce looked up at Hopper, his eyes scanning their surroundings as he took in the various drunk males in his family home. His hand found its place at the small of Joyce's back, already trying to lead her toward the steps and the second floor of the house. Stopping to place a kiss on his mother's cheek, Hopper looked down at one of the most important women in his life.

"Thank you for trusting us mom. I love you, tell dad we said goodnight okay?" Mary nods and turns her attention to Mark's wife who had been trying to talk to her all night.

The teens scurried up the stairs, Hopper occasionally looking over his shoulder. The tension there didn't release until the door to his bedroom closed and he slid the lock home with one swift movement.

"You don't think someone will try to come in do you?" Joyce questioned, her hands already plucking at the hem of her shirt, one of her nervous habits.

"Not unless they want a size thirteen to the face." He threatened and pulled his shirt over his head. Joyce watched his hands go to his belt and unclasped the metal buckle, making quick work to undo the button and zipper on his jeans. Looking up, he found Joyce's eyes on him and playfully raised his brow.

Joyce smiled at the look he gave her and wrapped her arms around him, kissing just below the patch of hair on his chest. "Mmm, I love you." She said, closing her eyes and snuggling her cheek into the warmth of his skin.

Hopper instinctively pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

Joyce looked up at him after a minute and placed a kiss just below his nipple, then another on his sternum, slowly making a trail of kisses up his torso to his collarbone. She felt him shiver beneath her touch and stood on her tiptoes to lick the hollow of his throat. "I also love your body." She whispered, causing him to whimper.

Taking a step back, but never letting him go, Joyce raked her eyes over him, admiring his toned abs and the perfect V of his hips that his jeans were barely clinging to. A sight that suddenly made a heat rush between her legs and a moan threaten to escape her parted lips.

The level of teasing Joyce had just achieved had Hopper struggling to think straight as her hands made their way to his hips, her thumbs hooking around his belt loops. Swallowing, he closed the distance between them when she grabbed his pants and reached down to squeeze her ass with both of his hands, pulling her against his erection, wanting her to know exactly what she was doing to him. "You have no idea how much I want you...God I want you so bad." He breathed, the flood of arousal swimming through his body causing him to slip and say what he'd been trying not to. They'd just recently discussed not taking things further than messing around, but fuck he couldn't help it. Someone as sexy as Joyce constantly touching him made the desire hard to ignore.

"I want you too Hop." That was not at all what he'd been expecting to hear and without thinking he moved his hands from her ass to the back of her thighs, lifting her from the ground. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and he carried her over to his dresser, placing her on top of it before grabbing her hips and pulling her to the edge so she was flush against him. His lips found hers again, his fingers threading through the back of her hair as he assaulted her mouth with his tongue, desperately trying to ease an ache he couldn't explain.

When Hopper thrust his hips forward, his hard on brushed directly against her clit and she pulled away with a gasp, her teeth moving to bite into his shoulder when he did it a second time.

The growl that escaped Hopper's throat at her bite lit every nerve ending in Joyce's body on fire. "Hop…" She whined, pulling on his hair almost painfully to bring his lips back to hers.

Hopper couldn't think of a time when Joyce had ever been aggressive with him and it was quite possibly the hottest thing he'd ever experienced. The little sounds she was making in the back of her throat as she fought against his tongue with hers was becoming too much, he needed a second to calm down. "Jesus christ." He panted, placing a hand on the dresser beside her to hold himself up.

Joyce was relentless, the moment his lips weren't on hers, they were sucking at his neck and he couldn't take it anymore. Reaching up, he grabbed a hold of her hair and pulled her head away from him a little rough, meeting her eyes for the first time since they started this. Barely a sliver of brown could be seen around her pupil and Hopper tensed, quickly grabbing his dick with his free hand through his boxers to keep from cumming. The sight of her red swollen lips, mixed with the lust he could feel coming off her in waves was doing things to his body he didn't think was possible.

Not trusting his voice to speak, Hopper let go of her hair and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting it up her body with one hand until it was over her head and falling to the floor. Joyce was kind enough to remove her bra and arched her back toward him when she was bare, bringing her perfectly perky tits within inches of his face.

Resisting the urge to suck a nipple into his mouth, Hopper removed his hand from around his dick and gathered her into his arms, walking three steps across the room to his bed. Carefully laying her down, he took a second to let his pants puddle on the floor, then placed a knee on the edge of the mattress, her curious eyes following his every move.

Adjusting himself over top of her, he made quick work of getting her jeans unbuttoned and unzipped. "Lift your hips." He demanded, raising his head to see her face when she hesitated.

Joyce looked down at him, biting her lip nervously. The same look she'd given him before when she thought they were going to have sex envading her features. Hopper kept a hand gripping the waist of her jeans and moved the other to rub her side lovingly. "Sweetheart we don't have to have sex if you're not ready." He was perfectly fine messing around for as long as she liked, but if she wanted to completely stop everything right then, she might actually see him cry. He was so hard in that moment he was pretty sure the slightest touch would hurt and thinking of goats and old ladies wasn't going to cut it this time.

"But I want to." Joyce admitted. "I'm just scared..." Hopper studied her face closely. She was obviously still turned on and making no move to physically stop him, so he continued pulling her pants down until they joined his on the floor.

"Do you trust me?" Hopper asked, moving to hook his fingers over the edge of her panties, keeping eye contact with her as he kissed just below her belly button. "I just want to touch you."

Joyce reached down to brush her fingers through his bangs. "I trust you Hop." And she really did. If he said they wouldn't have sex until she was ready, she knew he wouldn't pressure her into it. That didn't mean she wasn't slightly nervous about what he was going to do right then however.

Hopper grinned at her confirmation and kissed her hip bone, sliding the thin cotton down her legs to be tossed over his shoulder. He wasn't surprised when she squeezed her thighs together once she was bare to him, and instead of trying to stop her, he moved back up and kissed her lips softly. Much different from the eagerness and lust driven kisses they had shared moments before. "Relax."

When she started pushing against him with more force and she allowed him to settle between her legs, he finally broke the kiss and nipped and licked his way back down her body. Making a quick stop to suck a nipple into his mouth, he swirled his tongue around the tight bud a couple of times and a rush of air quickly left her lungs as she arched her back toward him.

Hopper always had a weird fascination with how small Joyce was, something about his large mass being over her much smaller one in that moment brought him a sense of possessiveness. He could easily overpower her in any way possible and yet here she was, laying bare and vulnerable beneath him with all the trust in the world that he wouldn't hurt her.

"I love you." He murmured against the skin of her hip, lingering there a moment while he used both of his hands to spread her legs open even further. Hopper finally pulled back enough to see what he'd been longing to see for years and his cock instantly twitched at the sight before him. Joyce was just so fucking perfect, in every way possible. From her petite frame, small round breasts, flat stomach, curvy hips and ass, it all screamed perfection. She would argue with him until she was blue in the face that her scars had ruined her body, but he even found those to be beautiful. It made her Joyce, his Joyce, and he felt like the luckiest man alive that she had allowed him to be the first person to see her this way. That she had allowed him to be hers period.

Joyce placing her hand over his on her knee brought him out of his thoughts and he gave her a smile before reaching out to rub the pad of his thumb over her clit and through her dripping folds. Hopper watched her eyes drift closed at the contact and her lips part slightly as she sucked in a deep breath. He spent a few minutes just slowly sliding his thumb back and forth between her folds and around her clit, enjoying the facial expressions she'd make when he'd add more pressure with each pass.

Kissing the inside of her thigh, he shifted to lie on his stomach, not missing the tremble that traveled through her legs. Whether it from pleasure or nerves, he wasn't sure. Keeping his eyes locked on her face he carefully flicked his tongue against her clit, then lower to finally taste her.

"Hop, oh God…" Joyce moaned rather loud, causing his hips to flex against the bed as he continued to lick her, thankful in that moment he had paid attention in school when they were explaining the female anatomy.

Joyce's hand found its way into Hopper's hair, pulling on the strands when she felt him slowly sliding a finger inside of her while gently sucking on her small bundle of nerves. Going off the sounds she was making, Hopper continued to move his finger in and out of her, watching her chest rise and fall with quicker pants the closer she climbed toward her orgasm.

Carefully working in another finger, Hopper paused his movements and groaned against the inside of her thigh, feeling her tense at the intrusion. He held his hand still, giving her time to adjust to being stretched as he kept stimulating her with his tongue. She shifted her hips and allowed his fingers to slide out of her slightly, then back in again.

She was so tightly snug around his digits that he wasn't sure how he'd ever be able to have sex with her. He had pretty big hands, but two fingers unfortunately didn't compare to the size of what the good Lord blessed him with and he knew when the time came, it would be a challenge to make sure he didn't hurt her. Just the thought of being inside her was making his already painful erection dig into the bed beneath him.

Looking up Joyce's body when she let out a soft whimper, he found a perfect work of art. Her back was arched, needing to be closer to his mouth and her free hand was currently rolling one of her nipples between her fingers. The sight causing a spark of arousal to shoot through him all the way to his toes.

"Hop." Joyce moaned, making eye contact with him over the ridge of her hips. He replied with his tongue, giving her clit an incredibly slow lick as his fingers picked up their pace, wanting them to move at the same speed he imagined his hips would be.

"I need...I'm going to…" Hopper heard her suck in a breath, holding it for several seconds before her hips suddenly jerked and she started coming against his mouth. "Oh fuck Jim." She gasped, turning her head to muffle her cries into the pillow.

Hopper already had a hand on her hip when he anticipated her oncoming orgasm and held her down, wanting to work her through it with his tongue without the struggle of her moving. What he didn't anticipate was her use of his actual name or the fact that hearing it during a moment of pleasure was enough to make him do the one thing he'd been trying to avoid.

Hopper squeezed his eyes shut and groaned against her clit loudly when his own orgasm was suddenly ripped from his body, taking him completely by surprise. Never in his life did he think he'd be able to cum untouched, matter less from hearing someone say one simple word. Yet here he was, thrusting his hips against his bed and cuming in his boxers like a horny teenager having a wet dream.

When Joyce started to relax, Hopper slipped his fingers from her and wiped them on the sheet, kissing the inside of her thigh, then her hip, taking a minute to catch his breath. The high of his orgasm still hitting him in small burst.

Tugging on his hair caused him to shift uncomfortably, the stickiness in his boxers making him grimace as he moved to lay beside Joyce who was shaking and silently begging him to hold her. "You alright?" He asked, pulling her against his chest.

Joyce smiled and snuggled into the warmth of his skin. "More than alright." She murmured, her hand traveling down his side to hook her fingers into the waistband of his boxers.

Hopper quickly placed his hand over hers when she started trying to slide them over his hips.

"I want to make you feel good too Hop." She confessed, lifting her head to look at him confused, not understanding why he was trying to stop her.

"I um…" Hopper stammered, a blush suddenly burning his ears.

"You don't want me to touch you?" She whispered, not hiding the hurt she felt.

"No! I love it when you touch me...it's just that...well you were...you were rubbing on my face and it made me think of other things...and well then I..." He quickly mumbled out the rest of his sentence.

"Slow down." She instructs, moving to sit up on the bed as he takes a deep breath to steady himself. "What are you saying?"

"I was thinking about being inside you and then you said my name... and I came in my underwear like a thirteen year old, okay?" He huffed out before covering his face with his hands, feeling absolutely mortified.

Joyce leaned forward and gently pushed his hands out of the way to look at him. "There's no reason to be embarrassed Hop, because I was thinking about you being inside of me too."

Hopper sighed and kept a hold of her hand, avoiding her eyes as his blush traveled down his face and neck. "Difference is I was actually touching you Joyce...all you said was my name. I'm going to come in like two seconds when we finally have sex at this rate and its going to be terrible for you…"

"Hop." Joyce called, using her free hand to cup his cheek. "It's ok. We have forever to get it right if we mess up the first time...and as much as this seems to be bothering you, I find it somewhat flattering." She admitted, giving him a quick kiss. "Now go get cleaned up so we can go to sleep."

Hopper gave her one more kiss before walking over to his closet where he carefully removed his boxers and wiped himself off with the towel he'd used earlier that day after his shower. Not bothering with a new pair of underwear, he slipped on his sweatpants and smiled when he felt Joyce's arms wrap around him from behind.

Just as he was turning to pull her against him, he heard a thump from the room next to his and froze.

"Is that…" Joyce started, pausing when an even louder noise echoed through the wall, her eyes going wide. "Oh my God, are your parents...no…"

"Joyce stop talking." Hopper demanded and quickly shuffled them back to his bed, trying to distract himself from what was happening next door. Moving the covers to the side, he laid down and pulled her against him.

Joyce snuggled into his shoulder and giggled when an obvious moan filled the quiet room. "She totally called him chief."

"Jesus." Hopper groaned, covering his head with his pillow as the laughter coming from Joyce shook his entire body.

The parking lot of Hawkins High School was alive with new year spirit, along with the dread of having to come back to school after a two week break. Add in the lack of sleep both Joyce and Hopper we're feeling and you had a recipe for an excruciatingly long day.

"Is it too late to go back home? I don't think anyone from the staff lot has seen us yet." Joyce whined, always becoming an inconsolable child when she was tired.

"I wish honey. Besides I have wrestling this afternoon and if I miss a practice this close to a competition coach will have my ass. Let's just try to make the best of it."

Joyce met him at the front of his truck and instantly snuggled into his body as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey Jim." A high pitched feminine voice suddenly rang out from three spots down. Glancing up and to the right, Joyce caught sight of Erica Bailey, a girl whom she and Hopper had shared numerous classes with throughout their school years.

"Um morning Erica." Hopper said over his shoulder as he continued to walk, Joyce still safely tucked into his side. The warmth from the school hallway greeted them like an old friend as Joyce and Hopper made their way through the slightly crowded space and toward their lockers.

"All I'm saying is we could totally make a run for it." Joyce giggles, wanting nothing more than to climb back into a warm bed and rest her head on Hopper's chest.

"Sounds like you're getting a case of the senior blues." Hopper commented, quickly spinning his combination into the lock and tugging it down.

"Hop, what is that?" Joyce asked as his locker door swung open and a pink folded piece of paper tumbled and fell on top of the small shelf located inside.

Hopper quickly grabbed the paper and crumpled it in is fist, planning to throw it away as soon as he passed a trash can. "Nothing."

Ever since him and Chrissy had stopped talking, the entire female population of Hawkins High apparently thought Jim Hopper could potentially be theirs. Him and Joyce had been dating for at least two months now and he figured their constant hand holding in the hallways and make out sessions by his truck in the parking lot had been a dead giveaway that they were in a relationship. He'd even openly told several girls that kept bugging him that Joyce was his and he wasn't interested in anyone else. Being the most popular guy in school definitely had its perks, but it was also irritating when he couldn't go a single day without being harassed.

Joyce gave him a strange look when he tried to hide the obvious note and reached out to gently grab a hold of his wrist. "Why are you lying to me?" She asked, lifting his hand so he'd show her the piece of paper.

Hopper sighed and opened his fist. "Joyce I'm not lying to you, it really is nothing, at least to me it's nothing." Great, now she was going to be mad at him. Why couldn't everyone in that damn school just leave him alone?

When the piece of paper left his palm, he dropped his arm and leaned against his locker. "I just didn't want you to worry about things like this." He said as Joyce unfolded the note and started reading it.

The laugh that escaped her lips wasn't what he'd been expecting at all and raised his brow in confusion.

"I mean you do have a devilishly handsome face, that I'll agree with. But not so much Susan wanting to fuck you in her car after school." Joyce mocked, crumpling the paper back into a ball.

"Jesus Hop, relax." The look on his face made her roll her eyes playfully. "Did you forget that I've watched girls drool over you for years? They didn't stop trying to get into your pants with any of your other girlfriends, so I didn't really expect them to stop just because you're dating me now."

"You're not mad at me?" Hopper questioned, reaching out to brush her hair behind her ear.

Joyce smiled and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "No, I'm not mad at you."

The five minute warning bell rang through the hallway and caused the student body to groan in unison. Hopper closed the door to his locker and took Joyce's hand, allowing himself to relax when he knew she wasn't angry with him.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class sweetheart."

Assholes. Complete assholes, every one of them. They all knew he was with Joyce. Hell, he flaunted their relationship every chance he got. But did they care? Absolutely not. The girls, not the women, the girls of Hawkins High School only saw one thing when it came to Jim Hopper, and that was the potential for a good lay. They didn't see the caring, sometimes infuriating man he and Joyce knew he was. For weeks now, ever since he stopped talking to Chrissy he had been throwing away lust filled notes, removing unwanted hands from his shoulders, and even shooing someone out of the bed of his truck. When were they going to learn that his love for Joyce wasn't going to go away?

Hopper glanced at the clock above the blackboard for the tenth time in thirty minutes. The craving for a cigarette and a kiss from Joyce were all he could think about throughout his frustrating algebra class and seconds before the bell rang signifying the end of class, he was already on his feet and out the door, needing to see her.

The gross food smell of the cafeteria smacked Joyce in the face as she walked toward her usual table in the far corner. She wouldn't admit it to Hopper, but the morning fiasco with the note from Susan had brought on a slight headache. Add being instructed to tutor the new kid named Lonnie in English, on top of her workload with classes and the yearbook, Joyce was coming close to her wits end. Everyone had told her that senior year would be the most difficult time in her academic life, and they hadn't been lying.

Joyce carefully unfolded the plastic wrapped sandwich she'd brought for lunch before digging in her bag for her headache pills. The feeling of hands on her shoulders made her jump, then the smell of Hopper's cologne surrounded her, causing her to relax into his touch.

"Rough day darlin?" He questioned as he glanced down at the bottle of pills in her hand.

"Just stressful. How about you huh? Had to fight off anymore stalkers?"

"Not since this morning, but I'm assuming-" Hopper hadn't even been able to finish his sentence before a folded scrap of paper came flying from the other end of the table, landing between the two of them. Before he could get the note in his hands, Joyce snatched it up and quickly unfolded it, feeling anger rising in her stomach. Yet another profession of love, this time from a girl named Savannah. Looking down the table, Joyce's eyes landed on the giggling girl who didn't even have the nerve to look mildly ashamed for messing with another woman's man. When Savannah made eye contact with her, Joyce grabbed Hopper's face and brought his lips to hers, staking a claim on her man in front of the whore down the table and anyone else who happened to be watching them.

When Joyce broke the kiss, she felt Hopper's hand caress her cheek.

"Grab your lunch Joy, after a kiss like that I need a cigarette." Hopper stood and shouldered Joyce's bookbag, then bringing his hand to use small of her back, he guided her through the cafeteria and out the back door.

With Hopper at wrestling practice for the next hour, Joyce decided to hide in the empty cafeteria to finish her homework, and if she had time, work on articles for the yearbook. They were already halfway through the year, which meant her deadline was quickly approaching, but now that she had a new camera she was almost positive everything would be finished on time.

That's what she thought anyway, until she opened her folder and felt that familiar pressure behind her eyes that signaled a headache coming on for the second time that day. At this rate she would never finish all the work that had piled up over their winter break and their first week back. Even when she had overworked herself to the point of exhaustion she never seemed to make a dent in the ever growing pile of assignments.

It had never crossed her mind before just how bad having headaches almost daily and sometimes twice a day, could severely impact the way she functioned and she was more than ready for them to just disappear completely. Headaches could be a lasting side effect for several months. The doctor had told her. Even more of a reason to hate her shitty father. He wasn't even there anymore and still found a way to cause her pain.

With a sigh, Joyce glanced at the clock and dropped her pencil, her head pounding. Rubbing her hands over her face, she finally gave in when her vision started to blur and packed up her things. Hopper would be done soon anyway and he'd be looking for her at her locker.

The walk back was quiet, the majority of teachers and students long gone. A nice change to the usual name calling or occasional shove she'd grown accustomed to. The torment she had endured for the last six years at least started to cool down now that her and Hopper were dating, but she still found herself hearing people whisper. Saying she was crazy and had been committed, or how Hopper was only dating her out of pity. She'd even heard that he was only dating her as a joke and everyone was laughing about it behind her back.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Joyce stopped at the water fountain and placed her bag on the floor to dig out her bottle of pills. She had just popped the top when a shadow appeared to her right and a hand slammed against the wall near her head.

"Well if it isn't the freak."

Joyce jumped at the sudden sound and watched as little white pills flew into the air and spilled out all over the floor. A laugh echoed through the hall and redirected her attention to the large form in front of her. Before she had a chance to fully take in what had happened, she was met with the glare of Benny Hammond. Which didn't make sense, Hopper and Benny had practice together, so why was this asshole standing here and not her boyfriend?

"So it is true." He said with a smirk, looking around at the mess she had made.

Joyce winced as the bright lights in the hall made her head hurt worse and brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, hoping to ease the pain a little.

Benny shook his head and stepped closer to her. "What's the matter loser? Doctor got you so doped up you forgot how to talk?"

Choosing not to respond, Joyce reached down for her bag, but was stopped when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Now wait just a minute. You're not leaving until you and I have a chat."

Joyce jerked her hand away from his grip and took a step back. "Don't touch me."

That only pissed Benny off more and he moved closer to her. "And what exactly are you going to do? Beat me up like you did Chrissy?"

Joyce didn't realise what was happening until the heels of her shoes made contact with the wall behind her and Benny's chest was almost pressing against her.

Benny clicked his tongue as he looked her up and down. "Now that I have your attention, I want to know how you did it."

Taking in a deep breath, Joyce squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out the pain, only to snap them open a second later when Benny's fist gripped the front of her shirt. The feeling of being trapped smothered her and she reached up to push against him.

Benny instantly smacked her hand away and jerked her forward. "Answer me dammit."

The quick movement made Joyce dizzy and she wrapped her fingers around his wrist to steady herself. "I don't know what you're talking about." She finally said, pulling on his arm.

His grip tightened, not at all phased by her attempt to remove him. "You beat up the most popular girl in school, then stole her boyfriend. Please explain to me how someone like you managed to get the attention of someone like Jim?"

"Why do you care?" Joyce spat. Not at all sure where this new found courage was coming from.

Benny raised his brow and grit his teeth. "Because he's my best friend! And ever since they shipped you off to looney bin, he's completely ditched everyone." He paused for a minute to look at Joyce in disgust. "I'm just having a really hard time figuring out what the hell he sees in you. Are you hiding something under these stupid fucking clothes?"

When Joyce felt his free hand grab the lower part of her sweater and start pulling it up, she shoved him as hard as she could against his chest, making him lose his grip and stumble slightly. "I said don't fucking touch me!" She screamed. Releasing every bit of anger and anxiety she was currently feeling. She knew she could never take Benny in a fight, he was double her weight easily, but she'd be damned if she was going down this road again. It was bad enough all the shit she had gone through with Travis, she didn't need it from some crazy teenaged boy either. She could handle the insults, the nasty notes and the occasional shove, but not this.

Benny growled when he lost his footing, surprised someone as small as her was able to temporarily over power him. "I like when girls play hard to get." He winked, reaching for her hip. When Joyce started yelling again he was quick to put his hand over her mouth, shoving her head back against the wall. "Shut the fuck up!" He whispered harshly, scanning the hallway to make sure no one heard them.

Panic rose in Joyce when Benny's palm touched her lips and she jerked her head to the side, slipping away just enough to speak through her panic. "Get off of-"

"Stop screaming you psycho, Jesus." When Joyce dug her nails into Benny's wrist he shoved her away with such a forced she tripped over her bag and hit the ground with a loud smack.

Joyce groaned and rolled onto her side, holding her ribs. The impact bringing back something she hadn't felt since the day Travis put her in the hospital.

Blinking, Joyce tried to focus on the large hand currently reaching out for her, but failed to keep her eyes open when the pain in her head started reaching the point of making her sick again.

Hopper internally sighed when his coach pulled him into his office after practice to discuss the plans for their upcoming tournament that Friday night. He loved wrestling, he also loved being the captain, but right then he found himself getting irritated the longer his coach talked about the same thing he'd heard a million times. All he wanted to do was go home and relax with Joyce cuddled in his arms.

Grabbing his jacket, Hopper practically ran out of the gym when he was free to go and headed toward Joyce's locker. When he turned the corner he was met with a scream, a scream that made his blood run cold.

Joyce was currently on the floor under a much larger person he didn't recognize at first until they lifted their head and a heat of anger rose in his chest when he saw Benny. The fact that someone who was supposed to be his friend was holding his girlfriend's wrist above her head and trying to cover her mouth while she yelled at him to stop, caused him to snap.

Hopper grabbed Benny around his torso and jerked him to stand up straight, pulling him away from Joyce who quickly scrambled to her feet.

"You son of a bitch!" Jim yelled, spinning Benny around to send his fist crashing into his left eye. Other than Travis, he had never wanted to kill someone so bad in his entire life and the fact he felt completely numb in that moment was terrifying. He couldn't hear Joyce calling his name from behind him, he didn't feel Benny's knuckles making contact with his jaw when he managed to get a hit in, and he definitely didn't notice the pain he was sure to feel later in his hands as he continued to beat the shit out of the now limp body in front of him.

A small hand on his shoulder jerked him back to reality and he turned to meet Joyce's eyes, softening almost instantly.

"Shit, Joyce...I…" He stuttered trying to calm down from the adrenaline currently flowing through him, feeling guilty he had neglected to make sure she was alright before taking his anger out on Benny. "Are you hurt?" He asked, reaching out to cup her cheeks, not caring he had smeared blood across her skin.

Joyce shook her head even though her ribs hurt and her head still felt like it was going to explode. She didn't need him stressing even more when she could feel him practically shaking through his fingertips.

"What the hell Jim?" Benny wheezed from where he was sitting on the floor against a row of lockers holding his face. With a groan he turned to spit before pushing himself to stand, sending bright red blood splashing against Hopper's shoes.

Joyce watched as Hopper's features fell when he looked at his feet and she quickly fisted her fingers into the side of his coat, making sure to keep him close to her. As much as she wanted the asshole to get what he deserved, she didn't want Hopper to get in trouble, or hurt for that matter. She could already see his lip bleeding.

Biting his tongue, Hopper took in a deep breath and focused his attention back on Joyce, noticing then how she was squinting and holding her side. "I thought you said you were ok?"

"Jim!" Benny's loud voice echoed behind them, causing Joyce to flinch at the noise.

Hopper growled, trying his hardest to stay calm. "What the fuck is your problem Benny?" He questioned, his anger still bubbling.

"So this is it?" Benny started, adjusting his leather jacket as he approached them. "You're just going to ditch all of your friends and start fucking the trash of Hawkins?" He asked with a laugh, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

Hopper moved to push Joyce behind him, placing himself between her and Benny. "Joyce was my friend before I even knew you." He said, poking Benny in the chest. "And she would have been my girlfriend long before now if it weren't for assholes like you."

Benny slapped at Hopper's hand and glared. "Bullshit!"

Hopper raised his eyebrow. "Remember two summers ago when I had the flu and couldn't go to the beach? I spent the entire time camping with Joyce. That music festival in June? We spent the afternoon at the zoo trying to get the perfect shot of the new penguin exhibit." Hopper ranted, hating how everyone assumed him and Joyce had just started talking.

"Or do you remember when everyone went to see Lord of The Flies and I said I was too chicken to go? Wasn't the case Benny, Joyce wanted to see it and we skipped school so we could enjoy it without you shitheads gawking or interrupting us." Hopper reached into his back pocket, pulling out his brown leather wallet. Searching between a few dollar bills, and random receipts, Hopper found what he was looking for. Pulling out a tattered photograph of him and Joyce, he put it in Benny's face.

"She's been my best friend for years. You claim that I was yours? You don't know a fucking thing about me or who I really am. She does." Hopper wrapped his arm around Joyce and pulled her into his side.

"If you ever lay a hand on her again or even look in her direction, I'll fucking kill you." Hopper warned and reached down to grab Joyce's bag from the floor.

"Come on honey, let's go home." Threading his fingers with Joyce's, Hopper turned to look back at Benny, wishing once again in a short time frame that he wasn't such a peaceful person.

When they rounded the corner, Joyce suddenly stopped when she remembered she had dropped her pills. "Hop wait...my medicine." The throbbing behind her eyes was becoming unbearable and the hint of nausea she had been feeling before was starting to return.

Hopper hadn't missed seeing the little white pills spilled everywhere when he'd been hitting Benny, but he wasn't about to let her take one off the floor after it had been touching God knows what. "You have another bottle at home, will you be ok until we get back to the farm?" He asked, frowning when he saw her still clutching her side and starting to pale.

Joyce gave him a nod and swallowed, allowing him to guide her through the school and out to his truck as quickly as possible.