AN: Give me likes and reviews to encourage uploads, please. I will upload whenever I have a chapter ready and edited, but the support and critique help to get me off my ass and get me writing and proofreading and what-not, so if you want more chapters, give me support! Plus, if this series gets enough support, although I can't post this (plus don't and can't write smut) on FanFiction, I could get another author to write what happens after the "fade to black" (that's probably gonna happen right before the actual sex happens (i.e. make out, starts getting out of clothes, in underwear, -skips to next morning-)) and, either provide a link or post on another site. (btw, that would be just a way for him to get publicity out of it, cause I'm not paying for something I won't even want to read.)
Ch. 1
Hopper POV
Hopper drove toward the reports about a female delinquent smoking weed, and arguing with a male teenager with a heavy heart, hoping it wasn't El, but knowing it was because there wasn't another teenager who smoked weed in Hawkins. What the hell is wrong with her? Why doesn't she understand that he was the only cop in Hawkins with the necessary training and experience to track down the sick fuck serial abusing animals and leaving their mangled bodies everywhere? He does wish he could be there for El more, but she needs to stop being so damn disrespectful! He was a joke to everyone, the police chief who can't keep the single another inhabitant of his house on the straight and narrow! But El, the way she was regarded by the rest of the town, that pissed him off way more. Everyone except Mike and his friends looked down on her, just for dressing differently than the traditional female was expected, and smoking a different plant than the rest of them! Yes, she needed to stop smoking weed, but she was a smart, kind, brilliant girl! However, he did need to get her toeing the line again. Every conversation for the last two months that wasn't coldly polite pleasantries, degraded into a full-blown screaming, throwing, and breaking shit argument.
El POV
El sat, smoked her blunt, and waited for her dad to come arrest her. Again. For the 12th time in 4 months, and this would only be one more arrest in the many more to come if she didn't get her way. El liked the high from smoking weed, but that wasn't the real reason she did it. She knew that Mike knew that, everyone knew that. Even Hopper, though he pretended he didn't, fooling only himself. The real reason she did drugs was to force Hopper to pay attention to her instead of being at work 15 hours a day. What better way to do that then to do something that any parent, but especially Hopper, the chief of police, couldn't ignore. Flagrant truancy and drug abuse.
Hopper POV
Hopper pulled up in his police car, sighing as he cut the engine. This was going to be a long, awkward, silent car ride (especially if Mike insisted on coming, which he usually does,) Hopper thought. Then again, the car ride could also turn into an eardrum-splittingly loud lover's quarrel, like the last time, and the time before that. "Best to avoid that," Hopper decided. "Last time, I barely avoided crashing or veering off the road with all the noise those two were making." Hopper opened the door of his truck and hopped out, saying, "Alright, Mike, me and need to talk. Alone, Mike. No, I mean it, Mike! El and I need to talk alone, and you need to go to school before I hit your ass with a truancy charge."
"Actually, no, I don't! I now go to a school that Mr. Clarke teaches in his free time, consisting of me, El, Dustin, Lucas, and Will." "Technically, I'm enrolled in a peer counseling class, so he can bail my ass out by giving me a free pass whenever El needs me, saying that it's for my PC class, and it counts as school hours! So, technically, whenever I'm hanging out with El, I'm in school," Mike shot back.
"We'll see how long you can use that when somehow a restraining order against you that doesn't allow you near El, pops right onto the middle of my desk, somehow coming into being without the proper paperwork, or court date. I think that if you are forbidden from making any contact (even through proxies or other people), you can't really counsel her. It'd only last a few days, but it'll still stop you right in your damn tracks while you're bitching to the courthouse," Hopper spat back at Mike.
"Alright, alright! See you tomorrow, dumbass!" Mike said to El as he walked away.
"Shut up, Mike! My decisions are my business!" she yelled at his retreating figure.
Mike stopped, turned around, and said, "Not if affects me majorly, which it does, because your ass just got grounded, which means the fucking 3rd-anniversary dinner I've been scrimping and saving for over a year for is canceled. Just past the cancellation refund deadline. Literally an hour after, so I know that shit wasn't an accident! That dinner reservation was $150! Just the reservation, El! Do you even know how much shit I couldn't buy, all the stuff that I foreswore, just to afford this dinner on the night of our 3rd anniversary? Why do I even ask? Of course, you don't! These days, the only person you take an in-depth interest in is yourself!" Mike finished, breathing hard and red in the face.
"THAT'S what you're going to give me shit about?" "Your fucking shitty-ass anniversary dinner?" "Not the fact that I'm smoking pot all day, every day, getting high AS ALL FUCK?!" "Not, 'El, I'm worried about you. You're purposely failing all your tests, and it's only Mr. Clarke saying that to get a zero on his test you need to know all the answers, so he gives you all 100's, that you haven't flunked out of school yet!'?" "Not, 'El, one day, you won't have Hopper to get your ass of trouble, and you're going to end up getting charges pressed when that happens, and you'll get marks on your permanent record, effectively destroying any chance of getting a decent job, or going to a decent school.'? Nope! The only thing you care enough to bitch about is your stupid fucking shitty anniversary dinner! You know, maybe Hopper's right about y-," El gets cut off as Hopper covers her mouth with her hand.
"Now, kid, let's not say anything too hasty. I'm about done with your shit, and if I had to guess, I'd say Mike's about done with it too, isn't that right, Mike?" Hopper asked Mike.
"Probably a little less than you, but yeah, I'm pretty fed up with the "bitchin'" look. You ride around on a black and red mountain bike with your leather jacket and hairdo of wild curls, thinking you're so fucking edgy, the fucking middle-class white girl, rebelling by dressing like a punk and doing weed, all while thinking you're so FUCKING ORIGINAL, just every SINGLE sheltered, spoiled teenaged white girl who wants to rebel for attention. I'm so SICK of worrying about you so much, all day, every day, not knowing if today's the day you get into too much shit and get arrested for real this time. I'm begging you, El, please, please, can't we just go back to when all we did was go out to dinner and play D&D in my basement with everyone else while pretending like we weren't checking each other out, or like we weren't too busy making googly eyes at each other to know what the hell was going on in the current campaign?" "Please, El?" "You're the most important thing in the world to me, and I don't EVER want to lose you, but I don't know how much more of this I can take. I can't keep doing this, El. I'm slowly going insane from the stress of not knowing if you'll be handcuffed in the back of a squad car by the end of the day. I can't sit here and watch as you push everyone away, fuck up all trust, respect, and love you and Hopper have for each other. I mean, HE will love you no matter what, but every day, you give fewer and fewer shits about what he thinks and wants, and more and more about what you want. You are fucking up any chance for a future that isn't prison, minimum wage work, homelessness, or being a housewife. I can't sit here, watch all that unfold before me, and pretend like I don't give a fuck about you turning your whole life to shit." The moment Mike said 'I can't do this anymore', Hopper winced, waiting for the next sentence sure to follow.
"Are you FUCKING kidding me, Mike?!" "You know what? Those days of us playing D&D were before we started dating, so SURE, Mike. If you 'can't do this anymore', and want to 'go back', then sure thing, Mike." El practically screamed at Mike. Mike, only hearing the words he desperately wants to hear, says, "Well, then, *sighs in relief* what happens now?" "I dump your ass, Mike! THAT'S what!" El practically screeches at Mike.
"Hold on, El, let's not say things we might regret later," said Hopper, before getting rounded on by El.
"YOU! YOU don't get to tell ME what to do, and you CERTAINLY aren't qualified to give ANYONE relationship advice, but especially not ME, cause I know you will say anything to get me and Mike to stay together, cause BIG SURPRISE, I listen to him more than you!" "Let's just go to the fucking station already!" El said as she stormed off toward the truck.
"No," Hopper said calmly
"NO?! The HELL do you MEAN NO?" El screeched
("Oh, shit!" Hopper thought. "She can barely form coherent thought and speech she's so pissed." "Best be really careful how I handle her.") "I meant what I said. No." Hopper said, just as calm as before. "WE," Hopper stated as he gestured between himself, El, and Mike, "are going to go to the cabin, and have a nice, long talk." "I mean it, El," Hopper said when he noticed El rolling her eyes. "We are going to talk about your behavior, and we are going to work something out. This has to stop. The judge and the social worker you've had in the past are friends of mine, but they can only do so much if you're hell-bent on destroying your life." Hopper walked off toward the car without another word, with El and Mike following close, holding hands (IMPORTANT DETAIL), and tapping fingers in PATTERNS against the other's wrist.
End of Ch.1
A/N: So, a long first chapter. I just needed to get to a scene change. So, as I said in the beginning if you are looking for an explicit or mature audiences rated-fic (smut), I know someone who could probably include what happens after the "fade to black" in all my stories on a separate site (not my thing, not what I want to be known for, plus, it takes a "special" type of mind to write that stuff. (also violates terms of service) (jk, love you, bro)) I would not read, edit, or comment on that work, because I know this person personally, so I trust them. If you have complaints, ask that author, don't come whining to me. (btw, chapters won't always be so long on this story or others. Just kinda depends where I feel like cutting it) (also shout out to my chemistry teacher, Mrs. Shaw, for letting me blather on about random ST stuff (including fanfiction) after class, plus the same thing for my family and friends, also thanks for being so tolerant, supportive, and helpful with my writing).
P.S. I will probably edit and repost chapters with new details/news/error fixes, so follow this story to make sure you stay on top of it. Or, I could just post something to get your interest (like a preview, or possible story twist or character I add (might not be just about this story, though, so be aware of that.), etc.) along with the news, if that is what you would prefer? I don't know, tell me in the comments, I guess. And, yes, I do read the comments. (Or I will, once people post comments.) And, if you ask a question, I can't directly reply to your question unless you are signed in, so please sign in to ask me questions.
NEW PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT/AN: THE WEED THAT EL SMOKES IS 80'S WEED. THAT HAD WAY LESS THC, SO WHILE IT WAS STILL BAD FOR YOU, IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SO. NOW WEED WILL MESS YOU THE HELL UP. DONT DO IT. Also, I can hear you saying, "But if it was still bad for you, and El claims to get extremely high every day, how is she not getting messed up?" The answer is that she smokes in public, never in private. She only does it to provoke Hopper. When she doesn't want to do that, she doesn't get high. She was EXTREMELY exaggerating her drug usage there to make Mike look bad. Also, some characters, (not main ones) will use some harder drugs. Honestly, that will probably only be ecstasy. THAT IS A DEADLY AND EXTREMELY ILLEGAL DRUG. EL ONLY PRODUCES IT BECAUSE SHE IS BEING THREATENED WITH SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM. THE CHEMICAL PROCESSES THAT PRODUCE THIS DRUG ARE JUST AS OR MORE DANGEROUS AS THE USAGE OF THIS DRUG. IT IS FOR SURE MORE ILLEGAL THAN THE USAGE OF IT. LIKE, DEA BLACK-OPS UNITS WITH MACHINE GUNS KICKING DOWN YOUR DOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ILLEGAL. Simply put, don't use or produce any illegal drugs, and I KNOW you know not to, but just DON'T, okay? Ok, I'll step off my soapbox now. That was mainly for legal reasons. I DO NOT ASSUME ANY LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENCES ARISING FROM YOUR PRODUCTION OR USE OF ANY ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES.