Hawkins Sweetheart - 𝐁.𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄.

Three - Behind The Curtains

Chapter Three - Behind The Curtains

"The fire in her eyes spoke a story she'd never tell."

As Jessica walked through the front door of her house, she was instantly hit by the overwhelming smell of alcohol and the loud voices coming from the tv. She gently shut the door behind her, making sure to not make any sound, and quietly tiptoed towards her room. Before she could even make it to the hallway, a voice stopped her. 

"Hey, you!" The voice called. Jessica froze and slowly turned to face where the voice was coming from. As she turned, she saw the tall figure laying across the couch with a beer in hand. "Where the hell have you been?"

"School, dad."

"Oh, right." He added, standing up from his place on the couch. He placed his beer down on the coffee table, and the clicking sound it made once it hit the wood made Jessica jump. He walked slowly towards her, but stopped halfway. "You didn't clean the dishes." 

"I was going to, today, after school-"

"Wheres the car?" He interrupted, taking one look out of the front window at the driveway. He stepped closer, folding his arms in front of him.

"It broke down, at school, I-" 

"And the bathroom still a mess, isn't it?" He accused, his voice getting louder. He peered around the corner, past the bathroom door and looked inside. "What did you do while I was gone?" He mocked, "sit around on your ass all day?" Despite being intoxicated, his words never slurred. It was almost like his anger made him sober. 

Jessica was at a loss for words, she had no way to defend herself. He was right, she hadn't done the dishes. She had however, cleaned the bathroom, it just wasn't to his standards. To be fair, she had a lot on her plate and she also thought she'd have more time. Her father turned to glance at her, shaking his head.

"You can't do anything right, can you?" He snarled, keeping his eyes on her. No matter what excuses Jessica made, he would never listen. He took a few steps forward and looked down at Jessica, towering over her. "I got a call from Karen Wheeler," He licked his teeth, "know what thats about?"

"No." 

"She said, she saw you and some others drinking beer down by the river." He added, unfolding his arms to rest them by his side. Jess' mouth fell, not knowing what to say. "Is that true?"

"No! I-" Jess started, but soon she felt the palm of his hand colliding with the side of her face. Her head swung to the side as she gripped onto her reddening cheek. He grabbed her by the upper arm, and pulled her to look at him, tears forming in her eyes. 

"You little bitch," He fumed. His grip on her arm grew stronger, and she could feel the bruises appearing underneath her jacket. "Don't ever lie to me again." He shouted. He flung her arm out of his hand, causing her to fall back against the wall. She caught herself, making sure she didn't hit the floor. Her father slowly turned away from her and made his way back to the couch. 

Jessica Stanford didn't fear much, but one thing she feared for sure, was her father. 

October 30th, 1984

Like every other day, Jessica headed to the Byers' house to take the two boys to school. Last night, she called Chief Hopper to ask him for a ride tomorrow. But instead, he went down to the school and fixed her car. Hopper had known Jess since she was a little girl, and they had always been good friends. Their circumstances for meeting were unfortunate, however. Hopper had always carried a soft spot for Jessica, and even helped her get out of trouble when she was caught doing something bad.