Hawkins Sweetheart - 𝐁.𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄.

Ten - Root Of All Evil

Chapter Ten - Root Of All Evil

"Nothing burns like the cold."

Jessica hugged her blanket tightly as the wind that blew through her window felt so much colder than before. She wrapped it around her whole body before walking towards the window to shut it, keeping the cold air outside where it belongs. She shivered beneath the blanket, unable to keep her body warm for long. She never really liked the cold, but something about the way she felt was different. It felt as if the icy air that surrounded her room, ran through her nose and filled her lungs, not allowing her any warmth inside. Her body shuddered as she bent over to pick up empty beer bottles from the floor and place them in the bin. Thankfully, her father had left once again and she now had the house all to herself. 

"Fuck!" She cursed as she dropped one of the bottles. As it hit the floor, it shattered into many smaller pieces of glass. Her trembling body and shaky blue lips were no match for dealing with this right now. She dragged herself onto the couch and cuddled up under many blankets, fighting with the air to keep warm.

At the Byers house, Will was troubled with the visions and memories stuck in the back of his head. He couldn't explain it. They were just there. Ever since that day at the school, he hadn't felt the same. Joyce had given him crayons to draw what he was seeing, to try and help give her a better understanding. While he was drawing, there was a loud knock on the door that startled both of them. The red crayon fell from Will's hand as he stared at the door, fearing what was behind it. Joyce slowly rose from her chair and walked towards the front door, keeping her eyes locked on it. As she got closer, another knock came from the other side. She paused for a moment before continuing. She gulped down her fear as she slowly reached for the door handle, turning it and pulling it open slightly. She let out a sigh of relief once she saw the familiar muddy boots and cream coloured uniform. "Hopper." She sighed. 

"Yeah, uh, can we talk?" Hopper said, taking off his hat and coat. Joyce looked behind at Will sitting at the table and then back at Hopper before nodding. She moved to the side of the door, motioning for him to come inside. He placed his coat and hat on the hangers by the door before following her to the other side of the house. Joyce shut the door behind them as they entered a room, making sure that Will couldn't hear them. 

Hopper had come to talk to Joyce about Jessica. After forcing Billy to tell him what had happened, he was concerned for her but didn't know how to approach the topic. Joyce had known Jessica since she was a little girl, just like Hopper. Joyce and Jessica's mother were good friends. They would frequently set up playdates for her and Jonathan and the pair also became good friends. They grew up with each other. Ever since Jessica's mother had left, Joyce had taken on the role as the 'motherly-figure' in Jess's life. Hopper knew this and thought it would be better for Joyce to talk to Jess. She was a woman and could relate to Jess more. 

Hopper and Joyce had been working on helping Will and finding out what was happening to him. When Jessica called earlier that morning, Hopper knew the two incidents must be connected. He had told Joyce about a lead in the case, and she assumed he was here to talk to her about it. Joyce was a very anxious person. Her mind was a constant ball of paranoia. In her head, she had already gone over millions of possible conclusions about what was happening to Will and how it would end. She looked around the room anxiously before focusing her eyes on Hopper.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?" She questioned, looking concerned. He shook his head slowly. "You said you had a lead?" She folded her arms as she looked up at him. 

"Yeah, I did, It was Jessica and–"

"Jessica Stanford?" Joyce interrupted. "You think she's been going through what Will has as well?"