The Losing Game

iv. the new kids

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

THEODORE HARRINGTON AND JIM HOPPER were now sitting in the back of an ambulance. It took a little convincing to get him to move, but eventually, the older man was able to get Theo out of the way of cars coming and going. Hopper had gotten a blanket, from one of the EMT workers, to wrap around the boy, thinking it would help his shaking.

In Theo's eyes, Jim Hopper was your average small-town Chief of police. He was tall and on the bigger side of the spectrum. Hopper liked his coffee black and hot, even when he would come into Benny's at 9 pm after a long shift. He never stayed for that long; off to some bar or worse. But Theo still enjoyed the old-timer's lame one-liners and dad jokes. Plus he left pretty generous tips. Hopper was pretty good friends with Benny, but the two didn't interact as much since Benny is their main cook. Was. Honestly, Hopper reminded Theo a lot of his late uncle, which only made it more and more difficult to keep himself composed if you could call it that.

Neither of the two had spoken to each other since they sat down. Hopper couldn't tell if Theo had just been in complete disarray or just didn't want to talk. His emotions were hidden behind a dense brick wall that seemed impenetrable. Eventually, one of the officers called the Chief over to discuss the situation. This led to Hopper telling the boy he would be right back, not wanting to have the conversation in front of him.

Truthfully, he could have said anything, and Theo wouldn't have been able to hear it. The only thing occupying his mind was an obnoxious high-pitched ringing and the color orange. He could get hit by a truck and the expression on his face wouldn't change. He was so numb he thought he would just sink into the blanket and never come out. Seeing Will's body being dragged out of the lake, the fact it was just laying not even 20 feet away from him, made his entire body queasy.

Sometime later, Hopper came back to the ambulance. He needed to go to the Byers' house and talk to Joyce. He thought he should personally be the one to tell her what they found. So she knew it was an accident. The Chief knew he didn't have time to drop off Theo, but he also knew seeing the house of his former best friend would also not be the best idea. Regardless, he couldn't just leave the boy there. He felt an obligation to watch over the youngest Harrington sibling. Benny would have wanted him to. So, still wrapped in his blanket, Theo sat in the passenger seat of Hopper's car.

Hopper ended up parking his car a small while down the road before leaving Theo in the car. He didn't think it was necessary for Theo to have to go to his dead friend's house, to see the place they used to hang out, watch movies, and listen to music. Although it wasn't like Theo would be able to see anything, he was still stuck in his brain.

Hopper also knew about the possibilities that could have happened to Will. It could have been an accident, or something, someone. What was the likelihood some asshole pushed the poor boy? A hate crime in 1980s Indiana was not uncommon. Theo was smart. As soon as he escaped whatever fugue state he was in, things would start to click together. With that, Jim Hopper decided it was the best decision to leave him in the running car. Let the boy sit.

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HOPPER EVENTUALLY GOT BACK in the car, but Theo wouldn't have been able to say how long he was gone. Time for him had completely stopped in the void which consumed his mind. So many thoughts had blurred altogether, leaving nothing but a low hum ringing in his ears. Regardless, the world around him was moving so fast. It was like he could feel the world turning, life moving on. If the spinning feeling he felt in his head didn't stop, he was going to get motion sickness.

"Tomorrow," Theo managed to spit out softly.

Hopper turned to him and immediately knew what he was talking about. Tomorrow was Benny's funeral. The departed older man had family driving in from Michigan and Chicago. They were going to be staying at Benny's house for the next week. Hopper had gone over earlier that day and gave his condolences.