✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙. CONSEQUENCES

━━━━  𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍

Later that clement afternoon, the Byers brothers found themselves hanging out in the living room, invested in whatever program the television was playing. Will was lazily slumped on the couch, his hair unkempt and his legs sprawled across the coffee table. Meanwhile, Jonathan had sunk himself into the cushiony recliner. He somehow managed to skim over the local newspaper and watch TV at the same time. Will couldn't fathom how it was possible.

All of a sudden, the doorbell chimed, startling both of the boys. They weren't exactly expecting company, so they were curious to find out who had spontaneously shown up.

"Ten bucks says Mom forgot something," Will joked, his eyes still glued to the television screen.

"Yeah," Jonathan snorted, turning the volume down and rising to his feet. "I'm not taking that bet."

He swiftly unlocked the front door, gradually opening it with the expectation of being greeted by his overprotective mother. However, he was met with two stern-looking police officers instead.

"Hi, does Jane Hopper live here?" An officer with a head of gray hair inquired, impatiently tapping his foot against the concrete porch.

"Uh, yeah," Jonathan nodded, his eyebrows twitching with suspicion. "What is this about?"

The police officer ignored the shaggy-haired brunette and proceeded to his next question.

"Is Jane's father or mother around?"

"Uh, no. Her mom's out of town," Jonathan responded matter-of-factly. "I'm her brother. Step-brother, actually. I'm sorry, what is this about?"

"You may or may not be aware of an incident involving Jane at the Rink-O-Mania."

Shit.

Will poked his head out from behind his older brother, feeling a sudden urge to defend Eleven. He knew that doing so meant he would have to lie to the cops, but in that moment, he didn't care. He had to protect his step-sister.

"That was an accident!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"We have a warrant here that says otherwise," The officer declared, yanking a folded sheet of paper from his vest.

"A warrant?" Jonathan nervously chuckled. "Come on, that's crazy. That doesn't need to happen."

As he spoke, Mike and El tiptoed down the stairs to investigate what was going on. Will tried to signal for his step-sister to head back upstairs, but it was too late. The gray-haired police officer must've had hawk eyes, as he managed to spot her immediately.

"Hey there!" He snipped, glaring at the brunette girl. "Are you Jane Hopper?"

El gulped, feeling far too intimidated to respond. She opened her mouth to speak, but the only sound that escaped her lips was a faint whimper. She didn't realize how harsh the consequences to her actions would be.

It wasn't fair — Angela was most likely deemed innocent, meaning she would get away with everything she had maliciously done to ruin El's life. Meanwhile, El, the victim of her antics, was about to face a serious punishment.

Before she knew it, her hands were forcefully being pinned behind her back as the officers clasped a pair of metal handcuffs around her wrists. She swallowed the lump in her throat, praying that this entire situation was just a bad dream. More importantly, she prayed that the cops wouldn't notice her 011 tattoo. No punishment would be worse than being sent back to the lab.

"You have the right to remain silent," One of the two officers stated. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Mike, Will, and Jonathan were paralyzed with fear. Their mouths were gaped open with disbelief and their bodies remained as still as statues. Every sentence that slipped out of the police officer's mouth was muffled by the dozens of other thoughts spiraling through their brains.

"You have the right to an attorney," The officer continued. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."

Everyone, especially El, was utterly terrified.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱

"Can you please tell us where you're taking her?" Jonathan pleaded, angrily trailing behind the policeman who held a firm grip on the girl.

"Are the cuffs really necessary?" Mike spat.

The police officers didn't respond to either one of the boys.

"Officers, answer me," Mike demanded, only to get ignored again.

The men shoved El into the police car and slammed the door with an unsettling amount of aggression. Mike briskly approached the vehicle and pressed his hands up against the windows.

"Eleven, listen to me. Okay?"

El didn't bother acknowledging her ex-boyfriend. She didn't need his reassurance. Like her, he was only fourteen years old — he didn't have enough power to save her from the predicament.

"Eleven, will you please look at me?"

The brunette eventually realized that that particular moment could've been the last moment she would ever have with Mike Wheeler. Neither of them knew what was going to happen to her. So, she reluctantly cranked her head around and looked him in the eye.

"Everything's gonna be fine," Mike said, though he was unsure whether or not that was true. "I am going to fix this, okay? Just . . . just stay calm and everything's gonna be fine. Okay?"

He was visibly panicking. The sirens began to blare and the car began to speed away, but Mike clung onto the windows as if his life depended on it. He continued to assure his ex-girlfriend that everything would be alright.

"All you have to do is trust me," Mike hollered over the blaring sirens. "I promise, I'm gonna get you out! I promise!"

He whacked the window one last time before the car sped up, driving away from the Byers' house. Mike stood there in shock, watching as the car grew smaller and smaller by the second. Will and Jonathan hurried over to him.

Before any of them could speak, Will came to a realization — something that had the potential to help them bail El out of wherever she was going.

"Has Mom's flight left yet?" He turned to his brother and grabbed his shoulder.

"Shit," Jonathan murmured, sprinting back into the house.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
ok this chapter is by far the worst one yet . . . just the facts! (y'all better understand that reference) anyways, i know there's not a lot of byler happening in this story right now but it's coming up! i promise! & please keep in mind that this is a slow burn!