Briggs is restless, bored with the mundanity of Hawkins and the drag of rural Indiana November. That energy is channeled into laps up and down the Hawkins High pool, where he's worked his way up the ranks of the swim team and found a rival in one of...
SEEING CHIEF HOPPER'S Chevy sitting outside twice in one day, Briggs decides, is two times too many. He parks the Jeep off to the side, a healthy distance from the two police vehicles outside the Byers' house, and spends a moment fiddling with the interior door handle in hesitation.
Maybe he should leave.
But Jon's probably freaking out, and so is Joyce, and Joyce is the sweetest human on the face of the planet and maybe the Byers just need a familiar face right now. So Briggs gets out of the car and beelines for the Byers' door, right past the chief and deputy vehicles and up to the front porch.
He doesn't let himself hesitate before knocking, three sharp raps with two knuckles on the old, familiar wood.
"Jon?" he calls.
There's some shuffling inside, some deeper voices that must belong to Chief Hopper and his colleagues, and then the door is swinging open at he's looking right at the chief for the second time today.
"You again," Hopper says, his face difficult to read.
"Me again." Briggs offers what he hopes is a convincing smile, faltering a little under the man's weary stare.
"Kid, I don't think now's a good time—"
"Briggs?" Jon's voice floats through the door, and Hopper sighs, stepping aside to let Briggs shove through.
"Hey, man, hey," Briggs breathes, folding Jon right into his arms. He looks exhausted.
Jon's not what Briggs would call sensitive. He's never been at the top of the social ladder, never had a ton of friends, never needed much to be content. Not a lot of things get to him. He tunes out Steve and Tommy Hagan and all the other dicks at the high school, doesn't pay any mind to their backhanded comments, doesn't worry too much about school.
The only thing that really gets to Jon is worrying about the people he loves, as evidenced by the bruise-like purple skin just under his eyes and the hair that definitely hasn't been washed since Will went missing. Everything about Jon screams worry and defeat. Briggs hasn't seen him like this since Lonnie and Joyce separated.
