Jessie's Girl - Joyce Byers

CHAPTER 7

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL

Jess drove Joyce back to the house and just in time Hop and other cops showed up they kept everyone outside whilst Hop and Powell investigated the house after Joyce explained to them what she saw. 

Then they went inside, Hopper wanting to explain they're theory of how Will died. "Jess why don't you go try and contact Jonathan try and get him over here."

"No. No. I don't worry him."

"Joyce he needs to know-"

"I said no Hop! I want Jess to stay." Hopper sighed turning to Jess looking unsure of what to do, Hop nodded at her to sit down on the couch where Joyce was stood infront of. As soon as Jess sat on the arm of the couch, Joyce intertwined her fingers with Jess's shakily squeezing her hand for any ounce of comfort. 

Hop explained the police's theory as Joyce seemed to drift off and not listen. "Joyce? Joyce?" Jess squeezed Joyce's hand to bring her back out of her own little world. 

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Hop asked her.

"No.. Whoever you found.. is not my boy. It's not Will." Joyce trembled. Just then the light of headlights shone through the windows as Jonathan pulled up on the drive. 

"I'll go to him." Jess smiled at Joyce as she walked out the front door. Jonathan instantly asking where Joyce was, Jess telling him, and Jonathan not even blinking as he rushed into the house to Joyce.

Just as Jess was about to go back into the ouse she overheard Callahan basically insulting Joyce. "We all knew she was gonna crack sooner or later. The woman's crazy. I mean come on a monster in her walls, what's next Hawkins is gonna turn into a zombie apocalypse."

"Hey!" Jess turned round running down the steps storming up to him unaware to the attention she caught back in the house. "Do you wanna say that to my face?! Leave her alone she's been through a lot!"

"What do you know?"

"A lot more than you dickhead!"

"Okay! Okay! JESS!" Hop got in between them pushing Jess away from him. 

"Fuck off Hopper he's the one in the wrong."

"And he will be spoken to later but for now go home, you're not making it any better for anyone." Hop whispered as Jess glanced up at Joyce watching from the deck of the house, Jonathan behind her. 

"Yeah go home princess."

"Fuck off you perv!" 

"JESS GO HOME NOW!" 

"I'm going home!" Jess yelled back at her brother as she got in her car and started it avoiding any possible eye con tact with Joyce feeling guilty. "You're not my parent you can't tell what to do I'm only doing this for Joyce." Jess told Hopper quietly before reversing out and driving home. 

"Shows over everyone. Callahan take a break for the night."

"But Chief-"

"Now please! I don't need you being disrespectful to someone who's lost someone important to them. Home now." Callahan sighed before getting into one of the many cop cars driving home aswell. "Come on Joyce." Hopper gently wrapped an arm round her guiding her back into the house. "Let's finish describing what you saw then we can let you rest."

It was about another hour till Hopper came home going straight to bed. Jess tried to fall asleep but found it hard the thought of Joyce being worried out of her mind. Just then the phone rang and Jess was quick to answer it so it wouldn't wake up Hopper.

"Hello." Jess yawned.

"Oh thank god it's you, I was worried Hop would answer."

"Joyce?"

"I'm sorry did I wake you, it doesn't matter anymore. Get some sleep okay?"

"Joyce!" 

"No. No. No. It's fine." Joyce quickly hung up as Jess pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and straight into her car driving to the Byer's house. She knocked on the door gently, the door swung open to Joyce standing there with an axe.

"Jesus Joyce you trying to give me a heart attack." Jess softly chuckled.

"Sorry I thought you might have been the- what are you- what are you doing here?"

"Well you sounded distressed over the phone. And you wouldn't let me finish I was asleep I couldn't fall asleep. I was too worried about you."

"You were?"

"Yeah. No one believes you about Will, well except for me, and it's not a great feeling. So I think the best thing I can do for you right now is keep you company." They both stood there in comfortable silence. "So can I come in, I'm freezing!'

"Oh yeah sorry." Joyce moved out of the way as Jess sat down on the couch wrapped in her blanket like a cocoon, Joyce sitting next to her. "So you're not going to tell me to sleep in bed."

"I told you Joyce I believe you. If I were in your position I'd do the same as you." the two sat there in comfortable silence, every now and then each one of them starting a small conversation. It led them into reminiscing about their high school days Joyce got lost in a story how the two girls went into the woods to have a cigarette but got lost and missed the last hours of school and got suspended for two days. Joyce turned round to where Jess was sat to see that she had fallen asleep. 

Joyce leaned back into the couch from sitting upwards for the past few hours. She kept looking over to Jess, smiling how every now and then her lips slightly curled up into a smile in her sleep. Joyce began playing with the wispy parts of Jess's hair that feel from her loose ponytail, this lead on to Joyce softly trailing along Jess's facial features. Jumping and pulling her finger away when Jess shifted turning her head away from Joyce.

Joyce gently dropped the axe on the table so it wouldn't make a loud enough noise that would wake up Jess. Joyce took the blanket from behind her throwing it over her legs shifting round into a comfortable position allowing her to rest her head on Jess's exposed shoulder, letting sleep consume her, the comfort and warmth practically radiating from Jess wiping the worry of what she experienced early from her mind.