Shutter [Jonathan Byers] Stranger Things I

XL: Tension

ten·sion

noun

mental or emotional strain.

Even though Hopper dropped her off at the school with some cash, he knew that Emilia was not going to stay at the school. Lots of kids would be skipping out because of the news, even though it didn't effect most of them -kids always looked for an out. He didn't want to know if Emilia would skip or not, so he dropped her off and turned a blind eye as he went to the station. Joyce would have to be there to identify Will's body, even though it was very clear that it was indeed her youngest son lying on a cold, metal slate right now. He drove the speed limit the entire way, part of him wanting not to even show up because he didn't want to have to see her reaction. He suspected Jonathan would be there as well.

For a November day, the sun was exceptionally bright. There were hardly any clouds, only a bright blue sky that made everything on the side of the road glitter with morning dew. Emilia stood in the parking lot of the school, half expecting Jonathan to show up so she could talk to him, explain how she felt, try to mend things now before they got worse. But she knew that he was not going to show up here. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Emilia turned to walk to town. Spending part of the day walking in the fresh air would be good for her, but she also made sure to steer clear of the forest and stick to the busiest of roads. Cars whipped by her, the wind chilling her. Jamming her hands into her coat pockets, she let her feet guide her as if they knew every path she might take.

The downtown portion of Hawkins was oddly bright; the sun was shining and the ugly old bricks seemed to come alive with brilliant hues of yellow and red. Store fronts had Christmas décor put up both inside and outside of display windows, and Emilia couldn't stop the grimace that pulled at her lip. Hands still tucked into her coat, she walked down, although she was not sure where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to talk to Jonathan, and she had most definitely chosen the worst day to do that. She'd taken a little over half an hour to walk from the school to the town, and it was not even nine AM yet. The streets were not exceptionally busy, but cars were driving by to get to work, to mindless places. They didn't care about what was really happening out there, that Will Byers was dead, because they were simply glad it hadn't happened to someone in their family, it hadn't happened to their children.

At the station, Hopper took a seat next to Jonathan; there was something odd about sitting next to the very kid whom he knew Emilia was so attached to, and yet he was not there as a father. William Roth's words echoed in the back of his mind, and he felt his hand twitch ever so slightly. In no time at all, he composed himself and looked over at the shy kid sitting next to him. Hair hung almost over his eyes, and he kept his eyes down on the ground. For someone who had just lost his brother, he looked like he was doing alright. Joyce had recently gone in –physically inside the morgue- to better identify her sons body, but Hopper knew that there was no doubt in his mind that it wouldn't take long. Which meant this awkward encounter would hopefully end just as quick.

"How's your mum doing?" Hopper asked Jonathan, it seemed like a solid question to ask.

The boy looked up slightly, tilting his head just enough to look at Hopper in a respectful way. Hopper didn't expect him to be prim and proper, no one in Hawkins held their noses up like that. Jonathan thought about it, and then he admitted, "I don't know."