Bring Hopper to School Day (A Stranger Things One-Shot)

Bring Hopper to School Day

"Mom! Have you seen my sneakers?" A voice yelled down the hallway.

"No, I haven't Honey." Joyce Byers reached for a mug out of the cabinet. "Did you check by the front door?"

"Yes." Will came walking down the hall and sat down at the table. "I can't find my sneakers anywhere. And my other shoes are dirty. I guess I can't go to school..."

Joyce was about to say something, but she was interrupted. "What's this about not going to school?"

Joyce sighed as Hopper walked in the front door and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Once Will was found and all of the Upside Down craziness was over, Joyce and Hopper finally had a chance to realize they had feelings for each other. They had been going out for about a month and a half now.

"Will can't find his shoes," Joyce answered. "So, he says he can't go to school."

"I see." Hopper nodded. "The case of the missing sneakers... Leave it to me kid, I'll find your shoes..."

"No need." Jonathan walked into the kitchen holding up a black pair of tennis shoes. "Look what I found behind my dresser. I wonder how those got there..."

Will laughed nervously. "Huh... that sure is weird..." Suddenly he started fake coughing (very badly) "Oh man I... I really don't feel good... I think I need to stay home..."

Joyce sighed, "Will you're not sick. Now, put your shoes on. The bus will be here any minute."

He held his head and slipped his shoes on. A second later, the horn of the bus could be heard from outside. He started walking towards the door.

"Try to have a good day at school sweetheart," Joyce called.

"It will be over before you know it," Jonathan added. "And after school, what do you say we all go out for ice cream?"

Neither received an answer as Will sulked out the door. He gently closed it behind him as he walked to the bus.

Joyce and Jonathan both sighed as Hopper looked at the two of them. "What was that all about? Was Will trying to skip school? I thought the kid loved learning."

"He does," Joyce answered. "But he does this every year."

"What do you mean?" Hopper was confused.

"Normally Will doesn't miss school for anything." Jonathan tried explaining. "He could have the flu and still insist on going to school. However, one day a year, he tries to skip."

"And what day is that?" he asked.

"Bring your dad to school day." They answered in unison.

"Oh..." Hopper was starting to get it.

"Even when Lonnie was around," Joyce explained. "he could never be bothered with going to see Will at school. Will was always so embarrassed. Sure, other kids in his class had dads that couldn't come. But there's a big difference between not having a father to come to school, and having one, that just doesn't want to come. A few years back, he started trying to pull this skipping thing. I thought about letting him stay home, but I thought it would look but if I kept him home the same day every year. So, we make him go, and he's always mad about it."

"I think the other kids make fun of him." Jonathan continued. " I know when I was in school, they always made fun of me for it. I can only imagine what they say to Will."

"The poor kid..." Hopper and Joyce hadn't been dating for long. But Hopper was already starting to see Will and Jonathan as his own. After the loss of Sarah, there had been a void in his heart that he couldn't fill. However, those two boys were slowly starting to mend that hole. Heck, even those three other hooligans that Will always hangs around were starting to grow on him.