JH+JH

you're not as bad as the others

A/N young Christina Ricci as tiny Joyce 🥰

It was 1948. James Hopper was 6. He was the tallest in his class. He really didn't have any friends, he was an outcast. There was this new girl. She had short brown hair, with bangs. She was different from other girls, all the other girls wore short flowy dresses, she didn't. She wore a white shirt and overalls.

It was recess time. The annoying boys were playing tag except for Jim. He was spectating while eating an apple until he heard a squeal. "Let go! Butthead!" He turned to see the new girl getting her overalls pulled on. "You're a wannabe boy!" One of the little boys laughed.

Jim ran to where they were. "Hey leave her alone!!" The other boys backed away and ran away. "Ahhh the giant will destroy us!" The boys ran away. Jim rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for that" she said while cleaning herself off. Jim looked at her face, covered in dirt, he saw her arms with bruises. "Did they push you?" She nodded. "But I'm fine, I'm not like the other prissy girls." She sat on the bench that was there. "Sit here"

Jim sat next to her. "I like that you wear overalls, instead of dresses. It's better." She smiled at him. "Thanks. Are you gonna finish that apple?" Jim furrowed his eyebrows. "But I bit it already?" "And? Nothing can happen" She said as she adjusted her bangs. "But don't you want to run away from me?" She laughed at his silly remark. "Why would I do that? You're fun"

She was way too nice, compared to the other kids. "All the kids think I'm weird because I'm so tall" The little girl laughed. "Well I think that's silly" she took a bite out of the apple. "Besides, I'm short. You haven't ran away from me" she whipped her face. "Okay. So we're friends now. But we're not boyfriend and girlfriend because that's icky" Jim nodded at all the girl was saying. He didn't really get to talk, he didn't mind that.

"What's your favorite type of cookie?" She asked Jim. "Chocolate chip" he grinned. "Mine too!!" She cheered. "Do you have siblings?" Jim shook his head. "Me neither!" She smiled. "Favorite color?" Jim pointed at his red shoes. "Red, sometimes blue. The little girl jumped on the bench and stood on it. "It's as if we're the same person"

She got down and looked at him straight in the eye. "You're my partner in crime now. I'm Joyce Laura Horowitz by the way" Joyce smiled sweetly. "I'm James Michael Hopper. You can call me Jim." Joyce wrapped her arms around Jim and hugged him. "I think we're going to be the bestest friends ever to exist, Jimmy"

"No ones ever called me Jimmy before" Joyce wrestled him to the ground, they were both giggling. "Well I'm different" she laughed. "You don't care if you get your overalls dirty?" Joyce sat on the ground and panted. "I told you, I'm different"

"So, do you want to sit together once the bell rings? In Ms. Roberts class?" Jim said while fixing his shoes. "Yup" Joyce blew her bangs out of her face. "You know, you're not as bad as the other girls" Jim smiled. "Thank you" Joyce grinned.