MARLEY // Max Mayfield

Cuffs

A very angry mother and frustrated Chief stormed into the police station. With a face of thunder, Joyce approached Nancy and Jonathan the two of them closest to the front, sitting beside one another, nursing wounds and muttering hushed words. Marley lay on the floor, further back by the other cops of the station, handcuffed to her chair. She had been mumbling equations to herself that entire time, trying to keep what little sanity she had leashed to her consciousness. To say the Officers surrounding her were relieved at Chief Hopper's presence was an understatement as audible gasps of relief left their mouths, hoping the man would do something about the moping brainiac a few metres away from them.

"Hey." Joyce began, quickly advancing on Jonathan and Nancy, face pulled into one of concern, "Jonathan? Jesus, what -- what happened!?"

"Ma'am," Officer Callahan started.

"Why is he wearing handcuffs?"

"Well, your boys assaulted a police officer," Marley stood up and dragged her chair over to join the little mother's meeting.

"Hello, my name is Marley Harrington," she started, as if it was one of her group therapy sessions, not that she had actually been to one, that would be insinuating her parents cared enough. Which they didn't. Hopper and Joyce turned to the girl wide-eyed. "This is my witness report," she cleared her throat and Nancy shook her head lightly, "the Officer stupidly decided to try and break up a fight between two lovesick fools, so what I'm saying is, it's the Officer's fault, it was an accident. Not to mention you ripped my fucking stitches asshole," she finished, her voice laced with venom as she glared at the Officer.

"Marley? Wait, what, why is she in cuffs!? Take them off!" Joyce yelled, trying to make her way to the girl so she could wrap her up in a hug and she would have made it if there weren't so many obstacles in her path.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

"Take them off!" Joyce reiterated even firmer.

"Feisty Joyce is the best Joyce," Marley grinned and then turned to the Officer, waving her cuffed hand around.

"You heard her, take 'em off!" Hopper added.

"See, this is why Hopper is my favourite, minus you Flo, you know you'll always be my number 1!" Marley stood to see the secretary over at her desk, shaking her head with a smile as she made note of something at her side. Marley took it as an absolute win.

"Chief, I get everyone's emotional, but, there's something you need to see," Marley groaned and looked over at Jonathan, a look of frustration on her face. They had surely searched his car by now, looked for anything further incriminating and they had obviously found it, without looking far, of course. Those bear traps certainly weren't as attractive as they had been sitting pretty on that cold metal shelf, now, rather than their victory, those iron jaws would spell Jonathan's ruin.

"They're gonna search your trunk Jonny," she mused, he glared at her and so did Nancy. "Hey now, don't take his side!" Marley shouted, scandalised. But the lightness was short-lived. A sudden wave of nausea struck her hard, sudden and harsh, she flinched, her dramatic antics dropping almost instantaneously, breathing growing short. It caught not only herself but the other two teens at her side by surprise. Nancy looked her over, noticing the amount of sweat building at the neck of the girl's shirt as if she were running a fever.

"Marley?" Nancy questioned carefully, putting a hand forward and feeling at her temperature, she winced and recoiled, "You're burning up!"

"Aha, you're burning up," Marley grinned stupidly and swiped a hand through her sweaty brown hair. Nancy grew panicked and looked over at Jonathan who shrugged and motioned to her cuffs.