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Assistant: Title: All Too Well (You Remember It)
        Author: karylscherokeerose karylscherokeerose 
        Chapter: 6/30 
        Summary: Joyce and Hopper have clung together like a magnetic force ever since they met in high school. Sometimes they break apart when things wedge themselves in between them, but their connection is strong enough to bring them back together even if it does come with a little pain, or rather a lot of it. Things like school dances for their kids, The Upside Down and Russian dolls bring them together throughout the years, ultimately leading them right where they need to be.This is the timeline of Joyce and Hopper’s relationship, from meeting at Hawkins High to settling into a bunker with their kids while the world around them has been taken over.
        Contents: Chapter 6: Will You Still Want Me, When I’m Nothing New?
    

    

        
          
          
            Joyce goes to a sleepover at Karen’s. Unfortunately her friends from cheer are also there. Secrets are revealed and suspicions are heightened.
          
        

      
        
          Trigger Warning:Mentions of AbuseMild sm@t between seventeen year olds
      
  

  
  
    
    It was 1967.A whole new year and Hopper had started it off alone, for the first time ever. It wasn't like he wasn't wanted anywhere- he'd been invited to Karen's New Year's Eve party and a few of his teammates asked him if he was coming as well, but he just didn't have it in him to party. He couldn't when he had no idea what his girlfriend was enduring at home. He wouldn't have forgiven himself if he'd gone to it, knowing that she was stuck at home with her horrible foster family. Karen assured him that Joyce had called her a couple of times to let her and him know that she was okay but that she wouldn't be allowed out of the house until school started back. Karen hated that fact but she went on partying with her friends as she did. Hopper hated and he barely even stuck around his parents on Christmas Day. He was grateful for the things he got and he knew that he should've focused on his parents, but his mind was stuck in a f@ck@ng fog. He worried about Joyce like he'd never worried about a girl before. This wasn't normal. He feared that it was obsession that he felt for this girl, but maybe his concern for her was just due to the circumstances of her living situation. He never thought he'd be so f@ck@ng excited to get back to school. The longest two weeks of his life.He made sure to get to school early so he wouldn't miss seeing Joyce get off her bus. With bouncing legs and nervous eyes constantly darting towards her gift in the passenger seat, he stared out the passenger side window of his car. It felt like f@ck@ng ages and then his mind began to conjure up his worst nightmares. What if she didn't show up? What if something happened when she got home that day? He knew it was a very good possibility since she revealed to him that her foster parents abused her. The fact that she got home the morning after when she was supposed to return didn't help things. His f@ck@ng stomach was twisting in knots. Unable to take the sitting and worrying much longer, he got out of his car and slammed the door, immediately regretting it. He closed his eyes and sighed as he turned to find a few girls staring at him.The girls in cheerleading uniforms and leggings gave him judgmental looks, one of them smacking her bubblegum.He knew them. He'd been with them."What?"They gave each other a look before bursting out into a fit of laughter, then skipped off through the parking lot while whispering about him.Hopper rolled his eyes. He really wondered why things didn't work out with either of them. He didn't even remember their names, if that said anything about how great they were. He dug through the pocket of his coat for a pack of Marlboro reds, then whipped it out. He placed the cigarette between his lips as he paced around to the other side of the car, the one that faced the school. He shivered when the winter breeze caught him while digging for his lighter in his other pocket."F@ck" He hissed before inhaling, then noticed another bus roll in.He squinted, attempting to read the number but he couldn't from where he stood, so he began practically chasing after it. He knew that he was receiving stares, and probably a few laughs as well, but he couldn't be bothered to care. Not when Joyce's bus was right there at the front of the school and he still hadn't seen her presence. He came to a stop when he stepped onto the curb, so he could catch his breath because the cold air felt f@ck@ng sharp in his lungs. He settled for watching from a distance, the teenagers who he couldn't care less about stepping off of the bus and chattering with one another. Everyone looked to be so happy. That's how it always was after a school break - just catching up with one another and sharing laughs. Hopper would be doing the same thing if he hadn't met Joyce. At that moment, he had a strange thought cross his mind. He didn't think much about his friends at all anymore. He took a long drag from his cigarette and nearly choked when he saw her exit the bus. Then he was stomping the cigarette out on the ground because he'd lost interest in it. He could hear his heart beating in his ears as he jogged towards the door of the bus. Without thinking twice, he threw his arm around her shoulders because that was apparently his instinct when he saw her. He really wished he'd thought it through, no matter how good it felt to hold her because the look she gave him nearly killed him.Joyce had jumped and gasped loudly, drawing only a little attention to them from a few nearby students. Those big brown eyes of hers that he adored carried so much fear and the worst part is, that look in them didn't subside even after realizing it was just him holding her. Her boyfriend.So, Jim quickly let her go and cleared his throat awkwardly."I'm sorry. I'm sorry" He mumbled as they walked towards the school entrance.Joyce shook her head with closed eyes as she brought a hand up to her chest, somehow attempting to control her fast heart rate."No, it's fine" She breathed out. "You just scared me."He kept glancing down at her while they walked, waiting for anything that she'd give him. A smile, a kiss, a look- anything, he'd gladly take and it would soothe the two-week-long anxiety he felt for her and her safety.But she kept her eyes on the ground as they walked into the school."I'm sorry" He repeated. "Are you okay?"He needed to know.Joyce let out a sharp yet quiet breath as her response. She didn't want to lie to him."Did they… Did they-"Joyce quickly shot him a look, her eyes pleading and telling him to please not mention it. She'd been forced to spend two weeks with them. She just wanted eight hours of peace.He tilted his head at her, silently asking for an answer, for anything. But she looked away and continued walking and to where, Jim had no idea."Joyce-" He started but she grabbed his hand. At least there was that.Joyce led him towards the set of lockers, not stopping until they reached his.She looked up at him and her eyes cut right into his. She needed him to get this message."I don't want to talk about it."Jim frowned as he shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this. He needed to know. It had been driving him f@ck@ng insane for weeks. And now he could ask her but she was forbidding him to? He stuttered as he tried to form a response."I'm okay" Joyce squeezed his hand to reassure him but her eyes fell to their feet so he wouldn't see the dishonesty in them.He saw it. He swallowed and intertwined his fingers with hers, then did the same with her other small hand."Joyce, I want to know what happened" He blurted out.Joyce shook her head. "Hopper, I said I don't want-""You have no f@ck@ng idea how hard this has been for me."Joyce met his eyes with furrowed eyebrows and parted lips. She scoffed."Hard for YOU? How do you think I've been doing?"He huffed, frustrated as he felt her hands slip from his. "I don’t know because you won't f@ck@ng tell me."Joyce gasped at his words, eyes wider than ever with flecks of hurt shining in her dark orbs. She turned away briefly, running her hand through her hair."Joyce, I've just been worried about you."The crack in his softened tone killed her. She felt horrible for being cold towards him. She turned to him and took his hands back into hers."I know you have. I worried about you worrying about me. I wanted to call you but I was too scared that they'd hear your voice somehow. It's clear that I'm not allowed to be around any boys."Hopper sighed dreadfully, wondering what else she wasn't telling him. He figured he'd get it out of her eventually and he was nervous about that. He wanted to know what she was dealing with because maybe he could get his dad, the Chief of Police, involved. But he knew whatever she wasn't telling him, she was holding it back for a reason. He didn't have much faith in himself that he wouldn't go to their house and do something."So I called Karen a few times. Did she tell you?"Hopper nodded. "Yeah, she did.""Did she… tell you anything?""She just said that you sounded scared" He frowned. "But she said you didn't tell her anything even when she tried to get it out of you.""Yeah, we didn’t talk very long for that reason" Joyce added a false layer of laughter to her words.Hopper just felt that dull pain remain in his chest because this situation was so f@ck@d up. He couldn't fathom how this perfect, sweet girl in front of him could be as good as she was after dealing with the cards that life had dealt her. He just wanted to get her out of that f@ck@ng town. Hell, out of the country. He kept frowning at her and that had air leaving her lungs and tears rising in her eyes. She blinked and shook her head."I'm okay" She whispered before standing on her toes and bravely pressing her soft lips against his.He closed his eyes and felt alive again, his good sense coming back to him for the first time since the night of the snowball dance, before everything had gone to sh@t. He squeezed her hands in his while she settled back onto her flat feet and smiled at her. He sighed at her, just wishing that she'd talk to him. He glanced at the clock on the wall in the distance then smirked down at her.She knew that smirk. He'd given it to her before, although usually, he asked her this question outside of the school where he waited on her every morning."Hey, we still have twenty minutes before class. Wanna go to my car?"Joyce looked away from him so he wouldn't see the ever-present anxiety that only seemed to blossom.  She kept on a painted smile for him, though."It- It's cold" She shrugged, a pretty yet painful little laugh escaping her lips."You know I'll always keep you warm, baby" He leaned in, playing with her hands which caused her to giggle even if she was nervous."I know, but…" She shrugged, wishing she wasn't at a loss for words. "Why don't we just… smoke instead?""We'll still have to go outside for that, Joyce.""Not if we go to the back stairwell.""Do you know what people do in that stairwell?" He smirked.Suddenly, pale slender arms were wrapped around Joyce's shoulders which startled the f@ck out of her. She gasped as she turned to see a bubbly blonde clinging to her."PLEASE do not f@ck in that stairwell. You'll get caught and do not ask me how I know that."Joyce brought her hand to her rising chest while Karen smiled at her."Sorry. Did I scare you?"Jim rolled his eyes."A little.""I'm sorry, Joyce” Karen pouted her lips and pinched her perfectly waxed eyebrows together. "Don't be mad at me" She paired her look with a sickeningly sweet voice, one that annoyed Hopper to no end. Joyce's fearful eyes gave way into sparkling ones, though. She even laughed a little. "I got you a present." She squeezed Joyce's shoulders."You-You did?" Joyce was in shock, honestly."Oh f@ck, I forgot your present in the car" Hopper leaned his head against his locker."Well, go and get it" Karen's hands left Joyce's shoulders momentarily so she could snap her fingers at Jim, ordering him to go fetch his gift for Joyce, like he was some kind of dog. "Make it snappy."Hopper made a face at her and he would have laughed if she weren't annoying him."I see that being less of a b@tch isn’t one of your New Year's Resolutions" Hopper looked at Karen directly in the eye and gave her a bright smile as he let go of Joyce's hands."Oh, you wouldn't have me any other way" Karen passed by Joyce while trailing her fingertips down her shoulder, just to tease Hopper, then took his previous spot at his locker to face Joyce.Hopper scowled at the back of her head, her newly highlighted hair was put together obnoxiously well. He looked back at Joyce who gave him a small little smile."I'll be back. Don't steal my girlfriend" He poked Karen's shoulder before leaving her and Joyce.Karen made a face and mocked him using no coherent words in a low stupid voice which caused Joyce to giggle."You didn't have to get me anything, Karen" Joyce smiled."Well, obviously, I didn't HAVE to" She said as she slipped her backpack off of her arm, then placed it on the floor. She unzipped it and pulled out a pink fleece sweater. She unfolded it and held it out for Joyce to get a good look at it. The blonde beamed while taking in Joyce's expression. "I forgot to wrap it, by the way."Joyce giggled and shook her head. "That's okay. I love it" She took it into her hands, her fingertips fiddling with the soft, warm material immediately. "Wow, it's soft.""Yeah. It's my favorite brand. And I've never seen you in pink but I figured you'd look cute in it, so…" Karen shrugged casually as she trailed off.Joyce looked at the ground as her cheeks warmed, then held the sweater against her chest. "Thank you so much."She looked into Karen's eyes and smiled with gratitude. Karen could see it in her eyes, the way they f@ck@ng sparkled, how much receiving a simple sweater meant to her. While Joyce stared at her, Karen felt something in her heart flip. That feeling was vaguely familiar to her. She had gotten a glimpse of this feeling before whenever she'd first start dating guys. She got it with the one she was currently dating but it was nothing compared to what happened just now, just by the look the timid brunette in front of her gave her. Karen's eyes widened as she stared back at Joyce and felt her smile flip because whatever Joyce had just caused in her chest scared her.Joyce tore her eyes away from her friend when Jim came in holding a poorly wrapped gift with a dopey smile playing on his lips. Joyce smiled immediately upon seeing his contagious expression, then held out her hands."Thank you" She purred before taking the gift and tearing the paper apart.Karen blinked away her thoughts and leaned against the locker, watching Joyce rip apart the wrapping paper.Hopper wouldn't stop watching his girlfriend for anything, but in his periphery, he could tell that Karen was bored, if the sigh she let out had anything to go by as well.Joyce was smiling the whole time although her eyebrows did furrow with confusion when she realized what it was."It's a picture frame" She announced, the smile evident in her tone.Karen made a face at the item in Joyce's hands, then at Jim's blissful expression. "Why a picture frame?""I-" He started but then he was dumbfounded because honestly, he wasn't sure what possessed him to buy Joyce that. There wasn't even a picture in it. He'd been struggling to find her a good gift, so his exhausted mind probably convinced him that it was a practical buy. "-I don't know…" He murmured as he shrugged."Okay" Karen simply nodded, bathing in sweet satisfaction that her gift to Joyce was better.Joyce turned to Hopper, looking up at him with a huge smile as if he'd hung all the planets in the sky. Over a picture frame."I love it. Thank you" Joyce clutched the frame to her chest, against her new sweater, then grabbed her boyfriend's face to press a lingering kiss against his lips.Okay, maybe Karen's gift wasn't better. She didn’t even receive a hug, let alone that.He wrapped his arms around her petite waist and pulled her closer while moaning into her mouth. With satisfaction.Karen rolled her head around against the lockers and then pushed herself off them. "Ugh. Get a room. There's a perfectly fine stairwell with your names on it just down the hallway" She pointed as she walked away."I'll see you later, Karen" Joyce pulled away and looked at the back of her friend as she was walking away.Karen threw up a thumbs-up as she left.Hopper glanced at the pink sweater between their bodies and chuckled. "Cute."Joyce giggled before taking his hand, leading him towards the stairwell where they would share cigarettes before the first period began.-The first day back to school since the holiday break unfortunately came to an end and now Joyce was exiting the bus with her foster siblings. They were quiet and seemed melancholic just like Joyce as they walked through the snow toward their unfortunate home. They must have felt the same way she did and her heart ached for them. She knew what it was like to be a young child in the system, after all. That’s all she ever knew.No one should have to know these kinds of homes, though. The air was f@ck@ng toxic. They all walked through the door and fell into their usual routines. The kids watched television while Joyce did the chores because her older foster brother, the guy who stayed home all day and snorted God knows what, believed it was a woman’s job to do such things.The only thing that got Joyce through her boring routine in the kitchen were the thoughts of her school day. It went amazingly well. She worried for two weeks about how it was going to be seeing Hopper again. Hell, she even worried that maybe he’d break up with her because of how complicated her life was. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he did. She even considered letting him go, as bad as her heart physically hurt to think about it. But when she saw him at school- the way he ran up to her when she got off the school bus because he was worried about her, the way he was so happy to give her that silly little gift and the way he held and kissed her in the hallway- there was no way she was letting this guy go. She replayed the events of the day in her mind like a movie, smiling to herself like a fool while she washed the dishes.The front door opened and her heart sank to the floor. Her smile was erased because she knew that it was at least one of her foster parents. She couldn’t believe it but she actually preferred Rachel now. Sure, she’d hit Joyce but she hadn’t knocked her out unlike her @ssh@l@ husband did. Joyce was still in shock about that whole situation. The way she woke up in her bed and no one had said a word about what happened. A part of her wondered if Rachel even knew about it, although she knew she wouldn’t care.Joyce’s eyes focused on the soaking dishes in front of her, her mental shield going up when she felt the air around her was sucked up by a toxic person. It only took her a moment to realize that it was Rachel, judging by her softer footsteps.“Jocelyn, I need you to leave.”Joyce pinched her eyebrows together with confusion then looked over to the woman at the open doorway. She could barely make it out, but she could see the figure of a familiar man in the distance, waiting on the snowy sidewalk with a cigarette in his mouth.“What?” She blinked.The woman tilted her head, gesturing to the man outside who just waited to come into their home.Joyce sighed with annoyance, fear leaving her for only a moment.“Why does that mean that I have to-““Because I don’t trust you, brat” Rachel stormed towards Joyce, causing her to drop the sudsy plate into the sink when she jumped.“You think I’ll tell on you?” Joyce asked, daring to look her in the eye.The woman stopped in front of her, glaring into her scared broken eyes.“Yes. I don’t trust you.”Joyce bit her jaw, her nostrils flaring. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t roll them. She wasn’t going to risk being hurt again.“Okay,” She swallowed before opening her eyes. She nodded towards the occupied children on the couch. “What about-?”“Well, I can’t really do anything with them. I’m sure you can find somewhere to go. That’s what you’ve been doing, anyway.”With her hands under the sudsy water, she realized the handle of a knife grazing her fingertips. She subtly clutched it, just in case she’d need it. She took a deep breath and tried to power through this demeaning conversation.“Fine. I’ll go. How long am I allowed to be gone for?”“Be back tonight. Before nine.”“Where is he?”“That’s none of your business, Jocelyn.”Jocelyn.How bad she wanted to tell her that this was no longer her name. She was an entirely different person outside of this house.“Is he…” Joyce stopped herself from accusing this woman’s husband of cheating. She closed her eyes and shook her head, then brought her hands out of the sink. “Nevermind. When do you want me to go?”“Now” Her voice was stern. She was huffing. Joyce had offended her.“Okay” Joyce looked at the floor as she walked into the living room.She dialed up Karen on the phone and picked at her nails.“Please pick up, please pick up…” She whispered like a mantra. “Come on, Karen, please pick up…”After the fourth ring, her repetitive words fueled by hope came to an end.“Hey, it’s Karen” She chimed.Joyce breathed with relief.“Karen. Hey.”“Hey! Everything okay?” Her voice shifted to something more concerned.“Uh, yeah. It’s just um- Can-Can I come over? For a few hours?” Joyce gnawed on her bottom lip, hoping that Karen wouldn’t deny her.“Hell yeah! I’ll come get you.”Joyce sighed with a huge smile lighting up her features.“Thanks.”“But I will warn you- the girls are coming over tonight for a sleepover.”“The-The girls?”“Yeah, the girls from cheer. Chrissy, Patty, Sue, Marissa, Sandra… You don’t know any of them, so you?”Joyce shook her head and let a nervous giggle slip through her lips. “No.”“Well, you’ll like them. Except for Chrissy, probably. She’s a b@tch.”Joyce scrunched up her face. “Why are you inviting her, then?”Karen shrugged. “I don’t know. It keeps things interesting I guess.”Karen loved the drama, no matter what she said.“Wait, why are you having a sleepover on a Monday?”“You’re not staying for a sleepover, Jocelyn!” Rachel called out as she was eavesdropping on Joyce’s call.Joyce rolled her eyes so far back they hurt, but she was facing the wall, away from Rachel’s prying eyes.“Jocelyn?” Karen asked curiously. “Who the hell is Jocelyn?”Joyce shut her eyes and sighed dreadfully.“I know” She called out to her foster mother. “No one” She answered Karen in a quiet voice.“To answer your question, I have sleepovers like four times a week” Karen giggled.Joyce wasn’t surprised.She smirked. “Of course you do.”Karen hummed proudly. “I’ll leave now if you’d like.”“Yes, please. That’d be great, Karen” She smiled against the phone.“I’ll be there soon” Karen told her before hanging up.Joyce smiled at Karen’s generosity, realizing that she finally had someone she could rely on in life, Jim included. She hung up the phone and sat on the couch next to the distracted children.“She should be here soon” She told Rachel.Rachel sighed as a response and decided to bring her lover inside out of the cold. Joyce sat there with her eyes intentionally glued to the television screen, trying her damndest to ignore her foster mother and this random man’s hushed conversation as they passed behind the couch. As they usually did, they went to the back bedroom and Joyce tried to ignore any sounds that would potentially come from that room. For mostly the children’s sake, she turned up the television. She watched whatever they were watching until Karen Dawson came there to rescue her.-They got to Karen's house and most of the girls who were invited for the sleepover were already there and surprisingly, they were actually pretty nice. Joyce was surprised that she hadn't met them around school before since they were friends with Karen. For a moment, she thought maybe she'd made even more friends and school would be even more interesting since she had classes with a few of them. They were all hanging around in Karen's room and had just gotten dressed into their pajamas when they heard a car door shut from outside. Then the tone of the room changed. Girlish laughter and suggestive remarks, even some boyish jokes, came to a close as the girls' eyes widened. Joyce, sitting on the edge of Karen's bed next to her, darted her eyes around to each girl to take in their sudden nervous behavior."What?" Joyce turned to Karen. "Who's that?""Chrissy" A girl named Sue answered her in a low voice."Chrissy?" Joyce tilted her head and then looked back at Karen, silently asking her why everyone was so afraid of this Chrissy person.Karen rolled her eyes at them and shrugged. "She's fine.""No, she's not" Marissa, sitting at Karen's vanity with curlers in her hair, replied dryly."Yeah, you hate her, remember?" Sandra, sitting on a stool next to Marissa, added with a bit of laughter to her voice.Karen rolled her eyes at them and directed her smile at her nervous friend."Only sometimes."She stood up with a sigh so she could head downstairs to properly invite Chrissy and their other missing guest, Patty, into her home."I don't know why you invited her" Marissa called out, her voice following Karen into the hallway. Karen threw up a middle finger, not that any of the girls could see it at that point. Marissa turned around to face Joyce, noticing how nervous the new girl looked. "Chrissy isn't a very nice person" she explained."Then why do you suck up to her?" Sandra shot her a look.Marissa was at a loss for words, her tongue flipping around as she tried to form a comeback response."I-I don't!" She eventually spat out.Sue, who stood out of her chair in the corner of Karen's bedroom, smiled with amusement as she made her way towards the door. "I think she likes her" She mockingly batted her eyelashes, directing her gaze at Marissa.Sandra laughed breathily before giving her a look of disgust. "Ew, don't be weird.""Yeah, don't be weird" Marissa spat venom at her but Sue kept on laughing." As if Karen would invite anyone like THAT to a sleepover full of girls" Sandra commented, shaking her head while she continued with applying mascara, staring at the vanity mirror.The way Sandra enunciated the word 'that' weighed on Joyce's chest, crushing the carefree happy vibe that she felt moments before a joke about s@xual orientation was mentioned.Joyce felt her stomach flip suddenly. She directed her gaze to her lap and swallowed hard.She fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater while she felt her heart rate pick up. What she didn't notice was Sandra's intense gaze on her through the glass of the mirror. She pinched her eyebrows together and felt her suspicions rise about this strange new girl. The girl that they all, except for Karen, knew nothing about."Yeah" Marissa mumbled moments after and something about how unclear her voice was, it stuck with Joyce. It had her wondering.Joyce subtly raised her head so she could see Marissa's reflection and it seemed to resemble her own- hurt, scared and confused.Sue darted her eyes from all of the girls with confusion swimming in them, then shrugged before turning towards the door."Well, let's go welcome the queen b@tch" She sighed with dread as she left Karen's room but three girls met her after climbing the stairs."That's my title" Karen told her with a huge plastered smile as she passed Sue, patting her shoulder.Sue swallowed at the realization that Chrissy heard her talking about her, if the look she gave her was anything to go by.Chrissy shot daggers into the girl's eyes and aggressively nudged her shoulder with her own, causing Sue to stumble a bit with a shameful expression resting on her face. Patty followed behind Chrissy and awkwardly avoided Sue's hurt expression."Where can I put this?" Chrissy asked Karen, already placing her over-the-top expensive bag on the vanity which blocked Sandra's view from her reflection, stopping her from applying makeup."Well- there is fine, I guess" Karen told her."The party's here now" Marissa announced awkwardly.Chrissy shot her a confused look, her waxed eyebrows pinched together while she frowned.Sandra rolled her eyes at how pathetic she found her friend.Chrissy's disgusted expression eventually shifted into a fake smile, directed at Marissa."Anyway" Karen cleared her throat, then sat next to Joyce. "This is Joyce. Joyce, this is Chrissy."Joyce forced a small smile and threw her hand up to wave."Hi."Chrissy let out a patronizing little laugh as she smiled. "I've heard of you."Joyce raised an eyebrow, confused. "You have?""Mm-hm" Chrissy crossed her arms and forced a smile but the eyeroll was there. Joyce. Noticed it. Everyone noticed it. "You're dating Jim, right?"Joyce swallowed nervously before nodding her head. A smile appeared because even though this girl was making her nervous, a part of her loved hearing that she was dating Jim. Was she known as Jim's girlfriend now?"Good luck with that" Chrissy huffed, her arms still crossed.Karen's eyes widened and she gave Chrissy a look that Joyce couldn't see since her friend's back was facing her. She couldn't believe that she hadn't considered the repercussions of inviting someone like Chrissy and Jim Hopper's girlfriend to the same sleepover. Then her mind was spinning in all different directions, wondering what tales these girls had about Jim. Karen had heard some things and she didn't want Joyce to get hurt.Before Chrissy, or anyone, could speak again, Karen blurted out the first thing she could think of."And this is Patty" She pointed to the other girl who had just arrived with Chrissy.Patty, standing behind Chrissy, waved back with a genuine grin on her face."Hey," Joyce tilted her head as she studied the girl's face. "You look really familiar.""So do you" Patty stepped forward to get a better look at her.Joyce blinked a few times before her brain caught up to speed, and then memories hit her like a ton of bricks. Good ones."Did we… Did you- Were you a-"Joyce tripped over her words because she wasn't sure if this girl wanted to keep it a secret or not, where she came from, but luckily, the girl finished her sentence for her and shamelessly at that."Foster kid, yeah" Patty nodded with a smile. "What is your name again? I'm sorry-""Joyce."The girl tilted her head with confusion, trying to piece it all together. "Huh. I thought your name was… I don't remember a 'Joyce'."Joyce gnawed on the inside of her cheek while she fidgeted with her sleeves."Did they change it?" She questioned it, assuming that Joyce had gotten adopted and changed her name despite her being seven years old."I changed it" She laughed nervously."Oh," Patty hummed. "I like that."She looked around to gather the other girls' reactions. They seem to think it was cool, too, the fact that Joyce took ownership of herself."I do remember you, though. We were… what, seven? When we lived in that home?"Joyce nodded with a smile, the memories of playing with Patty and having her first long-time friend catching up to her. "Yeah… those were some good times" she spoke softly, referring to her former foster sister and former foster parents who were no longer around."They were" Patty nodded along, her smile fading when the realization hit her.Things she knew about that she was sure that no one else did. The good parts of nostalgia had briefly blinded her to what she knew now, it seemed. Joyce was looking away, in her own little world when Patty's smile fell.She cleared her throat before walking towards the door with a sigh. "I'm going to get dressed into my pajamas. Chrissy, care to join me?She shot a knowing look over to Chrissy, her eyes demanding her to come with her so she could share her information on Joyce. Chrissy ignored her entirely, though. Instead, she stepped forward until she was standing in front of Joyce. She towered over her while Joyce sat on the bed, her big doe eyes staring up at this girl with fear. Karen sat next to Joyce protectively because she could tell that she felt intimidated. Joyce felt that way about Karen when they first met and Karen had been really nice to her. She wasn't going to luck out with Chrissy. The Hawkins cheer squad only had one sweet blonde."So, why didn't you didn't get adopted?"Patty had a hunch and wanted to so desperately tell her best friend, Chrissy. But she was busy at the moment, interrogating Joyce.Joyce nearly choked at her blunt sentence, scoffing a little. The f@ck@ng audacity of this b@tch."Chrissy!" Karen scolded her, her jaw dropping."I don't mean it rudely. I'm just saying- we don't really know you" She shrugged. "We're a close-knit group of girls who would do anything for each other-"Sandra let out a sharp cackle while clapping her hands.Chrissy looked over her shoulder to give the girl a daring look, daring her to p@ss her off.In silence that was uncomfortable for everyone, Sandra cleared her throat before turning back around to face the mirror. That was less vulnerable than facing Chrissy in the flesh, like she was f@ck@ng Medusa.Here she was, leaning forward with her face inches from Joyce just to try and scare her.Joyce felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she hated that her body reacted that way. She couldn't help it, though.Karen glared at Chrissy, feeling words of violence gather on her tongue."I just think that we should get to know you better is all" Chrissy put on a sickeningly sweet voice, her tone changing as easy as it were to change clothes.Karen saw right through it. They all did. But Joyce was too terrified to say anything. So, she just nodded with a faint smile on her kind lips."So I think we should play a little game.""A game?" Joyce asked softly, afraid of speaking too loudly or looking this girl in the eye when she was f@ck@ng inches away from her.Patty gulped at the scene in front of her. She NEEDED to talk to her friend. She stepped forward, attempting to grab Chrissy's hand. "Chrissy-"Chrissy moved her hand before Patty had time to touch her and shot her a glaring look, one that dared her to touch her again. Patty gave up and left the room, headed towards the bathroom to change into her pajamas, her backpack slung over her shoulder."Truth or dare" She blurted out, her eyes still on Joyce's."What?" Joyce blinked, confused.Karen rolled her eyes so hard they hurt, then fell back against her bed."Truth or dare. You've never heard of truth or dare?"Joyce shook her head with frustration. "Of-Of course I have, it's just-""Then let's play! Unless you're scared" Chrissy was trying too hard to intimidate Joyce now and the secondhand embarrassment could be felt by everyone in the room. Of course, no one dared to tell her that.Joyce did tell her one thing, though."I'm not scared of you" She mumbled under her breath as she scooted back on Karen's bed, ready to play this ridiculous game.Karen sat up and crawled to the head of her bed, resting her back against the headboard with a small smile. As much as she hated to admit it, and as much as she couldn't stand Chrissy, she did love this game. She was excited to play her favorite sleepover game with Joyce present.Chrissy acted amused with Joyce's quiet banter, then sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing out her skirt."Everyone gather around" Chrissy ordered the two girls at the vanity desk."You're not in your pajamas, though. You know the rules" Sandra reminded Chrissy, getting an eye-roll out of the blonde."They're your rules" Karen laughed. "Wait- why are we playing by your rules when we're at my house?"Without breaking eye contact, Chrissy shrugged her coat from her shoulders, letting it fall carelessly to the floor. She tugged at the bottom of her sweater and pulled it over her head, leaving Joyce a confused and blushing mess. Karen just rolled her eyes since she was used to this kind of behavior from her teammate. Joyce's gaze fell to her lap but her curious mind got the best of her. Her eyes flickered once then twice to find Chrissy adjusting her bra, then she forced herself to close her eyes.Across the room, Sandra's jaw dropped with a curious smile playing on her gossipy lips when she noticed. Marissa noticed it, too, but she wouldn’t dare call Joyce out on it. Karen was sitting behind Joyce and purposely ignoring Chrissy's show just to p@ss her off, her arms crossed and eyes directed at the ceiling. Chrissy undressed then dressed into her night gown, then took her place back on the bed, this time a bit closer to Joyce. She found it weird how Joyce's eyes were glued shut."Okay. Let's play" She announced, causing Joyce to slowly open her eyes.She found Sandra's amused eyes stuck on her, so she cleared her throat awkwardly and shifted her own eyes to her lap."Let's play" Joyce laughed nervously, her words coming out in only breaths.Karen glared at Chrissy with a disgusted frown playing on her lips."Joyce, sit next to me" She patted the spot next to her, never breaking her eyes away from Chrissy's.Chrissy tilted her head at Karen's possessive behavior. "Maybe she wants to sit next to me."She f@ck@ng did not."Well, she's my friend" Karen spat back, leaning forward to clap Joyce's shoulder to urge her back towards her. Joyce did what Karen wanted and scooted back so she could sit next to her, both of their backs pressed against the headboard of the bed.Chrissy rolled her eyes and scoffed, then shifted her voice into that nasty sweet tone again. Fake as press-on nails, Karen referred to it as."We're ALL friends here. Right, Joyce?" She tilted her head and feigned a smile.Joyce nodded her head and laughed nervously. It sounded fake and she knew that."So, truth or dare?"Joyce swallowed nervously before deciding which was a worse fate.Sandra, Marissa and Sue joined them on the bed just as Patty entered the room, now in her pajamas as well and acting very distant. She still settled on the bed to complete their circle, only because Chrissy made her. She seemed to not want to be around Joyce all of a sudden and Joyce didn’t even notice her distant behavior. She was too nervous about what the f@ck this bratty girl was going to make her say or do. Once the girls found comfortable spots on the bed, she knew that it was time to answer."Truth."Several eye-rolls and boos took place after her answer."No, that's okay," Chrissy said . "We're just getting started. Right, Joyce?"Joyce forced a smile although she was starting to run out of them."Is it true that… you're a foster kid?"Joyce blinked a few times, attempting to make sense of Chrissy's annoying question. Was she trying to shame her for being in the system?"Yes-""Why?" Chrissy blurted out, shocking everyone but especially Joyce and Karen."Why? What do you mean?" Karen snapped at her, becoming tired of her lack of empathy for others' emotions.Chrissy shrugged innocently. "I'm sure that you have an interesting backstory that we'd all love to hear" She forced a smile that made Joyce's stomach twist."I don't- I don't want to talk about it, if that's okay" Joyce cleared her throat, emotion clearly giving way in her voice."Right, of course," Chrissy nodded, acting as if she now understood why that question was so inappropriate. "Now, Joyce, you have to ask someone truth or dare."As if Joyce didn’t know the rules of the game, even if she hadn’t played it before.She exhaled through flared nostrils, her expression clearly revealing how annoyed she was.“Okay… Karen” Joyce turned to her friend who put on a warm smile just for her, just for her nerves. “Truth or dare.”“Dare” She smiled.Joyce smiled a little more genuinely this time because of the person who was staring back at her.“Okay, um… I dare you to…”In their close proximity, the gears in her brain slowed down as she tried to conjure up a dare. Joyce’s eyes got trapped in Karen’s momentarily, then to stop herself from staying lost in those soft brown orbs, she directed her gaze downward which only had her fixated on her lips.Karen smiled as she watched Joyce do this because she knew what it meant. But Joyce looked away all too quickly because she knew that it was wrong, especially in front of the five cheerleaders surrounding them. She looked at her lap and cleared her throat before trying again.“I dare you to…”“Kiss her” Chrissy suggested suddenly.Joyce and Karen both turned to the blonde with wide, shocked eyes. Their jaws were on the floor. Every other girl fixated their shocked stare on Chrissy, wondering why the hell she’d suggested something like that.“What?!” Both girls that were in the center of attention practically yelled.“It’ll be good practice for you!” Chrissy explained to Joyce. “You’re dating Jim, remember.”“Yeah, but-““Come on, Joyce. He’s kissed A LOT of girls. Don’t you want to be the best? Get that experience” Chrissy pointed at Karen.Karen’s eyes widened at Chrissy’s revelation about Hopper, then shook her head.“What?” Joyce’s voice was soft- hurt. “What do you mean by a lot?”Chrissy found amusement in the fact that Karen was silently begging her not to say anything else because she seemingly didn’t want Joyce’s feelings to be hurt. Being the twisted soul she was, she was about to reveal more information about Hopper, but as soon as Karen saw that smirk, she grabbed Joyce’s face and forced her to face her. Karen closed her eyes and pressed her lips against her friend’s in an attempt to distract her from learning the truth about her boyfriend, and his secretive past.Several gasps filled the room, Joyce’s included but no one seemed to act disgusted, like Joyce figured they would. Karen hadn’t let her go and no one was calling them names, so Joyce relaxed into the kiss and brought her hands to Karen’s face as well. She was too scared to do much else, as was Karen, so she just stayed frozen with her lips smashed against the blonde’s. Karen eventually released her and only hoped that Chrissy would be too distracted by that taboo makeout display to mention Hopper’s past. What was supposed to be a distraction to shut everyone up, when Karen’s eyes met Joyce’s after that kiss, she felt something she’d never felt. Something she’d spend every night for a long time regretting. While Karen felt something bloom within her, something she knew was wrong, Joyce felt something familiar but nothing like she felt with her boyfriend.“Wow” Chrissy blinked a few times, an amused smile on her lips.‘I know’ Karen thought to herself but she’d never say it out loud.Joyce was breathing a little heavier than she should while she gazed into Karen’s eyes. Karen forced herself to look away from her friend and let out a fake giggle.“I think I’ve found a new sleepover game” Chrissy drew her teeth over her bottom lip, shocking the other girls but they didn’t quite disagree either.“What?” Karen choked on her response, blushing profusely.Joyce stared at her lap and fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater.“You heard me” Chrissy giggled then looked at Karen, enjoying the way her face was f@ck@ng on fire. She’d never seen her like this before, especially not with any boy she’d been with. “Karen, it’s your turn.”“I don’t think that’s how it goes. Joyce didn’t dare me.”“Yeah, you did it all on your own” Chrissy batted her eyelashes to mock her.Karen was fuming.Joyce was embarrassed.“You told us to!” Karen defended herself.“Truth or dare” Chrissy debated.Karen stuttered with confusion and then ultimately gave in.“Dare. I guess” She crossed her arms.“Kiss me” Chrissy smiled.“Hell no” Karen laughed in her face.“Joyce, truth or dare” Chrissy directed the question back to the nervous brunette.“Truth” She spoke with gritted teeth.“Is it true that you’re a little slutty?”Joyce scoffed. “Wh- No.”She crossed her arms.“I don’t think that’s true because you have a boyfriend, yet you just kissed your best friend who is a GIRL” Chrissy added, amused with her own banter. “Since you lied, now you have to choose dare.”Joyce inhaled deeply, feeling the anger deep through her pores. “Dare.”She dug her fingernails into her palms.Chrissy leaned in with a sick smile forming on her lips, staring into Joyce’s angry eyes. It didn’t scare her, though. Karen watched her carefully, never leaving Joyce’s side.“Kiss me.”Joyce rolled her eyes.“Why do you want to kiss her so bad?” Karen snapped.“Why do you?” Chrissy shot back, her head tilting curiously.“Look, I’m just trying to help her out. It’s just for practice! It’s not like it means anything unless you make it mean something” Chrissy leaned in towards Karen, her hands going to the head cheerleader’s face. “Did it mean something to you, Karen?”Karen immediately shoved Chrissy’s hands from her face and scowled with disgust, earning a genuine laugh from Joyce for the first time in a while.“Get off, you psycho” She mumbled.Chrissy was pushed back to her original spot on the bed, cackling at the fact that she’d made Karen Dawson so uncomfortable.“I’m just trying to liven up this party because honestly, it’s boring. I’m not saying that has anything to do with you, Joyce, but this is the first boring Karen Dawson sleepover I’ve been to, so-“ She shrugged.Joyce rolled her eyes at her insulting words, not that she even really cared.“If I say yes, will you shut up?”Chrissy‘s sickening smile continued to grow as she leaned in closer towards Joyce’s face.Karen f@ck@ng hated this. She looked at Joyce with concerned eyebrows.“What are you doing?-““Shut up, Karen” Chrissy mumbled before cradling Joyce’s face with both hands and pressing her lips to hers.Joyce closed her eyes and just waited for this to be over with, no matter how soft Chrissy’s lips were. She breathed slowly and moved her mouth languidly with the blonde’s and just tried to imagine that she was kissing her boyfriend, though that was difficult to do since they were opposite sexes. Chrissy smiled as she kissed the brunette, running her thumbs down her soft bare cheeks. She couldn’t believe that she was actually enjoying it.Marissa sat with her jaw on the floor, her eyes glued to the scene in front of her. Sandra looked disgusted. Patty did too but mostly because of her wariness of Joyce. Sue was laughing because she didn’t know what else to do or feel.Karen was f@ck@ng seething as she stared at her best friend and worst enemy make out right beside her.Chrissy pulled away, licking her lips as she sat back down across from Joyce and Karen.“Wow,” She breathed. “I don’t think you need much practice” she admitted. She’d never had someone kiss her like that before and she’d been with her fair share of guys, just like Karen had been.Joyce smiled shyly and nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.“Oh, don’t be shy now. You’re not going to leave everyone else out, are you?” Chrissy gestures towards her friends who surrounded her.“What?” Joyce shook her head, blinking rapidly.“Joyce, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to” Karen murmured in her ear.Joyce considered her words and appreciated them, but when she stared ahead- every one of these girls, even Sandra who looked unsure of it all- she felt somewhat good about herself. They seemed genuinely interested in her and she had never had that before, not from girls anyway. Sure, her boyfriend treated her this way, but this was different. These were, dare she say, friends?She wanted to keep them.“No, it’s fine. It’s just a stupid game, right?” Joyce conveyed the smallest amount of confidence, confidence that they hadn’t seen all night.Karen would’ve been proud of Joyce if she hadn’t felt… well, she didn’t know what she felt. But it wasn’t good. And it wasn’t good for the rest of the hour before Joyce had to go home.By the end of the night, Joyce had not only kissed her best friend but also Chrissy, Sue and Marissa.She hated the fact that she actually enjoyed it. She hated the fact that Karen was acting distant towards her now, despite her sitting right next to her.“I think I speak for everyone here when I say that you are the best kiss we’ve ever had” Chrissy complimented her, so shamelessly as she sat across from Joyce and Karen. “Does anyone disagree?” She turned around to ask her friends, who giggled as they shook their heads.Joyce blushed wildly as she rested her cheek against Karen’s shoulder. Karen was still silent and fuming and she really wished she understood why she felt such rage. At least Joyce was comfortable, happy and laughing, though. At least there was that. She let herself smile and sigh at the sound of Joyce’s laughter.“Well, not better than Jim” Chrissy laughed girlishly.Karen’s eyes widened at her sentence, then she was shaking her head, again, begging her to stop talking.Joyce sat up straight with pinched eyebrows and pouty lips.“What- You’ve kissed Jim?”“Kissed? I’ve slept with him” She cackled at her own words, the other girls laughing as well for whatever reason.Joyce swallowed hard as she shook her head, trying to accept this.“What-?” She breathed out.“Oh, honey, I’m not the only one. Show of hands- who here has slept with Jim Hopper?” Chrissy turned to see two hands in the air, ones that belonged to Sandra and Sue.Karen shut her eyes and let out a harsh breath through flared, angry nostrils.Chrissy turned to find a teary-eyed Joyce, her lips trembling and a lump in her throat.“You didn’t- You didn’t actually think that he was a virgin, did you?” Chrissy laughed at how ridiculous the sentence even sounded.Joyce let out a shaky breath as the tears rose in her dark aching orbs while the pain clashed through her heart.“He said… He told me…”She sniffled and closed her eyes, trying to block out the view of the amused cheerleaders who had used her for her lips, just to then break her heart with the news of her boyfriend’s past.Karen glared daggers into Chrissy’s eyes as she rubbed Joyce’s back.“What?” Chrissy tilted her head with a sick, twisted smile on her kissed lips.Karen wanted to f@ck@ng kill her. The ones who were laughing and finding this whole thing funny, as well.“Karen” Joyce started, her voice shaky.“Yeah?” Karen asked softly, leaning in closer.“Take me home.”“Of course” Karen climbed off of the bed and grabbed her car keys off of her dresser.“I thought this was a sleepover” Chrissy giggled, her hand over her mouth.Joyce left the room with her shoes in her hands, bypassing Karen on the way out.Karen slipped into her boots while she glared at her ‘friends’ on her bed, stumbling as she held onto the doorway.“Now look what you’ve done.”“Oops” Chrissy shrugged before bursting into a fit of giggles which had her falling onto the bed.Karen rolled her eyes at them and chased Joyce down the stairs, eventually meeting her in her car. Joyce tried to hold it together quietly but eventually, a little sob would escape her lips while Karen pulled out of her obnoxiously spacious driveway.“Joyce, I am so sorry. I should’ve uninvited them- told them to f@ck off-“ Karen shook her head.“It’s okay” Joyce squeaked. “It’s not your fault.”“But I know what b@tch@s they can be! Especially f@ck@ng Chrissy!” She pounded her steering wheel.“Why are you friends with her? Or any of them?” Joyce wiped her tear-stained cheeks with her sleeves.“I-“ Karen sighed, out of a response. “I really don’t know. I guess I just don’t like myself very much.” She added some laughter for show but maybe her words were authentic.“I like you way better than them” Joyce sniffled.Karen smiled at Joyce’s words despite how much her heart hurt for her.“Same.”Joyce shot a smile in her direction, then curled up against the car door. Together they drowned in silence, not speaking until Karen pulled up to Joyce’s house.“Is it true, Karen?” Joyce mumbled in a broken little voice.Karen sighed deeply. Why’d she have to ask her that?”Karen turned towards her and exhaled.“Talk to Jim about it.”Joyce closed her eyes as the realization hit her. Judging by the empathetic look in Karen’s soft eyes, it was definitely true.Jim had lied to her about sleeping with other girls.“I’m sorry, honey. I am” Karen pulled Joyce into a hug, wrapping her arms around her petite frame.“He told me…” Joyce squeaked against Karen’s shoulder.Karen stroked her dark waves. “I know. They all do, unfortunately.”“Why do they lie?”Karen closed her eyes and sighed, gently swaying her friend back and forth.“I don’t know. I wish I knew.”Joyce pulled back and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. Karen rested her hands on the brunette’s shoulders. Her heart ached for her, seeing her in this much pain.“Just talk to him, Joyce. Don’t throw it away, okay?” Karen swiped a fresh tear from Joyce’s teary eyes while she stared at her.Joyce nodded while she breathed out heavily. “Thanks for coming to get me.”Karen forced a smile. “Anytime. I’m sorry it went like that, though. I’m never inviting those b@tch@s anywhere ever again.”Joyce laughed at her words, whether she was serious or not. The sound of her giggling had Karen laughing, too. It was impossible not to smile when Joyce smiled. Karen briefly wondered if Jim felt this way.“I better go” Joyce sighed before unsnapping her seatbelt.Karen nodded and forced a smile for her friend, anything to get her to smile. Joyce forced one back as she got out of the car.“See you at school.”Joyce nodded. “Yeah.” She shut the car door and walked into her home.Karen felt nothing but dreadful sickness as she watched her friend disappear into that home, knowing the conditions were toxic. Joyce didn’t deserve that. She deserved the world. Karen stayed fixated on those thoughts the entire way home, back to the pack of cheerleaders she barely tolerated.-Joyce had gone straight to bed and silently cried into her pillow until sleep gave her mercy. By the time she’d fallen asleep, it was basically time to get up for school. The same thoughts she fell asleep with plagued her exhausted aching mind when she woke up.It took every ounce of energy that she had to drag herself out of bed and get ready for school. She wouldn’t have if her foster parents didn’t breathe down he neck every second of the f@ck@ng day. She forced herself to go on with her normal routine. She helped get her foster siblings ready for school and walked them out to the bus stop. So badly did she want to just run in her house and sleep all day, if she even could. She rode the bus with her face pressed up against the cold wet glass of the window and tried not to focus too much on the ache she felt in her heart. She realized- she KNEW that this wasn’t a breakup, but she wondered why in the hell did it feel like one. They’d already dealt with some ups and downs and they hadn’t been dating for even a month, yet this issue- it felt different. She had trust issues as it was so this was really f@ck@ng gnawing at her.She saw the school in sight and felt her stomach flip. Moments later, the bus came to a halt and she was standing on shaking legs. She dreadfully exited the bus and as usual, her boyfriend stood on the snowy curb waiting for her, a cigarette between his lips and a smile that complimented everything about him. She hoped she’d be strong enough to confront him about the things she’d heard.“Hey, baby” Hopper approached her with open arms, slinging one over her shoulder but she was tense- frozen, almost. He stepped back to get a good look at her. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”“C-Can we talk?” Joyce swallows the nervous lump in her throat.Hopper stared at her with nervous, concerned eyes and assumed the worst with her f@ck@ng foster parents.“Are you okay?” He breathed out in broken, shaky words.“Can we go somewhere private?” She asked, her eyes to the side and anywhere but him. She didn’t want him to take her words as something suggestive because honestly, that’s the opposite of how she felt in the moment.“My car?” He tilted his head towards the parking lot.She considered it for a moment, ultimately agreeing to it.They stepped off the curb and walked through the snow parking lot. She let him hold her hand and she even smiled a little because Jim Hopper’s touch was enough to make her forget her worries, but only for a moment.He opened the passenger door for her and she slid into the seat, sighing and shivering while she hugged her own body tight. He closed her door and within seconds, he was sitting next to her in the driver's seat with the door closed. He turned the key to turn the heat on and she felt appreciative of that.Joyce didn’t know where to f@ck@ng start.Silence.“So…” He started, a little afraid of her silence.“Do you remember the night at the motel?” She blurted out without thinking.“Uh… Yeah” Jim scooted closer to her and looked her over, inspecting the details of her face and neck. “Are you okay? Did they-?”“I’m fine” She spat out with defense. “Do you remember when we almost…”Jim smiled and took her hand, playing with it. “Yeah?” He cocked a suggestive smile at her because he was still Jim.“And you said that you hadn’t-“ Joyce breathed out, trying to find the words. She looked into his eyes. “-You said you’ve never had sex before.”Jim stopped bouncing her hand against his knee and his eyes got bigger.“Right.”Joyce watched his face carefully, then noticed him gulp. She blinked as she let go of his hand.“What? Joyce?”“You slept with Chrissy, Sue and Sandra” She explained dryly while staring ahead of them at nothing.Jim felt his heart drop.“Wh-What are you talking about?”“Jim, did you?” Joyce turned to face him.She could see it on his face. The truth.Jim stuttered a bit as he searched for the right relapse but what the f@ck could he say to that accusation? One that was right?“Where’d you hear that from?” He laughed nervously, his throat dry and his hands becoming a sweaty mess.“Is it true?” She spoke firmly, her voice loud and clear as she stared directly into his worried eyes.Jim closed his eyes, forcing him from the horrid sight of his favorite set of eyes so broken and untrusting. He hated that he was the reason they looked like that.“Yes,” He breathed out and already felt her getting away from him, quickly opening the passenger door. “Wait, Joyce-“He instinctively grabbed her shoulder which had her facing him with an annoyed glare.“I’m so sorry I lied. I just wanted-““Wanted what? To sleep with me? Is that what this has all been about?!” Her voice was rising to a level he hadn’t heard before and he hated that he’d made it get there.He scoffed at her accusation.“No! You know it’s not!”“I don’t know that” Joyce rolled her eyes as she slumped back against the seat.“Yes, you do” His voice cracked and it killed her.She blinked tears away as her chest rose and fell violently.“Joyce…” He reached for her hand but she flinched so he pulled back, giving up on touching her. “…Will you at least tell me where you heard this? Was it Karen?”She heard anger deep through his teeth. She shot her head around to him with glaring eyes.“No, I heard it from Chrissy, herself.He shook his head, confusion blinding his senses. He didn’t know what to even say to that. Was that true? Was she being sarcastic?“I went to Karen’s last night-““I thought you were not allowed to go out-““Well, I was yesterday, okay? Rachel wanted me out so I went to Karen’s and her b@tch friends came over. We played truth or dare and practiced kissing and then Chrissy said you were a better kisser than me and then-“He was silent, f@ck@ng dumbfounded.Joyce looked over at him and found his jaw slack with wide eyes.Maybe she shouldn’t have-“You- practiced… kissing?” He blinked a few times.“Yeah… So?” She played nonchalantly.Joyce had actually convinced herself that it was a mundane thing and didn’t hold enough willpower to hurt a relationship. It was just practicing kissing, she’d told herself. It was a game played with girls. It didn’t matter. The look in her boyfriend’s eyes, the way he looked like a hurt f@ck@ng puppy, told her that she’d been delusional.He held her gaze long enough for her to think this through, what she had done, then he was turning away because he couldn’t look at her anymore.“Joyce… let me see if I’m getting this right” He ran his hand over her face while she watched him, her heart shattering with every waking second. “You’re p@ss@d off at me for sleeping with other girls before we were together-““Because you lied about it!” Her voice raised, angry tears sliding down her cheeks.“Meanwhile you’re kissing someone who’s not me?” He turned to her, his voice falling off its tracks like a runaway train.It killed her.Joyce stared at him with wide pained eyes, her lips parted while she shook her head. She tried desperately to form a response.“I- It was just girls! It doesn’t mean anything” She knew how ridiculous she sounded.He shook his head with a plastered fake smile on his lips, then started his car.“What- What are you doing?” Joyce felt the car moving and panicked, although she knew he wouldn’t put her in harm’s way.He was silent as he drove through the parking lot. He may have been angry and hurt by her, but he wasn’t going to make her walk in the cold when he kicked her out.“Hopper! What are you-““I’m letting you out” He spoke dryly.Joyce stared at him with hurt in her eyes because it really felt like she was being kicked out, not only out of his car but this relationship.If there was any confusion about their situation, he confirmed it in the next few seconds.“Hop, I didn’t- I didn’t cheat on you-“ She begged him with her eyes, too afraid to touch him and also she was still fairly angry with him for lying.“It doesn’t matter” Hopper spoke softly, forcing the words on his tongue to come out because he knew how bad he was about to regret it.He turned to her and she so badly wanted to grab his face.“Because we’re not together anymore.”'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
Assistant: