- GIRLS ON FILM -

Chapter Seven: The Bathtub

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"So," the Chief drawled as he looked at the four teenagers all sitting nicely in a row at the front of his desk. Jane Hopper, Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers, and Nancy Wheeler. Four kids he'd never really had issues with before, all anxiously sat in his office. "Harrington? You prefer to die by electric chair or lethal injection?"

"What?" Steve mumbled as his face paled, Jane chuckled as the color from his cheeks literally drained right out. Though the boy's nerves only increased at her amusement, he brought a shaking hand up to his hair. Combing through it in a nervous habit but inevitably getting caught on the locks clumped together by blood. A result from the same action a few hours prior.

"Dad," She warned while the Harrington boy grimaced, not only at his current placement but also at the tugging on his hair. The Chief looked pointedly at Steve before he sat back into his chair, grabbing the accident report and flipping through the pages that Officer Powell had written up.

"Okay, we're gonna go through this piece by piece and then we're gonna talk about that box we found in your car," Jim spoke, eyeing Jonathan at the last half of his sentence.

"I can explain," Jonathan muttered before the Chief silenced him with a powerful glare.

"Alright, who spray-painted the billboard?"

"Tommy Hagan," Jane answered.

"I was there too, I didn't do anything but guilty by association I guess." Steve tagged on to Jane's response, moving his hand up to his tender cheek but forgetting that he and Jane were attached. Leading Jane's hand to fly up as well and strike herself in the face. Not hard by any means but enough that it irritated the girl immensely. Though just the presence of her cuff-mate made Jane ready to kill puppies.

"Ow," She huffed at the unsuspecting blow, glaring at the boy. Nancy and the Chief shared a chuckle as the only two in the room without handcuffs on.

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered, Jane just gave him a sideways glance. Wondering how he could even care if he accidentally hit her when a couple of hours ago he informed her that he wished she had died five years ago. And just after that confession did he slam her head into a brick wall, but he was sorry to accidentally hit her seconds ago. Sure he was, Steve Harrington king of bullshit.

"Shut up,"

"Jane." Her father warned before looking at the accident report again. "Why did Tommy spray paint the sign?"

"I thought Nancy was cheating on me, she wasn't but Tommy is kind of a loose cannon," Steve spoke.

"And you didn't think to stop your friend?" Jim looked at the Harrington boy, blood still boiling at the fact that he caused the dark bruise on his daughter's face.

"I should've but I was mad–"

"So, you let Tommy do your dirty work for you? Not surprised King Steve didn't want his hands dirty." Nancy sneered, folding her arms across her chest, abandoning the ice pack she was holding for Jonathan. The blue package tumbling down to Jonathan's lap before he cautiously moved the icy substance, as far as he could with his wrists bound together

"Ms. Wheeler," Hopper warned not taking his eyes off the report. "How did the fight break out?" Jim's eyes grew wide when all four teenagers began talking at the same time, throwing out different names and who hit who first. The clamor overwhelmed the man to the point where he wished he owned a gavel. The cup the held his pens and pencils worked good enough as he slammed it on the desk once or twice.

"Okay!" The Chief shouted, shaking his head and returning the pencil holder to its original place. This was starting to feel like when he interviewed the middle schoolers the day after Will went missing. "Nancy, since you are the only one who can keep their hands to themselves and is not chained up, let's hear what you have to say."