✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙𝒊. CRIMINAL

━━━━  𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

Jonathan snagged a crinkled Surfer Boy Pizza flyer from the refrigerator and punched the establishment's digits into the telephone as fast as he possibly could. It rang for a solid ten seconds before Argyle finally picked up.

"Surf's up! Surfer Boy Pizza, this is Argyle speaking. We make everything fresh here at Surfer Boy, except for our pineapple, which comes from a can. But I still highly recommend slapping some juicy pineapple on your pie! Oh, fruit on your pizza's gnarly, you say? Well, I say try before you deny!"

Jonathan rolled his eyes, impatiently waiting for his friend to finish babbling on and on about the controversial topic that was pineapple on pizza.

"Argyle, it's Jonathan," He spoke in an urgent manner.

"Oh, what's up, my man? You're ordering pizza?"

"No, I'm not ordering pizza," Jonathan sighed, using his palm to wipe the sweat gathering on his forehead. "Me, Will, and Mike need a ride to the police station, stat."

"Shit, man. Did you get robbed or something?"

"There's no time for questions," Jonathan snapped. "Just get over here, now. I'll explain everything on the way to the station, okay?"

"I'm on my way, Byers."

And with that, Argyle hung up the phone and told one of his co-workers that he was going to deliver a pizza, though he was actually delivering three teenage boys to the police station.

Jonathan felt a jumble of emotions — relief, stress, and anger. He was relieved that his friend was able to provide transportation, yet stressed because he wasn't sure if they'd arrive at the station in time to rescue his step-sister. His anger was completely self-explanatory.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱

Jonathan prompted Argyle to drive to the police station as fast as he possibly could — without speeding, of course. He proceeded to sum up the situation to the best of his ability while his friend drove the van.

Mike and Will were seated in the back of the van, refusing to break the uncomfortable silence lingering between them. Will adjusted his position and focused on the boy beside him.

The ravenette's face was ghastly pale. Beads of sweat trickled from his bangs to his freckled face. His hands were shaking rapidly and his knee bounced up and down at an uncontrollable rate.

Will felt an overwhelming urge to intertwine his fingers with Mike's and give his hand a reassuring squeeze, but he couldn't bring himself to go that far. Instead, he delicately placed his hand on top of Mike's — the exact same gesture Mike had done to Will after the Mind Flayer possessed him in 1984.

Mike flinched at the brunette boy's touch. It was unexpected, but it provided him with a feeling of serenity. His hands had stopped shaking and his cheeks returned to their usual shade of pink. His knee continued to bounce, but he felt oddly calm.

Will didn't move his hand until Argyle pulled into the spacious parking lot of the Lenora Hills Police Department. Before he could bring the vehicle to a complete halt, the boys had hopped out and scrambled into the building.

Upon entering, they were met with a middle-aged woman who appeared to be a receptionist. She wore a puzzled expression on her face after watching the teenagers race into the station, but she welcomed them with courteousness.

"Hi, we're here concerning Jane Hopper," Jonathan greeted the woman.

"Jane Hopper," She mumbled as she typed the girl's name into the computer system. "Okay, yes, I see her now. It looks like she's still being processed."

"Okay," Jonathan nodded, trying his best to remain calm. "So, uh, what exactly does that mean?"

"It means they're putting her in the system," The lady responded. "After that, she'll be transferred to juvenile hall."

"What?" Will gasped.

"Jail? You're gonna put her in jail?" Mike scoffed.

"A detention hall for juveniles," The woman sternly corrected him.

"That's jail," The ravenette retorted.

"Hey, look, is there any chance we can just see her?" Jonathan asked.

"Are you a parent or guardian?" The woman inquired.

"No, but . . ."

"Well, we're her brothers, and we're family," Will interrupted.

"That's not enough," The lady stated. "You have to be a parent or legal guardian."

"You have to be kidding! That's ridiculous!" Mike complained.

"That's the law, and you're not gonna change it by complaining to me," She argued. "You want to see Jane? Find your mother."

"Thank you," Jonathan huffed, dragging Mike and Will out of the building.

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱

"It's bullshit," Jonathan grumbled as they stomped out the doors. "It's such bullshit. I mean, she wasn't even trying to help."

"Then what do we do?" Will asked, raising his arms in defeat.

"I don't know," Jonathan sighed. "I guess we have to wait for Mom to land in Alaska."

"Then El's gonna be sitting in jail!" Will argued, motioning toward the station.

"Yeah, I don't know!"

Just then, Mike began to dash towards the street without an explanation of any sort. He didn't even bother checking for oncoming vehicles as he made his way to the middle of the road.

"Hey!" Jonathan bellowed. "Hey, Mike!"

"What are you doing?" Will hollered.

Mike disregarded the Byers brothers. His attention was centered on a van labeled "prison transport." Inside the van was El, who looked at him with a guilty expression on her face.

"Hey, stop the car!" He shrieked. "Stop the car!"

It was no use. The vehicle had accelerated, but Mike held eye contact with El through the rear window for as long as he could. She glanced at him from the back of the van, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Oh no," Mike whispered as he tried to regain his breath. "Oh no."

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
i have no idea what to write here 😳 thoughts on putting pineapple on pizza?