1981 (Jim Hopper)

Ignored

"H-hannah?!" I hear a gasp come from Sarah, my coworker, ever so rudely waking me up from my crappy bedding.

The sun was beaming hard onto the patio and my eyes barely wanted to open.

"Morning, Sarah." I smile with a fake, toothy, grin.

"J-Jim, I think you've got a stalker!" She whined into the open door of the house.

Jim was halfway out the door muttering, "nope," while b-lining it to his car, uniform already pasted to his body.

Sarah didn't know what to make of the situation and sort of just stood there in shock and confusion. As if "nope" is something she'd understand. It was Sarah, after all.

I could care less about her, though. As his pissed off roommate, I needed to talk to Hopper.

"Hey, asshole!" I jumble off of the bench and start darting toward him, pulling my sweater back onto my arms after using it as a blanket.

Hopper's hand freezes at his door handle as I chase after him into the driveway.

"Don't- don't talk to me like that. People can hear you."

He whispered under a grunt as I got closer. We were a couple feet apart and I growled,

"I slept outside last night. Why the hell didn't you think about me? I live here, too."

"And you're overstaying your god damn welcome!" He yells, still very quietly.

His face was growing red and there was his clenched tight jaw again.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and hear the door handle clicking. Refusing to let him win, I grip his wrist tightly to stop him from opening the drivers side.

He's quick to react, though, and his one large hand suddenly wraps around both my wrists.

"Hannah." He warned.

"Fuck you, Jim. I got a job, what more do you want? I'm not a dog, you can't just kick me outside when you feel like it."

"Sh-should I go?!" Sarah shouts from the patio, staring at us as this unfolds.

Hopper glances over to her, his face void of any expression. He looked choked up, like he was having some sort of battle in his head. After we stared at her for a minute and she couldn't take the hint, I shouted,

"Please!"

So she scurries away, tits falling out, but this girl had zero shame over it. It was the walk of shame she enjoyed receiving attention from, because it was out of Jim Hopper's place.

"I can't look at you and not feel guilt for pulling you into my lap. I like risks, but I don't want this entire town to hate me. In case you didn't know, they think they can depend on me. I can't let them down."

"Oh, but you can fuck every female here and let them cheat on their husbands?!"

Hopper aggressively pushes me forward, causing my knees to buckle and my back to hit the car, my wrists grinding against the metal.

His chest was moving up and down against mine in a quickened pace. He was pissed off at me, his grip tightening with every breath. Hopper was actually hurting me.

"This isn't even about your lap," I hiss, "it's about not being treated like a human being. You're ignoring me. You got laid and left me outside without a place to slee-"

"If I don't ignore you... Hannah, god dammit, i have to avoid you, you don't get it. Why are you being so difficult?! Open your tiny little teenager skull and look at the big picture!" His tone was rising.

"Me... you want to talk about me being difficult?! ME?! DIFFICULT?! GO TO HELL YOU DIRTY OLD-" Hopper covers my mouth roughly with his free hand and embraces my body into his, to get me to stop speaking.

"This is the exact reason I don't want to be involved with you. I do one thing wrong and you go off... keep your mouth shut, Hannah. I'm walking on eggshells around you as is."

All he and I can hear is my breathing muffled from his hand, my eyes burning through his skin with every hateful dagger I stabbed him with.

"I'm sorry but this is how I have to be about it. Just come in next time, I can hit pause."

I shove away from him.

"I don't want to walk in on anything, ever. You have a room."

"What, Hannah? Are you jealous?" Hopper asked with amusement slipping from his throat.

My chin quivers and I finally let go of the stress building up. My back hurt against the car, my throat hurt from the lump rising within it. Truth be told, I was cold and yeah, jealous. The tears begin to warm my cheeks as I let them slip from me, breaking me down to appear weaker and weaker with every new drop. I was vulnerable. He allowed me to be, but something about this didn't feel safe anymore. It felt like I had to hide.

"Hannah."

"I hate you."

His eyes widen and his brows furrow. Hopper didn't expect that, didn't want to hear it. The expressionless face now being one stricken with worry. He finally loosens his grip on me, my wrists now free from behind my back. Taking his once imprisoning hand to my face, he rests his palm along my jaw, thumb gently wiping my tears.

"Please stop crying."

"Just go to work and ignore me." I crack.

"Hannah, sweetheart, please."

Hopper's voice came out shakily and I cringe at the petname, unsure if it's romantic or parental. This pisses me off even further and I stomp hard onto his boot.

He jumps up and latches onto his appendage, bouncing on his good foot as if trying to shake the pain off.

"Fuck! You little-"

But I was already making my way to the front door for a shower.

"Hannah!"

Ignore him.

"HANNAH!"

Ignore him like he ignores you.