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CHAPTER FORTY; STELLA STAYS IN THE CAR
also known as;
( the sauna test )
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WHEN STELLA WOKE UP, SHE WASN'T IN HER HOUSE. She wasn't in her room, or her bed, or her pyjamas. Her knees and hands stung and her head ached, and the first thing she recalled was her argument with Steve. She shot up from where she was sleeping onto to groan in pain, reaching up to cradle her pounding forehead. "What the hell?"
"Stella?" A soft voice caught her attention. Stella blinked a few times in hopes to adjust her vision, her eyes settling on a panelled wall with posters of old movies. Joyce appeared in the doorway, and the teenager furrowed her eyebrows as she yawned. "Hey, honey. How're you feeling?"
"A little sore, but otherwise fine," Stella responded, her voice croaky from lack of use. Joyce smiled sympathetically and took a step inside, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"
"I found you on the way out of Hawkins Lab," the mother explained, tilting her head. "You were freezing cold and were bleeding, so I took you back to Hopper's cabin for the night. What on earth were you doing out so late?"
Stella posture deflated a little, and she ran her fingers across the bedspread. She had now come to the conclusion that she was in El's room, considering the fact that she doubted Hopper would live in such a place. "Steve and I got into a fight. The last thing I remember was going for a walk. I guess I ended up at the Lab cause I thought that it may have something to do with Dustin's message."
"Dustin's message?" Joyce furrowed her brows in confusion. "What message?"
"He intercepted something on this radio thing he's been building," Stella explained. "He thinks he received intel from a secret Russian organisation."
"Huh," Joyce murmured, and Stella nodded, smiling tiredly. "We can, uh, talk about that later. You said you and Steve got into a fight? What about?"
Stella's eyes flickered down to her hands and she shrugged her shoulders. "College. He doesn't think I should go, but I don't really want to stay here in Hawkins. Part of me knows he's right, but I just feel so trapped here. It's like there's nothing here for me anymore besides the kids and...and him. Sorry, I probably sound so selfish."
"Sometimes you need to be a little selfish," Joyce said softly, reaching over to place her hand on top of Stella's. "I'm thinking of packing up and leaving as well. The last few years have left the boys traumatised; me as well. I get what you mean about wanting to get away. It's hard, but sometimes you have to put yourself first."
"But I can't leave everyone behind," Stella sighed, a tear dropping onto the blanket. Joyce moved forward and opened her arms to embrace the girl. Stella hiccuped as she leaned into the older woman's shoulder, her breathing short and thick. "I don't know what to do."
"I know, sweetheart," Joyce ran her hand up and down Stella's back in assurance, but that only made Stella want to cry even more. "But I can guarantee that you're gonna make the right decision, whatever it is."
Before Stella could respond in an indecipherable mutter, a loud groaning sounded from the next room over. Joyce's head snapped up, a concerned expression on her face. Stella pulled away and wiped her eyes furiously. "It's okay, I'm okay."
"It's just Hopper waking up," Joyce explained, slowly standing up from where she sat. "He got beat up pretty bad last night. I'll just go check on him, and then I'll make you some breakfast, alright?"
Stella nodded once and forced a smile onto her face, watching as Joyce rushed out of the room to care for the chief of police. The teenager ran her hands down her face and sighed deeply, trying to adjust to her current situation.
She was in Hopper's cabin.
She was in El's room.
Joyce had found her outside Hawkins Lab.
She and Steve weren't on particularly great terms.
God, her head hurt.
After about fifteen minutes of trying to ignore the yelling from outside, Stella climbed out of bed and inhaled sharply once she got to her feet, feeling her knees straighten up and irritate the scrapes she had acquired the day before. "Ah, shit."
"And, I mean, what are the odds of this guy registering a car in his own name?"
"It wasn't a car."
Trudging out of El's room, Stella saw Joyce standing on one side of a closed curtain, her hands on her hips. The woman didn't have time to look back at her when the piece of fabric was yanked to the side, revealing Hopper in a pastel beach number. "What's going on?"
"Collins?" Hopper's face scrunched up in confusion. "The hell are you doing here?"
"You look like shit, Chief," she muttered, wandering over to the armchair and sitting herself down. "Joyce picked me up last night, I was wandering around the Lab."
Hopper looked back at Joyce with a pointed stare, and she smiled a little, nodding down to his shirt. "Uh, what're you wearing?"
Sighing, Hopper rolled his eyes. "What do you mean it wasn't a car?"
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"Why are we here?" Stella asked, staring out the window of Hopper's truck towards Town Hall. She didn't really care for the place, as she didn't really care for the mayor. From what she knew about him, he was a stuck-up prick with a bad dye job.
"Are you staying in the car, or not?" Hopper muttered as he turned the engine off. Stella pursed her lips at his sharp tone, before sighing and pushing forward the passenger seat so she could jump out. "I don't know why you can't just go home."
"I don't know why you can't be more polite," the teen muttered under her breath, accepting Joyce's hand as the stormed towards the brick and plaster building. The mother had been adamant on her coming along, seeing as she wasn't in any shape to be by herself. She'd called in sick to work, and had planned on being in the company of the two adults, who were clearly too busy for their own good.
Hopper seemed to know exactly where he was going, so all Stella and Joyce had to do was keep up with his long, purposeful strides. By the time they made it to the mayor's office, Stella was out of breath but willing to keep going, as now she was curious to see what the Chief wanted.
"Is he in?" Hopper burst through the door, revealing the mayor's assistant, who shot up quickly.
"Yes, he's busy at the moment, but-"
"Great," Hopper cut her off, barging into the room with a plaque that read 'Mayor L. Kline'.
Just as the assistant went to protest, Joyce placed her hands on the desk. "I think you should sit down."
Stella looked between the women, blowing a breath of air out of her mouth as she lowered herself onto the client chair by the door. She yawned as she stretched herself out, placing her hands behind her head as she stared down the assistant alongside the Byers' mother.
Hardly five minutes passed before the was a loud slam echoing from the inside of the office. Stella's head snapped towards the source of the noise, and she furrowed her eyebrows, hearing muffled yelling.
"Larry?" the assistant practically flew towards the door, her hand falling to the doorknob, which was locked, preventing her from entering and rescuing the mayor. "Larry!"
After what Stella assumed was Mayor Kline yelping in pain, the woman ran back to the desk to pick up the phone. Joyce quickly jumped into action and pulled out the phone line. "Who you calling? The police?"
Stella resisted the urge to chuckle, despite her lack of certainty regarding the current situation. She'd only had a brief explanation in the car ride over - something about magnets and Hawkins Lab messing with the atmosphere. Considering how panicked Joyce was, Stella knew better than to question why Hopper was planning to beat up the law enforcer of the town.
The door swung open as Stella went to get up for a cup of water, and Kline was practically thrown out of his office with Hopper in tow. "He just bumped his head. Just a little boo-boo, right Lar?"
The Chief grabbed Kline by the collar, pulling him towards the door, which Joyce held open. Stella watched as the adults left the room, before turning to the assistant. The teen glanced down at the desk, picking up one of the green jellybeans in the little decorative crystal bowl. She grinned, placing the candy on her tongue. "Have a nice day."
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"Why do I have to sit next to Sugar Daddy over here?" Stella muttered, trying her hardest to shuffle away from the bloodied mayor, though there was only so far she could go in the confined car. "He smells like air freshener."
"It's cologne," Kline retorted, glaring at her. "Who the hell are you?"
"Dan Aykroyd. My friends call me Star," she stuck her hand out with the fakest smile she could muster. She heard Hopper snicker from the front seat. "Pleasure to meet you. And you are..?"
Kline scoffed, rolling his eyes and averting his gaze towards Hopper. "You manipulating kids now, Chief? That's low, even for you."
"I would watch my tone if I were you, big shot," Stella continued, feeling her mood lift a little at the sight of the mayor's irritation towards her. "I'm nothing if not honest, and I know for a fact that ol' Chief here could break more than just your nose."
Kline scowled as Hopper pulled up to his house, putting the car into park. He reached his arm over the seat and looked between the two. "Kid, you stay here, alright? Larry, you're coming with us."
"Aye-aye," Stella performed a two finger salute, earning a smile from Joyce. She leaned back in her seat as Kline was yanked out the door, waving him away with a bright grin. She looked out the window as the three adults left, before she faded a little and sighed. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into, you idiot."
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yeah uh i'm not feeling too hot today so sorry for the shitty update