El didn’t take the seat behind the booth. Instead, she just stood beside Joyce, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched as she turned the green and gold pencil over in her hands. It was cheap. Plastic that would probably snap if she pressed too hard, but it felt like something. A little token of belonging.
She watched Joyce like she might catch her saying something different with her hands or the corners of her smile. It was still strange sometimes. Being wanted. Not as a weapon or an experiment or a burden, but as someone Joyce actually hoped would stay close. El had never really gotten used to that feeling.
The offer to help in the office made her lift her eyes again. "You want me to be your assistant?" She asked, a little surprised, a little amused. "Do I get a badge?" That was her own try at making a joke.
Maybe it was just Joyce’s way of keeping her nearby. El was naive, but she wasn't stupid. She could tell when someone was worrying behind their smile. But she didn’t mind. She liked knowing someone wanted her in their orbit. And if it meant being close to Joyce, learning a little about how this new life worked. She could totally do paperwork or run errands.
"I think I would like that," she nodded. And this time she didn't agree just out of politeness. "It would be way better than P.E." Her eyes flicked up when Joyce called her brave, and that made her blink a few times. Brave. It wasn’t the first time someone had said that. She had saved her friends lives and the world, what? A handful of times? But it always felt different coming from Joyce. It was real and it was normal.
"It’s loud," El admitted, glancing toward the crowd. "Too many people. Too many smells." Her nose scrunched a little. "But, it's good. I like seeing everyone. I like watching." That was easier than talking sometimes. She still hadn’t figured out how to start conversations that didn’t involve talking to people that she already knew.
Her hand moved toward one of the lanyards, tracing the plastic strap absently. "We do... think you're a big deal," she finally added. She imagined that Joyce had more of an obligation to Will and Jonathan. They were her sons and El figured there was some kind of maternal nature in that, but when it came to herself? Joyce welcomed El in as her own. It wasn't something she had to do.
"Do you think people will think I'm strange when school starts?" She asked. El was used to being looked at - whether it was when people couldn't tell whether she was a boy or a girl or the lack of words she spoke. Now, she would be the homeschooled freak.
joyce didn't deny her that it was loud; it was all a bit much, she knew. the sounds, sights, and smells could be overwhelming to even the locals, so she couldn't imagine how strange it was for someone like el, who wasn't used to the annual event. not only was she not used to that, but she wasn't used to being around so many people in general. she could sympathize with her there, but not by much. all she could really do was listen and, if she could, be an encouraging figure in her life.
of course, that all went out the window when el asked her that question. would people think she was strange? well, probably. she was a new girl whose first year at hawkins high would be the twelfth grade. it was always strange when someone started school in the very last year. there would be less chance to get to know her over the years, and more chance that she likely wouldn't make any lifelong friends past the ones that she already had. but was it up to joyce to be honest, really? did she need to bombard her with the emotions that came with the the unbridled truth?
perhaps not.
"yes," she answered, however. she didn't want to give her false hope, especially when she couldn't count on hawkins to be charming enough to not call her bluff. she didn't take well to the other parents and, similarly, didn't care too much for the town's kids. she didn't believe for a second that there wasn't going to be some idiot in the high school who would make it their mission to bother el in her day to day classes, studies, and extracurriculars. that was just part of being a teenager - dealing with bullshit from other teenagers.
she reached out to place a comforting hand on el's shoulder, giving her her brightest and best mom smile. "there are going to be people who think you're strange regardless of your age, or where you are in life. even if you had the same upbringing as everyone else around here, there would still be people who think you're weird and different and other. your only goal should be to ignore them; you were put on this earth for a reason and, more importantly, you're ten times cooler than any bully. trust me on that."
Being in the Hawkins Police Department yet again really wasn't on Joyce's bucket list for the summer, and she didn't love being in the hot seat. Surely there was some other way they could discuss this as opposed to it turning into a real interrogation, right? But of course, she'd had her words with Sgt. Sully more than once...so it didn't surprise her that she was on their radar.
STATE YOUR FULL LEGAL NAME FOR THE RECORD.
"Joyce Gabriela Maldonado Byers," she answered, nonplussed. She needed to drop the Byers part still, but she didn't want her boys to feel alone in their names.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS?
She smiled, tight-lipped and irritated. "That is both irrelevant and already well-known by the PD here. Look it up in your little system."
WHAT IS YOUR DATE OF BIRTH?
"May 14th, 1944."
WHAT IS YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT AND JOB TITLE?
This was a question she didn't mind answering, for once. No more Melvald's for her! "I'm an administrator at Hawkins High School," she replied, although Chief Powell didn't seem all that impressed. Whatever; impressing the police was never her goal.
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE WHEELER FAMILY?
"My family and the Wheeler family have been friends for a long time. For multiple reasons," she said. She didn't have the patience to go into all of the specifics, but the Byers' and Wheelers were intertwined regardless.
WERE YOU FORMALLY INVITED TO THE BBQ?
"Is anyone ever formally invited?" she asked. Joyce couldn't remember receiving a literal invite in the mail - everyone always knew when the barbecue would be and what time to arrive. There hadn't been a year where she'd missed one, although they weren't always particularly pleasant for her specifically.
WHAT TIME DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE BBQ?
She shook her head. "I really couldn't say, but if I had to guess, sometime around two p.m.?" she answered, the inflection in her tone regarding it as more of a question. Perhaps Karen would know better than she did.
HOW DID YOU GET TO THE BBQ?
"I drove." Duh.
CAN ANYONE VERIFY YOUR LOCATION THROUGHOUT THE BBQ?
She gave it some thought. "I would say Sgt. Sully, but obviously he's out of the running. Try Karen Wheeler or one of my children, Jonathan, El, or Will."
HOW LONG WERE YOU AT THE WHEELER BBQ, APPROXIMATELY?
"A couple of hours. Long enough to be there for all of the shenanigans. I helped finish up the cooking and also had a plate to eat myself," she continued.
HOW DID YOU LEAVE THE BBQ? WITH WHOM?
"Again, I drove," she said. How else? "Given the way it ended, I took El and Will home with me. Didn't want them sticking around and getting caught in the crosshairs somehow." Perhaps that was overprotective of her. Ask her if she cared.
ARE YOU CURRENTLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ANY SUBSTANCES THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR MEMORY OR BEHAVIOUR DURING THE COURSE OF THIS WITNESS INTERROGATION?
She eyed the Chief with a suspicious eye. "No. Are you?"
I SEE YOU ARE GETTING EMOTIONAL. DO YOU NEED A BREAK?
"I literally could not be any less emotional right now. Are you going to accuse me of being hysterical too, next?"
DID YOU SEE ANYONE GO UPSTAIRS AT ANY POINT DURING THE BBQ?
She thought back to the event, and actually she had seen Mike go upstairs. Would that implicate him as part of the crime? The only other person to see that was Karen, and she hadn't had time to corroborate a story with her. He definitely wasn't the killer, she knew him too well to believe that, but would Chief Powell believe the same? "No," she said. If it wasn't important, then it didn't matter. If it was, then good old-fashioned police work would have to uncover that detail for them. She wasn't a snitch.
AN INSIDE SOURCE SAYS THAT SGT. SULLY GOT INTO A RATHER PUBLIC ARGUMENT WITH A FEW GUESTS. WHO WERE THEY AND WHAT WAS THE ARGUMENT ABOUT?
"It depends on what you consider to be an argument. He exchanged a few choice words with myself, Karen, and some of the kids. All of his own accord, by the way. We wanted him to do his job, he didn't want to do his job, and then he stormed off," she answered honestly. That was exactly the way she saw it.
She watched as Chief Powell thanked her for her time, then stood up to leave. Surely she would be let out soon, right? She'd cooperated, for once, and that was more than she could typically say for herself; she usually gave them quite a fight.
El didn’t mean to sneak up, but it just kind of happened. She wasn’t exactly a booth person. Too many people. Too many questions. Even now, years after the mall and the monsters and the whole town almost falling into the Upside Down, she still felt like people looked at her a little too long. Whispered a little too often. It's not like anyone really knew anything, but even people who didn't know, could sense something was weird about her. And there would probably always be something weird about her.
But, El was really trying to blend in! To look like a real, teen girl. She had been for the last few years, but even then, the cons of being homeschooled and having only a few friends had definitely caught up with her.
She hovered for a second at the edge of Joyce’s booth. Long enough to hear her give the full pitch about school calendars, lanyards, water bottles, even the cheesy green and gold pencils with tiny cartoon hawks stamped into the sides. El’s lips twitched into this sort of tight lipped smile that she only regarded for things that made her chest feel warm inside. It was nice seeing Joyce like this.
"Hi," she spoke, her voice just loud enough to catch Joyce's attention. "I am taking this," she added, without any real bite behind it as she reached for one of the pencils on the table. She could’ve asked. Of course she could’ve asked. But, it was up for grabs, wasn't it?
"You know you have fans?" El asked, a playful glint in her eyes. "That sophomore just asked you can have interns. Interns." She emphasized. It was kind of cool. El didn't know what it meant or felt like to be cool, but something about her psuedomom being seen as cool felt... cool? Maybe it was bound to save her ass this coming school year.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she leaned forward a little. "I think you might be a big deal."
joyce startled, not expecting to hear el's voice behind her. she didn't mind that she was there, of course, just the contrary in fact. she was so happy to see her out and about in the town, here at the block party, being relatively normal. she was sure that she didn't feel all that normal, but that would hopefully come in time. "you can absolutely have a pencil, honey. you can have anything on this table, actually," she said, though she figured she had already heard her little spiel. if she only wanted a pencil, so be it.
she didn't know if she cared too much about having fans, however. she was trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible for her children's sake, but it was nice to know that people were finally looking up to her for a change. she had always wanted to be that kind of suburban mom who had her life put together, and finally, finally that might be coming true for her.
"i don't think i can have interns, no," she said with a small sigh, if only for the sophomore's sake. "but i do think i can have unpaid assistants? maybe they will give them credits for helping out in the head office," she said, a small shrug following her statements. "oh, el, perhaps you would like to do that? get some extra credit in while taking a bit of the load off of me."
sure, she might have only been saying that in order to offer el a way to stay close to her, and sure, that might have been more for her peace of mind than for el's...but maybe she would still take her up on the offer? she knew will wouldn't dream of helping her in the office, and he had his own extracurriculars to worry about anyway.
"if i am a big deal, it's only to the people who matter most to me. you, will, jonathan. you're the only ones i feel like i need to impress," she said, smiling up at el. "how are you enjoying the block party so far? i've seen you walking around a bit, and i'm very proud of how brave you're being by attending!"
Will watched as the stranger walked off. He didn't think his question was so strange, but he supposed some people just didn't like to talk. When she gripped his shoulder, Will turned to Mom with a weary smile. If this was going to be one of her big Joyce Byers pep talks about people rejecting themselves when they reject you or something, he was primed to promise her it wasn't that big of a deal.
"Mom--" he started, but fell quiet when she continued to speak. He an eyebrow as she studied him, resisting the childlike urge to wiggle out of her grip in case someone saw him and--what? Figured out he had a mother? Instead, he offered her an amused smile, nodding along as she dispensed the most mom advice ever.
"Are you just saying that because you know I won't be popular?" he laughed, hoping he could undercut her 'teachable moment' with a thread of humor. "Because it's really okay, I don't think I want to be." Jonathan had helped him figure out as much, way back in elementary school. Bowie wouldn't be popular if he lived in Hawkins, Indiana.
"It's not lame-- it's just... like, every parent says that," Will told her, although he was acutely aware that his mom was far from 'every parent.' He'd seen her do things he would never be capable of doing himself, recognized the fire behind her eyes of someone who was fed up with being pushed around. If Will was being really honest, he admired her almost as much as he did Jonathan.
although joyce was quick to fix him with a look, one that said he knew better than to be self deprecating around her, she didn't go into the spiel that she always had prepared and at the ready. he didn't need to hear that he was popular in her heart, or that she thought he was cool. if her own mom had said that to her at eighteen, she would have had a coronary. she felt lucky that he would even be seen with her at the booth at all.
"i know every parent says that, every good one anyway, but we say that because it's the truth. i also know that you've got a freshman you feel like you'll have to give advice to, and the desire to be popular is inherent in most people. kids especially," she said instead. her love for him ran deep, deeper than any ocean on earth, and he could likely feel that love in her gaze. she didn't need to bore him to tears by saying it for the tenth time that day. "besides. being popular in this town takes some sacrifices, believe me."
hawkins wasn't a town that anyone should strive for popularity in. it was rife with bullies, know-it-alls, and bigots. such was the life in a small midwestern town, she supposed, but she was glad that neither of her boys (nor her girl) had ever given in to such awful peer pressure. they were wonderfully weird and she was endlessly proud of all of them.
she released him from her careful grip and stepped away, hands up as if to say 'hey, i know i'm being uncool myself, right now'. she had never thought she would turn out to be such a mom, but there were a lot of things that had happened in the last few years that she had never thought would happen either. "on the other hand, you could tell them all what's hip right now. what it takes to be totally rad at hawkins high. that's still a thing you all say, right?"
there was something rather strange about the changing of the seasons. late summer would turn into early fall, but joyce wasn't really thinking of that at the moment. the calendar had turned over from july to august and with that, the new school year was about to start up. that signified a lot of things for her, whether she liked it or not. for one thing, her youngest son and her daughter would be entering their final year of school. it was a bit weird not having to do the homeschooling thing again this year, but she was glad that el would get to experience at least one normal year of schooling with will.
additionally, her own life was shifting from something old to something new. it was her first year of administrative duty at hawkins high. if someone had told her twenty-six years ago, at her own high school graduation, that she would be working at the high school in her mid forties? yeah, she never would have believed that for a second. she was going to go places, do big things, and come back home one day rich beyond her wildest dreams! except, of course, that hadn't happened.
the school drive was something that she didn't typically look forward to every year. she would usually have to drag her sons to sign up for the donated supplies, her meager wages at melvald's general store not always able to cover everything that they needed. but not this year. this year, her kids had each and every item on the back to school list. for once she could attend the event with her head held high, proud of who she was and what she was doing.
her job at the drive was to sit behind a table at a booth sporting the green and gold school colors, handing out school calendars that entailed all of the events planned out so far for the upcoming school year. there was a small, battery operated fan blowing in her direction, the generated wind twisting her curls this way and that. so far, she was having a swell time. it was hot but it was nothing she wasn't used to, having lived in hawkins for forty-four years.
"can i interest you in a calendar?" she asked to the next person who happened to wander by. "this booth is also the best place to get lanyards for your school id, hawkins high pennants, and special water bottles with 'class of '89' printed on them if you're a senior. we've also got some fun green and gold number two pencils and pens. take your pick!"
for: whoever
from: joyce
where: school drive block party !
who: will byers & open!
where: back to school block party!
There were a lot of things to be worried about heading into senior year. For one, Will was already bracing himself for the same kind of torment he got in middle school. Sure, Lucas was popular now and Will at least had the Hellfire Club to fall back on in the friend category, but that didn't change his status as homeschooled-zombie-boy-freak. On top of that, Mom had just gotten an administration job at Hawkins High, which she swears is just a good opportunity-- but bring-your-mom-to-school day wasn't likely to score him any cool points, either. Not that Will particularly cared about being cool-- he mostly just wanted to be left alone.
Then they sent the letter home about Freshman Focus day, and assigned Will a freshman to mentor. He was more than a little panicked about this-- what the hell could he possibly tell an incoming freshman that would have any merit? Don't bike home at night? If you start seeing visions, tell someone because you might be possessed? Will sighed, hoisting a box of school supplies onto the folding chair behind the Melvald's booth and beginning to sort the notebooks according to color. Jonathan had stepped away for a smoke break, and Will didn't think any of his friends were here yet, so he didn't mind finishing the setup.
When a potential customer looked his way, Will offered a gentle smile, dropping his hand onto the table and smoothing out the forest green tablecloth. "Hi!" he greeted, watching them for a moment before asking, "Can I ask you sort of a weird question?" Will decided to go for it, desperate for any piece of wisdom he could dispense to his mentee on Saturday. "What's something you wish you knew as a freshman?"
it had been years since joyce had properly worked at melvald's. if she hadn't quit, she likely would have been fired when she became branded as the town's resident loon (although those accusations had finally mostly died down). if that hadn't been enough to seal her fate, then the advances she had asked for and her constant missed-shifts near the end of her tenure there would've done it. all that to say that she was still hanging around the booth as if she had any reason to be. she didn't, and there was a whole block party to go off and enjoy, but frankly she was using it as a thinly veiled excuse to be near her youngest son.
whoever the customer was, if they had even planned on buying anything to begin with, scurried off at the question. they must have deemed it too weird to answer, and she knew good and well that hawkins was a town full of people too afraid to confront their own feelings and emotions. so be it, she thought. if they wouldn't answer, she would butt in and answer it herself.
"i know you weren't talking to me, but listen to your ol' mom for a second," she said, gripping him loosely by the shoulder as she sidled up next to him. he was getting so tall now and he was certainly taller than she was, but she wished he was smaller still. he'd always be little in her mind, but those were words he'd heard a hundred times already. she instead focused on answering the question. "if there was anything i wish i knew starting out in high school, it would be to not worry about cliques. don't focus on popularity, just do your schoolwork, get good grades, and get out when the time comes," she said.
she knew that was likely rich, coming from her. she herself had been rather popular in high school, but she felt that that popularity had come at a cost. who would she have been if she'd remained true to herself instead of pushing down her weirdness? she might not have ever become a cheerleader, but she would've been joyce either way. that was something she wished she could have gone back and told herself. hindsight was twenty/twenty. "too lame?" she asked, glancing over at will when she was done reminiscing.
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