Jolly's Mistletoe Drama
Who: Jonathan Byers x Holly Farley
Where: Hawkins Post New Year's Eve Party before Jolly breakup era :/
Jonathan: Jonathan showed at the New Year’s Eve party late (no surprise here - there's a theme!). He’d just finished visiting his mom’s house to say Happy New Year before driving over. It was a short affair – mostly just to say hi and steal some cookies. Holly had told him that she’d meet up with him at the office, which was fine. She tended to enjoy chatty events like these much more than him, anyway. The party itself was a portal to something from Saved By The Bell – the cliques, fake laughs, shitty pizza - it was all there, but his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. Jonathan spotted Greg and shot him a confused look. “Where’s Holly?” He mouthed, hands raising in despair. Greg's only response was a shrug, followed by a sip of punch. Great, that’s super helpful. Holly always found time to squeeze in work. He figured that she might be cooped up in her office right now, looping herself into a project before the new year even began – So, that’s where he headed! The hike up the staircase also mitigated any further interaction with his co-workers, especially Kyle - that dude liked to talk about bowling way too much. He roamed the halls to find Holly’s office deserted, along with the break room, boardroom, and toilet stall #3.
His periphery only caught the familiar bright light as he left the men’s washroom - the big DO NOT ENTER sign flashing above the darkroom door. It usually signified that photography was being processed. No one really utilized it anymore. Although chemically developed photography was becoming an ancient art, it was hard to blame The Post for keeping it old school around the office. Every prehistoric room in this building would be repurposed one day. Probably long after he left this zoo, but that was a matter for a different thread.
Jonathan curiously opened the door, eyes adjusting to the room’s dull red light. What came next knocked the wind out of him. He recognized Shaun’s back first, then Holly’s nose pressed against his neck, meeting her surprised brown eyes. The hem of her dress was hiked, and that’s all he really needed to see. The moment was frozen in time – like the click and blinding flash of his camera right before a shot is captured. Much like that sound, this would haunt him for years; he was sure of it. He needed air – something, anything but facing the reality of what was happening right now. An anguished “Wait!” could be heard as he backed out of the room. It didn’t stop his feet as they stalked down the hallway, hands stiffly planted in his corduroy jacket.
Holly:
Holly bolted out of the darkroom, frantically patting down her sequin dress, “Jonathan - can you please just – listen, fuck – just stop.” She begged, pulling at the strap on her shoulder, plowing down the hallway after him. She struggled to catch up. “Jonathan.” The pain in her voice was evident now, gaze burning into the fraying sherpa collar on his coat. Nothing short of relief washed over her expression when he finally turned around. It halted her from moving forward. “Please – let’s go to my office, okay?
Jonathan:
Jonathan’s bottom lip would disappear if he sucked it in any further. He turned only at the strangled sound of his name. Maybe it was avoidance but really didn’t want to have this conversation – not here, anyway – in the hallway. He met Holly’s suggestion with a short nod, eyes prickling with tears. Was there really an option besides caving to her request? He walked down the hallway, brushing past Holly’s shoulder before rounding the corner to the office spaces. Holly's office was conveniently a few rooms down from Shaun’s – fantastic. He used his spare key to open the door, holding it open with his shoulder. Holly rushed in behind him, closing the blinds before taking a shameful slouch near the desk. He stood; arms crossed; eyes narrowed on the murky carpet - vision of the darkroom's amber light tormenting his thoughts. They stayed like that for a minute until Jonathan calmly broke the stalemate, finally making eye-contact. “What am I supposed to say to that, Holly?” His tone remained pointed, shoulders dubiously lifting as he continued, “Should I be saying happy fucking New Year or something?”
Holly:
The silence was killing her, and his response only irritated her more. “Are you serious-?” She couldn’t contain a sardonic laugh. The chuckle shook her shoulders, prompting tears to dot down her cheeks, “Are you being serious right now?” She repeated, voice raising in disbelief, “God - How are you so normal about this?!” Holly began pacing the front of her desk, hands swaying as she spoke, “I’m serious – what the fuck, Jonathan!”
Jonathan:
“Holly-” Suddenly Jonathan’s entire demeanour softened, arms uncrossing to walk forward and bridge the gap between them.
Holly:
Holly’s index finger shot up to stop him, “No – stop.” She waved him away. “Seriously - stop.” She bit down on her lower lip in contemplation, chewing on the inner ridge before continuing. He could be so insufferable sometimes. “I’m sorry, I’m fucking sorry, okay? I will say that until the day I drop dead but – but when’s the last time you’ve touched me, like actually – besides when you get high?” She asked, shaky hand swiping her forehead, eyes squeezing shut for a second, “and I’m not – I’m not talking about when we fuck in my Honda because it’s convenient for us.” She was livid now, months of simmering despair fizzing to the surface. “This is real, Jonathan!”
Jonathan:
Jonathan’s face flushed, hands shamefully returning to his pockets. He was blindsided by this conversation but there was no denying it. Holly wasn’t wrong. Life simply felt big for him lately - maybe it always has, perpetually caught in a hamster wheel assigned to him by no one other than himself. Most days Jonathan had to remind himself to breathe. That breathing often took the form of a joint. "I’m sorry.” He admitted it fully, gaze moving to the cactus on her desk, “I know that … I know that I haven’t been around a lot - things have just gotten so crazy with Susan on vacation and I guess … I guess my head hasn’t been here but Shaun?-” He shook his head, toeing at the carpet, “Holly – I don’t … I don’t know if we can move past that.” It would be more accurate to say that Jonathan wasn't sure if they could move past that. "How long has this been going on for?" He was scared to ask, truly. Shaun had a reputation around the office.
Holly:
Holly heard what he said and immediately felt the urge to press him further. Shaun be damned, she wasn’t prepared to let this go. The office scandal ran deeper than Friday night smoke sessions. “You used to talk about getting out of here – travelling, getting married, doing something other than rotting at The Post.” Her time in Hawkins had been prolonged because of him. Holly never intended to stay this long, especially not three consecutive years. This entire opportunity was initially undertaken to jump start her career, but she loved him – even if her mom wasn’t entirely convinced that was enough. Holly’s dad liked him enough too but there was no denying that her boyfriend was a bit odd. Jonathan didn’t blend in at her parent’s summer cottage, that’s for sure. “I know I fucked up with Shaun – and I’m sorry – it’s just … He was here tonight, you know? …. And – and things got out of hand,” Holly met his gaze, swiping at the rogue tears pooling over her lids, “you need to figure out what you want because if we’re going to make this work, I need you to be here – with me.”
Jonathan:
“I still want that.” He said, but something about his tone wasn’t entirely convincing. “You’re not from Hawkins, Holly, but I have a life here – My mom, my brother … I can’t just leave like that.” He tried to explain, desperate to find common ground, “I’ve finally paid off my debt – And you’ve talked about kids – more than one, you know? And I don’t – I don’t have a degree or anything, okay? – I only landed this job because Betty was nice enough to pull a few strings with Gabe.”
Holly:
Holly knew that that she was pushing it now. “You need to stop with the whole family act because it’s bullshit. Will’s not your fucking kid – and your mom’s a grown woman.” Her arms crossed pensively, the pace of her speech picking up now, “Sometimes – Sometimes I wonder where your head is, you know? It’s like you go all silent on me and it just – it just feels like you’re not here – and I need you to be here, with me - on the same wavelength for us to work…. You never talk to me about anything anymore, and – and you have all these weird friends, like that creepy uncle who shows up for Sunday dinners? It just feels like I don’t know you … You’ve never opened up about to me about your family– or anything … Jesus Christ, it’s been three years! Three years, Jonathan! – And you know everything about me! Down to where I had my first kiss! … and I’ve given you space, I get it - but it just feels like I don’t who you are - where you learned to ride a bike, what you wore to prom, what happened with your sister?” Holly paused, knowing that she was pushing his limits now, but it was the truth. There was no going back now. “And you have all these boxes of newspapers clippings – pictures that you refuse to tell me anything about …” She trailed. There wasn’t much more that she could say. He’d know what she was talking about. “I love you, Jonathan – I do, but I need more from you. I can’t live like this anymore.”
Jonathan:
Jonathan let her vent. The comment about Will sat heavy in his chest. She knew that it would work its way under his skin and stop every thought from coiling up his throat. He’d already heard different variations of the same spiel in little digs on drives back from family dinners or after lengthy conversations with his brother on the phone. They’d been playing this little game for a while now, but truly - is a game really game until you admit that you’re playing one? Holly knew enough about his family - more than he wanted, actually. More than he cared for her to know or remember himself. What more did she need to hear – that Jonathan taught himself to ride a fucking bike? The quiet rage kept his gaze fixated on that weird little cactus on her desk, though his eyes snapped upwards to meet hers at the mention of Eleven. Holly had only recently found out about El after stumbling on an old box containing a few scratched-up pictures from California. He came home from work to be met with an interrogation about it … Having a secret dead sister wasn’t something that Holly took lightly at the time … Neither did she take kindly to his preserved collection of letter exchanges with Nancy from the first few months after the big move to California in 1985. So, yeah … Things had been strained between them to say the least. Now it was clear that this calculated game of walking on eggshells was a checkmate for them both. In this poorly lit office, he couldn’t see a path forward for them both. It crushed him.
Jonathan reached for the car keys in his pocket, head hung low to hide his watery eyes. A few tears trickled down his cheeks for the first time since opening the darkroom door. “I’ll stay at my mom’s place tonight.” His voice cracked, keys clinking in hand. The conversation was over for him.
Holly:
"Yeah – no surprise there.” She remained planted in front of her desk, tone colder now. She wasn’t a stranger to Jonathan Byers and his silent treatment. Holly wasn’t sure how much longer she could tiptoe around it. Her guilt went on the back-burner. “Be sure to wish Joyce a happy fucking new year, too.”