Chapter Twenty-Eight: First Time In Handcuffs

(The Monster, Pt. 6)

***

The police office was exactly how Rowan remembered it the last time she'd been here with Wayne to bail out Eddie—drab beige walls, bored-looking officers in blue uniforms, a tired secretary who obviously looked exasperated by all the same shit she'd seen, and the jail where criminals were held, with corridors leading to different offices.

Except, this time, she was the one in handcuffs, sitting next to Jonathan as they waited for the verdict of what would come. Rowan knew they weren't getting out—Jonathan would be in here for assaulting an officer, and Carol had shouted Rowan had not only punched Harrington, but her as well. Which Rowan didn't regret for both. Not at all. She'd do it all over again.

Her aunt had been called—and what a weird experience it must have been for her aunt, to hear that her niece was the one in jail and needed to be bailed out. At that, Rowan felt a twinge of regret. God, her aunt didn't need that, even though she knew she would be proud of her for what she did.

Rowan hoped Carol's nose healed crooked. That Harrington's does as well. And if they don't, she can break them again.

Jonathan sighed and muttered, "We're going to jail, aren't we?"

"Well, we're not getting out anytime soon, but we're not going to jail. We're gonna get bailed out and go home, probably have a mark on our records," Rowan said nonchalantly. Jonathan looked at her.

"How do you know about all this?"

Rowan gave him a look.

"My aunt's a criminal who's cons—that they can prove—have been busted and my best friend is a drug dealer on the side who's also been busted that have landed them both here enough that Al and I have become pretty familiar with how it works," Rowan responded, sarcasm lacing each word.

"Oh. Should have guessed."

Their brief conversation ended, the two sitting in silence until Nancy appeared, a dish cloth in her hands that Rowan assumed had ice in it.

That was proven when she sat beside Jonathan and said, "Found some ice."

"Thanks," Jonathan mumbled.

She pressed it against Jonathan's cut on his head, holding it for some time, before Jonathan asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Nancy assured, giving a tiny smile.

Jonathan smiled back.

Rowan rolled her eyes and looked away, feeling the romantic tension radiating like a heatwave.

However, she was not left alone for long because the police doors opened up and in rushed Chrissy and Robin, the two girls almost tripping over each other.

"Holy shit!" Robin yelled at seeing them.

Rowan gave a weak smile and as much of a wave as she could manage with her handcuffs. "Hey."

"Rowan!" they shouted, rushing to her, speaking all at once.

"Oh my God, Rowan, what happened?!"

"Tina told me you broke Carol's nose and that you and Jonathan Byers beat up Steve Harrington! I didn't know if she was lying or not, so I called Robin and we had her dad drive here to make sure!"

"Did it feel good? I bet it felt good."

"Robin!"

"Hey! It's a valid question!"

"That's not the point! This is the point!"

Chrissy then gestured to Rowan's handcuffs, and the grin Robin had at how Rowan had punched both Carol Perkins and Steve Harrington melted away at the very real possibility her best friend could go to jail.

"Uh, yeah, okay, Chrissy, I agree with you. Oh, God. I know we always joked about you someday punching Harrington, but I didn't think it'd actually come true! And you also punched Carol. Oh God. You and Byers could go into jail, y-you could get into juvie, maybe go to, like, actual prison. Can you go to prison for punching people? Oh my God..."

Robin is obviously spiralling, Chrissy is panicking, so Rowan hurriedly said, "Everything's gonna be fine! I don't think Byers and I are going to prison! As long as neither Carol or Harrington press charges, we'll be fine!"

She paused and added on, "Byers may not be fine. He did kind of... accidentally assault a police officer?"

Her friends stared bug-eyed at her. "What?"

Jonathan looked at her with wide eyes. "What? I thought you said we wouldn't go to jail!"

"I was trying to be comforting!" Rowan exclaimed.

"Oh my God," Nancy murmured, her own eyes similarly wide.

However, before any of them could say anything, the sound of wheels screeching came, the sound very familiar.

It's her aunt.

Aunt Aco came striding in a moment later, hair wild, eyes frantic, clearly panicked. Her eyes zeroed in on Rowan, and she looked relieved.

"Rowan!" she yelled, rushing to her niece. She pulled her into a hug, embracing her so tight Rowan wondered if her aunt was hiding a gift of super-strength all this time from the way her ribs felt like they were being crushed, then pulled away so she could look properly at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Rowan nodded. "Yeah, I'm... I'm fine."

Her aunt surveyed her with a sharp look. "The police told me what happened. What you and Byers did."

Rowan winced. She knew they would have, but it still hurt to see that look on her aunt's face.

Her aunt kept looking at her, then asked, "Did you have a reason?"

Rowan looked at Jonathan, at Nancy, and nodded. "Yes."

"Did you win?"

Rowan smiled, and nodded. "Hell yeah."

Aunt Aco grinned. "That's my girl."

However, before they could talk anymore, the sound of tyres on asphalt came again. 

Rowan looked at Jonathan and Nancy, knowing what it meant.

Joyce Byers had arrived.

***

Not a lot happened, I know. But it's more of an aftermath from the last chapter filled with some original content to lengthen out the scene.

Look, Aco is a criminal and Eddie's a drug dealer and as good as they are, they would be caught a couple times before being bailed out, so Rowan and Al are pretty familiar with how it works. 

And Robin and Chrissy are back!! I missed my girls, and I loved writing them and worrying about Rowan potentially being charged and sent to prison (and then planning to break her out if that happened) Unfortunately, they're not staying long because the rest of the plot still has to happen, but I loved having them back here again 🥰 Even if it ended up being very chaotic 😂

AND ACO'S BACK IN THE PICTURE!!! Honestly, I missed writing Aco so much. And Joyce and Hopper are now here too and the beginning of them all joining up is about to happen!

Next chapter will be soon! Please read, vote and comment!

GhostWriterGirl out!