Mike looked over when he felt Jude's finger touch his knee under the table. He turned his head a little to give a faint grin, waiting for a reaction. Mike grinned back, moving his knee a little more. Corey watched El from across the table, she hadn't said anything since they came home, or in the car.

"So there I was, headed down the I-5, going to see a client in Ventura. I'm looking for a motel to stay in for the night and suddenly, bam, it hits me." Murray laughed as he drug out the story he was telling. "Didn't the Byers move here?"

"Small world, isn't it? It's a small world." Joyce laughed in agreement.

"So I thought, 'Hey, you know what? Why don't I drop in, say hello to my old friends?'" Murray held his hands up slightly. Jude frowned his eyebrows at him.

"So sweet of you." Joyce gushed, Jude rose an eyebrow in Mikes direction.

"Sweeter of you to let me stay." he grinned.

"Kill me." Jude mumbled.

"Do not." Corey warned from across the table.

"Do not what?" Mike spoke up, because he hadn't heard Jude from just next to him.

"And he cooks." Joyce went on about Murray to stop the boys awkward conversation from lingering.

"I clean too!" Murray laughed at himself as he fluffed up his hair in the back. "A regular little housewife."

"What's a housewife?" Corey questioned.

"You should just stay." Joyce gushed to her guest.

"I'd be tempted, Joyce, except you know, you have that, uh.." he trialed off, his eyes widening just a tad.

"Right." Joyce's got wide in return. "That business trip."

"Business trip? What business trip?" Will spoke up as El gave her an odd look.

"Oh my gosh." Joyce laughed nervously. "I almost forgot to tell you guys. This thing came up at work and it turns out I have to go to a conference tomorrow. In Alaska." Joyce went on with her previous conversation.

"Can I come?" Jude looked over the wine.

"Tomorrow?" Mike spoke.

"Alaska?" Will gapped.

"That's where they're based, the Britannicas." Joyce cleared her throat some. "Joan and Brian Britannica."

"So do Eskimos, like, still live in igloos, or, uh, are they, like, fully-blown like, living in the..in the suburbs now?" Argyle looked to Murray for an answer.

"What's an Eskimo?" Corey asked, Jude choked on his juice as it flew from his drink.

"Who is this?" Murphy nodded over to Argyle.

"Is no one gonna answer me?" Corey gapped.

"You've never heard of an Eskimo kiss?" Jude asked, shaking his head back and forth. "With the nose?"

"A kiss with a nose?" he asked rather loudly.

"So, Jonathan, this means you're gonna have to, you know, take charge while i'm gone." Joyce cut in to get the full conversation out there before Jude could stress Corey out.

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Jonathan appeared like he'd just woken up. "Oh my god, when did Jude get here?"

"Oh my god." Will slapped his forehead.

"Your moms going to Alaska." Argyle whispered to him.

"You're going to Alaska?" his eyebrows shot up toward Joyce. "What's going on in Alaska?"

"Can I go or not?" Jude looked to Joyce again.

"What's an Eskimo!" Corey called out.

"The Britannicas are there." Argyle whispered to him again.

"The Britannicas?" he looked around confused once more.

"Jonathan, what is wrong with you?" Joyce seemed concerned and confused all at once.

"I think I know what's wrong with him." Murray adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"What's this nose kiss?" Corey looked at Jude odd.

"You rub your noses back and forth with each other for a few seconds. They call it an Eskimo kiss." Jude shook his head from across the table. "My mom use to do it before we stopped having a relationship. Fun times."

Mike put an arm around his chair with a pat to his back.

"We just had a super stressful day." Jonathan shook his head.

"This girl got shmacked in the head today at the roller rink." Argyle elaborated.

"Shmacked?" Murray questioned.

"One of those vicious skate attacks." Argyle agreed.

"A skate attack?" he still was looking for an explanation, about many things apparently.

"Yeah, but it wasn't an ice skate. It was...it was a plastic skate." Jonathan waved his hands slightly.

"No, it was, like, rubber." Argyle corrected.

"Rubber. Rubber." he agreed.

"You know what, i'm not sure." Argyle admitted. "Anyway, she looked like she's gonna be fine."

"She didn't look fine." Mike mocked as he looked down at his plate. Jude squeezed the bridge of his nose as El dropped her fork and scooted away from the chair.

"El, aren't you gonna finish your-" Joyce started, being cut off by El already storming away. "What is going on you guys?"

"I really wish I knew." Corey shook his head.

"No, no, I don't think anyone does." Jude let his nose go as he shook his head at Mike. "So unnecessary.•

"Okay, I, uh, I sense tension." Murray cleared his throat. "Is it the risotto? Everyone hates the risotto?"

"Absolutely not. No, it's incredible." Jonathan shook his head gently at him.

"This risotto is shmackin', dude." Argyle agreed with a nod.

"Still don't know who this is." Murray forced a laugh.

"I still don't know what an Eskimo is." Corey shook his head.

"Hey." Jude whispered as he peaked his head into Wills room that night. He threw Dracula at him. "One of my favorite books, I wanted you to have it."

"Oh." Will took it with a small look of confusion. "Thanks."

Jude cracked him a grin. "Night."

"Yeah, night." he said in return. When Jude was gone, he flipped the first page open.

Happy Birthday. Sorry it was kinda shitty.
-Jude :)

"I'm sorry, El." Corey sat on her floor with his back against the bed. "It'll be okay though."

"It won't." she argued.

"I swear." he looked back at her some. "Just trust me."

"Mike thinks i'm bad." she shook her head, rolling over on her back.

"Mike is... questionable." Corey shook his head. "His opinion doesn't even matter."

El rolled over to prop herself up on her elbow. "No?"

"No." he smiled at her. "I bet Jude's totally yelling at him right now."

Mike pulled away from Jude's lips suddenly. "Wait, wait. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked, locked in the bathroom after meant to be sleeping on El's floor.

"I heard a noise." he shook his head, leaning in closer to the door. "Shh."

"You shh." Jude argued, Mike clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Mike?" Will asked from the other side of the door. Jude's eyes widened as Mike pressed his hand harder on his mouth, accidentally hitting his head on the wall as he gave an offended look. "What are you doing in there?"

"Uh, don't come in!" Mike yelled. "I'm taking a massive shit! Explosive! I might need some pepto if you have it!"

Jude gave him a gross look as he tossed his hands up in disbelief.

"Uh, okay." Will walked away.

"That excuse? THAT excuse?" Jude asked when Mike removed his hand. "You could have said you were in the bath."

Mike rose his eyebrows. "That's true."

"That's true." Jude mocked, Mike grinned and leaned down to kiss him again.

"Did Corey wake up yet?" Will walked from his bedroom the next morning to see Jude reading on the couch.

He dropped his book. "He's not in there with you?"

"He slept on El's floor but I just looked in there." he walked fully down the stairs.

Jude stood up, looking around the corner. "Corey?"

"He's not with Will?" Mike asked as he popped two eggos from the toaster.

"Corey!" Jude yelled as he hurried through the house. "Corey!"

"Why are you yelling?" Jonathan came around the corner.

"Any chance Corey's with you and your earth plants?" Jude gave a hopeful look.

"Haven't seen him since last night." Jonathan shook his head.

Jude began to panic. "Co-"

A knock on the door caught his attention, turning back. "That's him I bet. I forget he likes to watch the sunrise."

Jude wasn't met with Corey on the other side of the door.

"Hi, does Jane Hopper live here?" the officer stared at him.

"Who's asking?" Jude crossed his arms.

"What is this about?" Jonathan walked closer to stand infront of Jude. Mike looked around the corner, giving Jude's arm a small tug to pull him more in the kitchen.

"Is Janes father or mother around?" the officer clearly took note of his young Jonathan appeared.

"Uh, no. No, her moms out of town." Jonathan shook his head, looking between the two. "I'm her brother. Um, stepbrother. But, uh..i'm sorry, what..uh, what is this about?"

"You may or not be aware of an incident involving Jane at the Rink-O-Mania." Jude's eyes went wide at the officers words.

"That was an accident." Will spoke up from behind them.

"A complete accident. She didn't mean to." Jude defended his cousin.

"We have a warrant here says otherwise." the other officer spoke up.

"A warrant?" Jonathan shook his head.

"She's fifteen." Jude gave a look of disbelief. "You're arresting her for a little slip up?"

"Hey, there." the officer looked behind Jonathan head when El came down the stairs with panicked eyes. "You Jane Hopper?"

"Jane Hopper." the woman hummed after taking her sweet ass time. "Okay, yes, I see her now. It looks like she's still being processed."

"Okay. So, uh, what does that mean exactly?" Jonathan didn't get it, Jude tapped his foot anxiously.

"That means they're putting her in the system. After which point, she'll be transferred to juvenile hall." she took her eyes off the screen.

"Are you shitting me?" Jude gapped at her in disbelief.

"Jail? You're gonna put her in jail?" Mike was right on his side.

"A detention hall for juveniles." she shook her head.

"That's jail." Mike mocked.

"That's 100% jail." Jude rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous. California is a damn joke."

"Is there any chance we can just see her?" Jonathan spoke up over the yelling boy.

"Are you a parent or guardian?" she gave a knowing stare.

"Well, we're her brothers, and we're family." Will explained.

"And i'm her cousin." Jude put his hands on the desk.

"That's not enough. You have to be a parent or guardian." she shrugged her shoulder

"Think you could be a little more helpful?" Jude asked her in disbelief with a glare across his face.

"You wanna see Jane? Find your mother." she stated finally.

"Thank you." Jonathan spoke, encouraging the boys to follow.

"That was bullshit. She wasn't even trying to help." Jonathan spoke bitterly.

"Corey's still missing too. God knows where." Mike ranted.

"What do we do?" Will followed.

Jude stopped as he looked up at the road, a passing car perhaps. A pair of eyes staring at him, guilty like, filled with emotion and regret.

"You did good." Owens spoke from within the car. "He won't mind how long it took, you know? He'll understand and keep his promise to you."

Corey looked over from the passengers seat. "Will El be safe?"

"She will be." he promised with a small smile. "As long as you're there, she'll be safe."

Corey looked down, his eyes casting over the 016 on his wrist.

•

kylie speaks

maybe you saw it coming.
maybe you didn't.