Author's Note: I got a request on my tumblr to write something where Billy injures Steve at school and Steve has to call Hopper for help, so here it is! I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's finished.
Hope you enjoy!
Ever since that night three months ago, every interaction Steve Harrington had with Billy Hargrove was hell -- especially during basketball practices.
Granted, their interactions had never been pleasant, but lately they'd been getting worse.
So far Steve had suffered several hard shoves in the hallway, a myriad of certainly illegal pushes in basketball, and even a couple punches. He was also sure that at one point Billy had tried to run him down in the school parking lot, but he couldn't prove it.
The only reason he didn't fight back was because, according to Max, Billy wasn't treating her as badly as he used to. Max had no reason to lie to Steve, she didn't even know that Billy had been torturing him at school every day, so he believed her. That meant that Billy was taking out the majority of his anger on Steve instead of her, and that was something that he could live with.
This was a particularly difficult day for Steve, and he suspected it was because he and Max had run into Billy while he was dropping her off at school -- acting like the big brother that Billy should've been.
After the "Night of the Demodogs" as Steve, Max, Lucas, and Dustin referred to it, Steve had started driving Max to and from school so she could have more time away from her asshole of a stepbrother.
During basketball practice today Billy had already rammed into Steve twice, though Steve had managed to stay upright both times.
The third time, however, was more of a visibly deliberate push, as opposed to something that could be explained away as an accidental run-in, and Steve wasn't prepared for it.
He fell, hard, feeling his leg twist and hearing a popping noise as the side of his knee made contact with the floor. He laid there for a few moments, stunned and in pain, when he heard a loud, sharp whistle and the other students around him stop running.
"Harrington!" the coach came over to where the teenager was still lying on the ground, and Steve slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he tried to move his leg.
The coach knelt down next to him and inspected the boy's leg, having seen the way he'd fallen.
After a couple minutes of this, the man kneeling next to Steve nodded slightly as if confirming something and looked at the teen. "Looks like a sprain to me, but you should get it looked at," he said, helping the student stand up, "Go to the office and call your parents. Take the rest of the day and rest up, alright?"
Steve sighed but then nodded, knowing that there was no way he'd be able to continue playing with his leg in this shape, "Yeah, okay."
"Good. Can you make it on your own?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Steve said, as he attempted to start walking. The moment he put weight on his his leg, however, he felt his knee buckle painfully; and he would've fallen if it weren't for his coach grabbing his arm and pulling him back upright.
"Okay... Williams," the man said, looking at one of Steve's teammates, "Get Harrington to the office."
On the way out of the gym, Steve, and the boy helping him, passed Billy, who whispered, "How many times I gotta tell you to plant your feet, Harrington?" with a smirk. Steve just glared at him for a moment before continuing on.
Sitting in the school office, he was unsure of who to call for help. His parents were out of town... again, and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Nancy to take him to the hospital.
After a minute of pondering this, he sighed and dialed a number.
"Hawkins Police," a woman's voice answered on the other end of the line.
"Is Hopper there?"
"...Joyce?"
"Wha-- No, this is Steve Harrington. Is Hopper there? I need to talk to him."
"Hold please."
Steve had to wait only half-a-minute before a gruff voice spoke on the other end of the line, "Harrington--"
"--The kids are fine, don't worry."
"Then why--"
"--I... need a ride."
"...You what?"
"To the hospital. I need a ride to the hospital. ...Can you come pick me up? ...I wouldn't ask, but there's nobody else who can take me."
There was sigh from the policeman, and then, "Where are you?"
"The high school."
"I'll be there in ten."
"Thank--" Steve started, but Hopper had already hung up.