𝘿𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨- 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣 𝘽𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙭 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣- 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜

Robin walked out of the cubicle, turning up her sleeves to wash her hands. The tight fabric around her wrists didn't make it easy, but she got there in the end.
Lathering the soap up, another person entered the bathroom.

"Hi Robin." The girl voiced, tone cheery. She recognised the sound straight away as Tammy's, and widened her eyes with the fact that the girl even knew her name.

"Um, hi" Robin replied, turning off the tap. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd spoken to Tam, let alone being alone with her, and it was quite honestly nerve-racking. "Where're your friends?"

Tammy huffed, leaning against the sink, long red hair tight in a ponytail. "In the cafeteria. They're talking about prom."

"Ah," Robin replied, drying her damp hands. "It seems like quite a popular topic at the moment."

"Yeah, like seriously, all of a sudden everyone's talking about it."

Robin nodded, feeling quite out of place.

"You taking anyone?" Tam asked, pulling a lip gloss out of her bag and applying it in the mirror.

"Um, no I don't think so. You?"

"I was thinking of asking Daniel."

Surprisingly, hearing those words come out of Tammy's mouth didn't hurt Robin as much as she thought they would. She was weirdly ok with the fact.

"I was originally hoping to go with Steve, but I hear he's taking that new kid, y/n."

Robin caught her breath. She must've not heard her right.
"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear? Someone overheard him talking about it and now it's spreading like crazy. She's only been here like a week as well."
Tammy sighed, placing the product back in her bag.

No, this couldn't be true. It was just one of those stupid rumours that held not an inch of truth, just like the one made up about her and Milton fancying each other. That must be the case.
"Oh, no, I didn't."

"Well, now you know. It was nice speaking with you, Robin."

"Yeah... you too."

As Tammy left, Robin screwed her eyebrows up. What she should be doing right now is applauding herself for being so calm while speaking to Tammy, because she'd never have the courage to before, but instead her mind was wrapped around something else.
Why wasn't she hurt when Tammy was asking someone else? And why was she hurt when y/n was being asked by someone else?

It was nothing to be sad about, right? It's not like a girl can ask a girl anyway.

Robin took a deep breath and headed out of the door, uncaringly being quite violent with her steps. She needed to do something about this, and she needed to do it soon.

-

Robin sat cross-legged on her bed, straight after making it home from school. Her fingers shredded a stray piece of lined paper as her mind fogged and vision whirred. She couldn't let it happen, she just couldn't.

Perhaps this is what she'd wanted all along, to ask y/n. Maybe this is why she didn't want her going to Steve's, maybe this is why it upset her so much.
The very fact that y/n could date anyone she pleased scared her to death, and it really shouldn't of.

It was almost like it was trending or something, under the hashtag of 'prom talk'.
It was literally three weeks away, yet everyone spontaneously decided to start planning it now.

She needed to ask her new friend to prom, and it wasn't just a thought- it was a necessity. She didn't know why it was a necessity, it just was. It was harmless, right? Asking a friend to a prom? Milton was going to do it with Robin, and as much as she hated the thought, it wasn't such a bad thing.

She didn't mean it romantically, of course. She just thought it as a get together, a party- a bit of fun.

Robin cursed herself for taking this long to realise that this is what she wanted. Her brain only really kicked into action at the thought of y/n with someone other than herself.

She knew now, that this is the same feeling that she had felt with Tam. The awkward giddiness that made you want to curl up into a ball and cry, that hopeless feel of longing for something that you know you'll never have.
Robin had had a crush on Tammy Thompson, and now, she felt the same way about y/n.

Everything became clear. The foreign feelings, the guilt, the 'sickness'. Why y/n said 'but not you' when they were talking about Steve being liked by all the girls that one time. She saw it now, she knew. And it terrified her.

Mr Hauser knew as well. That's why he let her into his classroom, that's why he let her hide away all of the time, that's why he mentioned Tammy and then y/n to go on the trip to Europe with her. He saw it before Robin even thought of it as a possibility- The possibility that Robin liked girls.

Through thought, Robin hadn't realised the warm, salty tears dripping down her cheeks.
She was a monster, and the people of Hawkins were going to find out sooner or later.

A shrill buzzing from her bedside table snapped her out of her trance.
"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey Robin, it's Milton."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Well, I've got some good news. After school I asked Wendy to prom...and she said yes!"

Robin bit the inside of her lip.
"Wow, yeah that's really... great."

"Have you thought about who you're gonna ask yet?"

"No, and I really don't want to talk about it right now. Goodnight Milton."

Robin placed the phone back in its holder, making the line go flat. Giving up fighting, she let the tears fall.

-

"Fucking prom." Y/n huffed to herself as she plonked herself down on her bed, spreading her arms. "Such a waste of time."

She stated at the ceiling for a while, thinking over the amount of times she'd overheard conversations about the seemingly only thing happening at that school. It was all such bullshit. A day to be forgotten.
Y/n wondered who was going with who. Carol and Tommy, Kate and Dash... who knows who else.
She sat up, wanting to keep her mind off the subject. Her eyes locked onto her record collection. Actually, that was the only thing to lock eyes on, as the room was still barer that the desert.

Madonna, The Clash, ABBA, were some of the names visible when flicking through, until she stumbled upon the exact copy of what she had bought Robin the other day. Bonnie Tyler.

Pulling the black disk out of its sleeve, she placed it on the turntable. The needle sent out vibrations, filling the room with sound, reminding its owner of the day she spent with the girl. Perhaps she could ask Robin to prom... as a friend.