[ ON HOLD ] 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 ━━ nancy wheeler

𝐢𝐱. 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 | 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧
𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚

—

IN A COFFEE SHOP A MILE AWAY FROM THE CEMETERY, Andrea wore a long black coat that reached her upper knees, her hands cupped a hot cup of coffee she bought that was beginning to feel cold. She looks up past the counter again, green and narrowed eyes checking the time.

Her foot won't stop jumping up and down, her knee almost hitting the table again and again and this time, Andrea had to hold her thigh down to stop herself.

Any minute now.

Unlike earlier, Andrea took a long sip of her coffee without it burning her throat. She sighs, placing it down with a clatter and instead, holds each of her own hand on the table.

The long not fading scar catches her eyes with ease. If anybody were to see it too, they would be staring like her. It's a noticeable line, beginning to grow more white than her fair skin, as if a burning knife was scorched on her poor and flawless skin a year ago. It's healing, that's what matters.

The café door opens with a bell chiming, indicating someone came in. Andrea looks up and immediately stands up, placing her purse on the edge of her respective table when she sees Mrs. Hart enter with searching gaze around the room until it fell onto her figure.

"Mrs. Hart." Andrea says, her delicate and easily broken soul being cracked open to vulnerability when Amelia Hart embraced her tightly, giving her arm a squeeze as a greeting. At first Andrea froze, didn't know how much she needed that. A simple hug.

"Oh, dear." Amelia sighs, pulling away from the hug and a mother like her didn't notice that Andrea didn't even hug her back but remained frozen still the entire time. "How are you, Andrea?"

"I'm okay." Andrea excuses expertly, clearing her throat soon after. "Is— Is Mr. Hart not coming?"

Amelia offers her a sad look, "Unfortunately, not. He and I had a fight about coming back to Hawkins." She informs with no regret.

"Oh. I'm really sorry."

"It's he who should be sorry. I only want to visit my daughter especially when the truth came out."

The news of the Hawkins lab being exposed of false information but deserved consequences spread throughout the country. People were upset, agitated against the lab and the people who caused Barbara Holland and Annie Hart's death and covered it up like they weren't people who had lives.

When it first came out the news, Andrea was so relieved that it did, watching from the living room television with her parents gone but brother deadly asleep in his room. The phonecall she expected happened and she was glad it did. Because she got to hear Nancy ranting on about how it worked, how the Hollands would be devastated for sure but at least they would have a bit of closure.

Andrea was pretty sure she and Nancy fell into a conversation over the phone for two hours before they decided to end it. Then an hour after that, Nancy called again to sheepishly ask Andrea if she could come over for today and she did. They spent the entire day in Nancy's house, talking endlessly with smiles on their faces.