a moment together - ronance

unrequited

Prompt: Nancy knows Robin is in love with Vickie, that doesn't stop Nancy from pinning, even if it's an unrequited love. (Based on Taylor Swift's song 'teardrops on my guitar')

Nancy shut her locker with a satisfying clang, revealing Robin on the other side.

“Hey,” Nancy greeted her. She’d always had a habit of popping up unexpectedly, and years of friendship had accustomed Nancy to it.

“Hey,” Robin echoed, glancing around the halls distractedly. At long last she met her eyes with a sheepish smile, and she automatically adopted a cheery expression to hide the effect Robin's attention always had on her.

“Looking for Vickie?” she asked resignedly, still forcing a smile. Being the huge dork that she was, Robin had a rather alarming tendency to become completely infatuated with a different girl every few months — but she’d been stuck on this one for a year, and Nancy was finding it harder and harder to convince herself that it wouldn’t last. (On the upside, they were high school seniors, so she could always hope that any new relationships Robin got herself into wouldn’t survive the long distance next year. That made her seem absolutely awful but she couldn't help the statistics.)

Besides, she knew Vickie. Unlike most of Robin’s previous crushes — who were all completely out of her 'league' (whatever that meant) and therefore not people she actually had to worry about — Vickie was like them, middle-class in high school society. She was super-smart like Robin was, and pretty and sophisticated like Nancy wasn’t, and social and a crap ton of other things that were completely unfair but still true.

“Yeah,” Robin said softly, pulling Nancy back to the present. Robin shook her head, and Nancy found her gaze caught by the way the light reflected off Robin's wavy short hair. “Anyway, we still on for the movies tomorrow? Steve’s been looking forward to it all week.”

“Huh?” She blinked, trying to redirect her focus. “Oh, yeah, of course.”

Jonathan tapped her on the back, and she jumped. “You’re going to the stupid family-and-friends gathering this weekend, right?”

Choking down the urge to laugh — how had she not seen her childhood best friend approaching? Oh, right, she’d been talking to Robin — Nancy nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”

“Cool.” Jonathan glanced at Robin and shot Nancy a knowing smile before patting her shoulder and walking off.

When she turned back to the taller girl, Robin was scanning the passing students again. “I just really think she’s the one, you know? I — she’s smart, and funny, and pretty, and — damn, I’m really in love with her.”

Nancy could only nod helplessly, knowing exactly how Robin felt.

*****

It was midnight and she had classes tomorrow, and going to the movies after meant that she wouldn’t be able to take a nap to catch up on the sleep she was missing right now. But she couldn’t quite take her eyes off her iPhone lock screen display.

The image was a few years old, from back before Mike and Will went off to college. They were all at the beach — Nancy, Robin, Steve, Max, El, Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Will— and Steve had coaxed a random passerby to take the photo for them. Just before they snapped the picture, Steve had bumped Nancy’s shoulder, sending her off-balance, and Robin had thrown an arm around her waist so that she wouldn’t fall. That was Robin for you, always aware of her surroundings so she could look after the people she cared about.

It had been one of the happiest days of Nancy’s life.

Robin was probably asleep by now, Nancy thought. Health-conscious Robin, she of the ridiculous time management skills that ensured she easily finished everything she needed to do and got eight-plus hours of sleep each night.

Nancy sighed, realizing that it was going to be another sleepless night. Setting her phone aside, she reached for the guitar that leaned against her nightstand. (It was one of Robin’s old ones; she’d given it to her along with an offer of lessons when she’d first expressed a tentative interest in learning.) Silently giving thanks that her room was far enough from her parents’ that they wouldn’t be woken, Nancy outlined a chord on the strings, strumming lightly.

Before she knew it, her fingers were tracing their way through the first melody Robin had ever taught her.

Robin, Robin, Robin. She loved her so much, and yet Robin was infatuated with someone else.

The longing rose up in her throat, choking her, and her eyes brimmed with tears. A single drop hit the polished wooden body of the guitar.

She wiped it away hastily, dashing away the remaining tears and lifting her head to watch the night sky. A shooting star winged across the view from her window.

How long had it been since she last wished on a star?

Didn’t matter. For Robin, she’d do it, and more.

*****

As the mid-morning break crowd of students milled past her locker, Nancy caught sight of wavy short hair over a tall awkward frame and raised a hand to wave. Robin walked right past her to catch up with a girl. Robin laid a hand on her shoulder and she turned, and Nancy could see that it was Vickie.

It was utterly unfair that, even in the process of thoroughly breaking her heart, Robin Buckley was a perfect gentleman, a flawless human being far out of Nancy’s league.

As Vickie dropped a kiss on her cheek, Nancy frowned. If Robin was going to give her heart to Vickie, she better deserve it — return those awesome Robin hugs, love her back the way she loved Vickie, appreciate those gorgeous blue eyes and realize just how lucky she was.

*****

The movie was entertaining enough, and at least Robin had the consideration not to bring Vickie along. (Then again, it could’ve been that she simply didn’t want to introduce her new girlfriend to her crazy best friend yet; Steve had a history of scaring girls away from his best friend, Nancy was starting to think it was on purpose as he winked  at Nancy all the while.)

All too soon, it was over, and Robin was waving goodbye as they parted to drive their separate ways home.

In the car alone, Nancy sighed — whether out of relief at not having to pretend anymore, or disappointment that Robin was no longer just her Robin — and turned the key in the ignition. She missed Robin already.

Back in her room at home, she finally turned out the light and tossed her phone aside. Rolling onto her side, she closed her eyes and tried to think of something or someone else.

Maybe she’d actually get some sleep tonight.

*****

For so long, it had just been Nancy, Robin, and Steve. And while the oldest would always be an indispensible member of the trio, Nancy had thought for a time that there could be something more between herself and Robin.

When she cried over her guitar chords, it was always for Robin. No one else held so much of her, held the power to break her heart.

Robin was her past and present, and, she’d thought, her future. Robin was the time taken up, but there was never enough. Robin was all that she needed to be perfectly happy.

*****

“What’cha thinking about?” Robin asked, looking over Vickie’s head at Nancy.

She glanced briefly at Robin, then shifted her gaze back to the football game. “Nothing.” As she always did, she faked a smile.