𝐷𝑜𝑝𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛, 𝑂𝑥𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑛- 𝑅𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝐹𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒- 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑛'𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎ℎ

The lemonade that she was passed moments before bubbled down her throat. She took a sip, letting it tingle in her mouth for a moment as she pulled her glance towards the front doorway.

And, just like always, there she was.
Nancy Wheeler, stepping inwards, wearing her usual style of a shirt, cardigan and jeans. Her hair was tied, curling in the way that she used to style it a few years back.
Robin took a deep breath as the two made eye contact from across the room.

Heidi and Steve were chatting peacefully not too far behind- she could hear the base-level excitement brewing a length back from the seat- so, Buckley tilted her head backwards slightly to gesture that the evolving couple had arrived already and Nancy nodded in acceptance.

With the confirming acknowledgement, the woman turned back towards the counter. It'd only be a few moments before the newcomer would take her space on the spare seat beside, or possibly even stay stood alongside her, so, in the meantime, Robin opted on picking at the skin around her fingernails, chipping her already destroyed nail polish.

A moment.

Another.

"Hi," a voice then spoke, sooner than it was expected.
Robin panicked in her stance, swiping away a bleeding patch of skin that she had just caused.

"Um, hi- Nancy- uh, sorry-" Words were jumbled as movements sped up, preparing herself for the arrival as if she wasn't already directly in front of her. It had become quite awkward, to say the least.

"Hey...?" Nance huffed slightly, scrunching her eyebrows at Robin's more-than-normal scramble. "I see that the others are already here. I might be a bit late, actually."

The woman on the chair nodded carefully, twisting herself around with glass in hand.

"Uh, yeah," she spoke as she decided to stand, stomach slightly brushing against Wheeler's during the move, "do you want to go get a proper seat? Oh- uh- drinks?"

Nancy smiled, putting hand to where Robin had just brushed against and stepping back slightly so that she had the space. "Yeah, let's do that- and no, I'm alright on a drink, thanks."

The two nodded again, following the layout of the venue as to not immediately give away their constant existence to Heidi, and Steve gestured to them both on their way past- just a friendly glance of 'hello.'

There was a booth in the corner, not very captured by the lights around it, and it was perfect if they wanted to go unrecognised. So, they headed over, swiftly placing their skates under the base of the table.

Robin sat down, swallowing as Nancy took the seat across from her. It was completely the same as the copious other dates that they'd been on with Steve- but, this time, it felt awkward again.

It was quite unfortunate, actually.

Wheeler placed her hands on the table, twisting carefully with the gold ring that she was wearing on her left pointer-finger.
Robin watched her do so as she began to talk. They both were nervous- extremely.

"So, uh, how've you been?... We've not seen each other for a while." Nance raised her eyebrows for a moment at the last word.

Robin blinked, swallowing down a new shipment of nerve.
"Yeah, no, we haven't, have we? I've, erm- yeah, I've been good. Have you...?"

She hadn't really.

"I've been okay. Not been out much. Haven't really seen anyone, to be honest."

"I'd say the same but unfortunately that would be a lie."

The two went silent; Robin staring into the bubbles in her glass and Nancy staring at the ring on her finger.

The scraping of wheels-to-floor was piercing, but at the same time, the silence was deafening... up until Robin could feel a sentence forming in her mouth- a sentence that she had no choice in saying. A sentence that, no matter how much she didn't want it to, would come out eventually.

It was pounding, itching in her mouth as if it were full of sand.
It was rising, and rising, and soon enough, she said it. It was quiet and careful, but, she said it.

"I know that you regret kissing me, Nancy."

The reaction it caused wasn't really one of shock, but perhaps one of... startle.
Nancy looked up, catching contact with Robin as she took a deep breath. The regret on Buckley's face was instant.

"What?"

Robin's eyes darted straight back down to the table.
She had no choice but to continue.
"I know that you regret kissing me- and I know that it was impulsive- and I know that this is probably not what you wanted to hear, but, it's really been on my mind."

Nancy didn't reply.

"I know how confused you must be, because I was in the same position that you are... still am, in all honesty. I don't think it really gets better-"

Silence.

"-and I respect that you probably did it to help me, or something? So I could see what it was like? But we don't have to mention it again. I've not told anyone about it, not even Steve. So, if you're worried about being outed as something- I'm sorry. I wouldn't be the one to do that, anyway. First of all I don't even know if you are something. And I-"

Nancy flattened her hands upon the table, eyes closed and face scrunched.
"Robin- just-... it's alright."

"I mean- maybe it's a good thing! Because are you ever even truly loved if it's by a man? At least I don't think so. Sorry, I'm assuming things again. You're probably not even-"

"Robin."

"Right. Sorry. Okay. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to be ashamed? You're talking to the town's biggest pariah- and truly, you'll never even have a name in Hawkins unless you kill yourself for it, anyway. No one's gonna know, in the long run."

Nancy bit the inside of her cheek, zoning out from Robin's unstoppable rant and focusing more on what she was going to reply with.
Neither of them knew what to say next.

"You're not a pariah, Rob."

"Definitely am, but sure."

"No, you're not. And even if you are, it's not a bad thing. And I'm not ashamed I'm just... I don't know. I don't know anything."

"That's alright."

"Okay."

"Did it mean anything?...Y'know-?"

"I don't know."

"Okay."