Teenage romance is already difficult enough to navigate.
But when the one you love doesn't love you back? That's the worst pain of all.
STRANGER THINGS | NANCY WHEELER
seasons 1-2
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
( the upside down, pt. i )
• °:.☆ . ₊°• ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
SNEAKING INTO THE police station was not at the top of Laura's bucket list, but it's the only way to retrieve the box of monster-hunting supplies he and Nancy had prepared before they'd picked Laura up from work. The officers had confiscated it after the fight with Steve. Laura doesn't think that's fair considering the items in his trunk had nothing to do with punching Steve's face in, but whatever.
Luckily, the Hawkins police force is small. That means only one officer is at the station when they tip-toe inside. He's facing away from the door, listening to the crackly sounds of talk radio where two men discuss the Cold War. The scent of cigarette smoke fills the air from the pack he's slowly working through. He pays them no mind as they sneak into Hopper's office near the back of the station, too focused on the playing cards in his hand to notice them tip-toeing past.
The items inside clank loudly as Jonathan seizes the cardboard box on Hopper's desk. Laura glares at him for the noise. He shrugs, then walks back down the hall with it, cradling it in his arms to muffle any sounds. Nancy takes the fire extinguisher from the wall while they pass by.
Jonathan careens through the streets of Hawkins at dangerous speeds. There aren't any seat belts in his car, so Laura gets tossed around in the back seat at every turn. She can't complain because they reach his house in record time.
He drops the cardboard box onto the coffee table. They'd bought much more than Laura had originally glimpsed. Along with a bear trap and hammers, they have metal gas cans, boxes of nails, and... Nancy's wooden baseball bat?
"What is that supposed to do?" Laura asks. It's not like they exactly used it last time.
"You'll see," Jonathan replies cryptically.
After that interesting response, they get to work. Their first task is replacing all of the bulbs to the Christmas lights spread throughout the house. Laura finds this soothing—it eases her restless mind and prevents her from thinking about the monster they're luring straight toward them. It requires more focus than dumping the salt. Each colored bulb that she screws in place makes her feel accomplished.
Next, and perhaps the most dangerous, they set up the bear trap in the hallway. Jonathan secures it to the floor with nails. Nancy places her boot on the side to hold it down while he pries the metal claws open, gritting his teeth from the strain. It gives a heavy clink when it falls into place. Laura rotates the pin into the trap. Then, moving cautiously, they remove their weight, holding onto the walls to keep themselves steady. One wrong move and one of them might lose a leg.
