Chapter Text
Robin loved people-watching.
It was October, over a full month into her first semester at St. Joseph’s University, and she had never felt more at home than in the city. She had managed to convince her hippie parents that going to school in Brooklyn would be a formative personal experience with the potential for lessons far beyond what could be learned at her local community college. Her mom had been all over it when Robin mentioned the school’s history as a womens-only college.
Robin saw this as something more than school or an escape from small-town life. It was a fresh start. Not just a chance to leave Hawkins behind, but a chance to grow something new and wonderful in its place.
She had taken on a major in Human Relations with a minor in Modern Languages. She had gotten used to helping people over the past few years through her many adventures in crisis management, and she knew that there was nothing else she could see herself doing.
The minor was out of her continued love for learning languages. On her first day of orientation, she had snagged a pamphlet on Study Abroad and tacked it up on her dorm wall. She planned to give herself a year or two to adjust to Brooklyn life before setting off to Strasbourg or Florence. By then, she would have all the street smarts and real-world experience she needed to tour the places she had daydreamed about in her high school classes.
For now, she settled for weekly trips to Washington Square Park to observe the menagerie of people who would come to bask in the crisp fall air. The sounds of rolling skateboards and scattered chatter droned over the violinist who played light music by the fountain. Leaves dotted the grass around Robin’s blanket as she watched the endless parade of people go by. Her Walkman sat idly next to her, one of her favorite French tapes already loaded. For now, though, she was content listening to broken bits of conversation as they floated past her ears.
She took mental notes of the people she saw: a man with a large fur coat, a woman selling rings, a group of girls walking with backpacks. A woman in a flowing orange skirt. A man running his hand through his floppy brown hair.
Robin smiled, instantly reminded of Steve. She already couldn’t wait to see her band of Hawkins friends when she came home for Thanksgiving next month. While there were many things she would never miss about the monster that was her hometown, it had been hard to leave some things behind.
Steve had continued working full-time at the Family Video when she went off to school. Nancy had also left for Emerson and the kids were busy with their junior year of high school, so he occupied himself with long shifts while he worked towards finally getting his own place. Steve had filled her in on his plans to lease an apartment in the spring during one of their late-night calls from her dorm phone. He had every detail planned out, he planned on inviting Robin and Nancy to stay with him over spring break to get the place set up.
Robin hadn’t spoken to Nancy much in the past year. The two had seemed inseparable after the terrifying spring break two years ago. Nightly sleepovers alternated between the Wheeler’s and the Buckley’s, neither girl wanting to be left alone with their vivid nightmares. Necessity gave way to friendship as they grew to enjoy each other’s company during the day. Robin would play her the newest tapes from Blondie and Joan Jett, her commentary dominating every song while Nancy braided her short hair.
When Nancy left for her freshman year at Emerson, Robin stayed behind. She had taken a gap year to save up money to help her parents with her tuition. It was a tedious year of minimum wage shifts and small-town antics. Calls from Nancy originally came every few days, gradually slowing until Robin would be lucky to hear from her once a month. Communication ceased midway through the spring semester. The other girl then spent the summer in her room, rarely attending the group gatherings and summer hangouts Steve had tried to coordinate.
Robin had given up. She had known it was only a matter of time until a popular girl like Nancy would get swept up in the excitement of college and move on from anything tethering her to Hawkins. No matter how close they had been for a moment, Robin was still herself. She had learned better than to expect friends to stick around when there was something better to do.
Besides, now Robin could have her own adventures. She looked around at the bustle of the park. Warm sunlight streamed through the autumn-tinged leaves while a cool breeze rustled her bangs. The seasons were changing, and now, so could Robin Buckley.
The parade of families and college students continued past Robin’s spot in the grass. The park’s close proximity to NYU made it a popular spot for students to work and get some fresh air. There were parks closer to Robin’s school, but she enjoyed the energy here. Groups of friends laughed down the path while couples lay together on the lawns.
Robin noticed a girl in dark boots walking past the fountain, a silver carabiner shining from her belt loop. Her fingers absentmindedly brushed the clip on her own hip. She had picked it up from her local hardware store in her first few weeks here. It was an indescribable feeling to outwardly wear that part of herself. Even with something as subtle as a keyring, she could never imagine painting that target on herself in Hawkins.
Living here put a feeling of contentment in her heart that was hard to explain. Sitting here with a carabiner on her waist, patches on her jacket, scribbles on her shoes: she was pleasantly at ease.
The girl by the fountain passed out of view, followed by a procession of other park-goers. They passed by the fountain and onto the path in front of Robin. An old couple with matching silver bands. A man in an NYU sweatshirt. A girl with a fluffy brown perm. The perm reminded Robin of Nancy.
As a matter of fact, the girl bore some resemblance with the same angled jawline and small frame. Almost uncanny. She continued to walk quickly down the path, glancing down at a watch on her wrist.
Robin squinted as the girl continued to approach down the path. The same red jacket. Cheeks rosy from the wind. It really did look like—
“Nancy?”
The girl came to an abrupt halt in front of Robin, shoes skidding on the stone path. Familiar green eyes widened in surprise.
“Robin?”
Nancy Wheeler came to a dead stop at the edge of the walkway. Her reddish corduroy jacket was layered over a black turtleneck, loose-fitting jeans cinched at the waist by a simple belt. An NYU lanyard dangled from her pocket.
“Nancy!” exclaimed Robin. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I mean, not that you can’t be here, but, I thought you were in Massachusetts for school again, I mean it’s great to see you but—” Robin stopped herself, taking a sharp breath. “Hi!”
Nancy offered a small smile, something that seemed like panic flashing across her face.
“Robin! Hi! I thought…I thought you were in Brooklyn?”
Robin’s stomach sank as she took in the other girl’s nervous demeanor. In her moment of excitement, she had forgotten all about Nancy’s attempts to distance herself from her. Stupid.
“Yeah! I mean, I am for school usually, but I come here sometimes when I don’t have class to take in the scenery.”
“Oh.” Nancy’s eyes stayed tense while her mouth locked itself in a smile. “That’s fun.”
The sounds of the park were overtaken by the silence between them. Robin studied Nancy’s face, trying to gauge where she stood with the girl.
“So…” she said softly, stretching out the sound. “Why are you here?”
Nancy couldn’t hide as her smile dropped.
“Emerson was…well I…it wasn’t…I transferred to NYU!” She picked at the edge of her sleeve. Her eyes fell to the ground. “I’m hoping—thinking—-it will be a better fit.”
Even in the crowded park, the air was thick with quiet.
“That’s cool, Nancy.” Robin twisted one of her rings around her pointer finger. Nancy met her eyes once more. “I do know some lunch spots around here, if you want to catch up?”
Nancy’s face tensed into an impossible-to-read expression.
Robin had always struggled with reading other people. Her mother had reprimanded her relentlessly for her inability to follow social cues, or as Melissa had put it, “take a hint”. It was something that she now desperately wished she had managed to fix before school.
“I’m sorry, I can’t really stay, I have an appointment with my advisor that I might,” she glanced at her watch, “still be on time for. I’m still sorting out these transfer credits.” Her urgent demeanor softened with a genuine smile. “We should catch up sometime, though. Wait, here—” She pulled a small notepad and pen from her jacket pocket. “Write your number?” Her hopeful eyes locked with Robin’s as she leaned over with the pad in hand.
Robin, still taken aback by this whole encounter, froze for a moment. Nancy’s eyes flicked back to the notebook in suggestion. Robin snapped back to earth, taking the pen and scribbling her dorm phone number under lines of Nancy’s careful handwriting.
“Well, it was great seeing you,” said Nancy breathlessly as she quickly stood. “I mean, it’s good to catch up, I didn’t think…I’ll call you!”
Just as quickly as she had appeared, Nancy made a beeline down the path in the direction of NYU’s buildings. Robin’s eyes followed her across the street and down the sidewalk until she disappeared from view. The other girl’s voice still rang in her ears.
It seemed she may be seeing more of Nancy Wheeler than she expected.