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The ride to Nancy's was incredibly dangerous, considering the fact that Robin could barely see with her vision being blurred by tears. Yet, she somehow managed it. Recently, Robin had confessed to Nancy that her relationship with her parents had been getting worse. Nancy had almost immediately offered her house as a safe place and wrapped Robin in a tight hug. As she spoke, Nancy's eyes were filled with intense concern.
She silently parked her bike and made her way to the door. Nancy had given her a house key a few days after the conversation so that Robin could come here whenever she needed. Sadly, Robin needed to be here more than ever right now. She searched her pockets for the key, fumbling to unlock the door once she had it.
When she was finally inside, Mrs. Wheeler came over to her, worry clouding her face.
"Everything alright, dear?" There was no mistaking the concern in her voice as she spoke. Robin shook her head. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can get for you?"
Robin smiled weakly at Mrs. Wheeler's hospitality. "I could use a hug," she rasped. Mrs. Wheeler was embracing her almost as soon as the sentence had left her mouth.
Pulling away, Mrs. Wheeler gestured to the kitchen. "Want anything?" Robin shook her head. "No thanks. I don't think I can stomach anything after what happened." Robin quietly laughed miserably at the memory of what had happened at her house just nearly half an hour earlier.
Mrs. Wheeler nodded in understanding. "Feel free to make yourself at home, sweetheart," she said, so much kindness in her tone that it turned the moment sour for Robin. She felt a pang in her chest, one she had started to feel often. Oh, how she wished her parents were this nice to her. Then another thing hit her. Would they still treat me like this if they knew..? Robin thrust the thought away.
"Thank you for doing this... I'm very grateful." Robin smiled as she started to move toward the stairs. "Anytime, Robin," Mrs. Wheeler responded.
She was greeted by Nancy about halfway up the stairs. Nancy's face was plastered with unease, knowing the general reason for Robin's sudden arrival. She took Robin's hand and led her into her room. Once inside, Nancy closed the door. As she did this, Robin made her way over to Nancy's bed and sat with her head down. Nancy walked over and sat down next to her, and she silently wrapped Robin in a side hug.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nancy asked, looking at Robin. The taller girl shook her head, tears threatening to stream down her face. She leaned into Nancy, grateful for the comfort. They stayed like that for a while. "Thank you for being here for me." Robin finally let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Sorry for intruding on your space, by the way," she added, weakly laughing.
Nancy frowned. "There's no need to apologize, okay? Mi casa es tu casa." Robin chuckled lightly at her Spanish. She finally decided to look up. "Is it alright if I stay the night?" Robin asked. Suddenly becoming nervous, she began to fiddle with her rings. Nancy noticed and put her hand reassuringly on Robin's. "Of course," she responded.
"Do you have anything?" Nancy inquired. Robin gestured to the bag on the floor next to the foot of the bed that Nancy clearly hadn't noticed. Nancy tapped her chin, thinking. There was some tension in the room, and she had the strong desire to cut it. "Is there anything you want to do? If not, dinner is soon, so the wait shouldn't be too long."
Robin thought about it for a moment. "I think I'd just like to wait until dinner. Besides, anything we do now will probably be too long to finish before dinner. And if we did do something, who knows if we'll still want to do that thing after dinner? What if we're both too tired to finish it? What if-" She was cut off by Nancy placing a finger over her mouth. They both laughed at this. After they had quickly gained their composure, Robin apologized for her ramble.
"Robin, you don't have to apologize. I enjoy listening to you," Nancy spoke, the last half of her words just above a whisper. Robin squeaked in embarrassment. Nancy opened her mouth to continue, but she couldn't find the right words. Saving both of them from the awkward silence that was sure to follow, Mrs. Wheeler knocked upon the door. "Dinner's ready!" she called through.
The two girls got up, and before they could leave, Nancy gave Robin a quick hug. "Thank you for trusting us, for trusting me, enough to feel safe here." They both smiled at each other before Nancy opened the door. Motioning with her arm for Robin to leave the room, she said, "Guests first." Robin mocked a curtsy, to which both girls laughed at on their way downstairs.
Mrs. Wheeler looked up at the two of them as they came down to sit at the table. "Someone's in a better mood, I assume?" she asked. Robin nodded and gave her a small smile. Knowing that Robin was feeling better, Mrs. Wheeler left the room to go wrangle the rest of her family. Soon, the rest of the Wheelers were sitting at the table. Before eating, Mike mumbled something to his mom, who smiled and ruffled his hair in response. He grumbled as he reached up and attempted to fix it. Mr. Wheeler, the stoic, usually non-talking, not caring, not-noticing-anything-his-kids-did Ted Wheeler, laughed at this. Robin saw Nancy smile as she began to pick up her silverware. Noticing everyone else beginning to eat, she did as well.
-
Dinner hadn't been eventful, but it had brought ground-breaking news to Robin. First, Mr. Wheeler wasn't the jackass Robin had heard Nancy complain about months ago anymore. Second, Mike was actually really respectful to his parents. Third, she herself was actually really good at helping Mrs. Wheeler try to get Holly to eat something she didn't want to. "Thank you for dinner," Robin said with a toothy grin. Unexpectedly, everyone else followed suit and said their thanks as well. Mrs. Wheeler smiled from ear to ear at this. "It's my pleasure. Now, would anyone like to help me with the dishes?" she requested. At hearing this, Mr. Wheeler started to grab dishes and utensils from the table. Mike was already out of his seat and getting Holly out of her chair and ready for bed.
Robin's eyes went wide with wonder. Her mind raced with reasons why this family had gone from not talking to/fighting with each other to this comforting household that she wanted to surround herself with, as if it were a blanket. Nancy lightly poked her arm to get her attention. "Ready to go back upstairs? Everyone else has everything covered. We could help Mom and Dad if you want, though." After Robin had taken a little longer than usual to respond, Nancy took her hands in her own and gave them a gentle squeeze. Robin blinked, her mind coming back to reality.
She thought about the options, but made sure not to think for too long. As soon as she made up her mind, guilt crept in slowly, forming an inevitable ramble. Before she could stop it, the words tumbled from her lips. "I want to head back upstairs, but I also don't want to leave your parents to do the dishes by themselves. At the same time, they also seem to be bonding well, and I don't want to ruin that. And, Nance, I am really tired. Like, really, really tired. But I feel guilty for not doing anything in return for all of you helping me tonight." She stopped to take in a breath. She opened her mouth to continue, but before she could, Nancy held her hand up.
"Robin. It's alright. Us helping you is the least we can do. This night is to help you calm down, to feel safe. Now, I'm absolutely sure that my parents aren't going to be offended if you don't help them. So, let's go upstairs and wind down. Okay?" Robin didn't have a response to that so she just nodded. As Nancy began to lead them upstairs, she called back into the kitchen to tell her parents good night.
To her own surprise, Robin was unusually quiet on the way back up to Nancy's room. Robin felt obligated to shut the door this time, so she did. Nancy didn't say anything about it. Once the two were sitting on the bed, Nancy turned to look at her.
"How are you holding up?" she asked. Robin looked up and studied her face. After a few moments, she shrugged. "Well enough."
The two sat in tension-filled silence for a bit. And then Robin had a thought pop into her head that she hadn't even questioned about earlier. "Nance, do you have any sleeping bags?" Nancy laughed a little. "What is it?" Robin tilted her head. "Nothing, just... Slight déjà vu." Nancy's eyes clouded for a second at a seemingly far-away memory. She slightly shook her head as if to clear away the thought, a small smiling forming on her face. Robin couldn't help but smile as well, which helped alleviate some of the tension in the room. "I don't think I have any sleeping bags, no," Nancy finally answered. Robin's face reddened slightly at the thought of having to share a bed. There was no real reason to, she didn't like Nancy like that. Right?
Nancy broke into her thoughts by leaning into her slightly. "I'm glad that you're here, by the way. Not that I'm glad about what happened to have you over here, but I'm glad that you trusted me enough to be here." She sighed quietly as she scooted in closer to Robin. The taller girl panicked slightly, but still leaned into the touch. "I'm glad that you trusted me enough to offer in the first place," she returned, praying that her voice was steady.
The pair stayed like that for a while, leaning into each other's comforting presence. When Robin slowly started to drift off into a light sleep, Nancy gently shook her awake. Standing up and holding out her hand, she said, "Come one, let's get ready for bed." Robin groaned at the thought of having to leave the softness of the blanket she was sitting on. She felt herself being jolted upward by Nancy's hand, which had surprising strength. "Okay, okay. I'm coming," she mumbled.
-
Nancy climbed into bed first, but before she got under the covers, she patted the side of the bed next to her. "Come on, get in. I don't bite, I promise," she added jokingly. Robin hesitated, but before she could do anything, the shorter girl was dragging her down onto the bed. Robin squeaked, startled, and she ended up facedown on the bed. Nancy giggled at this. The two got situated and Nancy pulled up the covers.
They were back to back until Nancy turned to look at Robin. The latter knew this only because she could feel her staring holes into her back. Seconds later, a finger poked her back. Robin shuffled around to look at Nancy. They both stared at each other in wonder, taking in one another's facial features. Surprisingly, there was no awkwardness or shame in either of their gazes.
"Hi," Nancy said as she smiled.
"Hey."
The two continued to stare at each other in awe until Robin yawned, ringing her statement about her tiredness true. This got a slight laugh from Nancy, who raised her hand to gently pat Robin's shoulder. "Goodnight, Robin," she whispered as she twisted to turn off her bedside lamp. When she returned to her original position, Robin decided to finally close her eyes. The shorter girl yawned and, subconsciously, intertwined their hands together.