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Robin had spent all summer with Nancy after Steve had introduced them. Robin hadn't had any girl friends since Barb so it was nice for her. Well, except for right now. She could hear Nancy yelling on the phone with her boyfriend, who was off in California. They were having a lot of issues but Robin didn't really know what they were. Nancy didn't like to spend their time talking about him.
Robin sat on the bottom of her bunk bed when Nancy walked back into the room, hanging up on her boyfriend. Robin could feel the tension. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Nancy sat down on Robin’s bean bag chair, rubbing her hands through her hair. “I don't even know. He thinks there is someone else. He thinks-he thinks not that I'm cheating I guess but that I’m in love with someone else. I um” Nancy winces at herself. “ I told him he was being crazy and paranoid. Which, I feel bad about saying but I just don't understand what he is talking about. I'm not in love with anyone!”
Robin waited a minute before speaking again. “Are you in love with him?”
Nancy sat staring at the wall before she answered. “ Can we go get food?”
Nancy had never been more grateful that Robin was such a go-with-the-flow type of girl. Robin never brought up that stupid question again and they went to the mall and got food. Nancy couldn’t answer, not because she didn’t love him but because she didn’t know. She thought she did but they yelled so much at each other. She felt like her mother, she was in a dying marriage before the marriage even started. She had been with him for so long that it just felt like that was what was supposed to happen
It felt right to be with him at the same time. Though she wasn’t sure if she felt like she should or if she actually wanted to be with him. Maybe she was just incapable of being alone with herself.
Whatever it didn’t matter to her right now she needed to hang out with Robin and just be herself.
Robin suggested the mall for dinner and that was the best choice. Away from the phone as long as possible.
“I'm thinking slushies and hot pretzels for dinner.” Robin gave Nancy a cheeky grin. Nancy rolled her eyes but also grinned.
“Mmh what a nutrient-rich dinner.” Nancy headed to the slushie shop despite her sarcastic remark.
Robin and Nancy stayed at the mall until the night security guard kicked them out. Waking out Nancy caved in and looked at her phone for the first time tonight as they walked in silence. Robin just watched as they made their way back to Robin’s house. Nancy flipped through 5 missed calls and a voicemail. Her fingers hovered over the speaker button to listen to it. She just kept walking instead and clicked the call-back button. She started walking slightly faster than Robin as if that would stop her from hearing Nancy.
“Do you want to wait until we get back for some privacy? It isn't too much farther from my house?” Robin tried to ask gently. Nancy didn't respond, instead, she started walking faster with the phone up to her ear. Robin just sighed keeping her same pace leaving Nancy's room but without losing sight of Nancy.
Once they got home Nancy went into the bathroom and stayed there for well over an hour, switching between trying to whisper and full-blown yelling.
Robin felt bad not knowing really what to do. She changed into PJs and started to get ready for bed. She made the top bunk with nice sheets, extra pillows, and a stuffed animal.
Robin lightly knocked on the door. “WHAT” Nancy's voice rang through the door smacking Robin in the face. She stepped back without thinking. “Sorry, sorry. What is it, Robin?”
“Just letting you know I'm going to bed and was wondering if you were coming soon or not?”
“Uh ya soon hopefully, goodnight”
“Goodnight”
“Sorry…” Nancy's voice was barely a whisper. She put the phone back up to her ear. Hearing Jonathan's voice gave her a headache.
Robin made her way back to her bed. She was glad Nancy was sleeping over, even if she was just yelling in Robin's bathroom. She’d rather Nancy be here where she can keep an eye out in case Nancy finally wants to talk. Robin put a pillow over her head to try and drown out the sound of yelling but it was no use. It seemed like it would never stop.
Eventually things seem to calm down and Robin dozed off.
Nancy stared blankly as the end dialing tone rang in her ear. Nancy could still feel the anger through the phone with Jonathan's final words. “Nancy you aren’t fucking listening to me. I know there is someone else I can tell. All you are doing is yelling and I can’t deal with you and your lying anymore. We are done. Fix your shit.” He didn’t even wait for her to respond before hanging up. Nancy sobbed as quietly as she could in the bathroom hoping Robin had already gone to bed.
Nancy shut off the bathroom light and made her way to the top bunk. Robin had put her favorite stuffed animal and fuzzy blankets, Nancy's favorite, all over the bed.
Nancy spent hours tossing and turning, switching from crying to counting the argument in her head. She had no idea what time it was but this was not working. She figured she should just go home and bother as few people as possible.
Nancy thought she was gonna make it out of the room scot-free until she felt something grab her wrist.
“Nanc?” Robin’s tired voice questioned. She was barely holding until Nancy.
“I didn’t mean to wake you” She crouched next to Robin's face. “I'm sorry about all the yelling.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Robin yawned slightly. Nancy just gave her a look causing Robin to pull lightly on the wrist she still had. Nancy followed the light touch with ease. “ Just come in here if you can’t sleep, you don't have to talk if you don't want to.” Robin used her other hand to hold up a corner of the blanket so Nancy could slide under it.
Robin sat up only slightly to get a better look at Nancy as she lay curling her arms and legs up. Robin put her arm around Nancy pulling her in. She gently started stroking Nancy's hair untangling it with her fingers.
Nancy laid into the sensation. They stay like this for what felt like a lifetime to Nancy but was only a real minute. “He broke up with me. Robin's hand stops only for a second, only to then pull Nancy in closer. Robin began to rub her shoulder as she kept talking. “He just sounded so upset with me and I don't understand. I'm more upset that I don't understand. He thinks I'm in love with someone else. I'm not. I am not. I honestly could care less that he broke up with me, good, whatever, bye. Just like why. I guess.” Nancy fell more and more into Robin's warmth as she spoke. Nancy breathed heavily into Robin's shoulder. Robin pulled in a little more.
Nancy’s head now lay on Robin's shoulder well one of her hands stroked through Nancy's hair and the other was tracing circles on her back.
“You don’t care that you guys broke up?” Robin asked gently. Nancy just made a small grunting noise that Robin took as an unsure yes. “Maybe you just haven’t registered it yet? Maybe you are just really focused on all the yelling right now?” Robin paused for a moment, almost holding her breath. “Or maybe there is someone else…” Robin waited for Nancy to make a noise or say something.
Silence
She looked away from the bottom up the top bunk and look at her best friend. Nancy’s eyes were shut and her breathing was slow and calm. Nancy nuzzled herself right into Robin. Robin stopped moving her hands and just placed one hand on Nancy's back.
“Fuck” Robin whispered.
Nancy woke up with a dry mouth. She looked down realizing she was drooling. Drooling. She was drooling on someone.
She was fully entangled in Robin's arms. She had never slept this good that she drooled. Nancy picked up her head lightly whipping away the drool and setting herself back in neatly.
Robin twitched. She seemed as if she was about to wake. Nancy froze. She melted right back in as Robin settled. Thank goodness Nancy thought. Her heart ached a bit looking up at Robin's sleeping face. A blush crept to her face. She tried to remember last night. The mall, the phone call, Shit.
Jonathan's words floated back into her mind “ I know there is someone else I can tell.”
“OH Fuck” She mumbled right into Robin's shoulder as the other girl instinctively pulled Nancy closer in her sleep.