Chapter Text
"Steve!" she squealed, as her boyfriend yanked her back from her locker, spinning her around. "what are you doing here?" she asked, giving him a playful shove.
"I've come to pick you up" he said
"I don't finish for another hour" she groaned, turning around to put her books in her locker. "or did you forget how to read a clock"
"no" Steve scoffed "I've got a surprise for you"
"and let me guess that surprise includes me skipping last period"
"that...and a party at Tommy's house"
nancy thought for a moment as Steve stared at her with a ridiculous look on his face that nancy thought was supposed to be endearing.
"fine" she gave in.
when Steve's car pulled up to the house you could already hear the music blaring and nancy felt the slight nerves- that were sure to disappear after a couple of drinks- set in.
inside, she thought it looked as though the whole school was there, then a familiar face walked by.
"Mike!?" nancy exclaimed
"nancy?"
"what the hell are you doing here?" they both shouted at the same time as the chorus of Duran duran's "girls on film" flooded the crowded living room.
just as she was about to yell at her brother to explain or go home he skirted off, drink in hand.
"ugh if dad doesn't find out he's here and kill him, I will" nancy complained
"he'll be fine, im sure if he's doesn't get caught this time he's probably already planning the next" Steve pointed out.
it was true, Mike was always up to something that would have Ted's head spinning till it sent him to an early grave. just last week during their father's business dinner Mike was sneaking back from some party or whatever when the idiot fell out of his bedroom window and broke his wrist.
sometimes nancy thought he did it just out of spite.
"do you want a drink?" steve asked
"sure... I'll have whatever"
nancy found the least crowded space she could and waited for Steve to come back. party's were never really her thing but she enjoyed nodding along to the music. even if she was currently watching some guy drink out of an old shoe then stick his tounge down a girls throat. God she hated kissing.
I mean, she didn't get what all the fuss was about. her and Steve kiss, and it's alright but nothing Like people make it out to be. besides she has much better uses for her time anyway.
after the party Steve dragged a drunk nancy back to her house through the front door. which should have been her first sign since her parents did not only, not know about this party but also were no where to be seen.
nancy flopped down onto her bed, head first groaning about something as Steve tried to take off her shoes.
she rolled back over then Steve planted a quick kiss on her cheek
"i love you, and I'll see you soon" he said
"love you too?" nancy slurred, snuggling into her pillow "you'll see me tommorow?"
"oh, yeah, right, sorry"
and just like that nancy was asleep.
if you ignored the occasional night out and arguments with her father, nancy always tried to be the perfect daughter. perfect grades, well behaved, college aceptance letters and the perfect boyfriend. nancy thought this is how her father saw her. the example child.
mike was...well, he was Mike. always looking for trouble, hung out with questionable people and in desperate need of a haircut.
and holly was still to little to be in the running but nancy, nancy hoped her father saw better in her, hoped he saw potential. her mother she didn't need to worry about. if her father had an opinion it was soon enough before her mother had the same one too. and it seems as though he had made up his mind.
nancy awoke with a pounding headache in the early hours of the morning hoping to leave for school early to avoid her parents but came to a halt at the end of the stairs.
Ted wheeler was sitting in his recliner, as usual, with his newspaper arguing with his wife in a loud whisper.
"I said they're going and that's final!" nancy caught before they noticed her.
"you're up early" Karen chimed, clearing her throat.
"yeah I thought I would head out early. stuff with the paper." she said suspiciously
"you're not going today. neither is mike" Ted interrupted, through a mouthfull of bagel and his eyes trained on the morning paper.
"why not?" nancy questioned her mother.
"someone's coming to see you" she said, refusing to look her daughter in the eye.
in the 2 hours of waiting neither Karen nor Ted cracked. nancy and mike's surprise visitor was still a mystery. and Mike was getting just as annoyed as nancy by the looks of it.
"for fucks sake can you just tell us already!" he yelled for the hundredth time.
"language!" is all Ted said
mike looked like he was about to explode but then the doorbell rang and his face turned from anger to nerves.
"ready?" Karen asked, for a moment, mirroring her sons expression.
Ted came into the room chatting conversationally with a strange looking man in some -what seemed to be- ridiculous excuse for a uniform.
"hello children," he greeted the two siblings cheerily, shaking each of their hands. "I'm Murray, I've been sent here from a place called true directions. heard of them?" he asked.
both siblings shook their heads, mike with a bit more attitude than nancy of course.
"well i dont gave all day, take a seat I'll explain" he gestured toward the couch.
it felt a bit strange being told to "take a seat" in your own house by a man you do not know, but Ted sat down immediately so everyone else followed.
"now I believe I'm right in assuming your parents have not told you about this whole proposition up until recently, is that so?" he asked.
"yes" she said wanting nothing more than to know what the hell is going on.
"right...well as I said I come from a place called true directions. a sort of rehabilitation camp for homosexuals we-"
"im sorry...what!" nancy exclaimed, and mike shot up from his chair so fast he nearly bounced straight out of it.
"we take people in and help them overcome these sort of thoughts with different sorts of exercises and classes and team building games which I must say are very effective considering i once experienced them."
"why are you talking to us then?" mike exclaimed
"Michael right?-"
"it's mike"
"Michael...the first step in our program is acceptance. sometimes it can even be the hardest but if-"
"this is bullshit!-"
"language!"
"im not a!-"
"oh, cut the crap! your probably the gayest kid I've ever met, I mean your what? 16? you play dungeons and dragons and video games in your basement all summer, you've had one middle school girlfriend and...well-" he scoffed "your haircut says the rest"
mike only stared appalled.
"but, not to worry. 6 months with us and you'll both be as good as new!"
"well hang on, why do I have to go?" nancy asked the room.
"ah yes, nancy wheeler." he sighed "the straight A student, soon to be graduate and college freshman. you know you are gonna be a difficult one I can tell, I'm not gonna lie the first couple of weeks are gonna be brutal for you. like I said acceptance is the hardest step...have you done it yet accepted yourself?"
"I told you I'm not a-"
"ah ah ah" he tufted "have you accepted the real you, outside of sexuality, or are you still pretending for others."
nancy thought for a moment -could he be right?- then quickly turned her attention back to the bald headed man. "there's no way I'm going!" she seethed
"yeah I'd rather claw my own eyes out than go to some camp full of a bunch of fa-"
"language!" Ted yelled again, this time with a look of utter exhaustion.