Chapter Text
If this Stuart kid wasn’t so rich, Nancy might’ve felt bad for being here. It was pretty typical to hear about him from Heather. His huge house, that yacht he barely used, the works. Still, it seemed out of character for a pushover like that to host a school-wide party like this. She should’ve assumed Heather had something to do with it.
“This place is giant! Man, Heather's boyfriend is crazy sick for letting us all come over tonight!”
“Kenny, he clearly didn’t want to. Haven’t you been paying attention at all?”
Seeing as his eyes were as red as her hair, she could make the guess he hadn’t been paying attention to much of anything.
“... Huh? Sorry I got distracted.”
“Never mind.”
She didn’t hate parties. Not as much as other people, anyways. She could get behind a good time with some shitty music and drinks. She preferred a smaller get-together with people she actually liked, sure, but she hesitated to complain when she was leeching off the benefits herself with a red solo cup. No, the issue wasn’t the party. Currently, it was the fact she had no idea where her roommate was.
Nancy was pretty sure Lola didn’t want to come. From what she knew, she only had because Ben was here, trying to help Stuart reel everyone back in and shut the thing down. On a night like this, Lola would be cooped up in their apartment, probably studying for an exam or something. She didn’t know exactly what she did, they only lived together because they both didn’t want to pay for rent in full and wanted to live close to the university. They hardly hung out. Still, she heard the occasional small talk about her life when they did cross paths, and based on that small talk alone, this seemed like it would be hell for her. The thought crossed that perhaps she was with her boyfriend, but she hadn’t seen Ben for much longer than she hadn’t seen Lola. Honestly, he might’ve gone home, she did see him walk outside at some point, seemingly hours ago by now. That left Lola all by herself…
It shouldn’t worry her as much as it was, it’s not like she was responsible for the girl. Still, she didn’t trust college kids, and Lola was a sweet little thing. She reminded Nancy of a flower in a hailstorm. Not that she was fragile, but she was kindhearted. Sometimes, those felt like synonyms.. Regardless, she kind of cared to make sure she wasn’t having a hard time.
“Can I trust you to not do some dumb shit for a minute? I’m gonna look for Lola.”
“Oooh that’s your super cute roommate, right? Let me come!”
“Absolutely not. You know she has a boyfriend right? Plus, she’s way too good for you.”
“What?! No way, I know how to treat a lady right! I could impress her with my sick moves, be all suave…”
“I don’t want the poor girl to throw up, no thanks. Don’t be an idiot for like five minutes, I'll be right back.”
Despite his protests and pleas for Nancy to give him Lola’s number, she went looking alone.
The only bad thing about rich people’s houses were how fucking big they were when you needed to find someone. The constant stream of people wasn’t even the problem. The problem was every room was minimalistic and greyscale as fuck. How the hell was she supposed to know where this girl was? Just when she thought she made progress, she’d open the same room she was just in. At least, she thought it was the same room. For all she knew, these people could have twelve copies of the same pretentious, square block painting. With how lost she was, she was starting to believe they did. Eventually, she opened a door that looked just like the last five, and found the unlocked bathroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t an obnoxious couple making out. It was, however, a crying Lola sitting on the tile floor. She might've preferred the first option.
“Lola? You look like shit.”
“Wow, thanks..”
It was true honestly. Her makeup was smearing off her face, her eyes were puffy, and her hair was a frizzy mess thanks to her gripping her own head. Her face was flush too, and thanks to the slurring of her words she knew why.
“Are you drunk?”
“No..”
“Jesus, shouldn’t that cutie boyfriend of yours be taking care of you right now? Where is he anyways, I haven’t seem him all night-”
“He’s not my boyfriend anymore.”
Oh. Well that explains it. Still, it kind of was a surprise. Ben was all Lola could talk about, and now they were broken up just like that?
“He’s gay.”
Oh… well that definitely explains it.
“Huh… weren’t you guys dating for like, a year? How did that even happen…”
“He didn’t know… he’s an idiot!”
Lola sobbed even harder, her hands holding her head in her lap. The whole thing made her kind of pissed. Not at Lola necessarily, but at the situation Lola was put in. It’s not like it was Ben’s fault for being gay, hell, It took Nancy a lot of time before she realized she was Bi. Still, a whole ass year with a girl and it didn’t click? Or worse, maybe it DID click and he didn’t say anything? All of Lola’s stories did seem a bit one sided, but she chalked it up to the fact that Lola just liked planning their dates more, or that Nancy just didn’t talk to her enough to get the full, uncut recollection. Now that she had this crucial piece of information, that all made more sense.
“And… and I’m an idiot for not seeing it! He’s way too pretty.. He paints and- and respects women! It should've been obvious!”
“No, hun, it’s not your fault for having faith in a man. Men are at fault for being themselves.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better!”
“Yeah… it never does…”
Nancy gently took one of Lola’s arms and swung it over her own shoulder, standing her up. She could smell the drinks on the girl’s breath from the constant sobbing, and she didn’t want anyone else to see Lola like that. She’d be incredibly embarrassed once she sobered up.
“C’mon, let’s get you home. You’re super drunk.”
“Drunk on pain… and agony…”
“And vodka. Really, vodka? Didn’t pin you as the type.”
“I wanted to be revelious..”
“Rebellious.”
“That’s what I just said…”
It took a lot of trial and error, getting her down the stairs and out the back door. Luckily, everyone was much more engrossed in the party than in them, but it still made Nancy a bit nervous for what sober Lola would say when she found out. She most likely wouldn’t be mad, but the embarrassment of breaking up with your boyfriend at a party AND having to be dragged out the door probably wouldn’t sit well.
“Okay.. one leg in the car door at a ti- ow.”
“Eugh.. sorry Nancyyy…”
Kick to the face aside, Nancy got her in without much fuss. It was the drive home that sucked.
Lola’s quiet sobs and drunk hiccups made her stomach knot in a way she wasn’t expecting. It’s probably just the fact that she hates seeing women hurt because of a man’s shitty actions. It’s not like she hadn’t been the drunk girl crying in the bathroom before. Still, it felt different. Her crying was so broken and weak, high pitched and weary. Lola wasn’t usually one to sit down and take anything from anybody, that was undeniable. Even if she was more of a sweet girl, she did recall Lola telling her about when her boyfriend, (or rather ex-boyfriend now) missed their first date, she threw her shoe at his head. She was more than capable. It’s just sad, knowing how much she must’ve loved this guy, and how oblivious he probably was to that fact.
She didn’t know Ben, like at all. Bobbie and Kenny had been bringing around a new guy, (supposedly a metalhead,) named Ricky recently and he sure did talk about Ben a lot, but that and what Lola said was all she really knew about him. That fact made it easier for Nancy to antagonize him. Maybe he was a really nice guy who just didn’t know any better. But she didn’t have to like him, because they hadn’t met once. If they did meet, it would be easy to cuss him out, too. For Lola’s sake, of course.
“Oh… my house! My houseeee…”
Now that they were inside, Lola was treating the apartment like a long-lost lover. She must’ve really hated that party.
“Yes it’s your house, Pollita. Let’s get you to sleep.”
Nancy finagled Lola into her room, which was… very pink. It wasn't as frilly and girly as she expected, though. Lola had a bit of spunk in her, her various band posters and vintage vinyls showed that much. She wouldn’t have cared if it was a princess room, it would’ve fit her after all, but it was pretty cute that she was such a fangirl.
“Hue.. thank you Nancy thank you! My bed! My room.. Oh Nance, I love you..”
Nance. It was something Heather would call her when she wanted a favor, or what a boy would call her when he wanted a night at her place. It usually was something she didn’t want to hear. But when Lola said it, all airy and hypnotic, it didn’t sound like a bad thing. It actually… felt pretty good. She liked it. When did that happen?
And, more pressingly, when did Lola start saying ‘I love you’ to people who only microscopically helped her? Did she say that to just everyone, now? Why did it matter in the first place? Nancy wasn’t one to overthink, she shouldn’t start now.
Lola fell into a giggle-fit as her back hit her bed, the tears finally morphing into… joy? Excitement? She couldn’t tell. She didn’t have time to decipher it either, as Lola pulled Nancy down with her.
“Ack- girl what are you doing?”
“Mmm.. Thank you for saving me from the evil bathroom… you’re a better boyfriend than Ben by a million times…”
Not like it was hard, she immediately thought. She could probably treat her better on one date than Ben had on a billion. That was just a theory, though…
“Don’t worry about it. You’re better than crying at a party.”
“Yeah.. so much bett…”
And just like that, Lola was passed out. With Nancy still in her arms.
She gently tried to scooch her way out of her hold, but she had no idea Lola had such an iron-grip. Honestly, aside from the obvious factors that would make her feel this way, (such as being in Lola’s room,) she was a bit embarrassed. A drunk girl had pulled her into her bed, and she was so strong even in sleep that she couldn’t move. She was finding out a lot about Lola tonight, but harcore, strong muscle wasn’t something she would’ve expected. Just then, Lola pulled her closer, snuggling into her like a pillow. God, this was a situation she didn’t expect in general.
Her breath was soft on Nancy’s neck, and her long hair cascaded over the two of them like some kind of make-shift blanket. Lola’s pink streak specifically fell over her own face, making her look like an angel even at such an odd angle. If she didn’t know better, Nancy might’ve even thought the flush of her face was intentional with how well it suited her. In any other case, being in a girl’s bed like this might’ve been a good, fun thing. But right now, with how peaceful and pretty Lola looked, she just felt like an intruder.
It took her agonizingly long to finally get out of the sleepy hug. Trying not to wake her was a dangerous game in it of itself, and she would be damned if she lost it. But just when she thought she had finally escaped, she heard a soft, pretty whine.
“No… Ben, don’t leave yet…”
Well, fuck.
It made more sense now, why she was so strong.
Begrudgingly, she laid back down. She didn’t know why, it was pretty pathetic to do so. Nevertheless, she did. And drunk, sleepy Lola was finally content. If she wasn’t so pretty, she might’ve been upset. But she wasn’t.
And whatever that meant in the grand scheme of things? Well, that was a Morning-Nance problem, now wasn't it.