graveyard﹔ ( nancy wheeler )

tape

Both Brea and Nancy were late by an hour to their first period classes. The only person or reason to blame was Steve, and whatever had happened at Tina's party. It was likely that most people would've been too drunk to even remember what had happened that night, so Nancy only hoped that both her and Brea hadn't been outed.

To much of Nancy's surprise, nobody asked her about anything related to her and Brea, only related to Steve. What the fuck could've happened with Steve. She made her way to Steve's gym class, asking his Phys Ed teacher if she could talk to him.

Luckily, he said yes, allowing Nancy to drag her boyfriend out of the sweating gym, and outside directly next to the building. "What the fuck Steve?" Nancy exclaimed as Steve calmly rolled is eyes. "Didn't think you really wanted to see me, Wheeler" Steves words hurt like a dagger digging into Nancy's chest, why wouldn't she want to see him?

"What do you mean Steve." Nancy now stood there confused about what Steve was saying, what the fuck did he mean by her not wanting to see him? "Do you not remember the party?" He asked frustrated. She shook her head side to side, to which he rolled his brown eyes.

"Did I say anything bad?" Nancy asked. She felt like she at least should know what she did or said, she'd never been as wasted as she was last night, she had no control whatsoever on herself.

"Well, I mean everything's just bullshit apparently!" He shouted. "I'm bullshit. Our relationship is bullshit. And you apparently don't love me." He went on and on about what Nancy had said last night, each time it hurt ten times more. Each word he spoke his stare became even more blank, and his voice became slightly more monotone.

Nancy had no words to speak. She just stared at the ground, tears rushing to her eyes. She didn't know why she cared, or why she was starting to cry over this stupid boy. "What, you got something to say?" Steve asked, a sour tone in his voice.

"Steve." She spoke "Yeah? Go on?" Steve urged, prying at Nancy, trying to get whatever the fuck she has to say out of her. "Steve, we should break up." Nancy winced at the words that spilt from her mouth, as she looked back up at Steve, with no expression on his face, almost like he had expected this.

"Its about Johnathan, isn't it." Steve spoke as if he knew. "No, no. No its not about him Steve" She muttered barely above a whisper. "It's about Brea" She muttered underneath her breath, scared to look back up at Steve.

"What was that?" Steve asked, he had barely heard what the girl in front of him had said. "It's about Brea." She spoke a little louder this time, for Steve to hear what she said.

"But, Nance, Brea's a girl?" Steve questioned, once it hit him his expression softened. He slowly approached Nancy and put his arms around her. "Nance..." He spoke her name with a soft and sympathetic tone in his voice. He had only met a few queer people, but from what they had all told him he knew how hard it was to come out to someone you're close to, it sounded painful, just by the way they explained it.

"Its okay Nance..." He comforted her, as she cried into his shoulder. She looked up at Steve, a small and graceful smile on her face. "Thank you Steve," "No problem, Nance, thank you for telling me" He returned the smile.

They both went their separate ways after that. Steve returning to his gym class to beat the shit out of Billy Hargrove in Basketball, and Nancy went to her second class of the day, the one she skipped part of just to meet Steve outside of the large building.

Soon after she made it to her second class of the day, the bell had rung for lunch. She picked up her purse from beside her desk and made her way to the quiet library. She would spend most lunches in the library, just wanting a break from the student body.

Classes dragged on like usual, feeling like multiple hours - maybe around four or five - had passed since they had even left their wooden seats, when in reality it was roughly fifty minutes since they were able to leave their classes only to head to the next one.

Thankfully the bell had rang, allowing the noisy fourteen to eighteen year olds to exit their classes, gather their things, and leave the building. Nancy and Brea would be headed straight to the park after this to meet with the Holland family.

"Johnathan, please, we need a ride there and you're the only person I can think of that owns a car, that isn't Steve of course." Brea pleaded with her long term friend, he put a thought into it, and agreed. "Fine" he spoke plainly, Brea jumped up and down victoriously, which brought a smile to Johnathan's face.

Nancy had walked down the hallway to them, noticing the happiness in Brea's face. "What's up?" Nancy questioned the girl. "He agreed to tag along!" Nance cheered at the words Brea said, immaturely. The left the school, getting into Johnathan's car, and drove to the park they had told the Hollands to meet at.

The three of them sat down at a bench, conversing a little bit. Brea felt eyes boring into the back of her skull. There behind her, staring was a tall middle aged man walking his dog, staring at the three of them on a bench.

On the play set a few feet away in front of them was a younger mother, probably in between the ages twenty-nine to thirty-six playing with her two kids in the age range of three and six. She was staring at them.

All of the civilians seemed to be staring at them. They were nonetheless creeped out by everybody who was looking at them, who was watching to see their next move as if this were a game of chess. "This is totally not creepy! I love it when people stare at me!" Brea spoke uncomfortably.

"Should we just, go?" Johnathan asked them, Nancy nodded along with Brea. And with that they stood up and headed over to Johnathan's car.

The people watching them walked over to them, terrifying them even more then they were before. Their speeds increased as Johnathan, Nancy and Brea got into the car, in a rush. The three locked their doors - Brea having to lock both back doors due to her being the only one back there - and prayed they wouldn't break the windows.

Johnathan tried getting the car to start as people surrounded the car. The engine only gives a small sputter in protest. He gave up, resting his head on the steering wheel.

An older gentleman, likely fifty walked up to the car window, knocking lightly on the window with a polite look on his face. He had wrinkles on his face, and grey hair covering his face. Nancy rolled her window down slightly, only to hear what he had to say.

"What's the rush?" He asked, referring to how quick they entered the car. "Need a ride?" He spoke, realizing the car wouldn't start once he saw Johnathan with his head on the steering wheel. The regretfully accepted the man's kind offer, Nancy quickly hitting record on the recorder she had in her purse, and got into the mans car.

Once they entered the vehicle they had found out that the man's name was Dr. Owens, and that he worked for Hawkins Lab. Johnathan had recogniszed him to be the man who had been giving Will his treatments since he had returned from the upside down. He was a polite man, never had anything horrible to say.

The car ride to what they could only assume to be Hawkins Lab was quiet, dragging the car drive to feel even longer than it would've been. Dr. Owens driver had pulled into the parking lot of the Lab, allowing them to get out and enter the large industrial building with hesitance.

Their entire conversation had been recorded, from the tour, the car ride, the introduction, and to the interview in the holding rooms. They even had a confession where Dr. Owens had admitted to Hawkins Lab being involved in Barbra Holland's death, Nancy Wheelers best friend since the sixth grade.

Once they were allowed to leave, they were escorted back to the Wheeler's residence by Owen's personal driver. The car ride was once again silent, no one dared open their mouths or utter a single word. Brea and Johnathan hadn't been close to Barb, but Nancy on the other hand was incredibly close to the ginger haired girl.

They didn't want to say the wrong thing and emotionally send Nancy off the edge.

That very morning Nancy, Johnathan and Brea had left their conservative town of Hawkins for the residence of Murray Buaman. The private investigator the Holland's had hired to help solve the case of their missing daughter, and now the trio needed him too. They needed him to help with the utter destruction of Hawkins Lab.