𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 ✯ steve harrington¹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 : breaking and entering

WORD COUNT : 6.6k

"Hey..." The single word came out as a raspy whisper from Nancy's lips as she approached Owen in the gym lobby. Nancy pressed her back against the same wall that Owen had slid down to meet her on the floor, sitting so close they could feel the other's warmth. Using the ends of her sleeves, Owen had made quick work of any tears left on her cheeks as soon as Nancy stepped into the room with her. As if Nancy wouldn't immediately notice the pink end of her nose or the puffiness of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying," Owen breathed, feeling the traitorous tears reignite now that Nancy was here. Despite Owen's worries, Nancy just let out a long sigh – one that sounded like it had been held deep within her lungs for a while now. Hesitantly, Owen glanced over at Nancy, whose eyes were fixed blankly on the floor in front of them.

"No, don't worry about it," Nancy reassured her, shaking her head. "I'm just glad someone else knew her. Like, really knew her. With you here, there's another person who saw her as more than just someone you walked past in the hallway or flipped over in the yearbook," Nancy explained with a sniffle.

That tightness returned to Owen's throat as she listened to Nancy describe Barb's existence at Hawkins High. She was never going to be one of the Carol Perkins or Steve Harrington types. Hell, she probably wasn't ever going to be a Nancy Wheeler type, either. Perhaps that's why Barb and Owen connected so quickly that day in chemistry. With their popularity track records, they were likely destined to be skipped over names and faces in the school's yearbook. Their memories of one another were likely going to be the only proof that they even attended that school. That is, if things hadn't gone so horribly wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Nancy," Owen murmured, her arms extending towards Nancy in a rare initiation of a hug. The brunette immediately leaned into Owen's open arms, finding a way to wind her own limbs tightly around her in response. Owen rested her cheek atop Nancy's head, feeling a few tears slip out and roll downwards to meet soft brown hair. Nancy's small frame shuddered beneath Owen's arms, quaking with the power of silenced sobs.

The two girls sat like that for a while, allowing the tears to finally flow freely. If you had told either girl back in October that this was their fate in just a month's time, they would have laughed in your face. However, having been through nearly every step of that insane process together, Owen and Nancy just felt lucky to have each other. Having someone who even minutely understands your plight makes carrying the weight of it all so much easier.

The girls' tears had become dried stains on their cheeks when Hopper, Joyce, and Jonathan burst into the lobby. Owen and Nancy had practically leapt out of their skin at the intrusion, but were left in utter confusion as the three merely barreled out into the parking lot. Where would any of them be headed at a time like this? Nancy and Owen turned to each other slowly, quietly listening out for any bits of information that could filter through the walls.

Make it back,

You stay,

My son,

Joyce!

The sound of an engine revving and headlights shining into the gym's lobby put an end to the conversation outdoors. Only fragments of shouted conversation had made their way to Owen and Nancy's ears, but the girls hoped that they had heard something wrong. Surely, Joyce and Hopper weren't just leaving them alone there.

Unfortunately, the sound of wheels squealing away from the school confirmed their suspicions. The freshness of the sound hadn't even left their minds yet when Jonathan stepped back into the building, slamming the door behind him. His expression was just as forlorn as the girls' as he slid down the wall beside Nancy to meet them on the floor. The three of them sat in silence for a moment, completely unsure of what to do next. After all, it seemed like they were suddenly on babysitting duty.