The Stancy Files

Chapter 15: The New Girl

     Over the next few weeks, Nancy was hardly allowed out of her house, only for school and going out with her mother. Steve got to say hello and talk to her a few times after dropping Robin off at school, but other than that, there wasn't even much of a relationship between the two. Eventually, Steve got tired of not being able to see his more-than-a-friend-but-not-technically-girlfriend. Nancy also got tired of it and finally asked her mother."I know you don't want me to go anywhere, and I understand. But can I please go out with Robin? I haven't been able to spend time with her in weeks." Karen Wheeler eyed her daughter suspiciously. "Nancy, you can see your friends at school. That's the only social time you're allowed, and you know that. No going anywhere with anyone until after you graduate." Nancy stared at her mother, so angry that she had no words. She walked up the stairs with a determined look on her face. She didn't know how yet, but she would find a way to spend time with Steve. 

A knock came from the front door. "Mrs. Wheeler? Nancy? Mike? Is anyone home? It's Robin! Robin Buckley!" Karen ran to open the door. "Robin, hello! I'm so sorry but Nancy can't go out! I don't know if she's told you or not, but she can't go out until after graduation. You will just have to hang out another time." Robin was about to roll her eyes, but she realized it probably wouldn't go over well with the older woman. "Oh yes, I knew that. Sorry. I was actually wondering if I could come in. I mean... we can just spend time here... if that's okay with you... Mrs. Wheeler?" Karen blankly stared into space. "Yes. Yes, I suppose that's okay for now. Come in. Nancy is upstairs." Just as the woman was looking outside, she spotted a familiar boy's face in the car parked on the road. "Is that Steve Harrington? What is he doing here? Nancy isn't allowed to date! If that boy doesn't stop coming around-" Robin cut her off. "Pfff, Steve? He's not here for Nancy, Mrs. Wheeler. He was dropping me off. I don't have a car or a license." Karen turned around to face the girl she had just let into her home. "Oh, I'm sorry then. Are you dating him? I'd run away fast if I were you. He doesn't treat the nice girls so well. He turns them into little slu- I mean bad girls. He turns them into bad girls." Robin's face became stern as the woman continued to talk shit about her best friend. "Steve isn't like that. I don't know where in the world you got all of that fake sassy crap from, but you don't know him, Mrs. Wheeler. And if I'm being honest, I'm glad you don't. I'm not dating him and I don't want to. Ever. But not because of any wacky old woman reason you just pulled out of your ass. Don't go spreading lies and rumors around, Mrs. Wheeler, because they will come back to haunt you. Believe me, I know." 

      As soon as the last words left her mouth, Robin started up the stairs, yearning to escape the conversation with the woman she had just met. She stormed into Nancy's room, shutting the door as fast as she could. "Nancy! Oh my god- your mother is insane! She doesn't even know Steve and she's rattling all of these crazy rumors about him to me telling me not to date him. Not that it matters because I'm gay anyways, but she is a crazy woman! God, I didn't believe you when you said some things about her before, but this is just stupid. And now this new girl is coming to visit Steve at Family Video daily and this is way too much stuff for my mind to handle!" Many mixed emotions displayed across Nancy's face: anger, shock, hurt, peace, and betrayal. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Slow down. Someone new is coming to visit Steve at work? Every day? Why haven't you mentioned this to me, Robin? She's going to come in between us!" Robin pulled her hands to her head as she began to pace frantically. "I'm sorry, Nance. It's nothing, I think. Steve doesn't have feelings for her- only for you- but that goddamn girl is relentless! I swear to god I'm going to chase her around with tar and feathers if she keeps showing up at my work just to see him!" She ran to Nancy's windows and filed her fingers through the blinds. The window opened seconds later, only for her to shout down at the car she'd just gotten out of. "Steve! Get your ass up here!" 

Nancy's mind ran in circles as she waited for her friend to climb up the side of the house. Two legs thrust through the windows and Robin and Nancy helped Steve up. He recognized the worried look on Nancy's face and immediately knew something was up. "Nance, what's wrong?" She couldn't meet his eyes. Robin answered for her friend. "I- I told her about the girl seeing you at Family Video every day. Nancy deserved to know. And it's not like you could've told her yourself without getting murdered by her parents." He walked over to Nancy, trying to reassure her. "Nance, nothing's going on, I swear. You know I wouldn't do that to you. I know you know that. She's just new to Hawkins and doesn't understand that we're together. I'm working to try to fix that." Nancy laughed humorlessly. "New to Hawkins? If I were her, I'd be running from Hawkins." Silence fell throughout the bedroom. "What's her name?" Steve was confused. "What?" Her eyes finally met his. "The girl who's been coming to see you. What's her name?" He blinked, unphased. "Melissa Campbell. She's asked me out three times." Nancy began to panic on the inside so much that a knot of anger and anxiety formed inside her stomach. "No- it can't be her. No way that bitch would come back." She mumbled to herself. Steve shook one of her shoulders. "Nancy, hey! Earth to Nancy!" Robin rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous. If that girl comes in one more time, I'm going to tar and feather her! I guess I have to go to the store today! Steve, we have to leave soon. We have to go get tar and feathers!" The chaos in the eldest Wheeler's bedroom escalated. "Fucking Melissa! I'm going to murder that bitch!" Nancy shouted. Robin was now passionate about hurting the girl as well. "What did she do, Nance? How do you know her?" Nancy had her angry face on. "She was my nemesis in middle school. She bullied Barb and Mike and tried to ruin everything good I ever had. She left Hawkins, but now I guess she's back. I'm going to fucking hurt her if she keeps messing with me." 

Steve tried to calm her down by taking her hand and sitting down on the bed with her. "Nance, she can't mess with us this way. She's trying to make you angry. I get it, I do. But we can't let her win. Just ask your mom to take shifts again. I'm sure Keith won't complain and we can make her jealous." Nancy breathed out long, held in breaths. "Okay, okay, you're right. But if she comes for me at school it's over. I'm going to go after her." Robin wasn't calm in the slightest. "No! We have to fight back! We have to tar and feather her! Slice the tires on her car! Pour the permanent dye into her shampoo! Anything! We have to fight!!" A slow smirk spread across Nancy's face. "If it gets worse, I'm all in." Steve was now trying to calm down his hyper best friend. "Robin! Robin, stop it! We're not fighting anyone! Do you know how many bad things could happen? To us? To Nancy?"

 A banging came from the other side of Nancy's door. "Nancy Carolyn Wheeler! Do you have a boy in that room?!" Nancy panicked and her eyes flickered to Robin and then to Steve. "No, mom! Just Robin, she's a little over-excited!" Robin flung her friend's closet doors open and shoved Steve inside while Nancy ran over to open her bedroom door. Karen came stomping in and looked around, thankfully never spotting the messed-up blinds hanging over the opened window. She stared at Nancy's friend. "You have some nerve, Robin Buckley. Keep the noise down. My husband is trying to sleep." Nancy rolled her eyes, knowing that her father was just watching some random sports game on the television from his lazy-boy downstairs. As soon as her mother closed the door, Nancy rushed to her closet. Steve stepped out immediately, almost walking on top of her. Robin chuckled with a big grin on her face. "I should probably go. Your mom seems pretty pissed, but Steve can stay. I'm going to need his car anyways to go... uhh to the store to get some snacks." Nancy gave a cute, higher-pitched giggle. "Okay, well hurry back before he regrets letting you take his car." Robin nodded and left the room after forcing Steve's car keys away from him. 

Nancy sighed, sitting back on the bed. "I wish girls weren't so mean sometimes."

Steve laughed, sitting next to her, taking her hand in his. "Yeah, me too, Nance. Me too."