𝐷𝑜𝑝𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛, 𝑂𝑥𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑛- 𝑅𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝐹𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑤𝑜- 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑦𝑡ℎ

Robin trembled over the phone like a mouse. Albeit her tall size, the woman felt nothing but small in the moment.

She had gained news from Steve of the exact date, and the time was ticking closer and closer to the reunion. Everything fearful was being feared- the change of heart, the possible hatred, the regret of Nancy Wheeler.
The landline rang completely still.

Buckley knew that she had to call her sooner or later, since the event she was required at started tomorrow, but the constant distraction and refusal to click in the numbers had swerved her off track.

After the initial sworn ignorance over the steps that had happened, each day bought more and more dawning dread upon Robin Buckley. She had no idea why it was hitting her now of all times, and she had tried to convince herself that she was overthinking things like she always did. However, it was a strange feeling to decipher.

Life was continuing as normal; the world hadn't ended, and Robin had strutted onwards in her path like there was no past and no present- but, the burning nag evolving at the back of her brain was overtaking her.

What if Nancy hated her? What if she had changed her mind like the woman had dreaded she would?

The possibility had repeated in her mind so many times that the words now seemed like a myth.

Nancy surely didn't hate her. She'd of already said something if she did... hopefully.

Actually, Robin didn't know what was worse- being oblivious to the hatred, or being awfully aware of it.

What she did know was that she needed to stop thinking. It wasn't possible, but she needed to at least try.

The first number was dialled.

The second.

The third.

The fourth.

So on...

...and so on.

The box started ringing; shrill tone echoing down the line as she waited.

She was in denial that she was nervous- that her legs were weak and her hands were beginning to tremble. It was unreasonable- completely stupid of her. She shouldn't of been acting like that, she knew so-

"Hello?"

"Hi, uh, Nancy- Steve's got a date at the, uh, roller rink? Tomorrow?"

"Uh- okay?"

"See you there?"

"I guess so-"

"It's at eight."

"Oka-"

Robin didn't mean to slam the phone down, but she ended up doing so anyway. The muscles in her arm had betrayed her, and she sighed at the truth.

She felt stupid for acting so impulsively, ashamed that this was her current reality. At least Nancy now knew the arrangements, so if she didn't turn up, Robin had the excuse that she had in fact told her, no matter how briefly.

It was so stupid.

She was so stupid.

It was all so stupid.

If only there was a way to completely delete it from her mind. To stop it influencing her actions, her thoughts, her memory. To reverse the effects it had created, to remove the guilt that surrounded.

It was almost certain that Nancy wasn't thinking upon it as much as Robin was. Not knowing anything about her feelings made it feel like she didn't care- that she was normal about it, completely unfazed. Was it normal to be that unbothered about something so serious?

Was it even that serious, in the grand scheme of things?

Robin didn't know. She still didn't know.

When the height of the moment had ended, Buckley turned towards the living room, leaving behind the wall mounted telephone in its cradle. She sauntered through and dropped herself onto the couch.

A pile of unofficially-rented VHS laid toppling on the television unit, balanced beside the blackened box with colourful outer-sleeves. She stared over to them, immediately recognising what was available.

It reminded her of the conversation that she had had with Steve in the car. The one about moving on- finding a new job away from all of the drama and truly starting again, no inter-dimensional horrors enclosed this time.

It had been guaranteed for the last few years, but now that it was hopefully over, there'd be no threat in starting another occupation.

At least they all hoped.

However, a fresh start wasn't easy to think about when the heat of the moment was so powerful.

Perhaps she would turn to the pages again.