𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

005. Best Friend.

       

      VAL TRIED so hard to follow along with what Will was talking about, with Robin chiming in a couple times. But all she can think of was Stephanie right now. She was so worried for her little sister, that she couldn't focus on what they were talking about at all. She stared at the cup of coffee in her hands between her thighs in her lap, thinking of Steph, and not hearing the story about Will and Robin finding out that Derek was Vecna's next target.

She glanced up just then, seeing Nancy's gaze was on her. The Wheeler girl was staring at her worriedly so all she did was sit up and give a small smile. Nancy's brows furrow and Val's smile faded. Over the past year and half, her friendship with Nancy had changed a lot. Like, a lot. Nancy calls her often just to talk about random things, they get coffee or lunch together on the weekends, just to sit and talk with one another. Sometimes just to sit together and not talk. It's nice, having a friend.

All Val had was Steve. And the cheerleaders, but that was different. They had to hang out. Nancy shares her articles that she finds interesting, Valerie shows her books she's completed that week, and sometimes they talk about college and their excitement for when they do finally get out of Hawkins and live their lives. It's like whatever Val originally thought of Nancy was completely gone, same with vice versa.

One late evening they were sitting together and talking in Nancy's car after watching a movie with Jonathan and Robin at Nancy's, after she drove Robin home, they sat in Val's driveway talking about it all. The Wheeler had admitted she still can't believe that she thought that Steve and Valerie were a thing, to which the Smith replied, "God, I know, like, I love Steve and all, but not like that." The Wheeler had laughed and admitted it wasn't because she still felt something for Steve, she just felt a little intimidated by Val, that she was better than her.

"I guess I kinda thought I was easily replaced." She had told Val and the girl replied with, "no one could ever replace Nancy Wheeler." She said her name the same way Robin does. To which the girl just timidly smiled back to. She loved those talks with Nancy, it made them closer, and often, Nancy was able to read her mind so easily in a way no one but Robin and Steve could. Like right now, her brows drawn in worry, but all Valerie could think was your parents are in the hospital, I am the least of your worries right now. Yet Nancy still was worried.

Val just gave Nancy a small smile again before glancing over at Will, tuning back into the conversation once again. "Derek? Derek Turnbow? As in the Turnbow family? Like Turnbow Realty?" Steve was asking now. "The one and only." Robin replied, but her eyes aren't on Steve, she's staring at Val seated between the Harrington and Dustin.

"Whole family's a menace." Lucas quips. "How can you be sure? Sure that Derek's the next target?" Nancy now asked, looking over at Will. "Because I saw. I've learned that when I'm close enough to the hive mind, I can tap into it, into Vecna's mind, I can see who he's targeting. The first time it happened, I saw through Holly's eyes, the same day she was taken. And this morning, it happened again. Only this time, I wasn't Holly. I was someone else. I was Derek Turnbow. I'm positive." The Byers explains.

"Hold on, I'm a little lost." Steve said and Dustin glanced over. "Shocking." He remarks and Val looks at him, brows furrowed. "Um, so am I," she said so Dustin looks at her, now apologetically, "were you seeing through the eyes of Vecna or of Derek?" She now asked, looking at Will who was standing there, hands on his hips. "Both." He replied, "I... I was Vecna, but inside Derek's mind." He explained.

"Oh, right, because Vecna's like a psychic serial killer." Val said, gesturing around, glancing up at Steve as she did. "Exactly." Robin nodded to her girlfriend who glanced over at her again. "He stalks his victims, but he does it by invading their minds." The Buckley explains. "That's what he did with Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, and Max." The Smith said, her breath hitching as she spoke so she raised her mug to take a sip of her coffee, leaning back into the couch.