𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑦 ~ 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫

chapter four

chapter four
the lab

"Isaac! Isaac, I need your help." Isaac jumped at the sound of her voice.

"With?" Isaac turned, voice low in an attempt to appear cooler than he knew he was. The fact that she wanted his help was more than a shock to Isaac. No one ever wanted help from him. No one even wanted to help him.. it was a nice change for Isaac, so he jumped at the opportunity.

"Stop talking like that." Nancy said, furrowing her brows. "Just trust me. Alright?"

"Just trust you?" Isaac repeated, raising an eyebrow. Nancy bit her lip, embarrassment flashing across her face as she nodded. "Okay."

Nancy blinked, a flash of confusion crossing her features. She shook the thought away before it could even fully process, waving for him to follow her.

"Where are we going- Nance, if you need help with Harrington-"

"No!" Nancy answered quickly, "I mean, no. No, we're.. kind of in a fight right now."

"Oh." He pretended he didn't know, his mind flashing to the previous night, how they'd gone into the bathroom together and Steve had left looking a little more than heartbroken.

Isaac would never say it out loud, especially to Nancy, but apart of him was happy to see him in that state. Not because he'd have a chance with Nancy if they'd broken up, he knew that that would never be possible for him, but because Steve finally got the karma he deserved.

~~

"This is what you needed help with?" Isaac whispered harshly to Nancy as readjusted how he sat. "Watching kids?"

"I didn't make you do this." Nancy shrugged, glancing at Jonathan as he wiped his sweaty hands on his denim jeans.

"I'm not letting you do this alone." He answered, turning his head to Jonathan. "Sorry, man."

Jonathan tilted his head, brows furrowing is confusion, part of him wondering why Isaac was even there in the first place. Why Nancy was even friends with him, though he felt guilty thinking about that. "Wait, wha-"

"It's fifteen past." Nancy interrupted, looking up from her watch.

"Yeah, I know. I know. Just- uh- Just give him time." Jonathan stammered, anxiously looking around the park.

"Who?" Isaac questioned, suddenly becoming aware of the amount of eyes on the three of them.

"That guy, there." Nancy leaned into him, subtly pointing to a man who sat alone at a table with a newspaper. Isaac's breath hitched in his throat as she rested her hand on his bicep, glancing up at him. "You see him?"

When Isaac nodded, Nancy pulled away and continued. "He just... he talked to himself."

"Shit," Jonathan muttered, quickly looking away as he made brief eye contact with him. "Look away."

"I think we should go." Nancy whispered, eyes darting to Jonathan's car. Isaac nodded, standing and shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. The jacket that used to be his grandfather's from the fifties, one that his grandma was reluctant to let him have.