like i can \/ nancy wheeler

xix. bohemian rhapsody

"mama, life had just begun, but now i've gone and thrown it all away."
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"PARTY AT BENNY'S, BOYS!" screamed Jason as they hit the parking lot, the cold wind hitting Colby like a bus. He shivered a little, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You coming, Martin?" asked Jason eagerly. "Come on, MVP!"

"I'm good." laughed Colby, shaking the suggestion off. "I'm not really interested in getting drunk tonight, boys."

"Are you ever?" groaned Patrick jokingly, before shoving Colby lightly on the shoulder. "Goodnight, Martin."

Colby waved to them before heading over to his car and getting in, resting his head on the wheel. He'd felt especially lonely ever since Reese and Jaden graduated, leaving him behind. They'd moved as far away from Hawkins as possible.

A loud knocking on his window scared him, and he looked up to see Nancy standing on the passenger side of his car, waving wildly at him. He rolled his eyes, smiling at her, before opening the door. "Hey, Nance."

"Great game, Colb!" she exclaimed, sliding into his passenger seat. "Your name is gonna be all over the front page."

"Courtesy of you, I assume." he motioned towards her, smiling a little.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is." she shrugged, twisting curls in her hair around her finger as she looked down. "I'm biased."

"Are you now?" remarked Colby, fighting off the sudden urge to lean forward and capture her lips with his own. He swallowed thickly.

"I wish it wasn't like this every year," she said suddenly, motioning between them, "the silence and then the recovery. And now it's just us— no Jonathan."

"It wouldn't have been like this if you hadn't just... disappeared." mumbled Colby, turning to look out his window.

"What did you expect me to do," Nancy scoffed, "third wheel you and Chrissy Cunningham? Yeah, I'm sure I would've enjoyed that."

"No." he replied sternly. "You could've talked to me."

"How was I supposed to when every time I saw you, she was clinging onto you like you were her goddamn life support? It's total bullshit."

"So, what, I'm not allowed to have a girlfriend if you don't agree to it?" scoffed Colby, shaking his head. He watched as Nancy turned to look out the window, and his anger quickly subsided. "How is Jonathan?" he queried, the urge long gone as he sighed and turned to look out the window.

"I have no idea." Nancy shrugged, leaning her head back against the seat.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't talked to him either," shrugged Nancy again, "you know, for like two seconds when we first fought the Demogorgon, I thought I liked him. But then... I realized... it was gone by the next school year. It wasn't there last summer. It wasn't there when El told me... well..."