𝐷𝑜𝑝𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛, 𝑂𝑥𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑛- 𝑅𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒- 𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡?

After staring solemnly at whatever she could set her eyes upon, it didn't take long for Robin Buckley to fall into a deep state of slumber.

-

Just as predicted, the next morning, the sun was out and shining hotter than ever. The heat radiated from the windows, filling the rooms with a thick layer of temperature. It had led to the movements of the one woman in the house to be quite slow; the motivation to get up and move being in the lowest ranks. Thankfully, Keith, their manager, had let the two workers open up shop a few hours later than their usual time, so the morning was taken slowly, one step at once.

The toaster on the counter was going to pop at any moment. Robin stood slightly tilted against the cabinets, hands in trouser pockets and loosened tie around neck. Her plans before work- which was still looming a few hours away- was to give a generous dollop of peanut butter to the crisping bread and ponder the world until it was finished and she was no longer filled with the morning hunger. Nothing had gone wrong as of then, and just on cue, the toaster popped its load.

The agenda seemed to be empty from then on out, but as Robin stood in silence after spreading the bland-coloured topping on her breakfast, another task sprung to the front of her mind.

As promised the night previous, and following in the lines of what the three of them had agreed on on that one random evening, Buckley allowed her leave from the side of the counter as she finished the last bite of toast. She took a few steps through the empty house, heading directly towards the nearest wall-mounted telephone.
Robin's parents had left for work a few hours before their daughter had even stirred, so loudness levels and privacy weren't an issue on the upcoming conversation.

In a matter of seconds the woman had come into contact with the yellowing plastic of the hallway communication device. She consulted the minuscule notebook on the knee-height table placed underneath, and once she'd spotted her target, Robin started dialling. It took a while to plot all of the numbers, seen as co-ordination wasn't her strong-suit, but once all was completed and ready, she tensed herself, propping her tired body against the wall.

The line buzzed.

And buzzed again.

And-

"Byers residence. Joyce speaking."

Robin smiled at the newfound contact. The woman who answered was one of which she hadn't spoken to for ages, and even though the two didn't converse on the regular, the younger was quite a fan of the older. Perhaps it was the motherly aura that surrounded her constantly, or perhaps the warmth that also came along with it. Whichever it was, Robin Buckley knew that she'd always liked Joyce Byers.

"Hi," She spoke, tone cheery, "Ms Byers- it's Robin."

"Oh, hello, Robin! And please, call me Joyce."
The woman on the other end chuckled. She'd told Robin multiple times before to talk to her on a first name basis, but seen as it was the first found contact in a while, Buckley opted for politeness, not safety. "What brings you to this end of the phone?"

"Well, I was wondering if Nancy was around? It's okay if not- nothing serious- but we could do with her advice on something, if that's okay?"

"Yes, yes of course. Give me a moment, I'll go and fetch her. But while I've got your attention- we should catch up sometime... you're quite the enjoyable company, did you know? Coffee when we all get back to Hawkins?"

"That sounds wonderful, thank you."

"Alrighty, sweetheart- I'll go and grab her for you."

Robin pursed her lips as movement on the line went quiet. The wait seemed painful, delicate seconds passing slowly by. She hoped that she hadn't had to disturb Nancy in any way, but didn't let herself think on it. After all, she'd do anything to stop Steve's constant whittling of the subject.

"Hey. It's Nancy."

"Hi, hey, uh- it's Robin. I was wondering if I could have a quick word?"

"Yeah, I have some time."

"Perfect- I, um, heard you're coming back into town soon?"

"Yeah, thank goodness... It's starting to bare its weight over here."

Robin blinked. Normally Nancy liked spending time with the Byers- Jonathan specifically.

"Is it true that you're all moving back over here? I've heard rumours."

"Not that I've heard of. Just a visit. Hop and Joyce have been talking, though."

"Great, that's great! How are you and Jonathan getting along, also?"

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

The previous question was cut short, but the woman thought nothing of it. It was go time.

"No, actually. I wanted to ask if you could help with some advice? Don't tell them I said this, but everyone's advice over here is complete bull."

Nancy laughed at the end of the receiver.
"Yeah, I've heard that one before. What can I help you with?"

"Okay, so, theoretically speaking, what would you say to someone who's practically begging for a relationship, but keeps getting stood up, or things just constantly don't work out?"

A momentary pause filled the air.

"Well, I'd say to be yourself, and not to worry about what happens. Something will come up eventually, and that something will also eventually work out."

"That's exactly what I've been saying!-"

"Oh, so it's not advice for you?"

"No." Robin nearly snorted in disbelief. "Sadly, I am not yet putting myself out on the line like that."

"Who's wanting help with a relationship then- one of the teens?"

"Also sadly not... It's actually Steve. I didn't want to initially tell you that it's Steve, seen as he's your ex, etcetera etcetera, but, you know, my ears are practically bleeding from it and I need to shut him up somehow."

"Interesting."

"Yep."

"Well... how about we talk more about it when I get home?"

Robin paused.
"Oh! Yeah, sure...of course."

"Alright, speak to you later, Robin."

"Uh... yeah, okay... bye!"

The line died instantly, leaving Robin to stare in a slight confusion. Nancy wasn't normally the type to hang up so quickly after saying she had the time to talk, but Buckley decided not to spiral over the matter. After all, it was life, they were people, and people got distracted sometimes.