Robin felt as if she'd made a mistake. No, Nancy hadn't said anything disapproving, but she also hadn't said anything of the opposite, either.
She was stuck in the middle, deciphering over the thought of whether she accepted, or whether she didn't. It made her feel quite inhuman, to be staggering on such an emotional tightrope. Yet again, Robin Buckley had messed things up with Nancy Wheeler.
Moments after Nancy had made the awkward reach of reassurance to her friend, the meeting had ended. Steve had been signalled, letting him know that they wanted closure, and goodbyes had been made.
And Robin regretted every bit of it.
She regretted how she went about telling her, how easily she had let it slip. How she promised that she'd find something else to tell, but nonetheless spoke it.
Another person had been added on to the list of knowing. It was now Mr Hauser, her beloved English teacher, Steve Harrington, her best friend, and Nancy Wheeler... who was probably yet again on less-than-a-friend basis.
It was hard work being a homosexual in the town of Nineteen-Eighties Hawkins- especially a homosexual in such a tight group.
The phrase of Nancy's reply repeated in her mind, overlapping and overlapping until it became merely just a jumble of words.
It had arrived directly after she had learnt the information of Steve's acceptance, so did she perhaps mean that? That it was good that Steve accepted because Robin didn't need any more hatred?
Or rather, she accepted, too?
Robin really didn't know, so when she had travelled home with Steve earlier on, they had met the front door for her to walk straight upstairs to sleep. She wasn't tired, just needed time alone to think.
Her jacket lay crumpled beneath her, clothes still twisted underneath the duvet. She had the material of the cover pulled tight to her chest and she continued to lay there, silence overwhelming the room.
No effort had been made to prepare for bed, or to say goodnight, she had simply just left.
Steve was still downstairs, rustling around in the kitchen and trying to stay as quiet as possible. She didn't know whether she wanted him to stay in the house, or to leave- but for now, she let him stay.
It bought a small ounce of comfort to have a close and accepting friend nearby when it felt like the whole world didn't.
She was thankful for Steve Harrington, even though she once swore that she'd never even get to know him at all.
The position that the woman was in soon became uncomfortable, heat rising at the sides and throwing a hot flush. It didn't take long before she decided to turn.
She twisted her torso, placing her lean onto her side... and then stopped.
Something hard was pushing into her thigh, denting into her skin and irritating her comfort. What the hell could it of been?
And then, it hit her. Shit.
As she reached down into her jacket pocket, Robin sighed a noise of irritation, screwing up her face in disappointment and grabbing the item in which she had found.
The ABBA cassette lay dead in her hands. Once a gift of thanks, now unused and late. So much for a sorry... what was the point if she'd completely forgotten?
It would have to be given another time. Maybe Nancy wouldn't think of her as a monster or anything alike if she came baring gifts? After all, evil people weren't gift givers... right?