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The radio station door swung open with a screech as Robin burst through, clearly annoyed.
“This isn’t a social call kiddos, let’s go!” she yelled, waving her hands for everyone to follow her inside.
The air buzzed with urgency as everyone sat down. Robin’s mind was already racing, cataloging dangers, trying to make sense of the new chaos that her and Will discovered not too long ago.
That was… until she saw Nancy.
Nancy. Sitting there in a candy striper uniform. The red and white stripes, the neat collar… it hit Robin all at once, sharp and unexpected.
Why? When? How? None of it mattered. Her brain stalled out on everything except Nancy.
It was the same uniform Vickie wore at the hospital, but Vickie barely crossed her mind.
It was Nancy.
Her crush on Nancy—dormant but never truly gone—sparked back to life, hotter and more confusing than ever.
Damn it.
As Will explained how Derek was Vecna’s next target, Robin tried to focus—really tried. Lives were at stake. But her eyes kept drifting.
Nancy was sitting by Jonathan.
37 crawls. 37 times Nancy had sat beside her.
Robin stole quiet glances, taking in the way the stripes curved over Nancy’s shoulders, the way her hair framed her face just right. After everything they’d been through, Nancy still had a way of looking effortlessly beautiful.
The drone of Will’s voice faded into a hum as he explained the plan to kidnap Derek and his family for safety, and maybe find Holly along the way.
But then, as Will moved to the projector, everyone shifted.
This time, she took a seat near Robin. Sitting right behind her, close enough that Robin could almost feel Nancy’s hand resting on the back of her chair.
Robin kept her back to Nancy, playing it cool, acting like her full attention was on Operation: Save Derek.
But her mind kept drifting back… back to that day at the library.
The way Nancy had looked at her made Robin’s thoughts about her being a priss melt away. It was almost like she’d finally found out her secret in making everyone fall in love with her.
God… was that when the crush really started? Or was that just when she finally admitted it to herself?
No. This was wrong.
She had Vickie. Sweet, normal, kind Vickie.
She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about Nancy like this.
But god, this crush—it was worse than the time she’d dressed up like Tom Cruise just to make Nancy look her way a little longer. Was this the universe’s way of punishing her for teasing Nancy about that ridiculous poster?
Robin rubbed her temples, trying to wipe Nancy from her brain. A girl who was clearly straight. Clearly her best friend’s long-standing crush. Clearly Jonathan’s at this very moment. And clearly… not Vickie.
She finally snapped out of it when Mike raised a solution to some holes in Will’s plan. Everyone started moving, gathering around the table to discuss.
There were monsters to fight. Children to save. And… a completely confusing, candy-striper-clad Nancy Wheeler to ignore.
Or at least, try to.