Locked Out

Robin waves at Steve at her front door as he pulls out of her driveway. Her smile falls as she watches Steve's car disappear from her view down the road, turning onto some road she wasn't bothered to even remember. Shaking her head, she turns to the front door, sighing, she goes to fish her keys from her pants pocket.

        "Fuck." She silently curses to herself, realizing she left her house key inside, forgetting to grab it when she left. She groans and squats down, rubbing her face. Trying to remember if any of the windows were unlocked. She stands up and starts to kick up grass and mud as she moves around the front yard. 

       She wasn't going to lie to herself, ever since she was little. She had forgotten her house key. She sat at the curbside at times, waiting for her mom to get home. She sat on her doorstep sometimes.  Her neighbors, when they realize she's locked out of her house, have always offered for her to stay inside their house until her mom comes home. She always went back and forth between accepting and declining their offers. In some instances, once she got older and after the mall fire, she started hanging out with Max. Only getting close to her two weeks after the mall fire. 

         That was until she picked up the art of picking locks. On one particular day at the library, she found a book about lock picking. She studied and studied it. Robin wouldn't admit the skill, embarrassed about the reason why. On most days, she keeps some lock-picking items on her person.  Sighing, she starts to dig through her pockets to see if she has anything to pick at her front door, coming up with nothing, she moves towards her bag. Digging through it, searching its contents. 

         She gives a little “aha!” as she pulls the small kit out. She opens it, showing a lock pick and a bobby pin as the contents of the small kit. She crouches down to the door's deadlock and starts to pick it. Sticking out her tongue, her eyes narrowed, focused on picking the look of her home. She hears a car pull up, thinking not much about it, considering it was just her neighbor. She groans as her pick breaks, sucking in a breath through her teeth. 
      
           "Robin! What are you doing?" Robin's head snaps up to see Nancy Wheeler landing against a pillar, her head tilted and a look of curiosity etched onto her face. Robin looks back down to the lock and then pulls her hands away, clearing her throat.

        "It's not what it looks like," Robin rubs her hands on her thighs, her eyes darting around. She finally looks up towards Nancy, Nancy and she got close around the same time Max and Robin did. Robin is always hanging out with the gaggle of kids and Steve.       
        "I'm not breaking into a total stranger's home, I swear! It's just I forgot my keys, silly me, right? I just happen to know how to pick locks, you know? Like a boring hobby, anyways, I just needed to get inside, grab my keys, and go hang out with Max!" Robin rambled, her hands moving slightly as she talked. Nancy watched her, letting Robin ramble and try to explain herself.  Robin writhes her hands together, nervous.

         "Robin, don't your parents keep an extra key hidden around?" Quired Nancy, as she looked around then started at Robin, her eyebrow raised. Robin was quiet, trying to remember. Robin's eyes widen then shakes her head, her arms stretch over her knees and her head down. 

       "Noooo, One of Steve's children took it, probably Max or Dustin" Robin raises her arm, then her head, looking through the window of her arm up towards Nancy. "Most likely Max, she comes over a lot," Robin admits, shrugging slightly. Nancy sighs, shaking her head, and rubbing her forehead.

         "When is your mom going to be home?" Coaxed Nancy as she crossed her arms in front of her, staring at Robin expectantly. Robin collapses her hand and her head droops. 

         "My mom is on a business trip." Robin faltered, for a second, her voice small. Nancy sighs, placing a hand on her forehead. She crouches down and places a hand on Robin's shoulder. Nancy gives her a small smile and squeezes Robin's shoulder. Letting go, Nancy stands up, Robin shortly following. 

         "Come stay at my house for the night. It's getting late, and dark. We can come back tomorrow and try again." Nancy tried to convince Robin. Nancy looks at Robin expectantly, as Robin rubs the back of her head, trying to find a good excuse but couldn't. 

       "Sure, fine Nance. Let me just grab my bag. Tomorrow, I can grab my key from Max. To get in the house so I can grab mine.." Robin babbled, moving her hands slightly. Her eyes refused to meet Nancy's. She quickly goes to grab her bag and lock-picking kit. Fumbling slightly she quickly puts the kit back in her back and zips the bag closed. She gets up to see Nancy waiting where she was standing before, leaning against the pillar. Her face knitted into amusement, a small smile playing on her face. Robin furrows her eyebrows and jerks her head towards Nancy's car. 

        Nancy smiles and nods, pushing herself off the pillar. Robin throws a strap of her backpack on her shoulder, slowly following Nancy down the path going to her driveway. Nancy turns around to see Robin wiping her hands on her pants as she walks closer to the car. Nancy turns back to the car.

       Robin walks to the passenger side of the car as Nancy opens the driver's side. Robin slides the backpack strap down her arm after she rolls her shoulder, shouldering it off. 

       "You can throw your backpack in the back or put it on the floorboard at your feet," Nancy says, peering at her. Playing with the seatbelt across her. Robin climbs in, placing her bag at her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Nancy watching her, waiting. She turns and grabs the seatbelt and pulls it over here. Clicking it in, she turns to Nancy, who looks away turning to the steering wheel, turning the car on. Robin looks at the cassettes sitting in the glove box. She pulls out Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Take Me On, and Super Freak.

          "Really?!" She laughs, Nancy rolls her eyes, eyes focused in front of her as she peels out of the driveway. "Can I play this?" Robin holds Girls Just Want To Have Fun.  Nancy sighs and then nods. Smiling softly Robin happily pops the cassette in the radio. Robin belts out the lyrics as Nancy drives. Nancy couldn't help but smile. 

      Robin wasn't really paying attention, busy singing along to the songs. She didn't realize how close she was to the Wheeler's house. 

         "Robin! We are almost at my house," announced Nancy, who was looking at the singing girl. Robin looks over, and her singing ceases. Robin looks away quickly after locking eyes with the blue eyes. She felt her face heat up, realizing how pretty Nancy was. Her eyes, her face, her hair, it was so pretty to Robin. 

          "Cool, cool. Great! That's cool." Robin splutters, her fingers playing with her rings as Nancy pulls into her driveway, next to a family van.  She turns off the car and places the keys into her bag after taking them out of the ignition. She turns to Robin.

         "Ready to go inside?" Nancy asked, smiling as Robin nodded. Getting out of the car, she grabs her back places her bag on her shoulder, and slowly follows Nancy to the Wheeler's front door. She stops and waits for Nancy to open the door.