Number eleven

Over the course of the next week, Nancy’s continued to acknowledge that her awkward interaction with Robin Buckley was nothing more than just that, an awkward interaction. She had woken up that next day to find that she had gotten her period and so she held her brief past deluded thoughts to that.

She did not see the girl around campus or in the library, where she was currently spending an extended amount of time during exam week, and had honestly pretty much forgotten about the entire thing anyways.

“Nancy, can you please call Mom back”, Mike had said at the other end of the line. Nancy knew it was serious because her brother never called about something that could be put into a text. Nancy scoffed back, “I did, like a hundred times, she keeps trying to get me to come back for Halloween and I told her no, because it’s just a week, and I have so much work to catch up on anyway and now she’s asking if I’m staying in Boston for Christmas too? Like I mean?”, she finished exasperated.

She had been going back and forth with her mother with this same topic since she had left for university over a year ago. Karen Wheeler seemed to think that Nancy choosing a university very far away from home was all a part of Nancy’s getaway plan and was convinced that Nancy would either never come home or would return out of the blue ten years later with a buzzed head the shade of neon green and more piercings on her face than the number of bones in her body.

Nancy had had to remind her mother that she was going to Boston, not Berlin, to which her mother responded in a panic saying she had no idea what that meant.

Just to ease her mind, in her freshman year Nancy had gone home for every break and extended weekend. Her dad paid for the flights most of the time and it only took a couple of hours on the plane, but this year Nancy had felt given her increase in workload, that it was rather excessive and told her mother that she would not be coming home for the Halloween break. That hadn’t been a happy conversation especially since it had coincided with exam week and Nancy had to make the very difficult and dangerous decision to mute her Mom’s calls and messages.

“YOU MUTETED MOM?”, Mike had roared, laughing annoyingly hard when she had told him. “Oh my God shut up, Mike”, his laughter made her feel like she was well and truly done for. She decided she would call her mom after her final exam later today.

“What would you have done? Anyway, what if I had plans for Halloween?!”, she had countered, it was always nice seeing her family when she went home but after a day or two, she would just end up driving aimlessly around her boring town, just to get out of the house, counting down the days until she got to go back.

“Yeah, we both know you don’t have plans”, Mike had said placidly, in a way that said he was not even trying to make fun of Nancy, that he was just stating the truth.

“Yeah, but still.”, she said rolling her eyes like Mike could see. “But still, what? Anyway actually, don’t shoot the messenger but guess what?”, he had said very quickly, Nancy did not want to guess.

“What? And Mike please don’t give me bad news I have an exam in like twenty minutes”, she pleaded, but her brother had just said “Well I guess it depends on the way you take it”.

Then he had absolutely totalled her with the news that Jonathan had a new girlfriend, that Will had told him and though he hadn’t actually seen them together or anything, he had been pretty sure that’s who he would spend hours to talking to on the phone after he got home from college every day.

Nancy had tried to seem like she didn’t care, she had. She also told Mike he ought to stop gossiping like a married woman and had hung up a few minutes later, telling him she had to go make it to her exam.

She didn’t care, she really didn’t care. I mean why would she? It wasn’t like Nancy had refused to go out with Ellie and Alana every time they had mentioned that Nancy needed to just go out and sleep with someone (‘anyone!!’). It wasn’t like she had held herself back so she could try to properly process the end of a long relationship or anything.

No, no Nancy did not care that Jonathan had seemed to have moved on so very quickly while Nancy was making a prude of herself. She had walked into the lecture hall where she was taking her exam in a very sullen mood, and she had to fight very hard to temporarily push every violent thought she was having about her ex to the back of her mind and remember anything she had studied so she didn’t fail.

*

She had never been more grateful for a test to be over. She hadn’t even read over her work, she had just sat  there staring impatiently at the clock, thinking about the Thai she would be enjoying later, trying not think about the scenario in her head she had made up of Johnathan’s new girlfriend listening to his music playlists and complimenting them, knowing she had been the reason he had an amazing music taste.

She tried not to sigh then, when she saw Mr Brown standing outside the lecture hall, congratulating every student that left. She brought up the rear of her class thinking that it was quite sweet of him really, he did it after every one of his tests, but Nancy didn’t know if she could stand his overly bubbly personality at the moment, and of course he’d be dying to talk about- yeah.

Mr Brown had just caught her eye, and of was beaming wildly, waving this month’s issue of the daily free press open on the sport section. Nancy could see the picture of Robin she had taken.

“Nancy!”, he had almost yelled, as Nancy reached him in this inconveniently busy corridor. She had to say his energy was extremely infectious that she found herself unconsciously smiling. “Well firstly, congratulations on completing the mid-term”, he had inclined his head almost bowing. “But well!”, he had said, barely a second later, clearly not being able to bottle his excitement, shoving the paper into her hands and pointing aggressively at her column. “Nancy! This. Is. Amazing!”, he had said, looking down at her like a very proud dad. Nancy hadn’t been able to get in a thank you before he was speaking again.

“I mean, you’ve come so far since the first piece you wrote, and I will say you still have a lot to learn, especially in the bias area”, Nancy felt herself blush and he just smirked at her, “But this is amazing work Nancy, seriously keep it up! That Buckley sure is something though, eh?”, he said now rocking on the balls of his feet.

“Thank you, Sir,”, Nancy said finally, “-and yeah she’s pretty good”, she said trying to sound indifferent. “Yeah, she is! You know, I don’t watch Hockey, more of a b-ball guy myself haha- but you’re writing made me want to, and that’s- “, he said, pausing for what he must have assumed was dramatic effect. “Is what it’s all about.”, Nancy found herself blushing once more, and was about to extend her thank you again when Mr Brown said “Ah! Speak of the devil, eh?”, and Nancy’s heart dropped right down to her ass.

She turned around to follow her lecturer’s line of vision just to see, to her horror, Robin Buckley herself, in the flesh walking towards them through the mass of students making their way out of their mid-term’s.

She was wearing what looked like a navy hoodie with a white t-shirt over it that had a picture of David Bowie on the front and a pair of straight jeans, her hair was tied up into a messy short ponytail and this was all really important information Nancy felt the need to lodge into her brain for some reason.

“Hello Robin!”, Mr Brown said smiling, as she approached, he had begun rocking on the balls of his feet again. “Hi Mr Brown, Nancy”, she said offering a little wave, inclining her head in their direction as she said their names. Nancy wondered vaguely how she knew him.

“We were just talking about you”, Mr Brown had said, and Nancy wished he hadn’t said it like that.

“Oh yeah?”, Robin responded, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, she glanced very quickly at Nancy before looking back at the lecturer. “Yes!”, he said smiling, “More specifically your recent match, I was just saying how much of a brilliant job Nancy did with her column on it, I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to read it.

Oh, dear God, no please.

“I actually have”, said Robin, she looked at Nancy again, “You’re a really great writer, Nancy”, she said with a soft smile. Nancy could have just died right there, but she just smiled and said, “Thank you Robin, that’s really kind of you to say.”, in the most business casual way she could manage.

“She really is.”, said Mr Brown nodding, he seemed to be very happy that Nancy and Robin were getting along. “Very good indeed, she’s come so far you know”, he said like Nancy was his daughter, “And so have you!”, he said to Robin, clapping her on the shoulder, “-keep up the good work ladies, keep up- “, he stopped abruptly as his watch began to play a happy tune, undoubtedly an alarm.

“Oh! Sorry girls, I’ve got to run”, he said, if possible, getting more excited, “I’m driving back to Connecticut now, you see my wife and I are childless (by choice!), so we spend every Halloween binge watching movies instead of walking around random neighbourhoods in the cold, and this year it’s Star Wars!”.

“That sounds like so much fun, Sir!”, Nancy said enthusiastically “Woah, great! Star Wars is great”, said Robin with the exact same enthusiasm.

“Yeah, it’s the best really, well, See, you in November haha, Happy Halloween ladies!”, and with that, he bolted away, half walking, half skipping out of the building, leaving Nancy and Robin standing there.

“I love him”, Robin said suddenly, and Nancy was thrown slightly off guard, she had expected an awkward silence. She looked up at her, to she was looking at the spot Mr Brown had just disappeared from. For some reason Nancy found this really funny.

“Me too, he’s just so happy about everything”, she added. She didn’t know if she should start walking or?

Robin nodded, “You heading to lunch?”, she said looking down at her, her eyes, Nancy noted since she was apparently really observant all of a sudden, were as piercing as the last time she had looked into them.

“Yeah, I need food after that exam”. Robin hummed in agreement. And the pair started walking out of the building towards the dining hall.

“What do you have Kev for?”, Robin asked as they reached the outside of the building. It was so lovely and bright out, that Nancy didn’t answer immediately. The Boston Fall air was so lovely and fresh and the orange leaves that littered the random areas of campus always made her giddy, and there was a faint hint of cinnamon in the air, Nancy was sure of it.

Nancy wasn’t looking forward to the Winter, not when Fall was so perfect.

 “Sorry”, she said, looking sideways at Robin when she realised, she hadn’t responded. Robin just shook her head, with a smile, if Nancy wasn’t hallucinating, she thought that Robin had looked ever so slightly dazed. “Uh- Journalism in Literature and also, I take an extra module on professional writing with him.”, she said hoping she didn’t sound too insufferable.

“Ahh”, Robin said, seeming genuinely interested however, “You’re doing Journalism? That makes a lot of sense, and that’s cool! I wish I had the balls to be a journalist”, she said smiling down at Nancy. The sun was shining behind Robin, and it was illuminating the stray strands of her fair hair, making it look like she was glowing slightly. If Nancy hadn’t just seen someone dressed like the Scream ghost chasing a height accurate Dora the explorer with a chucky doll in hand, she was sure she would have looked very dopey.

“Thanks”, she grinned, “I’m really liking the course honestly, but I’m scared about getting an actual job, like what if I have to become a paparazzi?!”, she said feigning delirium and Robin laughed her nice laugh again.

“Gosh, a paparazzi sounds like a horrendous job.”, she said still laughing slightly, and Nancy couldn’t help but laugh too. “Like possibly my worst nightmare after a door-to-door salesman, but I suppose someone has to do it. I believe in you Nance.”. and she elbowed her softly.  Nance.

“Gosh no, you shouldn’t”, Nancy said, chuckling off the sudden panic she had just felt. “Anyways, how do you know Mr Brown?”, they had just reached the dining hall, and she supposed they had both made a silent agreement to get lunch together. Nancy was feeling totally normal about this.

“He’s my Spanish and French Lit. lecturer.”, she said casually. “What?”, Nancy said forgetting herself and apologising instantly. Robin just laughed, grabbing a tray and a plate, Nancy followed suit.

“Nah don’t apologise, “Yeah, I’m doing an arts degree, Advanced French, Spanish, Italian and Translations, I’m also taking beginner Mandarin but it’s not going well.”, Robin said humbly like this wasn’t the most impressive thing Nancy had ever heard.

“Advanced?!”, she said so shocked she had forgotten to start filling her plate. “Are you planning on eating today or?”, Robin said grinning. “And yeah advanced, it’s no big deal really, I just really liked languages as a kid and I also had like- no friends so I spent most of my time learning them”, and she just shrugged.

Nancy didn’t know why, but she had a sudden protective pull towards Robin, it was probably the ‘I had no friends’ comment.

“Robin? That’s insanely impressive, seriously, I mean advanced to the point you’re doing translations, that’s sooo cool!”, she said, adding a spoon of olives to her plate.

“Thank you, Nancy,”, she seemed rather abashed, so much more normal than the first time they had met. They had both finished getting their food and grabbing their cutlery and some water, they made their way to sit down at a long, almost full table, across from each other. Nancy looked down at Robin’s plate. The variety of the food was intense.

“What?”, Robin said with a mingled smile and concerned expression, looking down at her food then back up at Nancy. “Nothing! Just- it’s an uh- interesting selection.”.

Robin had a mixture of a cheese and onion quiche, roast potatoes, chicken tenders, random pineapple squares, a slice of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a truly unique bunch of steamed vegetables.

Robin laughed again, Nancy was really getting used to the sound, “Don’t judge me when you’ve got about fifteen olives on your plate right now”, she said, with an eyebrow raised.

“Hey!”, Nancy said, grinning back at her, “I will not accept olive slander at this table, they’re delicious.”, and for emphasis, she popped one in her mouth, looking directly at her. Robin stuck out her tongue.

The rest of the lunch went by extremely pleasantly, Nancy felt that she actually really liked Robin, she was really funny and kind of silly and also surprisingly to Nancy who hadn’t expected it what with her being a jock, quite a bit of a nerd.

They had finished their lunch and were heading back out of the dining hall to their dorms, they had found out during lunch, that they lived on the same side of campus, when Robin had asked Nancy what her plans were for tonight were.

“Uh-sorry?”, Nancy had said, slightly taken aback, she felt herself heating up and avoided Robin’s eyes. “You know”, Robin said, sounding slightly concerned. “October thirty-first, uh- Halloween? Ever hear of it?”.

“Ohhhh!”, Nancy said feeling dumb. “Right yeah, oh nothing. I was planning on watching Monsters University and drinking an entire bottle of wine, but I just found out my ex-boyfriend of three years has apparently already got a new girlfriend already, so, I’ll still be drinking the wine, but I’ll be opting for something more violent to watch, and I think I’ll steal my roommates vodka as well, I’m hoping I black out .”.

To her surprise, Robin started laughing hard, so hard she had to stop in the middle of campus, holding onto Nancy’s shoulder for support. A few people glanced at her concernedly, Nancy just looked at her incredulously.

“Do you think this is funny?”, she said, unable to hold back a smile. Robin straightened up, wiping her eyes. “No. “, she said in between gasps. “No, it’s not funny like at all, I’m really sorry but- “, she wiped her eyes again, “You’re hilarious, I mean, that’s so funny.”, she retracted her hand from Nancy’s shoulder and its absence was heavy. She took a few deep breaths and Nancy laughed at her while she recovered herself.

“You know what the best cure for something like that is though?”, she said, as they continued to walk. “What could be a better cure than blacking out while watching the best movie ever made?”, Nancy responded sceptically. Robin snorted, “Okay, the second-best cure then.”.

“What’s the second-best cure to me caring too much about what my ex is up to, then?”, Nancy asked. “A really trashy Halloween party”, Robin said matter-of-factly. Nancy hadn’t really been expecting that.

“Hmm I think that would make me feel more violent actually”, Nancy responded, thinking of nothing worse. “No, no! Hear me out”, Robin said quickly, so Nancy did.

“Big party at some trust fund kids house, loud pop music, you can just get ridiculously drunk, dance, swim in the fucking pool, because they always have a fucking pool, make out with some random guy who you won’t remember in the morning and get home at sunrise.”, Robin sounded like she was reminiscing.

“And spend the entire weekend with hangxiety?”, Nancy asked, though there was something in intriguing in Robin’s words.

“See that’s why you don’t get home until sunrise, you’re still drunk in the morning, you just feel like you’re in a movie instead.”, that logic made no sense to Nancy if she was honest but after the news she had received this morning, Nancy was feeling a real lack of inhibition.

“Okay well, I’d be scared of getting attacked or something if I got too drunk.”, Nancy said honestly, she hadn’t been to many parties in high-school, and even less in university, and this was one of the main reasons why. “Well, that’s why you go with friends of course and always pre-drink, and bring your own stuff, I learned that from experience.”, Robin said with a distant look which made Nancy grin.

She thought about it, she felt slightly reckless, staying out until insane o’clock dancing and falling into her bed as the sun was coming up sounded like a genuine dream at the moment but there was a bit of a problem.

“I think you’re right Robin but unfortunately I don’t have a party to go to or uh- any friends to go with.”, she said blankly as they reached the entrance of the accommodation campuses.

“Jesus Nancy, you’re supposed to smart, I’m inviting you to a party tonight.”, Nancy turned to look at her surprised. She had just noticed Robin’s freckles, and oh my God how had she not before, there were so many, gosh, she thought, Robin was really, really pretty.

“Oh! Yes! I mean- “, Robin laughed. “Please come, it’s not my party, it’s some party downtown, but all my friends that are going are loser boys who can’t dance, so I need you there.”.

For some godforsaken reason, Nancy’s stomach fluttered. “I’d love to go! But I don’t have a costume”, she said suddenly feeling stressed. “I can ask Ellie and Alana, they’re my roommates, I love them, I’m sure they have something.”, she said, more to herself than to Robin.

“Yeah! Also, you can invite them too if you like!”, Robin said with a smile. “The more the merrier”, she added, but Nancy had a feeling she had said it to make Nancy more comfortable, her stomach fluttered again.

“I will”, Nancy said, “They’re the best, usually down for anything too, I better go get ready then!”, she said feeling excited. They had just reached Robin’s apartment block.

“Yeah, me too, can’t wait! Oh! - can I get your number? To text you the address and time and stuff...”, she had trailed off and looked a bit embarrassed for some reason. Nancy said it quickly however and gave Robin her phone so she could put her number in.

“Great”, Robin smiled, “See you tonight, Nance!”, and she headed into her building. Nancy had stood there for a split second, before half skipping half-walking to her building, quite like Mr Brown, a buzz in her chest.

When she unlocked the door to her apartment she walked into the smell of hairspray and perfume, iron curler and wine coolers, and one direction blaring loudly along with singing.

She walked into the living room where Eloise, Alanna and a third girl they usually hung around with were in a kind of hair straightening, nail painting and leg waxing circle. They smiled when they saw Nancy but couldn’t get a word in before she could ask frantically, “I’m going to a party tonight!!! But I don’t have a costume, do you think you can help me?”, and she was met with the response of a set of three screaming giggles.