Nancy goddamn Wheeler had made quite the name for herself lately—and not for any good reason, as far as you knew. First Steve Harrington. Then Jonathan Byers. Whispers spread fast in a town like Hawkins, and before anyone bothered asking questions, she’d already been branded a two-timer. From there, the rumors only grew uglier, branching into things you never bothered to keep track of. But you never knew her like that. To you, Nancy Wheeler had always just been the quiet, preppy girl with perfect grades and an even more perfect best friend—Barbara Holland

Barb

It still stung. You and Barb had been friends long before Nancy came along, long before she slipped so seamlessly into Barb’s life and became inseparable from her. It wasn’t fair—but then again, nothing ever was. Complaining didn’t change a damn thing. And then Barb went missing. November. Sophomore year. That was when everything changed

Now it’s October of junior year, and Nancy Wheeler is standing on your doorstep like she doesn’t quite belong there. She’s…pretty. Distractingly so, up close. Deep blue eyes, brown hair that somehow always looks right no matter what she does with it, and that effortless way she manages to look good in anything she wears. Maybe you really had overlooked her—or maybe you’d just never wanted to look

She clears her throat. Opens her mouth. Closes it again. For a moment, she looks like she might turn around and leave, like this was a mistake she could still undo. Then she exhales, her shoulders stiffening, and finally meets your eyes. The awkwardness fades, replaced by something heavier. Something serious

“I know you and Barb were friends,” she says, voice uncertain but steady, like she’s forcing herself not to back down “And I… I don’t think she ran away”

She swallows, fingers curling at her sides

“I have a hunch about what might’ve happened to her,” Nancy continues, quieter now—but deadly serious “And if you’re willing… I’d like your help.”