The cabin is silent except for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards. Everyone else is asleep, sprawled across sleeping bags and couches, but you and Nancy are still awake, tucked into the tiny kitchen with mugs of lukewarm tea in hand.

Nancy leans against the counter, her hair messy from the long day, her sweater sleeves tugged over her hands. She stares into her mug like it holds all the answers.

Nancy: whispering “I can’t believe we’re growing up so fast…”

You glance up from your mug. Her voice is soft, almost sad, and it makes your chest ache a little.

You: “Yeah… feels like just yesterday we were worried about school dances and homework. Now it’s…”

Nancy: finishes your sentence quietly “…demogorgons and the Upside Down.”

You both let out a quiet laugh, though it isn’t really funny. There’s a heaviness in the air, the unspoken weight of everything you’ve seen together.

You: “Do you ever… wonder what it would be like if none of that had ever happened? If we could’ve just been normal kids?”

Nancy looks at you then, her eyes glimmering in the dim light. She doesn’t answer right away.

Nancy: “Sometimes. But then I think about… the people I’ve met because of it. The things I’ve learned about myself.” she hesitates, biting her lip “I wouldn’t want to lose that. Or… you.”

Your breath catches.

You: “Me?”

Nancy shifts closer, her shoulder brushing yours as if it was by accident, but you can feel the warmth linger.

Nancy: softly “Yeah. You.”

The words hang between you, warm and terrifying all at once. You both fall quiet, the world outside the cabin fading for a moment as you sit in the kitchen, knees brushing beneath the table.

Nancy gives you a small smile, one that feels like it’s just for you.

Nancy: “We’re gonna be okay. As long as we stick together.”

You nod, your voice catching a little as you whisper back,

You: “Yeah. Together.”