The group of friends, including Dustin, Erica, Max, Lucas, Mike, Will, and Steve, had gathered at Starcourt Mall to confront the Mind Flayer's proxy form, a terrifying spider-like monster. Unfortunately, Jonathan was absent due to unforeseen circumstances. Meanwhile, Billy was present but possessed by the Mind Flayer, causing him to behave erratically and attempt to run them over. His transformed vines turned black as he became more aggressive.

Nancy arrived at the mall, only to find her ex-boyfriend Steve chatting with a girl she had never met before, Robin. Nancy's jealousy flared up as she furrowed her brows and raised an eyebrow. She assumed they were together and found Robin annoying due to her outgoing nature. Unbeknownst to Nancy, Steve had a secret crush on Robin, who was openly gay and had a crush on Tammy Thompson, who was infatuated with Steve.

Nancy approached Steve and Robin, who were still in their Scoops Ahoy uniforms from their job at the ice cream parlor in the mall's food court.

"Hey, Steve," Nancy said sternly, her voice tinged with suspicion and jealousy as she narrowed her eyes."What's going on here?" Steve looked up at Nancy with a guilty expression and nervous glance before meeting her gaze again."Oh, hey Nancy. We're trying to figure out what's causing the after-hours system malfunction. We think it might be linked to the spider monster." Robin smiled warmly at Nancy and spoke quickly to fill the awkward silence. "Hey! I'm Robin. We're trying to hack into the system to stop it." As Robin spoke, Steve's eyes darted between Nancy and Robin, his face growing increasingly uncomfortable. He seemed to be trying to reassure Nancy that everything was innocent, but his body language betrayed him.