Waiting at the door, Steve slips his hands into his pockets, staring at his feet. A swirl of doubt seizes his brain, making him question his presence in the first place. What was he thinking coming here? What is he hoping to achieve?

He doesn't have bad intentions, he knows it. Yet, something about the situation feels… wrong. Like he's taking advantage of something for his own gain, when in reality, it's his concern that brought him to stand on the doorstep and press the button.

Footsteps echo behind the white door, dotted with small square windows clouded by a thin white curtain on the other side. The knob turns and the door parts from its post, revealing a slim woman with a mass of curly blonde hair.

"Oh hi, Steve!"

"Hello Mrs. Wheeler," he greets her, raising his hand with a forced smile. "Sorry to bother you, but, um… is Nancy home?"

"She is, but she's very upset. I would leave her alone for now."

"I heard about the fight with Jonathan. I just wanted to make sure that she's okay."

"Well, that's kind of you, bu—"

"Steve?"

Nancy's voice sounds from behind her mother. His eye looks up to the top of the stairs where she appears, puffy-eyed and her face reddened from her crying. At the sight of her distress, his heart sinks.

"Hi, Nance. I…"

"Come on in. It's okay, mom."

Karen shrugs and reluctantly steps aside, watching him enter and take off his shoes on the side, before rushing to Nancy's side. Both guess her disapproval, but brush it off. They're not doing naything wrong, are they?

Nancy pulls him into her arms, hiding her face into his shoulder as she hiccups, tears flowing again. He rubs her back, rocking her softly.

"Eddie told me what happened," he intones. "I thought I'd drop by after my shift to make sure you're okay."

"I'm glad you're here."

She pulls away and wipes the tears with the palm of her hand, faking a smile as she takes his hand and brings him to her bedroom. They sit on her bed side by side, with Steve folding his knee on top of the mattress to face her. She buries her face in her hands, trying to regain her composure as he waits ever so patiently, stroking her shoulder with his thumb.

When at last she speaks, his eyes meet hers, conveying all the sympathy he can feel without him knowing.

"How much do you know?" she croaks with a sniff.

"I know it has to do with college and Jonathan lying about getting a letter or something."

She coughs and sniffs, her body twitching from her hiccups.

"We were supposed to go to Emerson together. We talked about it so often. We agreed to send our application at the same time so that we could hear about the decision together. I received my letter weeks ago, but he kept saying that his hadn't even arrived. When he didn't come over for spring break, I was hurt, you know? I started to feel that something was wrong. But I didn't expect to hear that he never sent the application in the first place because he doesn't want to go. I just don't understand why he didn't just tell me."

"Man, that sucks," he comments, furrowing his brow. "But I'm sure he doesn't mean anything bad. It's Jonathan, I can't imagine him doing that on purpose to hurt you."

She shrugs and purses her lips as they shake. Steve reaches out to the tissue box on her night stand and rests it on his lap, taking two of them out for Nancy. She thanks him in a whisper and blows her nose, using the second one to wipe her tears away.

"He said he doesn't want to leave Joyce and Will, and I get it. But why didn't he just say so?"

"Because he knows you. You would've put your plans on hold for him or looked at options in California when you don't want to go."

Nancy chuckles briefly and slips her gaze towards him.

"I hate it that you know me so well, sometimes."

"I don't."

They smile at each other and Nancy leans to the side, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. Her perfumed hair tickles his jawline, warming his heart and making him glad that the mirror in her room is behind them. He wouldn't want her to see how much he likes holding her. It would trouble her too much.

"You know," he starts, "I think you should still go to Emerson. You can still make it work with Jonathan. It'll be hard, yes, but your future matters more than your relationship."

"Look at you, Steve Harrington. Giving advice on college in a mature approach."

"I'm full of surprises."

She pulls away and admires his face for a second, before her smile fades. Rubbing the crumpled tissue against her nostril again, she opens the drawer of her nightstand and pulls out a sealed envelope with the crest of Emerson College in the top left corner.

"I haven't even opened it yet, I wanted us to do it together on the phone. Maybe I wasn't even accepted and I'm worrying for nothing."

"There's no way you didn't get it, Nance. You're the smartest person I know."

She eyes the envelope, seized again by the unshakeable urge to tear it open and read the letter. She needs to know.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I open it with you?"

Steve furrows his brow.

"A-Are you sure?" he stutters. "I don't want to take this moment from you. It's important."

"You're important to me too, you know?"

Warmth rises to his cheeks, coloring them with rosy hues, amusing her. The corner of his lips, shy and hesitating, curls up. He nods slowly and rests his clammy hand upon her forearm.

"Only if you really want to. If you know you won't regret it and think you wasted that moment on me."

"I won't."

Her fingers flip the envelope and slip in the sealed flap on its back, tearing the paper and yanking at the glue. The top of the letter peeks out, intimidating and nearly threatening. She takes a deep breath and pulls it out, unfolding it and tossing the envelope aside. Her hand finds Steve's for support, clasped in its grip.

She breathes out and opens her eyes, not having noticed that she squeezed them shut, and begins to read in silence.

Steve stares at her, not wanting to inadvertently read the news before her. A lump forms in his throat, nearly choking him as he remains on the lookout for any movement in her face or any change in expression.

"I got in."

"Of course you did."

Steve pulls her against him as a sob slips out of her mouth. He runs his fingers through her hair, pressing his cheek against her skull. She cries softly, the letter quaking between her hands. He feels her tears dripping down his wrist, breaking his heart little by little.

He can't stand seeing her like this in what should've been one of her happiest moments. Even if they've drifted apart following their separation, he understands how much she anticipated the news, clinging to the hope that she could get into a prestigious university and get out of Hawkins. He never doubted her, not even for a second. Whatever path she'd choose, he knows that she would be the best at accomplishing the tasks expected of her, breaking records and handling everything with a perfect combination of strictness and flexibility.

There's nothing that Nancy Wheeler couldn't do. Whether it is writing the best article or making him fall head over heels for her.

Steve gathers his courage and kisses the top of her head. Most to his relief, she doesn't push him away or scold him. Instead, she seems to melt into his touch. But he can't let her.

He drops his arms, releasing her from his embrace. She sits up, her face betraying a mix of confusion and guilt. A part of him wonders if this expression was caused solely by her dilemma regarding college.

"What am I going to do?" she asks in defeat, more to herself than to him.

"You should take it. You've worked so hard for this. All your life."

He brushes a long strand of hair away from her face, feeling her labored breath against his arm. Downstairs, the telephone rings, reminding them momentarily that they weren't the only ones in the house.

"You've been putting yourself on the bench for too long now, Nance. Caring about Barb, searching for her, worrying about her parents, then the kids, Mrs. Driscoll… Of course I understand that you want to be with him, but you need to think about yourself. At least just this once."

She nods and dries her eyes, beaming at him.

"I think you're right. Thanks, Steve."

"Hey, don't thank me. Just go to Emerson and enjoy Boston, mmh?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to."

"Why not?"

She diverts her gaze, focusing on her hands, her face burning with a fire she hasn't felt in a long time.

"You won't be the—"

"Nancy?" her mother calls from the staircase. "Jonathan's on the phone for you."

Steve clears his throat and stands up, feeling like an intruder all of a sudden. He pretends to check the time on his watch before pointing at the door with his thumb.

"I should… You…"

"Yeah."

Nancy follows him down the stairs and to the door, telling Karen that she won't be long. Steve kneels down to put his sneakers back on, fumbling with the shoelaces as he tries to tie them in a hurry. Thoughts collide into his head and feelings melt into each other in his heart, making him dizzy. As he stands up, he inadvertently finds himself only a few inches away from Nancy's face, close enough for their breaths to mingle. Her eyes sparkle at his sight, pained to see him go.

"Whatever you choose," he starts, "I'll support you. But I really think you should go for Emerson."

"I'll think about it."

"Good. Will you be alright?"

"I don't know. I guess."

"Well, if anything happens, you know where to find me. Even if it's a middle-of-the-night call, mmh?"

Nancy chuckles and pecks him on the cheek. Steve returns the gesture and waves at Karen, thanking her for her hospitality. But he guesses that she saw Nancy and him exchange kisses, however platonic they were, and that she doesn't approve. He opens the front door and walks out, closing it behind him.