Chapter 22: Rumour Has It

"Did you guys see the new kid?" Robin asks dropping her tray down next to Nancy and Johnathan at their usual table in the cafeteria. They sat in the corner where the noise was less intense to have an actual conversation over the chaos that was high school at lunch.

While never having interacted with one another before senior year, the trio of teens had become better acquainted after the debacle at Starcourt over the summer. After all, Robin was one of the people who translated the secret code and discovered the Russian base underneath the mall and it was Nancy and Johnathan who had broken the story to the public. Even after Nancy faced serious sexism by the staff and the couple were nearly fired from The Hawkins Post for chasing the lead of Communist Russia in their town, the couple got the scoop they needed to prove themselves as legitimate reporters. Their status had improved at the office, but it still wasn't great, especially for the "Nancy Drew" of the group. The two even interviewed Robin and ran her story as a special over the summer months. From that interview, the three bonded to a certain degree. While not considering themselves friends per se, especially since Robin used to see Nancy as a "priss" who had everything, they had decided to stick together considering what they had been through and what they had seen.

"Yeah… that girl Mia right?" Nancy asks.

"That's her," Robin nods. "She's in my English class first period."

"Where is she from?" Johnathan asks.

"Wisconsin."

"Weird to move from there to Hawkins," Nancy comments. "But I guess it's like Max and Billy, coming from California to here."

"I seriously question people's need to come here considering there are Russians living under the mall and that other weird shit that Steve and Dustin talked about. The mutant dogs, your brother's girlfriend's mind powers, and the monster flayer" Robin snorts, stirring her carton of milk with her straw.

"Mind Flayer," Nancy corrects.

"Whatever."

"Maybe it's like a beacon, weird people are drawn to weird stuff," Johnathan suggests. "Like a moth to a flame."

"I appreciate the visual metaphor, but I certainly didn't consider myself that weird…" Robin mutters.

The trio watch as the new girl waits in line for lunch, keeping her eyes downcast, her hoodie up and trying to avoid bumping into anyone.

"She's got something to hide," Johnathan observes quickly, recognizing her introverted behaviour and movements. He himself had adapted similar methods to protect himself; considering the hellish divorce his family went through, the financial hardships to make ends meet, the bizarre circumstances of Will's disappearance, the connection to otherworldly creatures and the scumbag who was his father. He begins to wonder what kind of problems she was dealing with. He doubted it was related to Demogorgons or Mind Flayers, but was it a crappy parent, a divorce, abusive home life, mental illness…? There were a number of possibilities. Coming from a "broken" home himself, he found it better to put up protective armour and avoid people to evade further pain. He was glad that Nancy had helped shatter some of that protection and open up more, but he always knew that the second things went sideways, it was back to start. This barrier around himself was one of the reasons why he hid behind a camera. However, this perspective through the viewfinder allowed him to see more than others might; he could observe a person's state of mind based on subtle hints in their facial expressions and body language.

"Are you sure?" Nancy questions her boyfriend.

"Positive, look at the way she's hiding in her hoodie. She doesn't want to talk to anyone, not even to say sorry if she bumps into them. She's going through a hard time and is trying to hide it."

"Wonder what that might be," Robin ponders, picking at the crummy cafeteria salad she'd bought for lunch.

"Did the teacher say why she moved here?" Nancy asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Negative," the other female responds. "It was a quick "My name is…" spiel and where she was from before the lesson started."

The three of them watch as the new kid buys her lunch and then walks through the cafeteria before sitting at a table nearby. She likely chose the same area as them to savour some much needed quiet.

"What do you think her damage is?" Robin asks.

"The best guess would be a parents' divorce," Johnathan answers.

Nancy reaches over and grabs her boyfriend's hand to offer comfort, knowing how sensitive the topic is to him and his family.

"Either that or she's in foster care," he adds.

"For some reason, I think she's the kind of kid who would run away with her parent's credit card and set up shop wherever she could," Robin remarks.

"Isn't that your dream?" Nancy smirks.

"Hey, you and Jojo here aren't the only ones who want a career somewhere outside of this hellhole," Robin snorts. "That would be my Plan B. I just need something that pays more than minimum wage to save for college. I kind of wish I'd gone for a job at the paper like you two."

"You don't want that," Nancy says, the smile dropping from her face like a stone. "You'll end up just pouring coffee and buying burgers for those arrogant assholes."

"Anything is better than scooping ice cream for two bucks an hour. I'd put up with those douchebags and put them in their place pretty quickly. Give them a taste of their own medicine"

Both Johnathan and Nancy look at each other doubtfully. If Robin gave the heads of The Hawkins Post her usual sarcasm and attitude, she'd be fired the first day, maybe within the first hour. Although, it would be amusing to see her get back at the sexist and arrogant bastards considering how they treat their so-called "Nancy Drew."

"I think you could only handle one douchebag in the workplace, otherwise your head might explode," Johnathan jokes and his girlfriend swats him in pretend disgust for insulting Steve.

"He's definitely not as bad as he used to be," Robin admits. "He may be stupid, but damn can he care he tolerate an ass-kicking. Even from Russians."

Just then, Tammy Thompson walks by.

"Hey Nancy, Hi Johnathan, Hi Robin," she says, stopping to talk to them.

Robin's face immediately flushes red and she stares down at her tray. She swallows the flow of emotions coming to the surface and tries to avoid blushing. She then tries to act cool and casual to avoid any further awkwardness.

"H-Hey, Tammy,"

"You guys see the new kid?" she asks.

"Y-yeah, she's in my first period English," Robin stammers, trying not to sound like Steve when he hits on a girl.

"Did the teacher say anything about her?"

"Just that she's from Wisconsin," is the answer.

"Why? Have you heard anything?" Nancy asks. Despite not being the gossiping type, she was curious, and it was something remotely interesting and "normal" to happen in this town.

"Well…" her voice becomes softer to avoid being overheard and the others have to lean in to catch everything she says. "You didn't hear this from me, but Allen Callaghan was in the office to do the morning announcements when she showed up and he heard something about the police and a fifty-mile radius when she was talking to the principal."

"So, she is a runaway," Robin says.

"I don't think so, although someone thinks she might be in witness protection," Tammy says.

"Or it could be a restraining order," Johnathan deduces. "The fifty-mile radius sounds like someone can't be near her and they would need the police to be called if that happened."

"An abusive parent?" Tammy suggests.

"Or parents," Robin adds, still trying to avoid her crush's gaze.

All of them look over to where the girl is sitting. Her hoodie still up to hide her face, which ironically made her stand out amongst the rowdy teenagers around her.

"It's just weird that she decides to come to this school, just as everyone from Derry move in," Tammy says. "We have a couple of them staying in our neighbourhood, and they are weird. There's this loudmouthed kid with glasses who loves to ride up and down the street. He's got a mouth like a sailor and does not shut up, even in his own house."

There's a pause.

"Anyways, I have to go, see you later."

"B-Bye," Robin says, waving casually before going back to eating.

However, her reaction and overall demeanour are not lost on Nancy and Johnathan. Immediately they suspect that Robin likes Tammy romantically, especially the way she tried not to blush and avoided eye contact, clear cut sign of a crush. While Robin had not come out to anyone besides Steve and it was something that she intended to keep a secret, she did not seem to fool two teens who were reporters and paid to observe things.

Neither of them thought that it was a bad thing, love is love, but they suspected that it was something that Robin wanted to keep a secret. Even if they were accepting, the sad truth is not very many others would be.

The two decide to just ignore it and fortunately, the bell rings signalling the end of lunch.

They throw out the rest of their food and head towards their next classes, unaware that the new girl had heard every word that they had said about her.

A/N: Sorry that it's taken so long to update. Please follow and review.