Renting had become a favorite past time of Nancyâs. It was the easiest way to watch new releases, or watch something new. The Wheelerâs had a fine collection of VHS tapes but they were mostly old home videos or childrenâs movies like The Goonies or Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Whenever Nancy wanted something more adult, sheâd have to hunt it down at Family Video. She had come in for nothing particular, just something mundane so she could get her mind off of⊠everything. Comedy. That would be a good place to look. It wasnât her genre of choice, but she needed a laugh.Â
She turned into the aisle and it was like horror struck her. She was staring at Barb Holland. The same Barb Holland that was her best friend. The same Barb Holland that had been murdered. The same Barb Holland that she saw in the Upside Down. But now⊠here she was, asking about movies in Family Fucking Video. Was this a dream? Some sick dream sheâd wake up from? That was it, sheâd wake up in her bed any minute, drenched in sweat.
Darting to the next aisle over, Nancy couldnât control the overwhelming emotions that came to the forefront. Tears immediately falling as she gasped for air, her legs suddenly feeling like Jell-O as she slid down, knocking Rain Man and countless other titles down with her. She sat there, hand covering her mouth to silence her sobs. This wasnât happening. She was going to wake up. It wasnât until two teenaged girls passed Nancy, snickering at her like she was insane that she realized this was not a dream. Far from it.Â
She furiously wiped her eyes and then with shaky hands, attempted to pick up the movies she had pushed off the shelves, only for them to fall back out of her hands. She left them there, making a mental note to apologize to Steve or Robin (not Keith, though) as she stood up from her spot. First Melissa and now Barb. She should have turned around, ran straight home and cried into her motherâs arms or maybe run to the Byerâs house and tell Jonathan. Thatâs what she would have done at sixteen if her best friend seemingly came back from the dead. Now, at twenty-one, months away from securing her journalism degree, she had a different approach. She was scared, terrified, as she walked back around to the comedy section.Â
Nancy could have burst into tears again, looking at her friend again. The last time she had seen Barb, she was mangled. Deceased. Rotting. Not herself. Nancy didnât even know if this was Barb. If whatever was chasing them could turn into any of them, then what was stopping it from becoming people who had died? Still, if it wasnât Barb, Nancy would cherish this moment. The one moment she could finally say everything she should have years ago. One more memory of Barb she could hold onto.
âYou know Iâm shit when it comes to comedy,â Nancy gave her a smile. It didnât meet her eyes. What she would have done for one more conversation, one more hug, one more⊠anything. And now she had it, for better or worse. Then, as if out of her own control, she wrapped her arms around Barb. âIâm sorry,â she whispered. âI should have never left you,â meaning I should have never gone up those stairs with Steve, but to Barb, it probably just sounded like Nancy apologizing for moving to Boston. She pulled away, quickly diverting her attention back to the task at hand. Comedy. âRemember when we watched Animal House?â Nancy chuckled at the memory. She and Barb rented it once and they both hated the raunchiness of the film.
Then Nancyâs eyes landed on Sixteen Candles. It came out the summer after Barbâs death and when Nancy had gone to see it in theaters, all she could think was how Barb would have loved it. âWhat about this? We could go back to my place and watch it? Just like high school.â
Seeing Nancy made Barbâs heart start to pick up speed with a wrench, as if she had gotten a shock -- missing a step going downstairs, hearing an unexpected knock on the door in the middle of the night, someone grabbing your shoulder as you walked unheeding down the street. Somehow it felt like decades had passed since sheâd seen her. It had just been a few years, hadnât it? Maybe it was like dog years, living in a commune. One year translated into seven or something like that. But in the end it didnât really matter. The point was, despite feeling as though it had been so long, Nancy looked just the same as she had in high school.
Well. That wasnât strictly true. If anything, she looked even prettier -- but Barb didnât really have time to appreciate that, before Nancy had darted to the next aisle, like she couldnât stand the sight of her. Barb opened her mouth to speak, but what was there to say when your best friend just ran away from you without so much as an Excuse me? Was Nancy angry with her? Barb didnât remember really calling muchâŠor at all. Or writing, for that matter. She couldnât even remember why she hadnât. But in retrospect, Nancy had such a full life already. Surely she wouldnât have missed Barb that much when she left town.Â
She stood there, so frozen by shock and confusion that she probably couldnât have moved even if a bomb had detonated. Should she go after her? Should she keep looking at movies like nothing had happened? Should she just leave? The latter option seemed like it would be the most embarrassing -- what if Nancy saw her? Then it would look like she was running away. Which she essentially would be. Still, it would be better than standing here like a slackjawed idiot, staring at the space Nancy had been as if she was still filling it.
And then Nancy was back, smiling at her. But it wasnât right, her smile. It didnât make her eyes light up like it usually did. Her breath caught in her chest as Nancy actually spoke to her. âYeah, me neither,â she said, with a little laugh that sounded strangely nervous. She looked at Nancy for a moment as she spoke. The acknowledgement made it feel like she was filled up with helium, in danger of floating away. âItâs okay,â she said quietly. âI really missed you, thatâs all.â She couldnât help but giggle as Nancy brought up Animal House. âYeah, God, unfortunately,â she said. âThat movie is a joke, and not in the good way.âÂ
She glanced at the movie Nancy picked up, a smile coming to her face. âOh, Iâve heard about this one, itâs supposed to be really good,â she said. Her heart lifted even further as Nancy went on, and she nodded. âThat sounds great,â she said, offering her friend another smile.