"So tell me again, what did he say?" Waverly asks as the three girls pile back into Chrissy's car, leaving the mall.
"We just talked, it was nice," Chrissy says. Waverly looks at her like she's withholding information.
"And that's it?" Waverly doesn't seem to believe her. "So are you going to the dance together?"
"Maybe going to the dance with someone is overrated," Chrissy sighs.
"Chrissy!" Waverly yells, a little too loud.
"We didn't really have a chance to talk about it," Chrissy explains. "We were alone for a little bit, then Jeremy came."
"Jeremy Chetri?" Waverly asks.
"Yeah," Chrissy says. "They were meeting up for tutoring, I guess," she shrugs. "What about you? Where's your date to the dance?" She asks Waverly, taking some of the attention off herself.
"We're not talking about me here," Waverly warns. Nicole sits quickly in the backseat, observing the interaction.
"Champ is gonna ask you," Chrissy says, as if she's reassuring the brunette that she's not going to have to attend a dance on her own.
"Yeah yeah. It's only homecoming, who cares if we have dates," Waverly shrugs. Nicole can't tell if she's just brushing it off because she doesn't have a date yet, or if she really doesn't care. She never attended many school dances in the past, but when she did, she usually went with the same person.
They return back to Chrissy's house and Nicole brings her new clothes up to her bedroom. She hangs them up and sits back, taking another look at them. It's been a long time since she's had new clothes like that and she's having mixed feelings about it. She remembers, for a moment, the look on Waverly's face when she first came out of the fitting room. It's been a while since anyone has looked at her like that, like she really matters.
She digs through her box of sketchbooks that she still has yet to unpack, and pulls out an old leather bound one. She flips through a few pages, stopping on a drawing of the blonde girl in a dress. She remembers the day she saw her wear the dress and laughs at the memory of the day they picked it out together.
"You have to try it on if I do," the girl teases. She grins back at the redhead as she pulls the curtain of the fitting room to the side before moving behind it. When she is fully out of view, Nicole laughs.
"No way!" She protests. The girl's face pops out from behind the curtain as she tucks it back.
"You're no fun!" She pouts.
"You know I don't wear dresses!" Nicole groans. She can't help but laugh at the pouty lip she's receiving from the girl.
"And I do?" She asks
"Apparently you do now," Nicole laughs as she gestures toward the girl's body that is still covered with the curtain. The girl groans and closes the curtain, coming out a few moments later in the dress. Nicole's jaw nearly hits the floor at the sight and she can only nod in approval.
It takes her a few moments to be able to form words and when she does all she can say is, "damn."
There's a knock at her door, ripping her from her thoughts. She blinks a few times and rubs her eyes. "It's open!" She calls out.
"We're watching Harry Potter if you want to join," Waverly says as she enters the room. Nicole closes her sketchbook when she sees the brunette's eyes drifting toward it.
"Are you staying all weekend?" Nicole asks out of curiosity.
"I usually do. Or we stay at my house," Waverly tells her.
"Shared custody?" Nicole teases, receiving a grin from the brunette.
"Something like that," Waverly says. "So are you down, or what?"
"Okay," Nicole agrees. She finds it easy to agree to whatever Waverly asks of her. She's unsure what this power that the brunette has over her, but she's not doing too much to fight it either. "The first one? Because I've never seen them."
She fears the moments that follow after the words fall from her lips. Admitting that she's never seen Harry Potter has never resulted in positivity from anyone.
Waverly's eyes widen in shock. "You what?!"
"Okay, okay," Nicole says, putting her hands up in front of her. "I've read the books!" She tries time defend herself.
"Okay, some points regained," Waverly says, pointing a warning finger at her. "We better get started though," she continues. "Because this is about to turn into a marathon."
Nicole sighs. She isn't sure what she just got herself into.
The rest of the weekend turns into the Harry Potter marathon that Nicole didn't ask for, but she ends up enjoying it anyway. Throughout the movies, she does take the opportunity to observe the brunette a little more as she is enthralled in what is happening on the screen.
She's sure she's seen them several times by now, but they still evoke an emotional response and Nicole can't help but smile at her. Waverly catches her looking at her a couple of times and smiles back at her.
As the films go on, she notices Waverly has moved closer to her on the couch. At one point, she tucks her feet up next to her, causing her to lean into Nicole's side a little more. She definitely doesn't mind. She puts her arm up on the back of the couch, allowing her to lean as much as she wants. She wonders if Chrissy notices.
By the end of the weekend, she feels like she can barely walk from all of the sitting she did. But now she can officially say she's seen every movie. Eight movies later, she's finally in on what all the hype is about, even if she likes the books better.
School on Monday feels a little different than it did the week before. Waverly stops to talk to her in the halls in between classes at times, which causes more people to recognize her and say hi. Chrissy doesn't go out of her way in school to spend time with her, but she's not unpleasant toward her either. They continue to sit at their separate lunch tables like they have since the beginning of the school year. She doesn't mind eating with Jeremy. She feels like she's constantly learning new things from him.
After school that day, Nicole agrees to go over to Waverly's house to work on their project. There's a nervous pit in her stomach by the time the last bell rings. She's never been to Waverly's house and doesn't know what to expect.
"Ready?" Waverly asks as she walks about behind Nicole, causing her to jump. "Everything okay?" The brunette asks.
"Oh, yeah," Nicole says. "I just didn't see you there." She shrugs and swings her backpack over her shoulder, closing the locker behind her. "Let's go, partner."
She grins at Waverly, playfully nudging her with her elbow. She tries to shake away some of her nerves, but only somewhat succeeds.
When they arrive at the Earp house, Nicole looks out the window to take on the view. The house is just as big as the Nedley house, if not bigger. She still doesn't understand how someone can have enough stuff to fill a house so big. She mostly spends her time in her room when she is home and she finds that big enough.
Waverly parks the car and gestures for Nicole to follow her. They make their way into the house. It's quiet and she's not sure if anyone else is home. She follows the brunette into the dining room where they set up their books to start working on the project.
"Haught stuff?!" Wynonna's voice echoes from the next room over. Waverly and Nicole both look simultaneously to their left to see the older Earp beaming as she's walking toward them.
"You two have a weird friendship," Waverly laughs as she shakes her head at the pair.
Wynonna walks up to Nicole and high fives her, making the younger brunette laugh again.
"Don't be jealous, babygirl," Wynonna teases. Waverly scoffs at her sister and rolls her eyes. "What are you nerds up to?"
"History project," Nicole informs her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you guys started that already," Wynonna laughs. "You're probably the only seniors to start it already," she teases.
"It's your sister's fault," Nicole jokes, receiving a dirty look from Waverly. "I'm kidding!" She tries to defend herself.
Wynonna sits down at the table with the pair. Waverly gives her a strange look before she finally asks why she is still there.
"Didn't realize this was a private event," Wynonna says, defensively. She puts her hands up in front of her and stands up from the table. Nicole laughs. "Haught, hit me up when my sister is done holding you hostage," she says with a wink.
"Bye, Wynonna," Waverly huffs. Wynonna waves at the pair and leaves them alone again. They begin working diligently on their project again. They chat idly at times, but mostly about history. Nicole finds Waverly's knowledge on the subject to be fascinating. She really is smart and she could probably listen to her all day.
The door to the house opens and closes again and Nicole isn't sure who has arrived this time. A man's voice echoes through the house as he calls out letting whoever is home know that he is home now as well.
"My dad," Waverly says softly. Her tone doesn't display disappointment or excitement, it's more just flat and Nicole has a hard time reading it.
"Hey, kiddo," the town mayor says as he comes around the corner into the dining room. "Ready for the game on Thursday?" Nicole wonders why that's the first question he asks his daughter when he gets home. He doesn't ask about how she is, or how her day was, he asks about a game that doesn't take place for another three days.
"Yeah dad, we're not the ones with the pressure," she jokes. Nicole continues to observe the interaction between Waverly and her father quietly.
"You're still important, sweetheart. You pump them up for victory," he smiles softly at his daughter.
"Sure, dad," she laughs. "This is my friend Nicole, by the way." Waverly finally brings the attention toward Nicole, putting her on the spot but making her feel less awkward than she was when she was just sitting there quietly.
"I haven't seen you around here before. Nice to meet you, Nicole," the man shakes her hand, firmly. "Is your family from the area?" He asks.
Nicole quickly shakes her head. "No sir, I'm from the city." He narrows his eyes at Nicole, as if he's trying to get a better read on her.
"She lives with the Nedleys," Waverly tells him.
"Ah," Ward says, knowingly. "Randy Nedley's foster case. He's a kind man, isn't he?" He asks, condescendingly.
"He's great," Nicole smiles. She bites her tongue, stopping herself from saying something back to the man. She looks at Waverly, who looks quite embarrassed by the interaction.
"So, Waverly," Ward continues, ignoring Nicole again. "I spent the day golfing with Champ Hardy's father."
"Sounds exciting," she replies, sarcastically.
"He tells me you and Champ have been spending more time together," Ward tells her.
"Not really," Waverly laughs. Even Nicole is unsure of where this information is coming from.
"He's got a good family," Ward tells her. Waverly smiles, politely and nods. Nicole can tell this is a conversation she doesn't want to get into with her father right now, but she's clearly annoyed. "Just keep that in mind," Ward smiles at his daughter.
He takes another look between Waverly and Nicole before he excuses himself and leaves a few moments later.
"I'm sorry about my dad," Waverly says to Nicole when Ward is finally out of sight.
"Don't be." Nicole assures her. "I can handle my own."
"He's relentless," Waverly sighs. Nicole instinctively reaches out for Waverly's hand, comforting her. Waverly smiles and Nicole pulls her hand away, quickly.
"So are you still going to the dance with Champ?" Nicole finally asks. She's not sure what made her ask, but since Ward brought up Champ, she is curious.
"I'm not sure," Waverly shrugs. She doesn't really seem to care either way.
"Has he asked?" Nicole questions.
"He leaves it as more of an open invitation," Waverly says. Nicole looks at her confused.
"What?" The redhead asks. In her book, he's either asked her or he hasn't, she doesn't understand how there could be an in between.
"Champ isn't like most guys," Waverly tried to explain.
"In a good way or a bad way?" Nicole asks. She laughs a little. Why is Waverly trying to defend him if she doesn't seem to like him all that much?
"That's up for interpretation," Waverly shrugs. Nicole laughs. "What if I just said screw Champ and we went together?" The brunette asks.
"You want to go with me?" Nicole asks.
She's a little shocked by the invitation. She's also unsure on what level the invite is on. Sure, she seems to be getting vibes from Waverly from time to time, but that could also be in her head. Maybe Waverly means just as friends or in a group of people who are also single.
"It would be fun," Waverly says with a smile.
"Um," Nicole starts to stutter. She wants to tell her 'yes' right away. She wants to tell her she would love to accompany her to the dance. But she's also terrified to ask any more details about the invitation. "Yeah," she finally says. "Sounds fun," she smiles.
—
The rest of the week leading up to homecoming in fairly uneventful. She attends community service and Waverly is there again. They don't talk much about the dance. Waverly doesn't seem like the other girls at school that plan their lives around major school events, Nicole likes that about her. They work once more on the project that week, but this time at Nicole's house. Waverly continues to apologize for her father's behavior around her, but Nicole says not to worry about it.
Thursday night is the homecoming game and after some protest, Chrissy convinces Nicole to go.
"Man, this school really makes a big deal about homecoming," Nicole mocks as they make their way toward the field. "Is it always a two day event?"
"Three if you include Waverly's birthday party," Chrissy says with a laugh.
"Since when is Waverly's birth associated with Purgatory homecoming?" Nicole questions.
"When your dad is the mayor, you're the town sweetheart and your birthday is always around homecoming weekend?" Chrissy suggests.
Nicole just laughs and shakes her head. When they arrive at the bleachers, Chrissy ends up sitting with her friends in a different area. Nicole scans the bleachers to find any familiar faces.
"Nicole!" She hears her name called out and looks up to see Jeremy waving back at her. She didn't know Jeremy was much of a football fan, but she is happy to see him. She waves back at him and is about to go sit with him when she feels someone slap her arm, gaining her attention.
"Rosita, hey!" Nicole says, surprised. "I was going to go sit with Jeremy."
"You're actually going to watch the game this time?" Rosita teases. "Don't be a nerd. We got booze again," she gestures under the bleachers.
Nicole looks back at Jeremy for a moment, he's no longer looking at her. She contemplates whether or not he will miss her if she doesn't show. She watches him for another moment and realizes he's still doesn't seem to be looking for her. She nods at Rosita and follows her back under the bleachers.
"So you going to the dance tomorrow night?" Nicole asks Rosita as she follows her out of sight of other people.
"Why? Are you finally asking me out?" Rosita teases in a sarcastic tone.
"What?" Nicole asks. "No, I already have, I mean," she stutters. "I told Waverly I'd go with her."
Rosita stops walking and turns to face Nicole. "Does Wynonna know?" she asks.
Wynonna doesn't know and Nicole plans on keeping it that way.
"Does Wynonna know what?" a voice comes from behind them.
"That she's late and we've been waiting for booze," Nicole says. She turns around quickly and takes the bottle from Wynonna's hand, taking a swig right away.
"Damn," Wynonna huffs. "I didn't keep you waiting that long!" she laughs as she takes the bottle back from Nicole.
They spend the majority of the game hanging out and drinking. Nicole begins to wonder why she never did this before. Wynonna makes it a point to be present for the halftime show to watch her sister cheer. Nicole tries not to make it obvious that she's mostly just watching Waverly as she twirls, spins and jumps into the air throughout the routine. Her eyes narrow in on the brunette who seems to be a natural, never missing a beat.
The routine ends and Wynonna waits at the fence for Waverly to make her way back to the sidelines. Nicole continues to watch her as she bounces over, the muscles in her legs flex as she moves toward them.
She doesn't realize how hard she is staring until Rosita nudges her with her elbow in the side. "Ow," Nicole huffs, regaining consciousness and remember when she was.
Waverly stops at the fence to talk to Wynonna for a moment. "You smell like dad," Waverly huffs at her sister as she pulls away from the tight hug she is receiving. Wynonna cackles at the comment, but from the look on Waverly's face, it wasn't meant to be a joke.
Waverly turns and smiles at Nicole and Rosita who are hanging back behind Wynonna. "Nice routine," Rosita tells her, prompting an immediate 'thanks' from Waverly.
All Nicole can think to say is, 'nice legs,' but she refrains. She just agrees with Rosita instead, receiving a quick wink from the brunette as she heads back to her team and an even quicker dirty look from her older sister.
Just before the second half of the game, Wynonna gestures for Nicole and Rosita to join her with the bottle of liquor again. Nicole passes on the offer and scans the stands, making brief eye contact with Jeremy. She waves in his direction, but she's quickly rejected by him turning away from her. She immediately feels bad for blowing her friend off. The first major screwup of the weekend.
—
Nicole's stomach is in knots for the majority of the day on Friday. The homecoming dance is that night and she's still unsure what Waverly meant when she asked her to go with her. Chrissy spent the night at Waverly's house and they didn't have school that day to allow the students to get ready for the dance. Nicole took advantage of this time off to mostly just sleep. She had no intentions of going anywhere that day until the last minute possible. She didn't find any point in getting her hair or nails done, she was never into that sort of thing.
After her third movie of the day, she decides she should probably get up at get ready for the dance. She pulls on the new clothes that they bought at the mall over the weekend. She stands in front of a mirror, looking herself over. She smooths her hands down her body. The fabric feels stiff, but she likes the way she looks in the outfit.
She checks her phone to see if Waverly has texted her. She hasn't heard from her for most of the day. She figures she's just been busy with Chrissy. Randy offers her a ride to the school since Chrissy isn't there. She's only slightly embarrassed being dropped off by the town's sheriff, but he doesn't stay long after she hops out of the car. She thanks him and he pulls away soon after.
"Damn, nerd, you look extra Haught tonight." Nicole turns to see Wynonna leaning up against a post outside of the school.
"Good one," She laughs. She walks over to where the brunette is, rather than going inside right away.
"Got a hot date?" Wynonna asks. Nicole becomes immediately uncomfortable.
"What? No. I was just going to hang out with Chrissy and Waverly probably," She lies a little.
She remembers the threats Wynonna has made toward her about her sister and she wasn't ready to have that conversation yet. She wasn't even sure if it was a conversation that they needed to have.
"Hey, relax there, Romeo. You're still not trying to go after my sister right?" Wynonna points a warning finger toward the redhead.
"Contrary to popular belief, Wynonna, lesbians can have platonic friendships with girls," Nicole informs her. "What's your issue with that anyway? Would it be a bad thing if she was into girls?"
"No!" Wynonna says, quickly. "That's not what I said! I just saw you first!" She says. Nicole looks at her, confused.
"Excuse me, what?" She asks, shocked. "Are you even into girls?"
"I'm not blind," Wynonna shrugs. Nicole isn't sure at this point if she is being serious or messing with her.
"Do I get a say in this?" Nicole asks. She decides to play along for now.
"Are you saying I'm not the hot Earp?" Wynonna squints her eyes at the redhead and leans in closer toward her.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" Nicole changes the subject, taking a step back to add more space between them.
"Rosie wanted to meet here," Wynonna says. "She apparently had to convince her parents she was actually going to the school dance so she had to make it realistic. I have her change of clothes." She shakes the bag that she's holding in front of her.
"You've thought of it all," Nicole laughs.
"So do you want to ditch this place or what?" Wynonna asks. "Rosie should be here soon."
Nicole looks behind her at the entrance of the school. She watches as people make their way inside to the dance. They're all dressed nicely, some walking hand in hand with others.
She sees Champ and a couple other football players stepping out of a car in the parking lot. She hears one of the guys ask why he hasn't asked Waverly to the dance. She hears him reply something about not having to ask her to know they're going together.
Everything in her, for a moment, wants to go in there and save her from that. Suddenly her thoughts switch to fear. Fear of making a fool of herself in front of Waverly. Fear that she walks in the gym and sees Champ with Waverly. Fear of rejection. Fear of jealousy.
She turns back toward Wynonna. Rosita arrives a moment later, making her way up to the pair. "You ditching too?" Rosita asks.
Nicole takes another look back at the school. She pulls her phone out of her pocket to see she doesn't have any messages. She looks back at Rosita and nods. "Yeah, lets go."
Throughout the rest of the night, the pit of guilt in Nicole's stomach only grows. She finds her way out to the deck of the house they ended up at. This time it's the Gardner house, the home of Mercedes and Beth. Rumor has it they have a younger brother that they rarely speak of. He's been sent away to some boarding school where he's been for quite some time now. At least that's what people say.
She takes a seat on the steps of the deck. She wonders what Waverly is doing, she wonders if she even noticed that she's not there. She pictures her dancing with Champ. She sees him holding her close, while they dance during slow songs.
She takes a swig of the mixed drink that Rosita brought her a little while ago. It burns slightly as it makes its way down her throat. She cringes at the feeling, but quickly chases it with another sip.
"You cool, Haught?" Rosita asks, sitting down next to her on the steps.
"Uh, yeah," Nicole says. She takes another swig of alcohol.
"Convincing," Rosita laughs. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks.
"Talk about what?" Nicole asks. Her tone comes off as more defensive than she meant it to.
"Why did you really ditch the dance?" Rosita asks. "You're all dressed up, you seem to have had intentions of actually going."
"I don't know," Nicole says. "This is more fun." She's sure she doesn't sound convincing. "Where's Wynonna? She was the one who offered for me to come," she tries to change the subject.
"She's off with Doc somewhere," Rosita shrugs. This seems to be pretty in character for Wynonna at parties. "Sitting on a deck outside by yourself is more fun?" Rosita asks. "You're going to have to do better than that."
Nicole sighs and takes another drink from her cup. "Have you ever had something so that's so close, if you reach out just a little bit further you'll finally have it in your grasp?" Nicole asks. "But then you're afraid once you do have it, you'll just break it anyway?"
Rosita takes a moment, listening quietly, letting the words sink in before she speaks. "Yeah," she admits.
"That's been most of my life," Nicole explains. "Just when things look like they could go a certain way, it's ripped out from under me. So I try not to let it get to that point."
"You really like her, don't you?" Rosita asks. Nicole looks around to see if Wynonna is in sight. She isn't in much of a mood to get yelled at at the moment.
"I'm not sure, Rosita," Nicole says. "I don't even know what she thinks of me. Is she even into girls?"
"I can't answer that for you," Rosita tells her. "But I can tell you this. Girls, at least most girls, are into honesty."
Nicole sighs and takes another drink from her cup. When her phone goes off a little while later with a text from Waverly, she apologizes and tells her she wasn't feeling well. Not exactly what Rosita meant when she said girls like honesty. That was the next screwup of the weekend.
—
There's a pain in her head as Nicole wakes up the next morning. The rest of the night was pretty much a blur and she's surprised she isn't feeling more hungover than she currently is. She squints her eyes open, shielding her face from the sunlight that's coming in through the window. She groans as she tries to open them fully, finally being able to see where she is.
She's still at the Gardner house, sleeping on top of the covers of a bed that she barely remembers landing in a few hours before. She shifts in her spot, accidentally hitting another person, who is laying next to her, with her arm.
"Ow," Rosita groans as Nicole feels her shift where she is laying.
Nicole's eyes shoot fully open and she rolls over to see Rosita opening her eyes. "Rosita?" Nicole asks, confused.
"Still me," Rosita laughs. Nicole tries to lift herself from her bed, but quickly retracts when she feels the pain in her head again.
"Fuck," she groans, grabbing her head. "Tell me we didn't-" she glances down to see they're both still clothed.
"Easy there, Haught," Rosita says, quickly. "Taking advantage of drunk girls isn't my thing," she laughs.
"What?" Nicole says, quickly. "No! That's not what I meant," she says. "Damn, my head hurts," she rubs her temples with her index fingers and lays her head back down on the pillow.
"I'm just messing with you," Rosita says. Nicole shoots her a look and rolls over, looking for her phone. She sees that she remembered to text Randy, letting him know she wouldn't be home that night. She's shocked for a moment that she would do something like that. "I texted Nedley for you," Rosita tells her.
"Thanks," Nicole says.
She lays back down and sees that she has a text from Waverly asking if she's feeling any better. The guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach comes back again. She doesn't respond to the text. She sets her phone back down and slowly climbs out of bed.
Rosita gives her a ride back to her house a little later that day. She thanks the brunette for taking care of her and hanging out with her the night before. When she goes inside the house, she sees no one else is home. She assumes Chrissy is still at Waverly's house for the weekend.
She takes a much needed shower that makes her head feel a little less like it's going to explode. After her shower she wanders downstairs to find something to eat. She's not sure what she will be able to stomach, but she knows she's going to have to eat something.
Rosita comes back a little while before they need to leave for Waverly's birthday party. Nicole isn't sure what she's going to say to Waverly about why she didn't show up for the dance last night. She wonders if Waverly is over it by now or if it's something that's eating away at her as well.
She leaves her room dressed in a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a red flannel. Rosita playfully looks her up and down, making cat calls at her. Nicole gives her the middle finger as she makes her way down the stairs.
The party is pretty busy by the time they arrive. Nicole is surprised by the turnout, but she knows she shouldn't be. Waverly is one of the most liked people in the entire town.
She sees familiar faces as she walks through the house, but there's no sign of Waverly at first. She sees Wynonna, who makes some comment at her about being a nerd and wondering where she went last night. Nicole rolls her eyes at the brunette, who smirks back at her knowing that she was the one who keeps disappearing on Nicole.
She finds her way in the direction of the alcohol, pouring herself a cup of whatever concoction is there. It tastes way better than the drinks Rosita made her, so she's okay with it. She turns back to see where Rosita went and she sees her talking with a few other people on the other side of the room.
Part of her wants to ask where Waverly is to wish her a happy birthday. That part of her wants to spend the party in the presence of Waverly, listening to her talk, watching her smile, hearing her laugh. The other part of her wants to avoid Waverly at all costs, afraid of how she is going to take it when she eventually succumbs to telling her to truth. She blew her off.
"Nicole!" she hears Waverly's voice come from the next room over as she's making her way through the house. She smiles at the girl and joins her where she is. "You actually showed," Waverly says. She doesn't seem mad, she continues to smile at the redhead.
"Why wouldn't I have?" Nicole asks. "Oh, the dance, yeah, about that," she continues.
"It's okay," Waverly tells her, placing her hand on her shoulder for a moment. Nicole can tell something is bothering Waverly, she sees it in her face. "Are you feeling better? I tried texting you."
"Yeah, sorry, I'm still getting used to having a phone." It isn't a total lie, but she still feels bad. "Look, Waverly," Nicole starts to try to explain herself. She needs to tell her the truth. "I wasn't entirely truthful with you," she admits. Waverly looks confused at first. "I don't know what happened. You asked me to go to the dance with you and I got there and, I don't know, I just freaked," she explains.
"Nicole-" Waverly starts, but Nicole isn't finished.
"You've been a great friend to me," Nicole says. Waverly's face drops a little but she quickly covers it up with a smile. Nicole isn't sure if she meant to show that to her. "I guess I just thought," she continues. "Well, I don't know what I thought. But I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
She feels a heaviness in her chest. The last thing she wants is to disappoint Waverly. She's not even entirely sure why.
"Nicole," Waverly says. Her voice is soft and sweet. She places her hand on her shoulder again. "Breathe. Just breathe," she says, softly.
Just breathe.
She feels the weight of her father's hands on her shoulders from when she was six.
Just breathe.
She feels the hand of the girl she once loved pressing against her heart.
Just breathe.
She's back to reality, Waverly's hand still on her shoulder.
"I-" she stutters a little. "I need air."
She quickly turns away from Waverly without looking back. She sees a clearing in the crowd, leading her to the back door of the house. There's something about being alone in the night air that Nicole enjoys about Purgatory. In the city, she was never alone, even when she wasn't there with anyone. There were always people, always noise, and never as many stars.
The air is cool and she immediately breathes it in, letting out an audible sigh. She needed to get some space before she became too overwhelmed. She's not sure what she's even thinking with Waverly. Waverly is her foster sister's best friend. She's her friend's sister, her history partner, her friend. She isn't going to be anything more than her friend.
She quickly jumps when she sees movement to her left, realizing she actually wasn't alone. "You're new here," a dark haired girl says to Nicole as she moves a little closer in the light that is illuminating from the back of the house.
"Guilty as charged," Nicole says with a smile. "Are you going to ask me my life story like everyone else around here?" She lets out a laugh.
"Nah," The girl shrugs. "Sometimes mystery is good. I wish I could be a mystery to people are here. Once they know your business, it's all downhill from there," she laughs as she takes a swig of the liquid in the cup that she is holding.
Nicole laughs. She's intrigued by this girl who doesn't need every detail of her from the start. She likes someone who wants to get to know her before hearing about her past. "Well you're a mystery to me," Nicole says as she smirks over the edge of the cup as she takes a sip. She doesn't purposely try to flirt with someone else, but maybe it will help get her mind off of Waverly.
"Then we have something in common," the girl smiles. "I'm Shae. Shae Pressman."
"Nicole Haught," she smiles back at the girl.
"Well Nicole Haught, you seem to have done something right, already having an in with Purgatory's princess, Waverly Earp," Shae teases.
She turns and leans her elbows on the edge of the deck, looking out into the backyard. Nicole does the same. They're standing closer now, arms just barely brushing.
"Luck of the draw, I guess," Nicole shrugs. Shae gives her a confused look. "We're history partners," Nicole laughs.
"Ah," Shae says knowingly. "Man, I got stuck with Champ Hardy on that stupid thing," Shae groans. She takes another large swig of her drink.
"Is he that bad?" Nicole asks. She doesn't hear the best things about Champ, but Waverly doesn't seem to hate him, so she doesn't think he can be that bad.
"Let's just say, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Emphasis on tool," Shae says with a laugh, louder than before, causing Nicole to laugh along with her.
"Then why is Waverly interested in him?" Nicole asks. She is not sure why that question even came out. She's not even sure if Waverly is interested in him or not. She also doesn't know why she can't stop thinking or talking about Waverly. Waverly is her friend. Just her friend.
"Beauty over brains? The man is gorgeous," she sighs. And his family is rich.
"So is hers," Nicole tells her. She gestures around toward the house.
"Now you're catching on," Shae says with a wink. Nicole doesn't think she understands. She doesn't try.
"Yeah, this is like a whole new world to me," Nicole admits with a laugh. She hopes Shae continues to not ask questions about where she's from. "Is Champ even here?" she asks.
"Rumor has it he went to a party in the next town over first," Shae tells her. She doesn't seem surprised.
"On Waverly's birthday?" Nicole asks confused.
"I told you, beauty, not brains," Shae says.
"She deserves better than that," Nicole says.
She feels immediately defensive, wanting to protect the brunette from anything that would hurt her. She takes a breath to calm herself down, she knows it's not her job. She needs to stop worrying so much about Waverly.
"What about you? Got your eye on any of the eligible bachelors of Purgatory?" Shae asks.
"No," Nicole laughs.
"Me neither. I prefer mysterious people who aren't from around here," Shae says. Nicole swallows hard and looks back at the brown eyes that seem to devour her with one look. She doesn't hate it, it's nice to be noticed. She goes to take another sip of her drink, realizing her cup is empty. "I'm out," she waves the cup in the air. "Want anything?" She asks as she gestures over her shoulder.
Shae nods and leans in toward Nicole. She grasps Nicole's collar with her hand, bringing her in closer. Nicole doesn't pull back. She pushes forward, connecting lips with the other girl. She parts her lips and feels Shae's tongue against her own. She brings her hands to Shae's hips, bracing herself a little more as they continue to make out.
A few moments later, the back door to the deck slides open, breaking the pair from their moment. Nicole looks behind her to see Waverly staring back at them. She opens her mouth to talk, but nothing comes out.
"I, uh, sorry, I," Waverly stutters. Her eyes remain plastered on the pair.
Nicole stops like a deer in headlights and watches as Waverly turns to leave. She wants to reach out for her and she swears she does. She feels Shae reach for her hand, lacing their fingers together before pulling her by the shirt and in for another kiss. They kiss for a moment before Nicole pulls away.
"I need some air," Nicole says.
Shae looks at her confused for a moment. She's unsure why that was what she said, seeing as though they're already outside.
Nicole realizes she has made her third major screw up of the weekend. She quickly turns and makes her way back inside. The music is loud and she can feel the bass pulsing through her body. She scans the party, looking for Waverly but she's nowhere in sight.
—
well... 😬