Chapter Text
Chapter 3
The days leading up to Nicole’s date with Waverly couldn’t have gone any slower. Every day seemed to drag out longer than the day before and it was really beginning to grate on her nerves. The two of them had managed to see each other here and there, but only for a few minutes at a time. Waverly was constantly being pulled away by her sister or the giggle squad or Nicole’s friends would have terrible timing and barge into their conversations. The thought of Friday coming up was the only thing keeping Nicole sane at this point.
Thursday afternoon had Nicole nervously bouncing her knee as she sat in her history class, doodling on a piece of notebook paper, her mind nowhere near anything to do with class. She hadn’t solidified her plans for tomorrow night and she had a small list going in front of her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been thinking of things to do, its just there aren’t that many things to actually do in Purgatory.
She didn’t want to go to Shorty’s again, especially on a Friday night when all of Purgatory High would be there watching them or constantly interrupting them. There was absolutely no way they were going to the football game that night. Nicole racked her brain for days on what to do and she was running out of time.
The sound of the bell signaling the end of class made Nicole jump and gather up her things to leave. Walking through the halls, Nicole kept her eyes open for a certain brunette and when she spotted her at her locker, her smile instantly dropped at seeing Champ moseying up to her. Nicole could see the way Waverly’s shoulders tensed up at his arrival and so she marched towards them in a hurry.
“You still owe me for last Friday, you know. How about we meet up after the game tomorrow night?” Champ asked, leaning against the lockers, almost boxing Waverly in so she couldn’t move away.
“I-I’m sorry Champ, but I already have plans tomorrow night.” Waverly stuttered, uncomfortable with how close Champ was to her.
“With who?” Champ asked, anger tinged at the end of his question.
“With me. Not that it’s any of your business.” Nicole remarked coming up behind Waverly, her hand resting low on her back in reassurance.
Champ stood up straight and glared at Nicole.
“Oh really? And does Waverly’s family know she’s hanging out with greaser scum? They don’t seem like the kind of family that would approve of that kind of thing.” Champ sneered.
Nicole stepped in front of Waverly, blocking her from any harm that might come their way.
“And if they don’t know? You gonna run off and tattle on us, jockstrap?” Nicole watched as Champ’s shoulders bunched up and his fists clenched in anger. “Go ahead. I dare you. Your ass will be on the sidelines watching the game tomorrow if you throw one punch.”
Champ was practically seething as a couple of his buddies came over and talked their captain down from fighting, knowing he’d be risking their game if he did. They threw nasty looks at Nicole as they led Champ down the hall away from them, Nicole watching them until they rounded a corner out of sight. Turning around, she found everyone watching them intently and Waverly looking extremely uncomfortable under their stares.
“You all got a problem?” Nicole yelled out to the crowd. That quick they were all running to class.
Still feeling the anger pumping through her veins, Nicole looked down at the smaller girl and felt all that anger dissipate at the smirk on Waverly’s face.
“You okay?” Nicole asks, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets nervously.
“I am, thanks to you.” Waverly closes her locker and leans against it. “But I told you no getting into fights.”
“And I told you no promises.” Nicole smirked. “Besides, we didn’t even fight, just knocked him down a peg or two. He’ll survive.”
“Well good. Let’s try and keep it that way.” Waverly reached out and tugged playfully on the zipper of Nicole’s jacket.
“Again, no promises.” Nicole warned, earning an eye roll from the brunette. “In the meantime, can I walk you to your next class before you’re late?”
Waverly beamed and nodded as she let Nicole lead her in the direction of her English class, Nicole’s hand resting comfortably on her left shoulder.
XXXXXXXXXX
Friday night had finally come and Nicole was shaking like a leaf as she stared at her reflection in the mirror in her room. She had tried on almost every shirt she owned and each one had let her down. She had never had this issue before with any of her other dates and it was driving her crazy. She wanted to look good for Waverly, and perhaps make a decent impression with her family when she went to go pick Waverly up at her house.
In the end, she had decided on a white button down shirt tucked into her favorite pair of black jeans and her converses. To top it off, she borrowed one of her dad’s black ties, leaving it loose around her neck and her trusty leather jacket. Running a comb through her still wet hair, Nicole deemed herself ready, grabbed her wallet and keys and left to pick up her date.
The whole way to Waverly’s house, Nicole kept running over what she’d say when or if she met her parents. They had agreed on Nicole picking Waverly up at her house but didn’t really address what to do if her parents were there. All Nicole knew was if it came to that, she’d be on her best behavior regardless. That’s what Waverly deserved.
When she pulled up out front of Waverly’s house, Nicole took a minute to gather her nerves and take a deep breath.
“I can do this.” Nicole repeated over and over to herself as she climbed out of the car and walked up the path to the steps to the front door. Adjusting her clothes one more time, Nicole rang the doorbell and had a last minute thought.
“Shit, was I supposed to get flowers?!” She whispered under her breath just as the door opened and an older brunette woman answered the door.
“Hi there! You must be Nicole!”
“Y-yes ma’am. Nicole Haught. It’s nice to meet you.” Nicole stuttered as she stepped back to allow the screen door to open.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you too. Please come in! Waverly should be down in a minute.” Mrs. Earp led Nicole into the living room where Wynonna was lounging on the couch reading a magazine.
“Wynonna don’t be rude and say hello to Nicole.” The older woman scolded her daughter.
“Hey Red, heard you’re taking Waves on a date! Good for you!” Wynonna said enthusiastically, satisfying her mother.
“Please sit and make yourself at home. Would you like anything to drink?” Mrs. Earp offered, not waiting for a response as she left for the kitchen to grab something for them.
“Oh no…..that’s…..okayy….” Nicole tried to tell her but she was already gone, the sound of cabinets opening and glasses being pulled out telling her she was getting something to drink.
“Too late. She’s already in house guest mode.” Wynonna informed her, dropping the magazine on the coffee table. “So where you guys going tonight? Waverly wouldn’t tell me.”
“To dinner. I made reservations.” Nicole said, playing with the knot of her tie nervously.
“That’s cool.” Wynonna peaked around the corner to make sure her mom and sister weren’t around before turning back to Nicole. “Just a heads up, you hurt my sister or try anything she’s not ready for, and I will find you and beat you within an inch of your life. You understand?”
Nicole’s eyes widened and she nodded quickly.
“Good. I know you wouldn’t do that but I just had to put it out there. Waverly told me what you did for her when Champ cornered her again. I expect you to be respectful to her.”
“I promise. I’d never hurt her.” Nicole replied truthfully.
Wynonna seemed pleased with her answer and bumped their shoulders together.
“You look nice, by the way.”
“Thank you.” Nicole smirked bashfully.
Mrs. Earp came back in carrying a tray of home-made lemonade for the three of them, taking a seat in the armchair across from the other two.
“So Nicole, Waverly says you’re a junior as well.”
“Yes ma’am.” Nicole replied, taking a sip of her drink to help her drying throat.
“We were so proud to hear she was skipping a grade when we moved here. I must say I was worried about her fitting in, everyone being older than her and whatnot. But she seems to be fitting in just fine.”
“She is. Your daughter is a natural at making friends.” Nicole informed them, thinking about how quickly the giggle squad honed in on her.
“That’s nice to hear. I’m sorry my husband isn’t here to meet you. He had to stay late at work tonight. But definitely next time.”
Nicole’s heart picked up at the thought of next time. Possibly another date if this one goes good.
Hearing descending footsteps on the stairs, Nicole stood up and deflated when she saw instead of Waverly, it was Willa.
“What are you doing here?” The older girl asked, a note of disgust in her tone.
“Willa, that’s no way to greet our guest!” Mrs. Earp reprimanded her oldest child. “She’s here to pick up Waverly for their date.”
“Date? Since when is Waverly allowed to date greasers?!” Willa gave them all a powerful glare, lingering on Nicole more, before turning and storming back up the stairs she just came down. The sound of a door slamming making everyone flinch.
“I’m so sorry about that Nicole. Willa isn’t adjusting very well to the move and has been lashing out unnecessarily. Please don’t take anything she says to heart.” Mrs. Earp stood, grazing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder in apology, before starting up after her daughter to give her a firm talking to.
She was just about to sit back down when light footsteps started making their way down the stairs again and this time the person had Nicole utterly speechless.
Waverly had her hair down in wavy curls, a deep blue long-sleeved blouse tucked into a tight, knee length white skirt with matching blue heels. Nicole watched her descend the last few steps, frozen in place as she tried to take in everything that was Waverly Earp at this moment.
“Hi.” Waverly smiled at her, the heels making her just an inch or so shorter than Nicole.
The room was silent and getting awkward as Nicole had yet to say anything she realized.
“Wow…”
Waverly smiled at the dazed look on Nicole’s face.
“You look amazing.” Nicole couldn’t tear her eyes away from the vision in front of her. It took Wynonna bumping into her from behind for her to shake out of her staring fit.
“You do, Waves. You’re a lucky one, Red.” Wynonna gave her youngest sister a smile as she moved towards the stairs. “I’ll grab mom so she can say bye. Don’t go anywhere yet.”
The girls watched her leave before turning back to each other.
“Sorry I took so long getting ready. Willa wouldn’t get out of the bathroom long enough for me to take a shower so I lost track of time. I didn’t mean to leave you alone with my family.” Waverly said, grabbing her thick blue peacoat from the coat rack by the door.
“It was fine. Your mom is really nice. And Wynonna…..is Wynonna.” Nicole took the coat from her and held it out to help. Waverly smiled and turned to put her arms in as Nicole pulled it over her shoulders. “Willa on the other hand….”
Waverly spun around so fast it made Nicole jump.
“What did she do?”
Nicole shrugged.
“Nothing horrible. Just gave off her usual warmth towards me when she heard we were going on a date.”
“I’m so sorry Nicole. I didn’t-”
“Hey.” Nicole stepped closer to the younger girl. “It’s fine. Nothing I haven’t heard before. Besides, I think she’s just jealous at how amazing you look.” Nicole grinned.
Waverly blushed and reached out to tug at Nicole’s tie.
“So do you. Really.”
Mrs. Earp and Wynonna both came back downstairs to see the girls off, the eldest telling Nicole to come around again and for them to have a good time. Nicole led Waverly to her car and went to open the passenger side door but was stopped by a hand on her chest and a head shake. Opening the driver side door, Waverly scooted across and waved to her sister and mom on the porch before Nicole followed her in and pulled away from the curb.
XXXXXXXXXX
Nicole was aware of all the eyes on the two of them as they were led to their table. She had made reservations at the nicest restaurant in town and it just happened to be at the Wainright Hotel. It was one of the oldest hotels in town and one of the more popular places for the adults of Purgatory. The hostess escorted them to a table near the middle of the room and Nicole could see Waverly was nervous too. The hostess took their coats for them and told them the waiter would be right out. Nicole glanced around the place and took in the fancy candles and live band playing softly in the corner. She remembers being there with her parents when she was little and being mad they didn’t have crayons. She’s brought out of her memories by a waiter handing them a menu and running off the list of specials, all of which Nicole had never heard of before. When he stepped away to give them time to decide, Nicole looked over her menu at Waverly and saw she was just as confused by the menu.
“Seeing anything you like?” Nicole asked, hoping for some kind of idea as to what to get. She didn’t remember the menu being this fancy.
“Ummm…..well……” The little spot between Waverly’s eyes crinkled as she read over the menu again and Nicole started chuckling, gaining her attention.
“I got nothing. You?” Nicole asked.
Waverly giggled and shook her head.
“I don’t even know what half this stuff is!”
Breathing in relief, Nicole stood up and offered her hand.
“Let’s get outta here and go someplace a little more us.”
“Shorty’s?”
“You got it.” Taking Waverly’s hand, Nicole led them to the coat check in, grabbed their stuff and hightailed it out of there just as the waiter was bringing out their waters.
XXXXXXXXXX
Nicole was rolling down her window as the car hop was running over with their food. They decided to eat in the car once they saw how packed it was in the diner and didn’t want to risk being seen by the giggle squad or Nicole’s friends. Waverly was more than happy to eat in the warmth of the car, the radio quietly playing in the background, and no chance of them being disturbed. Pulling the tray inside, Nicole sat it in between them and rolled the window back up to help contain the warm air inside.
“Much better.” Nicole said, implying the non-stressful atmosphere compared to the restaurant from earlier. “Sorry about that, by the way. Just thought you’d prefer a place like that.”
“That’s sweet, but this is more my style. No pressure, no staring, no weirdly named food.” They both chuckled at that. “Just this.”
“Good to know.” Nicole snuck a fry from Waverly’s basket and was almost to her mouth when a hand caught her wrist.
“You have your own, thief!” Waverly accused jokingly.
“Yours taste better!” Nicole laughed as the brunette tried to pry the now smashed french fry from her fingers.
“They do not!” As they wrestled over the one fry, Waverly didn’t notice Nicole sneaking another off her with the other hand until it was too late.
“You punk!” Nicole chewed with a smirk as Waverly lightly punched her in the shoulder. When she went to swipe another one, Waverly reached out and caught Nicole by her tie and tugged her closer, the fry between them forgotten instantly when they realized how close they were at the moment.
Nicole trailed her eyes over the small freckles that crossed over Waverly’s nose, her long eyelashes, the adorable cupid’s bow of her upper lip, and the way she gently chewed on her lower lip. Everything about the girl drew Nicole in and she couldn’t look away. Not that she wanted to either.
Waverly seemed to be in the same kind of trance as her eyes roamed all over Nicole’s face. Her fingers were gently twirling the end of Nicole’s tie, tugging her closer without realizing it. Nicole could feel the soft, warm puffs of air wash over her face and it caused goosebumps to break out all over her body. Being this close to Waverly was only a dream and now here she was. And it was better than any dream.
As she inched a little bit closer, their noses caressing together as Waverly ran her free hand over the curve of the redhead‘s jaw, Nicole held back to let Waverly make the last move.
“Nicole….” Waverly sighed as she moved in the last inch…..
The sound of blaring horns pulling into the parking lot had both girls jerking back and turning to look out the windshield at the interruption.
Champ and the other football hooligans were whooping and hollering over tonight’s win and the sight of them pissed Nicole off. She and Waverly had been so close to kissing that she could still feel the smaller girl’s gentle touch on her face. But seeing the annoyed look on Waverly’s face at being interrupted too sparked the hope in Nicole’s chest.
With the moment ruined, the two of them went back to eating and making fun of the football team, mostly Champ, as they watched the moron float from table to table so people could sing his praise at being a mediocre athlete.
When the waitress came back for their garbage, Nicole paid the bill and saw it was starting to get late. Waverly’s mom hadn’t given them a curfew but she didn’t want to end up on their bad side after the first date by keeping their youngest daughter out at all hours of the night. Seeing Shorty’s emptying out as well, Nicole smirked as she started the car and told Waverly to hang on tight as she gunned the car out of the spot and made a wide turn just as Champ and the other boys stepped out the door and sprayed them with a cloud of dust, leaving them grumbling and filthy as Nicole’s friends laughed at seeing the familiar car driving away.
Nicole laughed as she saw Champ throwing a tantrum in the rearview mirror and smiled even harder when she caught Waverly giggling too at the sight.
“Serves him right.” Nicole claimed keeping her eyes on the road. She jumped though when she felt a soft hand glide over hers on the steering wheel and pry it off, only to be held in the lap of one Waverly Earp. The whole way home, the two of them laughed and joked around as Waverly played with the ring on Nicole’s finger.
XXXXXXXXXX
The Monday after their first date found Nicole waiting patiently outside the Earp residence to take Waverly to school. They hadn’t been able to see each other over the weekend as Waverly’s parent’s wanted to spent time with their daughters and Nicole had promised to help Doc at his dad’s garage. With winter approaching fast, people were lining up to get chains on their tires before the first snowfall of the year.
Nicole had checked her reflection in every mirror of her car before deeming herself ready and walked up to the front door. After knocking, she could hear a sweet voice call out from inside that she would get it and Nicole was awarded the sight of Waverly standing on the other side beaming at her.
“Care for a ride?” Nicole offered.
Calling out a quick goodbye to her family, Waverly grabbed her bag and books from the small entrance table and stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door firmly shut behind her. They both stood smiling at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move and when Nicole offered her hand, Waverly took it and let the redhead lead her down the steps. Before they could reach the last step however, the front door opened behind them and a voice was stopping them.
“You have room for one more, Red?” Wynonna asked, more like stated as she followed behind them carrying her own books. “Willa’s on my last nerve and I’m not in the mood to be stuck inside a moving vehicle with her.” Before Nicole could say anything, the older girl was making her way over to the passenger side of the car and climbing in. “Waves, you can sit in the middle or the back if you prefer.”
Both Nicole and Waverly watched as Wynonna fiddled with the radio, completely oblivious to the other girls watching her, one in confusion and the other in anger.
“Wynonna, you can’t just invite yourself into someone’s car without asking!” Waverly argued, pulling Nicole behind her.
“Nicole doesn’t mind. Do you, Red?” Wynonna raised an eyebrow at her through the window, silently asking her to argue with her.
“No, it’s cool.” Nicole spoke up, not wanting to cause anymore damage between the sisters.
“See Waves. It’s cool. Now get in before we’re late.” Wynonna grinned triumphantly as she settled back in her seat.
Turning to face Nicole, Waverly gave her an adorable pout.
“I’m sorry about her. She seems to have either left her manners back in Calgary or she was raised in a barn. You pick.”
Nicole barked out a laugh and tugged the smaller girl closer.
“It’s fine, really. Now we have an excuse for you to sit closer to me. Unless you’d prefer the backseat like she said?” Nicole smirked.
“Not a chance.” Waverly answered as Nicole opened the driver side door and Waverly scooted over to the middle seat, her glare not as intense as before but still lingering on her older sister, as Nicole followed her in.
The drive to school was pretty uneventfully, mostly Wynonna talking or asking questions about the town and whatnot. Waverly remained unusually quiet the whole time, the only thing letting Nicole know she was paying attention was the way Waverly would run her fingertips all along the surface of her palm and the way the brunette’s lips would curl slightly at the tremor that shook through Nicole’s body at the sensation.
When she pulled into her usual spot, Nicole had barely turned the car off before Wynonna was out and latching onto Doc, who was sitting on the bed of his truck smoking a cigarette. Nicole reached for the door handle to let them out but a tug on her other hand stopped her and drew her attention to Waverly.
“Hi.” Waverly murmured quietly
“Hi.” Nicole chuckled back just as quiet.
“I didn’t get a chance to say that before. Also,” Waverly leaned forward and brushed a warm kiss on the older girl’s cheek. “Thanks for the ride. And tolerating my sister.”
Nicole so badly wanted to chase after those lips but knew it wasn’t the right time for that. So instead, she brought the hand that was holding hers up to her mouth and pressed a lingering kiss to Waverly’s knuckles.
“Anytime.”
Seeing the glassy dazed look in Waverly’s eyes had Nicole feeling like a million dollars as she reached over the seat for her own books and tugged the two of them out of the car to join her friends.
Saying hi to Doc and Rosita, Nicole took the offered cigarette from Doc and allowed the sweet tasting tobacco to fill her mouth before tilting her head back and releasing a plume of smoke into the sky, away from Waverly. Feeling the cigarette leave her fingers, Nicole wasn’t surprised to see Wynonna taking her own drag from it and the way the smoke curled out between her lips.
“God, that’s beautiful.” Doc stated as he watched her with a love sick look on his face.
Nicole shook her head at him and looked at the smaller girl next to her. Waverly was watching her with a curious glint in her eyes that had Nicole begging to know what she was thinking. Hearing the warning bell, the five of them gathered their things and made their way through the lot just as Willa was pulling in, her icy glare fixed on both her sisters as she stormed out of the car and up the front steps of the building.
“Has she ever attempted a smile?” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s ear, their hands clasped between them as they crossed the street.
“If she has, I’ve never seen it.” Waverly whispered back, making them both chuckle.
Reaching the other side of the street, the group bumped into Perry and the rest of the gang and exchanged hellos and playful arm punches. Nicole was about to introduce the Earp sisters to everyone when the sound of a familiar car backfiring had her pausing and tensing up.
A car the same model as Nicole’s, painted blood red with menacing looking skulls all over it, cruised by slowly and had Nicole and the gang glaring. Arm swinging languidly out the passenger side window was none other than Bobo Del Rey, his greased back hair and cigarette hanging from his mouth as he sneered at the group on the sidewalk before gesturing to his driver to keep going until they turned the corner and were out of sight. No longer seeing him, Nicole finally unclenched her muscles and everyone else followed, the danger gone for now.
“Who was that?” Wynonna asked.
“That lovely character was Bobo Del Rey. The leader of the Revenant Gang. The man is a snake in human form. We’ve met on some not so happy occasions, mostly ending in fistfights and the police showing up.” Doc explained, chewing the end of his cigarette bitterly.
“He likes to cruise around the parking lot here and Shorty’s eyeballing the underclassmen. He never made it passed the tenth grade himself.” Perry offered his two-cents in as they all started heading inside.
“Nicole?”
Nicole hadn’t said a word since seeing Bobo and her eyes were still trained on the last spot she saw Del Rey before his car turned. But hearing that sweet voice call her name had her snapping back.
“Sorry. Let’s get you to class before I’m responsible for your first truancy report.” Sensing something not quite right, Waverly watched as Nicole turned and led them both into the building, figuring she’d ask her about it later when they were alone.
XXXXXXXXXX
It took nearly everything in Nicole not to sprint to the library for her secret lunch with Waverly. They had passed each other in the hallway after third period and at the last second Waverly reached out her hand and passed Nicole a hidden note asking her if she’d like to meet her for lunch. She never got the chance to respond back but there was no way Nicole was saying no to that.
Opening the door to the unfamiliar room, Nicole noticed quite a few students either reading and doing homework at the multiple tables or some walking up and down the rows of shelves looking at all the available titles. Scanning her eyes over the tables first, Nicole didn’t see Waverly so she quietly moved along the ends of the rows of books searching her out. When she got to a row focusing on history, Nicole smiled at seeing Waverly balancing on her toes trying to reach a book on the top shelf just out of reach. Walking quietly up behind her, Nicole placed a hand on the smaller girl’s hip for balance as she reached above the both of them and grabbed the spine of the book with no problem.
Waverly had tensed up at first but instantly relaxed at the “allow me” whispered in her ear and the sight of a silver ring catching her eye.
Pulling the book down, Nicole handed it over and got a grateful smile in return.
“How chivalrous. I should keep you around for when I’m studying and can’t reach the books I need.” Waverly joked as she led them over to a table in the back where the rest of her stuff was.
“Like that monster?” Nicole asked, pointing at the book cradled on Waverly’s arm.
“Oh, this book is just for my own enjoyment. It’s not required for class.” Waverly admitted embarrassed.
“What’s it about?” Nicole asked genuinely curious, turning her chair around so she could straddle it and rest her arms along the top.
“It’s the history of Purgatory and how it was founded. There’s so much history in this town and I want to know it all.” Waverly sat down and quietly snuck a small, wrapped sandwich out of her bag.
“Breaking the rules, Miss Earp? That doesn’t sound like you.” Nicole smirked, nodding towards the “no food or drink permitted” signs posted all along the room.
“Well, it’s the only place I could hide from Chrissy and Stephanie when they want to show me more cheers. And I don’t think Champ even knows this room exists. So if I want to eat and read in peace, some rules need to be bent.” Waverly defended then offered Nicole the other half of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“I guess I could let it go, considering you decided to share your secret hideout with me.” Nicole accepted the sandwich and took a bite.
“It’s only fair, seeing as how you showed me yours.” Waverly took her own bite and gave Nicole a cheek bunching grin.
They finished their shared sandwich and Waverly tucked the remaining evidence into her bag, not wanting the librarian to know their little secret.
“So in your note,” Nicole whispered as her fingers tapped at her breast pocket to make sure the small square was still there without Waverly seeing. “You said you wanted to talk about something.”
Nodding, Waverly looked around as she scooted the chair closer to Nicole so they wouldn’t be overheard.
“Are you okay from earlier?” Nicole gave her a confused look. “When that Bobo guy drove by, you got really quiet.”
Nicole clenched her hand in a fist at his name but calmed down at the look of worry Waverly was giving her.
“Sorry. We just have some bad blood between his gang and ours. I promise you, I’ve never been involved in anything illegal and I never would. Same with Doc and Rosita. But there have been times where some people got hurt by the Revenant Gang and vice versa. It’s a whole turf thing and they’re always crossing that line.” Nicole hunched her shoulders, the tension slowly creeping up her spine.
“Hey.” Waverly ran her hand back and forth soothingly over Nicole’s forearm. “Has he ever hurt you before?”
“We all got into a fight about a year ago. They’d been causing some trouble outside Shorty’s and we went out to confront them. No major damage though. The cops had already been on their way before we stepped out. Managed to get in a few lucky punches, took some myself before they scattered like the cockroaches they are.” Nicole remembered how worried her parents had been when she returned home that night with a black eye and busted lip.
Feeling fingers brushing her hair behind her ear, Nicole looked up and found Waverly looking at a small scar on her cheekbone, her thumb grazing it gently.
“He’d been wearing a ring that night and caught me off guard. Left a lasting mark.” Nicole shivered as Waverly’s thumb continued to gently rub against it, almost like she was hoping to brush it away.
“I hope it never has to come down to another fight again. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Like I said about Champ,” Nicole smirked. “No promises.”
The smirk fell off her face when Waverly leaned forward and brushed her lips over the small scar, lingering there a few seconds before pulling back, her cheeks tinged red and matching her hair.
“Try for me. Please?” Waverly pleaded quietly.
“I’ll definitely try. For you.” Nicole whispered back, her words holding truth.
XXXXXXXXXX
The following weeks leading up to the holidays had been pretty uneventful. Waverly had been busy studying for her mid-terms and had even offered to stay after school to help underclassmen by tutoring. Everyday, Nicole would pick her up and drive them to school then come back afterwards to drive her home. Waverly had insisted her sister could come get her but Nicole wouldn’t hear. She knew Willa’s mood hadn’t gotten any better and she wasn’t going to subject Waverly to that. Besides, they barely got to see each other outside school now with Waverly tutoring and Nicole helping at the garage. She yearned for those few minutes where it was just them and no one else.
It was the last day of school for the year and Nicole was excited because Waverly was done with her tutoring and she had the night off thanks to Doc, so she decided to surprise Waverly with an impromptu date. She parked outside the school, the car warming up behind her as she blew into her cold hands as she leaned against the door waiting for the brunette to come out. She had slipped a note into Waverly’s locker earlier today asking if she’d like to go out after school and when they had managed to pass each other before their last class, Waverly mouthed a “yes” and smiled at her. Nicole loved when she smiled like that.
Hearing the doors open and the enthusiastic cheer as everyone left for Christmas break, Nicole kept her eyes peeled for the smaller girl in the crowd. Finally spotting her coming out with Wynonna, Nicole pushed away from the car so she could meet them at the bottom of the steps, Waverly’s eyes finding hers immediately.
“Hey.” Nicole greeted them, her hands reaching out for the stack of books under Waverly’s arm and the other for the girl’s hand.
“Hi.” Waverly smiled as she leaned in to kiss Nicole’s cheek in thank you and offering her hand.
Even though they had been technically “dating” for the past few weeks, the furthest they had gone intimate wise was the occasional kiss on the cheek or hand. And Nicole didn’t mind that at all. She didn’t want to force anything on Waverly and to be honest, she loved her sweet little cheek kisses.
“Hey Red.” Wynonna greeted, smiling when she saw Doc waving at her from across the lot. “Just so you know, I gave up a date tonight with Doc so you and my sister could go out. I’m going to hold that over your head.”
“Wynonna…” Waverly warned her sister.
“It’s cool.” Nicole chuckled. “I told Doc to let me know when he wanted to switch shifts to make up for it.”
“Good to know.” Wynonna smirked. “Have fun you two.” They watched as she jogged over to Doc and laid a smacking kiss on his lips before jumping in the truck.
Feeling the smaller girl shiver next to her, Nicole curled her arm around Waverly’s shoulders and escorted her to the warm car, both of them climbing in quickly to get out of the blistering cold.
“So where are we going?” Waverly asked, tossing her bag into the backseat where it usually ended up.
“It’s a surprise.” Nicole checked her mirrors before pulling out onto the road.
“Are we going to try the hotel restaurant again?” Waverly joked.
“Ha ha.” Nicole reached out for her hand and tugged her closer so she was sitting in the middle of the seat. Waverly was always cold so Nicole tried to stay close by to offer whatever body heat she could. Waverly scooched in close, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s right arm as their hands intertwined on Waverly’s lap. As the days got colder and colder, gone were the skirts and short-sleeve blouses Waverly loved to wear, and instead she opted for denim jeans and sweaters with her warmest snow boots. Nicole thought she looked absolutely adorable, the cuffs of her jeans rolled up as her pants were too long, the cute wool hat she’d wear that her mother had knitted for her. Even now, Nicole stopped at the stop sign at an intersection and turned her head to lay a gentle kiss on the girl’s forehead, the hat soft against her cheek, just because Waverly was too cute not to.
When she swung the car into a not so busy parking lot, Waverly gave her a curious look but Nicole just smiled back and slowed the car to a crawl. As they rounded the nearest building, Waverly finally saw what they’d be doing and shook her head at the excited look on Nicole’s face.
“Is this okay?” Nicole asked somewhat shyly. “We can do something else if you want.”
“It’s more than okay. Hearing you talk about this for weeks and how excited you’ve been? I’d gladly do this with you.” Waverly poked her finger at the exposed dimple in Nicole’s cheek as the taller girl grinned hard and drove them up to the window.
“Two for Jailhouse Rock, please?”
XXXXXXXXXX
The drive-in theater was slowly filling up with other cars but not enough to call it packed. Most teens preferred the indoor theater this time of the year but Nicole liked this better because there was no sitting next to annoying people or having to listen to people talk during the movie. They had shown up a little early and were told the movie would begin in about an hour, giving the sun enough time to go down. With winter came shorter days so they didn’t have to wait too long. As they waited, Nicole had offered to look at the book Waverly was currently addicted to, the biography on her great-great grandfather Wyatt Earp. Nicole could sit for hours and let Waverly read to her about anything and everything, especially things that made Waverly happy. So as they waited for other cars to pull in, Nicole reclined back in her seat with Waverly tucked in her side and let the younger girl corral her with tales of the old wild west.
By the time the movie projector was flickering on and showing the usual ads and commercials, the sun had long since settled for the night and people were jogging over to the indoor snack stand for hot chocolate and popcorn. Nicole had offered to venture out in the cold to get them some food and told Waverly to save their spot in the book for later. Pulling on her gloves and tapping her back pocket for her wallet, Nicole shuffled over to the food stand and got them the biggest bucket of popcorn they had to offer and two bottles of coke.
When she came book with everything, Waverly was opening the door from the inside so the redhead wouldn’t have to juggle everything and helped her get situated. They laughed at the dancing hot dog and condiments on the large screen as they took turns trying to toss pieces of popcorn in their mouths, more ending up on the seat and floor than in their mouths but Nicole didn’t care. She’d cover the car in mud if it meant getting to hear that beautiful laugh everyday. As the movie finally came on, the two of them settled down and immersed themselves in the movie starring Nicole’s role model Elvis Presley.
XXXXXXXXXX
Halfway through the movie, Nicole had looked away to see if Waverly was enjoying it as the two main characters kissed for the first time and instead found bright hazel eyes looking up at her.
“What?” Nicole asked curiously.
“Nothing.” Waverly smirked.
“No, what?” Nicole encouraged turning towards her. “You can tell me.”
“It’s just….”Waverly looked down at their entwined hands. “I can’t figure it out.”
“Figure what out?”
“Why you like me.” Waverly looked back up at her. “There’s hundreds of other girls more interesting than plain ol' me and yet here we are. I can’t figure out why.”
Nicole turned her whole body to face the smaller girl, the movie all but forgotten now.
“First of all, there is nothing plain about you. You’re beautiful, caring, extremely sweet, and so so smart. Anyone would be lucky to be able to just stand next to you.” Waverly looked back down at her hands as her cheeks turned red, but Nicole used her free hand to gently lift her chin up to lock eyes with her again. “I find you so incredibly fascinating. The way you put your everything into your schoolwork because you want to succeed in life. The way you find old history texts entertaining. The way you always smell like lavender and mint. The way you always ask for extra cherries in your coke. It’s me who can’t figure out why you like me. Not the other way around.” Nicole used both hands to cup the younger girl’s face. “You are extraordinary, Waverly Earp.”
Waverly stared at Nicole with glassy eyes, tears just on the rim but not falling yet before leaning forward and pressing her lips gently against Nicole’s.
Neither one of them moved for several seconds, each just taking in the feel of the others soft lips. As they slowly pulled back an inch, Nicole took in a shuttering breath as she felt her heart pound roughly behind her ribs.
“I like everything about you too.” Waverly whispered, afraid if she spoke any louder it would pop this bubble the two of them had created. “The way you let me read my boring history books to you. The way you always smell like vanilla-dipped donuts and Lucky Strikes. The way your adorable dimples pop out whenever you smile really hard at me.” They both smiled as those very dimples appeared on Nicole’s blushing cheeks. “The first time I saw you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Everyone was pulling me in every which direction and then you’d show up and make it all stop.” It was Nicole’s turn to duck her head in embarrassment, but Waverly leaned down to catch her eyes. “You are just as extraordinary, Nicole Haught. Don’t ever doubt that.”
This time, it was Nicole who braved it and leaned in to connect their lips once again. Waverly’s fingers ran back through her short red locks to tug her closer as Nicole gripped the back of their seat to keep her hands from wandering. Using her free hand, she gently brushed the hat back off the brunette’s head so she could feel her soft hair run through her fingers as they deepened the kiss.
Nicole felt like she was drowning. Her lungs were begging for air and her head felt light but she couldn’t pull herself away if she tried. She had dreamed of this moment for too long and she wasn’t about to ruin it for something as menial as oxygen.
Waverly pulled back for a split second to let them both take in a ragged breath before swooping back down and latching onto Nicole’s lower lip, her hand gripping the opened collar of the older girl’s jacket to pull her in deeper.
Neither one knew how much time had passed. As they separated for what felt like the hundredth time, Nicole caught the movie credits rolling up the screen and cars slowly pulling out of the lot.
“Wow. I guess we’ll never know how that ended.” Nicole joked as Waverly became aware of their surroundings too.
“I’m so sorry! You’d been looking forward to this movie for so long for us to completely ignore it!” Waverly looked frantic as she saw the projector flicker and the goodbye ads came on.
“Who cares?” Nicole said, drawing Waverly’s attention again. “Besides, I wouldn’t change this night for anything. Especially for some movie.”
Waverly blushed and leaned in to peck Nicole’s lips once more before they had to leave.
“I guess this means we’ll just have to come back and see it again. My treat.” Waverly whispered against Nicole’s lips, the headlights from the exiting cars illuminating the smirk on her face.
“How’s tomorrow sound?” Nicole asks grinning.
“Perfect.” Waverly answered quickly before dragging Nicole into another deep kiss.
Nicole knew they had to leave soon as the place would be closing up, but she was perfectly okay waiting until the very last car left. They weren’t in any hurry.
XXXXXXXXXX
When Nicole pulled the car up the Earp house, she couldn’t help but pout at the fact that the night was coming to a close. The whole ride home, Waverly had stayed tucked up against her and laying the cutest little mouse kisses to her cheek and shoulder. She’s give anything to be able to stay in this moment for a little bit longer.
The two of them walked slowly up the pathway to the front steps, each trying to drag out the inevitable, before stopping on the front porch. Nicole remained on the second to last step so she and Waverly were basically the same height for once. Neither girl was ready to say goodnight as Waverly clutched the lapels of Nicole’s jacket and leaned their heads together.
“Thank you for tonight.” Waverly whispered, her breath warm on Nicole’s chilled lips.
“Thank you.” Nicole leaned back a bit in order to kiss the tip of Waverly’s red nose.
As they slowly pulled apart, Nicole had a brazen thought and decided to go for it before it was too late.
“Hey Waves?”
“Yeah?” Waverly giggled, not moving away.
“I know most of those square fellas have this code where they ask a girl out and present them with a pin. I don’t really have one of those to give you but I was just wondering if…..” Nicole fiddled with her hand for a second. “If you’d wear my ring?” Nicole held up the simple silver ring she always wore and that Waverly seemed to always seek out when they’d hold hands. “If you don’t want to it’s cool! I don’t want you to think I have a claim or something on you! I just thought-” A pair of lips connecting with hers stopped any further rambling from Nicole as she took in the addicting flavor that was Waverly.
“I’d love to wear your ring, Nicole.” Waverly said as she took the offered ring and tried it on her ring finger. It was a tad too big so she switched it to her pointer finger and it slid on perfectly. Nicole looked down at it and grinned hard.
“Cool.”
Waverly laughed at her response.
“Cool.” They both chuckled at themselves before the porch light flicked on, signaling the end of their night. “I guess this is goodnight.”
“I guess so. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nicole asked hopefully.
“Until tomorrow.” Waverly cupped her face once more and applied the gentlest of kisses on Nicole’s lips. “Goodnight Nicole.”
“Goodnight Waverly.” Nicole waited until Waverly was safely inside the house before walking back to her car. She turned around to try and catch one more glimpse of her girl but all she saw was a dark porch.
When she climbed into her car, something caught the corner of her eye and she looked back up at the house. This time she found the brunette in an upstairs window watching her with a beautiful smile on her face. Throwing her a smile back, Nicole was rewarded with a kiss being blown her way. It took everything in her to pull away from that curb but the thought of seeing Waverly Earp tomorrow kept her from turning back.