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It hasn't been the best month for Nicole. Between her bank account constantly hovering around the single-digit mark and the loneliness since Shea left, she was nearing the end of her rope. But she was strong. Well, she always thought she was strong. She would look in the mirror before going to work and remind herself of that. The word weak would never be used in her autobiography if she ever got around to writing it, but everything is starting to pull her strength away from her.
Today wasn't much better. After dealing with traffic and the amber glow of that godforsaken check-engine light, she finally made it home. It wasn't the home she dreamed of growing up, with a wrap-around porch that she would sit on with the love of her life, but it was better than moving back home. The old brick apartments were the cheapest she could find, given the short notice of her impending divorce, and at least gave her a quiet place to sleep.
She's been taking the stairs to her apartment for exercise lately, but today was a lazy day. All the advertisements mentioned the elevator like it was some extreme luxury, but just like the rest of the building, it was underwhelming. There was also a faint smell of piss.
Who pisses in the elevator she thinks to herself as she presses the up button to call the elevator.
Of course, it's on the 12th floor.
The elevator seemed to crawl through the floors.
11. 10. 9. 8. 7.
"Come on, I don't have time for this" Nicole murmured as it stalled on the 7th floor for far too long.
6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
"About fuckin ti.." Nicole blurted out, quickly shutting up when the door opened. She thought she was dreaming. The most beautiful women she had ever seen was standing in front of her. The elevator doors opening like gift wrap revealing the present she had hoped for since she was a kid. By the time she was able to speak, the small brunette was already past her. Turning quickly to catch one more glimpse, she could only see wavy brunette hair bouncing with every step.
"Who the hell was that?" She asked no one in particular. Stepping into the elevator quickly brought her back to reality. The putrid aroma did everything it could to bring Nicole's mood back down.
As she fumbles with her keys to get into her apartment she hears the elevator go back down to the main floor. Thoughts pour through her head about the mystery woman in the elevator.
Is she single?
Did she notice me?
Is that my future wife?
Does she live here?
The thoughts obviously had her full attention as she looked down at the big Honda logo on the key she was forcing into her apartment door. Once she came to her senses, the door opened easily. The apartment wasn't much, but it was hers. They still haven't hooked her internet up yet, so it looks like it'll be another night of watching Elf, the only DVD she has. No complaints in that department, as it is her favorite movie.
After hooking up the DVD player and warming up some leftovers from last night, she settles down on her old green couch to start the movie. Taking a bite out of the pizza she takes a mental note to thank the new girl Rosita at work for recommending somewhere to eat. The slice was just as good as it was out of the oven, so she'll definitely be visiting again.
A loud bang from the apartment above her's interrupted her thoughts, followed by a crash.
"Of course I'd move in under a herd of cattle." She joked to herself.
She stopped laughing when she heard something else. Quickly grabbing the remote to turn down the volume of the TV that wasn't even playing, she thought it sounded like someone crying. She balanced on the back of her couch trying to get closer to the sound when she heard it again. It sounded like a girl talking through tears.
Weird Nicole thought, but it wasn't any of her business.
As she's climbing back down to start her movie she hears another bang and then glass breaking. Nicole's not the nosey type, but this doesn't sound good. She walks to the door contemplating whether or not to get involved.
She could just call the cops and let them deal with it. But what if they're just watching a movie up there? That's one way to make an impression on someone, she thought. Just go ahead and call the cops on anyone making too much noise.
I'll be the apartment pariah, the old redhead lady who yells at people for walking on the lawn in front of the apartment.
Washing away any of those thoughts, she decided to just check it out. As she's walking to the stairs, she hears a door slam. That means it wasn't just a movie, the thought of calling the police is beginning to sound pretty good right now. She heard the elevator moving, so hopefully whatever or whoever was up there is gone now. As she makes her way to the 7th-floor doubt creeps up on her yet again.
Is it really my business? Am I being weird listening to them?
Suppressing the doubt, she counts the apartment doors until shes directly above hers. Hoping for the best, she knocks.
She was secretly hoping no one would answer, but she heard footsteps walking to the door. A second later she hears the click of the metal eyehole cover, exposing her through the tiny hole in the door. She must've looked safe, as she heard the deadbolt unlock and the door open.
As the door slowly pulled open, she thought she was dreaming. Standing in front of her, in a sweater zipped up to her chin, was the girl from downstairs. She leaned against the door, half protecting herself from whoever was knocking this late. Her puffy eyes looked through Nicole forcing her to break the silence.
"Uh, hi, sorry for knocking so late" Nicole sheepishly said.
All the girl could do was sniffle a little bit and nod her head. She didn't say anything back which made Nicole want to turn and run.
Looking through the small slit between the door frame and the girl Nicole said "I live in the apartment downstairs, and heard some noise, so I wanted to see if everything was okay."
The girl's eyes seemed to soften as she finally responded to Nicole.
"Thanks for checking it out, but I didn't hear anything, maybe it was just the wind."
Just the wind? That doesn't make sense. But, by the look on this girl's face, she knows better than to push the fact right now.
Noticing Nicole's not really buying the story the girl speaks up again.
"It was really nice of you to check it out though, but I've gotta get back inside."
Nicole just nodded her head.
"My name's Waverly by the way." The girl said.
Waverly, Nicole thought, what a beautiful name. "It was nice meeting you Waverly, I'm Nicole."
"Thanks again, Nicole." was all she could say before closing the door.
Nicole's stomach was twisting on the way back down to her apartment. She knew something wasn't right. The walk back to her apartment felt like a mile. Nicole was scared. She wasn't scared that something was going to happen to her, she was scared for the girl she just met. She was scared for Waverly.
Back at her apartment, the sight of the bundled up brunette kept running through her head. She seemed so well put together when she first stepped out of the elevator. Her confidence was intimidating.
Nicole tried to make sense of everything and did all she could think of. She laid down on the couch and started listening to music on her phone. Thoughts raced through her head as she argued with herself.
She doesn't deserve to be with someone that treats her like that.
You don't even know her Nicole, she could just be clumsy.
The door slamming and the elevator moving could have been someone else.
As Nicole tries to figure out what to do, she heard the elevator come to a stop on the floor above her. Turning down the music, she tried to make out any sound she could.
She heard a door open.
Footsteps.
Then nothing.
She climbed back up the couch and pushed her ear as close to the ceiling as she could.
Silence.
She stood and listened until her calves began burning from the strain and her neck began to ache. Slowly she slid down the couch until she drifted off to sleep.
——————————
The next morning there was no more yelling or banging coming from the angel in the apartment above her. As she reached for her phone to check the time, she realized she didn't plug it in the night before and the music killed her battery.
"Damnit"
She hurried to the clock on the microwave to see what she was afraid of. The clock read 9:47 . She had to be at work at 10 and it took at least 10 minutes to get there. Rushing to the bathroom, she tripped over her jacket and almost smashed her face into the door. She quickly brushed her teeth and grabbed the same uniform she wore yesterday. It was 9:53 , she still had time she thought.
Turning to jump down the next set of stairs she looked down when the landing hurt her foot.
Who forgets their shoes?!?
With a sigh, she ran back. As she was running out the complex, a couple getting in the elevator caught her eye. She didn't have much time to look before the door closed, but she was certain it was Waverly.
Traffic was surprisingly not an issue on the drive-in and she was able to sneak past everyone and clock in without much issue. She'll probably hear about being late whenever her manager gets in, but that's future Nicole's problem.
The day went by slowly, but at least there were no issues. Somehow, she made it through her shift without anyone mentioning her being late and the fact that she buttoned her shirt wrong, so the left side hung down a button length lower than the right.
It was 6:10 and her replacement finally showed up.
"About time you show up Dolls" Nicole snapped with a roll of her eyes.
"Sorry man, you know how things go," he said apologetically. "I'll come in early tomorrow to make up for it."
"Don't worry about it, shit happens." and the only shit that has been on her mind all day was the shit that happened last night.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Nicole said, and with that, she was out the door.
When she strides up to the building, Nicole remembered she needed to check her mail, for the never ending bills. There was already a man standing in front of her box, so she had to wait. The guy was taking forever, but without any plans tonight it doesn't bother her too much. Until she saw what mailbox is open. #7G.
7G? If I'm in 6G, it's obvious who this douchebag is. The flowers in the hand show Nicole exactly what kind of guy he was.
Who reads their mail at the mailbox?
"Excuse me." Nicole snapped
He turned, looked at her long enough to size her up and then went back to looking at his mail without saying a word.
"Can I get to my mailbox?" Nicole asked shoving her arm in front of the man to reach the metal box with 7G written on the front of it in sharpie.
He didn't say a word as he walked past the trash can throwing his unwanted mail away. He missed with one of the letters which fell to the ground by Nicole's foot. She reached down to pick it up.
Champ Hardy
"What a stupid name." Nicole said out loud.
Grabbing her mail, she made her way up to her apartment. Her stomach couldn't handle the smell of piss in the elevator, so the stairs seemed like the best option. It was probably Champ Hardy who pissed in the elevator. She just met the guy, but she already couldn't stand him. Who was he to treat Waverly like that? And he really thinks bringing her flowers will make things better?
Nicole doesn't understand why she feels like this about some girl she doesn't know anything about. She knows her name, where she lives, and she looked scared, but she doesn't know her. That's how Nicole has always been. Whenever she saw someone in pain, she wanted to help. She was always taller than most of her classmates, so standing up for people was never an issue.
The next few days went by without any sounds from the apartment above hers. Nicole convinced herself that the fight must have been a one-time thing and maybe she was overreacting.
Work has been pretty stressful for her lately, with people coming out of the woodworks to try and steal. Without any authority to arrest anyone, she can at least hold them until the cops show up. And after the past week, she's already on a first-name basis with most of the cops that come around. She needed to relax.
The apartment may be terrible, but at least it has a nice tub. When she first moved in, one of the first things she did was scrub the shower and tub. It wasn't filthy, but she found at least one hair which grossed her out. After all the time spent cleaning it, she decided it was time to give it a test drive.
Spending the next few minutes finding candles around the house, Nicole began filling the tub with water hot enough to boil her. Right before lighting the candles, she decided against it however. Shea always had to have candles when she relaxed in the bath, and Nicole always set them up for her.
"I don't even like candles," Nicole said to herself, wondering why she put them out in the first place. Pulling off her clothes from the day, she slowly dipped her foot in testing the temperature. Her skin seemed to instantly turn red as she slid into the tub until her lower body was fully submerged.
With eyelids starting to feel heavy, it seemed like the days working security were beginning to catch up with her. She may not have lived up to her father's expectations of becoming a cop, but she was proud of what she was doing. She could have been like some of her coworkers and sat behind the screen watching all of the cameras. But that wasn’t who she was. For 8-12 hours every day, she walked around the mall. She talked to all the kids giving them small security badge stickers she ordered herself, she detained anyone stealing anything, and she did anything else she thought a security guard was supposed to do.
But those long days didn’t leave her with much energy when she got home. It felt like every hour spent walking caught up to her right as she laid in the tub. As she drifted off to sleep she was suddenly 9 years old again.
‘Her mom and dad were arguing again. She didn’t know why they were fighting this time, she just knew she needed to be safe. She ran as fast as she could to her room. Looking side to side trying to figure out which stuffed animal was going to protect her tonight. She chose George, her furry brown sheep. George always protected her. George and her slid under the bed just in time to see her door slam open.
“Nicole!” Her father shouted
“Where the hell are you!?”
Tears were streaming down her face as she held George’s paw over her mouth so tightly she could barely breathe. She could see her father standing in the doorway with a baseball bat in his hand.
“Get out!” She heard her mother scream as her father swung the bat at the wall. The sound of the bat was deafening. Her breath was getting heavier. She wasn’t sure how much longer George would be able to keep her quiet.’
“GET OUT” she heard a scream again.
This time it didn’t sound like her mother.
“Get the hell out of my house.” She heard as she woke up startled in the tub. It wasn’t her mother screaming anymore. The sound was coming from the apartment above her. She heard another bang and the sound of something shattering. She could barely make anything else out, but she knew exactly what was happening. The door slammed shut harder again and immediately after, the elevator flew by her floor.
Nicole jumped out of the tub and threw her dirty uniform back on. She ran out of the bathroom, out of her room, and up the stairs.
She stopped right before her hand pulled the 7th-floor door open.
He’s not there anymore, I’m not going to save the day by kicking down her door she thought.
She took a few seconds to compose herself before she walked to Waverly’s door. Three knocks and she hears Waverly shout “Who is it?”
“It’s. It’s Nicole. From downstairs.”
She heard the familiar sound of the deadbolt. Waverly appeared behind an even smaller crack then last time.
“Hey, I, um, I heard some stuff again, and just wanted to make sure you’re alright.” Nicole said sheepishly.
Waverly looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry about that, we left the window open and the wind blew over some vases.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nicole asked
“Yeah, really I’m fine, thanks again, Nicole.”
Nicole said the first thing that came to her mind. “I just want you to know, if you ever need a friend, you can come downstairs and hang out whenever you want.”
Waverly looked like she was about to cry, but she held it in. “Thanks Nicole, that’d be nice.”
“We can just hang out, we don’t have to talk about the wind until you’re ready.” Nicole said as she turned to leave.
“Nicole.” She heard her new friend say. “Thank you.”
With that, she turned and went back into her apartment.
—————————
Lying awake that night, tears began running down Nicole's Face. She didn't understand why Waverly looked embarrassed. She has nothing to be embarrassed about. It reminded her of her mom apologizing to her every time her dad had an "episode."
"A damn episode. Can you believe that? Justifying what he did with a simple word? Giving him an excuse each time the anger grew inside of him. Letting him know its okay to explode because it's only an 'episode'" Nicole said in a sleepy mumble.
The face of her new friend, her angel, appeared in her head. She had the same look in her eyes as her mom did every time she came and rescued Nicole and whatever friend was hiding under the bed with her. She had the same look that broke Nicole’s heart and made resentment grow inside of her. She knew her mom was innocent, but how could she stay with her dad for so long? How could she look Nicole in the eyes, on the rare occasions when she would actually go home, and tell her Shea wasn't good for her.
Well, she wasn't wrong on that, but still.
It took Nicole far too long to realize why her mom didn't leave. She felt like she didn't have any other option. She seems happy now, so maybe it paid off in the long run. Her mom has told her that he's changed now. He's found God she would say. He feels terrible about what he did. Nicole didn't buy any of it.
Yeah, people can change, but she can't forgive him. She can't forget what happened. The embarrassment of going to school with a black eye and telling everyone she fell off her bike won't just go away because he "changed." Either she was the clumsiest person in the world or even worse, everyone knew and pitied her.
Making her feel like nothing doesn't just disappear because somebody decided that God was something that could come in and wipe them clean of any bullshit stains they've left on this earth.
"It's not fair." Nicole muttered fighting the sleep that was creeping up on her. It wasn't fair when it happened to her mom and it's sure as not fair now that it’s happening to Waverly. As she drifted off to sleep she reached over and pulled her furry brown sheep in close.
Nicole hasn't been sleeping well lately. So the alarm blaring at 6 a.m. was an unwelcome guest. It doesn't matter if she gets 10 hours of sleep a night, she's still exhausted in the morning. This morning was no different. It felt like a full-time job taking a shower and walking to her car this morning, but a sudden rush of energy came over her when she saw Waverly walking out of the elevator.
"Hey Waverly." Nicole said smiling.
"Hi." Waverly replied before quickly looking away.
Unfortunately, she wasn't alone and Nicole knew how to take a hint, so she didn't push it any further. Walking behind the couple out the door she heard Champ ask who she was. She was too far behind them to hear what Waverly's response was, but hopefully, it was something along the lines of "My knight in shining armor" or "The person who is going to beat you with your own shitty arms." But, it was probably more like "The girl that lives below us."
Work was surprisingly uneventful. Nicole didn't have to deal with anyone trying to steal anything today, almost giving her the false impression that humanity was improving. Even if it wasn't improving, it's still not the worst species out there. She spent most of the day walking around and telling the same old lady where Payless was for the 5th day in a row. Nicole figured she was just lonely and wanted to talk, so it didn't bother her much.
Next time she asks, I'll take my break and see if she wants to go grab a pretzel together Nicole thought.
As she's heading back to the office she notices the door was open. Nicole hesitates before walking closer since she's sure she locked it before walking the mall. As she inches closer to the open door, her hands start to shake. She doesn't have a gun and isn't even allowed to carry pepper spray, but at least she took a karate class when she was 12. Five steps away from the door and a loud bang stops her in her tracks. Mustering every ounce of courage she has, she peeks around the door frame.
"Oh, what the fuck" she said almost laughing.
Bending over in front of the desk picking up a broken coffee mug was Dolls.
"Damn, hey Haught, figured I owed it to you so I showed up early" he said cleaning up the mug he just destroyed
"Thanks man, but looks like you made more of a mess than anything." Nicole said looking at the coffee splattered crime scene in front of her.
Dolls rolled his eyes as he threw some paper towels on the ground "Get outta here, I've got this under control."
Not being the type to be told twice, Nicole was almost at her car by the time Dolls looked up again. This was the first time since she started the job that she was off early, so it called for a celebration. Stopping at the grocery store on the way home, she went straight to the ice cream aisle. Mint chocolate chip was her favorite, so she picked up a pint and was on her way. With spaghetti for dinner decided, she grabbed the necessities, stopping by Redbox to grab a movie.
Everything she wanted to see was out, so she was stuck with either watching Elf again, which wouldn't be too bad, or watching some movie about Pandas. Pandas it is. As she sat in her car, waiting to put it in drive, she decided to make a change for the better. She reached in her pocket to pull out one of the stickers that she usually gave to the kids. She ripped a small piece and placed it right over the check engine light.
"Much better" She said smiling as she put her car into drive.
Walking into the apartment building, she noticed a caution sign in front of the elevator and someone on their hands and knees scrubbing the floor.
Someone must’ve complained enough that they’re finally cleaning up that piss she decided as she took the stairs. Entering her apartment things seem brighter. Maybe it was a good idea to leave the curtains open when she left. After starting to boil the water for her dinner, an idea pops in her head.
After searching her closet for what feels like an hour, she finally found what she was looking for. Turning to go back into the living room, speakers in hand, she steps over the mess she left tearing apart her closet.
“Sorry future Nicole” she laughed
Connecting the speaker to her phone she starts her search through Spotify, looking for the song that her best friend played for her whenever he found out what was happening.
‘15-year-old Nicole is sitting on the curb outside her house. Tears still in her eyes. She was embarrassed again but needed someone to talk to. She didn’t think anyone knew, I mean how could they. From the time she was 8, she was the class klutz, so any bruises were expected.
It usually took five minutes to get to her house, but somehow she heard his car turning the corner in 4. A smile grew on her face. She could always count on John Henry. As she got in the car, his smile instantly lifted her mood.
“Nicole.” He said flashing a smile
“Thanks for coming out here, I just need to get outta the house.”
“You know I’m always here for you.” He said shifting into drive.
They didn’t talk on the drive like she planned, but they didn’t need to. After an hour of driving Nicole’s ready to go home. With what feels like perfect timing the lyrics crawl out of the old speakers of his car and into her soul.
“Sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow...” ‘
She found exactly what she was looking for. Placing the speakers as close as she can to the ceiling, she hit play.
“Lean on me, when you’re not strong...”
Singing along Nicole makes her way over to the pot that’s boiling over.
As she’s finally sitting down to eat, she hears another bang. This one is much softer now and sounds closer. Maybe she’s just hearing things but turns her music down just in case.
Silence.
She was just hearing things she thought until she’s interrupted by 3 soft knocks on her door.
———————
“Who’s there” Nicole asked hesitantly getting up from the chair.
There was no answer. The uncertainty in the air was thick.
Nobody knows where she lives, at least no one important. Well, her boss knows and the people who work at the apartment know, and if it was anyone else, they’d at least have the common decency to answer her simple question.
Her stomach starts to twist as she slowly reaches for the cover on the peephole. She didn’t know what she was expecting to see. Maybe a killer. Maybe Shea’s new girlfriend.
Shit.
Maybe it was Champ. Coming to take care of the dumb girl that keeps bothering his girlfriend.
Trying to speak with a lump the size of a golf ball in her throat isn’t easy, but somehow she gets it out.
As she looks through the hole in the door “I said. Who’s. There?”
No one.
That’s who’s there. No one. Just the wall across the hallway. Opening the door she sees someone walking away towards the elevator.
“Hey!” Nicole says in a tone a little harsher than intended.
The mystery hoodie-wearing figure slowly turned around and sheepishly says “Hey Nicole.”
It was Waverly.
Why would she knock on the door and then leave? Nicole wondered
She started to slowly walk back to Nicole’s apartment.
“Just playing some doorbell ditch?” Nicole asked with a smile.
“No. No. I just didn’t want to bother you.”
“It’s not a bother, well it would be if you just ran away and I had to sleep with a knife because I thought a killer was trying to lure me out.” Nicole said, trying to break the tension.
A smile seemed to slowly grow on Waverly’s face. The small smile untied every knot that was growing in Nicole’s stomach. Is that the first time she’s seen the girl upstairs smile? The recently untied knots in her stomach instantly turned into butterflies.
Motioning towards the door Nicole asked, “Why don’t you come in?”
“I made enough spaghetti to feed the entire complex, so if you’re hungry you can have some.” Nicole said kicking her jacket that was just thrown on the floor under the couch.
She didn’t really give Waverly much of an option since another plate was already on the table before she made her way into the apartment.
"You live here all alone?" Waverly asked surveying the small apartment.
Nicole chuckled, motioning towards a ragged looking brown sheep sitting on the couch "Well, just me and George."
Waverly made her way over to the couch, walking by the plate of spaghetti on the table “I like George.”
“Me too,” Nicole said. “I’ve had him since I was 6.”
Nicole had to fight the urge to grab George out of her hands. Nobody touches George but her. George is the only thing that hasn’t let her down, so she doesn’t know what she would do if he got hurt.
Sitting down on the couch, Waverly opens her mouth like she wants to tell Nicole everything, but shuts it quickly.
“I’m glad you came down, I was actually getting pretty bored.” Nicole said, positioning herself in front of the giant Panda that’s on-screen. For some reason, she cared what Waverly thought about her and being known as the lonely panda lady isn’t something she wants right now.
“I heard some music playing so I thought you were having a party, figured I’d check it out.”
“Not much of a party, but I’m always down for some company.” Nicole said lying out her teeth. She hated having people over. With most people, she can only stand being around them for a short amount of time. Not Waverly though. Somehow she could already tell she could spend a week with her and still not have enough time. Even if she wasn’t into girls and they would just be friends.
She stared at Waverly as she held George in her hand flipping him back and forth. Somehow Nicole didn’t notice the poor attempt at covering up around her eye. The dark area under her right eye was fighting to expose itself past the makeup. Her bloodshot eyes told her everything that Waverly was too afraid to. Should she mention the “wind” or the sounds she heard? Should she ask why she’s with such a piece of shit when she deserves to be treated like a princess? In the brief moment of silence, a thousand thoughts ran through Nicole’s mind.
Moving towards the couch, Nicole broke the silence “So you and that guy I saw you with, in the lobby. Is that your brother?”
Her brother Nicole? So this girl comes over and the first thing you do is accuse her of incest? Great start.
“My brother?” Waverly laughed “No, no, that’s Champ. He’s my... boyfriend.”
The look of amusement on Waverly's face put Nicole at ease.
“What?” Waverly asked. Nicole’s face must’ve given away her secret. She thinks Champ is a scumbag.
“Oh, nothing. I guess I didn’t think someone like you would be with someone like him”
“Someone like me? What does that mean?” Waverly asked. Nicole couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or just wanted to know what she meant.
“I. Uh. I mean, you seem out of his league.” Nicole stuttered out.
“Oh.” Waverly said, “He’s a really good guy, and he’s nice to me.”
Nice to you? Sure doesn’t seem like he’s “nice” to you, and a really good guy may be something he’d be called in some alternate universe where a punch is a hug.
Nicole stops herself before saying anything else. This feels like deja vu. Her mom always told everyone that her dad was a “good guy,” even Nicole. She would say he didn’t mean to hit her, that she instigated it. She knew less about Waverly then she did nuclear physics, but she still wanted to protect her. She didn’t want to see her 20 years down the road telling her daughter in the store that she’s staying with her grandma tonight because daddy was drinking again. But, if she doesn’t want help, the only thing talking will do is ruin the friendship before the friendship even existed.
“Want anything to drink?” Nicole asked thinking it would ease the tension that may be building.
“Sure, give me something strong.”
Nicole didn’t keep as much liquor around as she used to, but she did pick up some whiskey after a rough day at work a few weeks ago. Reaching on top of the fridge to find the bottle caused some dust to fall to the floor. Quickly, she glanced at Waverly, hoping she didn't see all the dust. To her relief, she was staring out the window.
“I’ve got some whiskey. Want ice?”
“I’ll take it neat.” Waverly responded.
Nicole raised her eyebrows. Shea always needed a mixer with it and would blame it on Nicole every time there wasn’t one around.
“Beautiful and not high maintenance. Perfect” Nicole whispered.
“What was that?” Waverly asked from the living room.
Shit. What do I say now? Did she really not hear me or is she just double-checking what I said?
“I was just saying the whiskey is perfect.”
Waverly seemed to accept that answer as she made her way over to Nicole. The first sip of whiskey went down hard. Turning around to hide the awful face she must be making, she heard Waverly laugh.
“What?”
“The face you made was funny, not much of a whiskey drinker?” Waverly asked through her laughter.
A smile broke across Nicole’s face “No, no I am not.”
The second sip was smoother, she could feel the warmth traveling down her throat and back up to her face. It made it's way to her face, which now probably matched the color of her hair. The ease of each sip that Waverly took made Nicole smile. She didn't grimace or squint. She didn't react. She just sat the glass down and began filling it up again. This time instead of 2 fingers, she didn't stop pouring until it fought the urge to climb down the side of the cup.
With her cup full, she made her way back to the couch, asking what Nicole was watching. Nicole tried to explain that every other movie at Redbox was out and her cable still hasn’t been hooked up but she kept tripping over her words.
“Pandas.”
“Pandas?” Waverly asked with a laugh
Nicole nodded her head.
“Well, can you play “Pandas,” I want to see what this cute little guy is up to.” She said pointing at the panda that’s been staring at Nicole being a weirdo for the past 10 minutes.
Grabbing the remote and making her way to the couch, the nerves began to stir again. It was only a loveseat, so she sat a little closer to Waverly then she was intending. Waverly didn't mind, well if she did, she didn't make it known. As she slid her back down against the seat, she could feel Waverly's sweatpants brush against her leg. It had to be an accident, since she was still staring at the TV, and you know, she had a boyfriend upstairs.
As soon as their legs touched Waverly sprung from the seat. Sweat began to form on Nicole's head. She was worried she did something wrong. She didn't mean to rub her leg. She didn't want her to feel uncomfortable in a place that was advertised as being safe. Maybe she heard Champ come home or her phone rang.
Nope.
The cup that was just filled to the brim was now empty.
“Another?” Waverly asked in a way that made Nicole feel like she didn’t have a choice.
All she could do was nod her head.
The rest of the movie was a blur. So she made a mental note to watch it again in the morning since it was getting pretty interesting. As the credits began to roll, she could feel someone staring at her. Turning her head slowly allowed enough time for the butterflies to make another appearance. There was no way that Waverly didn't hear her heart beating.
Her eyes met with Waverlys.
In an instant, everything that was bothering her washed away. Her anger at her dad, her anger at Shea, and this newfound anger at Champ were gone. She wasn't worried about waking up at 5 tomorrow to go for a run before work. She didn't care that rent was due soon or worry that the piece of paper over the check engine light didn't really fix the issue.
The distance between them, that felt like a million miles was closing fast. She knew this was wrong but could already taste Waverly’s lips. Closing her eyes she moved in closer. She could feel the warmth of her breath on her lips, traveling through her entire body. It felt like she would burst into flames at any second. They moved closer. The rest of the world didn’t exist to Nicole. It was just her, and Waverly.
A voice inside Nicole’s head screamed at her to stop. This wasn’t right. This isn’t the safe place that she needs. This isn’t the way your story with her begins.
She moves so close that she can taste the whiskey in her mouth and moves her head to the side. She brings Waverly in and holds her tighter than she held George when she was a kid. She didn’t have any time to tell Waverly it wasn’t right. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sweet girl’s cries. She could feel the tears soaking through her shirt. Resting her head on top of Waverly’s she knew this was where she was supposed to be.
—————
Waverly didn't stick around long after their embrace that seemed to last forever. But she did stay long enough to give Nicole her number. She knew she did the right thing not making a move, but she knew she had to do something. She had to save Waverly.
Growing up in a similar environment, she knew that the situation had to be approached with caution. Be too pushy, you get pushed out. Be too slow, things get worse. She began to develop a plan on her morning run, but her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her phone vibrating. Stopping to check the message, a smile grew on her face. It was Waverly.
+Hey, want to grab some lunch today?+
Unfortunately, work still took precedence. So she had to let Waverly know that lunch was out of the question unless she wanted to come to the food court at the mall. To her surprise, Waverly agreed. She wondered why Waverly was up so early but figured she had to work or she was just one of those crazy people who wake up at 5 to do Yoga. Just another thing that Nicole doesn't know about her. She doesn't know much about the girl now that she thinks about it.
Why do they have such a connection? Nicole hasn't had the best luck in making friends, for the longest time, her only friends were Shea's. The friend's that she still has from high school fill a list about as long as the piece of paper poorly covering her check engine light.
"At least I've still got John Henry," Nicole says out loud as she nears her work, "and now I've got Waverly." It must have been a little louder than she expected because the woman getting into her car gives her a weird look.
"Damn, you get laid or something last night?" Dolls asked as Nicole walked in with a huge smile on her face.
"Shut up Dolls." Nicole hissed as her smile grew. Handing Dolls the coffee that she bought him during her walk into the office. "Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?"
"Oh, you are, but not sure how long it's going to last" Dolls said as he nodded in appreciation for the coffee.
"Why?" A million reasons run through Nicole’s head. Is she getting fired? Is Dolls, the only person here she can stand, leaving? She couldn't figure out why her mood would change and it felt like Dolls was taking an hour just to spit it out.
Barely avoiding a cup of coffee to the side of his head, Dolls finally explained that they were having their annual inspection today.
"Oh, that's not bad." Nicole said as she finally exhaled, allowing her face to return to its normal color. The inspection is something Nicole was expecting. She's been preparing for a few days now, so all the logs are up to date and in order. "It should only take 15 minutes, why would I be worried about that?"
"Guess I forgot who I was talking to" Dolls said with a laugh. He knew that Nicole was much more organized than the guy she replaced. It used to be terrible, Dolls told her when she first found out about the inspection.
"Nedley would come down and tear the office apart." Dolls told her motioning towards the locked filing cabinets "None of the logs were filled out, none of the cabinets were locked"
"You sticking around for it?" Nicole asked
"Nope, gotta run Haught, good luck."
He was out of the office before Nicole could respond. Nicole looked around the office at how organized everything was and began straightening her uniform when the phone rang. The office phone only rings when it's Nedley or there's an issue in the mall. She was hoping for the latter.
"Security" Nicole said sounding as authoritative as she could.
It was Nedley.
Nicole's eyes grew weary as Nedley told her that he wouldn't be there until 11. She was supposed to meet Waverly at 1130, so hopefully, it was quick.
The morning went by quickly, with Nicole straightening up here and there and helping out the usual customers. As she's finishing up one of her rounds, she sees Nedley walking down the hallway to the office. With Nedley being a tad bit early, her plans for lunch shouldn't be interrupted.
"Hey Nedley." Nicole said running to catch up with her boss. He looked irritated and didn't respond to her greeting.
This is off to a great start Nicole thought, rolling her eyes.
"I assume everything is in order?" Nedley asked, a little more sarcastically than Nicole would have liked.
Keeping her composure, Nicole nodded her head "Yes sir, all the logs are filled out properly, and everything is where it's supposed to be."
Nedley thumbed through all of the paperwork on the desk and began running his finger over the top of the filing cabinets. He seemed to be looking for dust or anything that he could hit her on. As he looked at his dust-less fingers, a smile grew on his face.
"It even smells great in here this time."
The air in the room changed from a daunting thickness to bright and light as Nicole realized she passed with flying colors. Nedley spent the next twenty minutes telling Nicole how great she's doing and that he sees real potential in her. As their conversation was coming to an end and Nedley began walking out of the office, Nicole finally looked at her phone.
11:32 .
Shit.
Quickly locking up the office and sprinting down the hallway, dread brushed over her. Nicole hates being late. Especially to something that she was looking forward to. She pictures Waverly leaving because she got tired of waiting. She couldn't bring too much attention to herself by sprinting through the mall, so a brisk walk it was. Finally arriving at the food court, she sees Waverly. She looked like an angel glowing in the crowd of people. She was sitting at a table, with her food already in front of her. As Nicole got closer, she realized it was just a coincidence that the sun was shining right on her, and she wasn't actually an angel.
"I'm so sorry! I got tied up with work" Nicole said as she tried to compose herself
Waverly laughed "Don't worry, I'm used to it, and you're only 5 minutes late."
Perfect Nicole, great start. She thought to herself. I'm trying to be the person that doesn't let her down and I broke my word and showed up late. Nicole was too busy beating herself up to realize that Waverly really didn't care. Something on her phone was distracting her from the conversation.
"Everything alright?" Nicole asked, noticing that Waverly's face was growing more and more annoyed.
"Yeah, just Champ being Champ again." Waverly said, confiding in her friend like they've known each other for years.
She held up her phone and the anger instantly grew inside Nicole.
+You're so fucking dumb Waverly. No wonder no one else can stand you+
Nicole didn't know the reason he sent that to her, but there was no universe where that would be okay. As she looked up from the phone, she could see the tears starting to form in Waverly's eyes.
"That's not okay Waverly." Nicole said as she softly grabbed Waverly’s softly shaking hand.
Nicole was caught a little off guard when she heard a laugh come from across the table.
"He's just angry." Waverly said.
Nicole could sense where this was going.
Don't say it.
Her thoughts instantly brought her back to dealing with her mom. The beautiful girl from upstairs wasn't sitting across from her anymore, she wasn't at the mall. She was sitting at her parent's house with her mom crying across the table telling her what a good guy her dad was.
Don't say it Waverly.
"He's a good guy, he just has some issues sometimes" Waverly said.
Nicole reached up to her own chest as if she'd be able to feel her heart breaking through her shirt. She was stuck. It was too late to run away, not that she would have anyways, and she knew if she pushed too much she would lose a friend.
Nicole was a kind person. She helped anyone who needed it and even feels bad stepping on an ant. But right now, she could kill this person. She could feel it inside of her, burning and aching to get out. The thought of Champ's lifeless body lying on the ground in front of her wasn't scary. It brought her joy. But she knew it wasn't right. She knew killing him wouldn't make anything better. Yeah, Waverly would be safe. But she'd be in jail. And honestly, she doesn't really think she'd be capable of it.
"I don't think you really believe that, Waverly" was the best thing she could think to say.
The sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, before Waverly finally spoke.
"I've gotta go, but thanks for having lunch with me."
"Thanks for coming out, did you want to come down to my place for dinner tonight ?" Nicole asked "I mean, if you don't have other plans."
"Sure, Champ's working tonight, so does 6 work?"
Nicole nodded as a smile slowly grew on her face. Nicole was worried that she had just ruined her friendship, but this gave her hope. Maybe there was something that she could do, and maybe Waverly wasn't too far to be saved.
——————————
With anxiety after standing in the aisles of the grocery store, Nicole was at a loss for what to make for dinner. It wasn't a date, she was pretty sure of that, but what if it was? The anxiety grew with each item she picked up and put back. Hamburgers were too easy she thought, and she didn't have a grill. Passing the frozen section, she finally had an idea. Pizza. She loved the place that Rosita recommended last time, and it's quick and easy.
Quickly putting everything that was in her cart back on the shelves and returning the cart, she rushed to her car. The pizza place was on the drive home, so she had just enough time to grab the food and make it home to shower and straighten up. Luckily, the pizza shop was fast making it home with an hour to spare. The house wasn't a mess, of course, but a few things were out of place.
Nicole ran around the house like a maniac. Throwing the clothes in the hamper. Making sure George was comfortable on the couch and finally making her way to the bathroom to shower. Letting out an exaggerated sigh right before she jumps in the shower. "The trash!" she groaned. Finally making it into the shower, she only had 10 minutes to spare. The shower consisted of her arguing with herself about whether or not this was a date and berating herself for running late yet again today.
At 6, Nicole jumped on the couch, playing it cool and waiting for the knock. 6:15 rolled around and still no knock. No text either. Weird, she thought. It only took another 15 minutes until Nicole was pacing the apartment, constantly checking to make sure the pizza was still there. Bad thoughts poured through her head.
I must have scared her off at lunch today.
Maybe Champ found out about me.
That's stupid, why would Champ finding out about a friend bother him?
7 rolled around and still no sign of Waverly. Enough was enough, Nicole thought as she pulled out her phone.
+Hey, we still on for dinner tonight ? Got Pizza.+
"I'll give her another 10 minutes, then I'm gonna eat" Nicole said to herself, well maybe she was talking to George.
Nicole sat bouncing her leg for those 10 minutes which seemed to drag on and on. George didn't help the situation at all, just sitting there. Smiling.
With one last glance at George, Nicole grabbed a slice of pizza. As she attempted to chew the first bite of cold pizza, she couldn't stop thinking about the girl upstairs. Fighting the growing lump in her throat, she was somehow able to force the food down. But one bite was enough for her, as she slowly walked into her bedroom, holding George tightly. She ruined everything already, before it even started. She had to force the issue and try to make Waverly see how bad it was for her. She tried to save her like she tried to save her mom. Like she could barely save herself. Laying in her bed she squeezed George as hard as she could as she forced her eyes shut to sleep.
"I failed again, George" She said as a tear fell to the bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep she was interrupted.
BANG BANG BANG
Startled awake, she jumped out of bed.
Bang Bang Bang
She ran to her front door. The knocks got a little quieter as the stranger at the door must have heard her moving around.
bang bang
With her hand on the doorknob, Nicole looked through the peephole. Standing in the hallway, with disheveled hair, was Waverly.
She quickly unlocked the deadbolt and ripped open the door.
"Hey" Waverly said, wiping the tears from her face.
"Waverly, is everything okay" Nicole replied quickly "Come in"
Nicole almost threw Waverly into her apartment as she checked to see if anyone else was in the hallway. Slamming the door shut and bolting the door in one motion, Nicole was face to face with Waverly.
"What Happened"
"Are you okay"
"Did he hurt you?"
Realizing she was bombarding the frazzled girl with questions, Nicole took a minute to breathe.
"No. He didn't hurt me. I'm ok." Waverly sighed, barely above a whisper. “I'm really sorry I missed dinner, I just wanted to come down here and apologize."
"I would have texted you but I couldn't" She continued as she held up her shattered phone.
Nicole didn't know what to make of the situation. She didn't hear anything upstairs, maybe she should have ran up and made sure everything was ok. Why did it take her so long to come downstairs? Didn't she say Champ had to work tonight?
"What happened?" Nicole asked, trying to figure out everything with one question.
Waverly moved closer to the door "Champ doesn't really like when I talk to anyone, and he saw the texts between us. He thought you were some guy and blew up. He smashed my phone and called off work tonight." She quickly shut up. The look on her face made Nicole feel like there was more she wanted to say.
"Waverly, you need to get out of there."
The two stared at each other in silence. Their eye contact was only broken when Waverly lowered her head to look at the floor. Nicole didn't know what to do. She wanted to hold the girl and tell her everything was going to be okay, but she wasn't sure anymore. A million thoughts flooded Nicole’s head to fill the silence in the room.
"I know." Waverly whispered as she moved to grab the door handle. "I just don't know how.
"He's taken everything from me. I don't talk to my family anymore, I don't have any friends."
Holding up her phone as she fights back tears "I don't have a phone. I've gotta get back up there, he just ran to the store to get beer"
"You've got me, Waverly." Nicole said as she wrapped her arms around Waverly. "We'll get you out."
Nicole didn't know how she was going to help Waverly, but now she knew she was going to. As Waverly left the room the weight of not knowing was immediately replaced with the task of figuring out the next step. She didn't know how to communicate with her now that she doesn't have a phone, but she'll figure something out, she always does. Her mind instantly goes into overdrive trying to figure it out. She could call the police, but what if Champ talks his way out of it? He doesn't know much about Nicole, so maybe she could hide out in her place. But for how long? Is taking Waverly out of that apartment and hiding her in here for the rest of her life any better? So she goes from a victim to a prisoner, not much of an upgrade.
She continued to beat herself up trying to figure it out. Hours were spent online, looking up shelters, realizing the horrible condition most of them are in, reading responses of other survivors of abuse, thinking about her mom. Nothing was coming to her. As the sun began to rise through her window as she laid exhausted on the couch, she finally had an idea. John Henry was out traveling again and his house was empty. It wasn't a mansion, by any means, but it always felt like home whenever she went there. Champ would never know where it was, hell Champ only knew her name and nothing else about her. Maybe he didn't even know her name since he thought Waverly was meeting with some guy.
She pulled out her phone and texted the same man who was there for her when she was a kid. The same guy who slept on her couch whenever he was down on his luck.
+Hey, is it cool if I stay at your house while you're gone? It'll be me and a friend, I'll explain it all later+
Looking at the time, she didn't have any time to wait. She got ready and left with enough time to get extra coffee to prepare her for her shift.
As she pulled into the parking lot she felt her phone vibrate. She looked and saw a short message. Just one word. Just three letters. But long enough to change everything for her.
+Yep+
————
That text sent her brain into overdrive. She had to figure out a way to let Waverly know the plan, and she had to come up with the plan in the first place. She couldn't just text it to her, since her phone is shattered, and even if it wasn't Champ would see.
Walking into the office, her mind was filled with images of Waverly standing at the door, a girl that should have looked defeated, but had a strength in her eyes that told Nicole things were going to get better. She may have been crying, but she still had the courage to come downstairs and the heart to even consider Nicole's feelings about a missed dinner.
"Haught" a voice called breaking her from her thoughts. She turned around to see Dolls staring at her. His eyebrows were raised in a way that told her he must've said her name a couple times before that. "You good, Haught?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"
"I called your name like 5 times, and you didn't respond"
"Oh, must not have heard you." Nicole admitted.
"You're literally 4 feet away from me, what are you talking about you didn't hear it" He laughed
"Long day already Dolls, everything running smooth?" Nicole asked blowing off Doll's prying question.
Nicole didn't want to deal with anything at work, she had things to plan. But, when Dolls told her there was already 2 cases of shoplifting before 11, she knew today was going to be a day. Dolls stayed around to finish filling out the reports and talk to the officers that came, but after that, she was on her own. Thankfully, the day went by without a hitch, she thought everyone must've got their thieving out of their systems before she got in.
As she walked the long hallway down to the security office, tears of frustration threatened to escape her eyes. She had no idea how she was going to do this, she didn't know why this stuff seems to fall into her lap. Her entire world felt like it was collapsing on her, but she wasn't some random person on the street, she was Nicole Haught. She was the girl who did everything she could to try and save her mom, the girl who wouldn't stand for being treated like shit by her wife. The girl who is going to save Waverly Earp. She quickly rubbed the back of her shirt sleeve across her eyes, wiping any doubt she had away with the tears. She still didn't know how she was going to do it, but she knew she was going to do it. Tonight.
Nicole's heart skipped a beat as her phone lit up on the desk where she left it. She had a feeling that it was Waverly, telling her she left and was waiting for her at the food court. Telling her that she was ready to start a new life with her. A smile grew on her face as she reached to pick up the phone and tell her she's ready and they'll leave right now. The smile quickly faded when she saw it was just a notification about Door Dash. With her new dream suddenly crushed, she threw her phone back on the desk and reclined back in the chair. Rubbing her eyes, it came to her. She shot up straight and began establishing the plan.
It was simple. She would pretend she worked for Door Dash. The last time she ordered from them, a normal guy with no bags or anything showing off who they worked for, showed up with her food. All she needed to do was pick up some food, pretend to be delivering to Waverly's apartment and when she answers, just apologize for going to the wrong apartment. She could slip Waverly a note, and tell her to meet her at her car with everything she needed at 12 tonight. Champ should be sleeping, since Nicole's seen him leaving for what she assumes is work early some mornings.
It would either work perfectly or she'd look like an idiot and that would be the end of it. Weighing the pros and cons, she realized she didn't mind looking like a weirdo if there was even a chance it would work. With that, everything was set.
On the drive home, she stopped by Subway and picking up 2 subs. She figured that if everything goes wrong, at least she wouldn't have to worry about dinner. She sat in the parking lot outside of her apartment trying to figure out what to write on the note. After finishing each note, she crumbled it up and threw it in the back seat. There was always something wrong with it, either she misspelled the word or it just sounded stupid.
*For a new life meet me in the parking lot at midnight* She crumbled yet another one.
"Yeah Nicole, that sounds great, like you're some kind of spy" She berated herself. Nothing was good enough, and she was just wasting time. Finally, she finished and was content with what she wrote. Her hands were shaking as she gets out of the car with her 2 now-cold subs. The walk to the elevator felt like a marathon, as she finally pushed the button to go up. She contemplated using the stairs but realized a delivery driver would take the easiest and fastest route. They do have other deliveries to make, so she needs to play the part. She takes the long ride up to Waverly's floor and tries to calm her nerves. Each step closer to the apartment gets harder. Her steps felt slower, her legs felt heavy, and her shaking was causing the bag to crinkle loud enough to wake anyone who might be sleeping.
Somehow she managed to make it to the door and finally knocked. It felt like an eternity before she heard the familiar sound of the deadbolt sliding open. Luckily, Waverly answered. Her eyebrows raised with suspicion as she stared at Nicole. It looked like every emotion flew over the sweet girls face in an instant. She turned quickly to make sure no one was behind her.
"Just dropping off the door dash delivery you ordered, ma'am" Nicole said, trying to sound as official as possible.
"Who is it, Waverly" A voice yelled from some other part of the apartment.
Slightly panicked, Waverly responded, "It's a delivery from door dash."
"I didn't order shit." Champ said, a little too angry for this situation. It sounded like he was walking towards the door, so she was running out of time. Nicole quickly passed the folded up post-it note to Waverly, who quickly put it in her pocket.
Nicole pulled out another note from the bag and read it as Champ came to the door, beer in hand.
"This is apartment 8C, right?" Nicole asked
"No, you've got the wrong apartment." Champ said reaching to close the door in Nicole's face.
"Oh, sorry about that Sir! Hope you have a good ni.." The door slammed cutting her off mid-sentence.
A slight smile came across Nicole's face as she made her way back to her apartment. The first step in the plan is complete. She has four hours until the note told Waverly to be in the parking lot, so she has to get moving. As she packed her bag, she decided on taking enough for a week. She carried everything down to her car, with a few more hours to spare. The time seemed to fly by, and with 20 minutes left, she grabbed George and locked up her apartment.
John Henry's house was about a half-hour drive, so she brought the subs in case Waverly was hungry. They were cold now, so not 5-star dining, but hopefully, they were still good. As midnight rolled around, Nicole looked at the doors of the apartment building hoping to see her walking out, waiting to ride off into the night with Nicole. But the doors just sat there closed, antagonizing Nicole.
At 12:30, Nicole had all but given up hope. She told herself she'd give her until 1. Her eyelids were getting heavy, but there was no way she was giving up that quickly. What another half an hour anyway? A slight movement by the entrance caught Nicole's attention. It looked like the door was opening, but she couldn't be sure. She stared at the door like she could open it with her mind, and to her surprise, it opened. A small silhouette dragging a bag almost as big as she was began walking hesitantly through the opened door.
It was Waverly.
Nicole watched her friend walk towards her car, constantly checking over her shoulder and scanning the parking lot. Stepping out of the car, careful not to make too much noise, Ni ole opened the trunk, helping Waverly with her bag. There was no talking before they got in the car, they both knew what they had to do. With Waverly in the car, Nicole slowly drove out of the parking lot and on the road. They sat in silence for the next ten minutes as the reality of the situation hit them. This was the new life that she wanted to start when she left Shea. She grew up wondering what her purpose in life was, and she knew this was it.
Nicole finally broke the silence. "Are you okay?" she asked
"I think so" Waverly responded quietly. "I'm a little tired and hungry and nervous, but I think so"
Nicole reached into the back seat to grab the food she brought along and sat it in Waverly's lap. "I brought these if you want one."
Nicole wasn't sure, but she thought she saw her smile as she opened the bag and pulled out a sub.
The night was clear as they drove to the house. There weren't many cars on the road, but each time one fell in line behind them her heart dropped. The thought of being so close to safety and having everything ruined terrified Nicole. She tried to keep her breathing in control and not let Waverly see her fear, but she wasn't sure she was doing a good job. As she looked over at the girl in the passenger seat, she saw her peacefully sleeping. It wouldn't be long before they arrived at the house, but she didn't want to wake her just yet.
Slowly creeping into the driveway, Nicole quietly got out of the car and grabbed the key from under the welcome mat, opening the door. It smelled like pine inside, just like she remembered. Quickly making her way back to the car to grab the bags, and George, she woke Waverly up.
"We're here." She said as Waverly opened her eyes. Still, in a post-sleep daze, Waverly climbed out of the car and walked inside.
"It smells really nice in here, Nicole." Waverly yawned. "Who's house is this?"
"It's my friend John's. He's traveling for the next few weeks or months, and said you can stay here as long as you need."
"Just me?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, who else would stay here?" Nicole asked, lowering her eyebrows in confusion.
Looking around the house, Waverly said "I was hoping you would stay with me."
Nicole smiled, telling Waverly she would stay. Carrying Waverly's bags up to her bedroom for her, coming back down she saw the beautiful brunette was already asleep on the couch.
She looked peaceful and more importantly safe snuggled up under a blanket Waverly must have found on the couch. Contemplating waking her, she decided against it.
Nicole walked around and made sure all of the windows and doors were locked, collapsing onto a chair in the living room. Falling asleep, she looked at Waverly one more time whispering, "Hopefully, this is the way our story starts."