Chapter Text
“Waves, quit it!” Nicole laughed while she swatted away her girlfriend’s hands. Waverly was trying to forcibly pull her up from the bed so they could get started.
“Nic, I’m just trying to help you. Stop being stubborn.”
“Everything is fine, I promise,” she brushed off. “Come here.”
“Nicole. No. You need help, and we agreed that I’d tutor you. So get your hiney up and come on.”
“I told you, it is fine. I got a new tutor anyway and we start tomorrow,” she said casually. “Now come cuddle with me, baby. The movie already started.”
“What do you mean you got another tutor?” Waverly asked frustrated. Nicole was an A student with one or two B's thrown in every now and then, with the exception of one subject: history. Waverly had agreed to help her, and she couldn't understand why Nicole was acting like this. To top it off, it was colder than usual, even for a January in Purgatory. She just wanted to help Nicole study so that it could be over with and she could cuddle up to her uninterrupted until she had to go home.
Nicole, who could sense her building annoyance, hurried to explain. She held up both her hands. “Look. It’s not you, okay?”
“I know it’s not me, Nicole!” Waverly snapped. “I have a 107 in History, and I tutor other students. I’m more than competent so why don’t you want my help anymore?” Nicole averted her eyes and blushed. Curiosity overtook Waverly and caused her to immediately calm down and quirk her eyebrow. “Okay, now I’m really curious.”
“Look. We’re already halfway through the second month of the semester, and I have a 72. This is the only class I am on the verge of failing. And you’re great, really, but... babe, I’m gay as hell and I can’t help that I find it so damn adorable when you get all nerdy and in your zone... so much so that for the past four sessions I’ve paid literally zero attention to what you’ve been saying and stared at you the whole time.”
Waverly started at her in amusement. “The past four sessions? Nicole, we’ve only had four sessions.”
“My point exactly,” she groaned. “And before we started I had a 76. If my grade drops below a 70, coach says I’m riding the bench until I pull it back up. I need help from a person that isn’t you.” When she realized how rude it may have sounded, she tried to amend it. “No offense,” she said sheepishly.
Waverly just rolled her eyes, amused. She finally took her seat on the bed next to Nicole. “God, you really are too gay to function,” she laughed. Nicole just groaned and buried her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder. Waverly pecked her forehead. “I think this is the part where your best friend would call you a useless lesbian.”
Nicole groaned. “Please don’t tell Wynonna. She would never let me live it down.”
They laughed together then another question popped into Waverly’s head. “So who’s you brand new tutor anyway?”
“Some girl named Beth?” she questioned. “Yeah, Beth Garner, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Hmm, I think I might have a class with her. She sounds familiar,” Waverly said absentmindedly.
Nicole laughed. “I said the same thing when I found out who would be tutoring me. I thought you were friends with her.”
Then Waverly remembered. “Oh, yeah, I remember now. She used to hang around cheerleaders so she’s friends with Rosita and Chrissy, I think. Or used to… I think her sister and Wynonna used to date?”
Nicole looked like she was holding back another laugh. “Are you asking me?”
Waverly groaned and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Wynonna doesn’t like talking about things like that with me.”
“Well, Wynonna’s my best friend so I would know. What’s her sister’s name?”
“Mercedes, I’m pretty sure.”
“Yup. Definitely remember her now,” Nicole said with a look of recognition on her face. ‘And they definitely did something alright, but date they did not.’ She turned away apologetically from her girlfriend’s expectant look. “Sorry, babe. I try to make it a habit to not get in the middle of your affairs. I don’t tell you what she says and vice versa.”
Also, Wynonna didn’t want Waverly to know about all of the people she slept with. Especially the ones that rejected her afterwards. She was way too embarrassed.
Nicole’s heart clenched in sympathy at the memory of what happened. Last year, during her and Wynonna’s junior year, Wynonna agreed to a no strings attached relationship with Mercedes, knowing she wanted more. It was good for a while until Wynonna got brazen enough to admit her feelings. Mercedes apologetically broke it off, telling Wynonna that she didn’t feel the same and that she only saw her as a friend. That friendship was never quite the same, especially when Mercedes picked up her friends with benefits deal with someone else barely even a week later.
Ouch. That’s one of the main reasons why she never would have tried a casual sexual relationship with someone she had actual feelings for. It was usually a bad idea.
She broke out of her thoughts when Waverly huffed. “It isn’t my business anyway.”
“True,” Nicole shrugged. “But I know that not knowing is killing you.”
Waverly smiled seductively. “Not when I have such an excellent distraction so readily available and right in front of me,” she said suggestively.
A light blush covered Nicole’s cheeks for a few seconds because she was caught completely off guard. She met Waverly’s eyes and licked her lips in anticipation. Waverly was leaning in and her brain was malfunctioning. Seriously, how could this girl turn her on so quickly with just a few words? Every single damn time. “Yeah?” she asked barely above a whisper. “What types of things do you do to… distract yourself?”
“All.. sorts… of things,” Waverly whispered back, her arm creeping up Nicole’s bicep.
“Like what?” Waverly’s lips was only a breath away. Fuck, Nicole wanted her so bad.
Then Waverly reached around her and grabbed the remote. “Like watch a movie.” She smiled, kissed Nicole on the cheek, and proceeded to scroll through the Netflix queue. She chanced a glance over at her girlfriend to see her reaction. She couldn’t help but to laugh at Nicole’s betrayed expression.
Nicole mock glared at her. “You annoy me unlike any other person I’ve met in my entire life,” she muttered grumpily. Waverly simply pecked her on the cheek and smiled when Nicole wrapped her arm around her a few moments later. Nicole could never stay upset with her for too long and she fucking loved it.
‘Maybe I should reward her. Just for being the best girlfriend of the century,’ Waverly thought as she slipped her hand inside of Nicole’s shirt to rub her abs, something she knew her girlfriend absolutely enjoyed. ‘She’s like a big frickin puppy,’ she mused with a hint of a grin on her lips.
Then when Waverly scratched just slightly and Nicole groaned in pleasure, Waverly chuckled. She looked up to see Nicole pouting at her for stopping. Then she soaked in the reaction of Nicole’s lips parting and her sharp intake of breath at Waverly slipping her hand lower into her loose sweatpants and into her somewhat wet underwear that would soon turn into very wet underwear.
Nicole threw her head back and Waverly started kissing her neck.
‘I’m so in love with you, Nicole Haught,’ Waverly thought before getting lost in pleasuring her girlfriend.
After they were finished, they quickly fixed themselves up and cuddled up in Waverly’s bed, with the door open, of course. House rules and all that. Nicole kissed the side of Waverly’s head with a smile. “Hey babe?” Waverly hummed without moving. “You’re beautiful.”
Waverly smiled and turned her face into Nicole’s shoulder. “So are you.” It was muffled but Nicole heard her just the same and smiled harder. They got another ten minutes into the episode when Nicole tensed up.
Quick to notice, Waverly asked “What’s wrong?”
“Doesn’t Mercedes and Beth have a little brother named Tucker? The same Tucker that has that creepy ass obsession with you?”
Waverly froze up at the mention of his name but forced herself to relax. “It’s okay now, baby. The restraining order forced him to move schools. I think he lives with his dad now or something. We won’t have any problems. Besides, you can’t judge Beth off of him. Would you say Wynonna and I are alike? Besides, at one point, you were friends with Mercedes, and you said she was cool.”
Nicole thought it over. “Yeah, okay. That’s a fair point. But if I see his scrawny ass, I’m kicking it.”
Waverly smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re so protective. It’s cute.”
Nicole finally allowed herself to relax. “Not that you need it. You’re strong all on your own.”
“I know. But it’s nice to have you looking after me even so. You do just enough to be noticed, enough to make me feel cared for without going overboard to make it feel possessive. You don’t make me feel like a child either. One of the many, many things I like about you. One of the many reasons I love… l-like… like you.”
Nicole smiled at the almost slip. “Hey,” she tilted Waverly’s blushing face up so that she could look her in her eyes. “I like you too.”
They stayed wrapped in each other’s arm, talking, laughing, and joking until it was time for Nicole to go home. Waverly saw her off, and they parted with a few more kisses. The rest of the night went by fairly quickly after that, and it was once again morning. Waverly yawned and reached over to shut off her phone alarm. She got out of bed and stretched before making her way to the shower.
After she finished her shower, she dried off and got dressed after moisturizing. When she was done, she reached over for her phone to stop the playlist that was currently playing. She smiled when she saw that she had a text from her girlfriend.
My Best Baby [7:01 AM] Good morning, cutie
Waves <3 [7:13 AM] Hi, sweetie pie <3
She finished up the last of her morning routine and went to the room closest to hers and knocked on the door. When she heard no response, she barged in on the sleeping Wynonna. She smacked her in the face with a pillow.
“What… the hell?” she grunted. She blinked her eyes opened until the landed on Waverly. She glared at her. “What do you want?”
Waverly didn’t even flinch at her tone. She was honestly expecting it. She would have been almost worried if her sister were nice after being woken up. She internally shuddered. Now that was a creepy thought. “Nicole’s picking us up in twenty minutes. Get ready. We can even stop for breakfast.”
Wynonna threw her head back and groaned. “Why is she picking us up?”
Waverly looked at her in confusion. “Um. For school?”
Wynonna popped up. “Shit. What time is it?” She grabbed her phone and checked the time. She saw that it was 7:30. “Shit, Waves, why didn’t you wake me sooner?!” She hurried up and scrambled out of bed. Waverly watched her fumble around with a quirked eyebrow.
“Because the rule for when Nicole picks us up has always been don’t wake you up before 7:30.” She watched Wynonna curse and quickly walk, read: stumble, all the way to the door. “I’ve never seen you move with this much pep in your step for school.”
Wynonna paused. “Okay, baby girl, never say ‘pep in your step’ ever again. It would be a public service. Also… I just want to take my education seriously. Is that so wrong?” Before Waverly could even respond, Wynonna was already stomping off down the hall into the bathroom.
“Okay then.” She went back to her room and messed around on social media until Nicole sent her a text saying that she was outside. She banged on Wynonna’s door as she passed it and zoomed downstairs. She saw Gus in the kitchen eating breakfast and reading the paper and stopped.
She leaned over a placed a kiss on her forehead. “Morning, Gus. Our ride is here.”
Gus shook her head. “I know. I saw her pull up five minutes ago.” Waverly smirked and told Gus to have a good day before going outside. She slid in the front seat and greeted her girlfriend with a kiss.
Nicole grunted in a way of greeting after the kiss ended. She was definitely not a morning person like her girlfriend was.
Waverly laughed. “Is that supposed to mean good morning?”
Nicole sipped on her the homemade coffee that was in her thermal. After a few more sips, she turned to Waverly and smiled softly. “Hey.”
“She’s alive!” she joked.
Nicole rolled her eyes. “I had an hour long basketball practice at five this morning. Can you blame me?”
“Today? No, I can’t. But literally every other morning? Yes.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the back door on the passenger’s side opened up and Wynonna slid in. “Hey, Haught,” she greeted with a smile.
“Earp,” she smirked. “Well you’re in a good mood… Anything to do with my good friend Dolls asking you to meet him outside the school?” she asked as she pulled out the driveway.
Waverly gasped, and Wynonna hit the back of her chair. “Dude!”
“So that’s why you were acting so weird this morning!”
Wynonna glared at Nicole. “Way to go, loose lips.”
Nicole winced. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was a secret.”
Wynonna sighed. “Whatever. It isn’t that big of a deal since I planned to tell her after school anyway.”
Waverly gasped. “You told Nicole before you told me?!”
Nicole glanced over in offense. “Hey! I’m her best friend!”
“I’m her sister!”
“Nicole’s kind of like my sister too.”
Nicole and Waverly both grimaced. They already had a discussion about it. “Please never say that again.”
“Ever,” Waverly agreed. “Because if Nicole is my sister’s sister, then she’s also my sister. And that would mean I’m dating my sister.” Nicole would have though Wynonna was going soft had it not been for the smirk on her face. That smirk practically told her that she only said it to make the two of them uncomfortable.
“I know,” she laughed.
“I’m going to ignore your intentions and just remember the part where you said I was like a sister to you. You going soft on me, Earp?”
She scoffed. “I only said that because it’s like the two of you are practically married anyway. Sister-in-law. Sister. What’s the difference?”
Nicole swerved the car in surprise. “Sorry!” She glanced over then back to check on her passengers. “You just caught me off guard.”
“Besides,” Wynonna continued, ignoring the fact that Nicole almost killed them all. “If you want to talk about soft, how bout we talk about how you used to gush to me about your crush before I found out it was my baby sister?”
Nicole glared at Wynonna, but it was less effective with her face flushed bright red. She glanced over at her girlfriend who was barely stifling her chuckles. “Wynonna. No,” she warned.
Waverly turned around in her seat to face her sister with a mischievous look. “Wynonna, yes.”
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately depending on the point of view, Nicole was able to deter her best friend from revealing anything too embarrassing. All she had to do was remind her that she also had equally “incriminating” information at her disposal that she could use to her advantage. That shut Wynonna right up, much to Waverly’s dismay.
When the three of them made it to school, Nicole quickly left with a kiss to Waverly and a good luck to Wynonna about her Dolls situation. Wynonna followed her lead and made herself scarce as well, leaving Waverly to walk by herself. She rolled her eyes with a fond smile and continued on about her morning. She went to her locker and met up with Chrissy and Rosita as per usual.
“Good morning,” she greeted with a cheerful smile.
“Hey, Waves,” Chrissy sighed. She looked a bit disappointed. Waverly tilted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
Rosita rolled her eyes. “She misses your girlfriend, but she won’t admit it.”
Chrissy punched Rosita in the arm with a surprising amount of strength. “Ouch! What the hell? When did you learn to hit like that?”
Chrissy rolled her eyes. “My dad’s a cop. You really think he wouldn’t sign me up for self-defense classes and teach me how to fight?”
Waverly shook her head as she finished getting what she needed. She closed the locker and turned around. “What’s this about missing Nicole? I know she hasn’t been around much in the mornings, but she hasn’t been over your house lately either?”
Chrissy shook her head sadly. “She’s been trying to study, even though she’s shit at it.”
Waverly gave her an encouraging smile. “I’m sure she misses you too. She won’t stay away for long. You and the Sheriff are family to her.”
“Man,” Rosita mused, still rubbing her sore arm. “Waves, you ever thought about the fact that both you and Nicole are dating your best friend’s sister? Well one of your best friends in your case.”
Chrissy rolled her eyes. “Nicole is not my sister.”
“Oh please. Your dad basically adopted her. She spends more time with you and your dad than her own folks. Hell, she even has her own room there.”
Both Waverly and Chrissy neglected to mention the reason for that. Nicole’s parents practically disappear whenever she’s anywhere near them. If not that, they straight up ignore her presence entirely. All because of the simple fact that she told them that she wanted to be a cop.
Before that, they were the chilliest parents ever. Not the best, but still nowhere near as bad now. It all changed in the middle of her second year when Nedley had taken her in and allowed her to do a pseudo internship thing with bi-weekly pay. It was meant as a community service thing after she and Wynonna had gotten into a bit of trouble, but she ended up liking it and asking if she could continue helping out even though it was no longer required of her. (Not Wynonna though. She was out of there faster than a cheetah in the wind when her time was up with nothing more than a quick “gross but good luck, have fun, Haught-Shot” tossed over her shoulder. Both Nedley and Nicole rolled their eyes.) In the middle of the summer, Nicole admitted her interest in the Sheriff’s Department to her parents. It was all downhill from there.
They’re hippies. Come out as a lesbian? Cool. No problem. Live your worry free life. Tell them you want to be a cop? Instant disownment and negligence. They were already sort of neglectful, but it had gotten one hundred times worse. She could burn the house down right in front of them, and they still wouldn’t look at her.
“This is true,” Chrissy said instead. She knew that Nicole would not appreciate anyone in her home business.
“Anyway,” Waverly said, changing the subject. “I’m sure she will come by soon. She’s getting a new tutor today.”
“New tutor? What happened to you tutoring her?”
Waverly laughed and told them the story. They joined in the laughter and continued to converse. Eventually, after thirty minutes, the three of them made their way to their first class of the day, Rosita and Chrissy to chemistry and Waverly to math.
After she parted ways with her friends, Waverly took the long way to her class so that she could stop by Nicole’s class, just to see her. She peered in the classroom and grinned at what she saw. Nicole was sitting in the middle rows, focused on a piece of paper laid out in front of her. It appeared she was still trying to study.
Waverly checked her phone for the time and saw that she still had about ten minutes left before the 8:30 bell. It would only take her about three to four minutes to get to her class since it was only two halls over. Two if she speed walked.
So she texted Nicole and watched her. Nicole distractedly pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced over at it. She did a double take and smiled when she saw who it was from. Waverly’s heart swelled, and her ovaries cried out.
Waves <3 [8:23AM] baby
My Best Baby [8:23AM] Waverly Earp texting in class? I’ve corrupted you
Waves <3 [8:23 AM] This is true, but not in this case. I’m not in class yet
My Best Baby [8:24 AM] ???
My Best Baby [8:24 AM] Why?
Waves <3 [8:24 AM] Look up
She watched as Nicole furrowed her eyebrows at her phone before looking around. She finally looked out the door and saw Waverly standing there and smiled. She got up and went to her. She met her with a sweet kiss to her lips.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Nicole said with that dimpled grin that made girls swoon.
Waverly shrugged. “I spent the morning with Chrissy and Rosita talking about you. It made me miss you.”
Nicole smirked. “You talk to your friends about me?”
Waverly blushed and lightly slapped her on the arm. “Shut up.” She smiled as she remember something. “You sure are one to talk though. I heard that you gush about me.”
Nicole blushed, beaten at her own game. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”
Waverly laughed and leaned up so that she could kiss her on the cheek. “I do actually.” She kissed her again, this time on the mouth. “I win this round by the way.”
Nicole shushed her with another kiss. “As long as I still get to kiss you, you can win whatever you want from me, babe.”
Waverly rolled her eyes, but her grin betrayed her. “Smooth talker.” She took a step back and checked the time with a sigh. “I do have to go though. The bell will ring soon.”
Nicole nodded. “See you after class then.”
Waverly waved over her shoulder and turned to go to class.
“Babe, wait!” When Waverly turned around with a questioning look, Nicole smiled. “I… like you.”
Waverly practically melted on the spot as a lovesick smile overtook her face. She remembered the slip up from last night. Was Nicole really saying…? She smiled harder. “I like you too,” she softly replied. She reluctantly left to make it to her own class.
It was only when she pulled out her notes for class did she realize that she was still smiling dopily. The day was pretty smooth and uneventful up until right before lunch time. It wasn’t much, so Waverly was taking everything she needed for the rest of the day out so that she wouldn’t need to go back to her locker until the very end of the day. She was just finishing up when she heard someone from behind.
“Hey, Nicole’s girlfriend, right?” someone called out to her, halting her in her tracks.
Waverly finished closing her locker all the way and turned around. “Yes, though I usually go by Waverly,” she replied back jokingly even though she was 100% serious. Yes, she was Nicole’s girlfriend and proud of it, but that wasn’t all she was. Nicole Haught did not define her.
When the girl just hummed in response, Waverly quirked her eyebrow and looked around. Was anyone else noticing this weird ass behavior? “Yeah so is there anything I can help you with or…?”
“Sorry,” the girl shook her head at herself. She held out her hand for Waverly to shake. “I’m Beth. I’ll be tutoring Nicole.”
Waverly smiled and shook her hand, but she did find it weird that this girl, apparently named Beth, was introducing herself. “Cool. Did you want to know where we left off with Nicole’s studying? Because there’s no need. Apparently Nicole gets too easily distracted around me,” Waverly said with a little laugh thinking about what Nicole told her. ‘You’re such a gay disaster, babe.’
“No,” Beth replied simply.
“Okay?” Now Waverly was really confused. “So what’s up?”
“Just checking out the competition.” Again, Waverly had no idea what this girl was talking about.
“Oh, um, okay. Did you want to be cheer captain next year too?” That was the only competitive thing Waverly could think of that she was participating even though that wasn’t really a competition. It was really based off of how well you could lead the team and if the team liked you enough to listen to you. She’s never seen this girl at a cheer practice before, and she’s fairly sure the team would rather follow her than a stranger to the team. Besides, could non-cheerleaders even run for captain? She had no idea. She made a mental note to research the rules on that later.
Beth had the nerve to roll her eyes and scoff. ‘Okay, I don’t think I like this weirdo,’ Waverly thought, a bit put off. Honestly, what’s wrong with this chick?
“No.”
“Okay?”
“I meant for that sexy girlfriend of yours. Well, yours for now anyway.”
Waverly frowned. Surely she heard wrong. “Excuse me?”
Beth shook her head disappointed. “Are you stupid? Can’t comprehend English? Damn, no wonder my future girlfriend needs me. Oops, slip of the tongue,” she said with an ugly chuckle even though both of them knew that it obviously wasn’t an accident. “I meant no wonder Nicole needs a new tutor.”
Waverly scoffed. “Whatever. I’m walking away now. You’re more than welcome to keep dreaming, though. But it’s never going to happen. She’s happy where she is.”
She ignored the dig Beth said to her as best she could as she walked away. Even though it did bother her, there’s no way in hell that she would ever let Beth know that. She just threw her hand over her shoulder in parting and kept it moving.
“I’m sure that’s what you thought with Champ too.”
But it echoed around in her head over and over again, haunting her. She tried rationalizing it away.
I’m sure that’s what you though with Champ too.
Sure, she and Nicole had only started dating last semester, but they had known each other for much longer, the result of Nicole being Wynonna’s best friend since she moved to Purgatory in their second year and all that. She trusted Nicole with her whole heart.
She didn’t have anything to worry about.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
I’m sure that’s what you thought with Champ too.
She walked on autopilot all the way to the lunchroom. She went through the motions of getting lunch and sitting at their usual table. She didn’t even notice Chrissy sitting next to her until she felt a gentle hand being placed on her shoulder. It scared her, and she jumped a foot in the air. “Fudge sticks, Chrissy! I think I peed a little,” she giggled in embarrassment.
Chrissy quirked an eyebrow. “What’s got you so lost in your head, Waves?”
“Boy do I have a story for you guys,” she shook her head. “I’ll tell you when Rosita and Jeremy get here. I only want to go through this once.”
//
In Waverly’s opinion, it took entirely too long for everyone to be in their appropriate positions for her to get through the story she was itching to tell, but in reality, it took less than ten minutes.
“Now that we’re finally all gathered,” Chrissy dramatically began-
“-emphasis on finally-”
“-Waves can get on with the story she’s been dying to tell us.”
Jeremy perked up. “Drama? I can feel it in my groin.”
“I thought that was exclusive to John Henry?” Rosita asked confused.
“What do you think Doc is always involved in?” he retorted.
Rosita conceded with a head nod. “Makes sense.”
“So, like, a girl approached me today.”
Chrissy looked unimpressed. “Someone hitting on you? Tell us something new, kid.”
Waverly laughed. “Not like that. Like… woman to woman?” She frowned and pondered the idea. “Does that count as woman to woman?”
“Well don’t keep us in suspense,” Rosita drawled, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Waverly shook her head. “Right. Anyway, long story short, she said that she was Nicole’s new tutor. At first I thought that she was asking where we left off.”
“Which is a logical thought process,” Jeremy pointed out.
“Yeah except that wasn’t it. She just wanted to let me know that she’d be making a move on my girlfriend. ‘Checking out the competition’ she called it,” she finished with air quotes around the quoted words.
Jeremy opened then closed his mouth. He was honestly shocked. That chick sure was bold.
“What did Nicole say about it?” Rosita asked absentmindedly while licking the ice cream off of her white plastic spoon.
“Yeah, is she going to find a new tutor?” Chrissy chimed in. “I can probably help her out.”
“I haven’t actually told her yet,” Waverly admitted with an embarrassed look.
Rosita dropped the spoon with a grumbled curse. Chrissy stared at her unmoved like she halfway expected the answer (which she definitely did.) Jeremy was confused.
“But why not? Aren’t you the one who is always telling me that almost anything can be helped with some communication and honesty?”
Waverly let out a long groan and laid her head on the table. “I don’t want her to think I’m some possessive, overcontrolling, paranoid girlfriend who doesn’t trust her. Because I do,” she trailed off. Her mind drifted for a second before she reeled it back in. “Trust her, I mean,” she clarified with a light blush.
Rosita raised an eyebrow at the reaction but said nothing. She was too busy trying to lick her ice cream cup with no plasticware.
“Just talk to her, Waves,” Chrissy said with a sigh. She didn’t understand why her friend was making this so complicated. It was a simple fix. Honestly.
After Waverly reluctantly agreed to do just that, Jeremy shook his head and stood up causing everyone’s attention to go right to him.
“Girl drama makes me hungry.” He went to stand in the lunch line for a slice of pizza.
//
On the way to the student parking lot where Chrissy was waiting for her, Waverly heard her girlfriend calling after her and stopped to let her catch up. She sent a text to her friend to let her know to go on without her and shared a smile with Nicole when she was close enough.
“Hey,” Waverly greeted as she kissed Nicole briefly. “What are you still doing here?”
“Looking for you, beautiful.”
“Why?”
Nicole looked confused. “Waverly, I’ve been your ride even before we started dating. What do you mean?”
Waverly laughed at her cuteness. “I know that, but don’t you have tutoring today? You don’t need to take me home just to come back up here. I can catch a ride from Chrissy or Rosie.”
“Okay,” Nicole said slowly. She tilted her head to the side in that cute, confused way that made Waverly want to passionately kiss her. “Remind me why would I come back up here again?”
She tilted her head in an unconscious reflection of Nicole and furrowed her eyebrows. Was Nicole purposely being obtuse? “Aren’t your study sessions going to be in the library? Like every other tutoring session?”
Nicole shook her head. “No, she told me to just meet her at her house like I used to do with you. I thought I mentioned that last night, sorry.” Well that definitely didn’t sit right with Waverly and she involuntarily tensed because of it. It bought back all the memories of what happened earlier with Beth.
I’m sure that’s what you thought with Champ too.
Nicole, almost always completely in tune with her girlfriend, felt her tense up and immediately turned to look at her with a worried expression. “Is everything alright, babe?”
Waverly forced a smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” She was lying through her teeth. She trusted Nicole, but after what that bitch said to her earlier, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. She shook her head at herself. ‘If she comes on to her at all, Nicole will shut that down immediately AND she would tell me.’ She took a breath. ‘She isn’t a cheater. She isn’t your ex. She isn’t a cheater. She isn’t your ex.’
“Okay,” Nicole said slowly, clearly not believing her. But, fortunately for Waverly, she dropped it. “Well are you coming or not? I was just with Wynonna. She told me she’s catching a ride with Dolls so it’s just us.”
“Yeah,” Waverly said while shaking the thoughts away. She knew she could trust Nicole. She didn’t have to worry. “Yeah, lead the way.”
Nicole did as she was told and took ahold of Waverly’s hand to walk with her to the student parking lot. Once they were both in and buckled up, Nicole pulled off.
“Hey, you want me to stop and get you some food really quick? You hungry?” Nicole asked while stopped at a red light. They would be passing by a couple of fast food restaurants soon.
Waverly smiled at the thoughtfulness. “No but thank you.” She placed her hand on top of Nicole’s which was already resting on her thigh. Waverly looked down at their intertwined hands and smiled softly to herself. Again.
Did she ever stop smiling when Nicole was around?
The smile was slowly replaced with a frown as her thoughts took over her head. Beth came up to her earlier and literally told her she would be making a move on Nicole. Now she knew Nicole could be really oblivious when it came to stuff like people flirting with her, but what if that’s just what Nicole wanted her to think? What if she knew all along and was very aware of when other girls flirted with her? What if she just enjoyed the attention? What if she was actually a cheater and this entire time she was just playing-
Stop. It took Nicole like three months to even realize you were flirting with her literally every damn day, multiple times a day. More than that, Nicole is loyal. She would never do that. You’re overthinking for no reason. Give her some credit. She’s never done anything to make you doubt her. AND you’ve been a really good girlfriend. She would have absolutely no reason to seek company elsewhere.
The thought sat in her head for a second before another one blew it away.
I’m sure that’s what you thought with Champ too.
Crazy how one negative could make her thoughts spiral. She was having a full-blown argument with herself in her head, and, before she knew it, Nicole was pulling up in her driveway. She looked over at Nicole who was already looking at her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? Because I know something is bothering you. Please don’t lie to me.”
Waverly smiled, and this time it was genuine. She loved how Nicole could read her. “I’m sure,” she whispered before kissing her again, a silent appreciation for being able to read her. She felt Nicole smile into it causing her to smile wider. When they finally pulled away she whispered, “I was just thinking about some things. I really like you.”
Nicole, still smiling, absolutely lit up, just like she did every time Waverly mentioned her feelings about her. She knew it was their pussy way of saying I love you to each other. “Okay. And I really like you too.” She watched as Waverly got out of her car and walked around to the driver’s side. The window was already rolled down and Waverly stuck her head in for one more kiss.
“I have to go, but I’ll call you when I get home, okay?”
Waverly nodded. “Okay.” She waved and went in her house. It wasn’t until she was safely inside that she heard Nicole’s car pulling off. She went to the kitchen and started prepping dinner to distract herself from the fact that her girlfriend would be spending the next hour or so with a girl who clearly wanted her and was bold enough to address her about it.
Waverly shook her head at herself. “I should’ve told her.”
“Told who what, girl?” a voice sounded that had Waverly nearly jumping out of her skin. She whipped around and glared at her aunt while holding a hand to her fast beating heart.
“Fudge nuggets, Gus! Maybe a bit of warning next time?!”
Gus quirked an eyebrow and made her way over to Waverly. “I’m standing here in the open. You’re the one who walked in here lost in thought,” she pointed out.
Waverly just grumbled and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Her aunt asked her previous question again.
Waverly sighed. “Told Nicole something, but… I don’t know. I don’t want to sound insecure or make her think I don’t trust her.” She shrugged in a nonchalant way, but Gus could tell she was anxious by looking into her eyes.
Gus sat in one of the bar stool seats and gestured for Waverly to do the same. “Child, you’re going to have to explain a little better than that because it sounds like you think Nicole is cheating on you and that just doesn’t sound right. Not like her at all.”
Waverly sat down as she was told and started from the beginning. “Okay well Nicole sucks in history. And we agreed that I’d help her since I’m taking her year of history, but we’ve had four sessions together and her grade has only went down.” At Gus’s confused expression, because she knew damn well Waverly was good at tutoring, Waverly explained that part a bit more. “Something about how she can’t focus on what I’m saying because she thinks it’s cute when I nerd out about history or something,” she said offhandedly.
Gus actually scoffed out a laugh. “Useless lesbian.”
Waverly joined in. “Right? Anyway,” she started getting serious again. “So she got this new tutor. And I was fine with it, but then the girl, Beth, came up to me and told me all about how she was going to make Nicole hers and stuff like that. I know I should ignore it and trust Nicole, but the fact that Nicole is going to her house right now and didn’t tell me until like five minutes ago just doesn’t sit well with me. Am I overreacting?”
Gus paused to take in all the information. She shook her head. Man, she sure as hell didn’t miss high school drama. “I think that you should talk to Nicole about this. You aren’t being insecure if this other girl out right told you that she planned to make a move on your girlfriend. Any person in a monogamous relationship would want someone like that away from their partner.”
Waverly nodded, taking the information in. “Yeah, you’re right. And Nicole probably just forgot to tell me that the sessions were at her house. She already told me that she thought she mentioned it and apologized.”
“She would never cheat on you. She loves you,” Gus pointed out.
Waverly smiled shyly and blushed. “I wouldn’t say...” She trailed off from her nervous stutter at the look on Gus’s face.
“Don’t tell me you’re losing your vision. What are you, blind? It’s clear she’s in deep with you, child.”
Waverly dipped her head and stood up muttering a quick “we’re not there yet” before turning to go upstairs to her room, fully embarrassed. Not wanting to be rude, she called over her shoulder “Thanks for the advice, Gus! I’ll talk to her about it later tonight.”
She threw herself into her history books for the next hour to distract herself from anxiously waiting on her girlfriend to text her. Stupid Wynonna was probably with stupid Dolls or maybe even stupid Doc so she could even distract herself that way. Good thing she liked history, loved it even.
She was startled out of her readings when her phone dinged, indicating a text. She threw her book to the side and practically leaped for it.
My Best Baby [17:01] finished the session, on my way home then I’ll call you after my homo work
My Best Baby [17:01] *homework lol wtf
Waves <3 [5:02 PM] lol your phone just knows how homo you are
Waves <3 [5:02 PM] no but seriously, could you stop by my place first?
Waves <3 [5:03 PM] I have something important I would like to talk to you about
My Best Baby [5:04 PM] be there in ten
True to her word, approximately ten minutes later, Nicole showed up. Waverly watched from her window as Nicole’s car pulled up and met her at the door.
“Hey,” Nicole greeted her with a soft kiss and a warm smile.
Waverly couldn’t help but to smile back. “Hey. Come on in.”
She dragged her upstairs to her room and gently shut the door behind her. She paced for about two minutes while Nicole stared at her from the bed, patiently waiting for her to gather her thoughts.
“Baby?”
“You wouldn’t cheat on me, right?”
Nicole looked as if Waverly had just smacked her into next week. “What?”
“Because your tutor came up to me and told me that she would be making a move on you. She said that by the end of the week you would be hers. And I know, of course, you aren’t anybody’s property, but you’re mine. And I’m yours, okay? So don’t cheat on me. I really like you and it would freaking suck if it turned out you were only playing with me because you’re just so… and I really…” she trailed off and chanced a glance at Nicole.
Nicole was looking at her like she was speaking a completely different language.
“Waverly,” Nicole said in disbelief. “I want you. I promise you don’t ever have to worry about anyone who wants me because they are irrelevant. I’m not playing games here. I’m dating you. I love you. I only want you. Okay? Not Beth. Not anyone else. Only you.”
“W-What?” Waverly choked. Did she just…?
Nicole shook her head. She was trying to not get upset over the fact that her girlfriend seemed so surprised that she would remain faithful to her. “Look, I know your ex was a piece of shit, but I’m not him, okay? You never have to worry about me straying away from you, and I-“
“No, not that. I know that. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me... But…”
“Waves?” she asked after a long moment of silence. She was getting kind of uncomfortable with the way Waverly was staring at her. Was there something on her face or something?
She shook her head when she realized that Nicole didn’t even comprehend what she just said. “Never mind,” she tried to play off with a forced smile. “Sorry. I guess I was just shook up about it because she actually confronted me. I know you wouldn’t, babe.”
Nicole eyed her suspiciously for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Okay. Good. I care about you way too much to ever do anything like that.”
‘Care,’ Waverly thought. ‘I wonder how long it will take for her to say it again.’ She smiled. “I know, baby.”
Nicole nodded, pleased that Waverly was okay now. “Good.” She checked the time. “Unfortunately, I do have to go home now so that I can get started on my homework. I have a stupid paper to write. Call you after?”
Waverly grinned harder and nodded. “You better.” She leaned up and pressed a gentle, loving kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek. It was her way of trying to convey her own love without outright saying it. Nicole pulled away and made it a mouth to mouth kiss. She left Waverly in a daze and backed up with a cocky grin on her face.
“Catch you later. I’ll see myself out.”
Waverly watched her walk all the way out of her room and pull up the door. She was still grinning ear to ear when Nicole suddenly rushed back in with a wild expression on her face. “I just said I love you.”
“You did,” she agreed with a small laugh.
“I just casually said I love you, and you didn’t freak out,” Nicole repeated and stressed.
“I did not freak out,” Waverly confirmed.
Nicole hesitated. When she asked her next question, her voice was soft and uncertain. “Do you, uh… do you love me too?”
“Baby.” For all the confidence that she exuded, Nicole still seemed to get nervous a lot around her. Waverly grinned harder. “I love you too.”
Nicole uncharacteristically squealed and rushed to take Waverly in her arms, even going as far as briefly lifting her up off the ground with a little twirl. She set her down and gave her a soft but firm kiss, passionate enough to showcase all of her feelings. When the kiss reached its natural end, they rested their foreheads together with matching smiles.
“I love you, Waverly Earp.”
“And I love you, Nicole Haught.”
It was quiet for a moment before Nicole let out a long groan. She threw her head back and covered her eyes. “Of course I would totally butcher my first ‘I love you’ to you. Seriously, Haught?”
Waverly laughed. “It was cute, babe, don’t worry.”
Eventually, Nicole did manage to go home. As promised, she called Waverly after she finished her homework. It was nearing ten o’clock.
“Hey, babe,” she answered.
“Hey, Waves. Sorry it’s so late. I literally just finished with my history paper.”
Waverly tilted her head. “I thought you were going to start it as soon as you got home.” She moved the phone away from her ear when a loud groan came through.
“I did. And I’m just now finishing.”
All Waverly could do was utter “babe” in disbelief. That was almost five hours ago.
“I’m about to FaceTime you. One sec.” Nicole hung up and called right back on FaceTime.
“I don’t know why you didn’t do that in the first place,” Waverly said with an eyeroll. She smiled at the eyeroll she got it return.
“Whatever. Can we just briefly go back and brush up on our status? Are we okay?”
“What? Nic, we already talked about it.”
“Yeah, but I know you, Waves. You have a tendency to say you’re fine, be fine, then overthink and become not fine by stressing yourself out about it. And you’ve had about five hours to stress yourself out. So? How are you feeling about it? Do you still have any doubts about our relationship? Do you want to talk it out?”
Waverly’s heart fluttered at the fact that her girlfriend was actually checking back in with her. She could have just left it alone, but she didn’t because she knew how her girlfriend’s mind worked. But it was not needed this time. “Nic. I don’t doubt our relationship, okay? I just had a moment of insecurity. It happens when you spend an entire relationship being cheated on, you know?”
Nicole was quiet for a moment. It almost seemed as if she were debating with herself about something. “I’m getting a new tutor,” she announced.
Waverly laughed softly. “You don’t have to do that. I trust you.”
“Nah, I don’t like that she went up to you and said those things to you. And our study session was not good. She’s not even a good tutor.”
“Nicole.” Waverly was sure that she was just saying that to make her feel better.
“I’m serious. I was already thinking about it, but now I definitely will since she has a problem with our relationship.” Waverly just barely heard her mutter under her breath “And she clearly doesn’t understand boundaries.”
Waverly shook her head. “If you’re sure. I really appreciate the gesture, but I promise that you don’t have to do this for me.”
Nicole grinned. “Well that just makes me want to do it even more. Besides, like I said, the session was a waste of time.”
Waverly smiled apologetically. “Sorry, babe. I know you need this to work.”
Nicole waved her off. “It’s fine. A lot of students were willing to help me. Plenty of options.”
Plenty of options she said. That didn’t really sit well with Waverly, but she chalked it up to lingering insecurity. She trusted Nicole. There was no reason to worry about her stepping out. She was an amazing person and an even better girlfriend. They talked on the phone all night until Nicole fell asleep with a smile on her face. Waverly whispered that she loved her and hung up with a soft smile of her own. She fell asleep with one thought on her mind.
‘I have the best girlfriend in the world.’
Little did she know, starting the next day, things would go straight to shit.