Chapter Text
A sense of romanticism and anticipation filled the halls of Purgatory High as the senior class prepared for the arrival of a teenager’s rite of passage: the Prom. Normally, Nicole Haught would grimace at the extravagant displays of affection or mock the couples with Jeremy and Dolls. In fact, that was exactly what she had done for the last three years of high school. It was exactly what she would be doing this year as well, if it wasn’t for one teensy tiny little difference: this year Waverly Earp was single.
Sure, Nicole had crushed on Waverly throughout high school. The girl was smart, driven and beautiful, so of course Nicole was struck by Cupid’s arrow. The second she had laid eyes on the young cheerleader, Nicole’s heart fluttered in her chest.
Don’t get it wrong, Nicole didn’t have a deep abiding love of the youngest Earp without ever having spoken to her, something that happened far too often in classic romance novels where a guy sees a pretty girl and is suddenly in love. No, this was different. Nicole had spoken to Waverly many times over the years. Both girls ran in the same circles at Purgatory High: the cheerleaders and the jocks.
Nicole had fallen in love with Waverly in small moments spread across their four years together. Nicole didn’t fall in love suddenly: she was swept away by it. Waverly’s kindness and grace had wrapped around Nicole’s heart and settled in, allowing a gentle warmth to flood her system.
The slamming of a locker pulled Nicole from her daily dose of musings about Waverly Earp. Nicole glanced across the lobby and watched as Waverly pushed her jacket off of her shoulders, revealing the skimpy cheerleading uniform underneath. She watched as Waverly shivered slightly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to pull heat from the friction. Nicole knew for a fact that Waverly was always cold, so she wanted nothing more than to shrug off her letterman’s jacket and wrap it around Waverly’s shoulder. Up until this year, Champ’s sweaty jacket always adorned her shoulders.
Nicole’s nose wrinkled at the image.
“Stop staring, Haught. It’s creepy,” Dolls said, leaning his back against the lockers. His arms crossed over his chest, pulling his own letterman’s jacket tight.
Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’m not staring, Dolls. I’m just…admiring,” she paused, “from afar.”
“Like a creeper.”
“I’m not being creepy, ok.” A noise down the hallway drew her eyes and she watched as a group of teen boys pulled top hats from behind their backs and started dancing to Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars. “That’s creepy.”
Dolls grinned. “You’re not wrong there.”
They watched as the boys danced around, ending up on their knees and presented a group of cheerleaders with roses. Nicole held her breath and watched as Waverly took a step closer to the boys. A sense of dread dropped to her gut like an anvil and her chest tightened. Waverly’s bright smile filled the hallway, but Nicole was thrown into darkness. There was no way she was going to survive standing there and watching Waverly Earp get promposed to.
“You know,” Dolls started carefully. “You could just ask her yourself.”
Nicole turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. Who was Dolls kidding? Nicole had just enough courage to talk to Waverly over the years without tripping over every other word. Seriously, Nicole was thrilled that she had managed to maintain a friendship with the cheerleader considering how many times she had been caught staring or, in some cases, drooling at the younger Earp.
How could Dolls possibly think that she could pull together an elaborate, yet personal and touching display of her fondness for Waverly. It was absurd, and she knew her face was delivering that message to Dolls at that very moment. The skeptical expression said it all.
“It’s not the worst idea, Haught. You never know, she might say yes.”
Nicole scoffed loudly. “She might say yes? That’s not exactly a motivational speech there, Dolls.”
“That’s what Jeremy is for. I give the moral support, he handles the cheerleading.” Dolls nodded his head toward the center of the hallway. “Speaking of cheerleaders…”
“Dolls, I really don’t want to see…”
Dolls grabbed her by the shoulders and twisted her around. “Just look.”
Nicole sighed and glanced over to Waverly who was…hugging Chrissy Nedley; Chrissy Nedley who was currently holding a rose and wearing a top hat as Perry Crofte grinned at her side. She tilted her head to the side, trying to sort out what she was looking at. Waverly was smiling and congratulating Chrissy.
The vice in Nicole’s chest instantly released it’s grip and relief washed over her. “It wasn’t for her,” she whispered under her breath.
“Nope,” Dolls stated, a smirk forming on his lips. “Looks like you still got a shot.”
“I don’t have a shot,” she started, before second guessing her train of thought. “I mean, how would I even…”
“That’s what Jeremy is for.”
“What am I good for?” Jeremy asked, popping up behind the duo, dressed to the nines in a tuxedo t-shirt and holding a small cactus.
“Convincing Nicole to profess her undying love for Waverly.”
Nicole’s fist shot out and smacked Dolls on the shoulder, a grin forming when he winced and rubbed the patch on his jacket. “I do not need to profess anything, Xavier.” His eyes transformed into slits as he glared at her.
“First off, ow. Second, don’t call me that. And third,” he glanced over her shoulder, “she’s coming this way.”
The redhead spun around and straightened her back, forcing a smile onto her face…only to be met with an empty hallway. She turned to Dolls in disbelief.
“I rest my case,” he proclaimed smugly. Nicole continued to gape at him. “Close your mouth, Haught.”
“Why am I friends with you again?” Nicole asked, pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing.
“Because we share a love of basketball, cop dramas, and girls with the last name of Earp.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
Nicole shook her head again, her red hair forming a curtain over her face as she stared at the floor. Looking up, she sighed and turned to Jeremy, who was nervously bouncing on his feet. She squinted. “Why do you have a cactus?”
Jeremy’s eyes sparkled with excitement and he thrust the cactus into Nicole’s hands, apologetically smiling when he narrowly missed sticking her with the spines. He picked up a poster that was leaning against the locker and proudly opened it for them to read.
Dolls and Nicole made eye contact, holding in their grins at their friend’s sign, which read: Cacti + Cactyou = Cactus at the Prom?
“Get it?” Jeremy asked, gripping the corners of the poster tightly. “Because Robin loves plants!”
Nicole opened her mouth to give him a hard time about his indoctrination into the Prom Cult, but was deterred by Dolls nudging her shoulder.
“See Haught. I told you Jeremy would be the one to go to for help.”
Nicole glared at him as Jeremy’s face lit up. “Ooh. What are we doing?” Jeremy asked eagerly, putting down his sign and clasping his hands together.
Before Dolls could respond, Nicole decisively cut him off, “Nothing. We are doing nothing.” The bell rang, effectively ending the conversation. Nicole sighed in relief at literally being saved by the bell. She threw out a quick wave before turning and speed-walking to her class, ignoring the smirk she knew her friend was throwing her way.
She could stuff down her urge to ask Waverly to the dance. Even surrounded by all of the Prom décor and cheer, she could definitely stuff down that urge.
Nicole succeeded in her goal for exactly 45 more minutes, but then her Biology class ended and she came face to face with the object of said goal.
Nicole piled up her notebooks and grabbed her bag, turning quickly to bolt to the gym before practice started. Unfortunately for her, Waverly Earp was currently standing at the door, a soft expression on her face. Nicole stopped in her tracks, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to keep a startled squeak from being released.
“Hey Nicole, you got a minute?” Waverly asked quietly, her lips forming gently around the words with a breathy whisper. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and rocked back on her heels, and her eyes sparkled with a hesitation that was unfamiliar. If Nicole didn’t know any better, she would say that Waverly Earp looked downright nervous about something.
“Yeah, sure Waves,” Nicole breathed out, praying that she could keep her facial expression neutral. Don’t panic and creep her out, Nicole.
With the look of uncertainty still painting her features, Waverly stepped forward and cleared her throat. “So I was just wondering,” she paused and inhaled sharply, “would you want to…”
Nicole’s heart thumped in her chest. Was Waverly Earp going to ask her to the dance? Her eyes trailed over Waverly’s features, wanting to etch this image in her mind forever. Her eyes met Waverly’s and she fell into deep hazel pools and Nicole simply wanted. She wanted Waverly to ask her to the dance. She wanted to spend her days making this girl happy. And, as her eyes drifted to Waverly’s slowly parting lips, Nicole just wanted…
Waverly exhaled loudly and tore Nicole’s gaze away from pink-tinged lips, which were now formed into a frustrated frown. Nicole cocked her head to the side. “You ok, Waves?”
A fist tightened around the white material which barely covered Waverly’s thighs as the cheerleader took a tentative step forward. Waverly’s eyes creased, her lips pulled down in the corners to form an unnatural appearance on the normally cheerful face. Sheer frustration, then resolve, then finally defeat passed over Waverly’s face before she formed an unreadable expression. Sighing, Waverly finally spoke, “Yeah Nicole. I was just wondering if you wanted to be my partner for the English Lit project. I don’t know if you have one yet, but…”
“I don’t.”
An ear-splitting grin shot to Waverly’s face, lighting it up like the sun, “Great!” She cleared her throat before repeating, “Great. T-that’s great.” She pulled a post-it from her notebook and handed it to Nicole. “Call me sometime. Maybe we can brainstorm? I’m thinking maybe Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte?” She shook her head and a sheepish look appeared, “Or, you know, whoever you wanted to do.”
“I want to do you,” Nicole said matter-of-factly. Realization struck her about the same time that Waverly’s eyes widened. “I mean your ideas. I want to do your ideas.” She breathed out, taking a second to settle the butterflies in her stomach. “You’re the smartest person in our class Waves, I’ll gladly follow your lead.” Nicole hoped that she covered well enough for her word vomit.
A smile was all Nicole received in response, and that was enough for her. A smile from Waverly Earp was always enough for Nicole.
A quick glance at the clock alerted Nicole to the fact that she needed to head to the gym. Begrudgingly, Nicole sent Waverly a lopsided, yet regretful grin.
Waverly understood. “Practice, I know. Same.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Nicole ached to replicate that action. “I’m sure I’ll see you out there.” Nicole couldn’t be sure, but she swore that there was a hopeful lilt to Waverly’s words.
“Of course. See you later, Waves.” Nicole brushed by Waverly, catching the scent of strawberries in the air as she did.
Yeah, Nicole was definitely going to need to ask this girl to the Prom.
“I can’t ask her to the Prom. I just can’t!” Nicole grumbled, planting her forehead down against Jeremy’s table. “It was such a stupid idea. I don’t know why I thought I could do…this,” she continued, gesturing to the giant whiteboard that Jeremy pulled into his bedroom. A whiteboard which currently listed ideas on Operation Wayhaught, as Jeremy had put it.
“Get your face off the table, Haught. No one likes a mumbler,” Dolls responded.
Nicole lifted her head and glared daggers at Dolls. She reached over and poked him in the shoulder. “This is all your fault.”
“How is this…”
“If you hadn’t brought up the idea of me asking her, I never would have got it stuck in my brain,” Nicole answered, her chest puffing in and out as her breathing increased.
“Ok, but if you think about it…”
Nicole stood suddenly, her chair screeching along the floor as she moved away from the table. “And now I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about what she would look like when I asked her, or…or what she would say.” She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the perspiration that had formed on her hairline. She knew that she probably looked insane, but once she started panicking she couldn’t stop. “And…and what if she would have said yes? I mean, could you imagine? God, I bet she would look beautiful in her dress.” She paused, rethinking. “I mean, she always looks beautiful, but god, I bet she would be breathtaking.”
“Right. So then go to the dance stag and see her for yourself. I’m sure Wynonna wouldn’t mind if you tagged along…”
The redhead turned crazed eyes toward her friend. “Are you insane? First off, I am not going to go and watch the girl of my dreams dancing with some meathead jock.”
“Hey, you and I are on the basketball team you know so…”
“And second, you really think Wynonna wants to see me drooling over her little sister?”
Dolls chuckled knowingly. “You think she hasn’t already witnessed that multiple times?” At Nicole’s wide eyes, Dolls continued. “Look, Wynonna is always going to be protective of her little sister. That comes with the territory. But if you think for a second that my girlfriend hasn’t caught onto your crush, you don’t pay attention.”
“What are you talking about?” Nicole asked hesitantly. “How could she possibly know?”
“Because she has eyes, Haught. And you are anything but subtle,” he started, pausing to ruminate on something. “And by the way, she’s totally rooting for you.”
Nicole’s mouth fell open as she ran through every encounter that she’d had with the older Earp sister over the last four years. Sure Wynonna had mentioned on multiple occasions that Nicole needed to watch out for Waverly. They were all in the same grade, but that’s only because Waverly was a genius and skipped a grade in middle school. Nicole and Waverly ran in the same circles, so of course it made sense that Wynonna would want her sister protected. The jocks at that school were animals.
Nicole and Wynonna had been friends for years, and their friendship only grew when Dolls entered the picture. Nicole had never seen her friend so smitten. Could it be possible that Wynonna could see how much Nicole treasured Waverly?
“But, Wynonna always said nobody was ever good enough for Waverly. Why would she be ok with me?” Nicole whispered, confusion etching her words.
Dolls let out a puff of air, “You are really trying to get me in trouble with my girlfriend, aren’t you.” He stood up and walked over to the pacing redhead, grabbing her shoulders with his hands and bringing his face down to her level. “Don’t you dare tell her I told you this, but you’re kind of her best friend, Haught. Of course you’re good enough for her sister.”
Nicole’s eyes brightened, a smile sliding onto her face. “Best friend, huh?”
“Don’t.”
“Best friend,” she said through her grin. “I am whiskey-soaked and reckless Wynonna Earp’s best friend. The girl who never needed to rely on anyone but herself. The girl who could sharpshoot beer bottles and break speed laws on her motorcycle thinks that me, Nicole Haught, is her best friend.” A chuckle burst from her throat, pushing out the anxiety which previously sat there like a boulder. “Oh Dolls, thank you. That is…that’s great.”
Unimpressed, Dolls grumbled, “You’re being an ass.” When her shit-eating grin grew, he gripped his forehead and sighed. “Just please don’t tell her I told you that, ok? You know how she is, and she will definitely cut me out for betraying her trust.”
Nicole softened. “I’m just kidding, Dolls.” She leaned back against the table and exhaled shakily. “It does actually mean a lot though. Especially if…especially if Wynonna knows how I feel about Waverly and is ok with it. That actually…well…it means everything.” She shook her head. ”Now if I can just figure out how Waverly would feel with all of…” she gestures to herself, ”this.”
“You can find out, you know,” Jeremy interjected, rolling his whiteboard over to Nicole. “You just have to…” he pointed to the list on the board, “pick one.”
A feeling of hope surged through Nicole’s veins as her eyes drifted over the options that Jeremy had laid out for her. He had been encouraging when Nicole started to list all of Waverly’s favorite things aloud. He had tweaked each atom of an idea and made it into a fully fledged promposal plan. She blinked back tears. “You’re a really good friend, Jere.”
A grin was plastered onto Jeremy’s face when Nicole tore her gaze away from the board to look at her friend. His enthusiasm was contagious and spread over Nicole like a soothing aloe. “Ok team,” she said excitedly, clapping her hands together, “let’s do this!”
The plan was simple: Nicole was simply going to show up with Waverly’s favorite flowers and ask her to the dance. Short and sweet with no chance for Nicole to mess it up.
So that morning, Nicole woke up extra early, put on her best flannel, and grabbed the bouquet of morning glories that she had painstakingly picked out the night before. Her plan was to get to school early, find Waverly before her classes began, hand her the flowers, and ask her to the dance. She was not going to screw this up.
Unfortunately, fate was not on Nicole’s side. Nicole’s bike caught a flat on her way in, so she wound up speed-walking to school, barely missing the final bell for her first class. Which was fine, totally fine. She would just ask Waverly at lunch. Maybe she could pull the cheerleader to the side of the cafeteria and talk to her. It wouldn’t be as private as she had planned, but it was all fine. Everything would work out.
Except that it wouldn’t, because that’s the sort of luck Nicole was having today. She had rushed to the cafeteria, choosing to sit at a table near the entrance while she waited for Waverly to enter. Nicole was so zeroed in on the entrance that she completely missed the overexcited Jeremy who launched himself into the seat next to her: the seat which had been the resting place for her carefully hand picked bouquet.
Jeremy’s eyes widened.
Nicole’s jaw dropped.
A groaning sound filled the air as Jeremy glanced down at the seat. “Nicole, I…”
Tightening her jaw, Nicole shook her head. “Nope. It’s fine. It’s totally fine, Jeremy. Just…just stand up and let me see.”
The boy stood and grimaced at the twisted and flattened display beneath his pants. “Maybe we can fix it?”
Resolutely, Nicole dropped her head to the table. All of her excitement fizzled out and was replaced with a feeling of dejection that weighed her down. “No, it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?” a voice, which was decidedly not Jeremy, asked.
Nicole shot her head up and nearly fell out of her chair in an attempt to cover the smushed flowers. “Waverly!”
A bemused expression crossed Waverly’s face and Nicole felt her whole body flutter. “Are you ok?” the cheerleader asked, arching her neck to look behind Nicole to where Jeremy wore a panicked grin.
“Yep. Yeah. Yeah, Waves,” Nicole stuttered, pulling her lips tight into an uncomfortable smile. She knew she probably looked like an idiot, but the embarrassment that she would feel if Waverly saw her crushed flowers was an embarrassment that Nicole just could not face today.
The smile on Waverly’s face slowly fell when she realized that the friends were hiding something from her. She shifted her weight side to side and nervously picked at her fingernails.
Nicole zeroed in on Waverly’s nervous ticks and her anxiety swelled. Was she actually making this situation worse by making her crush uncomfortable? Think, Nicole, think! Nicole opened her mouth to assuage whatever worries plagued Waverly, but a loud voice boomed across the cafeteria.
“Waverly!”
The trio turned to see Rosita Bustillos waving Waverly over to her table, excitement radiating off of the girl. Nicole fought the sneer which threatened to appear on her lips. Rosita was smart, like on par with Jeremy smart, and beautiful. And to make matters worse, she always flirted with Waverly.
“Girl, get over here!” Rosita repeated, patting the table.
It was then that Nicole noticed the small card and red rose in her hand. It was as if the universe wanted Nicole to live in a constant state of panic. She whipped her head back towards Waverly, and the cheerleader gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ll see you later, Nicole,” she said softly, lowering her head and moving past the mortified redhead.
“Well that went well,” Jeremy joked, attempting to break the obvious tension.
Nicole would have responded, but her entire attention was locked in on Waverly and Rosita. She swallowed, forcing down the sour taste in her mouth. She watched as Rosita hugged her girl and presented her with the card. Waverly’s eyes sparkled with happiness, and Nicole felt her heart shatter.
Jeremy followed her gaze and sighed. “It’s not what you think, Nicole.”
Nicole tore her eyes away from her worst nightmare and questioned Jeremy, “What do you mean? Explain Chetri!” If Nicole had more tact, she would probably feel embarrassed about her behavior, but she was maxed out on her stress meter and she needed answers.
“The rose and the card. It’s from Doc,” Jeremy explained. “Last week he asked me for help creating, and I quote ‘a request to appear as Rosita’s escort to the Senior Prom’. I saw him pacing around the science lab this morning waiting for her, so I assume he made his move.”
A noise that she didn’t even know she could make flew out of Nicole’s mouth as she launched herself into Jeremy’s arms. “Thank you,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
Jeremy patted her back soothingly. “No problem,” he cleared his throat. “Now, pull yourself together. Obviously this promposal didn’t work, my bad, but we have plenty of options to try.”
“Right, options. Trying again. I should do that,” Nicole replied unconvincingly.
“Stop staring at Waverly and tell me, what’s next?”
Nicole nudged Jeremy off of his seat and grabbed the flowers, throwing one last glance to Waverly before tossing her promposal attempt into the trash. “Come on Jere, I think I have an idea.”
The duo left the cafeteria, heads pressed together while scheming. Had they glanced around, however, they might have noticed a certain cheerleader watching them from across the room, a puzzled expression on her face.
Nicole wiped her forehead with a towel before throwing it into the bin. She glanced around, chest heaving from the exhaustion of practice and she pulled her phone from her gym bag. She checked the mirror, smoothing down a few flyaways from her braid that came loose during Coach Lucado’s grueling drills. Her muscles ached, a feeling that she always appreciated after a good workout, and she stretched out her limbs to loosen the tension in them.
Dolls plopped down next to her on the bench, leaning heavily against her side. “So, Jeremy said that you had another idea to ask Waverly out?”
“Shh,” Nicole huffed, covering his mouth with her hand.
Dolls removed her hand. “No one else is here, Haught.”
“Oh.”
“So,” Dolls began, “your plan?”
Proudly, Nicole flipped over her phone and showed Dolls. “Ta-da!” At Dolls’ blank expression, she pulled forth an explanation. “Social media.” She pointed to Waverly’s Instagram. Waverly’s entire life was painted out on the screen, a carefully updated display of her daily adventures. Nicole had, on more than one occasion, Insta-stalked the younger girl (respectfully), and she took note of how often people would tag Waverly in their photos.
“I’ve checked Dolls, no one has asked Waverly to the dance on social media yet.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Dolls noted. “I thought you wanted it to be special?”
Nodding her head, Nicole explained, “That’s what will make this special. No one else has done it!” She had felt so sure that this was the next best way to ask Waves, but with every second that Dolls remained silent, her confidence was fading. She shifted uncomfortably on the bench.
“Haught,” Dolls started gently, a tone which definitely indicated to Nicole that he was not on board with this plan. “Don’t you think that maybe Waverly deserves a little more effort than typing out a few characters and hitting send?”
“I was planning on making a video and hitting send,” she protested, her voice cracking softly at her statement. She twisted her phone around in her hands, mulling over Dolls’ words before she sighed deeply. She hung her head down, the wind taken from her sails by her friend’s insight. “No, no. You’re right,” she whispered dejectedly. “She does deserve something bigger than that.”
Dolls clasped his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to show his support. “Jeremy has so many other ideas on his list, I am sure we can come up with something better.”
“I reckon’ that’s best,” a third voice agreed, cutting through Nicole’s barely held-together heart like a knife.
The basketball players both jumped, a fact that they would deny if ever asked, and looked up to see John Henry Holliday leaning against the lockers across from them. Doc, as he was often referred to as, crossed his well-worn boots and leaned further against the wall. A chewed up toothpick rolled across his lips under an incredibly well-manicured mustache. Doc was the epitome of ‘too cool for school’.
Mouth agape, Nicole wondered, “How long have you been standing there?”
With a soft chuckle, he replied, “Long enough to ascertain your wishes for our lovely Waverly Earp.” He ignored the way that Nicole’s back straightened and Dolls’ eyes narrowed and continued, “And I must say that Xavier here is correct, Miss Earp does indeed deserve more than a passing notification on her cellular device.”
Nicole grimaced. “Well when you put it that way…” She slapped her palms against her eyes and dragged her nails down her cheeks. “Ok, ok.” Nodding, she exhaled slowly. “Ok, so, then we just go back to the literal drawing board again. I’m sure Jeremy has another idea that will work.”
“If anyone can determine the best course of action, it is our dear Jeremy.” He smiled, affection covering his features, “He assisted in my overture to Rosita this morning.” Doc Holliday had never looked more boyish than this very moment, a light blush coloring his cheeks. “I extended her an invitation via prose and she thankfully accepted.”
Nicole couldn’t help smiling at Doc’s happiness, something that the stalwart cowboy deserved. “That’s great Doc, I’m really happy for you guys.”
The blush on his cheeks darkened. “Well, thank you. And I am certain that we will find the perfect solution to your problem, Nicole.”
“The Prom is only a week away, Haught. Better get creative,” Dolls reported. Nicole could always count on Dolls to pull her into focus, on and off the court.
“I know, Dolls,” she looked around at her friends and chewed on her lip. “Can you guys give me a minute? I think I just need a second.”
Dolls tapped her shoulder before standing, and Doc nodded his head in her direction as they allowed Nicole to sit in her thoughts.
Silence filled the locker room, something that would normally calm Nicole, but now only added to her anxiety. She could hear her own breath filling her space and its uneven cadence made Nicole wonder if she was having a panic attack. This entire process had gotten too out of hand, and now Nicole wondered if she was stuck on a train that was doomed to crash.
She checked her photo gallery and pulled up the picture of Jeremy’s list of ideas. As her eyes drifted over her options, one stuck out to her and it suddenly dawned on her what to do. Relief flooded through her and she felt an easy grin pull on her lips.
Tomorrow was Friday, which meant that they had a big game at night: a big game that both Waverly and Nicole would be at. It would take a bit of coordination with the team and the tech guys, but Nicole could feel a plan forming and she felt that finally everything might actually work out in her favor.
Nicole had spent the better portion of the night frantically texting the tech crew to see what they needed from her to execute her plan.
It wasn’t as simple as her other plans, but Nicole had put in the work and she was ready to reap the reward. She knew what was required of her for this task, and she was prepared for it.
The gym echoed with the sounds of a crowd and Nicole hoped to tap into that energy. Sitting in the locker room with her team, Nicole fought to keep her two tasks separate at that moment: winning the game as co-captain of the Blue Devils basketball team, and asking Waverly Earp to the Prom in the most romantic and special way ever.
First, she needed to get her head in the game. She’d done all her rituals, and was ready to get her team hyped up. She felt the thrum of the pre-game anticipation flow through her body, lighting up her muscles with electricity.
Dolls threw his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “You good?” His eyes met hers and she felt the connection with her co-captain, locking in on their task.
Laser focus, “I’m good.”
Coach Lucado called a huddle and Nicole jumped into a sea of blue and white, pulling her teammates' shoulders into her. The pulsating energy grew as the team bounced up and down, chants of ‘teamwork’ and ‘game time’ being thrown around.
The next 20 or so minutes were a blur. The Blue Devils, led by the dynamic duo of Dolls and Nicole, were on fire. Eliza Shapiro was hitting everything that they threw to her, and Perry Crofte was unstoppable in the paint. The team gelled together in a way that was seamless, and before Nicole knew it they were up by 14 heading into the half.
Lucado pulled Nicole from the floor with 30 seconds left, allowing her a small reprieve on the bench. With the team leading, Nicole felt herself slip out of game mode briefly and into proposal mode. She glanced over at the tech table and gave them a thumbs up, alerting them that the plan was a go.
The buzzer signaling the end of the quarter blared in the background, but all Nicole could hear was the beating of her heart. Lucado led the team to the locker room and Nicole quickly pulled her athletic pants and jacket over her jersey. It wasn’t anything fancy, but she wanted to feel as normal as possible for this next step.
Coach Lucado nodded in her direction, dismissing her from the typical halftime pep talk. Nicole released a deep breath and headed toward the door, throwing a smile and salute in Dolls’ direction.
Turning the corner, Nicole stepped into the noisy gym and glanced around for her crush. Spotting her by the bleachers, pressed between Chrissy Nedley and Stephanie Jones, Nicole felt her heart clench in her chest. This was it, it was now or never.
Nicole watched as the cheerleaders took to the center of the gym, starting their routine. She quickly walked to the tech table, leaning forward to speak over the loud, pumping music. “You all set?” she screamed at Mattie Perley, wincing at the volume of her own voice.
Mattie nodded. “Yeah Red. We went over this last night. It’s super simple.” She handed Nicole a microphone and pointed to the switch. “Just flick this on and start talking. Easy-peasy.”
“Ok, I can do that.” She glanced around the gym, looking for the second accomplice. “Where’s Tucker?” she asked, annoyed.
Nicole wished she didn’t have to involve Tucker Gardner in this plan, but while Mattie could handle the audio part of the scheme, they needed someone to handle the lights. And that, unfortunately, was Tucker’s forte. Nicole had never been a fan of Tucker, probably due to his obvious skeevy nature and the creepy way in which he watched Waverly Earp. Even if Nicole wasn’t crushing on the same girl, she would want to punch him in his creepy little ferret face.
“Tucker said that he needed to grab another spotlight. He should be back soon though,” Mattie replied, annoyance evident in her voice. Nicole fought her grin, clearly pleased with herself that she had a partner in her Tucker Gardner Hate Club.
Nicole nodded, turning her attention back to the cheerleaders. Their routine was almost done and Nicole felt the panic begin to rise again. She checked the time and frowned. She only had about five minutes left before the second half started.
The crowd cheering notified Nicole that the cheerleaders were done. She watched as Waverly waved her pom-poms at the crowd as she headed toward the bleachers. A light red hue tinted her cheeks, exhaustion obvious by her heavy breathing. Nicole thought that she looked beautiful.
“Hey!” a loud voice shouted in her ear. “Are you asking Waverly to Prom?” She turned and met the angry glare of Tucker Gardner. He squinted his eyes at her and practically growled, “You never said anything about Waverly.”
Nicole grimaced. “Why does it matter to you?”
Fiery eyes met hers. “Because Waverly is normal and what you are asking her to do is unnatural.”
She bristled, clenching her jaw. “Nothing about Waverly is unnatural,” Nicole spat back. She glanced back at Mattie who wore an equally pissed expression. “Now, are you going to plug that in?” She asked Tucker, pointing to the rolling light he brought out.
He sneered in her direction, but Nicole had already turned her attention back to the cheerleaders. When she looked back at the bleachers, she met the inquisitive stare of Waverly Earp. She gave the cheerleader a small wave and was gifted with a 100-watt smile in return. With her confidence returned, and Tucker’s words pushed to the back of her mind, she nodded at Mattie and took a step toward the center of the gym. Waverly watched her from afar, her stare providing Nicole the energy that she needed.
The song that Nicole picked out started playing, a song that she knew Waverly loved. The eye contact that Waverly was making with her at that very moment was excruciating. Nicole could tell that Waverly knew something was about to happen, but she didn’t know if the cheerleader was aware of what that would be.
Just as the song began to climax, Nicole pulled the microphone to her mouth and switched it on. At that moment, multiple things occurred at a time.
Nicole started to say Waverly’s name.
Tucker Gardner flipped his spotlight on.
Mattie Perley yelled Tucker’s name.
The lights in the gym went out.
As Nicole stood there, center of the gym, shrouded in complete darkness with surprised voices mingling together around her, she knew that somehow this was entirely her fault.
It wasn’t until later, when the lights were back on and the game was restarted that she figured out what had happened. Mattie pulled her aside and informed her that Tucker had purposefully overloaded a circuit to spite Nicole. She didn’t realize what he was doing until it was too late. Mattie apologized profusely to her, but Nicole knew that it wasn’t her fault. No, it was simply Nicole’s fate. Clearly an intricate showcase of her affection was not in the cards.
Nicole searched for Waverly after the game, but the girl had disappeared. Perry explained that Chrissy and Waverly left when the lights went out, but he didn’t elaborate on the why. Nicole had a sinking feeling that Perry was leaving out something important, but she didn’t want to press him. Hope seeped out of her and she deflated, accepting her current situation.
Maybe this was the final sign. She’d been so hopeful that she would be able to ask her dream girl to the Prom, but this third strike was the end. Her heart simply couldn’t take it anymore.
She was done.