Chapter Text
Wynonna slams the door of her pick up truck, causing the window to shake. It’s probably about to fall out soon. She pushes her way past the group of freshmen collecting in the car park.
‘Move it, losers.’ She’s digging her way through the bewildered group of students when she feels a hand close around her arm. Her muscle memory kicks in and she shoulder barges them to the ground.
‘Jesus, Wy!’ Waverly looks up at her, rubbing her wrist. ‘This is the car park, not a football field.’
‘Hey little sis. I couldn’t see you in all this cattle.’ She lifts her up and brushes the gravel from her back. ‘Having fun?’
‘I know you’re being sarcastic but yes, I am.’ Waverly shuffles several coloured leaflets in her hands. ‘I’ve already been invited to a few parties.’
Wynonna shakes her head. Why does her baby sister have to be so naive?
‘Those parties are full of horny guys looking to hook up with drunk girls.’
‘So you’re saying I shouldn’t go?’
‘No, I’m saying I’m going to be there and I don’t want you cramping my style.’
Waverly rolls her eyes and hoists her embarrassing pink backpack higher up her shoulder. ‘Whatever. Show me to my first class?’
‘No can do sis. I’ve got a meeting with Dean Nedley,’ she checks her watch, ‘six minutes ago.’
‘Not this again,’ Waverly groans. ‘Can’t you just let it go?’
Wynonna walks past her and looks over her shoulder, ‘I’ll let it go when you dump that ugly backpack.’
‘No can do sis,’ she mocks, ‘I’m going to be buried with this.’ Another freshman bumps in to her and sends her leaflets sprawling.
Wynonna snorts, ‘Sooner than you think.’
If you didn’t know Nedley was the Dean, you’d assume this was the receptionist’s office. The walls are drab and the paint is beginning to peel, and the carpet looks like it’s been here since the school was built - not to mention that there are no pictures on the walls. Then again she’s never heard anything about him having a family.
It’s hard to determine if the seat she’s sitting on is patterned or stained. Every time Wynonna is in this office she wants to cover herself in antiseptic hand gel.
‘Earp.’
She doesn’t have to turn to know who’s talking. Somehow Nedley always manages to sound disappointed when he says her name.
‘You’re late,’ he continues.
‘But earlier than you.’ She plasters on her best shit-eating grin.
Nedley slumps in to his chair and sighs. ‘Why do I feel like we’ve been here before?’
Wynonna leans forward and her chair creaks beneath her weight. ‘Come on Nedley,’ he raises an eyebrow, ‘Dean Nedley, you gotta hear me out this time.’
‘Wynonna,’ his voice lets her know that she’s about to be pitied, ‘I know you’re still mourning, and I really wish I could help you out, but it’s just not that simple.’
She fights back against the hollow feeling in her stomach. ‘That’s not what this is about.’
Nedley sighs, and the hollow feeling starts to bubble over in to anger, but she can’t let it show on her face. She knows this is her last shot.
‘Look, I understand your concerns, obviously with what happened to –’ she can’t bring herself to say her name ‘– with what happened in the past there’s a black mark against us. But what if I could guarantee you a championship?’
He leans back in his chair and surveys her carefully. He’s on the hook.
‘Say we make it to the finals, and win the finals, surely that’s gotta be enough incentive to keep the program going? Show the board that it’s worth it for the school – a redemption.’
He strokes his chin and she has to clench her fists to stop herself from saying something rude. After a moment, he speaks, ‘How exactly do you plan to guarantee this?’
Wynonna leans back and stretches. ‘Look at my record, you know I can do it.’
Nedley shakes his head. ‘That’s not exactly something I can present to my bosses. I need more than that.’
‘Like what?’
He taps his pudgy fingers against the desk and leaves fingerprints in the thin layer of dust covering it.
‘You need to graduate this year.’
She sits up. ‘Are you kidding me?’
‘I’m dead serious, Earp. If you tell me you can graduate this year, you can have your team back.’
‘Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. If anyone’s gonna break the Earp curse, it’s Waverly. Let’s be real here Dean, we all know I’m dropping out at some point.’
‘The Earp curse isn’t real.’
But it is. The Earp family is old, real old, and since Purgatory State College opened in 1821, not a single member has managed to graduate from it. The only reason she’s attending is to get Gus off her back, but she’s overstayed her welcome by a year, and failed more classes than she’s passed. If Gus and Nedley didn’t go way back, she would have been out after her first semester. She should be thankful, but she’s trying to not let anything permeate her bitter exterior.
‘Earp.’ He snaps his fingers and then sighs. ‘I’m telling you, this is the only way it’s happening.’
Wynonna bites her lip. ‘So if I promise to graduate this year, the women’s team can play co-ed matches?’
Nedley folds his arms, ‘That’s correct.’
‘And can I get that on paper, or?’
He laughs. ‘We’re not done negotiating yet. Your word doesn’t mean anything when it comes to grades. I need above C averages from you, or the program gets cut.’
She runs her tongue over her teeth and shakes her head. That just doesn’t seem like something she can swing, but she knows this is her last shot.
‘Let me think about it.’
‘That’s not all.’
Wynonna throws her head back and groans. ‘What else could you possibly want from me?’
‘This isn’t about you.’ She’s losing interest. ‘This is about all of the women’s teams. Co-ed was banned across the board, so if at least one other team doesn’t make it to the championships, everything gets scrapped.’
‘How am I supposed to control that?’
‘You’re not, I’m just telling you the terms of the agreement.’ He reaches over the desk. ‘Do we have a deal?’
Wynonna regards his hand and she doesn’t want to shake it for more reasons than one. ‘Give me until the end of the day.’
‘Alright, but don’t keep me waiting.’ She kicks the chair back and heads for the door. ‘I’m serious, Earp. Straight C’s!’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ she waves a hand behind her head and leaves.
/
Waverly’s been back and forth across the campus twice now and she still can’t find the correct classroom. Her first lecture of the year and she’s going to miss it. Even though it’s just an elective, she really doesn’t want to fall behind.
‘Can I help you out?’
Waverly looks up from her campus map to see a blonde guy covered in tattoos. He looks like the kind of person that would have been voted Prom King in high school.
‘I seem to be a little bit completely lost,’ she laughs.
He grins at her, and it’s kind of charming. ‘What are you looking for?’
‘A113. I swear I’ve been everywhere and I can’t find it.’
He rests a hand against her back and points, ‘It’s the big one, right there.’
She follows his hand and sees a sign that says Law.
‘Oh,’ Waverly blushes, ‘I was looking for a big A.’
‘Hey we’re having a party in my dorm tonight,’ he says as he hands her a flier. ‘Come see me if you’re looking for a big D.’
The grin slides from Waverly’s face. ‘Okay, thanks.’ She pulls away from him and heads towards the building.
‘See you at the party tonight?’
‘Yeah, right,’ she mutters.
Waverly approaches the classroom door and pauses to peek through it. It looks like the class has already started; everybody has their books out. Great.
The door creaks loudly as she pushes it open, and there’s a collective rustle as everyone looks up at her. The room is dead silent until the sound of boots clicking against the floor echo through the air.
‘Miss Earp, is it?’ The lecturer looks like he’s just fallen out of an old Western film from the twenties. Blue eyes peer at her from beneath a black wide brimmed hat and she’s sure he can see her pulse trying to break out of her skin.
‘Yep, that’s me!’ She can hear how shrill she’s being but she can’t stop it, ‘Waverly Earp, sorry I’m late.’
‘Sixteen minutes late.’
Her throat is so dry it hurts to swallow, and she can feel every eye on her. ‘I was lost.’
‘Well, Miss Waverly Earp, may I suggest you keep a map by your side on all future endeavours, lest you arrive late to another class and lose more than your bearings.’ He gestures for her to take a seat and she gratefully does so. That was mortifying.
There’s only two things written on the board, Intro To Criminal Law and Professor Henry Holliday.
The professor makes his way back to the board and turns his attention on her. ‘For the sake of our late attendee, I will re-introduce myself.’ He taps to the name on the board, ‘I am Professor Holliday, but fall into my good graces, and you will come to know me by Doc. There are three simple guidelines to be followed if you wish to prosper under my teachings, and they are as follows; speak when spoken to, complete the work that is assigned to you, and most importantly of all do not question my authority.’
Waverly copies everything down in dot form, making sure to write Doc Holliday at the top. After all, she’s always been well liked by teachers, and there’s no way she won’t become his favourite student.
Doc leans back in his chair – an old and worn brown leather Bassett that looks like he’d brought it from home – and surveys them. ‘Let’s start off with something simple, shall we?’ He puts his boots up on his desk. ‘Who can tell me the difference between a tort and a crime?’
Waverly’s hand shoots in to the air. If this is what all the classes are like, this is going to be a breeze. Doc nods in her direction, but before she can speak, someone behind her answers.
‘Essentially, a tort is a wrongful act against an individual, like a breach of contract, and a crime is the violation of a statute.’
Doc raises an eyebrow and nods. ‘Very concise, Miss?’
‘Haught.’
Waverly turns around to see the person who stole her answer; a redheaded girl smiles back at her.
‘Miss Haught is the one to beat folks.’
Waverly hunches over her textbook and begins highlighting. Looks like she’s just met her competition for the semester.
/
Wynonna sits cross-legged on the cold polished floor of the hallway. She’s missing her Human Rights and Violations class right now, but she doesn’t care. An enormous trophy case is adjacent to her and she’s staring at it. Right at the end, and a little dusty, is an award that reads Willa Earp. Wynonna rises and moves towards it, running her fingertips over the glass case.
It’s been five years since Willa passed, but the pain is like a fresh wound that splits and bleeds every time she sees her name. The only reason she attended this college was to carry on her memory – to achieve a dream that Willa couldn’t fight for anymore.
Willa had been the apple of their daddy’s eye. She was a star athlete, a top student, and a ray of sunshine in everybody’s life. When she was a student here she was determined to create a women’s football team, and she did: The Purgatory Peacemakers. It was revolutionary for a little country town like theirs, and she was a legend. It was when she pushed for co-ed matches that everything went wrong. It was their third match of the season, and they were up against the Ghost River Revenants. All it took was a hard enough blow to the head to cause Willa’s brain to swell and bleed. Then it was goodbye co-ed games. Goodbye college. Goodbye Willa. Their family fell apart, and her and Waverly only recently fell back together. Now she’s here, trying to carry on Willa’s legacy. Wynonna is a poor substitute, but she’s trying nonetheless.
She hears the scuffle of shoes and looks up to see a student entering the hallway. Upon making eye contact, they quickly turn and leave. This is something she’s used to. Everybody avoids the sister of a dead girl, that way nobody has to feel awkward and talk about it. She really hopes things will be easier for Waverly.
‘Earp, what are you doing out of class?’
Her coach, Dolls, makes his way over to her. He’s just asking to give her the opportunity to lie – they both know what she’s doing here. She’s sure the edges of her eyes are red and there’s no way he’d miss that.
‘Oh, you know, solemnly mourning the loss of my dead sister.’
He doesn’t falter. ‘Sure you didn’t mean drunkenly?’
Her hand rests against the bulge of her jean pocket. It’s the only thing her father ever gave her, his flask. ‘How’d you know?’
‘I always know.’
She raises the flask in a salute and downs the last of it.
‘You know we got a game tonight, right?’
Wynonna stuffs the flask back in to her pocket. ‘I know. I’m day drunk, not real drunk. I’ll be fine.’
Dolls glances over his shoulder. ‘How about I give you a ride home?’
‘You’re not gonna tell me to go to class?’
‘I think I know better than to tell you to do anything.’
She smiles, just a little, and tears herself away from her personal shrine. If only she had any other memento of Willa’s so she could mourn privately.
Dolls places a reassuring arm around her and leads the way. He’s only a couple of years older than her, and it makes it harder for him to push her around, which she likes. He’s not exactly a friend, but there’s a sense of familiarity between them that makes him easy to talk to.
It’s embarrassing, but sometimes she feels like he’s the only person she can talk to.
‘Can we swing by Shorty’s on the way home?’ She asks as she climbs in to the passenger side of her own car.
Dolls laughs, ‘Not today, Wynonna. Just sleep it off and make sure you’re ready to kick some ass tonight.’
She pulls the door shut. ‘I always am.’
Four hours later Wynonna is peeling herself out of bed. She can hear music coming from the kitchen – Waverly must be home. She tugs a baggy t-shirt over her head and trudges out of her room. Waverly is flipping eggs and humming.
‘Good afternoon, sleepy head. Eggs?’
‘No thanks.’ Wynonna slumps in to a dining chair. Waverly slips two eggs on to the plate in front of her. There’s no point in arguing, so she picks up the cutlery laid out on the table and has a mouthful. ‘How was your first day?’
‘It was great!’ She cracks another two eggs in to the frypan. ‘I really enjoyed my classes.’
‘Is that fresh coffee?’ Wynonna rises from her chair to pour herself some. ‘What are you studying again?’
‘Ancient History, come on Wy, I’ve only told you like a million times.’
‘Right, right.’ She takes a sip from her mug. ‘And that’s interesting for you?’
Waverly tilts her head and glares before taking the opposite seat. ‘Some of us are interested in things other than football.’
‘Like who’s head some jerk-off decided to cut off a million years ago.’
‘Yeah, cause that’s what Ancient History is.’
‘Thought so.’ She takes another mouthful and grins. Waverly should know she’s messing around, but just in case she doesn't she decides to be sincere for a moment. ‘For real though, what did you take today?’
‘Well, my first lecture of the day was Intro to Criminal Law, and it was a disaster.’
‘What’s Criminal Law got to do with Ancient History?’
‘It’s an elective.’
‘Whatever that means.’
Waverly pauses with the fork halfway to her mouth. ‘Haven’t you been enrolled in college for like four years now?’
‘Enrolled but not attending. Anyway, what’s your definition of a disaster? Did you get your first A minus or something?’
‘Ha ha, very funny. I was completely humiliated in front of the class.’
Wynonna slams her fork down. ‘By who?’
‘The teacher!’
‘What’d he say to you?’
‘He said I was late.’
Wynonna leans back in her chair, ‘And?’
‘And that’s it.’
‘That’s your definition of a disaster?’
Waverly blushes, ‘It was very embarrassing! And that’s not all; he kept calling on another girl the whole lesson. She knew every answer, it was so obvious she was trying to out-do me. She’s my nemesis, Wynonna.’
‘And you’re sure this wasn’t you viewing yourself from an astral plain?’ Wynonna finishes the last of her food and dumps her plate in the sink. ‘Sounds to me like you’re overreacting, how bad can this girl really be?’
/
Nicole Haught has never been a quitter, and she’s certainly not starting now, despite whatever plan the universe seems to have for her today.
‘Come on, Haught. We’ll pick it up again tomorrow, don’t you wanna get ready for the big game?’ A blonde girl asks.
Nicole reloads her bow. ‘I’ll catch up with you.’
The girl shakes her head and leaves her standing around alone. She’s beginning to lose the sunlight, but is determined to make this shot before she goes back to her dorm.
She pulls the arrow back until she’s satisfied that it feels taut enough, and steadies her breath. The breeze is tossing her hair to the left, so she readjusts. After holding it for seven seconds, she releases. The arrow soars ahead of her and crashes in to the target – slightly to the right of centre.
‘God dammit!’ She drops her bow and folds her arms. What’s up with her today? Why is she so off?
She draws another arrow from her pack and sighs. She’ll never retain her captaincy if she keeps stuffing up like this. She racks her brain to figure out what’s screwing with her mojo.
She’d woken up and had a balanced meal, like always, and reviewed her classes for the day, made her bed, packed her bag, arrived to class on time, and… and then there was that girl. That insufferable girl who kept side eyeing her every time she answered a question. What was her deal, anyway?
Nicole lines up another shot, takes it, and misses – this time by even more distance.
Ugh! It’s gotta be that girl’s fault. She’s thrown off her whole day. With her stupid screwed up face, and childish backpack, and soft brown eyes that looked like flecked gold in the sunlight. Insufferable. And why is her hair so long? It practically fluttered everywhere any time a slight breeze came in through the window.
Nicole lines up again. Shoots. Misses the target entirely.
What kind of name is Waverly, anyway? She guesses it’s a pretty name, but too peculiar. She’s never met a Waverly in her life.
She picks up another arrow, but lets it fall to her side. Come to think of it, she’d participated much more than usual today. By no means is she a bad student; she’s just usually more focused on taking notes than answering questions. Not like Waverly. It seemed like proving that you know what you’re talking about is really important to her.
Is that what she was doing? Proving that she was intelligent? Trying to impress a girl she’d known for all of ten seconds?
‘Huh,’ she says aloud as she lines up another shot. Looks like she’s just met her crush for the semester.
She releases the arrow, and it collides dead centre with the target.
Nicole does the final touches to her face paint and then stands back to admire it in the mirror. It’s not like she’s a football fan, I mean come on, it requires no lateral thinking, but considering she herself has just been made captain of the women’s archery team she figures it’s important to show her support.
It’s just an added bonus that Wynonna Earp’s younger sister will probably be there cheering her on.
‘How long are you gonna spend fussing in front of that mirror?’ Her housemate slips a jersey on over her shirt. ‘Who are you trying to impress anyway?’
Nicole grins.
‘Oh god, the dimples. It’s a girl, isn’t it?’
‘What can I say?’
‘You can admit that you’re a little hoe.’
Nicole whips a pillow at her. ‘All right, I’m done. Let’s head up.’
/
The locker room absolutely stinks. Unfortunately the college hasn’t sprung for separate ones, so Wynonna’s trying not to choke on the stench of sweaty man-smell.
‘Those aren’t on right,’ Dolls says as he adjusts her shoulder pads.
‘Thanks but I can fix them my damn self.’ She pulls away from him and his hands stay in the air like he doesn’t know what to do with them.
‘Hey Earp, if you’ve got aggression that’s good, just save it for the field and leave me out of it.’ He turns to leave but she grabs his bicep to stop him.
She watches his eyes drift over her hand and she gets that tingly feeling she’s been trying to avoid. She snatches her hand away.
‘Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’m just under a lot of pressure.’
‘From anyone other than yourself?’ He takes a seat next to her on the bench and swings a towel over his shoulder.
‘From Nedley. I know he’s gonna be up there watching. I’m trying to convince him to –’
‘Let me guess,’ he interrupts, ‘to allow co-ed matches again?’
Wynonna hangs her head. Why does this seem like a hopeless cause to anyone but her?
‘Wynonna,’ he takes her hand and she wills her palms to stay dry, ‘is it really worth the risk?’
She looks in to his eyes. ‘Yeah Dolls, it is. If this doesn’t become a reality, then what did she even die for?’
He seems to understand that because he squeezes her hand. ‘Then you know what to do.’
She looks at him and nods, ‘Kick some ass.’
He slaps her on the back and walks over to the other girls, and she hopes to god that she can pull this off.
/
Nicole decides to sit right at the top of the stands to ensure she has a full view of the game (and the crowd, just in case a certain tiny brunette makes an appearance).
‘Not very subtle, Haught,’ her housemate says.
‘Shut it, Mallory.’
Mallory raises her hands in a sign of defeat and takes a seat.
She watches Wynonna Earp throw a pass that soars halfway across the field. The crowd stands and roars with appreciation, which isn’t making it any easier to spot Waverly.
‘How do you know this mystery girl is even here?’ Mallory asks, taking a sip from her beer.
‘That’s her sister,’ she says as Wynonna intercepts a pass.
Mallory chokes on her drink. ‘Are you kidding me? You’re lusting after an Earp?’
‘Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing? Have you seen Wynonna’s ass? It’s top-shelf.’
‘I’m not talking about their asses, I’m talking about their family. The Earps have a sordid history.’
‘How would you know?’
Mallory laughs. ‘Everybody knows! You’re at a disadvantage cause you’re new in town, but that’s why you’ve got me.’ She finishes her beer. ‘Their great, great, great grandfather or whatever was one of the founders of this school, and rumour has it he was a very peculiar man. I’m talking Ouija boards and animal sacrifice.’ She leans in. ‘Apparently, his ghost still haunts the dining hall at night.’
Nicole snorts so hard she practically inhales her drink. ‘Tell me you don’t believe that.’
Mallory shrugs. ‘All I know is, you don’t wanna get tangled up in it.’
Nicole thinks about Waverly’s handwriting. How she writes in the kind of cursive you see in old movies. ‘I think I’ll risk it.’
The crowd roars again as Wynonna makes a touchdown. Nicole claps along, searching amongst the crowd for the face that belongs to Waverly Earp.
/
Waverly is speeding, and she knows it, but just about every member of the town is at the game right now so it doesn’t matter. She had to leave before the end to make her shift at Shorty’s, but considering the score when she left, she’s pretty confident that the Peacemakers will win it.
It’s freezing, and she really wishes she didn’t have to wear this stupid uniform. A crop tee that barely covers her chest is just a bad idea for an autumn evening. She’s ten minutes late, but hopefully Shorty won’t mind. She is his best barmaid after all.
Turns out he does mind though, cause five minutes after walking in she’s polishing an entire fridge worth of glasses. Tough love is overrated.
There are only three people in the bar at the moment, and two of them are just playing darts and not even drinking. This is going to be a fun five-hour shift.
After about half an hour of mind-numbing and repetitive polishing, Waverly can hear the celebratory sounds of the townsfolk driving back in. Safe to say Purgatory won.
It only takes a few minutes for the patrons to start pouring in, and after a solid twenty-minute rush, she’s polishing again.
She almost shatters the glass in her hand when she sees a head of bright orange hair through it.
Please don’t be her. Please don’t be her. Please don’t be –
‘Well, if it isn’t the freshman from Criminal Law.’
Waverly lowers the glass and plasters on the fakest smile she can manage. ‘Well hi there, what can I get you Miss Haught?’
She grins. ‘It’s Nicole. And a round of beers for me and my friends, please.’ She gestures to a table of three girls in the corner. ‘I lost a bet.’
‘On what?’
‘Nothing that matters now.’
Waverly pours a jug and takes the cash from Nicole’s hand. Her fingers brush against her skin and she recoils. ‘You’re freezing.’
‘It was cold at the game.’
‘You went?’
‘How could you tell?’ Nicole asks, gesturing to the half wiped-off paint on her face.
If she’s going to be condescending she can leave right now. ‘Here’s your change.’ Waverly drops the coins in to Nicole’s open palm and immediately walks to the garbage can to take the trash out.
‘Need a hand?’ Nicole asks.
‘No thank you I’m quite capable on my own.’
‘I’ll bet you are.’
Waverly turns her back to her and glares. It’s just not necessary to be so sarcastic and rude.
She walks outside and throws the trash in to the dumpster, taking a moment to breathe in the cold air and gather herself. All she has to do is smile her way through the evening.
By the time she comes back inside, Shorty is making two cocktails for a pair of cheerleaders from tonight’s game. ‘Enjoy your break?’ He asks as he gives them their change.
Waverly looks down at her feet. ‘Sorry, I just needed a moment.’
Shorty shakes his head and smiles. ‘You know I just love to give you a hard time, don’t worry about it.’
By the time he’s disappeared in to his office, Nicole is standing in front of her holding an empty jug.
‘Another round already?’
‘What can I say,’ Nicole leans against the bar, ‘I’m thirsty.’
‘Right.’ Waverly fills the jug and tries to avoid making eye contact.
‘So,’ Nicole says, ‘what are you doing working in a place like this?’
She finishes filling the jug and closes off the tap. ‘Gotta pay for college somehow, we don’t all have rich daddies paving our way.’
Nicole laughs. ‘Tell me about it. If I don’t keep up a good enough average I’ll lose my scholarship. Got an application form I can fill out?’
Despite herself, she’s intrigued. ‘What kind of scholarship?’
‘Sports.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘I take it you were playing tonight?’
‘Oh no, god no.’ Nicole hands her another note. ‘Are you kidding me? For archery.’
Waverly processes the transaction without taking her eyes off of her. ‘Really?’
‘Oh yeah, I’m captain and everything. Apparently I’m a shoe-in for the Olympics.’
‘That’s very impressive.’
Nicole takes her change and grins. ‘You think so, huh?’
Maybe it’s the atmosphere, or the lighting, but Nicole looks kind of… pretty right now. Or maybe it’s the dimples.
‘So,’ Nicole continues, ‘can I expect to see you in class tomorrow?’
‘I wouldn’t miss it.’
‘In that case, I won’t either.’
Waverly shifts uncomfortably. The AC must be too high cause she’s feeling a bit too warm.
One of Nicole’s friends calls out to her, but she waves them off.
‘Why don’t you come have a drink with me?’
A man at the bar tries to get Waverly’s attention, but she ignores him.
‘I can’t, I don’t finish for another couple of hours.’
‘Excuse me,’ the man says, ‘can I get a beer over here?’
Nicole leans a little closer. ‘That there is a real shame. How about a coffee tomorrow, after class?’
Waverly swallows. She's feeling nervous, and there's something about Nicole that makes her throat go dry.
‘Hey, sweet tits, give me a god damn beer!’
Before Waverly can even respond, Nicole swoops over in two long strides and slams his head against the bar. Waverly squeals.
‘Apologise,’ Nicole says calmly, as if she didn’t just pin a man down that’s twice her size.
‘Nicole, this really isn’t necessary –’ Waverly begins, but Nicole cuts her off.
‘Apologise.’
The guy manages to choke out an I’m sorry and Nicole releases him, causing him to fall from his stool and on to the floor. He practically falls over himself in his haste to get out of the bar.
Nicole takes a sip out of the jug of beer she just ordered. ‘So, about that coffee?’
/
Wynonna steps in to the shower and watches the dirt and grass trickle down the drain. It mixes in with a little blood, and she realises she’s got a cut on the back of her calf. Rough game.
They won by six touchdowns, which she knows will be enough to keep Nedley satisfied. By the time she gets out of the shower it’s just before midnight.
She considers whether it might be too late to call for all of three seconds before deciding she doesn’t care.
The line rings once. Twice. Three times.
A click.
‘Hello?’ Nedley sounds like half of his face is pressed against a pillow.
‘I’m in, you’ve got a deal.’
‘Earp,’ he sighs, ‘it’s midnight.’
‘You said I had until the end of the day.’
‘No, you said that.’
‘Oh. Well, regardless, it’s the end of the day and you’ve got your answer.’
‘I’m ecstatic,’ he groans, ‘see you at graduation.’
The line goes dead. Wynonna throws herself on to her bed and tucks her arms behind her head.
Wynonna Earp: College Graduate. This ought to be interesting.