Chapter Text
Waverly clicked her pen anxiously as she waited for the final bell to ring, signaling the end of the school day. Usually she had no problem with school. She loved school. It was her thing. But today?
Well.
She was not loving today.
It was only the beginning of her second week into her Junior year of high school, and she already had a detention.
Detention!
Waverly Earp didn’t get detention.
She was the star student. Straight A’s, a shoe-in for valedictorian of their class, not to mention all of the teachers loved her.
The students?
Well, she never really did care much about what other people thought. She learned better than to care about others' opinions thanks to her sister.
Sure, maybe she would have been more liked by the student body for her personality if Wynonna wasn’t considered an outcast. Maybe people would actually take the time to get to know her rather than just her last name. Maybe people would stop making assumptions on the kind of person she was if they even knew a little bit about her.
Maybe then people would look at her as more than just a body. The hot, head cheerleader who somehow found a way to land Purgatory High’s star football player, Champ Hardy, as a boyfriend.
Once her sophomore year hit and she was considered more… developed, some of the guys in her class actually started looking her way. It was new for her, considering she only really had one friend, Chrissy Nedley, who she had been close with since birth. Their families had been close their whole lives, which made it easy for Chrissy to look past all of Waverly’s family drama and really see her.
One guy in particular seemed to run into Waverly frequently that year, more than could be considered a coincidence or just good luck. He would constantly hit her with stupid pick up lines, or sometimes even make a few comments that Waverly didn’t exactly find endearing, but he was sweet.
In a dumb way.
Sure, maybe he didn’t know a thing about her, or about anything she liked, but it was the most attention Waverly had ever really gotten. Besides Wynonna or Chrissy, no one ever really shot Waverly a second glance.
So, she got together with Champ. And it wasn’t terrible. Not at first, at least. He was sweet, and kind, even if he could be a little crude or ignorant at times. It wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to her.
And surprisingly, people were finally starting to notice her. She became popular, even if it was only because she was dating the quarterback. People finally liked her, and it was like everything she had ever wanted growing up.
Except it wasn’t all at the same time, because they didn’t like her for her.
They liked her for who they all thought she was.
The person she let them see.
It was easy that way. Putting on a mask was second nature for Waverly. It kept herself guarded. Safe.
And safety wasn’t something she had felt in a long time.
Not since her abusive father got killed in some bar on one of his benders, and her mama left her and Wynonna alone with their aunt and uncle for the rest of their youth. A childhood like that already made fitting into a small town difficult, but stack on top a reckless sister?
It was damn near impossible.
Waverly might not have cared much about people’s opinions of her anymore, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still itching to fit in somewhere. To belong.
That was probably why she let Champ get away with all the shit he had been doing over the last year.
And how she let him convince her to forgive him after he stole her homework, copying her answers and turning them in the period before her. Which is coincidentally how she ended up here, stuck waiting for the bell to ring so she could go to detention for aiding in Champ’s cheating.
Oh the irony.
That wasn't the only thing Champ had been cheating on, and Waverly knew it.
She just didn’t really care anymore.
The bell finally sounded throughout the classroom, and everyone around her scrambled to pack up their stuff so they could leave. Waverly didn’t even attempt to move. She knew she would be stuck there for the next hour, sitting in silence while Mr. Del Ray flipped through some weird bird magazine he kept behind his desk.
Mr. Del Ray made his way over to his desk from the white board, shuffling through some papers as he walked. “Miss Earp, do you know why you have detention today?”
Waverly sighed and dropped her head down onto the desk. “Because you think I helped my boyfriend cheat, even though I had no idea he stole my work?” she murmured, barely loud enough for it to be heard by her teacher.
The man decided to drop the conversation altogether and instead take a seat in his chair, realizing he wasn’t going to get through to her and she wasn’t going to be cooperative. Waverly just kept her head down in an attempt to make the time fly faster.
She heard the classroom door open, and looked up only to see a flash of red hair head straight to the back of the classroom. Before she could look back to see if she recognized the person, she heard a throat clear from the front of the classroom. She whipped her head up, only to be met with Mr. Del Ray gathering his things from his desk.
“Alright, I have some prior business to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back by the end of detention. You know the rules, especially you Haught, no talking, no cellphones, and absolutely no leaving. Understood?” The man looked pointedly to the back of the classroom towards the end of his speech, directing the majority of it to the girl in the back row.
Haught.
Of course.
Of course she was stuck in a room alone with her.
She looked over her shoulder just in time to see the girl do a mock salute with a faux serious expression before the redhead rolled her eyes with a scoff. Waverly sighed and turned back to face her teacher.
“You won’t have to worry about me talking to her. Trust me.”
She heard the girl mutter a quiet ‘ouch’, and she sent her teacher pleading eyes, practically begging him to not leave them alone together. He just shook his head with a sigh as he turned and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Waverly groaned and dropped her head back onto her arms resting on top of the desk. She could only imagine how long the silence between them would last, but if she had to guess, it probably wouldn’t be very long.
As if on cue, Waverly heard a low whistle from a few rows behind her. She slowly popped her head up to shoot the redhead a death glare, only to be met with the girl leaning back and propping her feet up on the desk in front of her with a smirk.
“Now what’s a girl like Waverly Earp doing in a place like this?” the redhead asked smugly as she crossed her arms over her chest, her red and black flannel straining slightly around her biceps.
Waverly hated that she even looked.
Waverly rolled her eyes. She attempted to avoid the flutter in her stomach that she felt when her eyes met piercing mocha. The look was playful, yet intense, and it made Waverly more self conscious than she would care to admit.
So instead of facing that issue, she decided snark was a better solution.
“Wish I could ask you the same, but I think we all know what Nicole Haught did to end up here. Tell me, what did you do this time? Skip class? Get caught smoking? Kick a puppy?”
Nicole winced slightly at the last one, barely enough for Waverly to even notice. Waverly almost felt bad, but quickly shrugged it off when she thought harder about the kind of person Nicole was.
Sure, she didn’t have many personal run-ins with the redhead, but she knew enough. Nicole ran around with the same crowd Wynonna did. The people who tainted and tarnished her sister. Introduced her to drugs and alcohol and all the other unhealthy coping mechanisms that Wynonna needed back when their family fell apart.
The delinquents.
“Dodging my question by asking one of your own, Earp? Doesn't sound very fair to me,” Nicole tsked as she casually inspected the finger nails on her right hand.
Waverly rolled her eyes again, something she had a feeling she would be doing a lot of around Nicole Haught.
“Look, all you need to know is that I didn’t do it, okay?” Waverly responded in annoyance.
Nicole laughed dryly, although her eyes shone in amusement. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.”
Waverly scoffed and crossed her arms defensively. “I don’t have to explain myself to someone like you. Especially when you wouldn’t even say what you’re in here for.”
Nicole smirked instantly, and Waverly already knew she was going to hate the answer.
“Champ tried to tell me I couldn’t pick up chicks,” she answered simply. Waverly gave her a look, silently urging her to elaborate.
Nicole shrugged halfheartedly.
“I told him that wasn’t what his mom said last night,” she winked smugly. Waverly scoffed again, and Nicole continued. “Anyways, he punched me, I hit him, we both got detention. Although it looks like your boyfriend couldn’t make it,” Nicole observed, looking around the room pointedly.
Waverly ignored the later comment, because of course Champ wouldn’t show up to detention. He already had another from her own situation as well. She doubted he would actually show.
“Sounds like you deserved it…” Waverly mumbled as she turned her back to Nicole to face the front with her arms crossed.
Nicole scoffed. “Right. Yeah, because everyone deserves someone trying to kick the shit out of them,” Nicole said, suddenly defensive.
Waverly was taken aback by the abruptness in the girl’s tone. The previously playful demeanor now charged by something else Waverly couldn't exactly pinpoint, but it seemed deeper.
Almost like Nicole wasn’t necessarily talking about herself anymore.
Waverly shook her head, clearing her thoughts and cursing her inherent need to find the deeper meaning behind everything. The cause that leads to the effect. Sometimes, there was no deeper meaning. Sometimes, there were just scumbags like Nicole.
“Yeah? Well maybe that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t said- well, what you said! God, you’re disgusting,” Waverly ground out, her teeth grinding together as she attempted to keep her cool.
She had no idea why Nicole was affecting her this much, but she knew she hated it. She hated the control Nicole apparently had over her for no reason.
Nicole let out a harsh breath, before releasing and even harsher chuckled in disdain and shaking her head in disappointment. “You know, you’re not the only person to call me that for being gay,” she said lowly.
Waverly’s eyes widened, and she instantly felt guilty. She whipped around and opened her mouth to argue, to explain that that’s not what she meant, but before she could even get a word out, Nicole had already put her walls back up again, and smirked.
Apparently Nicole was just as good at putting up walls as Waverly.
That was a new development, although she didn’t exactly have time to dwell on it before Nicole’s next quip.
“Oh, and for the record, that’s not what your mom said last- oh, shit…” Nicole trailed off, her eyes widening as realization suddenly hit her. Nicole’s mouth hung open, and then closed, and then repeated the actions again like a goldfish.
Waverly’s jaw clamped shut, her eyes burning holes into the redhead’s as she instantly shut down, her defenses in full protective mode.
“Wait, no, Waverly, I-“
“No. Don’t,” Waverly said finally, an authority in her voice that she didn’t feel at that moment. She watched Nicole’s face fall, a look of regret taking hold of her features as she scanned Waverly’s face.
Waverly felt like she was being analyzed. Like Nicole was trying to see what was going on inside her head, and she hated it. She didn’t want that; she didn’t want anyone to know her thoughts or her feelings.
She knew Nicole knew. How could she not? She grew up in the same circle as Wynonna. She knew about their family. She knew about her mom.
And even if it was a stupid fucking joke, Waverly still didn’t want to hear it.
“Waverly, no wait, really, I’m so sorry-“
Waverly cut her off immediately, the fire in her eyes only growing the more Nicole spoke and tried to apologize. It just made her angry, and hurt, and confused.
Which was the most annoying part of it all, because why the fuck did she feel confused right now?
“No, Nicole. Stop.”
Nicole’s mouth shut immediately, and Waverly was almost surprised at how quick the redhead was to listen to her. She was surprised at how much remorse seemed to swim in brown eyes, and for a second, she almost caved.
She almost let Nicole say her piece.
Almost.
Waverly went to turn around before a thought hit her, and she found herself looking back at the girl once more. “Oh, and for the record,” she imitated, although this time it was said with much more disdain. Much more sternly. “I wasn’t calling you disgusting because you’re gay. I couldn’t give a shit who you love. I called you that because you’re a selfish, immature asshole who seems to have a problem with respect, and more importantly seems to only care about one thing, and that’s yourself. So please, for the love of god, can we just sit here in silence for the next half hour?”
Not giving Nicole the chance to argue, she quickly turned back around towards the white board and scowled. She expected a response, whether it be an apology or a quip or god knows what, but instead she was met with silence.
She looked up at the metal bar above the board, and saw Nicole’s reflection through it. The redhead had slumped down, almost submissely, and had a sad puppy down look on her face.
Waverly almost turned around, but instead decided to just put her head on the desk and attempt to wait it out. Before she could rest her head in her arms, however, she heard the faint sound of Nicole’s voice, scratchy and in the form of a broken whisper from behind her.
“Nothing’s ever as it seems though, right Waverly? I figured you of all people would know that.”
Waverly inhaled sharply, and she had the sneaking suspicion that maybe she wasn’t supposed to hear that. Regardless, it still hit her like a bullet in the chest all the same, and she slammed her eyes shut as she attempted to just turn her brain off for the next thirty minutes.
She figured in this situation, it was better to just do what she did best.
So, she just ignored the problem.
*****
Nicole tapped her fingers on the desk, her blunt nails barely making a sound against the wood as she stared intently at the clock. She had been in this routine enough by now to know that burning a hole through the clock didn’t actually make the time go by faster, but it sure as fuck gave her something to do.
Especially with Waverly Earp giving her the goddamn silent treatment from a few rows away.
The last thing Nicole had wanted to do was upset Waverly. Quite the opposite. She was just trying to joke around, maybe make the brunette laugh, but it seemed all she was able to do was successfully piss her off.
Not to mention she brought up the girl’s runaway mother like a complete and utter asshole.
She realized her slip the moment the words fell out of her mouth, but by then it was too late. She already basically said the punchline, and the worst of the damage was done.
She had tried to apologize, and she truly meant it too, but Waverly wouldn’t have it, and Nicole couldn’t even blame her.
If there was one thing Nicole knew, it was what it was like to have a shitty home life with a shitty mother. She wouldn’t wish that kind of a life on anyone. Not even her worst enemy.
Not even a fool like Champ fucking Hardy.
The dickwad who found a way to end up with Waverly Earp; the most beautiful and kind girl in the entire town of Purgatory, not to mention the love of Nicole’s life.
Nicole had had a crush on Waverly all throughout grade school, but frankly was too chicken shit to ever even attempt to talk to the girl. She knew all about her past, all about her family drama and the curse of her last name, but she didn’t care.
She had never cared.
Then Wynonna started coming around, hanging out with her, Rosita, and Doc, and started getting into trouble. The kind of trouble Nicole really couldn’t help her with, because Nicole was trying to stay on the downlow just as much as anyone else.
Then high school hit and Nicole thought maybe she could have a chance. Maybe things could be different with the change of scenery. They were growing up, they were becoming mature adults now. She could do it. She could talk to the pretty girl.
Except by the time she had finally gotten the nerve, it was Sophomore year and Champ Hardy had apparently beaten her to it.
After that, Waverly changed. Not the kind of person she was inside, or her morals and ideals, at least, not to Nicole’s knowledge, but she changed in terms of status. She was popular, loved by all, and practically top of the food chain.
And well…
Nicole was pretty much rock fucking bottom.
So, Nicole did what she did best. She drowned herself in her work and worse decisions, boldly flirting and hooking up with any girl that she would meet at a party. She never let it get too far though; the girls were typically drunk, and that wasn’t Nicole’s style. Plus, whether she liked it or not, her heart was already spoken for. By a girl who had barely said two words to her their entire lives.
A girl she had probably just ruined any chance with because she opened her big fucking mouth. Naturally.
Although maybe it was for the best. Nicole wouldn’t be good for someone like Waverly. She was too damaged and fucked up and problematic. That was the last thing Waverly needed in her life.
The clock finally ticked to four, and Nicole sighed, looking around impatiently. Of course today is the day Mr. Del Ray would choose to be late. The one day where she actually had places to be and shit to do.
Nicole’s leg bounced nervously under the desk, and she watched as the minute hand continued to move until it had been another five minutes with still no word from their teacher. She couldn’t stick around much longer, she really had to leave. Sadly, Mr. Del Ray really didn’t give her any other choice.
She knew what she had to do.
She stood up quickly, the chair scraping against the floor loudly as she headed towards the window. She saw Waverly jump at the sudden noise, and almost made an effort to apologize until she remembered Waverly’s last words to her towards the beginning of their detention.
She didn’t want to be spoken to, and Nicole was not about to go against her wishes.
Nicole felt around the window frame for any kind of latch she could find to unlock it and open it. She knew she could easily just walk out of the door, but that chanced being caught by a remaining teacher, which was a little too risky.
She could feel Waverly’s eyes on her, surveying her as she finally found the lock on the window and turned it with a triumphant gasp.
“Really?” Waverly spoke up with a quirked eyebrow in disbelief. Nicole looked over at her, and the brunette chuckled humorlessly as she shook her head. “What, you think you’re too good for detention?” she asked incredulously.
Nicole huffed as she put all of her strength into opening the window. Which was more rude, answering Waverly and ignoring her earlier wishes, or ignoring her now? She figured if Waverly was speaking to her now, she might as well take advantage of it. “Well, we were supposed to get out of here at four, and I don’t know if you can read a clock, Earp, but it’s been five minutes. I think I’ve done my time,” she quipped.
She realized in that moment that most of her jokes or her teasing might just come across as snarky or bitchy to someone who didn’t really know her, and she just hoped that maybe Waverly could see that. See that there never had been any malice in any of her words, except for maybe when she thought Waverly was a homophobe, but that one seemed pretty well deserved.
“What, you have some kind of hot date or something?” Waverly huffed as she pushed away from the desk to stand. She walked over to the redhead, her eyes lowered as she sized her up.
Nicole stood there, allowing Waverly the satisfaction of appearing intimidating. Granted, she wasn’t. Not at all. Nicole was probably as tall as her sitting down, but that still didn’t stop the smirk that played on her own lips at the thought of Waverly wanting to appear threatening.
Nicole would typically play along any day of the week, but right now she was a little more focused on successfully getting out of the classroom undetected, and as soon as possible.
“Yep, totally. Super hot Russian model, she’s great. And I like, can’t keep her waiting, so if you could just…” Nicole trailed off, hoping to convey her point to the girl.
Waverly’s eyes widened, and she barked out a laugh at the ludicrous suggestion. “Really? Do you really think I’m going to cover for you?” she asked incredulously.
Nicole winced. She had hoped maybe the joking would spark some sort of playful banter between them and would charm Waverly over, but maybe not. Maybe she would’ve had better luck sticking somewhere closer to the truth.
Waverly folded her arms across her chest, popping out her hip as she eyed the redhead curiously. “Where are you going?” Waverly asked, her sincere curiosity laced in her voice.
Nicole stuttered, the surprising sincerity seemingly shocking them both if the look on Waverly’s face was any indication. “I- well, uh… I… have to go… pick up my brother. Yeah,” Nicole nodded unconvincingly, and she knew she was doing a terrible job reining in her point by the amused look on Waverly’s face.
Earlier in the hour, she had held all the power, frustrating and annoying the brunette. But now, it seemed, the roles reversed, and Waverly had somehow not only found a way to take that power, but use it to make Nicole a flustered, stuttering mess.
Of course Waverly found this amusing.
Nicole looked like a goddamn idiot.
Waverly quirked an eyebrow. “That’s the best you got?” Nicole furrowed her brow in confusion, shooting the brunette a questioning look. “Try again,” Waverly offered.
Nicole’s eyes lit up, finally catching the teasing tone in the girl’s voice. Maybe Waverly was just bored, or maybe she just didn’t care enough to hate Nicole. Either way, maybe Nicole could be a few minutes late…
“My dad's car broke down?”
“Nuh uh.”
Nicole frowned. “I need to let my dog out?”
Waverly shook her head, her lip quirking slightly at the edge.
“There was an attack and I have to go save my village?”
Waverly let out a laugh. “Okay, Mulan, nice try. But also, nope.”
Nicole groaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the wall as she sighed. She peaked an eye open when she felt Waverly’s eyes on her, never leaving her face as she studied her.
“Nicole, why don’t you tell me why you really need to leave?”
Nicole sighed as she pushed herself off of the wall beside the window to face Waverly fully, her body almost towering over the smaller girl’s. “Earp, you’re cute and all and I’ve really enjoyed our flirting here, but I really need to leave before Del Ray catches me halfway out the window and makes me stay in this shithole longer.”
Waverly straightened her back and stood to her full height, her arms still crossed at her chest as she challenged the redhead. Although there was a solid five inches separating them, Nicole could still see that despite Waverly’s height, she was a feisty one. Someone who definitely shouldn’t be messed with when the time ever came. She respected that.
Nicole could feel herself slowly giving in to the girl. She wanted to make her fight for it a little longer, but she really did have somewhere to be, and it wasn’t fair to the people who relied on her if she was late.
Nicole relented slightly. “If I tell you, do you promise to help me get out of here, and cover for me to Mr. Del Ray?”
Waverly’s eyes flickered, and Nicole could see the hint of something in them that told her Waverly felt bold.
Like she had won something just now.
“I’m not making you any promises, but you definitely have a better shot if you do.”
Nicole nodded and took a breath, closing her eyes and breathing softly out of her mouth. She opened her eyes, meeting warm, intrigued hazel despite how much Waverly tried to harden them. “I volunteer at the homeless shelter on Revenant Street, okay? My shift starts in twenty minutes, and if I don’t leave now they're not going to have someone to help hand out the food.”
It was Nicole’s turn to study Waverly’s reaction, and she was disappointed when she saw Waverly bite her lip to stifle her annoyance. Her face fell, and she quickly found herself getting frustrated at Waverly’s closed-mindedness.
“I thought you were going to tell me the truth?”
“I just did!” Nicole said exasperatedly, her arms flailing at her sides as she turned her back to the brunette to face the window. “I’ve been volunteering there since I was thirteen. I go every Tuesday and Thursday and help them hand out food. I even cook sometimes if they need it.” Nicole let out a harsh breath and pinched her nose in frustration.
She whipped around, her face suddenly a lot more grim than she was expecting, but she couldn’t help it. Waverly dug and dug and dug and somehow she had found a way to hit a nerve that Nicole had worked so hard at protecting.
At hiding.
“You wouldn’t know how much they rely on me, because you’ve never been homeless before. But try not knowing when your next meal is gonna be. Try not knowing where you’re supposed to sleep for the night. Try not knowing how you’re supposed to provide for your family, even if it’s not your job because you’re just a kid,” Nicole croaked, her voice breaking at the end. She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes, but refused to let Waverly have the satisfaction of any of them falling. “Because I have, Waverly… and-”
Nicole cut herself off, her jaw clamping shut as she worked to contain her emotions. She couldn’t do it anymore. She was done.
“Fuck this…” she muttered, turning towards the window again. “Cover for me or don’t, I don’t care anymore. You win, Waverly.” Without a second glance, she climbed out the window carefully, jumping onto the grass a few feet below.
She thought she heard Waverly say her name, but she was too focused on heading towards her truck to really give a damn.
*****
“Nicole-“ Waverly tried, reaching out towards the window even though she knew it wasn’t going to do any good. Nicole was already on the ground, running towards the school parking lot. “Fuck…”
The sound of footsteps in the hall outside of the classroom caused Waverly’s eyes to widen. She quickly ran to the window and slammed it shut before racing back to her seat. The second she sat down the door knob turned, and Mr. Del Ray walked in with the same stack of papers he had left with.
He looked towards Waverly and raised an eyebrow, flicking his gaze to the back of the classroom. Waverly gulped, her hands shaking under the desk as the teacher locked eyes with her once again.
“S-she went to the bathroom,” Waverly said shakily, moving to stand from her desk and throw her backpack on over her shoulders. She looked back just to be safe, to check and see if Nicole had even brought one in the first place.
Of course she hadn’t.
Waverly cleared her throat and finally managed to find her footing as she walked towards the door. She nodded her head at her teacher in goodbye as she passed him before a thought came to her.
“I’ll, uh, I’ll just go get her. Yeah. That way she doesn’t have to come back here or anything.”
Mr. Del Ray just nodded, clearly not believing a word out of the girl’s mouth. Not that Waverly could blame him. She was a terrible liar.
Waverly crossed the threshold out into the hallway and sighed, shoulders dropping once she was finally alone.
For fucks sake.
Now Nicole had her lying for her.
Although, if Nicole was telling the truth, at least she was lying for a good cause.
Waverly looked down the hall, an idea coming to her head.
Revenant Street wasn’t too far from her house… and Nicole probably hadn’t gotten too far since she had left. Waverly could probably catch her if she hurried. Then she would know whether or not Nicole was lying.
She started a slight jog down the hall, pushing through the double doors and turning to cut through the courtyard to the parking lot. She pulled out her keys and unlocked her Jeep before getting settled in the front seat and turning her keys in the ignition.
Deep down, she knew Nicole had been telling the truth. No one was that good at lying. No one could make that kind of emotion shine through their soul like Nicole Haught had when she spoke about her past.
Waverly mentally kicked herself as she took off down the road, following her mental gps on how to get towards the soup kitchen. Once she had driven about ten minutes, she saw a black pickup truck in front of her. The driver was a woman with bright red hair that stuck out like a sore thumb through the glass.
Waverly was partially proud of the fact that she was able to get here on her own, and was somehow able to catch up to Nicole, knowing the redhead must have been going a little bit faster than was legal in order to make it on time. The other part of her just felt terrible.
Nicole had been telling the truth all along, and the point was only proven when Nicole threw her blinker on and pulled into the lot where the back entrance to the soup kitchen was.
Waverly’s heart softened a little as she drove past, not wanting to stop for too long and risk being caught by the girl. That would be a hard one to explain if they ever talked again.
And honestly? For someone who not even thirty minutes ago wanted absolutely nothing to do with Nicole Haught, it was crazy how much the thought of them never talking again stung.
And it was absolutely batshit how much Waverly was hoping they would talk again after this.
*****
The next morning it was like it had never happened. Waverly didn’t see Nicole throughout the day, even if she was subtly keeping an eye out for her in the halls, so she finally gave up.
She had almost made it to the end of her day, and a part of her was feeling a little upset. She had gone to school with Nicole Haught for years, and she had absolutely no idea how to find her. She didn’t know what kind of classes she took, what kind of activities she might have been involved in, hell, she barely knew what she did outside of school apparently.
Waverly dropped her head onto the desk halfway through her chemistry class. Normally she had no problem paying attention, but today her thoughts were only able to focus on one thing, one person, and it annoyed the absolute shit out of her.
This was getting ridiculous.
Was this turning into some kind of obsession?
Was this healthy?
It had only been one day, of course her emotions would still be kind of high. Maybe tomorrow things would be different.
She tried keeping her head down, but instead of drowning in her thoughts about the redhead, she attempted to focus on the teacher’s voice.
Unfortunately for her, every word Mr. Chetri spoke just went in one ear and out the other. The only words she did catch, however, were “today’s project” and “grab a partner”, which was the last thing she felt like doing.
She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes slightly as they adjusted to the brightness around her, and she jumped when she felt a hand fall lightly on her shoulder.
“Woah, sorry. I didn’t mean to spook you, you just weren’t responding when I was saying your name,” the girl explained, and when Waverly heard the voice, she froze.
She looked up and was met with mocha eyes filled with concern, even if there was a little teasing involved.
Because of course.
“Nicole?” Waverly asked softly in surprise.
Nicole furrowed her brow and removed her hand from the brunette’s shoulder. Waverly hated that she almost missed the contact.
“Uh… yeah? Sorry, Cherri told us to pick a partner, and when I didn’t move he told me I had to go to you, so…” Nicole explained with a noncommittal shrug. She took Waverly’s silence and faraway expression as annoyance, and instantly grew defensive. “Trust me, I’m not thrilled about it either. It’s just one class, otherwise I can just tell Jeremy no. He’s just a teacher’s assistant, so it’s not like he really holds any-“
“No!” Waverly blurted, her eyes finally focusing on the redhead as she came back to her senses. Nicole seemed taken aback at the sudden outburst, but honestly, so was Waverly. Waverly looked down at the seat next to her, then back up at Nicole. “I- I mean, sit down? Sorry, I’ve just never seen you in this class before. Let’s just get this project over with.”
Nicole’s eyebrows scrunched up further, but she still did as she was told and hesitantly took a seat. “Okayyy…” she trailed off as she set her things in front of her on the desk. “Also, I always come in late and sit in the back. You never really look back there and sit in the front, so…” Nicole explained as she casted a side glance to the brunette, noticing Waverly’s flushed expression and lack of focus.
Waverly just stared down at the desk, trying to figure out what the hell she was supposed to say now that Nicole was actually in front of her. She had this long speech prepared in her head, but now, all of those words flew out the window.
“Are you like, high or something? Cause I really didn’t take you as the kind of person who did that stuff.”
Waverly whipped her head up, her eyes wide as she noticed Nicole’s confused expression. “W-what? No! I don’t- I don’t do that,” she stammered, her face only growing more flushed as she spoke.
This was getting ridiculous.
“Look, how about we just focus on this project so we can finish and get out of here?” Waverly suggested finally as she looked down at the paper in front of her.
Nicole shrugged, grabbing her own pencil. “Works for me.”
They began working on their assignments, and Waverly had maybe gotten through two problems on her own before she felt Nicole peering over her shoulder. She looked up, surprised at how close their faces were at this angle, and shot the girl a glare.
“Uh, can I help you?”
Nicole leaned back and out of Waverly’s space before sighing. “Isn’t this, like, supposed to be a partner project?”
Waverly raised an eyebrow. “What, can you not do it on your own? I figured you wouldn’t really want to talk to me, you literally just said you were forced to be my partner.”
Nicole looked down at the paper in front of her, her eyebrows furrowing the more she tried to read the first question. “This is just- this is impossible! I don’t understand how you were able to learn this stuff so easily,” Nicole said in exasperation as she dropped her pen on the table.
Waverly sighed, feeling slightly bad for the girl who seemed so obviously frustrated. “I don’t know, I just do? I don’t really know if I’ll be able to explain it in a way that makes sense. I’m not a teacher, and my brain sees all of this stuff differently than what Jeremy explains to us.”
Nicole lowered her eyes challengingly at the brunette, a smirk on her lips. “Okay then, try me.”
“What?”
Shrugging, Nicole leaned back. “You heard me. Let me hear it. Maybe a different mindset is what I need since I can’t understand a word during class.”
Waverly sighed and shook her head before giving in, pointing her pen at the first problem. “Okay, well you see how there’s ‘mi’ here?”
Nicole nodded her head as she leaned in closer towards Waverly’s paper, the smell of her shampoo immediately invading the brunette’s sensing at the close proximity.
Not that Waverly was paying attention to that.
“And you see how it’s also down here?” Waverly asked as she pointed to a different solution, completely ignoring the small flutter in her stomach at their newfound closeness.
Nicole nodded again.
“Okay, so those just cancel out. They’re not going to be in your answer,” Waverly explained.
Nicole’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, so it’s pretty much just like math? Seriously?”
Waverly laughed lightly. “Yeah, pretty much. It’s easier when you think about it like that rather than listening to Jeremy get all scientific about it.”
“Damn, maybe you should be the teacher. I would definitely pay more attention in class,” the redhead chuckled, causing a blush to rise up Waverly’s neck.
Of course Nicole was going to choose now to flirt.
Clearing her throat, Waverly looked back down at the problems on her paper. “Let’s just get this done so we can turn it in, yeah?”
Nicole pursed her lips awkwardly and nodded her head at the blatant dismissal, but switched her focus to her own paper as well. This time, she actually started filling out the problems herself, and Waverly smirked a little.
Maybe Nicole Haught wasn’t that bad.
Waverly put her pen down after she filled out the last question, and Nicole did the same. The redhead looked at Waverly nervously for confirmation, as if looking for some kind of approval or praise. Waverly reached forward for the girl’s paper, scanning it quickly to check her answers for her.
She nodded once as she set the paper down, and she saw Nicole let out a sigh.
“Well done, you got them all right.” Waverly smiled down at her as she stood up and collected both of their papers, but froze when she felt a hand on her wrist. She locked eyes with warm, sincere mocha, and she felt Nicole let go of her wrist.
“So, uh, thank you…” Nicole trailed off softly, her eyes hesitant as she scanned Waverly’s face.
Waverly began to feel herself grow nervous under Nicole’s unexpectedly intense gaze, and all she could do was nod. “Umm, yeah, you’re welcome. I uh, I kind of had to? Jeremy would have been so annoyed if I hadn’t helped you and-“
“No no, not that,” Nicole interrupted, shaking her head. She stood up, looking Waverly in the eyes as she stood over her. Waverly swallowed thickly at sudden seriousness.
Something about Nicole being serious with her was slightly off putting, but not in a bad way, just different.
“I never got called into Del Ray’s class this morning for ditching. I’m guessing you had something to do with that?”
Waverly smiled, a genuine smile that she never thought would grace her lips in the presence of Nicole Haught. Waverly shrugged coyly, feigning innocence as she brought their papers up to her chest. “You went to the bathroom, what else was I supposed to tell him?”
Nicole smiled brightly, and the sincerity in her eyes was really starting to throw Waverly off. The redhead nodded, accepting Waverly’s excuse as the bell rang. Nicole stepped back, offering Waverly one last smile before turning to gather her stuff and leave the room.
Waverly sighed and shook her head. It was utterly ridiculous how Nicole was able to get under Waverly’s skin so easily. It didn’t make any sense.
Waverly got in the line of students waiting to turn in their homework to Mr. Chetri, and she willed it to go faster. She only had one class left for the day, and she wanted nothing more than to go home, get started on homework, and go to sleep.
When she finally made it to the front of the line, she handed Jeremy their assignments for him to check. He checked Waverly’s, then Nicole’s, and then his eyes widened. He scanned the paper again, his eyebrows raising a comical amount before he looked up at Waverly.
“You didn’t just give Nicole the answers, did you?
Waverly sighed. “God I wish people would stop asking me that…” she mumbled to herself. “No Jer, she did it on her own, all I did was show her how.”
Jeremy gaped. “And she understood you?”
Waverly looked at him in confusion. “Uh, yeah? She’s a human not an alien, she can understand you if you just explain it differently.”
Jeremy perked up, his eyes wide and a wide grin on his face. “Waverly, that’s huge! I’ve been trying to get Nicole to learn from me the last week, and she hasn’t picked up a word I’ve said!” Jeremy beamed, the look of pure, childlike excitement on his face making Waverly chuckle. “How would you feel about being her tutor?”
Waverly’s laughter died down, her face falling slightly as his last words registered. “I- Jeremy no. I cannot tutor her.”
“Why not? Today went so well!” He tried.
Waverly stammered. “Wha- because, Jer. She’s a flirtatious asshole who only cares about one thing, and I want no part of that!”
“Waverly,” Jeremy said calmly. Pleading. He placed his hands out in between them in a placating gesture, as if he were trying to calm a wild deer. “Please. You would be helping me so much if you just… helped her.”
Waverly sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to tell her friend no. She simply nodded instead, not trusting her words and honestly not even sure what she would have said to him. He fist pumped triumphantly, assuring her that he would get ahold of Nicole before the end of the day so the redhead knew the new arrangement and could meet with Waverly after school.
She walked out of the classroom to head to Del Ray’s class with only one thought in mind.
‘Fuck.’
*****
Nicole followed Waverly through the front door of the girl’s house and froze, immediately examining her surroundings with wide eyes. She never thought she would be here, in Waverly Earp’s home, for tutoring.
When Jeremy had run up to Nicole’s locker at the end of the day to tell her the news, she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to say. How she was supposed to react. Last she had checked, Waverly wasn’t exactly a huge fan of hers. Now not only were they apparently acquaintances, but Waverly was her weekly tutor?
How exactly was Nicole supposed to function now?
She thrived off her ‘take no shit, bad girl’, reputation, but she couldn’t keep that up forever. Not around Waverly, and especially not when Waverly seemed so suspicious since finding out about the homeless shelter.
Nicole was also very blunt with her feelings. She could hide them around people she didn’t know all day long, but she couldn’t hide them for shit around people she actually cared about. And Waverly? Well, Waverly might barely know her, but Nicole knew a lot more about Waverly than the girl thought.
“Wow… uh, nice place you got here,” Nicole tried as she followed Waverly over to the couch and set her bag on the coffee table next to Waverly’s.
Waverly chuckled as she sat down, digging through her bag and searching for her Chemistry folder. “Umm, thanks? My aunt and uncle took me and Wynonna in when we were younger. It was kind of a whole thing… which I’m sure you probably already know about, andddd now I’m rambling,” Waverly laughed bashfully with a blush.
Nicole shook her head quickly. “No, no, it’s okay. Besides, I don’t mind learning more about you,” she flirted easily. She couldn’t help it. There was nothing better than watching the slight blush creep up the brunette’s neck, much like it was doing now.
It wasn’t like she was ever actually worried about keeping her feelings from Waverly. If Waverly asked her right now if she liked her, Nicole would say yes, without a shadow of a doubt.
Waverly shook her head with a small smile. “No flirting while tutoring,” she chastised lightly, her tone and expression enough to show that she was clearly hoping to avoid any awkward air.
Well.
There went the chances of Waverly asking about Nicole’s feelings.
Nicole smirked, brushing off the comment altogether as she quipped. “Not even cheesy pick up lines?”
Waverly huffed out a laugh. “God, no. Champ used to use those on me all the time. They were crude and idiotic.”
Nicole perked up, pushing her homework to the side as she accepted the challenge. She leaned against the back of the couch as she faced Waverly fully. “Well you haven’t heard mine yet.”
Waverly looked up at her through her eyelashes in faux annoyance. “I’m sure they would be just as crude knowing you,” she deadpanned. Nicole gave her a look, and Waverly sighed. “Fine. You get one. Make it good.”
Nicole brought her fist to her side in victory as she thought hard, then smirked as she looked up into waiting hazel eyes. She cleared her throat before speaking.
“Do we have a class together? Because I swear we have chemistry.”
Nicole smiled brightly as Waverly snorted and shook her head, turning her attention back to her notes. “That was awful,” she chortled softly.
Nicole shrugged jokingly. “Well, you’ve signed yourself up for it now. I get one cheesy pickup line a day, so be prepared.”
Waverly’s eyes widened. “Oh no no no, I did not sign up for that.”
“You did,” Nicole nodded. “You said I got one, but you never specified. So now, you get one. It just so happens you now get one every day. I know where you live now, you can’t escape. I’ll slip them into your mailbox if I have to,” she joked with a smirk, letting Waverly know she would never actually take it that far.
Waverly sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “Is that why you were so insistent on tutoring not being at your house? So you could finally know where I live?”
Nicole's face sobered instantly as she thought back to their conversation in the hall at the end of the day. Nicole had met Waverly at her locker, surprising the girl. When they went to coordinate a plan, Nicole had been very passionate about them not going back to her place.
She never had people over. Granted, she really didn’t have friends. Sure, she had a group of people she spent time around, but they were more like acquaintances.
Plus, the last thing she wanted was for Waverly to see her home. Well, she used that term loosely.
She hadn’t had a place that felt like a ‘home’ in a long, long time.
“My place is just… cramped. I haven’t cleaned for a while and my mom is at work, so…” Nicole lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “Honestly, I don’t really wanna talk about it?” she tried, hoping Waverly would sense the mood change and just drop the subject, and lucky for Nicole, she did.
There was a moment of silence before Waverly finally spoke. “Oh, yeah, I get that,” Waverly said, leaning forward to shuffle some papers around. “We should probably get started-“
“Wait,” Nicole interrupted, moving her hand out to stop the brunette’s movements. Waverly looked up curiously, and Nicole took her chance. “Uh, about detention yesterday…”
Waverly shook her head, silencing her. “Don’t worry about it, really. It was nothing. I- I’m sorry I was an asshole.”
“You weren’t an asshole,” Nicole spoke quickly with a shake of her head. “How was the rest of it?” Nicole pushed, hoping Waverly would see what she was trying to get at.
Waverly shrugged. “It, uh, it was okay, I guess? Why?”
Nicole poked her tongue past her lips as she tried to figure out her next words. “What, uh… what did you do after?”
Waverly furrowed her brow. “I went home? Well, after I- uh… After… I got out. Yeah,” Waverly finished worriedly, and Nicole knew she had her right where she wanted her.
Nicole raised an eyebrow in amusement, enjoying having the girl trapped in a corner this time. “Oh yeah?”
“Mhmm.”
“Then what was your jeep doing following me down Revenant Street? At first I thought maybe you were heading home and it was just a coincidence, but now that I know you live here, it seems like a little bit of a detour, don’t you think?” Nicole smirked.
Waverly’s mouth fell open as she stammered for an excuse, or probably just anything to respond with, until she finally pursed her lips and nodded her head, accepting defeat. “Alright, yeah. You caught me. I may have… driven by out of strict curiosity.”
Nicole laughed in amusement, her dimple popping slightly as she smiled. “What, you don’t trust me or something, Earp?”
“Nicole, I don’t even know you,” Waverly deadpanned with a raise of her eyebrow.
Shrugging a shoulder, Nicole bit her lip. “Well then, why don’t we try to change that?” she asked boldly, moving her arm to rest it on the back of the couch. She was careful, she made sure it was nowhere near Waverly so it didn’t look like she was trying to make some shitty advance towards her, but was genuinely just trying to appear nonchalant.
Waverly sighed. “Nicole-“
“Well I’ll be damned, if it isn’t Haughtshit in my not so humble abode,” a voice spoke up from the doorway. Nicole and Waverly turned their heads towards the voice, only to be met with none other than Wynonna Earp.
Not that Nicole wouldn’t have recognized it. Wynonna’s voice could be pretty distinct, especially after hearing her drunken slurs on too many nights to count.
“Hey Earp number two, what’s up?” Nicole greeted.
Wynonna feigned offense, placing her hand over her chest in hurt. “I’m Earp number two now? We’ve been in the same circle for years and you’ve talked to my sister for, what, two days? Low blow Haught, low blow.”
Nicole rolled her eyes, and Waverly quickly intervened. “Can we help you, Wy? We’re kind of in the middle of tutoring here.”
Wynonna pushed off of her spot against the door frame with her hands held up in surrender. “Well then I’ll get out of your way. I just couldn’t remember if I had ordered a booty call, and that was why Haught was in our living room.”
A blush rose up Nicole’s neck, her face probably matching the shade of her hair at this point when the older Earp’s words finally registered in her brain. She stuttered, worried that Waverly would think there was something between her and Wynonna.
“We never- no,” Nicole whipped her head towards Waverly, trying to read the baffled, confused look on the brunette’s face. “We’ve never hooked up. I would never-“
Nicole was cut off by the sound of Wynonna’s laughter from across the room as she made her way up the stairs. “That’s it, Haught. Dig yourself out, one stutter at a time. You wish you could tap this top shelf ass and you know it.”
And with that, Wynonna had disappeared up the steps and retreated to her room.
Nicole huffed, her cheeks on fire as she looked over at Waverly with wide eyes. Waverly appeared unphased, which somehow felt like more of a punch in the gut. Maybe Waverly just… didn’t care.
Why would she?
She didn’t know Nicole.
“I- I’m sorry about that. I swear I’ve never hooked up with your sister, nor do I want to,” Nicole tried, attempting to feel out the shift between them since Wynonna had interrupted them.
Waverly cleared her throat and shook her head, as if she were coming back to reality. “It’s fine, she can be a lot sometimes,” Waverly dismissed as she reached forward for her notebook and pen again. She looked at Nicole through the corner of her eye as she joked, “Are you sure this is better than your house?”
Nicole’s face fell, but for an entirely different reason than before. It was getting late, and although they hadn’t actually gotten to anything productive, she needed to go home. Waverly seemed to notice the shift, and she instantly sobered her features.
“I’m sorry, you literally told me you didn’t really want to talk about it, and I’m bringing it up again. That’s super shitty of me I didn’t mean-“
“No, it’s alright. It’s just… I do kind of need to be heading home now,” Nicole explained before leaning forward to gather all of her things.
“Oh…” Waverly murmured softly, and Nicole could hear what sounded like worry and maybe even a little bit of disappointment in her voice.
And as shitty as it sounded, it gave Nicole a little hope.
Maybe Waverly didn’t hate her after all.
That was a start.
After Nicole got everything packed up into her bag, she stood and turned to look at Waverly with a small smile. She slung her bag over her shoulder and shoved her hands in her front pockets as Waverly walked her to the door. Once the door opened, Waverly holding it for her to exit, she mustered all the courage she could before finally letting out the thought that had been plaguing her mind for the last few minutes.
She turned quickly on her heels, knocking Waverly back slightly with the abrupt movement. “Look,” Nicole started, taking a deep breath as she scrunched her eyebrows together in thought. She let out a breath before continuing. “You said you don’t know me, and yeah, you’re right. Trust me when I say that no one really does. But if we’re going to keep doing this whole… situation,” Nicole emphasized as she moved her finger back and forth in the space between them and sighed. “Then maybe you should.”
“Nicole…”
“Come hammocking with me and my friends Friday. Come and see my neck of the woods for once,” Nicole ventured hopefully, pleading with hazel eyes to entertain the idea.
Waverly sighed, as if the idea of rejecting Nicole physically hurt her for some reason. “I think I see that enough with Wynonna,” Waverly replied.
Even though it was a blatant dismissal, all Nicole could think was, ‘that wasn’t a no’.
“But I’m not Wynonna,” she said instead. “You haven’t seen it with me yet. Come on, you might actually have a little fun,” she tried.
Waverly looked down at the ground and huffed. “Doubtful,” she murmured. When she looked up again and saw the pleading, hopeful look Nicole was giving her, her face softened and she sighed. “Does this mean you’ll come see my ‘neck of the woods’ then?” she retorted.
Nicole grimaced. “You mean the jocks and the cheerleaders? I think I see that at school everyday.”
Waverly raised an eyebrow. “But I’m not them,” she said pointedly.
This time, it was Nicole’s turn to sigh. “Alright, fine. I show you mine and you show me yours?” Nicole teased.
Waverly rolled her eyes and shoved Nicole out of the door playfully as the redhead chuckled, but Nicole still caught her parting words.
“Fine, deal. Now get out of my house before I change my mind.”
Nicole gave her a dopey, dimpled grin before turning to head towards her truck.
Well.
It was a start.
She would take it.