Through the dark
Chapter 16 – Through the dark
You tell me that you're sad and lost your way
You tell me that your tears are here to stay
But I know you're only hiding and I just wanna see you
You tell me that you're hurt and you're in pain
And I can see your head is held in shame,
But I just wanna see you smile again
I wish that I could take you to the stars
I'd never let you fall and break your heart
And if you wanna cry or fall apart
I'll be there to hold you
Nicole locked the front door of her house, ready for an uneventful day of work, but she couldn’t be more wrong. A black Chevrolet was parked across from the street and a dark brunette stepped out of the car.
“Oh boy, here we go,” Nicole whispered to herself. “Hello, Willa. Good morning.”
“Haught. Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk to you.”
“Yes, of course,” Nicole held tight the backpack over her shoulder.
“Are you nervous?” Willa asked.
“A little, yeah.”
“Are you scared of me?” Willa arched one eyebrow.
“A tiny bit.”
“Why? I never did anything against you.”
“Well, you never really liked me either,” Nicole explained herself.
“That’s only because you and Wynonna were always in some kind of trouble. Poor Father Juan Carlo.”
“He really hated us,” Nicole smiled at the memory.
“So, you have been hanging out with Waverly,” Willa said.
“Yes.”
“Are you treating her well?”
“I am, I promise,” Nicole tried to look as serious as she could.
“And you are not getting high or getting drunk in an alley, making my other sister rescue you,” Willa would not take it easy on the redhead.
“Those days are over. I’m more certain about that every minute that passes by,” Nicole held her head high.
“So you would say that it’s not a problem for you to be around teens, you won’t be a bad influence for them anymore.”
“I guess not, why?”
“Because I have an offer,” Willa smirked.
“An offer?” Nicole wonderer. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
“You see, ever since you left Purgatory High School, it’s being hard to put together a girls’ hockey team. I thought that you could give it a try,” Willa explained. “Maybe with a new face there, more girls can get inspired and decide to join the team. You could teach them a bit about what you know. It’s a shame to only have a boys’ team.”
“Just to be clear,” Nicole started, “you want me to be a coach for teenagers. Me, an addict.”
“You said you are clean and don’t plan on doing it again, so I don’t see the problem,” Willa talked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“And do you think the parents of the students will be okay with me teaching their children?” Nicole worried.
“I’ll handle that part. You don’t have to think about it.”
“Do you trust me that much?”
“Waverly trusts you,” Willa said. “And I trust my baby sister. If she says you are ready, I believe her.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Nicole replied.
“Look, I’ll tell you beforehand that I don’t have money to pay you yet, this would be like a volunteer job,” Willa clarified. “I’ll try to get the budget to that, but I can’t promise anything.”
“I understand.”
“So, are you in or out?”
“I’m in,” Nicole said without thinking. “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”
“You better. If you walk even just a little out of line and it put my students at risk I’ll give a reason to be afraid of me,” Willa warned the redhead. “And I don’t even care if Waverly talks about you like you hang the moon in the sky, you’ll see my wrath like the kids love saying.”
“I won’t give you a motive for that.”
“The same goes if you hurt Waverly. I’ll hunt you like you were prey, Haught.”
“That seems fair,” Nicole said.
“Good. Stop by the school tomorrow and we can talk about the schedule and hang up some posters,” Willa started to turn away toward her car.
“Alright. And, Willa? Thank you for this opportunity. You have no idea how important it is to me,” Nicole smiled.
“Of course. I’m sorry your career was disrupted like that. I hope you can find joy in hockey by being in a different spot.”
“Good morning, loves,” Waverly showed up in the kitchen and kissed her niece on the head. “Did you sleep alright, pumpkin?”
“Yes, Auntie Waves.”
“Alright Alice, go brush your teeth before we go to school,” Wynonna said. “All I heard about this morning was how fun it was last night.”
“It really was,” Waverly said. “You should join us next time.”
“I had some fun last night, too,” Wynonna smirked. “It’s not always that Dolls and I can have the house for ourselves.”
“Oh no, shut up. I don’t want to know about it,” Waverly made a disgusted face.
“Come on, you should be happy for me. I think Haught lost her game if you are this much sexually frustrated.”
“I am happy for you, and Nicole did not lose her game,” Waverly clarified. “We just haven’t done anything more than making out.”
“Why not?”
“We went to just one date, Wynonna.”
“And since when you can’t have sex on the first date?”
“Of course you can, that’s not what I meant,” Waverly sighed upset. “I just don’t want to rush it and ruin everything.”
“I’ve seen the way Nicole looks at you, baby girl. There is no way you could ruin it.”
“Nonna, I’m… I’m in love with her,” Waverly barely whispered. “I have been building this feeling for her for such a long time and I don’t want to scare her away.”
“Waverly…”
“What if she thinks I’m a freak? Uh? At first, when we were teens, I thought that it was just a crush for the cool kid, but long before she graduated from high school I knew I was in love with her. I believed it would change over the years but it never did, Nonna. What if she doesn’t see that I love her and she thinks that I’m only being stupid and…”
“Slow down, baby girl,” Wynonna ran her hand on her sister’s back. “Trust me, whenever you are ready to tell Nicole about these feelings, she will not run away. She’ll jump in.”
“How can you be so sure?” Waverly bit her lower lip, ready to cry.
“Because I’m her best friend and I know that woman. Do you remember when Tucker invited you to that New Year’s party at the Gardners?”
“Yuck.”
“Yeah. You should have seen Nicole that day,” Wynonna giggled. “She was so angry that I thought she might punch him. Only when I told her that you refused to go as his date she calmed down.”
“I didn’t know that,” Waverly said.
“I imagined she wouldn’t have told you. You were always important for her, baby girl. She always hung on your every word. When you came back to Purgatory, I went to talk to her at GRU. Just to tell her how important for you she is and to ask her not to break your heart. You should have seen her, she was so afraid I had told you about her addiction. She doesn’t want you to be disappointed in her.”
“And I’m not.”
“I know. I just want you to understand how much she cares about you. Don’t worry about going too hard on Nicole. She can take it. She’ll probably even like it, if you ask me,” Wynonna smirked again.
“You are impossible,” Waverly chuckled.
“I’m ready, Mama,” Alice popped up again in the kitchen.
“Let’s go then. Talk to you later, baby girl.”
“Will you be at tonight’s meeting? I think we’re going.”
“Sure. See you there,” Wynonna said.
“Bye, Auntie Waverly.”
“Bye, sweetheart. Have a great day at school,” Waverly smiled at the little girl. The brunette didn’t stay there much longer, she had to go to work anyway. She decided she was going to invite Nicole to that second date and maybe tell her how she truly felt.
Waverly walked the long hallway that leads to her office without taking her eyes from the redhead figure sweeping the same spot on the floor over and over again. When she turned around and notice the brunette, Nicole opened her big, bright smile that made the butterflies in Waverly's gut go crazy.
“What did this floor do to you that you are going over it so many times?” Waverly teased.
“I was waiting for you and I didn’t want anyone to notice,” Nicole said. “I need to talk to you.”
“Let’s get in,” they walked through the door and as soon as they were in, Waverly threw herself on Nicole, holding her by her neck and connecting their lips. “How is it that I stay less than 24 hours away from you but I miss you like something was taken away from me?”
“I’ve been told that my dimples are quite a charm,” Nicole smirked.
“Oh, you think you are funny?” Waverly raised one eyebrow. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something…”
“I got a visit this morning.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Willa Earp.”
“Oh…”
“Do you know what she wanted to talk about?” Nicole challenged the brunette.
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“Well, she wanted to offer me a position as a hockey coach at Purgatory High,” Nicole waited to see if Waverly would say anything, but she remained quiet. “You don’t have anything to do with it, do you?”
“No, I… You know what? I do. Yeah, I was the one who suggested it to her. And I don’t regret it. I’m not going to apologize for wanting my girlfriend to be happy and do something that she likes,” Waverly looked at Nicole and the redhead was baffled. Only then Waverly realized what she had just said. “Oh… fudgenuggets. Nicole, I didn’t…”
“Girlfriend, uh? Are you asking me?” Nicole showed her dimples and Waverly was sure they were her weakness.
“It’s not how I planned, but yes. Only if you want to,” Waverly felt her mouth getting dry.
“I would like that very much,” Nicole joined their foreheads and closed her eyes. “I want to be your girlfriend, Waverly Earp.”
“Yay,” Waverly giggled and pecked Nicole on her lips. “So tell me, hockey coach? Did you say yes?”
“Do you really think I can do it?”
“Of course you can, Nicole. You understand so much about this game.”
“Yesterday I watched a match for the first time in years,” the redhead said.
“Really? I thought that you watched it all the time,” Waverly was surprised.
“No, it was too hard. I’d always get angry and then drunk or high, so I decided that it was better to take a break from it,” Nicole clarified.
“When I suggested that to Willa, I thought that you would like it,” Waverly explained. “I didn’t think it would hurt you.”
“It didn’t hurt me. I accepted her offer,” Nicole smiled.
“Really? Baby, that’s amazing!” Waverly jumped on the redhead and spread kisses all over her face, making Nicole chuckle.
“I hope I don’t blow it.”
“You won’t. And even if sometimes things go wrong, you don’t have to worry about that. Mistakes happen. We learn from them and keep walking forward. I’ll always be there to support and cheer for you,” Waverly said.
“You are too good for me,” Nicole held Waverly by her waist and buried her face on her girlfriend’s neck.
“There is no such thing. I just want to make you happy,” Waverly kissed the side of Nicole's head and played with her baby hairs.
“You make me so very happy,” Nicole said. “Are you happy?”
“I am,” Waverly smiled. “And I remembered that we talked about me taking you on a date. Are you still up to it?”
“Of course, baby. I want to be with my girlfriend as much as I can. Whenever you want, I’d just really like to go to the meeting at PEaceMaker this evening.”
“Yes, I remember. I’ll go too. What about tomorrow?”
“Perfect,” Nicole brushed her lips on Waverly's. “I’ll go and let you work. Have a good day, pretty girl.”
“You too, baby.”
Nicole had barely walked out of the door when her phone started ringing.
“Hey, Wynonna.”
“What’s up, Haught Dog?”
“I’m at work. Do you need anything?”
“Yeah, I want to know if you have plans for lunch today.”
“No, I don’t,” Nicole said.
“Cool. Let’s go to that new restaurant on Second Street. I’ve heard they have a killer burger,” Wynonna told her friend.
“Nice. I’ll check with Waverly if she wants to…”
“No, no, no. No Waverly. Just you and I.”
“But Nonna.”
“No, she will make us go to a vegan place and I really want some meat today,” Wynonna complained. “Besides, I haven’t hung out with my best friend in a long time. I miss you, dude.”
“Awn, are you getting soft on me?”
“Don’t make me regret calling you, Haught.”
“Alright, alright, sorry. Tell you what, I’ll stop by PeaceMaker at 11:30 to pick you up. Sounds good?”
“Perfect.”
“And Wynonna? I miss you, too.”
“Who is soft now?”
“Shut up,” Nicole chuckled.
“I’m hanging up on you,” Wynonna said and before Nicole could reply, the call was already off.
Nicole shook her head and smiled thinking about her friend. She was happy to know that Wynonna forgave her and they were rebuilding their friendship. She would work hard not to lose her again.
I will carry you over
Fire and water for your love
And I will hold you closer
Hope your heart is strong enough
When the night is coming down on you
We will find a way through the dark
You tell me that you hurt, it's all in vain
But I can see your heart can love again
And I remember you laughing
So let's just laugh again
And you don't need
You don't need to worry
And you will see it's easy to be loved
I know you wanna be loved