Chapter Text
Waverly Earp was a planner through and through. Hell, she had planned her entire high school experience from head cheerleader, to prom queen, to valedictorian. Even her relationship with popular jock and later her high school sweetheart, Champ Hardy, was, admittedly, planned.
Needless to say, she was justifiably peeved when things didn’t quite go to her plan.
Like how she had planned on rooming with her best friend since childhood, Chrissy Nedley, for her first year attending Ghost River University. Except housing had clearly made a mistake.
Roommate: Nicole Haught (Senior).
She had read the page over a hundred times, but it had yet to change the name to her best friend. She had already tried calling housing and been told there was nothing they could do and placements were final. So now here she was, three weeks later, moving into her college dorm for the next year with a complete stranger.
She was annoyed with the housing for messing it all up, annoyed with herself for not letting Wynonna help after all, and annoyed with her stupid soon-to-be roommate.
Honestly, who puts a freshman with a senior? And what kind of last name is Haught? What a joke.
Waverly huffed as she tried to unlock the dorm room door while balancing the boxes she had brought up from her jeep. The door swung open before she could though, causing her to lose her balance.
“Shit! I’m sorry!” A voice spoke and she felt a strong hand steadying her, which was the only reason she didn’t fall on her ass in front of who was undoubtedly her new roommate. The top box wasn’t so lucky, toppling to the floor and bursting open.
“It’s fine.” She said curtly, because really that was just the icing on the shit-cake the day had been so far. The brunette stepped into the room and set the rest of the boxes in the empty room that she assumed was hers.
Her new roommate was already gathering all the spilled items on the floor, putting them all back into the box without really looking at them. Well, at least the girl respected privacy.
Then she stood quickly, offering Waverly her first real look at the girl and the box held out in her arms for her. And, of course, the last name she had spent the last three weeks making fun of in her head was completely and totally fitting.
Long red hair, warm brown eyes, athletic body, and the hint of dimples in the shy smile she gave Waverly. Undeniably attractive.
It took a few moments too long for Waverly to realize that Nicole was waiting for her to take the box from her. “T-thanks. You didn’t have to.” She mumbled, taking the box and setting it next to the others.
“Sure I did, it was my fault it fell. I heard you struggling with the door and I was trying to help by opening it, but…” Nicole trailed off with a sheepish shrug. “I’m Nicole, by the way. Nicole Haught.”
Yes, you are, Waverly’s mind unhelpfully supplied.
“Waverly Earp.” She replied, holding out her hand. Were handshakes the norm for meeting new roommates? Too late now. The corners of Nicole’s lips curled in amusement but she took the offered hand in hers and gave a firm handshake. Waverly withheld the urge to shake her hand out afterward to regain feeling in it.
“Nice to officially meet you. Anyway, I have a basketball meeting to get to, so I’ll see you later?” Nicole phrased it as a question and Waverly nodded dumbly, still focused on how soft and warm her hand had been, kind of like her eyes were.
Once she left the room, the spell broke and she shook it off, settling into the task of unpacking. She hadn’t brought much with her to begin with, so it shouldn’t take too long.
Waverly queued some pop music on her phone and sang along as she worked finishing only an hour later. Her purple and white polka dot bedding had been arranged, her laptop and pencil organizer were set up on her desk along with the textbooks for her classes this semester, she left the walls bare for now, keeping the framed photograph of her and Wynonna from this last Christmas on the small end table next to the bed.
I broke the glass that surrounded me. I ain’t the way you remember me.
As she looked at her small room and its three pieces of furniture, she finally started to feel like she had accomplished the clean break she had been hoping for.
Everything is changing and I never wanna go back to the way it was.
It was why she chose to live in the dorms instead of at the Homestead like Wynonna had wanted. She just needed something different, and college was her chance for that. Even if it was only an hour from Purgatory, and not the halls of Oxford like she had once dreamed.
That had been before Wynonna had come back though, back when Waverly didn’t really have much of a reason to stay near home.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Waverly wandered a few steps closer to Nicole’s room on the other side, peeking in. Her bedding was a plain army green, a black desktop taking up residence on her desk, a championship basketball trophy and a picture of a large orange cat on her end table. Her wall space had a varsity letter (Y) and an old jersey tacked up as well as a modest sized map of the world with red thumbtacks spaced through it. She knew about the basketball already but made a note to ask her about the cat and the map, but especially the map.
Deciding she had snooped enough and not knowing when the redhead would return, Waverly pulled her phone out and called Wynonna, waiting for her to answer.
And she did, right before Waverly was sure the phone was going to go to voicemail. “Hey babygirl! Why are you calling me?” Her sister’s voice filtered through the phone over the cacophony of sounds in the background.
“Are you at Shorty’s?” Waverly asked immediately, glancing at the clock to see that it was half past eight. She should’ve known.
“Duh. Now answer my question.” Wynonna answered breezily.
“You…told me to call you? When I got settled?”
Wynonna was silent for a moment then barked out a laugh. “I guess I did, didn’t I? I didn’t think you actually would, you’re supposed to be at your first college party!”
“It’s the first day, Wynonna! And I don’t know anyone here, except Chrissy but she lives in a whole other building.” Waverly sighed.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. You meet your new roommate yet? She nice?” Her sister asked, the sounds in the background quieting some as she presumably moved to a better spot.
“Yeah, I guess so. I only met her for like two minutes then she had to leave for a basketball meeting.” Waverly answered, picking at her jeans thoughtfully.
“Huh, well give her a chance, Waves. And try to have some fun! Go to a few parties at least, let me live vicariously through you!” Wynonna replied.
The girl didn’t have the heart to tell her that she wasn’t planning on going to any college parties, she had enough of that in high school. Besides, Wynonna never let her live vicariously through her when she ran off and traipsed through Europe, not even a text message. Not that she was still salty about that.
“You never even wanted to go to college.” Waverly pointed out.
“True that, fuck all that studying. But still, college parties! I’d be all over that shit.”
“Fine, I’ll try.” Waverly said rather unconvincingly with a roll of her eyes.
“Good, I’ve gotta go babygirl, Doc is begging for me to kick his ass in pool. Don’t do anything…no wait scratch that, do everything I would do! Love you!”
Waverly managed a brief ‘love you too,’ before her sister hung up. Ha, if she did everything Wynonna would do she’d be in the back of a police car by the end of the week. No thanks.
So like the good noodle, and complete opposite of Wynonna, that she was, she opted for an early night, changing into pajamas and crawling into bed before her roommate even returned.
Over the next week, Waverly found herself falling in love with college. She couldn’t help it; the classes were so interesting and it was so nice to be away from Purgatory.
She had decided after her conversation with Wynonna that her sister was right and having Nicole as a roommate wasn’t the end of the world, at least she was still here!
Maybe she’d even try to befriend her, after all she had been voted the nicest person in Purgatory. She had a sash for it and everything.
However, she didn’t see much of her roommate over that first week. Either because she was with Chrissy or in the library or Nicole was off doing who-knows-what when she was in their room. Basketball maybe?
The brunette hoped she might be there as she walked back from her last class Friday evening, but a very unwelcome face made her stop. A face that lit up and grinned stupidly upon spotting her. Champ Hardy.
“Hey babe. Miss me?” Champ said confidently, striding over to her and moving to wrap his arms around her.
“Considering I broke up with you? No, not really. Leave me alone, Champ.” Waverly said, taking a step back from him.
“Oh come on, don’t be like that. I gave you space and everything!” Champ rolled his eyes and stepped closer again, pulling her somewhat forcefully against him. “I’ll help you remember how much you need me.”
“Get off of me.” Waverly snapped, pushing at him in an attempt to get him to let go of her. “A week is not space, Champ. Since when do you even go here?”
Champ, completely undeterred, grinned at her. “It was going to be a surprise. Romantic, right?”
“More like creepy.” She muttered then took a deep breath. “Look Champ, I broke up with you. And I haven’t changed my mind, sorry. So, I’d appreciate if you’d leave me alone.”
“But you don’t mean that. You know you’ll always be my girl. No one else would even want an Earp so it’s not like you’re going to move on. But I love you, and we both know you’re going to take me back eventually anyway.” The boy persisted.
Waverly had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes at his declaration of love. He loved her enough to cheat on her more times than she could count over the last four years. Partly why she finally decided she wasn’t going to settle and dumped his sorry ass this summer before leaving for college.
Something about his harsh words and arrogance snapped something within her. “Not that it’s your business, but I have moved on.” She said without thinking. Clearly a lie.
Champ’s eyes widened in a mixture of anger and shock. Clearly an idiot.
“Tell me who it is.” Champ demanded, taking a bold step towards her. “Tell me so I can show him whose girl you really are.”
“It’s none of your business.” Waverly ground out once more. Seriously, she was starting to feel like a broken record.
“Well, I think it is my business.” Champ snapped, closing the rest of the space she had created and grabbing her arms.
“She said no, man, so leave her alone.” Another voice spoke up and Waverly’s eyes shot to the familiar head of red hair that was fast approaching.
Nicole stepped forcefully between the two of them, forcing Champ to take a step back.
“Who the fuck even are you? This is between my girlfriend and I, thanks.” Champ said, glaring at the newcomer.
“We broke up!” Waverly corrected for what felt like the hundredth time. Nicole’s brown eyes filled with understanding with the added context.
“You heard her. Leave.” Nicole told him, arms crossed and still standing between the two of them.
“What, you going to make me?” Champ scoffed.
Nicole arched a brow at him. “Want to test it?” She inquired calmly. Waverly couldn’t tell if she was trying to be intimidating or not, but either way it was working.
“Fine, whatever. Call me when you’re over this hoe phase, Waves.” Champ finally relented, stalking off.
The two girls watched him go for a few tense moments before both gradually relaxing again. “Thanks, Nicole. I owe you one.” Waverly said gratefully, looking up at the older girl.
“You can walk me back to my dorm and we’ll call it even.” Nicole replied with a dimpled smile that for all intents and purposes should be illegal.
“That doesn’t count, I was already going there.” Waverly pointed out with an eye roll.
“Fine, coffee then. It’s the only true way to say thank you to someone.” The redhead offered as they started the short walk to their dorm room. Waverly nodded at the suggestion and neither of them spoke until they were in the room.
Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. “Not that you have to tell me or anything, but what was that all about anyway?” She asked tentatively.
“Well as you probably gathered, that was my stupid ex, Champ. I’m just so over it. Ever since we broke up, he won’t leave me alone and all his idiot friends keep asking me out. And even if I say ‘no’ they take it as ‘ask again later.’ Newsflash, I’m not a frickin’ magic eight ball.” Waverly ranted. “And I just told Champ I was dating someone else so now what am I supposed to do?”
“You could, you know, actually date someone else?” Nicole suggested timidly. Wrong answer.
“Sure! Lemme just go to the supermarket and pick up a boyfriend. It’s not like I have people lined up to date me, Nicole.” Waverly huffed in annoyance.
“It was just a suggestion, sorry.” Nicole said, and she actually sounded apologetic. Waverly immediately felt guilty for snapping at her when she had just been trying to help.
Waverly took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you, especially after you saved me from Champ. I don’t know that I want a relationship anyway, I just need…wait, are you single Nicole?”
“Yes? Why?” Nicole answered hesitantly. Waverly grinned, an idea forming…no, a plan forming in her planner brain.
Yes, this could work, it would solve all of her problems. And she could get to know Nicole like she had planned to do. But she would owe the redhead a lot more than coffee if she agreed.
“I need you to…no, wait, I’ll do this right.” Waverly paused, dropping onto one knee and taking Nicole’s tense hand in her own. “Nicole Haught, will you fake date me so Champ and his band of idiots will finally leave me alone?”
Nicole looked completely blindsided and promptly began to choke, attractively, on her own saliva. And died. Probably.