Chapter Text
Nicole stood in front of the floor length mirror in her bedroom, unable to tear her eyes away from herself; even after all these months she still couldn’t believe the person she was looking at was her. She was still taller than most of the girls her age but she was no longer the awkward and lanky ginger that wore too many layers and avoided others at all costs. No, that wasn’t her anymore and she would be damned if she ever became that person again, someone who would cower at the littlest things for fear of messing up; it’s what cost her everything in the first place.
Sighing, Nicole ran her fingers through her short, choppy, shoulder length hair and made her way over to her closet to grab her jacket. She still remembers the day she cut her hair, when she was angry and sad and wanted any part of who she was to just disappear. Even though the action was small, the change was exactly what she needed and it had felt like a weight had been taken off her shoulders, making her feel like she could breathe for the first time in a long time.
“Nic, if you don’t get movin’ you’re gonna be late for your first day.” Albert Haught said, from just outside her door. He still hadn’t said much to her since she got back from her summer away but he was slowly starting to warm back up to her.
“I know, dad.” Nicole said, smiling triumphantly when she felt the familiar leather of her favorite jacket; she tugged it from off the hanger and tucked it under her arms.
“Your mom made some breakfast, you should eat before you go.” Albert said, before shuffling off back down the hallway.
“I will!” Nicole called after him as she grabbed her wallet, phone and keys. She double-checked to make sure she had all she needed and headed out of her room and towards the kitchen.
“Morning sweetie.” Kathryn Haught greeted, pressing a kiss to Nicole’s cheek as the younger redhead sat down at the kitchen table. “How’d you sleep?”
Nicole didn’t miss the underlying question her mother was asking but she chose to ignore it; it had been her first night back at home in three months but she didn’t want to tell them why. “It was fine, mom.” She looked at the food on the table. “Breakfast looks good, thanks.”
Kathryn smiled and sat across from her, just happy to have her daughter back; she had an idea of why the eighteen year old left the day after the school year ended but she didn’t want to come right and ask. “Your… your tattoos, I like them. There’s so- many.” She said, nodding at the sleeve on Nicole’s left arm. “Very nice.”
“Just wanted a change.” Nicole shrugged. “Kinda felt right.”
“Stupid is what it was.” Albert said, coming to sit down at the table himself. “You disappear without so much as a goodbye, spend almost all of the money we gave you and come back like nothing happened. Where’s my little girl?”
“I’m still here.” Nicole said simply.
“Those tattoos, that thing in your nose, that hair, none of it is you.” Albert growled. “You’re different, Nicole and I can’t just act like you aren’t.”
“Just because my physical appearance has changed and I don’t cower and hide away anymore doesn’t mean I’m not me.” Nicole said, pushing her plate away. “I needed to get away, okay? I felt like I was suffocating by staying here in Purgatory.”
“So you left with the Earp girl and what? Just went a little crazy?” Albert scoffed. “That’s not good enough for me.”
“Honey, maybe we should talk about this later?” Kathryn suggested, seeing the look of agitation on their daughter’s face. “She does need to get to school.”
“Fine.” Albert said, shaking his head. “Tonight, we talk though. So come home right after school. Understood?”
Nicole nodded and stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the linoleum; she pulled her jacket on over her arms, “I’m sorry I disappeared and I’m sorry I didn’t call as much as I should’ve but I’m not going to apologize for leaving because that wouldn’t be true.”
“Have a good day at school, Nic.”
///
“You look like shit.”
Nicole rolled her eyes as she saw Wynonna sitting on her bike just outside the house, “Good to see you too, Wynonna.”
“You sure you wanna do this? I’m sure if we went back to New York, we’d still have those jobs waiting for us. It’s only been, what, a week?”
“I told you it was just for the summer.” Nicole said, grabbing her helmet. “I needed to get away for a little while but I’m better now.”
“I’m sure as shit you’re a liar.”
“We couldn’t run forever.” Nicole said, sliding onto the seat. “Even if I wanted to.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one runnin’, Haught.” Wynonna said, “I handle my problems like a real lady; with whiskey and sex.”
Nicole snorted out a laugh, “Fuck off.”
“Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?”
“I hate you.”
Wynonna gasped and flipped her off, “The feeling is mutual, shithead.”
“Thank you.” Nicole said, pausing her motions to look to Wynonna. “For everything, for going with me.”
“Don’t worry about it, dude.” She paused. “She, uh, she asked about you this morning.”
Nicole tensed slightly, “Oh…”
“Yeah.” Wynonna said, looking up to meet Nicole’s eyes. “Look, I don’t know what happened to you two and it’s none of my business but she’s hurting too.”
“I just... Is she upset with you?”
“Well, she’s currently not talking to me at the moment, so.”
“Cause you left?”
“Cause I left with you and didn’t tell her we were together for weeks.” Wynonna said, “Gus said she’s had a shit summer; she’s been worried about you.”
“We should get to school.” Nicole said, jerking her helmet onto her head. “We don’t want to be late for our first day.”
Wynonna wanted to ask her a question, something that had been in the back of her mind but before she got a chance to the redhead had already turned her bike on and started to back up. With a sigh, Wynonna started up her own bike and followed after her best friend towards the main road.
///
“Holy shit.”
“Is that Haught?”
“Talk about Daddy.”
Waverly heard the familiar last name and her heart skipped a beat; she turned her attention away from Chrissy Nedley and her jaw nearly dropped when she spotted the redhead across the hall, a completely different person from just a few months ago. Who once was uncomfortable with even being called on in class and not wanting attention draw to her now couldn’t seem to care at all about all the whispers and stares; Waverly couldn’t believe it.
“How dare she!” Waverly hissed, shoving her things into her best friend’s arms before making her way down the hallway, her jaw clenched. She pushed through several girls and came to a stop directly in front of Nicole, eyes narrowed in anger. “You!”
Nicole looked down at her, eyes widening a bit in a surprise, “Wave-“
Slap.
Nicole stumbled back a bit, bring her hand up to her cheek, “Waverly-“
“I hate you.” Waverly said, blinking back tears; she didn’t care that everyone’s attention was on them. “How could you leave me? You said you wouldn’t and you did.”
“I needed to get out of town.” Nicole tried to defend herself as she straightened up.
“No, you needed to get away from me.” Waverly said, refusing to acknowledge how much more attractive Nicole was. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”
“I tried-“
“Don’t you lie to me Nicole Haught.” Waverly spit. “You left because you’re too much of a coward. Did I mean so little to you that you couldn’t even tell me goodbye? You just disappeared!”
“Can we talk about this later?” Nicole asked, noticing the growing crowd; she didn’t want everyone knowing their business.
Before Waverly could shut her down, strong arms possessively wrapped around her waist and she could swear she could hear a snarl come from Champ’s throat, “Hey baby.” Champ said, pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek as he glared at Nicole “What’re you doin?”
Nicole stared at Waverly in disbelief, “You’ve to to be fucking kidding me.”
Waverly tensed and went to pull away from Champ but his grip only tightened around her small frame, “Nicole…”
“Don’t. Don’t you dare try to make me feel bad for what I did when you clearly didn’t care as much as you say you did.” Nicole said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she watched the wannabe rodeo cowboy manhandle the brunette. “You don’t care that I left, you care that you didn’t have someone to walk all over.”
“I think that’s enough.” Wynonna said, just as the warning bell for first period rang throughout the halls. She grabbed at Nicole jacket but the redhead shrugged her off, “Come on dude, we should get to class.”
Nicole stared at Waverly for a minute longer, a mix of emotions running through her mind before she turned on her heel and took off out the main entrance.
Coming home was a terrible idea.