Author's note: So I wanted to try my hand at writing Nichorello because I have become total shipper trash for these two. I got the prompt of a high school AU from crazy-fangirl123 on Tumblr. I've also never written for Alex or Lorna (however, she doesn't show up that often yet in this chapter), so I hope I did justice! Please leave a review and let me know if this story/my writing is anywhere near decent enough to keep going and bringing Lorna's side of things into it! Also, if you have any Nichorello prompts you think I could pull of, let me know! I'm on such a kick of inspiration. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Nicky leaned back against the cold metal handle of her high school's front steps. Her fingers trying to unlace a gnarly knot in her headphones. She'd mastered the art of untangling headphones before, a treacherous feat for any music lover, so she allotted herself some time to watch the crowd pile out of the front door and spill into the streets. She hadn't even gone to 6th period, deciding how absolute bullshit it was and that the streets of Manhattan were much more educational. However, it was tradition that she walk home with her best friend, Alex Vause, at the end of each day and she was always loyal to her traditions. Besides, walking with Vause meant not having to go home, but instead spending hours in the city with someone who actually gave two shits about her.
She glanced down to make sure she was actually making good headway in the headphone hornet's nest, when she felt another cool breeze of fellow students quickly walking past her to get as far away from the shit hole of a high school as they could. This breeze, however, came with an oh so recognizable voice, laced with a heavy Brooklyn accent, that caused Nicky's head to shoot up and watch Lorna Morello and her gang of friends going smaller with each step.
Lorna Morello, according to Nicky, was by far the hottest girl in school. Dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, a different shade of red lipstick nearly every day, and the cutest fucking accent that caused Nicky to flip head-over-heels whenever she pronounced something incorrectly. She ran with the more popular crowd; girls who spent their time in bright pink clothes, talking about make-up and cute boys. Nicky ran with the burnouts. Dark clothes, hoods covering every aspect of their face, talking about cool bands and whatever random shit their smoked out brains could think of.
"Aww, Nichols and Morello sitting in a tree," a husky voice from behind her started to sing.
Nicky rolled her eyes, finally breaking her stare on the small brunette who was waiting eagerly at the edge of the sidewalk with her friends, probably trying to decide whose house to go to.
Alex Vause took a seat next to her friend on the steps; her dark eyes peered through black rimmed glasses in the direction of Lorna.
"You're fucking pathetic, you know that?" Alex stated, turning her gaze to Nicky with a grin.
"What're you talkin' about?"
"Come on. Like everybody in the world isn't totally oblivious to the fact you've got a little school girl crush on her."
"Yeah, sure. I just sit here daydreaming about romantic dinners and falling in love under a full moon," Nicky replied sarcastically. "I don't do crushes, alright? You know that. No giggling whenever someone mentions her or writing little hearts around her name in a notebook bullshit. I think she's hot, that's it."
"Right, okay, sounds an awful lot like your bullshit defense mechanism for 'Oh, I'm soooo in love with that cute little Brooklyn drama nerd'," Alex had started to over exaggerate a fairly awful impression of Nicky.
"She's not a drama nerd."
"Sorry, she's just been in every school play since freshman year. Which, y'know, would be more charming if she could actually act. God help us if this school ever puts on a musical."
"Yeah and the only way you know this shit is because you're on yearbook committee, which is way fucking worse than drama," Nicky teased.
"I like photography," Alex defended herself.
"Yeah, how many of those pictures end up with Chapman 'accidentally' in frame?"
"That's fucking stupid. I'm not gay."
"Suure," Nicky had started to pull herself up off the step, "sounds an awful lot like your bullshit defense mechanism for 'Damn, Nichols! You got me!'," she flashed a wide grin, which Alex couldn't help but return, before heading down the steps, Vause slowly following behind.
While Alex and Nicky matched in personality, there was one thing that separated them. Nicky's mother (if you could call her that) was filthy rich, and Alex's wasn't. She wasn't able to dress up in fancy clothes like most of the other higher up kids, added to the fact that everyone suspected Alex to be a closeted lesbian, she for the most part was banished to the burn out crowd with Nicky, despite never actually engaging in a majority of their activities.
Nicky knew Alex better than she knew herself (and vise versa) and probably realized before the girl herself that Vause had an everlasting crush on head cheerleader, Piper Chapman, who also happened to be on the yearbook committee. Smooth, Vause.
"I bet you 10 bucks you can't hook up with Morello," Alex chimed in as the two sauntered their way through Central Park, an assortment of snack foods in all four hands.
"Y'know, that's a little insulting. Do you really doubt my abilities that much?"
"Trust me; I've seen your abilities in action far too many times to ever doubt them anymore. But she's straight as a line and probably is really into the Notebook," she accented 'really' and 'into' as if she were Lorna herself, talking about something in a fashion magazine.
"Man, The Notebook is total romanticized bullshit, alright? Nobody kisses in the rain, you'd catch a cold and there's nothing fucking romantic about being sick 'cause you couldn't go the fuck inside."
Alex laughed. "You see?"
Nicky turned her head to look at her friend, realizing she'd just totally proven Alex's point, and cracked a crooked smirk.
"Yeah, alright, whatever. Point made. Doesn't mean shit though, I'm not taking the bet."
"Scared?"
"Fuck no. It just seems like a crap ton of work for 10 fricking bucks."
Alex stopped in her tracks and turned to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just go get mommy to raise my allowance by a couple hundred dollars."
Nicky too stopped, her body facing Alex but her eyes dare not. She tried best she could to never mention money around Alex, knowing how tight things were for her and her mother, whilst on the other hand all Nicky had was money. Although Nicky on occasion would offer some to Alex whenever she needed it, it always turned out that Alex was too proud to take someone else's. Even if it was her best friend's.
"I'm sorry," Nicky replied, "You know I didn't mean it like that. I'm just lazy."
"Yeah, I know. It's fine."
"Look, fuck money, alright? I'll take the bet because now that I think about, I kinda wanna know what my name sounds like when it's being moaned in that accent," she grinned.
"You're fucking disgusting," Alex smirked, pushing Nicky back by her shoulder.
"Hey, that's why ya love me!"
