"I wanna break up."

Silence followed my words, an unreadable expression on Champ's face. I began feeling very nervous, because Champ was never this quiet.

"Champ?" I asked, anxious.

Champ didn't respond at first. He stepped back, cracking his knuckles before running his hands through his hair.

"You wanna break up with me?" He asked.

I took a step back, afraid of what he would do. "Yes," I answered.

"Is this about that dy- lesbian?"

I made a face and shook my head. "No. Is it really so hard to believe that I just genuinely don't have feelings for you?"

"Yeah! You weren't like this until she showed up! Ever since you met her, you've been different. You never wanna have sex anymore!"

"I NEVER WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU!" I shouted at him.

He blinked. Wow, that felt really good to get off my chest. No sense in stopping now.

"You were a terrible boyfriend. All you ever wanted to do was make out and have sex. You never listened to me when I was upset. You told everyone about our first time! Don't even get me started on the sex! Which was TERRIBLE, by the way. You think you're good? Well, guess what? YOU'RE NOT, Champ. You just pound away until you finish! What do I even get out of that? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" I took a deep breath. "Wow. Boy, did it feel good to say all that..."

Champ stared at me. He seemed a little confused.

"I'll listen to you, if that's what you want. I'll try to be better," Champ told me.

Wow, he really doesn't get this... "No, Champ, that's-"

"I'll even go down on you if that's what you want. If it'll make the sex better." He interrupted, taking a few steps toward me.

I shook my head. "Champ, that's not-"

He cut me off by grabbing me and kissing me. I tried to push him away, but he's too big. He pulled away, still holding me to his body.

"Please, babe. I love you. Don't leave me. Not like this." He muttered, backing me into a wall and forcefully kissing me again.

The kisses were painful and desperate, and he wouldn't let me go, no matter how much I struggled. He kissed my cheek, trailing down to my neck.

"Champ, stop! Get off!" I cried, pushing against him with all my strength.

I saw the front door open, and Wynonna stepped into the house. She saw what was happening and grabbed the baseball bat we keep by the door. She rushed over and yanked on the collar of Champ's shirt as hard as she could. He felt down, onto his back. She glared at him.

"Touch my sister again and little Champ gets broken. Permanently." She threatened, holding the bat up to his face.

"Oh, come on, Wynonna!"

"Don't "oh, come on, Wynonna" me. You just tried to rape my sister!"

"What? No, I didn't!" Champ denied.

"Oh, so I didn't hear her crying for you to stop and get off of her? Consent is mandatory, asshat. You don't touch my sister without her permission. Now, you don't touch her, period." Wynonna spat at him, nudging him quite roughly with the wooden bat.

"Especially because I broke up with him," I added, looking at Wynonna.

Wynonna looked at me, eyes wide, before looking down at Champ. "She broke up with you?" She demanded.

"Yeah, but I love her!" Champ exclaimed.

"So?! That means you can try to force her to have sex with you? You son of a bitch!" Wynonna raised the bat and whacked Champ with it.

Champ yelled out in pain. He held up his hand.

"Ow! Wynonna!" He yelled.

She swung again, hitting him in a different spot.

"Wynonna! Stop!" He cried, his eyes watering.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I can't hear you over the sound of you being a piece of shit!" Wynonna shouted at him. She swung again. "Motherfucker! Now, you better get up and get the hell out of my house!"

Champ did what he was told and Wynonna chased him to the door.

"AND STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" She screamed at him as he ran to his truck.

I stared at Wynonna, wide-eyed. I couldn't believe she'd just done that. Wynonna wasn't the "confront-you-directly" type. She was more of the "get-drunk-and-fuck-someone-you-love-and-make-you-cry" type.

Wynonna turned around and looked at me. "Get your stuff, baby girl. You're going to stay with Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis," she told me.

"Right now?" I asked.

"Yep. I was actually on my way to come get you, when I walked in here and saw Nine Seconds over there, pinning you against the wall. At first I was like "gross, get a room", but then I heard you say stop... And I saw you struggling. I- I don't know what came over me, but lemme just say that I had to use every ounce of whatever self-control I have to keep myself from going batshit on his ass. Believe me."

"Thanks for that, by the way."

"Of course, Waves. Now go pack up your clothes and stuff."

I nodded and headed upstairs. I grabbed a bag and started putting my clothes and valuables that I didn't wanna leave into it. While I was packing, my phone began to ring. I looked at the caller ID.

"Nicole..." I muttered to myself.

I answered it.

"Hey, you!" I said happily.

"Hey, Waverly. What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Just packing up my stuff."

"Oh, so you're really going to stay with your aunt and uncle?"

"Yeah, I guess they said it was okay. Wynonna came home to tell me."

"She didn't pick you up from school?"

"No. Champ gave me a ride."

"Oh."

"And, uh. And then I broke up with him."

"You did? How did that go?"

"Yeah, I did. Um. He kinda tried to... um. You know..."

"He what?! That son of a bitch. God, I just wanna-"

"Don't worry, Wynonna already got to him before he could do anything. She hit him with a bat..."

"Good."

"Yeah... Thanks though. That really means a lot."

"Of course. So, um. Do you wanna hang out later?"

"Yeah, I do. I'll see what I'm doing later on."

"Waverly, come on! We gotta go!" Wynonna yelled from downstairs.

"One second!" I yelled back.

"Hey, listen, I gotta go."

"Okay."

"I'll text you later, I promise."

"Okay, Waverly," Nicole giggled.

"Okay," I replied, laughing quietly.

"Bye, Waves."

"Bye, Nicole."

I hung up before gathering my things and walking downstairs. Wynonna stood, waiting with her keys. She nodded towards the front door.

"Come on," she told me. "We gotta go before Daddy and Willa get home."

I nodded. "Okay," I replied.

We walked outside, heading to Wynonna's truck. We climbed inside and Wynonna started the engine. When she started driving, I felt relief. Relief that I would finally be away from Willa and Daddy. I know that it's messed up to be glad to be away from them, since they're family... Well, Willa is, at least. But they were horrible to me. I didn't realize I was crying until I felt Wynonna grab my hand.

"It's okay, baby girl," she told me.

I reached up and touched my cheek, feeling the tears. "I know," I replied.

Wynonna squeezed my hand. "We're finally getting you out of there," she told me.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah... We are."

We pulled up to Gus and Curtis' house. Aunt Gus was standing on the porch, smiling. I smiled widely and hopped out of the truck once it was fully parked. I ran over to her and hugged her.

"Aunt Gus!" I said excitedly.

Gus laughed. "Hi, Waverly," she replied, hugging me back.

Wynonna climbed out of the truck, carrying my things. She set them down on the porch and Gus pulled away from the hug, but kept her arm around me.

"Thanks for letting her stay, Aunt Gus." Wynonna said, clearly very thankful. She had a good reason to be.

Gus nodded. "Of course. She's family," she said. She looked at Wynonna for a bit, as if she were studying her. "You are too, Wynonna."

Wynonna nodded. "Still. Thank you," she said. She turned around to leave.

"Whoa, hey, kid. Leavin' without sayin' hello to your Uncle Curtis?" Gus asked, causing Wynonna to stop and turn back around.

Uncle Curtis walked out of the house.

"Tryin' to leave without sayin' hey, huh?" He said, smiling at Wynonna.

Wynonna chuckled. "Ah, hay is for horses," she joked

Curtis laughed and held his arms out. "Come 'ere, kid."

Wynonna walked over and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head and she smiled before they separated.

"You know, yer Aunt Gus and I are always here for ya. If you need it," Curtis said.

I laughed. "You mean when she needs it," I joked.

Gus laughed. "Either way," she replied.

Wynonna nodded. "I know. Thank you. I gotta go now," she told them.

Gus nodded. "Stay safe," she said.

"I will," Wynonna promised. "Bye, Aunt Gus. Uncle Curtis." She gave them hugs and a kiss on the cheek for Uncle Curtis. She looked at me. "Walk me to my truck, would ya?"

I nodded. I followed Wynonna to the truck and she turned around to hug me. I felt like crying, but did my best to remind myself that it isn't forever. And that she would visit me.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get you out sooner, Waves," Wynonna sobbed.

Hearing her cry broke the barriers I'd built up to hold back my own tears. Everything just came flooding out.

"It's okay, Wyn. You didn't know," I told her.

"I love you, baby girl. I'll come see you whenever I can," she told me.

I sobbed into her shoulder. "I love you too, Wynonna."

Wynonna pulled away and sniffed, wiping my tears away. "Hey, no more crying. You're gonna be okay, I swear on my life. They're gonna take good care of you."

"What about you?"

"I'll move into a room above Shorty's or something. I'll be alright."

I nodded. "Okay..."

"Just... be good. Go to school, do all your homework. No more fighting."

I laughed. "No promises," I said, jokingly.

Wynonna smiled at me. "You're gonna do great," she whispered.

She kissed my forehead and then turned away and got into the truck. I stayed in that same spot until she drove away. I wiped the stray tears that managed to escape as I watched my big sister leave me, and turned back to Gus and Curtis. Curtis had picked up my bags, and Gus was waiting to show me to my new room. I followed Gus up to my room, which was in the attic (the only area they had available). It was pretty good, though. It wasn't so much an attic, as it was a very small loft. At least the window opened, and it wasn't too stuffy up there.

It already had a bed and blankets. A lot of blankets. Gus knew how cold I got at night. Especially in the colder seasons. Curtis set my things down and pointed at the dresser that was opposite my new bed.

"You can put yer clothes in there. Closet's over there," he told me, pointing to a small door. "It's not very big but it does the job."

"That's okay. My closet back at the Homestead wasn't very big either," I told him, smiling.

He smiled at me. "You're a sweet girl. Well, yer Aunt Gus'll be makin' dinner soon. Get yerself settled in."

With that, Curtis left the room, closing the door behind him. I smiled a bit, already feeling very loved in this new environment. I got up and started putting my clothes and stuff away before sitting on my new bed. I pulled out my phone and rolled my eyes when I saw a text from Champ.

CH: I'm sorry, okay? Can you forgive me?

WE: I don't think so.

CH: Please? I said I'm sorry.

WE: No. We're done, Champ. Don't text me ever again.

I sighed and deleted the conversation before blocking Champ's number. I opened my conversation with Nicole and looked at her name for a bit before deciding to text her.

WE: Hey

NH: Hey, how did the move go?

WE: Good. My aunt and uncle were really welcoming. I have my own room and everything.

NH: That's great! I'm glad to hear it went well :)

WE: Thanks :) so do you wanna come over and hang out?

NH: Are your aunt and uncle gonna be okay with that?

WE: Yeah, probably.

NH: Well, ask them before making any decisions, ok? Lol

WE: Fine lol

I stood up and walked out of my room, going downstairs. Gus was just starting dinner.

"Hey, Aunt Gus, Uncle Curtis, is it okay if my friend Nicole joins us for dinner?" I asked.

Gus shrugged. "I don't see why not. The more, the merrier, right?" She said, looking over at Curtis who also shrugged.

"I don't mind," he said.

I smiled. "Thank you, you guys are the best!" I went back upstairs and called Nicole.

"Hey, cutie," Nicole greeted when she answered.

I blushed and smiled. "Hi," I replied, biting my lip. "So, I asked."

"Yeah? What did they say?"

"They said, and I quote, 'the more, merrier'."

Nicole laughed. "Really?"

I giggled. "Yes, really. I'll send you the address."

"I can't wait."

Me either. "Cool. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

I smiled as I texted Nicole the address and then headed back downstairs so that I would be there when she arrived. I know that I was probably being a little desperate about the whole Nicole thing, but I really like her. I have a feeling she might like me too, but I'm just worried. I mean, I've never seen Nicole with anyone else, besides Tiffany. But Nicole had made a point to assure me that she didn't like Tiffany that way. I mean, I'm not crazy, right? That totally means something... doesn't it?

The doorbell rang.

I jumped up. "I got it!" I announced.

I skipped over to the front door and opened it. I smiled widely when I saw Nicole standing there in her thick jacket, shivering a bit from the cold.

"Oh, you're cold! Come inside," I told her.

Nicole walked inside and I hugged her in an attempt to warm her up. Just as we started hugging, Gus and Curtis walked over.

"Hi." Nicole greeted them, smiling her gorgeous smile.

Gus smiled back and held her hand out to Nicole. "Hello. I'm Gus," she said.

Nicole shook her hand. "Nicole. It's nice to meet you, Gus." She then shook Curtis' hand.

"I'm Curtis," he told her.

"Nicole," Nicole replied.

"You two, move outta the way so we can close the damn door! You're lettin' the snow in!" Gus told us, smiling.

I chuckled and led Nicole away from the door before shutting it. Nicole smiled at me and I smiled back before looking back at Gus.

"Is dinner ready yet?" I asked her.

Gus shook her head. "Not yet. You girls can go on upstairs and hang out for a bit, if you want," she told us. "I'll call you down when it's ready."

"Okay. Thanks, Aunt Gus," I said, smiling. I looked at Nicole. "Come on."

Nicole smiled and followed me to my room. I closed the door and went to sit down on my bed.

"You can take your jacket and shoes off, if you want," I told Nicole.

Nicole took her jacket off and hooked it up on the hooks that her on the closet door. She then took her shoes off and set them down next to the bed. I patted the spot next to me and Nicole smiled a bit, taking a seat.

"So... how are you doing?" Nicole asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm okay," I told her.

Nicole put her hand on my knee. "I'm sorry about what happened with Champ," she said quietly.

I blushed, swallowing as I looked down at her hand. "Um. It's fine. It just- ya know- made it a lot easier to just break things off with him completely."

"I understand. I mean, when someone tries to do that to you, it's just like... how can you forgive them?"

"Exactly."

I looked up at Nicole, looking into her eyes. They were light brown, and just completely mesmerizing. I didn't realize that I was staring until Nicole cleared her throat and looked away. She scooted away from me a bit and laughed nervously.

"So, what do you wanna do?" She asked me.

"Um... Maybe we can just talk? I mean, I don't really have much to do here," I told her.

She nodded. "Okay. What do you wanna talk about?"

I thought for a minute, trying to think. I decided to ask the first thing that came to mind: "What's it like to kiss a girl?"

Nicole seemed caught off guard. "Um... I- I don't know... It's- it's different for everyone, I guess. I mean, you probably wouldn't experience the same feelings I do, if you were to kiss a girl."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Um, well, because you're- you know- straight."

"How do you know that?"

"Aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

Nicole watched me as I spoke. She seemed very confused. Well, that makes two of us.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. See, I've always thought I was... I always dated guys, but now I've been noticing that I don't like guys all that much."

"You don't?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, if I didn't like Champ, and I hated having sex with him, wouldn't be the same for all guys?"

"Not necessarily. I mean, Champ was kind of a shithead... There could've been a lot of reasons why you guys didn't work out," Nicole said.

She was right. But I didn't want to date another guy. I wanted something new. Something exciting. I wanted her. Earlier today, though, she called me a "friend". I know that probably doesn't mean that she doesn't have feelings for me... But I would really like to know if she did or didn't. That would make all of this a whole lot easier. Maybe if I knew, I'd actually be able to make a damn decision.

But what if I ask, and she doesn't? It might ruin our friendship!

Dammit, that's true. God, what am I supposed to do?

I immediately began to think about what her grandmother and Wynonna had told me.

Follow your heart.

I looked at Nicole. I looked into her brown eyes, and then down at her soft, pink lips. I swallowed, and then looked back up at her eyes. My face heated up and my heart started to pound.

You got this, Waverly. Just lean in and kiss her!

I looked down at her lips one more time, before looking back up at her eyes. I instinctively licked my lips before beginning to lean in. Nicole glanced down at my lips and, realizing what I was doing, began leaning in as well.

"Girls! Dinner's ready!" Gus called from downstairs.

I blinked and moved away from Nicole. "Um. We should- um- we should go downstairs," I said, not looking at her.

"Yeah, okay," she replied.

We stood up and left the room. All I could think about as we walked down to join Gus and Curtis for dinner was the fact that Nicole and I almost kissed.