I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror, fixing my hair. It wasn't bad, I was just so nervous! I mean, it's graduation!

I draped my long hair over my shoulder, deciding I looked perfect and turned away from the mirror. I went to go grab my cap and gown, but stopped when my phone rang. I turned back around, walking over to my bed and picked it up.

My heart began to pound when I saw the caller ID. It was Wynonna.

I quickly pressed the green button and held the phone to my ear. "Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, baby girl! Long time, no talk." Wynonna's voice responded from the other side of the phone.
I smiled widely, sitting down on the edge of my bed. It was so good to hear her voice. "Hey, Wynonna! It's so good to hear from you. I've really missed you," I told her.

And I really had. I didn't know just how comforting the sound of her voice could be until now.

"I've missed you, too, kid. I can't believe you're graduation today. Seems like just yesterday you were about three feet tall, drawing pictures of your imaginary friend." Wynonna told me, chuckling.
I laughed a bit. "Yeah. I'm not a little girl anymore," I replied.
"No, you sure aren't."
"So how are you? Where have you been?" I asked, eager to know what she's been up to.
"Oh, you know. Here and there. I'm doing good, though. Really good. I think I needed some time away from Purgatory. Being away really put a lot of things into perspective. And... I met someone." Wynonna said, and I could just hear the smile on her face.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that she wasn't giving me a straight answer. What mattered was that my sister was happy for the first time in a long time.

"Really? What's his name? Or her name! Is it a her?" I asked excitedly. This was the first time I'd heard Wynonna mention someone to me.
Wynonna laughed. "No, it's not a her. His name is Xavier. He's really amazing, and he kind of makes me happy, which I didn't even think was possible for me."
I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes. "Well, I'm really happy for you, Wynonna. And I'd really love to meet Xavier."
"You will, I promise. Hey, speaking of main squeezes, how's the Tater Haught doing?"
I giggled at the nickname, biting my lip. "She's really great. We're doing really well."
"She still make you swoon like the first day you met when you look at her?"
"Every. Single. Time."
"That's true love right there, baby girl. Don't you ever let that go, you hear me?"

I smiled a bit, the tears falling down my cheeks as I nodded, clearing my throat.

"I won't. I swear," I promised her.
"Good. Last thing I want is for my baby sister to be unhappy."
"I wish you were here, Wyn."
I heard her sniffle on the other side of the phone. "I wish I was there, too, Waves."
"We could go out to dinner, just you, me, Nicole. Maybe Xavier could join us." I chuckled, wiping my tears from my cheek.
Wynonna chuckled, sniffing again. "Yeah, I'd really love that. I think X would, too. He really wants to meet you guys."

I opened my mouth to respond, stopping when my bedroom door opened, and Nicole stepped through the doorway. She stopped when she saw me on the phone.

"Sorry," Nicole whispered.

I nodded, looking at her. "Do you know if you're ever gonna come back?" I asked Wynonna, keeping my eyes on Nicole, who was closing my bedroom door behind her. She set her cap and gown on my bed, and stepped back.
"No, I'm not sure yet. I've been talking to Xavier about it, but we haven't planned anything. Hopefully soon, though." Wynonna responded, her voice wavering slightly. "Listen, I'm gonna let you go now, baby girl. You have a good graduation, okay?"
"Okay, Wynonna. Thank you for calling. It was really good to hear your voice," I replied.
"It was really good to hear yours, too. I'm so proud of you, Waverly. I love you."
"I love you, too. Bye, Wynonna."
"Bye, baby girl."

The phone beeped, letting me know that Wynonna had hung up, and as soon as she did, I broke down into sobs.

Nicole rushed over to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged her back, burying my face in her shoulder. She kissed my temple, rubbing my back soothingly.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay," she muttered.

I pulled away from the hug and looked at her, tears still rolling down my cheeks. She reached up and wiped them away with her thumb. Her hand was so soft and comforting, I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch.

I felt her press a kiss to my cheek, just under my left eye, and I sighed. She made me feel so safe.

"Your makeup got messed up, baby." Nicole told me, her voice soft and quiet.
I shook my head a bit, not bothering to open my eyes. "I don't care," I replied.

Nicole's nose brushed against mine before she rested her forehead against my forehead.

"Are you okay?" She asked.
I opened my eyes, finally, though I didn't look at her. "No... I miss Wynonna," I muttered.
"I know, baby. I know."
"It just sucks that she's not here to see us graduate."
"Yeah... But at least she called, right?"
I opened my eyes and looked at Nicole. She was obviously trying to make me feel better. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right."

Nicole nodded, wiping my tears away again before kissing my nose gently. "Come on, baby. Let's fix your makeup, okay?"

I nodded, standing up with her. I looked at her outfit for the first time since she walked in and smiled a bit. She was wearing a nice floral blouse with a blazer over it, and black skinny jeans. I looked down at her shoes, which were her favorite pair of vans.

I giggled. "I should've known you weren't gonna wear a dress and some heels," I told her.
She blushed, looking down at her outfit. "Do you like it?" She asked.
I nodded, putting my arms around her neck and pulling her close. "I love it. You look amazing," I replied.

Nicole smiled at me and I ran my fingers through her hair, which was curled. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her forehead against mine. I closed my eyes, leaning forward to kiss her.

She kissed back, her soft lips pushing back against mine. I pulled away after a few seconds, looking at her as I cupped her face in my hands. I caressed her cheeks with my thumbs before giving her a nose kiss, pressing the tip of my nose against hers.

Nicole smiled at the gesture, giggling as I moved my head, rubbing our noses together. I chuckled, pulling away to smile at her.

We fixed my makeup before grabbing our caps and gowns and putting them on. I grabbed my things (mainly just my valedictorian speech) and walked downstairs with Nicole, where Gus and Curtis were waiting for us.

Gus turned around and smiled when she saw me in my cap and gown. "Oh, my little girl." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. She hugged both me and Nicole, pulling us close.
I chuckled. "Okay, Aunt Gus, don't cry yet." I joked, rubbing her back.
Gus pulled away, rolling her eyes. "Fine. But we're still taking some pictures." She told me, putting her hand under my chin.
"Yeah, we need some pictures to frame," Curtis added.

I smiled, nodding. I didn't mind pictures, I just didn't want Gus to cry before I'd even graduated officially.

Gus stepped back, getting her camera ready. "Stand closer. Come on," she told us.

I stepped closer to Nicole and she immediately put her arm around my waist. I put my arm around her and we smiled while Gus took pictures of us.

When we were finished, we walked out and got into Gus's truck. Curtis was driving, so Gus was in the passenger seat, while Nicole and I were in the backseat.

When he was driving, I rested my head against Nicole's shoulder with a small smile as she took my hand and interlocked our fingers.

It didn't take long for us to get to the school and out to the football field where graduation was taking place. We got out of the car and went our separate ways, Nicole and I going to the area where all the graduates needed to be.

I held my speech in my hand, nervous as the ceremony progressed. Soon, we were out and sitting in our chairs in front of the stage, waiting. We patiently listened to whatever the principal was saying. I didn't really pay attention to what she was talking about because I was too focused on the fact I was going to have to go up there and deliver my speech in front of my entire senior class.

"And now, please welcome our valedictorian, Waverly Earp." Principal Montgomery introduced me suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, clearing my throat as I stood up, flashing a nervous smile as I made my way onto the stage, the crowds of people applauding. I shook hands with the principal, who smiled at me and whispered "good luck".

I stepped up to the podium as the applause died down and took a deep breath. "Hi," I started, smiling. "My name is Waverly Earp... And, uh, I am the valedictorian of this senior class," I spoke. I sighed a bit, rolling my eyes. "But you already knew that."

They laughed, and I felt slightly more at ease.

"I know you all must be shocked to see an Earp up here, giving this speech. I mean, God knows my older sisters weren't exactly valedictorian material. Especially Wynonna."

I saw people nod in agreement, some of them laughed, others shook their heads in disapproval at the mention of Wynonna.

"Though, despite my family's reputation, I managed to do something I never imagined I could. I managed to make a new name for myself. Be something more than just an Earp. I met someone who truly loves me for who I am, and would never leave my side. And I think that's something all of us can accomplish, no matter what people think of us."

I looked at Nicole, who was watching from the crowd, and smiled at her.

"We all have the power to change how people perceive us. To rise above, and show the people who constantly told us we weren't enough, that we are more than enough. Now is the perfect time for that. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Let's make the most of it and follow our dreams. Accomplish what they never thought we could. Here's to the rest of our lives!" I exclaimed, finishing my speech with a huge smile.

The students all began to clap, including Nicole, who was cheering very loudly. I blushed, still smiling as I grabbed my speech from the podium. I said thank you into the microphone before leaving the stage to go back to my seat. On my way there, I waved at Nicole, who blew me a kiss right before I sat down.

We sat through the rest of the ceremony before they finally began to give out the diplomas. We stood up in lines whenever it was our turn. They called the names in alphabetical order, so they got through the A's, B's, C's, and D's.

"Waverly Earp," Principal Montgomery said.

I stepped up onto the stage, smiling nervously at the sound of the applause as I made my way to grab my diploma, though I knew the actual diploma wasn't in there, we'd have to pick it up later. She handed the blank, rolled-up piece of paper to me and shook my hand.

"Congratulations, Waverly." She told me, smiling as she gave me a quick hug.
"Thank you," I replied.

I left the stage, going back to my seat and sitting down. The next couple of letter went by slowly: F's, G's. Tucker Gardner was a junior, so he wasn't there.

"Nicole Haught," Principal Montgomery called out.

I clapped immediately, smiling as Nicole stepped up to the stage and grabbed her diploma from Principal Montgomery. They shook hands and Nicole smiled before stepping off the stage and returning to her seat. I waved at her excitedly, blowing her a kiss. She blushed, smiling back at me before she sat down.

The I's flew by, then it was the J's.

"Hardy James," Principal Montgomery said into the microphone.

Champ stepped onto the stage and grabbed his diploma, grinning like an idiot. He shook hands with the principal before walking to sit back down. A few more names came after him, and then Robin's name was called.

"Robin Jett," Principal Montgomery said.

Both Nicole and I cheered for him, clapping as he made his way onto the stage. He smiled widely, waving at us before he grabbed his diploma and shook hands with Principal Montgomery.

"Stephanie Jones."

. . .

"Tiffany McKenna."

. . .

"Chrissy Nedley."

. . .

"Jessica Ramos."

. . .

"I present to you, this year's graduates of Purgatory High!" Principal Montgomery announced.

We all cheered, standing up and tossing our caps into the air. Nicole walked over, hugging me tightly as the caps fell down around us. Without thinking, I kissed her in front of everyone. I didn't expect any type of reaction, and surprisingly we didn't get one.

Once the ceremony was over, Gus and Curtis found us and took so many pictures, some of them with Chrissy, Steph, Jess, and even Robin. Gus invited them all to dinner, but the only one who could join was Robin. Chrissy, Steph, and Jess already had plans (that I had a feeling were with each other), but Robin and his dad joined us for dinner at the diner in town.

When we got home, Nicole and I went upstairs to get ready for bed. We walked into my room, closing the door behind us. I took our caps and gowns, putting them in the closet as Nicole got our pajamas ready.

"So, do you wanna take a shower first?" Nicole asked me when I turned around to look at her.

When she asked that question, I got an idea. I stepped closer to her, smiling a bit.

"Or we could shower together," I suggested. I bit my lip in anticipation as I waited for her answer.
Nicole's cheeks turned red and she cleared her throat a bit. "Wha- Really?" She asked me.
I nodded, reaching to push her blazer off of her shoulders before my hands went to her shirt. I started to undo the buttons one-by-one. "Yeah... I mean... We've never showered together before... Maybe now would be a nice time to try it out?" I leaned closer, brushing my nose against hers.
Nicole swallowed, her eyes fluttering shut as our lips barely touched. She pulled back just a centimeter as she let out an airy chuckle. "Okay," she agreed.

A/N: Oof, cliffhanger?

JK. The shower scene will be in the next chapter. ;)

Sorry for all the teasing. Gotta keep you all on your toes.

Also I apologize if this chapter was really messy, I wasn't sure how to write it. I promise that the next two chapters will be much better.