A Seat Not Taken - Chapter Three
Author's Note: Hello! Thank you for all the support you've given me with this story! I'm excited to continue it! I just wanted to mention that I do not include revenants in this story because it would just complicate the plot. Also, Willa is mentioned in this chapter and possibly in later chapters, but will not be making an appearance (sadly) [that was sarcasm]. Honestly, at this point in the show, I can't stand her character. So, she will not be coming into this story. Without further ado, enjoy chapter three! (that would've been cool if it had been chapter two - it would've rhymed!)
Waverly breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the science building on Friday afternoon. She had just taken her last final and was ready to head home. But first, she would get to spend five plus hours in the car with Nicole Haught. Waverly grinned and walked toward her dorm building with a spring in her step.
Things had changed a lot since their first meeting in their history lecture. Waverly still felt guilty about being so rude, but at least Nicole thought it was funny. The two grew fairly close in this past week, like eating meals together and hanging out in each others' dorms. Waverly thought that there had also been some flirting involved, but she wasn't positive. She tried to flirt a bit too, but most of the time her words just came out as an incoherent sentence.
As Waverly walked past Nicole's dorm room, she peeked her head in, as the door had been open. She spotted Nicole sleeping on her bed, book resting on her chest moving up and down with her steady breathing. Waverly smiled and walked over to the bed, gently setting her bag down on the floor. Carefully, she took the book from Nicole's chest and set it on her desk, making sure to mark the page she was on. She then took the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed and gently draped it over Nicole's body. She took one last look at the sleeping figure before closing the door behind her and walking into her own dorm room.
Luckily, Waverly had been smart and had packed up clothes to take home the night before. She quickly changed into an outfit that was comfortable, yet fashionable, and made her butt look good. Grinning, she zipped up her suitcase and laced up her shoes before brushing her teeth and fixing her hair. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Waverly eagerly rushed over, but quickly composed herself before opening the door. It was Nicole, who had her suitcase in one hand and her purse in the other.
"Hey!" Nicole exclaimed. "You almost ready?" Waverly grinned.
"Yep! I'm all set; just let me grab my stuff."
The two walked outside and down the street for a couple blocks to the parking lot where many student's kept their cars. Waverly followed Nicole to a black Jeep parked at the end of a row. She laughed before putting her stuff in the back next to Nicole's.
"What?" Nicole asked.
"Nothing, it's just…I figured you'd have a Jeep!" Waverly replied, still chuckling slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nicole answered, grinning.
"Nothing! It suits you though," Waverly said, staring at Nicole. She imagined her driving down the highway, music blaring out of the radio, wind whipping through her hair, the pair holding hands between them…Waverly shook her head to clear her thoughts before getting into the passenger's seat. Now is not the time for daydreams, she thought. This is time that I get to spend with Nicole alone and try to get to know her better and on a deeper level.
"So what kind of music do you normally listen to?" Nicole asked as they drove out of campus.
"I'm more of an any type of music gal. I work well with country, rock, pop, but my specialty is rap," Waverly said. Nicole laughed and pressed a button on her dashboard.
"Rap it is!"
For a while they listened to the humorous rap lyrics of Wiz Khalifa and Afroman. Each time a sexual lyric came on (which was more often than not), Waverly would blush and look out the window, avoiding eye contact with Nicole as she sang every lyric. After close to an hour of rap, they switched to a softer country and began talking more about their personal lives.
"I'm not exactly sure what I want to do when I leave college," Waverly said thoughtfully. "Something with history because I love researching new topics and getting information that I never would've known about otherwise. What about you?"
"I've always wanted to be a cop," Nicole said with a laugh. "Not exactly everyone's favorite people, but my dad was a sheriff in the small town that I grew up in. Not much happened, but he made sure to always know everyone's name, what they liked, what they do for a living, things like that. So whenever he was in their neighborhood or saw them on the sidewalk, he'd be the kind, friendly sheriff that always stopped to chat. I'd like to live up to his legacy someday and be a good officer just like him." Waverly stared at the redhead for a moment and smiled.
"That's a great goal," she said. "I'm sure your dad can't wait to see you become a police officer. He'll be so proud of you!" Nicole did't say anything. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just, I haven't talked to my dad in three years," Nicole said quietly.
"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, Nicole! I had no idea," Waverly replied, putting her hand on Nicole's thigh.
"It's okay. I don't talk about it a lot. It's just kind of that thing that you never want to think about, but it's all you think about sometimes," Nicole said, giving Waverly a half-smile.
"I know what you mean," Waverly said, looking down at her lap. The image of her father being dragged into the woods flashed in her eyes and she quickly pulled away from Nicole.
"Are you okay?" Nicole asked, concerned. Waverly closed her eyes and nodded. Stop thinking about that, Waverly, she thought.
"Yeah," Waverly said. "I…when I was six, I had to watch my dad and sister get dragged away by a pack of wolves. I hate thinking about it, but sometimes I see it so clearly in my head and I just can't get it out." This time, it was Nicole's hand that rested on Waverly's thigh.
"Waverly," Nicole said. "I'm so sorry." Waverly smiled in thanks. The two quieted for a minute, but Nicole didn't remove her hand. Waverly glanced down at it and smiled, thinking to herself that she quite liked having Nicole's hand there. Maybe a bit higher and toward the middle more too, she thought before shaking her head once more and clearing her throat.
"Uh, so is it just you for the holidays?" Waverly asked quickly. Nicole, hearing Waverly clear her throat, took her hand away before answering.
"Yeah, it's just me. My sister and her family are out of town, plus I'll be working at the Purgatory police department, so it kind of works out this way," she said.
"You'll have to come over for Christmas dinner! Gus, who is kind of like my adopted mom, always cooks Wynonna and I holiday meals and they're delicious," Waverly said excitedly. Nicole laughed.
"It sounds amazing," she said. "I'd love to eat dinner with you." Waverly blushed slightly and smiled.
The two rode on for several hours, talking and joking. They stopped briefly after crossing the border into Canada for a quick dinner, then drove on. About an hour outside of Purgatory, Waverly fell asleep, mouth open slightly and breathing lightly. Nicole looked down at the sleeping girl next to her and smiled, thinking that Purgatory wouldn't be so bad as long as she had Waverly there too.