Saturdays are usually not much different to weekdays on the farm. Emphasis on usually. Today has proved that statement very wrong. The exception to the rule? Waverly Earp. It all started when I exited the stables this morning after feeding the horses and saw her.

Nedley gives the schoolgoers the day off on Saturdays, to allow them some well-earned rest and time to catch up on homework. So, I fully expected to not run into Waverly at least until after 9am, maybe even 10am. I remember how much I cherished those off days when I first started out at Joy farm, sleeping in until Chrissy had to come and check my pulse to see if I was actually still amongst the living.

So, seeing Waverly when I exit the stables around 7am on this fine Saturday takes me by complete surprise. But that's not the worst of it. You see, not only is Waverly Earp awake at 7am on a Saturday, but she is running at 7am on a Saturday. She was one of those people. Oh, and by the way, that's still not the worst of it. The very worst? Waverly Earp's choice of active wear. Or should I say, lack thereof.

I almost choke on my own breath when I see the brunette running up the road leading past the stables… in nothing but a sports bra and really short jogging shorts.

For some reason my brain seems to slow down time just to mess with me, and I get to see every muscle contract deliciously on toned abs and firm legs. I suddenly feel the urge to drink every drop of water in the lake that supplies irrigation to the barley field, the moisture in my mouth practically non-existent.

"Nicole, NICOLE!" Jeremy's urgent voice finally breaks the trance. I tear my eyes away from poetry in motion to give Jeremy my undivided attention. Okay, maybe not undivided, my brain replays the sway of the angry goddess's hips on repeat as I try to focus on what my friend is asking me.

"… to town today. So, can Waverly and I join?"

I try really hard to back track, but sadly I am unable to understand. "Uh, what?" I ask dumbly.

Jeremy follows my line of sight, a knowing look passing over his features. "You are such a useless lesbian." He tells me with a smirk.

Quickly recovering my composure, I release a scoff. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you don't." I roll my eyes at him

"Anyway. What did you ask just now?"

"I hear you are going in to town today. Waverly said she needs to buy some toiletries, and I need to get a new pair of shoes." He points to his sneakers, that have clearly seen better days. "Nedley said I can buy a new pair. So, can we come?"

I give my friend a warm smile as I start making my way back to the house, an eager Jeremy following in my wake. "Of course, Jer. I'm leaving at 8h30 sharp."

"Whoo-hoo, road trip! Cool, I'll tell Waves." Jeremy fist bumps the air with a happy smile as he runs into the house ahead of me.

Did he just call her Waves? Did he actually manage to befriend the angry girl? I make a mental note to ask him to teach me his ways.

With a smile and shake of my head I head for the door. As I am about to step onto the first step of the back porch, a whinny from behind me catches my attention. I turn to see the mustang looking right at me from the corral. I slowly make my way over to him. He releases another whinny as I approach, as if to say "Good morning, human."

With a grin I raise my Stetson, nodding my head in his direction. "Mornin' bud."

I reaching out my hand, hoping to finally make contact. But once again, just as I am about to touch him, he pulls away and runs to the other side of the corral. With a sigh I drop my hand again.

"Playing hard to get, huh? I see how it is." I tell him, a playful smirk on my lips. He just grunts at me before bending down to chew on a stalk of grass.

"I ain't giving up. You'll let me in eventually." I whisper, and it's more of a promise than a statement. With one last smile in his direction, I turn on my heel and head into the kitchen.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It is now 8h20am and I am making my way to Nedley's truck. Having some time as I wait for my two passengers, I pull out my phone and type out a new message.

Haught(givemea)shot: Good morning, Angel :)

I realize I am smiling at my phone like an idiot at the mere thought of another interaction with the other girl. I look around to make sure no one sees me looking like some love-struck lunatic.

I release a sigh of relief when I don't yet see anyone approaching. My phone finally buzzes, sending sparks of excitement flooding through my bones.

Angelgirl08: Woah there, Casanova. You don't get to just call me angel.

Haught(givemea)shot: Oh, I am sorry. Would you prefer I call you girl08 then?

A smirk plays on my lips at my witty reply, only to be wiped right off by her response.

Angelgirl08: Do you treat all your girls like numbers? I bet your bed post has a lot more notches than 8.

I feel a blush creep up my neck at the insinuation. In truth I only ever had one girlfriend, and that was back in high school. Her name was Shae Pressman. After it happened and I kind of lost my shit, she left me. She left me when I had needed her most, when I was at my very lowest.

I grit my teeth to try and stem the painful swelling in my chest at the memory. I push the stabbing thoughts away and focus on replying to the only person who has managed to make me experience feelings that I had not known since Shae broke my heart.

Haught(givemea)shot: Now look who is making assumptions based on usernames. Just because mine says I'm hot, doesn't mean that I sleep around. I mean women fall at my feet, obviously, but I prefer those who can fly. You know, like angels.

The front door opening draws my attention away from my phone. I watch as a smiling Jeremy exits, followed by a now fully clothed Waverly. My brain cannot decide if it is relieved or disappointed by this fact. Truth be told, the shorts, cowboy boots and red crop top she wears do nothing for my mental health.

I notice the brunette staring at her phone with a huge smile as she approaches. Probably some cheesy ass message from her boyfriend, I think as I roll my eyes.

I open the door of Nedley's old Chevy and get into the driver's seat. I feel my phone vibrate as I put the key into the ignition. I am about to check my phone when Jeremy knocks on my window. With a frown, I wind down the barrier between us.

"Hey, Nic. I actually won't be joining anymore. My grandmother has finally figured out how to do a Zoom call, so I am going to be catching up with her for the rest of the morning." He tells me with a sheepish shrug.

"That's okay, Jer. If you want, I'll pick up some new sneakers for you. Just send me your shoe size and the colour you prefer."

He practically lights up. "You will? Nicole, you are like, THE best! Thanks so much." I chuckle at his enthusiastic show of gratitude.

"Don't sweat it." I tell him with a warm smile. Then I turn to address Waverly behind him. "You, uh, ready to go?" She just nods and then walks over to the passenger door and gets in.

I start the engine and lead us along the dirt road and out the farm gate.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

We are about 10 minutes from town when a Taylor Swift song I've heard a million times comes on the radio. I go to change the station when the sound of humming stops me. I chance a look to the passenger side and watch as Waverly's lips move along with the song. The car had been quiet ever since we left the farm, with Waverly just staring out at the farmlands outside as we drove. I had wanted to talk, but feared she would just shrug me off.

Perhaps this was my in. I turn up the volume in experimentation. I peek across the cabin to the brunette, noticing her head moving along with the song ever so slightly.

"You a Swiftie, huh?" I ask.

She ignores me and checks her phone again. I noticed her doing it quite frequently as we drove, an adorable little frown appearing on her face when she clearly did not yet receive a response from someone. It would seem her boyfriend just didn't give enough of a damn to reply to her. Undeserving piece of trash.

"You know, if you have to wait for him to reply every time, he clearly isn't worth the wait." I mumble.

"What?" I finally hear the brunette utter her first words since we left the farm.

I nod towards her phone. "I see you checking your phone frequently."

"Firstly, it's none of your business. Secondly, bold of you to assume that it's a him."

Her words take me by surprise. Was she…? My heart starts beating wildly with a sense of hope I have no explanation for. I mean, if Waverly Earp was into girls, it's not like she would be into me. She kind of seems to hate me. So instead of overthinking her words any more for the sake of my own sanity, I just release an annoyed huff.

"Geez, so sorry for trying to have a conversation. I won't make that mistake again."

With that I return my attention back to the dirt road, the town of Purgatory appearing right up ahead. I go to switch the radio to another station, as Justin Bieber just wasn't helping my mood, when Waverly speaks up again.

"Look, I am sorry for snapping at you. You don't deserve it. I would just appreciate if you don't try and get to know me. I am just going be here until I graduate, then I'll be gone. No point in trying to be my friend."

She folds her arms in her signature defiance posture and refuses to even look at me. I grit my teeth as if not to tell her how dumb I think that is. It would definitely just make miss stubborn ass even more angry.

"Sure, Waverly. Whatever you want." I huff out finally as we enter town.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I stop across from the grocery store, right next to Shorty's truck. On the back there are two cages, each holding a young German Shepard. The dogs watch us with curious eyes as we exit our vehicle. Waverly heads straight for the store as I go over to meet Shorty as he exits his truck.

"Hi Shorty. How have you been?" I remove my Stetson and grip his proffered hand in greeting.

"Nicole! Always good to see you. I'm doing well. My animals are well. With the exception of my old mare."

"Oh, what's happened? Is old Millie's knee still givin' her trouble?" I ask, remembering the last time it happened and I went over to help.

"The very one! Doc had to come and tranquilize her again. But the strangest thing happened, the box of Xylazine which arrived last week was just completely missing. Luckily Doc had some vials in his truck."

His words baffle me. "What? How does a whole box of Xylazine just disappear? You sure you checked properly?"

He just releases a sigh and shakes his head. "I am just as baffled as you are, kid. But perhaps I'll do another sweep of the farm. Maybe one of my workers just misplaced it."

I nod, shoving away the uneasy feeling swimming in my gut. It's probably nothing. Sometimes boxes go missing. "Yeah, I am sure it'll turn up."

Shorty smiles at me and moves to the back of the truck. "All right, enough of that. Let's offload these two good boys and get 'em onto that truck of yours."

I follow quickly behind him. "So what do we call them?"

Shorty points to the cage on the left first. "That there is Skip." Then he points at the one on the right. "And that is his older brother Dexter."

When Shorty drops the tailgate, I hop on onto the back of the truck. I bow down to greet each of the dogs with scratch to the head through the holes in the cage. "Hiya boys. Nice to meet ya'." Skip licks my hand, causing my smile to widen.

After I get back up, I start moving Skip's cage to the edge of the truck bed. Shorty grabs the other end of the cage and we lift it off his truck and swiftly onto Nedley's. We repeat the process with the second cage, making quick work of transferring Joy farm's newest additions to their ride home. I jump off the back of the truck, addressing Nedley's oldest friend.

"Thanks for helping us out, Shorty. We are gonna take real good care of them, so they can take real good care of us." I tell, gripping his hand.

"I know you will. Take care now, and tell Nedley he should come visit soon. Marge has been waiting to test her new lasagna recipe."

I nod in acknowledgement, unable to stop the laugh from escaping my lips at his words. "Will do, Shorty. You have a good day now."

With that Shorty gets back into his truck and backs out of the parking lot. I turn back to give the two dogs another smile. I spot the shoe store on the other side of the road and remember the promise I made to Jeremy.

As I make my way across the road, I spot two people conversing on the corner of the street. At first, I make nothing of the young girl and the older man. But then I see the young girl look around her, before handing something to the man. It screams suspicious and has my Spidey senses going haywire.

My feet start carrying me in their direction on their own volition. The girl spots me and informs her friend, right before they both start running in different directions. Naturally, I go after the fairer sex. I run as fast as my feet will carry me after the girl. She ducks out of sight behind a building and when I finally catch up, she is long gone.

I take a moment to catch my breath, surveying the area behind the building. Spotting no sign of the girl, I relent with a sigh and turn back the way I had come.

With the interaction consuming my thoughts, I make my way over to the shoe store. The clerk, Robin, greets me with a warm smile.

"Hi, Nicole. How can I help you?" He asks. I tip my hat at him in greeting with a smile of my own.

"Hi, Robin. I am just picking up a new pair of shoes for Jeremy." Hearing my friend's name causes the boy on the other side of the counter to practically light up. Jeremy and Robin had met each other via MatchMe, hence why he hounded me to try it too. They are practically joined at the hip whenever Jeremy comes to town. I also think Jeremy ruins his sneakers just so he has an excuse to see Robin.

I take out my phone to provide Robin with the details on Jeremy's shoes, but when I look up, he is gone. I also notice two new messages on my phone, guilt pulling at my heart for having left Angelgirl on read YET again. I decide to get this over with quick so I can make some time to reply to her.

I look around, finally spotting Robin looking at a shelf of Nikes. He picks up a pair matching Jeremy's exact description. Obviously, he knows exactly what his boyfriend would want.

As we go over to the counter so I can pay, I hear the bell above the door ring as someone enters.

"Well well well. If it isn't Purgatory's very own pair of queers."

I grit my teeth so hard that I fear I might need dental work at the voice of Champ Fucking Hardy. I should have known I would eventually run into the Glory Hole's brainless bouncer.

I see Robin stiffen behind the counter. I hand him my card, to try and get his attention off of the idiotic boy-man. Once I am done paying, I greet Robin and pick up the bag with Jeremy's shoes. I go for the exit, but Champ blocks my way. His friend Pete York stands next to him, a devilish smirk on his face. I release a sigh. I was really not in the mood for this.

"How is your lonely lesbian life out on the farm, Queer? You know, you are gonna die completely alone, just like those stupid cows of yours." I vaguely register the bell above the door ringing as someone new enters, my power of will slipping as my hand tightens into a fist. I am just about to punch the smirk off of Champs idiotic face when Waverly Earp appears in my line of sight. What happens next will haunt my dreams for years.

"Hey, Babe." She tells me with a sweet smile, right before grabbing me by the neck and kissing me. I barely have time to register anything beyond, only angels can possibly have lips this soft, before she ends the kiss and grabs my hand, pulling me out the door. In my dazed state I at least get the satisfaction of noticing the shocked expressions on Champ and Pete's faces as we pass them. "Come on, sweetie, we are going to be late." Waverly coos sweetly right before we are out of earshot.

Only once Waverly releases my hand and gets into the passenger seat of the truck, does my brain start functioning again. What the fuck just happened? Right there I knew that Waverly Earp was going to be the death of me, and I would willingly volunteer to be sacrificed. With a last shake of my head to clear the haze, I get into the truck.