The ride back is painfully silent. I am pretty sure my brain is going to start bleeding from all the thinking I am doing in my quest to try and comprehend what had happened in the shoe store.

I chance another look at the brunette in the passenger seat beside me. At the same time, I fight the urge to reach up and touch my lips at the memory of the brief, yet life altering, kiss she had placed on them.

"Would you quit staring at me already?" She finally breaks the stifling silence.

My grip on the wheel tightens as I take a breath, trying to psych myself up to get some answers from the terrifying, yet beautiful girl next to me.

"Sorry. It's just… I am very confused as to what just happened in that store. Why… why'd you kiss me?"

She releases a sigh that echoes throughout the cabin. "Look, don't read into it. I just wanted to save you from that asshole."

My eyebrows furrow with confusion. "So to save me… you kissed me? I don't understand."

She turns in her seat so she can look at me. "I heard what he said and it was really shitty. He needed to be proven wrong, that you were not alone. I kissed you to make him believe it."

Hearing her say it, that she had in fact kissed me, makes it much more real. A smile starts to form on my lips. "You know, you could have just hugged me."

She shrugs. "Now where would be the fun in that?" She says with a smirk, a flash of something wild in her eyes. I feel the heat creep out of my blood and onto the outer layer of my skin. I visibly gulp. Waverly Earp is definitely on a mission to kill me.

"Well, uh, thanks for helping me out. People don't usually care to defend the town's only gay girl." I say, a bit of somberness in my tone at remembering all the previous times people had treated me like some kind of undeserving abomination. All the times I didn't have a Waverly Earp to stand up for me.

When no response comes, I glance over to make sure she is okay. The look of brief sadness washing over the brunette's face as she seems to recall an unwanted memory, feels like a dagger to my heart.

"Yeah well, I know what it's like to be bullied." Her words only help to drive the dagger past my heart into my soul, causing an incurable ache to start growing in the fibers of my existence. Who would dare hurt Waverly Earp?

Before I can ask her about it, a shock of resurrection sizzles up my arm and into my heart when she briefly touches my hand.

"Nobody deserves to be bullied. Especially not for who they prefer to love." I would not mind getting bullied every day if it meant you would kiss me again. I quickly bury the unexpected thought, focusing on the unexpected kindness shown by the currently not angry girl next to me.

"Thanks for saying that, Waverly." I tell her gratefully, smiling in the way that has my dimples come out of hiding. She nods briefly and I delight in the small smile on her lips. She turns away from me again to stare out the window as we pass multiple fields of lucerne and oats.

Not wishing to return to a time when Waverly Earp didn't talk to me, I quickly continue speaking.

"You surprise me, Waverly Earp." Her head snaps to me with an adorable furrow on her forehead. I chuckle at her confused expression.

"I thought you were some kind of ice queen when we met two days ago. But it seems I was mistaken. Under all that anger you are very kind, not to mention brave."

A watch in delight from the corner of my eye as a blush dusts her cheeks at me words, but then her smile drops from her face as she stiffens. I can practically feel the air around us turn to ice once more.

I am quickly starting to realize that getting Waverly Earp to drop her walls is like chasing a rainbow for gold. Just when you are close enough to see the glint of the gold nuggets in the sunlight, clouds start rolling in again.

"Just because I saved your ass does not make us friends now. So, stop acting like you know me suddenly, because you don't." She huffs out and folds her arms around herself as she turns to stare back out the window again.

There she is. I think with a roll of my eyes.

But now that I've seen signs of the kindness behind all the ice surrounding her heart, I was even more determined to break through. Waverly Earp was merely a rainbow parading as a hurricane, and I was going to get to that gold.

You'll let me in, eventually. I think with a small smile as I hit the gas pedal, making the truck take us home faster.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I wipe my hands on an old towel to remove the engine grease form the tractor I had been working on, Kings of Leon thrumming in my eardrums. Once they are sufficiently clean, I use my hands to remove my phone and open the MatchMe app.

I scroll through all the messages Angelgirl and I had sent each other ever since I got back to the farm from town, my smile widening with every read through.

[08:22 am] Angelgirl08: You should really consider changing your name to Captain Ego. Although, I can appreciate a good pun. Secondly, if women are falling at your feet as you so boldly claim, then why are you using this app?

[10:30 am] Haught(givemea)shot: Hey! I am sorry for leaving you hanging, I just had an errand to run. I am sorry for once again keeping you waiting, I promise it is not on purpose.

[10:31 am] Haught(givemea)shot: I did consider Captain Ego as a name, but it gives off too much of a patriarchal bullshit vibe. Besides, puns show intelligence. Chicks (like you) dig puns. ;]

[10:31 am] Haught(givemea)shot: As to why I use the app — I am tired of having to pick women up from the floor and then finding that they do not see beyond my looks. The app allows me to express myself without revealing my expression, I guess.

[10:33 am] Angelgirl08: Don't flatter yourself, hotshot. My life does not revolve around your ability to reply to me. But it's cool, I get it.

[10:34 am] Angelgirl08: Ugh, I do despise me some patriarchal bullshit. Had to deal with some more of that today. Luckily underestimation of the feminine power can lead to an ice-cold dish of "Surprise, motherf*ker."

[10h34 am] Angelgirl08: I find myself relating to you quite a bit, you know. I am very familiar with people not seeing the real me. Perhaps we will both find something real on this virtual app :)

[10:36 am] Haught(givemea)shot: Was that just a Dexter quote? Oh no, did you kill the patriarchal bullshit offender? Please tell me you are not a murderer.

[10:37 am] Haught(givemea)shot: Perhaps we will find something real on this app :)

Perhaps we already have. I had thought with a smile. But after my last message, Angelgirl seemed to go missing. I have been waiting 20 minutes now without a reply. Was it something I said? I think, worry pooling in my gut. I shake my head at myself. Calm down, idiot. She is probably just busy.

I put my phone back in my pocket and am about to replace the oil filter on the tractor when Jeremy barges into the barn, sporting his brand-new sneakers. I smile and go to greet him when the look on his face stops me. "What's wrong, Jer?"

"I would ask Chrissy to deal with this, but she is currently in the shower.'

"Deal with what?" I ask cautiously.

"It's Waverly." His simple words cause a shockwave of panic to flood my bones.

"Take me to her, now." I practically order him as I drop the oil filter and head for the barn door.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I stand in front of Waverly's door and am about to knock when I hear it. The distinct sounds of crying. The thought of Waverly sad seems to add to the pressure of a dagger in my heart. I take a deep breath.

"Waverly. It's me, Nicole. Can I come in?" I ask in my most gentle voice, remembering the best way to coax an injured animal is not through force.

Hearing no reply, I grip the handle. "I am going to come in, okay?" I caution her, then I turn the handle and enter her room. A whiff of what can only be described as Waverly's essence hits me fully in the face as I enter. The mix of blooming frangipani and fresh linen creates a pleasant nasal experience.

My eyes fall on the brunette, who is seated in the very middle of her bed. She holds her knees, rocking back and forth as sobs wrack her body. The usually larger than life girl seems so tiny and fragile in that moment.

I feel my heart bleed at the sight and swiftly move to her side. I remove my Stetson and place it on the matrass before kneeling so that I can better see her face.

"Hey, Waves. It's me, Nicole." I say softly. She does not respond and the sobs keep coming. Feeling desperate to comfort her, I reach out and place my hand on her arm experimentally. I start rubbing my fingers up and down her arms in an attempt calm her down. To my relief, she does not pull away, but it also does nothing to stop her sobs.

Feeling encouraged, I move onto the bed and slowly wrap my arms around her. She stiffens initially, but then she relaxes and falls into my embrace. I feel her tiny hands grip onto my flannel shirt as she buries her face into my neck.

I ignore the moist droplets falling onto the skin of my neck and hold onto her even tighter. "Hey. Shhh. It's okay. You are okay, you are safe. Shhh." I coo gently in an attempt to calm her down. The feeling of her tears on my neck are replaced by the air leaving her lungs when she finally speaks.

"I didn't mean it… I didn't mean to. I am a monster." She says through her tears. Her words make absolutely no sense. So instead of thinking too hard on them, I focus on my primary goal of making Waverly's pain go away.

"You did nothing wrong, Waves. It's okay, no one can hurt you here." I mutter softly and place a kiss against the side of her head. I briefly remember how my mother used to do that whenever I was sad. How she used to be healthy enough to do it. How much I missed it, how much I miss her. I blink away the tears that threaten to fall from the overwhelming sense of sadness building up in my chest and hug the girl in my arms a little tighter.

We sit like that for what feels like hours when I finally feel the brunette relax, her breathing becoming rhythmic as she falls asleep. With one last kiss to her head, I gently move the sleeping girl into a laying position on the bed and cover her with the duvet. With one last worried look towards her, I exit the room.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The rest of the afternoon remains uneventful, with the exception of the turmoil in my mind. I had gone back to the barn and completed the oil change on the tractor. I struggled more than usual with tightening the bolts and even spilled some of the oil on my shirt. My focus was not quite on the task at hand, for obvious reasons.

The only thing on my mind was Waverly Earp. Was she okay? What did she mean when she said that she was a monster? What could she possibly have done to make her think that? Or is it a question of what someone could possibly have done to her? The last thought has me clenching my jaw in anger as I make my way to the kitchen to have a late lunch.

As I enter the kitchen, Chrissy greets me with lopsided smile. "Hey, Nic! I made your favourite. Tacos!"

I sit down at the table and give her a distracted nod. At my lack of usual enthusiasm for Chrissy's culinary skills, the blond girl lowers her spatula and turns to face me. "You are worried about her too, huh?" She asks softly.

I nod solemnly as I take a bite of the taco on my plate.

"Jeremy told me you got her to stop crying. You are a really good person, Nic. I have a feeling Waverly is going to need you more than you think." She says, causing me to look up at her with surprise.

She merely gives me a knowing smile before returning to her task of making more tacos. An inexplicable warmth gathers in my heart at her words. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I may just need her too. I think as I take another bite, my tastebuds finally responding to glorious food in my mouth.

"Hey Chrissy?" I ask, causing the other girl to turn around with a warm smile.

"Thanks." It's not just for the food and Chrissy seems to know because she winks at me, her smile growing even wider.

"Anytime, Sis."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It's only later that afternoon, as I am on my way to the feed shed, when my phone vibrates again with a new message from Angelgirl.

[16:35 pm] Angelgirl08: Hey. Sorry for going MIA on you. I just had an unwanted trip down memory lane and let's just say I kind of needed to clock out for a while.

[16:36 pm] Haught(givemea)shot: Don't sweat it. I know the feeling of having too many memories that you'd much rather forget haunting you. Sometimes they creep up on you unexpectedly and you just need to brace the storm till the pain left in their wake subsides. But if you ever want to talk about it, (or not) I am here.

[16:38 pm] Angelgirl08: You literally could not have described that better. People usually don't understand, but you seem to know exactly what I mean. So, thanks for saying that and for saying you are there. It actually means a lot more than you might think. Although, I think that I might have another source of comfort in my life after today, a very unexpected one.

[16:40 pm] Haught(givemea)shot: Yeah, I learned a long time ago that keeping all the pain for yourself only makes it worse. But if you open your heart, eventually the right ones will come in and help you heal.

[16:41pm] Angelgirl08: I think I am starting to get that.

I get distracted from replying when Lethal Combination starts playing on my playlist. I am powerless at the effect of the song and start shuffling my feet as I bop my head to the tune.

"Baby let's go and get blind tonight. I'll hold your hair back and you'll hold mine." I belt out passionately, before doing a dramatic spin. I dance around the feed shed like an idiot, feeling lighter than I have in a very long time.

When the chorus hits, I jump onto a haybale, singing along. "We're a lethal combination! Too lost for therapeeeeee." Finishing the lyric, I spin along with the tune and jump off the haybale again. As my foot hits the floor, I unfortunately notice Waverly Earp staring at me from the shed entrance. The surprise of her presence causes me to lose my footing and I ungraciously fall flat on my ass.

The sound of Waverly Earp giggling counters the embarrassment of my fumble, causing me to smile despite the pain currently shooting up my tailbone. She walks over and offers me her hand, which I gratefully accept. After she pulls me back up, I stop the song and remove my air pods.

"Waves, uh, hey." I say dumbly, feeling a bit awkward for some reason. She holds onto her left arm with her right hand, her own posture also looking a bit unsure. "I just, uh wanted to uhm say that…" She struggles, so I give her an easy out.

"Don't sweat it." I say, smiling warmly. She looks surprised at first, then she nods and smiles so beautifully that my heart starts beating like a wild thing in my chest, as if it were Tina Turner in the Thunderdome. The grateful joy in the brunette's eyes is all the thanks I need.

The awkwardness seemingly resolved; I move to complete my initial reason for coming to the foodshed — gathering fresh lucerne hay for the mustang. I hoist a bale onto my shoulder with a huff and turn towards the exit. When I look at Waverly, I almost think I see that look of astonishment on her face again. But when I blink it's gone.

"Where are you going with that?" She asks.

"I am heading to the corral to give the mustang his dinner." At the mention of the horse Waverly lights up, her eyes sparkling with a life that I didn't know they could possess. A light that stokes the warmth in my spirit. I smile at her eagerness and nod in the direction of the exit. "You want to help me feed him?"

"Yes!" She practically shouts, unable to hide her excitement. Realizing the diversion from her normal mannerisms, she quickly steels herself. "I mean, yeah, that would be cool." She shrugs as if it were nothing. But I already caught her. I see you, Waverly Earp. With a knowing smirk on my lips, I nod and start heading towards the corral. I hear swift footsteps on the concrete behind me as Waverly follows.

As I enter the corral, the mustang whinnies at me. There is no hostility in his body language, but he does keep his distance. As I place the bale inside the corral, Waverly gets up onto the wooden poles on the outside of the enclosure. She holds out her hand towards the mustang. I scoff at her attempt. There was no way he would just… My thought is doused when I watch in disbelief as the horse walks over to Waverly and allows her to touch his forehead. My jaw must practically hang on the floor as I watch their interaction.

"Traitor!" I say with a playful glare at the horse. As if wanting to rub it in, he moves even closer to Waverly's hand, causing her to giggle.

The sound of her joy removes any of the resentment I did not really feel. Wanting in on the action, I slowly walk over to the duo. Waverly takes my hand and pulls it towards the horse. I move to touch his forehead, fully expecting another rejection, when my hand finally makes contact.

I look between Waverly and the horse with astonishment. "Woah." I breathe, my awe turning into a huge smile as I finally get to pet the skittish mustang.

He seems to grow tired of us feeling him up and detaches his forehead from my hand with a grunt, moving over to the fresh lucerne. We watch as he greedily starts consuming the fresh fodder.

"Does he have a name?" Waverly asks as she watches him eat with a fond expression.

I shake my head. "Not yet. I wasn't really sure what to call him." I say, looking over at her sheepishly.

She seems to think for a moment. "How about Eos? It's the name for the Greek goddess of Dawn, representing hope and rejuvenation."

The passion behind Waverly's eyes as she looks over at the mustang, the events of the day and the hope growing in my own heart leads me to only one conclusion.

"It's perfect." I tell her with a warm smile, her responding look of joy flooding my spirit with an overwhelming sense of excitement for what tomorrow holds.