From Zero to Her Hero

Chapter 13: All Time Chump

Christmas had come and gone, Winter break shuffling along without a problem. Nicole and Waverly were in love! What could possibly ruin that feeling of happiness and excitement? Nothing, Waverly had told herself, could bring them down. Nothing could possibly bring them down from the clouds, from the happy feeling that had now taken a permanent place in their hearts, in their minds. Waverly was in love with Nicole, and Nicole was in love with her. That's all that mattered, right? Nicole was going off to college next year, but they would cross that bridge when they got there. Waverly had the rest of their year, and their summer, planned out in full detail. They were going to spend every waking moment with each other, every sleeping moment together. She had planned for every vacation, every lazy day and busy night. So, when she got Nicole's phone call, her world nearly shattered. Nicole had applied to the Academy the week before break began and had been anxiously awaiting a response. And she finally got one. Nicole had gotten in.

Well, she sure as hell hadn't planned for that.

The Academy had been at the back of Waverly's mind for the past two months and now it was resurfacing to the front, hitting her like a truck. Nicole had gotten into the Academy. She was happy for her girlfriend, she really was, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't want Nicole to leave come August. So they talked about it. They argued and yelled, ultimately leading to a nasty breakup that neither girl intended. They were being irrational high schoolers who let their minds speak before their hearts did. They were being stubborn and it took Chrissy and Wynonna intervening on their emo-fest, as Wynonna had put it, in order for them talk things out.

"Get your head out of your ass and talk to her," Wynonna had said to Nicole.

"Neither of you want this, so why are you both prolonging it?" Chrissy had told Waverly.

The guilt was eating Waverly alive and she would be the first to admit to anyone that the pain she was experiencing from not being with Nicole was far worse than any other pain she had ever felt, or will feel; Nicole going to the Academy being one of those pains. So there she was, standing at the Haught's doorstep the week before school resumed, her hand raised as if to knock. The second her knuckles made contact with the door, it flew open with the redhead standing on the other side. Waverly's mouth opened in a fruitless attempt to get words out, but nothing was said, so she took a few steps back, stepping down from the porch.

Nicole was standing before her, her hair a mess and her cheeks stained with tears. She wore a Toronto Police Academy t-shirt and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover it up; salt in the wound, she thought. She hadn't showered in days. Sleep had fled her body since their fight, and it was more apparent now than ever. Nicole Haught was a mess, but Waverly thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Nicole took immediate notice to the lack of effort Waverly had put into her appearance. The once lively and seemingly flawless-looking brunette was now a dull pile of emotion. Her hair was pulled into an extremely messy bun, her face was devoid of any makeup, and she was wearing yoga pants and one of Nicole's sweatshirts that was one size too big. She looked absolutely lost and broken, and it broke Nicole's heart to see Waverly in such a devastated state. The guilt that had been residing in the pit of Nicole's stomach was slowly making its way up to her chest, causing her heart to physically ache. This was mostly her fault, she had made the issue escalate to their breaking point.

They stood staring, watching each other with glossy eyes and broken hearts, not saying a single word. Waverly took a small, hesitant step up onto the bottom step of the porch, as if planning out her next moves, and Nicole couldn't help but crack a small smile at the girl before her. The way her face reflected the brief internal conversation she was having with herself, the way her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth as if afraid to do or say anything for fear of making things worse, made Nicole's heart expand and her breath catch in her throat. She loved Waverly, and she wasn't about to let her go over a small fight about something so stupid.