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Waverly Earp was sitting in the cafeteria staring at the jocks as they walked toward her table. She had sat at that table, the cheerleaders’ table, since 10th grade, but this year it felt a little different. Waverly was a senior and head cheerleader, and she knew it should feel like the best time of her life, but it didn’t. She was ready for the next chapter.
It wasn’t that she hated high school, but Purgatory was a small town with limited options, and Waverly had big plans and bigger dreams. She was ready to go to college and spread her wings. Waverly loved languages and history, and she wanted to see the world. She wanted to do more than marry the local jock and live miserably ever after.
Waverly shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and watched the group of guys and the girl as they continued to make their way toward her table.
The jocks had always sat with the cheerleaders during lunch and nothing changed under Waverly’s charge. She assumed jocks and cheerleaders were a lot like peas and carrots. They just went together.
Besides, most of the cheerleaders were dating one of the boys or had dated one of them — including Waverly. She had dated several of the guys, but none of the relationships fit her.
Waverly continued watching, studying them. Well, she was studying one of them.
They were all wearing their letterman jackets and laughing at something Champ Hardy had said.
Waverly huffed.
Champ was the quarterback of the football team, captain of the basketball team, and an idiot boy-man that all the jocks followed as if he was some kind of sports god.
Waverly rolled her eyes and looked over at her best friend, who was sitting next to her, and they both sighed.
Chrissy Nedley and Waverly had been friends all their lives. Her father was the town drunk, and Chrissy’s dad was the sheriff. It was a friendship made in heaven — or in Purgatory.
“Have you agreed to go out with Champ yet?” Chrissy asked, watching the jocks and pushing her mashed potatoes around her plate.
“No,” Waverly said, bumping Chrissy with her shoulder and scrunching up her nose, “and you know that I’m not going to say yes.”
It wasn’t that Champ was bad-looking. He was muscular, had nice eyes, but he had more hair gel in his brown hair than necessary, and his personality was just as greasy. All the girls thought he was attractive, and he knew it, but that was only part of the problem.
Champ’s biggest problem was a cheater and all-around prick.
“Why not?” Stephanie was sitting across from Chrissy, turning so she could watch the jocks and lifting one shoulder. “I mean, he’s Champ.”
Stephanie Jones was Waverly’s friend and number one rival. Stephanie had wanted to be head cheerleader. She wanted to date the quarterback. Instead, Stephanie had settled for sleeping with Champ and constantly teasing Waverly about it.
Waverly couldn't care less about Champ or what Stephanie thought about Champ.
“I don’t know,” Waverly said, shrugging her shoulders and looking at the back of Stephanie’s head. “He’s just not my thing.”
“Champ is everybody’s thing.” Stephanie’s eyes narrowed, and she turned back to glare at Waverly. “If he isn’t your thing, who is?”
She looked at the jocks again. Waverly knew the answer to the question but had no intentions of ever telling Stephanie.
“Hey, Waves. Can I sit here?”
Nicole.
Waverly looked up, smiling.
Nicole Haught asked the same question every day, and Waverly answered it the same way every day.
She felt her eyes crinkling when she smiled and nodded, moving so that Nicole could sit next to her.
“Thanks,” Nicole placed her tray on the table and sat down and mumbled something that sounded a lot like idiot . “Champ said to tell you that he will be here in a minute.”
Nicole was the captain of the girls’ basketball team. She had shown up in Purgatory at the beginning of the summer and had immediately fallen in with the jock crowd and, for some reason, had become friends with Champ, or at least it seemed as if they were friends.
Sometimes, Waverly wondered if Nicole liked Champ and his crew. She had heard the girl mumble things under her breath, and sometimes she looked at Champ like he was a demon or something.
Waverly had seen Nicole’s thoughtful look enough times to know something was different underneath the redhead’s letterman’s jacket.
Nicole looked up from her tray and tilted her head, and Waverly’s heart hummed. Her heart always hummed when she looked at Nicole.
The girl was tall, redheaded, and had the most expressive brown eyes that Waverly had ever seen. Nicole’s hair was shoulder length and looked soft, curling at the ends. Waverly ached to run her fingers through it.
“Like I care,” Waverly said, moving so that her thigh was pressed against Nicole’s, needing to have some kind of contact.
“I know.” Nicole smiled. Her cheeks were dented with dimples and every time those things appeared on Nicole's beautiful face, Waverly swooned.
Nicole was breathtakingly beautiful, and Waverly was utterly smitten.
“Hey, babe.” Champ plopped down next to Stephanie and reached for Waverly’s hand. “Ready to finally kiss me?”
Waverly stiffened and pulled her hand back to her side of the table. Nicole must have sensed something. She cleared her throat and pressed her leg more against Waverly’s leg.
“How long have you been doing this kissing booth thing?” Nicole asked, popping a French fry into her mouth and looking between Chrissy and Waverly. “Seems a little outdated.”
Waverly couldn’t agree more, but the cheerleaders have been running the kissing booth at the annual Christmas Festival since before Waverly was born.
Until this year, Waverly had avoided participating, but as head cheerleader, it was a requirement. It was their major fundraiser, and she didn’t want to let the rest of the cheer squad down, even if she thought it was a stupid way to raise money.
Even if it meant she had to kiss Champ.
“Haught,” Champ said, throwing a fry at Nicole and grinning, “it’s a tradition. The cheerleaders run the kissing booth, and we buy all the tickets to keep the nerds from buying any. Tradition. Maybe one of them will even kiss you.”
“I’ll kiss you, Nicole.” Stephanie leaned over the table and smirked. “I’ll kiss you now if you want.”
“Yes!” Champ cheered and clapped his beefy hands. “Do it! Do it!”
The other jocks cheered, and Stephanie giggled.
Waverly’s eyes narrowed, and she thought about punching Stephanie in the face. Waverly shouldn’t be feeling anything, but she was jealous. She didn’t want anyone flirting with Nicole, much less kissing those perfectly shaped lips.
She wanted Nicole. Waverly had been interested in the redhead since she arrived in Purgatory, but Nicole obviously wasn’t interested in Waverly.
“Thanks, but I”m good.” Nicole winked at Stephanie and sat up straighter, moving her leg away from Waverly. “I didn’t buy any tickets.”
Someone dropped a tray nearby, and Champ leaned back to look and laughed.
While everyone at the table was distracted, Waverly looked at Nicole. Her brown eyes were focused on her tray and not the poor kid who everyone in the lunchroom was ridiculing.
Waverly tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder and placed her hand on Nicole’s arm, leaning forward, whispering, “Why didn’t you buy any tickets?”
If she was honest with herself, Waverly could have said no to the kissing booth, but deep down, she wanted to do it in hopes that Nicole would buy a ticket or twenty.
“I dunno.” Nicole shrugged. “I didn’t want anyone to have to kiss me.”
Nicole wasn’t the first lesbian in Purgatory, but a queer person in the small town was almost as rare as a unicorn.
“Anyone would be luck…”
“Doesn’t matter,” Champ interrupted, “I bought all of Waverly’s tickets.”
Waverly’s hand dropped from Nicole’s arm.
“Dude, no, you didn’t,” Perry Croft said, wrapping an arm around Champ’s shoulder and smiling, “we all have tickets to kiss Waverly.”
Perry was captain of the hockey team and Champ’s best friend. He was attractive and intelligent, but Waverly had dated him for a year and knew they were better off as friends. Perry didn’t necessarily agree.
Not that it mattered. Waverly only had eyes for Nicole. It was as if her whole life had been in black and white, and the moment that Nicole walked into her world, everything was filled with brilliant colors.
“You have tickets to kiss everyone,” Waverly said, looking between Champ and Perry. “You always buy tickets for everyone. Besides, I may not get to participate.”
“What?” Chrissy and Stephanie said at the same time.
“You have to do it,” Chrissy huffed. “We need the money.”
“Yeah, Earp.” Stephanie slammed her hands down on the table. “You can’t chicken out. You said you would do it. All your tickets are sold out.”
Waverly wasn’t chickening out. She just wasn’t interested now that the person she wanted to kiss wasn’t participating.
Nothing was going according to her plan.
She was a planner, and she had a plan. Nicole would buy a ticket to kiss Waverly, and once their lips touched, everything would fall into place, and Nicole would realize she was madly, deeply in love with Waverly, and they would live happily ever after, forever.
“I’m not chickening out. I have to run things.” Waverly shrugged. “I may be busy. If so, Stephanie, you can take my slot.”
Stephanie’s eyes lit up at the suggestion.
“I’ve kissed Stephanie,” Champ said, rubbing his hands on the table. “You’re the only girl in our class that I haven’t kissed.”
Waverly looked at Chrissy, who shrugged, and the corner of her lip twitched up.
“Chrissy!”
“It was spin the bottle.” Chrissy chuckled. “We were in 7th grade.”
The bell rang before Waverly could respond, but she wouldn’t let that little secret go. She had told Chrissy everything, even about her crush on Nicole. Waverly expected the same kind of truth from her best friend.
“See you later, Waves,” Nicole pushed off the table and stood up straight, stretching her arms above her head. She was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt that lifted with her arms, showing a sliver of her stomach.
Waverly swallowed hard. “Yeah, see you later.”
Nicole smiled the crooked smile that Waverly loved so much, and then she turned and walked out of the lunchroom.
Chrissy giggled and elbowed Waverly in the side. “Are you okay, Waves? You’re looking all Haught and bothered.”
“Shut it,” Waverly mumbled, standing and grabbing her tray. “Let’s get to class.”
Waverly was Haught and bothered. In fact, her blood was boiling. Seeing a little bit of Nicole’s skin made Waverly ache in places that she had never ached before, and now that she knew what was hidden under that letterman jacket, Waverly needed to touch it.
Fudge nuggets.
She would have to formulate a new plan because, damn it, Waverly needed to kiss Nicole Haught.
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Nicole was standing in line with Champ and the rest of the guys who were waiting for their turn to kiss one of the cheerleaders. She looked up at the booth and scrunched her nose. Stephanie was currently occupying the chair and looked as if she was actually enjoying the antiquated event.
Everything in Purgatory was antiquated, medieval even. It was the town that Wyatt Earp built, and the only good thing left in it was his great-great-granddaughter.
Waverly .
Waverly Earp was special. She was gorgeous and brilliant and kind. She had long brown wavy hair, hazel eyes, and every time she touched Nicole, thunder rolled through her chest and settled deep inside her heart. Waverly was the only bright spot in the darkness of Nicole’s life.
From the moment Nicole saw the brunette goddess, she wanted to ask her out, but every guy in the town was chasing Waverly. It was as if she was some kind of prize that everyone wanted to win. Nicole knew she didn’t have a chance, but that didn’t stop her from sitting and talking to Waverly whenever the opportunity presented itself.
“Look,” Champ said, pushing Nicole’s shoulder. “Waverly is taking over.”
Nicole pulled her eyebrows together, and she shoved her hands into her jean pockets. She wanted to punch Chump in the face but resisted the urge. Nicole knew she was jealous but couldn't help it. She shouldn't feel anything about Waverly — except maybe friendship.
The wind blew, and Nicole felt a chill down to her bone. She pulled her letterman jacket tighter and shivered.
“Good for you.” Nicole bobbed her head and frowned. “I’m sure she’s excited.”
She knew Waverly wasn’t excited. Nicole could tell by Waverly’s behavior that she had no interest in Champ. Whenever the boy-man got close to Waverly, she would practically sprint away from him. She had also confessed to Nicole that she wished he would leave her alone.
There had been a few times over the months that Nicole wondered if Waverly was actually interested in her. Times when Waverly would leave her hand on Nicole’s arm or press into her side. There had been times Nicole would look up and find Waverly watching.
Nicole shook her head. There was no way someone as beautiful as Waverly was interested in her.
“Of course, she’s excited,” Champ smirked. “She’s going to kiss me.”
‘Champ,” Stephanie grinned as she walked up and ran her hands up Champ’s arms. “I’m horny now. Let’s go make out.”
Champ chuckled. He looked at the line and then at Stephanie, shoving his tickets toward Nicole. “Haught, hold my place in line. I’ll be back.”
She watched as Stephanie grabbed Champ’s hand, tugging him toward the parking lot.
Nicole’s eyes fell to the tickets in her hand and then up to the kissing booth. She felt a touch of something bubble up in her chest. She pressed her hand there, hoping to control her racing heart.
Maybe Champ won’t make it back in time.
“Move up, Haught,” Perry said, pushing her in the back. “You might as well get ready to put those tickets to use. There’s no way Champ is going to make it back in time.”
Nicole stumbled forward. The line was moving more quickly now. At times, Stephanie had long make-out sessions with the ticket holders, but not Waverly. She was placing a quick kiss on the boys’ lips, wiping her lips with a towelette, and moving on to the next one in line.
She turned to look at Perry, clutching the tickets in her cold fingers, and thought about asking him if he wanted them. Perry and Waverly had broken up shortly before Nicole arrived in town. She knew they were together for a long time, and surely Waverly would be more comfortable kissing Perry than Nicole.
“Champ wouldn’t miss it,” she argued, shaking her head and turning to look at the kissing booth.
She wasn’t that lucky. Champ would show up and kiss Waverly. He would put his grubby hands on Waverly’s arms and pull her too tight and kiss her too hard.
Nicole hated the thought. She pursed her lips and shook her head, taking another step toward the kissing booth. Even if Champ did make it in time, Nicole would make sure he didn’t do anything to hurt Waverly. She would kick his ass if he even tried.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize she was next in line. She jumped when someone called her name and blinked a few times.
“Hey, Nicole,” Chrissy said, smiling and holding out her hand. “I’ll take your tickets.”
“These are Champ’s,” Nicole mumbled, looking at the tickets before handing them to Chrissy. “He went off with Stephanie.”
“She’ll be glad, you know.” Chrissy placed her hand on Nicole's forearm, squeezing it. “Waverly will be glad it’s you instead of Champ.”
Nicole’s eyebrows shot up, and she felt her cheeks warm, even in the cold winter air, and she knew she was blushing. “She will?”
Chrissy’s face softened, and she nodded. “Kiss her, Nicole.”
“Okay.” Nicole nodded and took a couple of steps toward the kissing booth. “Kiss her. Kiss Waverly Earp.”
It felt as if Nicole’s heart was going to beat out of her chest. Her palms felt sweaty, so she wiped them down the front of her letterman’s jacket and held her hand over her heart for a few seconds, trying to stop it from racing.
When Nicole looked up, she found Waverly watching. Her lips curled into a smile, and her eyes twinkled. She looked as if she was excited, and that made Nicole’s heart beat even faster.
“Nicole,” Waverly breathed and reached out her hand, grabbing Nicole by the jacket sleeve and pulling her forward. “I’m glad you changed your mind about buying a ticket.”
“Champ,” Nicole started, but Waverly’s lips stopped her from finishing the sentence. She pressed their lips together, trailing her hand’s up Nicole’s arms and into her hair, tugging them closer together. Nicole’s body was pulled against the table. The edge was digging into her hips, causing her to groan every time Waverly pulled her closer.
Waverly’s lips were soft, and her mouth tasted like strawberries and hand sanitizer. Her finger curled around Nicole’s neck, and they both whimpered when Waverly pressed her tongue inside Nicole’s mouth.
Nicole’s entire body felt warm, and when a soft whine escaped from Waverly’s mouth, she was sure she was going to burn up from the fire burning low in her belly. Nicole had felt lust and want, but nothing compared to the hunger she felt from kissing Waverly Earp.
“Hey!” She heard Perry yell from behind them, but Nicole didn’t care. She placed her hands on Waverly’s jaw, deepening the kiss. Nicole hadn’t realized it until this moment, but she had been craving Waverly since the day they met, and now that she had a taste, she knew she needed more.
People were whistling and yelling, and the sounds of the carnival were filling the air, but the only thing Nicole could hear were the little noises Waverly was making every time their tongues touched.
Nicole slowed the kiss, needing to feel more of Waverly. She wanted to wrap her arms around Waverly’s waist and pull her close. Nicole needed more.
“Do want to get out of here,” Nicole said, brushing her lips against Waverly’s and praying she said yes.
Waverly leaned back and looked over her shoulder. Her eyebrows pulled together, and her lips tightened into a thin line. Nicole started to step back, but Waverly’s fingers gripped the sleeve of her jacket and held her in place.
“I want to, but…”
“I got you, Waves,” Chrissy placed a hand on Waverly’s shoulder and pushed her out of the booth. “It’s my turn.”
“Thank you,” Waverly said, placing her hand over Chrissy’s and squeezing it.
Nicole bit her bottom lip, trying to keep herself from smiling.
“Waverly!” Champ called. “Where are you going?”
Waverly’s eyes cut to Nicole and she smirked. The brunette’s lips were swollen, and her cheeks were tinted pink. She was a vision.
“I’m going to go kiss Nicole some more.” Waverly grabbed Nicole’s hand and started pulling her away from the kissing booth, yelling over her shoulder, “Thank you for giving her the tickets.”
Waverly held Nicole’s hand until they reached her red Jeep, both were still breathing hard, and Nicole’s mind was trying to catch up.
“Waverly,” Nicole said, stopping Waverly from reaching for the door handle. “Are you sure? Are you sure you want to kiss me?”
Nicole was generally confident, sure of herself, but there was something different about Waverly. Nicole could already tell that they would mean something to each other — something a lot like forever.
Waverly took a step closer and nodded. Her hazel eyes were bright, and there was a warmth radiating from them. “Yeah, I mean, I like you.”
“I like you, too.” Nicole smiled and reached around Waverly to open the door to the Jeep.
Waverly pushed up on her toes and captured Nicole’s lips again, moving her arms inside of the letterman’s jacket and around Nicole’s waist.
The kiss was slower, deeper, and Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly, trying to pull her inside her heart and hoping she would live there forever.
Waverly shivered, causing Nicole to pull away and drop her arms. “You’re cold.” She pulled off her letterman’s jacket and wrapped it around Waverly’s shoulders, pulling it tight. She buried her face in Nicole’s chest and mumbled something that sounded a lot like “snuggle turtle.”
Nicole smiled, kissing the top of Waverly’s head and holding her tight. She had dreamed of this moment. Nicole had wanted to hold Waverly, to kiss her, and now she wasn’t ever going to let her go.
“You’re going to let me keep this jacket, right?” she asked, sliding her arms into the jacket and pulling her hair out from the collar.
“Only if you plan on keeping me too.”
“Oh, trust me, I have lots of plans for you.” Waverly pulled away and jumped into the Jeep. “Now get in and kiss me some more. I didn’t get enough of you at the kissing booth.”
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Waverly had Nicole pinned against the lockers, up on her tiptoes, hands buried in red locks and kissing the fire out of the redhead.
It was May, and Waverly still hadn’t kissed Nicole enough. She was pretty sure she would never be able to kiss Nicole enough.
“Baby,” Nicole said, leaning back and smiling, “I need to get to class, and so do you.”
Waverly hated when Nicole was the rational one. It was so much more fun when they were both burning up for each other.
“But…” Waverly started but was interrupted by Nicole’s amazingly soft lips.
It had been this way since their first kiss at the kissing booth. It was as if the dam was broken and the flood gates opened, and Waverly was constantly craving more.
“Go to class,” Nicole said, running her finger across Waverly’s lips and smiling. “Yale would be disappointed if you messed up your perfect attendance record.”
When Waverly had received her acceptance letter from Yale, she had stared at it for a long time. She knew she would go, but she worried about leaving Nicole. Waverly’s heart hurt at the mere thought of not being able to see her girlfriend, to kiss her.
“Okay, sweetie pie. I love you,” she said, placing a quick kiss on Nicole’s lips and tangling her fingers in the material of the University of Connecticut hoodie.
But then, Nicole was offered a basketball scholarship to Connecticut, and everything fell into place.
“I love you, too.” Nicole winked and playfully shoved Waverly toward her class. “Go to class, genius!”
Waverly would go to Yale, and Nicole would be only an hour away. They would both live on campus their freshman year and meet once a week somewhere in the middle so they could kiss and hold each other. Waverly would go to all of Nicole’s home games and cheer on her girl.
In their second year, Waverly and Nicole would find an apartment somewhere in the middle. Waverly would have dinner waiting on Nicole after long days of school and practice, and Nicole would hold Waverly’s hand when she’s stressed over exams and being number one in all her classes.
In their third and fourth years, things wouldn’t change much, but they would grow closer, and their love would get even bigger. And while their lives wouldn’t be perfect, they would stay together.
Then after graduation, they would settle somewhere and call it home. They would have a family and friends, and when anyone asked how they started, they would tell them how they fell in love at the kissing booth.
And they would live happily ever after — forever.