Four Weekends & a Photograph (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 25

[Nicole's POV:]

Okay, let me lay this out for you. I would do anything for Waverly. I would even break my own rule of not attending another funeral for her. Sure, Wynonna telling me Waverly would remember if I wasn't there gave me the final nudge. She had no idea why I didn't want to be there. That no longer mattered. It was knowing how much Nanna meant to Waverly which really made me want to be with her.

Did I mind Waverly knowing about my mom? She was bound to find out eventually, and I trusted her, which can't be said about everyone. Sure, I wish I had a better memory of my mom to tell Waves. I wish she hadn't been an alcoholic. I wish she'd never met that bastard, Jack Hanson. I wish we hadn't fought the night she got in a car and drove till she blacked out. I wish, I wish, I wish. But, as my therapist explained, some things are out of our control. My mom's drinking was one of those, as was her decision to hook up with Hanson. It was her choice to drive drunk, not mine.

I knew Wynonna was after something when she kept buying me drinks in the bar near her house. What was it called? The Foxy, or some cute name like that. Man, those English pub names. The Jolly Taxpayer, The Cat and Custard Pot, The Legend of Oily Johnnies. When Wynonna casually dropped my mother into the conversation I guessed she was fishing for information. She hadn't asked before, and I'd never said more than I had to. Sure, she knew she had died, that she'd driven when she shouldn't, and we'd argued.

It's partly what brought Wynnie and me closer. She was friends with Shae first. Same high school. Can't imagine Wynonna at a convent school for girls. Man, I would have loved to have been there to see what she got up to. Shae told me Wynonna had only been threatened with expulsion twice, which I guess is good for her. She also told me how they would sneak out and smoke behind the church. If I'd known she was the Earl of Portsmouth's daughter I might not have had the nerve to strike up a friendship. Then again, Wynonna's so normal and so much fun I guess we would have ended up as friends.

It's weird we both had secrets we weren't prepared to share. We held back parts of our life. I guess she did it for the same reason as me, not sure who to trust, not wanting to be treated any different, not wanting to be judged. I'd grown up in the shadow of a famous parent, where kids at school either loved me, or hated me, because of who she was. Sure, there were other kids at school who had famous parents, except none were as famous as my mom. One of the dads followed me for months just to get an autograph. Cops dealt with him eventually, but then his kid started bullying me for getting their dad into trouble. I should have got him the damn autograph, or just faked it, only that would have given him exactly what he wanted. And, I knew it wouldn't stop at one autograph.

It's why I moved to England. I'd had enough of the crazies in Crazy Town. Mom had to deal with them daily, the ones who dressed up in the exact same costume she wore for her iconic role, waiting outside the movie studio for hours in the Los Angeles heat, simply to see her drive past in a limo. I was with her sometimes when she stopped to sign photos, chat to her devoted followers, and accept gifts. One time this fat guy gave her a pair of his shorts, unwashed, as a keepsake. Totally gross.

The thing about being the kid of a celebrity is you're always viewed through them. Whatever you do is filtered through the lens of your famous parent. I simply wanted to be me. I wanted a normal life, surrounded by those who didn't want something from me because of who I knew. It helped knowing Waverly felt the same. It's crazy man, she said she had to be real careful who became her friend, drawing comfort from Chrissy who treated her as someone without the Lady part to her name. What I would have given for a friend like Chrissy growing up.

Waves told me about her first day at high school. Mops had given the school strict instructions not to use Waverly's official title, but to refer to her simply as Waverly Earp. It was the same instruction she'd given for Wynonna. Except, some bitch cornered Waves saying she was too ugly to be a lady. Chrissy came to her rescue, punching the girl in the face, almost getting expelled. It still plays on Waverly's mind, her best friend had more courage in the moment, when it was her who needed to stand up against those jealous of her title.