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As embarrassing as it was, Mythbusters was her show. Nicole would gladly learn science if it meant she was taught by two guys that seemed hell bend on blowing up every other experiment, and a team of substitutes that wanted to mess around and sometimes liked to remote control a real car. Practical science. None of that classroom shit where the teacher barely cared to demonstrate gravity.
And maybe she liked to watch things explode, fucking sue her.
Nicole stretched her arms over her head as the outro to another episode played out and the commercials kicked in. There was nothing better than a Mythbusters marathon on a weekend night. Mom couldn’t breathe down her neck about doing homework, there were no classes she needed to wake up early for the next day, and Jecka could sleep over without her parents-
Oh shit, Jecka was sleeping over.
Nicole looked across the couch where Jecka was completely knocked out against the arm rest. The book she’d been “forced” to read for class was spread open on her stomach, the back cover folded under her hand and pages bent under it. Jecka was going to be pissed about it in the morning – she actually cared about how pretty her books looked.
Nicole smirked and took the book from her, putting it down on the coffee table right next to an open notebook and the small pad of plastic tabs Jecka liked to put into the pages. After some consideration, Nicole slipped Jecka’s glasses off her face and set it down with the rest of her stuff.
The TV started to play a particularly loud commercial of Man vs. Wild and Nicole squinted at the screen, then at the lit light bulb overhead. Jecka left it on so she could read while Nicole was enjoying her show, but now that she was asleep – Nicole walked over to the wall and flipped the light switch, the newly darkened room immediately awash in the TV light as god intended to happen on a weekend night.
But Nicole didn’t drop herself back into her seat. Not yet. For a moment, she just leaned over the back of and couch and watched Jecka as all those colors flashed and danced across her skin. Even those deep shadows contrasting the funky lights didn’t make her any less pretty than she actually was. Maybe that was just how hot people worked.
Or maybe Nicole’s crush was getting the better of her.
Again.
Nicole sighed and rubbed her face. This crush was going to kill her one day; she just knew it. All of this mushy feelings business was making her sick, and when she was inevitably going to get rejected by the pretty girl, she was going to lock herself in her room and kill herself or something.
At least, that’s how she imagined it would play out. Jecka was likely to keep her around on suicide watch for a while because she knew how Nicole operated. Or she could do the normal thing of giving Nicole space after the rejection. Could go either way, really. Jecka might even leave her for a bit, then come rescue her off the business end of a noose.
Rejection was, however, an objectively lame reason to kill herself. If a guy killed himself after getting turned down by a girl, she’d call him a loser and she wasn’t about to put herself on that same level. So, the game plan was to let this play out – let this stupid crush go on until it eventually fades when Jecka leaves for college. No rejection. No killing herself after getting rejected. Fucking fool proof.
The Mythbusters’ opening narration began to play, pulling Nicole’s attention to the TV screen. A well-timed distraction from stewing in the harrowing experience of having a crush and the probability of rejection, but she didn’t sit down yet. There was something else she needed to do. Besides, she’d already watched that episode – not that it ever stopped her from watching episodes before.
One trip to her bedroom later, and Nicole was throwing a blanket over Jecka to the sound of the Build Team talking about digging out of a grave. While she tried to tuck the edges under her, Jecka shuffled momentarily and let out a satisfied little sigh that stopped Nicole in her tracks – kept her frozen until Jecka got comfortable, trapping Nicole’s hand between her arm and the couch.
Nicole was not about to be caught dead tucking her in. Jecka could put the pieces together in the morning, that was fine. But to get caught in the act? No one but Nicole needed to know that she was this whipped. She had a reputation to uphold – she couldn’t do her cold-hearted sociopath schtick if she was caught being this much of a love-struck sucker. Jecka would never let her live it down, and she might as well kill herself over it just to save herself from the embarrassment.
Thankfully, Jecka eventually settled in, her soft breaths toying with a fine lock of hair that'd swept across her cheek and teased her lips. Nicole sighed in relief and drew her hand back to continue tucking her in. She might as well finish what she started, after all.
When that was over with, Nicole stood back to appreciate her handiwork. A perfect blonde bitch burrito. She’d take a picture, but her phone camera’s quality was shit in the dark, and she didn’t feel like digging through her mom’s things to get the good camera, so this image will just have to stay in her memory.
Nicole reached down to tuck the lock of blonde hair back behind her ear and tried not to linger too long as she caressed her thumb over the side of Jecka’s cheek, burning the scene into her brain.
She looked so soft like this. Content with Nicole’s blanket around her and Nicole’s fingertips ghosting over her skin…
Fuck.
Nicole may be more whipped than she already thought she was.
She shook herself off and raised back to her full height with an embarrassed huff, intent on moving on with the rest of her evening until she eventually passed out on the couch herself – actually, Nicole had to do a security sweep before she could totally relax. She checked the locks on the doors and windows, pulled the curtains to deter peeping assholes, then threw the bolts shut on the basement door. Her brother wouldn’t be able to get out until someone eventually remembered he existed, but it was better safe than sorry. Especially with Jecka in the house, there was no need to give him any chances to even try being a fucking pervert.
Then – and only then – did Nicole sit back down to continue the ever glorious Mythbusters replay marathon, marked with occasional checks on the sleeping princess across the couch.
The quintessential weekend night.
When Nicole woke up the next day, there was a handkerchief over her eyes, mercifully blocking out the light. Only when she took it off her face did she notice the very familiar blanket loosely wrapping her up.
“I’d say good morning, but it’s two in the afternoon,” Jecka chirped, smirking at her as she leaned over the back of the couch. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Nicole croaked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Jecka snickered and tapped a cold water bottle against Nicole’s cheek, her eyes twinkling. “Drink up,” she said, “Come to the kitchen when you’re actually awake. I made pancakes.”
They didn’t talk about the blanket thing. Jecka just winked at her and slid the stack of pancakes over the kitchen table before she went to do the dishes. Nicole wasn’t going to bring it up, of course. She just took the midday breakfast as the thank you it was as she tried to beat down the warm feeling flooding in her chest.