Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2016 22:28:28 GMT
OFF-CAMERA
'What are you smiling about?'
'Smiling? I'm not smiling', Walt says, a huge smile on his face.
'I popped his cherry last night', his girlfriend clarifies, appearing from behind him.
Walt turns beetroot red. 'Lyndsey!!'
'What?' Lyndsey shrugs. 'It's true. You liked it, too...!'
'Yeah, but people don't need to know about it!'
Lyndsey chuckles. 'He's not people. He's Jason! And I bet he's happy for you. Right, Jay?'
'Yeah', I say, sincerely. 'My man!'
I take a step forward to high-five Walt, who is grinning again. I can't help but grin myself. Walt is a great friend, and a better tag team partner. He deserves everything good that happens to him. He's come a really long way since we met, and he's really been coming into his own lately. I feel like, pretty soon, he's going to be a champion in his own right, and I'm going to be the one acting as a sidek---
'---oh, and he thinks he's a loser, and you're the one winning him all his matches.'
'LYNDSEY!!!
Walt flusters again, and this time, I empathise; if there's one thing Lyndsey's not good at, it's tact. Still, this is something that needs to be addressed ASAP, before it causes a rift between us.
'Walt?' I look up at him. 'Is this true?'
At first, he says nothing; he just stands there, blushing, his eyes throwing daggers at Lyndsey. It's not until I ask again that he finally admits:
'Well, what am I supposed to think, Jay? Huh? With you, I've only lost that one match against the Misfits. Without you, I haven't won since the middle of Season One! Without you, I've lost my last two matches. You tell me what I'm supposed to think!'
The good news is, I can see where he's coming from; the bad news is, that's not going to save him from some tough love.
'Well, Walt', I begin. 'I got news for you. Without you, I wouldn't have had a partner to take on the Misfits in the first place. Without you, I would have had to pull the last two members for Everyday Heroes out of thin air after Grin disappeared. Without you, I wouldn't...'
I suddenly realise I'm wasting my breath, that there's only one thing I want to say, only one thing he needs to hear.
'...without you, I wouldn't have a friend at Pollomania.'
And there it is. That smile. The smile of someone who's just had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.
'I tried to tell you, Walter', Lyndsey scolds. To me, she adds: 'He won't listen to me...'
But Walt isn't listening to her. He isn't listening to anyone, or anything. He's staring out into space, his mind a million miles away, that same grin still on his face. It's almost a full minute before he speaks again – and then, only to say two words.
'Jay...thanks.'
Final Word Count: 488
Final Word Count: 488