School Spirits - Wally Clark/ OC

Breathe

Warnings: showcases of anxiety & panic attacks.

Wally was a happy guy. He hardly let things get to him, because he didn't see a point to it. He wasn't immune, he just didn't prioritise it. To him, keeping your chin up and moving on with your best foot forward was better than allowing temporal feelings to vindicate how his day went. Some could argue that this was the reason why his parents got away with living through him. He could push away from the negative and make it a positive but sometimes, he point blank ignored it. Cause the truth was, he couldn't handle it. So playing the role as the everyone's favourite guy, with the permanent smile and good manners was easier. Teachers loved him, girls gushed over him, his friends couldn't fault him and people who didn't like him, couldn't actually find a good reason to. Yet the two people, that he only wanted to make proud, to make happy, to receive credit from- couldn't muster a simple word. For the past thirty-plus years, he still continued to. Until Maddie;her help to see the real importance of who he is instead who his parents wanted him to be. It changed everything. Yet there were times, when that feeling crawled back. Where the little boy running with the football under his arm could still hear his parents voice above the rest. As the saying goes, old habits die hard.
"Do you want to talk about it, Wally?" Mr Martin prompted. The group turned their heads in his direction, pity in their gaze. He hated it. Jo was seated beside him, her arms wrapped around her knees as they pressed against her chest. Wally cleared his throat, giving her quick glance he saw encouragement in her hazel eyes and it almost made up want to open up. He re-folded his arms on his chest, pushing his long legs out in front of, putting one ankle on the other. He almost looked like a cowboy in a saloon, if it wasn't for the sweats and Nike sneakers.
"There's nothing to talk about" He smiled, shrugging convincingly.
"Your sure?" Mr Martin tilted his head.
"Yeah, of course. I'm good" Wally nodded.
Jo gave him credit, it was an Oscar worthy performance. She knew fine well that he wasn't't good in-fact, he wasn't even okay. His knee hadn't stopped bouncing the whole meeting, only stopped when he extended it out just as the question was asked. He had cracked his knuckles three times, in twenty minutes which is a little excessive even for him. Had she seriously been the only one that noticed the band aids on his left hand, around his index finger and middle. He looked like himself but just dialled up to eleven. The conversation had left the football player, moving on to another student. Jo hadn't realised she was still looking at him, till his eyes brown eyes met hers. He flicked his brow, gaze quickly looking over her with a smile that knew what it was doing. Mr M got up from his chair and started to go through some papers, the group started to chatter while he was busy. Wally discreetly reached over with one hand and took hold of her seat underneath. He pulled quickly, making only a small squeak off the floor as they were now touching. Jo wasn't sure if she was impressed or not, more that 'of course he can lift my entire body weight on a steel chair'. She felt her heart give a little lurch at the muscles in his arms stretched out.
"Why are you so far away?" He whispered, letting go of the chair and lulling his head in her direction. She went to open her mouth but found she didn't have any words. "What's say me and you bail and grab some slushies, go to the roof?"
"You wanna ditch the group?" She asked, leaning toward him worried someone might hear. Wally laughed a little, putting his arm on the back of her chair and leaning close enough that they were inches from each other's face.
"I want to go sit on the roof, with a slushie, with you." He replied, his eyes taking in her facial features.
Despite all the nerves, she had a smart idea. It managed to squeeze it's way through all the 'oohs and aahs' currently screaming over how Wally was currently making her feel. If he wasn't going to admit that something was wrong here, then maybe when they were alone she could get him to open up. So with a deep breath, she found words to form a sentence.
"Alright, let's go" She muttered, as the both grinned. Slowly but surely, they casually moved out their seats as the rest were distracted and as soon as they got to their feet, they sped-walked out of there.
"Hey! Where you going?" Rhonda called out to them.
"Leave them, it's not like they're never going to another meeting" Maddie replied, shaking her head a little.