School Spirits - Wally Clark/ OC

In-Laws

Warnings: description of injury and mild language

I knew that I was dead before you touched my lonesome skin
You're never running out of ways to warm your way back in
I hang my head and feel the oxygen drain
I think about you walking on a string
And it always brings me back here

The crowd roared, the rain battered down and soaked into the astroturf. The pain in their bodies were made into nothing as adrenaline pumped viciously though their veins and became fuel to push to the last leg of the game. The huddle broke, shaking off the nerves, the guttural sickness that threatened to overwhelm them as both teams lined up and faced each other. The crowds hushed, listening to orders of the captain's, players moving back and forth, till everything finally slows to a stop. In the snap of the ball, the game is set in motion and one player is about to change the field forever. Wally Clark grabs the ball and starts to barrel down the field, eyes never wavering or body flinching. His blind side is covered, he goes freely. His bad knee yearns for rest, protesting with each step but the voice of his mother echoes in his ear like a out of tune instrument. The thought of college, to get away, away from this town, this school and finally embrace time where he determined his every move. No one hovering over how much protein he ate, no physio on Saturday and extra training on Sundays. No staying up all hours of the night worrying if he was doing the right thing for the right reasons. Wally Clark was winning his last home-coming game and he was off to find his own home. Ten yards from the finish, a linebacker escapes and like a bull seeing red, charges fully forward. Wally grins his famous grin, seeing the five yard line coming up and then all in a second- everything stops. The linebacker leaps, crushing Wally to the ground and what was once an adoring cheering crowd, thousands of gasps fill the air as Split-River's star player doesn't get back up. Agony, like nothing that he'd ever felt before but as quick as it came like a wave washing over the sand, consciousness slipped away in the tide. Unable to move, once a fit and unbeatable prime star athlete, now nothing but a limp body and untouched potential. The lights went out, silence fell on his ears and the last drag of air exhaled. The guilt and shame of a mother, racing on to field in sobs and squealing, replaying the last words to her son "You can rest when your dead" Now her son, rested. 

Thirty-nine years later..

The rain was threatening to burst from the swelling summer clouds as the heat makes everyone feel sticky and out of breath. Wally Clark stands on the five yard line as the crowds take their places and the teams warm up their lumber bodies. A funny sickly feeling circles into the pit of his stomach and burns like acid in the back of his throat. He can remember the surging pain, the last breath leaving his lungs. This is what he meant when he told Maddie he wished he could forget, sometimes remembering is just too much. With his jersey over his hoodie, Wally stares at the very spot he died. Then, a cold petite hand circles his wrist and it drags him from the depths of his mind and resurfaces better images. Wally turns his head and finds the owner of the hand, a gremlin he'd grown to deeply care about.
"Hey you" He murmurs as he reached down and kissed her hair.
"Where did you go there?" She asked, eyes slick with empathy. Wally took in a deep breath and exhaled it, letting go of that ever present need to cover up his darkness with light.
"Too far away" He smiled, hand reaching up and taking her chin. "You wanna grab some nachos?"
"Yes please" She nodded pushing up on to her toes and receiving a kiss. She intertwined their fingers together. Swinging their arms playfully back and forth. "You know this is my first game?" Jo said, as they began walk away and down toward the food trucks.
"You're kidding" He shook his head. "Isn't your brother a football player?" Wally gave her skeptic look.
"Yeah, I made a deal with him that I would attend some of his sports events. He knew I didn't do so great in crowds." She answered smoothly, Wally's jacket still on her shoulders. "I attended his swim competitions cause my parents sometimes couldn't make them cause of work. Then their was the volleyball tournaments in the summer, or debates. He really was an all rounder" Jo raised her brows surprised at how much her brother actually did.
"Sounds like my kinda guy" Wally nodded, "Though swap debates for dancing and karaoke. That, that was my jam" He winked, giving her a twirl before pulling her back in. Jo laughed, pulling his arm up and around her shoulder.
"See I had my after school book club and music, so I was more artistic I think- No actually I know I was more inclined with a paint brush that I was with a football" She nodded her head after second thought.
"I bet you were one of those people in class that was like 'oh I'm just not happy with it at all, it didn't turn out how I wanted' cut to a freakin' masterpiece on display"  He said knowing he was probably right.
"I mean, I don't think I ever put it like that" Jo flushed a little. "I did enjoy it, so calming and quiet unlike all this" She motioned around to the large crowd starting to swell. "Though I would've loved to see you in action"
"You can see me in action anytime beautiful, all you have to do is ask" He flirted, turning his brown eyes on her. Jo scoffed out a breath but not without a blush covering her cheeks. That was all he needed, to quickly swoop down and pick her up. Jo with a yelp, taken completely by surprise wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands gripped her thighs.
"You scared me" She let out breath, then found it was hard to get any air at all with the way he was looking at her. Brown eyes devouring her face as he stopped at an empty table. He kissed her delicately first before lowering her on the table. She felt his hands run down her leg and grip her waist.
"Oh my god!" He said rather loudly, making Jo jump and grip the front of his hoodie.
"What!"She squealed thinking their was a spider or something.
"My mom" He stood up straight, hands on either side of his head as if the most incredible thing happened.
"Your mom?" She looked around. "You stopped kissing me because of your mom?"
Wally laughed, ready to finally clarify.
"She comes to all the games. You'll get to meet her, well in a way." He stated, moving quickly forward so their faces were inches from each other.
Jo thought it was a shame she couldn't hurt anyone from this side of things.
"That's great" She smiled gently. "I mean it's only been like a week and I'm already meeting your mom. You like to move fast" Jo mused, subconsciously reaching up and fixing a strand of hair out of his face. Wally gave her look.
"Well, I just think it would be cool," He shrugged. "You think it's dumb don't you?"
"No" She said instantly. "I can see why, I mean If I could introduce you to my family, then I would. I think my brother would end up talking your ear off, mom would've probably over piled your dinner plate and dad would've spent the whole time trying to force himself not to like you. Then find, he just can't help it." both of her hands where on his face now as Wally leaned his hands on the table on either side of her.
"I would've loved that" He answered with emphasis. "Well, my dad would've really liked you, probably thought you were too good for me and make a joke like run while you still got a chance honey. And my mom would've probably called you a distraction, not to your face but to me afterwards" He smirked at the thought, how he would've enjoyed arguing with his parents for her.
"So what your saying is, I would've been trouble for you" Jo slid her hands so they rested on his shoulders. "I've never been trouble before"
"It looks good on you" Wally smiled before giving her quick peck. "Okay, you want nachos and what else?"
"Eh nachos, a coke and see if they've got any fries, I haven't had fries since I kicked the bucket" She asked and quickly added. "Please" Her hazel eyes big and bright and for some reason Wally think they'd doubled in size.
"Anything you want, I'll be right back" He pressed another short kiss to her lips before disappearing into the crowd and straight to the food trucks. Jo smiled watching him go, eyes lingering on him for a moment or two, before she turned her attention to her shoes, swinging back and forth off the table.
The idea of seeing Wally's mother came to mind very quickly. She wasn't nervous, the meeting per-say was more of actually putting a face to the name than anything. Part of her was glad that she could not speak to this women and that she would not be able to hear it. No doubt it would've started a fight in middle of the bleachers, an old women would've in some way tried to beat her ass. The prospect of telling Wally's mother to her face that she was a massive bitch that lived through her son and had no idea what she lost seemed so deliciously satisfying. Yet what would it achieve? Surely whatever she could say would be nothing this women hasn't told herself for the past forty years.