How Can We

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

For some odd reason Wall found himself at school earlier than he normally would in the mornings. Perhaps it was fate since Artemis texted him she was running late, she overslept and didn't hear her alarm.Wally felt bad and decided to get coffee for both of them.

Hopefully she would be too tired to complain that he paid for her coffee. He knew she could get it on her own, Wally just wanted to make a nice gesture because they were friends and only friends.

Artemis managed to make it to the front steps barely in the nick of time. She looked exhausted, that much was easy to tell. Her hair was disheveled in the messy ponytail she threw it in, her collar folded the wrong way ad the biggest giveaway were the prominent bags under her eyes.

Despite it all, he still found her beautiful. It scared him how much he cared about her in such a short amount of time. His feelings for her were quickly spiraling and he was frightened of the outcome, which was more than likely to end with a disaster and Wally heartbroken.

He tried his best to focus on their friendship and try not to get blindsided by his feelings.

Wally walked over to her and wordlessly gave her the coffee. She sighed and thanked him. "This is the only thing helping me get through the day." He desperately wanted to ask her why she was up all night, however he didn't want it to seem like he was prying. Although that was exactly what he was doing.

In the end, he didn't need to ask at all. He walked her to her class, even though it would make him late for his own, and she paused by the door. "I'll tell you what happened later on. Meet me outside for lunch." Wally nodded, proud that she trusted him enough to let him in without any interference.

*******

Flash forward to their lunch period, where Wally was waiting for Artemis. She was running late again, which seemed to be a recurring theme for her that day. A few minutes later and she sprinted out of the building, almost moving right past him. Thankfully he called her name just in time.

"Sorry, my mind is a little all over the place today." She apologized unnecessarily.

"There's no reason to be sorry." He smiled at her. "Now are you going to tell me what's up because suspense is one emotion I can't handle."

"So you don't like scary movies?" She asked him.

"Not in the slightest." He affirmed.

"Interesting." She said almost menacingly.

"Don't try to change the subject." He reminded the blonde.

"I'm not." She assured him. "I'm just waiting until we get inside." She was stalling, and he knew it. Wally decided to leave it be, there was no point in pushing her as it only drove her away. Wally was tired of being trapped on the wrong side of her walls and struggling to tear them down.

They walked to a small deli and ordered themselves some sandwiches before taking a seat. They had about a half hour for lunch, so they needed to be quick in order to make it back to school in time.

"What's wrong Artemis?"

"I took your advice and saw Jade yesterday." She picked at her sandwich, avoiding her gaze. "It didn't start well, she kept giving me roundabout answers and not explaining everything. She didn't feel like saying anything important until I was about to leave." Wally was intrigued, first that she listened to him and secondly that she actually seemed to let him know every detail. Artemis proceeded to tell him about her encounter with Jade, starting from meeting Lian and her growing frustration with her sister's answers.

"We went to a park nearby so she could give me answers without having to constantly looking over her shoulder. She told me how she met Roy, which I could have lived without." She made a disgusted face. Wally didn't have any siblings but he would imagine he'd feel the same.

She ended up telling him about her father, not really saying anything aloud per se, but there was enough implied for him to piece together the details.

It shocked Wally that her father was abusive. She didn't need him to say it in order for him to realize the horrors she's been through. He understood why she was so guarded, and hated the fact that someone laid a hand on her.

"And Jade thinks he's coming after her." Artemis finished. She looked stressed and reasonably so. Wally wished he could take away her pain, all of it. She didn't deserve it, no one deserved to be abused.

"What proof does she have?" Wally questioned.

"Just a deep suspicion at this point." She wrung her hands on the table, unsure and clearly distressed. Wally reached across the table and placed his hands around hers reassuringly.

"I'm going to help you in any way I can. I'm going to keep you safe." It was a promise he had every intention on keeping. "I feel like I haven't been doing enough to help." He admitted defeated.

"Trust me Wally, you've already done so much." She smiled at him.

She rubbed her eyes. "I'm so tired and exhausted. It took me a while to sleep with all this on my mind."

Wally checked the time, they still had a few minutes before they had to head back. "Why don't you tell me more about Lian."

"Apparently she's two years old and the most adorable toddler..." She began to rave on and on about her niece, while Wally's thoughts drifted off. He was vaguely listening to her, wondering if his feelings for her would ever go away. At this point, he wasn't sure if he even wanted them to fade away.

*******

They walked back to school chatting about random topics. Wally initiated the light conversation to take her mind off of the stresses of her life. He thought she would appreciate the distraction.

They parted ways once the bell rang. Artemis thanked him. Wally shrugged it off, saying it was nothing. It wasn't, he still felt like he could have done more, and that he wasn't doing enough.

"I have to get to class soon." She reminded him.

"I know." He ended up hugging her tightly, afraid to let her go. "I'll be there for you no matter what."

"I figured you're stuck with me at this point." She reaches up on her toes and kisses his cheek. "I know you may not think it, but you've helped e in more ways than you know." That wasn't ambiguous at all. She waved him goodbye and walked to her next class.

He stood there with his cheeks flushed, knowing that he would have done it a thousand times for her. He placed a hand on his cheek in shock where her lips had been moments ago.

"You have it bad." Dick commented, appearing out of nowhere.

Wally looks at Artemis' retreating frame. "I know."