Cracking An Enigma (a YJ fanfic) COMPLETED

Chapter Twenty Eight: This Doesn't Seem Right

"Your hairs on fire, must have lost your wits, yeah."
Foster The People, Pumped Up Kicks

A FEW DAYS AFTER Wally's birthday, we had a few missions, but not many with much importance. I finally broke it to the team about discovering the group called The Light. I also finally told them about my mum, in which Wally was freaking out over meeting the daughter of a celebrity.

"Wally," I explained to him for the sixteenth time, "I am not bloody a celebrity, most of the newspapers didn't even know I existed! Mum was very good at hiding me,"

"Did you go to her performances?"

"Umm... Every single one."

"Wow," Wally whispered, staring at me, "that must have been life changing,"

"Wally, I am not a celebrity." I stated, as he continued to look star struck.

"Yah huh," he replied. I sighed, and then directed him towards the kitchen.

"Have some crisps, you wanker," I laughed, taking a bag out of the cupboard. I noticed that he suddenly looked upset.

"Wally," I frowned, walking over to him, whilst opening the packet. "What's wrong?"

"Am I that bad?" He asked, snapping back to reality.

"Well, for me, yes," I answered, pushing the crisps into his arms. He chewed on them thoughtfully.

"It's just," he began. "I still can't believe that M'gann lied to us like that."

"She was insecure, and had faced rejection one too many times," I explained. "Kind of like me."

He shook his head, "I'm not talking about that, Em." Shocking me, he placed the crisps on a table next to me. "I'm talking about the fact that I'm so blind, I just go for the girl with the looks."

"Wally, where are you going with this?" I questioned.

"I'm trying to tell you..." He sighed, "I disrespected someone because of how intoxicated I was with someone else."

I finally twigged it. "You're upset that you didn't give Artemis the time of the day, and now M'gann's true form is not what you expected, you want to apologise."

Wally looked up at me, a sad smile taking over his features. "You read me like a book, Shades."

Smiling slightly, I rested my hand on his shoulder, though it took effort. "Wally, I have some advice for you."

"You do?" He asked. "On how to say sorry?"

"What's the date?" I asked bluntly.

He frowned, "New year's eve, of course."

"And, what do Americans do on New year's eve?" I pushed.

"Shades, I'm pretty sure it's not just Americans, but- oh," he said, blushing as he realized what I was referring to.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you catching my drift, Wallman?"

"I'm not sure if I want to catch your drift!" He exclaimed. "Shady, that's forward. Even for me! We barely respect each other, and then out of the blue..."

"Not out of the blue," I corrected, with a sly smile. "Arty told me you said some pretty nice things to her one the way back from the last mission."

"That would have sounded better in my head!"

"Wally, everything sounds better in your head."

"Well..." He said, scratching the back of his head.