The Path Not Taken (Wayhaught)

Chapter 2

"Champ, my man!" Perry yelled from across the room. "What took you so long to get here? We have a keg with your name on it."

Perry threw his arm over Champ's shoulder, completely oblivious to Waverly at his side, and navigated him through the sea of people. Champ gladly released Waverly's hand to move on to things that hold more value to him than Waverly ever could...which was pretty much everything, but in this case was a freshly tapped keg of beer. Waverly just smiled, however, used to this scene that had played out many times before, and continued on in her role of devoted girlfriend.

Nicole was in the corner, witnessing the entire scene play out. Her heart broke a little as she caught the momentary break in Waverly's façade, sadness seeping through the cracks. But as quickly as it appeared it was gone again. And there she was donning her trademark sweet smile and perky waves to her friends while Champ rushed off to perpetuate his toxic masculinity bullshit.

Waverly made the obligatory rounds, shaking hands, waving, and hugging people as she navigated her way through the house. She was searching for a quiet space, for peace, at least until Champ inevitably got fallen down drunk, caused a scene, and had to be escorted home. Queue Waverly's role of caretaker, UBER driver, and all around peacemaker. She scoffed at that last one. Peacemaker. Waverly shook her head. She really should've been the heir. No sense dwelling on that thought, though. That wasn't her destiny. Instead, she focused again on making it through the crowd because her sole intent was to find someplace to recharge and enjoy the solitude, at least until that time when she had to babysit Champ.

As she climbed the stairs to the open rooftop deck, Waverly was pretty sure she'd find the peace and quiet she was looking for. After all, it was a little chilly for a July evening and, more importantly, there were no kegs up on the roof. It was her reprieve in a night of chaos. A moment to get lost in her thoughts and dream with the dancing stars. Waverly stared out at the landscape from the roof, convincing herself she could make out the traces of the mountains and trees in the darkness beyond the dimly lit space she currently occupied. She couldn't help letting her mind wander. About worlds bigger than Purgatory. About her dating options in a big city. A pang of guilt struck Waverly as that last thought fleeted across her mind. Champ was a decent enough guy. Sure, he was juvenile and his world still revolved around childish antics and, well, sex, but he wasn't a bad guy. And let's face it, in a town like this he was the best of the lot.

"Well, that's a depressing thought," she said out loud, interrupting her stream of consciousness.

But Champ is the best. At least that's what all her friends told her when they kept pushing them together. Waverly resisted at first, not wanting to tie herself to this town forever, especially at such a young age. But Waverly, the town sweetheart and consummate people-pleaser, couldn't keep saying no. She had to put an end to the increasingly long list of disappointed faces every time she turned Champ down. She couldn't help letting an old, familiar doubt creep back into her mind in that moment. No matter how hard she tried and no matter how many people tried to convince her they were the perfect couple, Waverly knew in her heart that something was...missing. She couldn't quite put her finger on it and she would never dare express that doubt to anyone out loud, not even Chrissy Nedley, her best friend as far back as she could remember. Standing there, arms wrapped around her small frame, drinking in the cool night air, Waverly put aside her concerns about Champ and being stuck in Purgatory. Instead, she thought about the big world out there for her to explore and smiled. Not her fake, I'm happy to be here smile, but a genuine smile that swelled from deep within. As quickly as it appeared it was gone again as Waverly resigned to the fact this was her life and that big world out there would never be anything more than a whisper of a dream.

"Ahem".

Waverly spun on her heels, pulse quickening as she jumped, startled at the unexpected intrusion. She was ready to give this interloper a piece of her mind but stopped short when she saw the beautiful stranger standing in front of her. The ginger hair peeking out from under the baseball cap and dimples that could make a statue swoon. Waverly's frustration quickly changed to embarrassment, her cheeks flushed a little at the fleeting thought of the beautiful stranger that sprinted across her mind.