I Will Fall

A Poem On The Underground Wall

Vivian watched as her grandfather Brando danced with his newly wedded wife Sylvie Stevens now Wilkes. They seemed so happy and she was sure that their love, their relationship, was a good thing, terrific even. She was against it at first, trying to protect Brando from potential heartbreak. But what's meant to be is meant to be. So now she was sitting at the bar, sipping a cocktail at Sylvie and Brando's wedding.

Her gaze wandered to the right and stopped at the sight of her cousin (well in a large family like the Wilkes everyone about your age, who wasn't a sibling, was a cousin) and her ex-boyfriend dancing, if one could call it that. It looked more like swaying. Zoe was talking and Wade looked down at her somewhere between astonished and confused by her words.

Vivian observed them closely, something was odd about the scene playing out in front of her. She just couldn't put her finger on what exactly. She took another sip of her cocktail while looking at Wade. She was sure, that moving to Baton Rouge with Charles had been the right thing to do, but ever since Wade had told her exactly that, she was asking herself, how she had managed to leave him the way she did. How she had managed to hurt the most selfless and forgiving person she knew. How she had managed to be so selfish, to leave with Charles to go house hunting without even telling him, to let her cousin pick up the pieces. And by that, by not being able to face him, to tell him in person that she had chosen Charles, she had stained Zoe's and Wade's new found friendship. She had caused him so much more pain than necessary, just because she was afraid or rather part of her was certain, that if she had told him face to face, looking into his mesmerizing eyes, she would have caved. She would have done the wrong thing, stayed with him instead of giving her family a second chance in Baton Rouge.

Her gaze wandered to Zoe. Her cousin wasn't wearing any shoes, abandoned them some time after the ceremony, like half of the female guests. Vivian's eyes set on Zoe's face again. She was still talking to Wade, or rather telling him something, her eyes oozing with confidence and was that love? Vivian wasn't sure. Did her cousin just looked at both their ex-boyfriend with love? That didn't make any sense at all. Vivian watched as Zoe spoke her final words and then walked away without looking back.

Vivian focused on Wade again. He seemed confused, stunned even, but there was something like hope, the certainty that everything will be fine, lingering in his soft smile. All of this didn't make any sense to Vivian, it was odd. And she desperately wished that she could have listened to their conversation.

Once again she let her eyes wander, to the left this time, over a very in love looking Brando and Sylvie to Annabeth and Joel. She couldn't see Annabeth face, Joel, however, was grinning like a Cheshire cat as his eyes wandered between Wade and the door Zoe had just left trough. This just added to the oddness and Vivian was more confused than ever. Somehow her eyes locked with Joel's and he must have noticed her confusion, because he whispered something into Annabeth's ear and walked over to Vivian.

Joel positioned himself on the bar stool next to Vivian. They both looked at the spot, where just moments ago their exes had been dancing. Vivian still confused, not being able to put her finger on what just happened and Joel kind of proud, uncharacteristically smug even.

Joel gave a final nod to the door Zoe had just left trough and turned to Vivian. "What do you know?". She looked at him, head slightly tilted. "About?". "Zoe and Wade". She swallowed, "they've dated and now they're friends?" It was supposed to be a statement, but came out a question as Vivian realized while speaking, this was about more than friendship. That dance wasn't one between friends.

Joel patted her shoulder and ordered two shots of whiskey. He silently handed her one and motioned for her to drink. She obeyed. "They're totally in love". When she just looked at him confused, he clarified, "with each other", and handed her the second shot of whiskey, which she downed immediately.

"They're what now?". He answered with that same look on his face Harley had when she and Charles told him, that all three of them were moving to Baton Rouge together. "Totally in love. Always have, always will. Well maybe not always always. Since they've first met perhaps, definitely since that magical first night. But of course they both didn't know back then." He started to ramble, excited like a schoolgirl telling her best friend about her first crush.

Now it was Vivian's turn to order shots of whiskey. She handed him one. "Drink!" it was a soft command, "and then start again!". He did as he was asked and took the whiskey shot, but instead of starting to tell her the story again, maybe a bit more structured, he just asked, "You heard about Meatball's wedding?" She nodded.,"thought they didn't get married?" He nodded and gave her a questioning look. She continued, "and I heard something about an unexpected and unconventional declaration of love, but I didn't catch whose." He gave her a pointed look. "Oh. Wade declared his love for Zoe?" she asked quite shocked and downed another whiskey.

"What? No! That was last year. Zoe declared her love!" He got that schoolgirl look on is face again as he continued. "They're kind of poetic, you know. Moving forward in cycles. One year cycles to be precise." She still looked at him with a lot of unanswered questions on her mind. He took the whiskey bottle the bartender had just left on the counter so they could pour their own drinks and poured another two handed her one and toasted, "to poetic exes". She went along with it "to poetic exes".

Once they finished their drinks, Joel continued. "First year. The day of Lemon and George's wedding, well not-wedding. Massive storm and after two mayor fights over the last weeks, complete with not speaking to each other and all, Wade and Zoe got caught in a barn and well admitted their sexual attraction to each other. And then later than night she called him over and well magical night and all. I'm not gonna get into so much detail about that." "Appreciate that." He nodded in acknowledgment and continued, "so second year. After lots of ups and downs. Biggest down being Wade cheating on Zoe." She gave him a shocked look and he poured another round of drinks. "I know, seems kind of out of character doesn't it?" She nodded and they drank. " Well anyway, they broke up, Zoe slipped and slept with him again and then left to attend a wedding in New York, but somehow Wade tracked her down somewhere across Alabama and told her he loved her. But Zoe left for New York stayed five months and came back with me. I guess you know the rest. Oh, wait. Third year, Wade was about to move to Atlanta. Zoe gets a 24 hour hiccup and Lemon makes her realize she loves Wade. Zoe tells Wade in a kind of cute but awkward way at Meatball's not-wedding. And here we are now" he finished looking at Vivian, who just looked right back at him, still slightly confused. "How do you know all of that?" "Well after Zoe told Wade, Wade kind of didn't take it that well and just walked right out of the Rammer Jammer. Zoe didn't take that so well, so I took her home and she told me their story." "Ah, well. And how exactly do you know that Wade still loves Zoe?", Vivian asked curiously. "I'm a writer. I know that kind of stuff. He's just held back by some trust issues with women he developed in the past year". Joel handed Vivian another drink. "Kind of my fault those trust issues." "Partly. Zoe leaving the way she did and returning with me probably didn't help matters much." "Probably."

They toasted again, "to giving your ex trust issues!" "Hey! I never did that!".

xXx

An empty whiskey bottle and a more detailed description of the poetic Zoe and Wade story, delivered with a lot of passion and drunken arm swaying, later, Joel and Vivian were still sitting at the bar, now doing shots of water, because the barkeeper had denied them any more alcohol.

"You know, what the best part of the story is?", Joel laughed. "No. Tell me!" "When I moved down here with Zoe, I was kind of worried being the act two guy." "But you were!", Vivian pointed out. "I know. It's kind of ironic really." "Why?" "Because I thought the whole time that George is the act one guy. Boy, how wrong was I?" "Totally wrong." "Totally wrong, indeed. And I should have seen it. I'm a writer, I know that kind of stuff. And the signs were all there. I just didn't put them together." He laughed at his own blindness and stupidity. "She was so jealous of Lemon and you. It was hilarious. Really hilarious. And how she didn't want me to be friends with Wade. I should have known. I'm a writer." He once again shook his head in slight amusement about his obliviousness and poured two more shots. He handed one over to Vivian and they both drank.

Suddenly Joel started to wriggle in his seat and almost spat out some of the water he was drinking. He more or less jumped of his seat and uttered rather loudly "Wade!". Joel tried to hug Wade as he approached the unlikely drinking buddies. "Joel!" Wade copied him, while gently pushing Joel back to his seat. "And Vivian", he nodded at her before turning his attention back to Joel. "Why are you getting drunk with my ex-girlfriend?" "I'm not" Joel defended himself and Vivian added, "he's not" while pointing at the water bottle on the counter. "Okay then" Wade said looking from Joel to Vivian, back to Joel and then to the bartender, who simply raised the whiskey bottle Joel and Vivian had emptied earlier. "Well I better let you two sober up then", he patted both of them on the shoulder in a mixture of support and sympathy.

"Wade!" Vivian almost cried as she caught his wrist and pulled him towards her. When he was close enough she hugged him from her sitting position. "I want you to be happy, Wade!". Joel jumped of his seat and joined the hug, "I want you to be happy, too." "Well, thank you both", Wade uttered whilst awkwardly trying to free himself. "I promised Annabeth a dance. I'm going to dance with her now. Very happily." He walked away shacking his head, half in amusement and half in confusion about what had just happened.

Joel put his arms around Vivian's shoulder and they both turned back towards the bar. "I just had a realization" Joel slurred, "they're not getting back together til next may. It's in the cycle." "No, we can't let that happen!" "No we can't. Vivian Wilkes would you like to be a poet with me? Rewriting the Zoe and Wade ballad?" "Yes! Lets do this." They toasted once again "to being a poet".