Wallabee Beatles was many things. He was a bully, and a dedicated friend; he was a shortie, and a tough guy; he was an idiot of epic proportions, and an invaluable member of Sector V of the Kids Next Door.
But there was one thing that Wallabee Beatles was not: shameless.
That's why he choked up every time he tried to tell Kukie how he really felt about her. That's why he always mocked those cruddy Rainbow Monkey dolls of hers; so she'd never know that their beady black eyes actually scared him worse than the thought of ballroom dancing classes. That's why he had to make up excuses for everything he deemed uncool or girly about himself.
That's why he needed rain.
Don't misunderstand him. Numbah 4 didn't like rain. Quite the contrary; he hated rain with a passion because cruddy adults don't let you play Extreme Highway Soccer or skateboard using fireworks when its raining. The cruddy adults wanted you to stay inside so you didn't get wet or catch a cold or whatever. Even so, he needed the rain.
Every once in a while, something would happen. Maybe his parents had grounded him for a week. Maybe he'd screwed up a team mission and everyone would be staring daggers at him for the rest of the day. Or maybe he'd made Kukie upset for using one of her more delicate Rainbow Monkeys as a punching bag and refusing to apologize for it because real tough guys aren't sorry about anything. Or maybe he was just... feeling... conflicted... about his life. Regardless of why, the rain could always help him out.
Wally would slip outside into Mother Nature's free shower, unbeknownst to his mother and father, and go for a long walk around the neighborhood. His stride would be slow and stiff, sloshing through puddles and slouching under the weight of his soaked hoodie. His head would be down, hair matted to his face, hiding his eyes.
He walked through the rain so that no one could tell he was crying.
No! I do not cry! Crying's for babies, an' cruddy guhls, an' wimps, an'... an' I ain't no wimp! D'yeh hear me? I ain't no stewpid, cruddy, sniveling wimp!
No matter how loud that little voice screamed, no matter how hard his pride tried to deny it, the tears always fell, and his mouth always twisted as if he'd tasted something nasty. His shoulders always bunched up and shook, and his breath always trembled, coming in short, sharp gasps. His heart always felt like it was about to implode, and his chest always felt like a sack of rocks slowly pulling him closer and closer to the earth. He wished he could fall through the street and disappear forever, or crawl under a rock and just sleep until the bad things went away.
Tonight it was raining much harder than usual. All the better for Numbah 4, because tonight was most definitely a walking night.
The water came down so hard that every rain drop made him wince. It almost felt like a thousand tiny hands were pushing down on him, insisting that he stop walking and have a seat on the curb. But Wally did not stop walking; he couldn't. If he sat down, he was giving up. If he sat down, it would make everything his parents had just told him real, and it wasn't real. It wasn't.
Numbah 4 closed his eyes, letting fresh tears glide down his face for the rain to wash away. But, even in his solitude with eyes shut tight, he saw the pristine memory of the "FOR SALE" sign in his front yard.
No... It–... No.
Had it ever once crossed his parents' minds to ask him about it? Had it even occurred to them that he might have an opinion on something like this!
Wallabee's face tightened into another disgusted sneer, and fresh tears fell down his face. No, no, no, no, NO! He didn't want to go back to Australia! He liked it here! What was wrong with here? Yeah, he kinda missed his old mates from elementary school, few that he'd had, but not enough to go back! He didn't want to be re-stationed to Sector A, he wanted his team! He wanted Sector V! Everyone needed him here too much!
A bolt of lightning touched down in the distance, cracking like a whip through the sky. Numbah 4 squeaked and nearly jumped out of his skin. Then he scowled at himself. How could he be such a wimp?
Forget Australia. Forget his parents. Forget his li–... No, yeah, forget his little br– brother, too. Y-yeah. They could have Australia for all he cared, but he was staying put. They couldn't make him go if he didn't want to. He didn't need them. They'd see.
Wallabee said this to himself again and again, hammering the mantra into his brain and forcing himself to believe it. Wallabee told himself that he did believe it, that they really couldn't make him go back to Australia.
But he didn't believe it.
Numbah 4 squeezed his eyes shut so tight that it made his head hurt. He wished Kukie were here. He really, really wished Kukie were here.
... Maybe he could apologize to her before saying...
... Goodbye...
...
... Oh, God...