A Revelation of Love
~A Wilby Fan Fiction~
It was their senior year of high school, and with final exams just a week away, students rushed to and from coffee shops and the town's main library, frantically searching for time to study so they could graduate and begin the rest of their lives as young adults. Dell Philby, a redheaded boy with a slight British accent that only really came out at times of excitement or fear, sat alone at his dining room table in the kitchen of his large house in the middle of a small neighborhood. He flipped through the endless pages of his calculus text book and groaned in frustration, coming to the conclusion that he was doomed; he was going to fail this exam and he would never live it down.
"Come on Dell!" Philby yelled as he covered his face with his hands. "You can't let this one exam mess up your future. You've got this," he slowly uncovered his face and picked up the pencil he dropped in the midst of his panic. If Willa were here, he thought, I'd be more focused on helping her than stressing out. As if on que, the redhead heard three knocks on the back door of his house. Making his way over to the door through the kitchen, Philby absentmindedly fixed his hair, running his fingers through the fire engine red mop that sat atop his head. A small smile crossed his face when he opened the door to see Willa Angelo, a petite girl with big, brown eyes and dark hair which was currently being held in a single braid which rested in front of her right shoulder.
"Hi…" She said, casting her eyes down and taking immediate interest in her white, high-top Converse sneakers.
"Hey," Philby said. "What's up? I mean, why are you here? I-I mean," he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said slightly embarrassed. "What brings you here on this gloomy Wednesday afternoon?" His eyes never left her face.
"I um…" Willa pushed she strap of her book bag back up onto her left shoulder and clutched her textbook tightly against her chest. "Can you help me study for calculus?" She brought her eyes back up to Philby and their eyes met for a brief second.
The boy could hardly contain his excitement, but he hid it well. "Yeah, of course. Come in, please," he stepped aside and motioned with his hand for her to come in. "I'm glad you're here and everything, Wills," he said as he closed the door. "But why are you here and not with Spencer?" The two teens took a seat at the table.
"He's busy," Willa shrugged and played with the end of her braid. "Though that seems to be all he ever is lately; "busy," she drew air quotes around the word.
"Why the air quotes?"
Willa sighed and shook her head. "He's been flaking on me more and more as the days pass."
"And you don't believe that he's actually busy," Philby looked at her, a combination of anger and sadness in his eyes, lining his features. "Do you think he's cheating on you?" He asked, not completely sure why there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
"What?" Willa looked at him as if he'd grown another head. "Spencer is not cheating on me, Philby. He…he loves me."
"He what…?" The girl seemed hurt by his words. Philby sighed, shook his head, and spoke once more after correcting his tone. "He loves you?"
"Yes. He does. And he treats me well."
"Do you love him…?" Philby looked at her with a look he only had on his face when their lives were in grave danger of the Overtakers in the parks at night.
Willa bit her lower lip and played with her pin. "We should really start studying," she said, avoiding his question.
Philby knew better than to push her so he nodded and reopened his textbook. "What do you need help with?" He looked at her and smiled warmly as if the last three minutes never happened.
"Everything, really. It all just gets so jumbled in my head and I can't seem to keep the formulas straight and all of the variables and everything is just so –" Willa was interrupted by her phone vibrating violently in her back pocket. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the caller ID: it was Spencer. She had several text messages from him and a few missed calls. "I need to answer this," she quickly made her way into the kitchen and held the phone up to her ear.
A wave of emotion hit Philby like a ton of bricks and his head began to spin. Spencer loves her? He thought. Did Willa love him back? Were they not going to be friends any longer because Spencer despises Philby? He looked up and saw his friend walk back into the room, her eyes slightly wet from tears she was holding back. Willa sat back down in her chair and opened her textbook. "Wills," he said softly to her. "Is everything alright? Are you okay?"
"Chapter seven is what's really getting me mixed up," Willa turned to a page in the book and grew quiet, studying the equations on the page. "It's, um…really confusing to me."
"Willa," Philby began again, placing his hand over hers slightly, gaining her attention. "What happened?"
"He's been cheating on me," her eyes became glossy with tears once again and she shook her head. "I should have seen it coming, though. No one claims to be that bust and isn't hiding anything."
Philby fought hard to hide his anger. "So, what, he dumped you?" His voice was surprisingly calm.
"He told me to go find someone better; that he didn't deserve me. And yet the whole time on the phone I heard some other girl laughing in the background. So I dumped him before he could dump me. He hates to be left, so he immediately tried to apologize and offered to come over so we could "talk things out" but I just hung up on him because it was all just a game with him. He used me. He broke down my walls and took advantage of me when he knew I trusted him with my heart," Willa felt herself becoming angry rather than depressed. Her hands curled into tight fists and she grabbed hold of her notebook in front of her, wanting to rip it in half.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Willa…Why don't you head , okay? You need to go and rest. Watch a movie or call up Charlene. Spencer is not worth your time, love. And there's always tomorrow to study for calculus"
Willa nodded slightly. "I walked here and I really don't want to walk back. Could you drive me…?" The girl and the redhead met eyes and there was a moment of silence.
"Yes, yes of course," Philby smiled and stood up. He offered her and to Willa and she took it, standing up. They went out to Philby's car after Willa gathered her books.
The drive back to Willa's house was quiet, both teens thinking about several things. As Philby pulled into the Angelo residence driveway, he turned to look at his shy friend in the seat next to him. She looked lost and hurt, like a puppy without its owner. It broke Philby's heart to see her so upset. She might have yelled about being mad back at his place, but he could see that she was falling apart on the inside. Once Willa realized that they had gotten to her house, she looked up and over at Philby. Their eyes met and there was a moment of extreme silence, both teens staring intensely into the other's eyes.
"Would you like to come in?" She asked after she managed to pry her eyes away from Philby.
Philby thought a moment before speaking. Did he want to go in, or did he want to give her space? After a brief argument between himself, Philby nodded. "Yes," he said. "I would."
The two made their way into the Angelo house, and the moment Philby stepped in he was reminded of all the late nights he'd spent here and all of the movie nights with the other Keepers. Philby was never one to be nostalgic, but here he found himself wishing to go back to those times. With their most recent victory against the villainous group of Disney radicals Philby and Willa and the rest of their friends called the Overtakers, Disney decided it time to shut down their DHIs and replace them with newer faces. The five were sad, but they were excited to be able to enjoy their lives again.
Willa made her way into the kitchen, trying hard to keep her cool in front of Philby. Their relationship was strong enough for one to rant to the other without being a bother, but Willa knew how much Philby despised Spencer so she chose to keep to herself this time. Willa walked up to the moderately sized stainless-steel refrigerator and pulled on the handle, opening it. She looked around for something to drink but found nothing but some cookie dough and a half empty carton of milk.
"I love that cookie dough," came Philby's voice from behind Willa.
"Huh?" She asked, turning her head back to look at him.
"That cookie dough," he said again. "My mom and I would always bake cookies on rainy days with that brand of cookie dough. Every time I eat a cookie made from it, I think of when I was young," he smiled slightly, as if to himself.
Willa looked at the cookie dough then at her friend. "Do you want to make some cookies, then?" She smiled small when he nodded and grabbed the package off the shelf. Willa closed the fridge door and looked at him. "The oven needs to be set to –"
"Three seventy-five," Philby smiled, finishing her statement, "I know."
Willa smiled and the two began cutting the dough into pieces small enough to put onto a baking sheet. After turning what little cookie dough there was into two dozen small cookies, Philby slid both trays into the oven, setting the timer for fifteen minutes. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. Willa sat on the countertop across from him and played with the ring that was on her right hand. Philby glanced at Willa every few moments, debating if he should talk or not. Willa seemed out of it; sort of dazed almost. Philby decided to speak.
"Can I ask you something?" He asked.
"You can ask me anything, Phil. You know that," her eyes met his and his heart began to beat quicker.
"Why did you agree to go out with Spencer in the first place?" The moment the words left his mouth, Philby realized how cold he sounded. "I mean I know you didn't like him at first. You told me so yourself," he added, making up for the rude question. "So why'd you say yes?"
Willa took a deep breath and looked down at her hands as she spoke. "Spencer was always so nice to me. I really liked him. But I didn't like him the way he liked me. I saw Spencer as more of a brother at the time. He was always there for me when I called on him and he never failed to put a smile on my face," she brought her head up and met Philby's eyes. "You're right, I didn't like him when he asked me out. But I said yes because I knew I would have regretted it if I turned him down. But a few days into the relationship, it was as if something had clicked in my brain and I was all of a sudden totally obsessed with Spencer," Willa could see the pain lining Philby's features. "He treated me like I was the only thing that mattered to him. He spoiled me and took me out at least twice every week. He was my knight in shining armor…until he got the wakeup call that he's too good for me."
"Hey, that's not true and you know it," Philby stood up straight and uncrossed his arms. "If Spencer can't see how amazing you truly are, then he isn't the one you should be with. You deserve to be with someone who isn't ashamed to hide his affection for you in public. You deserve to be with someone who isn't obsessed with the standards and conformities of school and society. Spencer cared about you a lot, I know he did. But that doesn't mean he was the one for you, Wills. Guys are idiots when it comes to their feelings," he looked at her then looked at the oven. "I would know…" he added quietly.
"What?" Willa gave him a puzzled look.
"Hm?" He tried to avoid the question by walking over to the fridge. "Do you have any milk? Nothing goes better with chocolate chip cookies than a glass of milk." Philby pulled on the handle to open the door but Willa placed her hand on the smooth steel surface and pushed it closed.
"What do you mean you would know that guys are idiots when it comes to their feelings? Other than the fact that you're a guy, you're definitely hiding something from me."
Philby sighed, defeated. He knew better than to keep fighting, or things would turn ugly. "Willa, I've been an idiot my entire life. I've done things I regret, I've kept things to myself that I really should have, and I've hurt some of the people I love most in this world," he said the last part looking directly at her. "Ever since you and Spencer began dating, I knew something was off. Before you, Spencer had dated cheerleaders and other athletes. You're on the archery team, yes, but I just found it so strange that he would go out with someone that was considered a "downgrade" in the minds of his friends. But when I saw how happy he made you, I felt horrible for thinking all the things I thought about him. I told you how I felt about him and you didn't speak to me for a month."
"I offended you," he continued. "But most importantly, I hurt you." The look on Willa's face went from anger to sympathy in seconds. It dawned on her then that Philby wasn't trying to sabotage her relationship with Spencer while they were together, but he was looking out for her for this very reason. Spencer broke her heart, and Philby saw it coming. "I'm an idiot for ever saying those things to you. You didn't deserve to be treated that way by me. But I promise you I meant well by it all. I would never intentionally hurt you that badly, Wills," his voice softened slightly.
"Philby, it's okay. I understand now why you said all of those things to me. I knew then that you weren't trying to hurt me. You had an opinion, just as everyone else did. You were just the only one man enough to tell me." It was a strange way of putting it, but Philby nodded. He risked a lot telling her those things. He risked it all. "But if you don't mind me asking, why did you tell me…? You and I tell each other everything, but never if we know it'll hurt the other. I know you too well to think you thought those things wouldn't upset me. You only do that kind of stuff when you're trying to express how you really feel about someone." The words left her mouth without even thinking. She hadn't realized what she said until Philby ran a hand through his hair and cast his glance to the tile flooring of the kitchen, something he did when he was nervous. "Philby…"
"You're right, Willa," he spoke softly, his British accent beginning to come out. "I don't say exactly what I'm feeling unless I'm trying to come out and tell someone how I really feel about them." Philby lifted his eyes and met hers. "The real reason I said all of those cruel things to you about Spencer was because I felt defeated. I felt like I had nothing to fight for anymore. Willa, I liked you. A lot. And when Spencer asked you out, I felt my world falling to pieces around me. I was trying to work up the courage to ask you out to dinner or something, but he beat me to it. But when I heard you say yes, all I could feel was jealousy and anger. Spencer had someone I knew I never would. He had you. And I knew you weren't leaving him anytime soon."
"You liked me…?" Willa was caught up on the thought; she couldn't get her mind past those words.
"Yes," he said again. "I had since the day we met and those feelings had never faltered. Not once."
"But I thought you had a thing for Charlene," Willa said, remembering the times when Charlene would blow her off to hang out with Philby.
"And we all thought she had a thing for Finn, but look where he is now."
There was a long moment of silence that hung heavily in the air. The sound of the oven timer going off brought them both back to reality. Willa grabbed an oven mitt and reached into the oven, retrieving the tray of cookies. She set the tray on the counter, keeping her back to her friend afraid to look him in the eyes.
"Can I ask you something?" She said softly.
"Anything," Philby responded gently and placed a hand on Willa's shoulder.
"Do you still like me…?"
Philby gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "I do," he said firmly, yet gently. "Like I said before, my feelings never faltered one moment."
Willa bit her lower lip and turned around to face Philby. Spencer's words never had the effect on her that Philby's did. She looked up at Philby with tears in her eyes and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "I was hoping you would say that…" she whispered as she brought his face down to hers, kissing him in a way she'd never kissed Spencer, or anyone she had ever dated, before. Philby's hands dropped to her waist and he immediately gripped the bottom of her shirt, pulling her as close to him as possible. He finally had everything he could possibly ask for. He had the girl of his dreams wrapped in his arms, and he couldn't be happier.
