Author's Note: lol. I was hoping this story would only be five chapters but I went WAY beyond that. Sorry but I just keep coming up with some stuff to write. At least I'm writing, right? Haha!! Anyway, I like what I just wrote so I hope you'll like it too. I hope you guys like Walter. But I hope you like Wally more. That's all I'm gonna say about this chapter. ENJOY:)
Chapter 9: Sharper than the Last Stab
Walter was the sweetest thing. In the course of just one week, he had managed to win over almost everyone's heart. He and Nigel got along quite well, often having discussions about serious issues. He and Hoagie didn't have a problem at all, for they had the same sense of humor and laughed at the same things. Even Abby has granted him a hard-earned approval, which he rightfully won by treating her with nothing but utter respect. He was perfect. All was well.
"Ooh, flowers!" Kuki exclaimed as soon as Walter walked into the clubhouse carrying a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"Dad just came from the set of the new Rainbow Monkeys movie," He said as he handed them to her, "There was an excess of flowers from the set so he brought some home. It's all over our house and I figured you might want some."
Kuki dug her nose into the bouquet and lovingly inhaled its fragrance.
"Thank you so much," She kissed Walter on the cheek, "I love them."
She walked over to the TV set and grabbed an empty vase that was resting on top of it.
"Get out of the way, you're blocking the TV," Someone said irritably.
She turned and frowned at Wally, who was sitting quietly at the couch with eyes that seem to penetrate beyond her and focus straight on the TV. He has been very short-tempered lately, especially with her. Not wanting to bother with his attitude, she moved over the water cooler next to the window and filled the vase with water. When she was done, she put the flowers in it and set it down on the window seal. She took some time to admire it. As she did, she listened to the conversation behind her.
"Hey Walter, did you see that episode of Yipper last night?" Hoagie's voice reached her ear.
"Yeah, I saw it. It was a re-run though. They've aired that episode before."
"Really? I didn't know that… It was still cool though."
"Yeah, it was a good episode. It's one of my favorites."
"Geeks…" Kuki heard Abby mumble. They all heard it.
"Hey! Yipper is cool!" Walter laughed, "Even Wally and Nigel watch it!"
"Don't get me involved in that," Nigel laughed.
Wally didn't say anything, and even though she couldn't see him, Kuki could imagine him still staring at the TV with the same crossed look on his face. It didn't matter, she thought. She just enjoyed hearing the laughter of her friends behind her, proud to know that they were in good terms with her boyfriend. She really does like him.
Only a few moments after the first conversation ended, a new one emerged. It was one that brought shock to the whole room as soon as Walter spoke.
"Hey Wally, I have something for you."
Kuki spun around sharply, only to find that everyone in the room all turned to watch as well. Walter was still standing within the distance between the door and the couch. Wally's head was turned towards him, looking irritated and curious.
"Didn't you say you like wrestling?" Walter asked him.
"…Yeah," he said blankly, "So?"
"Here you go."
He held out what looked like a photo. Upon seeing it, Wally jumped up and leaved over the get a closer look. His eyes were wide with shock.
"Is that…?"
"An autographed photo of Froggy McDougal, yeah. I went with my Dad earlier to the Rainbow Monkeys set and he was there because apparently his daughter is a fan of the series. I remembered that Hoagie told me that he's your favorite wrestler so I figured you might like this."
Wally reached for the autograph excitedly but stopped before he could even touch it.
"What's wrong?" Walter asked him, "You don't want it?"
"This is priceless…" Wally said, eyeing him suspiciously, "Why are you giving it to me?"
"I'm not really a fan wrestling. I just got the autograph because of you. I have no reason, really. It's just a friendly gesture, I guess..."
Wally looked terribly confused, like he didn't know whether to thank Walter, or punch him in the face. In a bean bag in the corner, Abby was staring at Walter as if he had just done a stunt. From the poker table, Nigel watched, completely dumbfounded, and Hoagie looked like he as about to die of suppressed laughter. Kuki was still standing next to the cooler. Out of all of them, she was most amazed.
Wally finally took the autograph from Walter's hands.
"Thanks…" He mumbled.
"No prob."
As if nothing unusual had happened, he walked over to Kuki, smiling as usual. It was then that everything went back to normal. Abby continued reading her magazine, Nigel and Hoagie carried on their game, and the wrestling match on TV entered another round.
"That was awfully nice of you," Kuki told Walter, trying her best to sound impressed rather than shocked.
"I'm just trying to be a good guy. Besides," He leaned in and whispered, "I have a feeling that he doesn't like me. I just want to be in good terms with him since he's your friend and all."
Looking into his subtle, green eyes, Kuki found no deception. She could tell he was being honest. She smiled at him admiringly and gave him a loving hug. As soon as she got a view over his shoulder, her eyes led to the couch. Wally was still staring at Walter, at the two of them, still holding the picture in his hands. He still looked terribly confused and incredibly aggravated. Most of all, he looked defeated.
•••
Another week passed, more time from everyone to fall in love with Walter. He really did fit in quite well. It made Kuki happy.
Even Wally no longer had an excuse to complain. Even to him, Walter's perfection was obvious. Because of that, his short temper had gone. Now he just resolved to silence. He hardly spoke at all.
The clubhouse was livelier than usual. Nigel and Abby were at the poker table, arguing about what to do for the weekend. Hoagie was sitting with them, in the midst of their argument, but his attention was caught up in a portable video game, and he groaned as loud as they did as he played. Walter and Kuki were sitting in the bean bag, sharing jokes and stories, laughing, and cuddling close. The TV was turned up loudly, on the wrestling channel, adding more noise in the clubhouse. Wally merely stared at it, quiet and alone on the couch.
A few weeks ago, this situation would've been a little different. Yes, Nigel and Abby still would've been arguing. Yes, Hoagie still would've been stuck at level three of his game. But Walter wouldn't be there. And Wally wouldn't be so quiet. In fact, he would be cheering his favorite wrestler, and Kuki would've been there with him on the couch, complaining about the violence of wrestling and nagging him to switch to the Rainbow Monkeys channel. Eventually they would've ended up in another argument, another battle over the remote control.
Anything to be able to talk to her… Any excuse just to touch her… If it's too complicated to do as a friend, so do it as an enemy… Anything…
But things are different now. He can no longer do those things anymore. He can no longer argue with her, especially since Walter is there to distract her. He can no longer wrestle her, or even flick her forehead to annoy her, especially since Walter is there to protect and hug her. He can't even tell her that she deserves a better boyfriend anymore, especially since Walter, lovely and oh-so-perfect Walter, has rightfully earned her attention. He no longer had an excuse. He had nothing now, but an awkward friendship to hold on to.
