Chapter 25
The class was silent as everyone took their math quiz; it was the kind of silence Wally liked at times. Spring Break had ended too soon in his opinion, not that is really mattered much to the school board, and now the teachers were cracking down to get everyone ready for the end of the year.
The red head in question had finished his test first and was now dosing off with his head on his desk.
The trip to Barry's lab was chocked up on one of the most exciting things he had done in his life, which then again there still wasn't very many on that list, but hey there wasn't likely going to be anything to beat it.
Wally had been so far gone into sleep land he was startled when the lunch bell rang; almost falling out of his chair in fright.
Thankfully no one paid much attention to the strange boy that sat in the back of the classroom.
Rubbing the sleep from his face Wally stood up and grabbed his lunch box from the cubby hole and followed the line towards the cafeteria.
His eyes glancing at the artwork made by the other classes and grades, not much of it impressive except for some of the third grader's work.
His eyes flicked towards Linda's back; he had been still wondering about the whole possibility that she had wanted his friendship or if she was just trying to be nice to him.
Sadly she had only spoken to him five more times since then and he wasn't much help if she was trying to gain his attention and friendship.
Once inside the cafeteria he moved over to his regular seat by the back window. No one really sat near him unless there was a low amount of seats and usually there wasn't.
He unpacked the sandwich his aunt made and stared out the window in a sort of daze; Wally had tallied up what the cost of all the food that they buy and consume was it just didn't seem natural.
How did they afford it all?
Just another question to add to the pile of questions he had about where he lived, still nothing like a mystery to enjoy a home.
Home, what a silly little word.
Exactly a year ago he wouldn't understand what that word truly meant now he knew what it meant. A place he was loved and accepted.
Just the thought that he had a home brought a smile to his face.
He liked having a home and he didn't plan on changing that fact.
Biting down on his PB & J, he decided to move his attention back onto Linda Park.
He watched as the dark haired girl sat at the opposite end of the long table he sat at with her friends as they talked.
Wally never really understood girls, they were loud and smelled funny, talked about weird things that seemed foreign to him. Girl were like a different species to him at times and yet sometimes they could be nice to be around.
Sometimes he saw that girls didn't understand girls which made even less sense than boys not understanding them.
Wally shook his head and turned away before any of Linda's loud friends could catch him staring and start a rumor that would be far from true.
Another thing he never understood, what was the point in starting rumors in the first place anyway other than hurting others for no reason what-so-ever.
Shaking his head to get it back on focus he thought over all the possible ways he could try and ask her politely about why she was talking to him. Not many talked to him still even after almost a full year of school and he thought maybe Linda was just looking for most attention.
Not that he believed she was an attention seeker in a desperate way he just doesn't understand people.
So deep in thought Wally didn't even realize that he had visitors now sitting near him; and they weren't the good kind.
Ms. Day wasn't the only one that got to see his good grades before his aunt and uncle so did these two kids. Bill and Jeremy were the two tallest kids in class and Wally believed that was the only thing they had against him.
Their IQ was about the same as a toddler, maybe even less since they both were barely scraping by till they found Wally's grades when he had dropped his progress report; not he was in a situation of false friendship and what most would say is bullying at its finest form.
Though the freckled child didn't think much of it; as long as he wasn't physically injured he found himself in a safe zone and he knew what both of them wanted.
Without a word he sighed, everything in him knew this was wrong and knew he should tell a teacher but for some reason he was scared on what they would do to him if he did tell.
They were bigger and most likely stronger; even thinking about reporting them he worried he would be snapped in half like a tooth pick.
Jeremy glared at Wally as the boy passed over the homework answers that he had hid in his lunch box. Behind their fat heads he saw the patrolling teacher turn that way and start walking towards their table.
A small bug of worry flickered in him, but at the same time he hoped they caught them; he could stand the lecture about reporting bullying if it meant he didn't have to deal with that guilt anymore.
As they two taller boys got up to move back to their seat he saw the teacher look over at them before coming over to investigate why they were moving.
It was a rule that you weren't allowed to switch seats; everyone that had a brain knew that.
Yet these two clearly didn't, and Wally put his head down as the teacher walked over and looked them over in a suspicious glare.
His head moved and snatched the paper from Bill ignoring the protests.
The man's face turned sour as he looked over at the two boys, "Who gave you these?"
Without hesitation they pointed to Wally; expecting the blame to fall onto the quiet child there. Yet the man's gaze never fell from them.
He pulled Wally from his seat and led all three of them from the cafeteria and brought them to his classroom; sitting them all down in chairs by his desk.
Wally was internally panicking as he glanced around the room; but the other two were extremely calm.
"I want to know how you got these answers. Even in homework cheating is not permitted."
Jeremy usually was the one to speak for the two of them yet every time Bill allowed him to speak things always went the opposite way than the duo intended.
"We got them because we asked, like we always do. This little nerd is the top student and we expect perfect grades every time unless we ask for lower."
Wally said nothing and just stared at his shoes; a once perfect day seemed to have pushed him into the black hole of disaster.
The teacher only glared at him, "So you are bullying him for answers?"
"No, we are asking and receiving with force."
A sick, twisted way of getting through this without feeling guilt. The man in front of them would hear nothing of it.
"That just confirms it, you are bullying him for the answers and I am sure he will speak against you two. Both of you are coming with me to the principal's office."
Wally watched as both of his bullies were yanked to their feet by the teacher, "You can go back to class."
With that the man disappeared with them and Wally was left to wander back to the lunch room in shock; he had said nothing and now they were gone. Weird how sometimes justice can take its own course.
Still the lecture was sure to come, and one of his guardians called and told of what had happened.
Wally felt a little numb about this; the whole thing didn't go one for as long as he thought it would. He expect a year or so would have passed before he had said something and now they were caught without him saying a word.
Why couldn't it had been like that before? So quick and simple?
The redhead shook his head and hurried back to the cafeteria, trying to get his mind off that subject.
He promised himself he wouldn't think of that day, he wouldn't think of his past; not the pain or the relief. Nothing would be remembered.
The child got back in as soon as lunch was being let out; he packed up what was left of his food and followed his class outside for recess.
Wally sat on a swing and finished his sandwich; his green eyes casted down.
Today started out so good but didn't go the way he expected at all.
A/N: High School has started up again so this is how I am hopefully going to have this set up. One chapter per week; that is my goal. And in a rare occasion you get two then you are all very lucky. I just wanted to tell you this so you have a set date now kinda, I cant say what day of the week I will update because it depends on editing and writing and how much time I have.