Please remember the not owning part.
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Love,
Fiery Peace
Part 6I was tired, my muscles ached, I was sick of whiney customers, and I was in heaven. It felt good to get back to my part-time job at The Paper Lantern. I had finally earned the doctor's stamp of approval for being completely recovered from the whole poisoning fiasco. Goodbye wheelchair, goodbye nightmares, goodbye embarrassment, and goodbye using a lift to get into school. Hello independence, hello privacy, and hello the ability to participate in gym again.
However, there was one problem that had occurred. Will and I had a huge falling out. Every time we entered the ring to play Save the Citizen and attempted to defeat our "villains," Will kept stepping in to take hits for me. Basically, Will was winning Save the Citizen on his own because he wouldn't allow me to participate to my full potential. At first I let it go and then the bottled up anger caused me to explode.
Flashback:
"What the hell do you think that you are doing!" I growled at Will in the empty locker room after gym.
"Playing Save the Citizen. What does it look like?" Will said with confusion on his face.
"I do not need you to take hits for me. I do not need your hovering," I snapped poking Will in the chest with each statement, "And I do not need your protection."
"What is your problem?" Will sniped back at me, "We won the damn game! We are still undefeated."
"No! You are undefeated," I said with gritted teeth, "Because you sure as hell are not allowing me the opportunity to help in anyway."
"I was only trying to…" Will began but I didn't give him the chance to finish.
"I can take care of myself. I have for a very long time. You need to back off Will and let me breathe," I growled, "Stop with the damn hovering. Back off! I don't need your help!"
"Well, I won't help then!" Will yelled.
"Fine with me," I yelled back.
"Fine," Will snapped and then grabbed his stuff to slam out of the locker room.
End flashback:
Will and I had not spoken since that day which was about a month ago. He avidly avoids me and will no longer join the others if they sit at my table for lunch period. Our friends had tried to help us make up, but it had been to no avail. I won't say that I am exactly happy with the situation, but Will needs to grow up. He can't protect everybody and he needs to let go of the childish dream that he can. If that be the case then I would have been able to protect my mom from having a husband turn evil, losing her superhero career, and nearly losing me. Controlling every facet of life is a perfect world that does not exist. I knew this better than anyone. What did have me concerned was that Will hadn't been looking too good lately and I still hadn't figured out why. What was up with him?
"Warren?" a familiar voice caught my attention.
"Layla?" I said turning to see her standing at the kitchen door, "What are you doing here? Don't you have a test every Friday? I thought you spent Thursday nights studying."
"Do you have a minute?" she asked, "I really need to talk with you. It's important."
"Um…sure," I said, "Go grab a table and I'll fix us some plates. I was about to go on dinner break."
I dipped myself some pork chow mein and grabbed some vegetable lo mein for Layla. I grabbed us some fortune cookies and drinks before carrying everything out to the booth Layla had snagged.
"Is something wrong?" I asked Layla when I noticed her troubled expression.
"Warren, we need to talk about Will," she said seriously.
"Not this again," I groaned as I dug into my meal, "Look. Will needs to work with me as a partner or he needs to get a new partner. I don't need his protection."
"Will knows this," Layla said as she picked at her food, "I'm breaking his confidence, but he admitted to me that he was wrong two weeks ago."
"So why didn't he say something?" I grumbled, "I would have accepted his apology."
"He knows that too Warren," Layla said looking up at me, "There is something else that has been bothering Will that is keeping him from being able to approach you. Have you made your decision whether there would ever be a chance of you and Will being more than friends?"
"I don't think that is any of your business," I said lowly, "Did he put you up to this?"
"No he didn't Warren," Layla said sadly, "Will is pining over you."
"What?" I said confused.
"He's not eating and has lost weight. He thinks about you all the time. He swears he can feel when you need him. And he hurts when he is away from you," Layla explained, "You need to make a decision and let Will know. Maybe if he realizes that you can't love him as a lover, he will be able to move on in his life. He is suffering now and I can't stand to see him this way."
"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned again leaning back in the booth, "I thought he was passed all this. He hasn't said a word about wanting a relationship since the day I woke in the hospital."
"Will didn't want to push you," Layla explained, "He knew that he had dumped a lot on you all at once. He wanted you to make your decision without feeling pressured, but he has sacrificed himself for it. Please make a decision soon. Will needs to know so he can move on in his life."
"Okay Layla," I agreed, "I'll talk with Will soon. I promise."
"Thanks Warren," Layla smiled, "I knew you would do the right thing. I have to get home now and start studying. May I take the rest of my lo mein to go?"
After I had boxed up Layla's food, I sat back down at the table to finish my dinner. As I ate, I pondered Layla's words. Will had said that he could feel when I needed him. Was that how he knew that I was so sick that night? And I had accepted his comfort without question. I had never accepted comfort like that from anyone except my mom. I also had to admit that I missed the mornings when Will had come to help me out to the bus. I also missed our time together and regretted that we were no longer speaking, but this still didn't mean that I loved him.
"How do I feel?" I asked myself as I opened my fortune cookie.
My fortune read "Miss not your true love that is beneath your nose."
"Stupid fortune cookie," I grumbled as I smashed it into tiny pieces with the flower vase.
I opened the fortune cookie that Layla had left and the fortune inside read "Do not allow regret to rule your heart by not allowing your true feelings to surface." I have a feeling that fate was trying to send me a great big message. Well fate wasn't making this decision, I was.
"Will and I needed to talk," I thought grimly as I ignited the two fortunes and watched them turn to ash, "This is going to end now."
To be continued.
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