The next day, Wesley walked the halls of Degrassi with a spring in his step, trying his best to conceal the smile that had been overtaking his features every time his mind wandered to Anya. He wished he could have spent all night with Anya, but he went home to make sure he got enough sleep before school. He knew he would want to stay up for hours talking to her.
Wesley ran up to Connor and Dave and excitedly said, "Guess what! Anya and I have been dating the last two weeks! First we went out for ice cream and we kissed! And last night I studied at her house. Tomorrow we're going to the aquarium!"
"That's awesome!" Connor grinned, and this time they successfully high-fived.
Dave frowned. "Why the hell didn't you tell us?" His tone was angry, but his eyes looked hurt.
"I'm sorry Dave. I just... I was scared that it wasn't going to last. I was worried that I would tell you and then she would break up with me anyway. We're still not even official..." Wesley nervously played with his backpack straps.
"It's okay, dude," Dave's tone softened, "I'm excited for you! And I'm sorry for overreacting..." Dave looked down, "I haven't been totally honest either." Wesley and Connor stared at him quizzically.
"What did you lie to us about?" Connor asked, matter-of-fact.
"Not a lie, just an omission of truth. It's that... Alli and I broke up last spring, this time for good," Dave sighed.
"I'm so sorry, Dave," Wesley placed his hand on Dave's shoulder to comfort him.
"Me too," Connor said solemnly.
"Thanks, guys. We cared about each other, but things got really messy and we weren't in love anymore. At least I got to be on West Drive this summer - that helped," Dave broke out into a grin.
"You're the man!" Wesley beamed at his friend.
"You're basically a celebrity now," Connor joked.
"My autograph will be worth millions one day," Dave quipped, and the three of them laughed. The bell rang, cutting them off.
...
During lunch, Wesley, Connor, and Dave sat at a table together.
Adam joined, "Hey guys! Drew and Dallas are having a boys' night tonight at 7, and Drew said I could invite my friends too. We can play video games, listen to Dead Hand, eat junk food," Adam enthused, "Wanna join?"
"I'll be there!" Dave's eyes lit up.
"I'll go too," Connor added, explaining, "Jenna and I usually go on dates Friday nights, but she's going to the movies with Alli and Clare."
All three boys turned to Wesley.
"Um..." He looked down, thinking that they probably didn't want him there. He was sure Adam and Drew wished KC was here instead. From Facerange he could see that he was friends with both of them, and he was way cooler than Wesley.
"Are you sure I'm, um, invited too?" Wesley stuttered, his face growing hot.
"Of course, man! Drew told me you're actually pretty cool," Adam reassured him.
"Oh! Thank you, I'd love to go," Wesley tried to hide his excitement at being called cool. Even if the word "actually" made it sort of backhanded, Wesley didn't care. That was the only time he's ever been called cool and he took the win.
...
Everyone made themselves comfortable at the Torres household: Drew on the couch between Adam and Dallas, Connor in a reclining chair, and Dave and Wesley in bean bags.
Between bites of Pringles, Dallas gushed, "You guys, Alli finally called me her boyfriend, and we kissed!"
Drew responded, "That's amazing, bro!" He showed no signs of jealousy even though he and Alli used to date, Wesley remembered.
While Adam and Connor were congratulating Dallas, Dave got up abruptly, mumbling that he's going to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Wesley went down the hall to check on him. Dave came out of the bathroom, his eyes red and puffy.
"Are you okay?" Wesley asked softly.
"I'm fine." Dave said bluntly.
"Are you sure? Because I totally understand if it's hard to hear about Alli and Dallas."
"I said, I'm fine!" Dave snapped, shoving Wesley away.
Wesley winced. "I'm sorry."
Dave sighed. "No, I'm sorry, man. I just... I feel bad for being upset. Alli's allowed to move on."
"I know, but it's okay to be sad," Wesley reassured him. "I was really sad when Hannah and I first split up. The thought of her dating someone else…" Wesley's mind wandered to Liam, his biggest perceived threat. "But now I finally feel like I'm getting over her. In fact, I'm over her. I declare it. The same will happen for you any day now, I know it."
Dave nodded, his mouth slowly twisting into a slight smile. "You're right, Wes," Dave said, sounding sort of like he was still trying to convince himself. "Thanks for talking me down, man. Sometimes I just get so in my head and I just can't…"
"I get it." Wesley said, placing a hand on his friend's back and hoping it came across as reassuring rather than weird or creepy. "I'm always here for you."
Wesley noticed tears beginning to form in the corners of Dave's eyes. "You sure you're okay, Dave? Do you need a hug or…"
As soon as Wesley's words hit the air, Dave immediately pulled him into an embrace and started crying, his tears hitting the back of Wesley's shirt. "I'm just such a loser, Wes. I shouldn't have slept with Jacinta," Dave wept. "I'm worse than a loser. I'm an asshole. I did her worse than Drew Torres…"
"That's not true. You and Alli were on a break - him and Alli definitely weren't," Wesley reminded him, "Plenty of guys at Degrassi cheat. You didn't."
Dave knew this was true, but his mind was spiraling. He choked out a sob, "I was an asshole to Adam, I should've listened to you and Connor," Dave sighed.
"You learned to be accepting of Adam the same day," Wesley reminded him.
Dave nodded, wiping away his tears and smiled, recalling the genuine friendship he had with Adam - he became sort of like Adam's wingman.
"Plus, you've always been supportive of Connor," Wesley continued, "You stood up for him when the guys on the basketball team made fun of him. And you helped him when that older woman was creeping on him. You're a good guy, Dave."
"But what about you? I literally tazed you." Dave slapped his own forehead as he recalled his past mistakes. "I mean, I treated you like Holly J treated Anya."
Wesley's heart sank thinking about how awful Holly J used to be to pretty much everyone, but especially Anya. "Bro, you were nothing like that. Plus Holly J and Anya became best friends eventually. Like us!" Wesley said encouragingly.
"Still, I should've been a better friend. When was I ever nice to you?" Dave grimaced as he seemed to search his brain for an example.
"You supported me when I was trying to beat the pogo stick record... once you got over the dork factor," Wesley grinned, "and you encouraged me to ask out Hannah and were excited for me!"
"Thanks Wes," Dave smiled, visibly relaxing. "I guess I'm not the world's crappiest dude."
"Not even close. Not while Owen exists," Wesley said with a visible shiver. Why couldn't the IceHounds be relocated somewhere far far away? "Plus you've been supportive the whole time I've been back," Wesley added.
"I'm really happy for you and Anya," Dave said, smiling.
But then his face fell. "How can I compare to a guy like Dallas? He's tall, buff, a jock..."
"You're a jock too," Wesley offered, attempting to boost Dave's ego. "Basically…"
"Bro," Dave groaned, "I played basketball, but I was the shortest dude on the team. That doesn't count."
"Dave. You're cool, funny, a TV star, and your singing voice magically improved since the last time I saw you," Wesley teased.
"Shut up!" Dave busted out laughing and Wesley joined in, both recalling the time that Sav had to auto-tune Dave's voice when they were in the Three Tenners.
"Hey, I recall Anya calling our song, "funny and cool!" Wesley's heart fluttered thinking of her. She's always been so thoughtful.
"That's right!" Dave grinned, "You're so lucky Wes."
"Thanks Dave. You'll find the right girl for you too," Wesley reassured him, "Someone who likes you for who you are."
"Thanks man," Dave smiled. "There is this one girl, but I don't know… she was in the play and she was super sweet and cool, cute too…"
"Sounds promising… What's the lucky lady's name?"
"T-" Dave started to say but then shook his head. "It doesn't really matter anyway. I mean, we get along super well, but I don't think it's like that… Plus she transferred to a different school. I think her family moved…"
"Did you get her number?" Wesley asked. "Because as long as you have her number, you have a chance."
Dave seemed to think for a moment. "We'll see, Wes. I appreciate the pep talk. You're a good friend."
"I try," Wesley smiled, feeling fulfilled by helping raise Dave's spirits. "Let's head back out there before all the good snacks are gone."
The two teen boys headed back into the living room, immediately met by Connor yelling, "You guys, Adam and I just beat Drew and Dallas at this game even though we've never played it before!"
"Booyah!" Adam cheered his old catchphrase.
"Eh, beginners' luck," Dallas joked to Connor. "Let's see how you do in round two."
The boys played another few rounds - Wesley looked over at Dave every so often to make sure he was okay. He was back to his usual self, effortlessly making everyone laugh. He was even getting along with Dallas, and not letting jealousy get the better of him.
"I think Imogen has a crush on me," Adam admitted, grabbing a handful of popcorn. "She was flirting with me when we were camp counselors this summer, but I was still trying to make things work with Becky. But, I think I might like Imogen now," Adam felt the butterflies in his stomach.
"Go for it, bro!" Drew encouraged him, "when you're ready of course."
"You know what, I will. When the time is right," Adam replied. He turned to Wesley, "What about you Wesley, are you and Anya still talking?"
Wesley blushed, "Actually, we're dating now."
"So my lessons on how to be cool and impress Anya finally worked!" Drew grinned.
Wesley laughed along with the others.
"Nah, he's always been cool," Dave said, "Just in his own way," Dave lightly punched Wesley in the arm.
Wesley gently punched him back, "Thanks bro."
Damn, he had missed Dave.
