And I'm back again.

Sorry, it took so long.


Two years later

She breathed.

Her breath fogged as soon it escaped her lips.

"It's getting colder," Wally stated and rubbed his hands together for warmth.

He hadn't been able to take a jacket when he sneaked out.

"Yeah," she said. "We should find a warmer place to meet."

"But then we wouldn't have this great view," Wally said and looked at the sky.

"Yeah," Lia agreed. "The stars are pretty tonight..."

Wally looked at her "So, what's wrong?"

She gave him a stiff look, she sometimes hated that he knew her so well.

"My dad moved back in..." She said with a sad smile. "He just comes and goes at this point, and mom just lets him..."

Wally squeezed her hand, not knowing what to say.

She smiled at him and sighed. "You know, this is nice."

She knitted their fingers together.

"Yeah," Wally said.

"Wally..." She drew out his name. "We'll always be like this … right?"

Wally looked at her. She had a distant look in her eyes.

Slowly, he leaned over and hugged her.

"I'll always be here, Lia." He said gently. "Always."

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Since his failed experiment two years ago, Wally had changed, he had been different and distant. He was always gone, either talking with his genius friends Lea and Hiro, doing things with Uncle Barry, or his new secret extracurricular activities. But after a while … things had gone back to normal. He still disappeared from time to time, but he was always made time for her and was there when she needed him.

She sighed and was about to close her eyes when Wally let go of her.

Wally gave her an awkward smile and leaned back on the bench.

Lia bit her lip, so he wouldn't see her smile and leaned back. He was embarrassed.

"You know Wally, next year we'll start high school." She said smiling knowingly at him.

"Augh," Wally grunted. "Don't talk about it."

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Wally usually liked talking about school.

Wally bit his lip. "I've started getting admission letters to colleges."

Lia gave him weird look. "But We're still in middle school…"

"I know," he said. He looked oddly irritated.

"They started coming a few weeks ago, and they just don't stop."

"What does your dad say about it?"

Wally's father wasn't half as bad as hers, but he was still a piece of work.

Wally gave a strange look, she'd never seen him make before. "He doesn't know, neither does mom."

Lia looked at him confused. "But don't the letters come in the mail?"

Wally was silent for a few seconds, but then he looked up at her with a smile she knew all too well. "Yes, but I get the mail every day."


2 weeks later

"See this...?" Wally showed her his report card. "This is not good."

Lia studied it for a second and found the B- among the A's.

"Not good indeed," she agreed knowing how overbearing his dad could be. "So, what's the punishment?"

"Half of my allowance," Wally said and took back his report card.

"But then we won't be able to go to that movie premiere next week," Lia exclaimed.

"Yes, that is the biggest problem with this," Wally said in a mock-serious tone and looked at her. "You don't have any money, do you?"

Lia shrugged. "My parents still don't believe in an allowance."

"And so you are forced to depend on your best friend, neighbor, and tutor for movie premiers," Wally said dramatically.

"If I had an allowance, I would pay you for being my tutor." Lia smiled sheepishly.

Wally closed his locker and froze, then looked at her.

"That's it!"

Lia raised an eyebrow. "You do understand that I can't pay you, because I don't have an allowance."


A few days later

Lia bit her lib in anger.

If Wally were going to insist on a project, he could at least help her doing research.

She finally found the book she was looking for and pulled it off the shelf. She might as well start reading it because she probably wouldn't understand it in the first go anyway.

She sighed. It wasn't easy being the designated lab partner for the smartest guy in school.

"Sad that you lost your boyfriend?"

She looked up and saw one of her classmates. She always seemed to close by and talking about her and Wally. Lia couldn't remember her name.

"What do you mean?"

The girl smiled innocently. "He switched you out with a cheerleader."

Lia shrugged and went on her way. She was not going to show weakness.

The middle school had been way worse than any of her dad's mental games, it was like being surrounded by wolves ready to strike at the slightest hint of weakness.

But what was that about a cheerleader?

She weaved through the bookshelves in the library trying to find a place to sit. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of Wally sitting at a table.

She stopped and walked closer.

As she got closer, a blond girl sitting next to Wally came into view.

She stopped.

Wally was smiling and talking at her, and she was smiling at him. They were writing something down and reading a book lying in between them.

She felt hot and angry.

Had he just dumped her for another lab partner?


One week later

The bell rang and she got ready to leave, she glanced at Wally.

He had been making excuses for not meeting her during lunch and recess, to meet the blond cheerleader. But he was always there when it was time for them to go home together.

But now he was already out the door.

She bit her lip. This hurt really hurt.

She went to her locker and started slowly opened it and put on her jacket, hoping he'd showed up.

Suddenly he was there, with his jacket already on.

"Sorry, I left in a hurry." He said. "I had something I needed to do."

Lia closed her locker in silence and turned to him. She was going to ask about the cheerleader.

Then the blond came walking towards them in a cheerleader uniform with a smile on her face.

Wally turned to the girl and smile.

Lia stood stone-faced and frozen.

"So...?" Wally said to the cheerleader.

The girl smiled widely at him.

"A+," She said and handed him a wad of money.

Wally took the money. "I told you, I could make sure you stayed on the cheerleading squad."

"And you did," She said still smiling, and leaned into him. "And I'll need your help in the future."

Wally counted the dollar bills with a smile. "And I look forward to it."

The blond girl winked at him. "Well, cheerleading practice is starting." and she went on her way.

Lia looked at Wally confused. "A+?"

Wally gave her a knowing smile. "I've been tutoring her for the last week."

Lia looked at the money in his hand. "Why a cheerleader?"

Wally shrugged. "Well, to be in afterschool activities you have to have a sudden grade average and I figured a cheerleader would be the most desperate."

Lia nodded. That made sense.

"So," Wally started. "I finally have enough money for us to go to that movie premier … if you still want to go."

Lia blinked. "Did you spend your lunch and recess periods tutoring that girl, so you could take me to the movies?"

Wally shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Well, you sounded like you really wanted to go." He said and held out his hand for her like he normally did.

Lia took his hand and they started walking down the hallway. She smiled and felt her face grow hot.


One day later

"You know, I'll make it up to you." She said and squeezed his hand as they waited outside the movie theater.

"For what?" Wally asked and pulled her slightly closer to him, so a group of people could get by them.

Lia looked up at him. "You put a lot of effort into getting these tickets..."

Wally just shrugged and smiled. "Anything for a friend."

Lia smiled shyly. Would this be considered their first date?

"But you had to deal with a cheerleader for a week straight."

Wally smiled smugly at her. "Well, she wasn't that bad to look at."


A week later

She watched her from her locker.

The slim blonde tip-toed around in her skimpy little cheerleader outfit, her mouth stretched in a constant smile.

She bit into her lip and continued to glare. What was so good about that dimwit?

At least Lia understood what Wally meant when he spoke, well at least most of the time...

The cheerleader didn't even notice her as she laughed with the other cheerleaders and flirted with the athletes.

They were standing by the stairwell, Lia observed. And the hallway was getting more and more crowded.

She smiled while continuing to watch the cheer squad. She could push that blond dimwit down the stairs and glide into the crowd of students before anyone saw she was there. It would probably be considered an accident.

She bit back a laugh. Maybe they'll even get a day off school to ... heal.

"What dark plans are you plotting?"

Her head snapped to the side. It was Wally.

"Oh..." She said and played with a loose strand of her hair. "World domination."

Wally laughed. "Then I bow to your superiority in advance."

"Not going to throw yourself at my feet?" She said and glanced at the cheer squad before she fished her history book out of her locker.

Wally glanced in the direction of the blonde cheerleader.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Tempting, but no."

"Oh, well." Lia smiled.

Wally knitted their fingers together.

"So ... History?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Hmm..." he almost hummed. "About the research for the project..."

She pulled another book out of her locker and handed it to him. "Already done." She said and closed the locker.

He smiled at her innocently. "You really are the best." He said as they headed towards History class

She smiled. "Tell me more."


Please tell me what you think :)