Chapter 10:
Wirt and Sara arrived at the wall, tossing their bikes aside and climbing over so fast that both of them nearly toppled off. They hopped onto the soft grass and immediately started searching for a small boy in green overalls.
"Greg! Greg!" Wirt called. In a matter of seconds he had gotten so panicked, simply because Greg wasn't in clear sight. Tears began pouring down his face.
"Woah, woah, Wirt," Sara said, trying to calm him.
"What? Why aren't you calling for him? What do you want?" Wirt cried, still frantically looking around.
"Wirt, you need to calm down, like, right now. Breath, Wirt, breath. Just because he's not in our immediate peripheral vision doesn't mean he's missing. Did you really expect him to sit in the same spot all day?"
Wirt, red in the face from both anxiety and embarrassment, shook his head and calmed a bit.
Sure enough, when they walked not two minutes down the river bank, they saw little Greg playing in the grass, his sweater tangled with burrs and leaves.
The warm afternoon sun was facing him, bringing out the color in his big green eyes when he looked up at them. Greg smiled and waved with his chubby hands, pointing to a little pile of dirt and grass he made.
Wirt let out a sigh of relief, as if he had been holding his breath the entire time they searched.
Wirt ran and scooped up his little brother in a big hug, Greg giggling, squirming in his arms. He placed kisses all over his little head.
"Thank goodness you're safe," Wirt cried.
After a good five minutes of hugging, Wirt and Sara looked at little Greg and laughed.
"What happened to you, little man?" Sara said, pointing to the dirt and leaves all over his body. Greg just shrugged.
"I don't know. I just saw some leaves, and I was like, 'Man, I gotta roll in those leaves.'" The three of them laughed.
When all was settled, and Greg continued keeping himself entertained with a bunch of twigs and dirt, Sara saw the opportunity to talk to her close friend.
She and Wirt walked over and sat on the tall grass next to the train tracks, with Greg in their line of sight. They let the sun warm up their chilly bodies, made cold from the brisk October weather.
Sara shook her head, looking down. "Wirt, what happened today? What got you so upset? I mean, people don't normally talk to their friends in such a bad wa-"
"I know, I know," Wirt interrupted, his face going red from guilt. "I-I snapped, I guess. I was just so worried about Greg, I can't even explain what I was feeling."
Sara nodded her head, the pair still not making eye contact. She looked up. "But what did Mr. Johnson say? What did he do, Wirt? You were so upset, coming back from his classroom."
Wirt continued to look down, fiddling with a tall piece of grass. He sighed, almost too embarrassed to reply. "I, uh, I don't know. He, like, had me come to talk, because he was, like, concerned about my academic performance and stuff. He mentioned how I was not looking well at all. He just asked me what was wrong, and that I could talk to him," Wirt sighed, "But, I can't talk to him. I can't just go up to people and say what I'm feeling, it just doesn't work like that! My teachers don't know much about the whole Greg situation and I would love to keep it like that. Heck, I missed a single day of school after he, uh, he died," he said, looking down. "It just doesn't work like that." Wirt was speaking barely at a whisper.
They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the creek and little Greg playing. The tree branches moved back and forth in the wind, and the sun continued to set. Sara thought, deeply.
"But, Wirt," she started, "It kinda does work like that. I mean, you can't just expect yourself to deal with all you've been through and not ever talk about it. Mr. Johnson was there to help you. He was concerned about your well being and he wanted you to talk, because venting really does help. It helps clear your mind, and lifts a huge weight off your chest." She sighed. "I'm no professional, but you have to stop shutting people out."
Sara looked down and mumbled, "You hardly even talk to me."
Wirt looked up to face Sara looking down at the grass, and he became red in the face. He hated admitting it, but he knew that was true. Sara and him were so close, but there was always this, barrier, between them.
"Sara," Wirt sighed, "You're so right, you-you really are. I mean, no wonder you probably don't feel open with me. You probably never have thought you could really talk to me, because I've never talked to you."
She put her index finger up. "Well, except for yesterday morning, when you were at my house and we were, like, eating breakfast and stuff. You really let loose, and it was nice. It was really nice. But, just like that, you went back to this uptight self. I thought I had made progress, but we were just back where we started."
Wirt nodded. It did feel good to cry, especially with Sara.
"I don't know why I don't open up, and why it's so hard for me," Wirt started, "but I really appreciate your advice, Sara. You're the best."
"Hey, don't mention it," she said, taking Wirt's hand. They smiled and looked at each other a bit more, until Greg came running up the hill, pointing to the sun.
"Wirt? Wiiiiirrrrttt?" He called. Sara and Wirt quickly retracted their hands and looked up and whining Greg. "I'm cold and the sun's going down and I really gotta pee."
The three got back on their bikes, Greg tucked underneath Wirt's coat, and set off for home.
It was already dark, around 5:30, and Sara helped Wirt make some dinner for the three of them. It was no surprise that Wirt's mother and stepfather weren't home. They always worked late, on both weekdays and weekends. It had occurred to Wirt a few months ago that they had to put on the extra work hours to pay off the medical bills. They were endless, and forced his parents to work on some of Greg's final days.
The rest of the night went smoothly, compared to the previous one. Greg's presence seemed natural to Wirt, as if nothing had ever happened. As if his younger brother didn't just die a week prior, and was now sitting at their dining room table. The three ate their dinner, and Sara put on a show as Wirt gave Greg a bath and tucked him into his makeshift bed. Wirt looked at little Greg just before he turned out the lights. He couldn't really believe that his brother was there, but at the same time it felt as though it made sense, as if it was supposed to happen. He shook his head in confusion as he leaned down and kissed his brother goodnight.
"I love you Wirty-Wirt! Goooooooooodnight!" Greg exclaimed.
"Goodnight, Greg. I love you," Wirt replied, smiling.
He turned off the lights and headed downstairs, checking his watch. It was only a bit after 7, but it was so dark outside. He took a seat next to Sara on the couch, who had decided to work on some homework while randomly glancing at the television. She looked up at him and gave a half-smile.
"You doing ok?" She asked. Such a simple question, but by the looks of it, she didn't want a simple reply. Wirt looked at her, and sighed. He knew he would have to talk, actually talk.
"Uh, I guess, considering our situation," he laughed a bit, which cause Sara to smile. "I'm just confused, I think. I'm starting to believe that Greg's presence is a sign for me, if I don't sound crazy. I don't know, I'm kind of learning to appreciate what, or who, I've got while I still have it. I love Greg, and only now is the first time I genuinely told him that, something that he should have heard before it was too late."
Sara breathed, "Yeah, I understand that a lot."
Wirt looked up at Sara's round, brown eyes, thinking. He stared at her for a while, every so often opening his mouth as if he was going to say something, then closing it. Just before Sara was going to ask if he was ok, Wirt spoke up.
"Sara, I love you," he stated. Sara blushed immediately, looking away from Wirt. He, for once, didn't flinch or worry.
"Uh, um," Sara started, "I don't know if right now is the best time to talk about this-"
"No, hear me out," he interrupted. "I mean, you want me to speak honestly with you, and I will. Greg's appearance has made me understand that we have to talk about this. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow, I need to tell you when we have the opportunity."
Sara looked up, blushing but smiling. Wirt gave a half smile, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Sara, I, uh, I love you like a lot. I mean I feel like there's always been some tension between us and stuff, uh…I want to make out with you and stuff," Wirt paused and looked at Sara. He was blushing now, and Sara rolled her eyes.
"You're such a dork," she said, just before she grabbed his face and kissed him. Wirt couldn't believe what was happening, and he closed his eyes as they made out. After a solid amount of time passed, they pulled apart, sweating and blushing. Sara laughed.
"Dude, you have no idea how long I wanted to do that," she laughed at him. Wirt exhaled a sigh of relief.
"R-really? I was so nervous to tell you that, and uh, I just can't believe that happened!" He exclaimed. They both laughed, sitting closely together as Sara put her head on Wirt's shoulder. Suddenly Sara's phone buzzed, and she groaned.
"My dad's here to pick me up," she said, collecting her things. She looked at Wirt, who was still sitting on the couch. "If you need anything, just call me. Also, uh, I love you too Wirt. I love you a lot."
Wirt grinned as he got up to close the door behind her. Just as she was leaving, she turned around and kissed him quickly again. He blushed viciously, but smiled and waved goodbye. She left, and he closed the door behind her and slumped against it, exhausted.
"Oh my God," he whispered smiling, as he put his palm on his forehead.