Part 26

Wes, Justine, Mitch and Kim were at the mall in Westerville a few days after sectionals. Justin and Mitch were shopping and Kim and Wes acted company and carriers. The other boys had managed to escape when Justine and Mitch announced that they were going out to the mall. Wes didn't mind going to the mall because it gave him some time away from Dalton and he needed that at times. The other boys could go home on some weekends but he couldn't… so he had to find other ways to get out of there and have some fun. He was standing a bit away from the older teens and looked through a rack with shirts. He was trying to find something new for his wardrobe. But suddenly, when he moved a few shirts a face appeared and the face screamed:

"Boo!"

Wes jumped high and stepped backwards, tripping on a chair and falling to the floor. Everyone in the store turned to him and he sat up and narrowed his eyes.

"Becca!" he said angrily and the girl came out from behind the rack.

"Hi Lee", she said cheerfully and helped him up.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you up duh."

"I meant before", he snapped and started brushing off his clothes. "Why were you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Because I'm one wicked little girl", she said happily. And Wes snorted before smiling at her.

"Just you wait", he said. "I'll pay you back for that one."

"Ha I'd like to see you try. Nothing scares me."

"Rebecca-Rose Hamilton!" an angry voice suddenly called.

"Except maybe that", Becca said and dashed in behind a rack of clothes. Wes watched her in confusion and then a tall man entered the store. He looked around and saw Wes.

"Have you seen a girl", he said. "About this tall", he held his hand at Becca's height. "With brown eyes, chestnut hair and dressed like a little skater boy?"

"I", Wes began but felt Becca hit him through the clothes on the rack and he smirked. "She's hiding behind this rack of clothes."

"Lee!" Becca said and got around it. "You can't-"

"See it as payback Becca."

"You are…" she then realized the man could see her. "Oh hi dad!"

"Rebecca-Rose Hamilton how many times do I have to tell you to not use your skateboard inside of the mall?" the man asked and pointed outside and Wes noticed a few overturned flower pots, people picking up stuff they'd dropped and a security guard looking confused.

"It wasn't me", Becca said.

"The line of mayhem led me straight here", the man said.

"Maybe it was Lee."

"Excuse me", Wes asked and gaped at her.

"No it was you", Mr. Hamilton said. "I recognize your handiwork."

"Aww… but I saw that Lee was here and wanted to go."

"How did you know I was here", Wes asked confused.

"I saw your car drive by my house and realized you must be heading to the mall with those two boys and that girl."

"So you jumped onto your skateboard and caused mayhem all through the mall?" her father asked.

"Yes daddy." She smiled. "I didn't mean to. Am I in trouble?"

"Yes… but we'll talk more when I get home after work today. Keep out of trouble."

"Oh I will", she took Wes' hand. "Come on Lee let's go get a soda!"

"But my-"

"We'll find them later." She pulled Wes out of the store, none of them saw the smile Mr. Hamilton had… or the mischievous grins the three older Dalton students were having.

"So I told the people at my school that we should start a choir and challenge the high schools because we are so much better", Becca said and Wes chuckled. "Don't you think so Lee?"

"I don't know", he said. "I've never heard any of you sing."

"Well we are far better than your little prep choir."

"Hey", Wes said with a laugh. "We're good."

"True but seriously, a cappella? It is so booooring."

"Who won sectionals about two weeks ago", Wes asked and smirked at her.

"Shut up."

They laughed.

"You are part of the Wobblers right", Becca asked.

"No but the Warblers."

"Right, right… so that means you can sing?"

"Yes I can", Wes said.

"So how about going to that piano store over there and play something for me!"

Wes laughed but got up and held his hand out to her. She took it and they hurried over to the piano store named Motta's Pianos. They got inside. There weren't many people there, but there quite a few pianos there.

"Which one", Wes asked and looked at Becca, still holding her hand.

"That one", she said and pointed at a black one. Wes nodded and then looked around for an employee but didn't see anyone. He only saw a small girl around the age of nine. She was dressed completely in pink and had her brown hair in a high pony. She was sitting on the counter.

"You dress ugly", she told them when she saw them.

"Excuse me", Becca asked.

"Sorry, Asbegers."

"Do you mean Asperger", Wes asked and she nodded.

"What", Becca whispered to him.

"This girl has a disease called Asperger's syndrome. People with it can have problems with interacting with others socially… some just say stuff that comes to mind… like us being dressed ugly. Don't get mad at her, she can't help it." Becca just scoffed and crossed her arms. Wes rolled his eyes and turned back to the girl.

"Can we play on one of the pianos", he asked.

"You can, but I don't think you can play that good", the girl said.

"Why not?"

The girl jumped off the counter and walked around the pianos until she reached him and took his hand and looked at it.

"Your hands are too small", she said. "You can't play when your hands are small."

Wes chuckled.

"I can play", he said. "What do you want to hear me play?"

"I don't you're not good with small hands."

"Can I try", Wes asked kindly.

"Okay", she said and pointed at a red piano. "That one."

"Fine", Wes said and walked over and sat down. Becca sat beside him and the little girl sat on his other side.

"What song ladies", Wes asked.

"Can you play Bad Day", Becca asked. "I love that song."

"Okay", Wes said and tried to remember the song and started playing. Becca grinned and the little girl in pink looked at his hands, mesmerized. Wes just smiled before he started singing:

Where is the moment we needed the most?
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

You tell me your blue skies fade to grey
You tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on

'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride

Wes didn't notice the shop workers come out and watch him, he didn't notice the small crowd outside that was watching him too. Wes was good, he just didn't really believe he was.

You had a bad day, the camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day, you had a bad day

The three Warblers he'd gone with realized he was the one playing so they walked into the shop and stood around the piano and harmonized with him and sang backup. Wes grinned at them.

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carrying on

You had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride

You had a bad day, the camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day, Oh, holiday

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong and I'm not wrong
Yeah-Eh-Eh-Eh-Yeah

So where is the passion when you need it the most?
Oh, you and I, you kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride

You had a bad day, you've seen what you like
And how does it feel, for one more time?
You had a bad day, you had a bad day

Wes stopped playing and everyone cheered and he grinned. Becca hugged him tight and the little girl started bouncing up and down.

"I wanna be a big, big star too", she said happily and a man walked up to them and she hurried to him. "Daddy make me a big big star."

"I promise", he said and smiled at Wes. Wes grinned and then turned to his friends.

"Good job", Mitch said and smiled. "We just have to check the shoe store and then we can go."

"Okay", Wes said and got up and held his hand out to Becca. The two of them hurried out to find something to do.

"You were really good", Becca said as they sat and ate an ice cream.

"Thanks", Wes said with a smile.

"That girl was weird though."

"Well she couldn't help it."

"Oh great", Becca suddenly groaned.

"What", Wes asked.

"Just ignore them."

"Who?"

Wes looked up and saw a group of boys, there was four of them and they were walking towards them, one of them grinning.

"Who are they", Wes asked.

"Just some jerks from around my neighborhood", Becca grumbled.

"Hi Rosie", the smiling boy said and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"What do you want Devon?" she spat.

"I just wanna know why you are hanging out with this loser instead of me?"

"Well I don't hang out with losers."

"So?"

"That's why I don't hang out with you."

"Ooooh", Devon's friends said and Devon glared at them.

"But Rosie", he said. "I'm your boyfriend."

"No", Becca said. "You are not. You're just a loser with a crush on me. Go away."

"I don't want to."

"Well start wanting to", Wes growled and got up.

"Or else loser", Devon asked.

"Lay off guys", Becca said. She looked up and saw her dad waving at her. "Look I gotta go. I see you around Lee?"

"Yeah sure", Wes said with a smile.

"Hey what about me", Devon asked. "Wanna go out with me?"

"No", she said.

"Why not?"

"Because that would be cheating."

"You don't have a boyfriend!"

"Of course I do?"

"Who?"

As an answer she grabbed Wes by his tie and pulled him up and kissed him on the lips. Then she smiled and hurried off. Wes blinked in confusion, before grinning and walking off. He'd just been kissed by a girl for the first time. He was happy and it felt nice, wow he had a girlfriend.

Wes met up with his friends by the shoe store and they headed back to Dalton. The trio noticed his beaming smile and happy… skipping? The trio stared at him in confusion but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and walked to his dorm room to do his homework. Then there was a knock on his door.

"Come in", he called before turning back to his books. Lucas came in and sat on his desk.

"Look Shorty", he said. "We need to talk."

"About what", Wes asked confused and looked up at him.

"Parent night."

"Oh", Wes said and his smile fell. He had forgotten about that. Earlier that week Carmichael had announced that come Thanksgiving Dalton would host a parent night… well family night and everyone would be eating dinner at Dalton together… all families. After the announcement Lucas had been trying to talk to Wes about it but the small boy didn't say anything to him, he hid from him. That's why he'd been happily agreeing to go to the mall with Mitch, Justine and Kim. He could stay away from Lucas.

"Look", Lucas said. "I know you won't feel too happy about this."

"That's an understatement…" Wes grumbled.

"But they only have parent nights every second year… so it won't be every year."

"Let's see", Wes said and started counting on his fingers. "I came here when I was 12 and I will leave when I'm 19 because my birthday is in February. I'm in grade 7 now and will be in grade 12 when I graduate. I will have experienced three nights of being singled out from the whole school, three times I will be feeling unwanted and alone. Oh the joy."

"Hey Shorty come on", Lucas said and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not unwanted. You're part of the Dalton family."

"Yeah but who will want me by their family table in the big dining hall during Thanksgiving?"
"All boys in the Warblers."

"Yeah but does your families want that?"

Lucas blinked in confusion.

"Um", he said.

"And the truth about me is supposed to be kept secret from all the freshmen so they won't be able to tell their families why I'm here. No one is… my presence at that dinner will only wake questions I don't want to answer and it will get Carmichael into an awkward position. I don't want that so I am going to keep away. The teachers and Carmichael will be having dinner in the dining hall… I'll just eat in my room."

"No", Lucas said. "I won't allow that."

"Well you have no choice. Your family will want to have you at dinner."

"True but I don't want you to be all alone. Maybe you can sit by Carmichael, people might think you're a relative of him, adopted or whatever."

Wes looked at his hands.

"Still… too many questions", he said. "Too many rumors and lies will start circulating."

"I don't care about that shit, I care about you." Lucas said sharply and looked at the boy beside him. Wes was looking at his lap and Lucas saw that he was sad.

"Look at me Shorty", he said and Wes looked up. Lucas pulled him into a hug. "It will be alright. We'll figure something out for you." Wes only nodded and Lucas rubbed his back. They were going to figure something out. Because none of the Warblers would stand for Wes being all alone during parent night. But Lucas was also worried because he didn't know how his parents would treat him and… some of the other Warblers might end up in trouble as well. Not everyone had the most understanding parents of them.

TBC Sorry for the long wait and the shortness. Next chapter will be longer. You have my word. Parents night and about 30 Warblers to write about when they meet their parents.

Answer to non-members' (or not signed in members') reviews:

Lissi47 - I do not see Wes as Pumba... sorry.

Sarah - I'm happy you like it :)