Part 66
The inhabitants of the White Tiger jumped when they heard angry shouts coming from the room belonging to a freshman by the name Kevin McGuire. Kevin's roommate had fled the scene when Warblers, current and former had swarmed his room. The Warblers were only looking out for the kid along with his mentor. But when they were trying to tell him what his brother had done Kevin had started yelling at them and even throwing his pillows at them… and Justine Gideon was not amused at all.
"Young man behave yourself", she scolded and then ducked as a pillow was aimed at her head. "Oh how rude!"
There was a soft knock on the door and Richard Diamond opened the door. There stood two pale freshmen that they all knew… well at least one of them.
"Look who woke from the grave", Richard called and the White Tigers turned and saw Wes and Benjamin. Wes just pushed past Richard and Benjamin followed. He had no choice because Wes was holding his hand. Benjamin looked at his feet. Wes walked over to the bed where Kevin was lying and sat on the foot. Benjamin climbed so that he was sitting on the foot, but blocked by Wes. He didn't trust these older Warblers.
"Wes, Benny!" Kevin said and looked really upset. "They are saying Paul did this to us! That Paul got us high on purpose!"
"Because it's true", Ethan Hughes said and Wes sighed.
"It's not true and you know it", he said and looked at Ethan.
"See Paul would-", Kevin began but Wes cut him off with:
"He didn't do it on purpose."
Kevin's words died on his lips. He looked at Benjamin but the other boy didn't want to meet his gaze.
"W-what", Kevin asked and looked at Wes and Wes gave him a sad look. "No! No Paul would never use drugs! He would never-"
"He did", Wes said and put a hand on Kevin's knee. "Many times Kev."
Kevin looked at him.
"No", he said, begged. "No. No no no no. No Wes he wouldn't! He's my brother! He promised me!"
"Promised what?"
"He promised to never hurt me… he promised to never get me in trouble or do something stupid."
"Kev", Benjamin said. "When they got to the house Paul was leaving you, Gabriel, Samuel and Cory where you were. He dumped me and Wes at Dalton and took off."
"No", Kevin said and looked heartbroken. "Paul would never do that."
"Then call him", Richard Diamond said sharply. "Call him and ask him Kevin. That's the only way you will know for sure." Richard grabbed Kevin's phone and held it out to him. Kevin looked at it before taking it with a shaking hand. Wes moved up the bed to sit beside him and Benjamin sat on Kevin's other side. Kevin took the phone and dialed his brother's number. After two signals Paul answered.
"Hi", Kevin said. "It's me… what? Why are you sorry? But… it wasn't your fault… right? You didn't know it was weed… right?" He got no answer. "Paul? Paulie?" Wes and Benjamin noticed the tears in Kevin's eyes. Wes put his arm around Kevin's shoulder.
"But", Kevin sobbed. "But you promised! I'm your little brother! How could you?! You were just leaving me there! You didn't care what would happen!" Wes heard Paul try to say something. "No I hate you! I never want to see you again!" Paul said something but Kevin just flung his phone across the room and it shattered. Then he started crying. Wes pulled him tight and Kevin clung to him. Benjamin joined into the hug as well. Kevin kept crying and the older boys watched the trio sadly. Wes was running his fingers through Kevin's hair and then started to sing softly. The Warblers stared because they had never heard the song before. Wes sang softly.
Little birdie in the tree
Aim for the sky and always have a dream
Don't be afraid just hold on tight
With my help you will take flight.
I promise you I will always stay
Little birdie come my way
Raise your voice now sing for me
Be who you were meant to be
Little birdie come my way
We'll be friends forever more
Don't cry what are tears for?
Little birdie come my way
Kevin's sobs had subdued a little and he wasn't clinging to Wes as much. But he was still holding him tight, resting his head on Wes' shoulder.
"Why", Kevin sobbed. "Why does family suck?"
"If I knew I'd give you an answer", Wes said and sighed. "But trust me buddy… I know the feeling."
"Have your brother ever let you down completely?"
"Yes", Wes said gently. "A few times… but we've always worked through it and have a much better relationship now."
"Paul lied to me", Kevin sobbed. "Everything I thought I knew about him was a lie."
"But at least now you both can be completely honest with each other", Benjamin said and before Kevin could answer there was a knock at the door. Ethan opened and Kim appeared with three sickly looking freshmen. It was Samuel, Cory and Gabriel. When the trio saw their friends they hurried up to them and snuggled close. It was just a pile of freshmen on the bed. The older White Tigers gave Kim confused looks.
"They wanted to recover together", Kim said and shrugged. "And who were we to object?"
"Why do you have your guitar with you", Mitch asked.
"Cory wanted a lullaby for them."
"They look pretty tired don't they", Justine said.
"And sick", Richard agreed.
"Hello we can here you", Wes objected and his older brothers and sister looked at him. Before they turned back to their discussion.
"So did Jerry say if we should tell the staff about this", Michael Abrams asked.
"He and Mark said we should just tell the staff that the freshies got food poisoning from a bad sea food dish or something", Kim said.
"Sounds like a good idea", Mitch said.
"So what do we do now", Justine asked.
"Sing them a lullaby?" Kim asked.
"We are too old for that", Samuel objected.
"One is never too old for a lullaby", Ethan said.
"But all lullabies are so… so…" Gabriel was looking for the right word.
"Childish", Justine asked.
"Yes!"
"Well this isn't", Kim said and sat down on the floor. "In fact I can bet you've never heard it before."
"Try me", Cory said and Wes chuckled. He knew Kim was gonna throw them something Swedish.
"Don't say I didn't warn you", Kim said and started to play his guitar and then sang:
Remember a sailor from a long, long time ago
Remember his name was Charlie Theodor
And you will never see that sailor again
He rests in the ocean Charlie Theodor
But in a stormy night it echoes
Someone calling: Hi ho!
It comes from the deepest ocean
And it sounds like so:
Hi ho! Hi ho!
In a storm on the Biscaya the ship was wrecked
The ship he sailed Charlie Theodor
And that's why he now rests in his grave
Lulled by the seaweed Charlie Theodor
But in a stormy night it echoes
Someone calling: Hi ho!
It comes from the deepest ocean
And it sounds like so:
Hi ho! Hi ho!
Youngest among the sailors travelling the sea
That was little Charlie Theodor
And that's why she cried and grieved his mother
But now no one remembers Charlie Theodor
But in a stormy night it echoes
Someone calling: Hi ho!
It comes from the deepest ocean
And it sounds like so:
Hi ho! Hi ho!
Kim looked up after singing and smiled. All the little freshmen they had been so angry at and now just felt sorry for were asleep and looked really comfortable sleeping in a heap like that. Mitch took a picture of them and whispered:
"Yearbook."
The boys all left one by one, there was another thing they had to deal with right now.
"I'm telling you we should forbid him from hanging out with them!" Nathan said angrily. "This never would've happened if he just stuck to the Warblers!"
"We can't have monopoly on him", Oliver Webber said. "He's a human being after all and he wants friends in his own grade."
"I know that!" Nathan objected. "But he needs better friends!"
"Nathan he loves his friends", Jerry said calmly. "We can't just decide who Wes is going to be friends with."
"If we push him too much we might lose him forever", Mark said. "Just remembered what happened the first time we took Wes' experience for granted."
"You mean when we first arrived and thought he was just like any other kid", Otto asked.
"Yes. We nearly lost him completely… from the start."
"If it wasn't for you and Jerry we would've", Alvaro said softly. Nathan had called him and informed him of what was going on. "But there's just one thing… what's the big idea?"
The Warblers looked at each other confused.
"What do you mean", Juan Ferrera asked.
"So Wes got friends outside of the Warblers? I'm his friend and I'm not a Warbler. He is friends with the martial arts team and they are not Warblers. Well Rob is but that's it."
"So", Otto asked and Alvaro rolled his eyes.
"He is on the student council too and are friends with the guys that aren't Warblers", he continued.
"Again… so?" Nathan asked.
"For the love of", Alvaro said and face-palmed.
"He means that Wes has been having friends outside of the Warblers before and that never bothered us", Bastian Nolan said and everyone looked at him.
"Finally!" Alvaro said and raised his arms in a celebrating gesture. "Someone who gets it! Did the Warblers lose their brains when Austin graduated?"
"Hey!" the current Warblers objected.
"Austin is very smart", Bastian said and smiled. "But he has other qualities as well."
"Hey keep your hands off of my boyfriend", Justine growled.
"Oh love don't you hog the boy."
"Bastian, do as your role model in life and stop!"
"Uh what", Bastian asked confused.
"You look like a stop sign!"
Bastian just laughed and ran a hand through his neon red hair. Justin huffed and turned away from him. Bastian's younger brother Malcolm leaned in and whispered in his brother's ear:
"You are saying those things about Austin just to tease her righ?"
"Yes", Bastian said. "But it's even funnier because what I say is based on truth."
"So what you mean is", Jerry said before an argument could break out. "Is that we should leave Wes alone to befriend whoever we want because he is already friends with boys outside of the Warblers and outside of Dalton even if you count Asian Camp."
"Yes", Alvaro said. "We can't boss over the kid's life. We have no right to do that."
"But we're the only family he has", Otto objected.
"I know", Alvaro said. "But still… the more you try to real him in the more you will push him away. Wes loves and cares about all of us but we can't monopolize him. We don't have the right. If he wants friends of his own age, in his own grade, we shouldn't try to stop him… especially since it brings out the true Warbler in him."
The Warblers all looked confused.
"You never see it do you", Alvaro asked and everyone looked even more confused. "Geez do you even know what a stereotypical Dalton Academy Warbler is?"
"A pretty boy that can sing", Lucas said calmly.
"Pft you wish", Alvaro teased. "No it's a protective brother dude. Ask anyone outside of the Warblers and they will say the same thing. 'A Warbler is a person that is very protective of their own and also others. A Warbler is a big brother not only to his fellow Warblers but others at Dalton as well. Warblers take care of everyone and comfort younger students or just students that are upset. Dalton needs the Warblers… Dalton needs brothers.' That was written in the yearbook a few years back. Didn't you guys know that?"
Alvaro didn't get an answer. All the Warblers were too busy with thinking about what he had told them and what they had seen and they were all doing a somewhat horrifying discovery. Wes didn't need them as much anymore. When Wes first came to Dalton in fall 2004 he had been just a scared little boy who had nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. He had been a little broken thing that didn't know how to trust in others, or how to let others take care of him. He hadn't known what it meant to be a family. But now…
Now Wes wasn't that broken anymore. He still needed someone to lean in, who doesn't? But he was much more sure of what it meant to be a teenager… and a kid. It meant doing some stupid from time to time and it might making friends. But for a Warbler… it also meant being brotherly and comforting. Something Wes was and he was still evolving. Otto had seen it when Wes was with Benjamin. He was protecting him and the White Tigers had seen it in Kevin's room. Wes had comforted Kevin and Kevin had been drawn to him. Wes still had some things to work on but he was still… soon… a big brother Warbler.
TBC Sorry for the really short chapter but I was short on ideas :S Song used is a Swedish song from a children book/movie called Pippi Långstrump På De Sju Haven. I translated the lyrics myself :P And the song's real name is Kalle Teodor.
Oh and the dialogue I borrowed and rearranged in the last chapter comes from the Jungle Book ;)
Answer to non-members' (or not signed in members') reviews:
Brooklyn - Thank you for the suggestion but I've found "faces" for all my Warlbers now. And just for future tries, no links works on this site for some stupid reason...