Part 84

Wes was bored. He had somewhat expected to find someone there when he woke up on Christmas Day but the school was abandoned. Now he was laying upside down on his bed and bounced a ball against the wall. He had dined with Carmichael and the staff members yesterday and had a great time but now he was bored. He'd gotten a few gifts with the mail and had called the givers to thank them. He had sent gifts too of course. He had gotten the ball he was bouncing against David's wall for instance. It was not really a normal ball… well not in looks. Justine and Mitch had designed it in a project at Parsons. Wes had to smile as he watched it. It was a precious gift to him. He sighed and got off the bed. He walked to the window and looked outside. The snow was falling softly out there. He decided to go out and find something to do.

Wes strolled around Westerville. Everywhere he saw families greeting loved ones or friends. Kids playing in the snow. Kids and grownups playing. Families. Not a single house seemed empty and in all of them there seemed to be amazing food cooking. Christmas trees shining. Gifts to be opened. Music playing. Laughter. Joy. Warmth… family. Wes wrapped his jacket tighter around him and continued walking until he got to the park. There he saw an ice rink and he smiled when he saw all the kids skate around. Wes hurried to a booth where they rented out skates and put them on. He smiled as he glided over the ice, it was fun. He forgot his grief for a little bit. Everything was just perfect and fun. Everyone on the ice shared in that fun. That's when a snowball hit him in the back of the head hard. He turned around and groaned.

"Toby", he said coldly. "Huey. Reeves."

The trio that had bullied Wes whenever they saw him were grinning at him. Huey skated over and Wes prepared for another fight.

"No need to be so tense", Huey said. "Look, I think we all started off on the wrong foot."

"Wrong foot?! You sickos attacked me in the park!"

"Well technically you attacked first."

"No I helped some kids that got bullied."

"Okay fine, maybe that's true. Look we are graduating and we feel like we need to leave this place after making amends with people we treated badly."

"Wow, that's a long list of people."

"Will you just shut up?"

"No", Wes said. "Because you know what? I don't want to listen to this. I don't have to listen to this. I have no desire of being your friend. I don't want you to apologize to me because I don't give a flying fuck if you do or not. I just want you out of my life, never talk to you again or see you again if I don't have to. I make that choice and you have no say in it. You treated me badly more than ones so I will not give you the benefit of being allowed to ask for forgiveness because you don't deserve it. At all."

Wes left the trio behind and continued skating. He did stop though to help a little boy onto his feet and to help him find his parents. It wasn't too hard to point them out since they were heading their way and Wes just helped the little boy over. But he had to stop and stare. He'd skated past a girl with long black hair, pale skin and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. She was beautiful. She turned and smiled at him. Wes smiled back and was about to skate over when a boy came, took her hand and skated off with her. Wes watched them curiously until they disappeared. He wondered who she was. Next thing he knew someone skated into him and he fell.

Wes grumbled as he walked through the park with a bleeding cut on his cheek. A girl had skated into him and they'd fallen. Her father had accused Wes for trying to feel her up and the girl's brother had punched him. He had a ring on his finger. The girl didn't do anything. Wes gritted his teeth as he walked. The things they'd call him really hurt. Okay he wasn't wearing the most fashionable clothes but still. Wes kicked at the snow.

"Riffraff, street-rat", he grumbled. "I don't buy that. If they just looked a little closer…." He looked at his hands. "They'd find out there's so much more to me than what meets the eye." He looked up at all the smiling faces around him, everyone ignoring him or looking at him with distaste. People outside of Dalton, with a few exceptions, treated him like a nobody! His family had done that to him his whole life. He'd always been a nobody. He stopped by a big tree and leaned against it.

"Mummy!" he heard a little boy call and watched as a little boy ran up to his mum. She picked him up, hugged him and left. Mum. He had a mum… somewhere. But she'd left him with Mr. Montgomery's family. Had abandoned him. He wasn't worth anything to her. He was nobody to her. Did she ever think of him? No… not likely. If she could just give him away like that… and never try to contact him. Then it wasn't likely that she thought of him. He sighed and leaned against the tree.

"I'm gonna become somebody", he told the grey sky above. "I don't know how exactly but I am… I just got to… somehow. I'll make everyone proud of me. Everyone." He sighed and looked at the boy a woman that was leaving. He started singing softly.

Proud of your boy
I'll make you proud of your boy
Believe me, bad as I've been, mum
You're in for a pleasant surprise

He sighed and turned away and started walking through the park. He watched families having fun together as he sang.

I've wasted time
I've wasted me
So say I'm slow for my age
A late bloomer, Okay, I agree

That I've been one rotten kid
Some son, some pride and some joy
But I'll get over these lousin' up
Messin' up, screwin' up times

He left the park and walked down the street.

You'll see, Ma, now comes the better part
Someone's gonna make good
Cross his stupid heart
Make good and finally make you
Proud of your boy

He'd reached the church. A warm glove was leaving it and he headed inside to warm up a bit. The church was abandoned. Wes hadn't really been in a church before so he walked towards the altar as his sang, his voice ringing out between the pillars and high roof.

Tell me that I've been a louse and loafer
You won't get a fight here, no ma'am

Say I'm a goldbrick, a good-off, no good
But that couldn't be all that I am

Water flows under the bridge
Let it pass, let it go
There's no good reason that you should believe me
Not yet, I know that

He left the church and headed back to Dalton.

Someday and soon
I'll make you proud of your boy
Though I can't make myself taller
Or smarter or handsome or wise

I'll do my best, what else can I do ?
Since I wasn't born perfect like Dad or you
Mom, I will try to
Try hard to make you
Proud of your boy

He had walked into his room and shut the door as he sang the last part. He sighed and turned around… and smiled. While he was out a delivery of gifts had come for him. There were gifts from all the Warblers, older or younger. And his phone started ringing. Jerry was on his way over as a surprise but the snowstorm in Copenhagen had grounded him. He would arrive tomorrow instead and Wes smiled fondly. He was alone for now, but not tomorrow.

TBC

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

wesandwarblers - Thavid are both in denial I guess ;) David more so than Thad, you'll see soon what I mean.

guest (chapter 35) - Well where I'm from they do. I did too.

RikeloverforLIFE - I'm happy you liked it.