The last few weeks had gone by quickly and Wade couldn’t help but feel like he was on a bit of a roll. The fight with the street thugs had sucked at the time, but he did see some immediate benefits from it. A promotion offer at work and a nice bonus added to one of his pay cheques were both unexpected, but awesome. The promotion wasn’t a given, but if he could demonstrate that he had the skills for the position, he’d be moved up in no time. All he had to do was learn some self defense and some other aspects of security. It seemed easy enough, but Wade figured it would take at least a few months to get his skills up.
Wade was thankful that Chris had been willing to fix up his post fight wounds with magic. Some soreness and stiffness couldn’t be completely fixed, but it was still amazing to see his cuts and bruises pretty much vanish before his own eyes. That had made everything so much smoother. He spun a bit of a story to the school doctors about getting a bit banged up playing pick-up football in the park. He was still trying to think up a way to pay Chris back. He'd saved Wade a huge hassle.
The fall-out from missing curfew wasn’t as harsh as he’d feared. A visit to the principal and a bit of a lecture that covered everything from being responsible to a not so subtle reminder of the trouble he’d already had back at home. The principal did note that Wade’s grades had noticeably improved since his arrival at Westbrook, and that probably helped demonstrate that Wade was making an honest effort. The bottom line of the lecture seemed pretty clear; one mistake could be excused as just that, but any further ones would find a much harsher penalty. He was on a short leash.
So he’d served his detention by helping Mr. Deathrage clear out and organize a few storage areas. Besides having to put up with the grumpy old man, the job didn’t go too badly. Wade even came across a couple of old lawn mowers that Deathrage told him hadn’t run in years. Instead of watching them get thrown away, Wade asked if he could keep them. He’d been fond of mechanic shop back in Falls Plain and wanted to try his hand at working on engines again. Deathrage just grunted and told him he had a week to get them or he was tossing them.
With his bonus money, Wade had been able to drastically improve his wardrobe, which made him feel much better about himself. He may be hard to miss in a crowd, but now at least it wouldn’t be because he was dressed poorly. A few other toys had been purchased as well, such as one of the latest smart phones, a few dozen new mp3s off the net, and the new PS Vita. He’d held off on the tablet he’d been wanting after realizing that he’d done just fine without it so far. That and he didn’t want to blow all his extra cash too quickly. Wade had found he liked having money in his wallet to spend when he went out.
The people he’d met at Westbrook were becoming more than just classmates. He was starting to think of them as real friends. He thought of the pool parties, hanging out at the pier, around campus, or the mall. He thought about a few of the longer conversations he’d had with some of them. One in particular he seemed to keep thinking about. Maybe there was a stronger connection to be made there? That thought triggered something in his mind and he pulled out his wallet and retrieved the scrap of paper he’d found in there after his night in the hospital. It was right there, a name and a number; so why hadn’t he called her yet?
Maybe the quick research he did on the net had scarred him off a bit. It didn’t take long to find out that Tony Bullivia had a daughter named Alexis. Could his co-worker, Gordo, be right? Was she so far out of his league that she probably wouldn’t even remember him? How did a high schooler even open a conversation with a college aged, super rich, super attractive, socialite like Lexi?
The first few days after the fight on the street, he’d almost called her a number of times. But every time something had kept him from dialing that number. As he sat looking at the scrap of paper a new thought materialized in his mind. There were a few possibilities before him at that moment but did making a choice on one exclude the others from contention? Most likely it did. There just wasn’t enough time in his already busy schedule to be running all over the place.
His thoughts were interrupted by the generic digital warble that was the ring tone on his new phone. It sounded like a monkey pounding on the keys of an 80’s synthesizer. He made a mental note to get that changed ASAP. Getting up he retrieved his phone from the nearby table and held it up to check the display. His eyes widened a bit as he read it.
This was definitely an unexpected call, but Wade was interested to see what came of. He hit the button to accept the call and put the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
Wade of Westbrook
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Last edited by Wade Braddock on Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Day to Day (working title)
“That’s right. Crowd my box, you get chin music.” Wade taunted as his fingers worked the controls of his hand-held game system. A moment went by and he paused while a response came to him through the wireless earpiece and microphone he wore on one ear. He scoffed and rolled his eyes then stabbed the button on the deck that activated his mic.
“Give it up, dude. You got lucky with that two run blast back in the second. You really think you’re putting up seven on me in the ninth? With two outs already? No chance, Canada.”
Canadians. When were they going to learn? Baseball was America’s game. The guy had insisted on a rematch after their first game and Wade had been about to decline, but then agreed anyways. He had planned to get some sleep, but realized he really wasn’t that tired and he hated just laying in bed. Lying awake always got him thinking, and right then thinking was exactly what he had hoped to avoid.
He had had a few chances that night to get things of his chest, but both times he had declined. Maybe he should have tried talking. Chris could have been a good choice; Wade felt that he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t immediately turn around and talk about him behind his back. But he’d appeared a bit indisposed with that new girl Cassandra and Wade still wasn’t totally sure about her. So he’d tried to act laid-back when Chris picked up on his mood. Maybe Chris had bought it, but Wade kind of doubted it.
Sam had offered as well during a few exchanged texts and Wade was about to say yes to some company, but again he declined. He’d even had the text typed out telling her to come by, but erased it in favor of something he hoped had come across as casual. It was always hard to tell how a text would be interpreted.
Wade wasn’t even sure that talking was what he had wanted to do anyhow. Was he even looking for advice? He wasn’t so sure. Did he just want to whine? Maybe, but there was no way he wanted to look like a whiner, not to anyone. It seemed to make sense to him that if he still felt conflicted, he could bring it up with Sam on their little pre-planned shopping trip. And if he managed to work things out for himself, then all the better.
“Thanks for coming out, Canada. Good to see they finally got the internet up on the tundra there. Let me know if they ever get Baseball.” Wade said as he threw the final strike past the batter.
He stayed on-line long enough to let his opponent get in one last bit of indignant trash talk before logging off. Pulling the ear piece off his head he dropped it beside the game unit then lay back on his bed. The room was suddenly quiet and Wade found him self doing exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. He was thinking.
“Give it up, dude. You got lucky with that two run blast back in the second. You really think you’re putting up seven on me in the ninth? With two outs already? No chance, Canada.”
Canadians. When were they going to learn? Baseball was America’s game. The guy had insisted on a rematch after their first game and Wade had been about to decline, but then agreed anyways. He had planned to get some sleep, but realized he really wasn’t that tired and he hated just laying in bed. Lying awake always got him thinking, and right then thinking was exactly what he had hoped to avoid.
He had had a few chances that night to get things of his chest, but both times he had declined. Maybe he should have tried talking. Chris could have been a good choice; Wade felt that he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t immediately turn around and talk about him behind his back. But he’d appeared a bit indisposed with that new girl Cassandra and Wade still wasn’t totally sure about her. So he’d tried to act laid-back when Chris picked up on his mood. Maybe Chris had bought it, but Wade kind of doubted it.
Sam had offered as well during a few exchanged texts and Wade was about to say yes to some company, but again he declined. He’d even had the text typed out telling her to come by, but erased it in favor of something he hoped had come across as casual. It was always hard to tell how a text would be interpreted.
Wade wasn’t even sure that talking was what he had wanted to do anyhow. Was he even looking for advice? He wasn’t so sure. Did he just want to whine? Maybe, but there was no way he wanted to look like a whiner, not to anyone. It seemed to make sense to him that if he still felt conflicted, he could bring it up with Sam on their little pre-planned shopping trip. And if he managed to work things out for himself, then all the better.
“Thanks for coming out, Canada. Good to see they finally got the internet up on the tundra there. Let me know if they ever get Baseball.” Wade said as he threw the final strike past the batter.
He stayed on-line long enough to let his opponent get in one last bit of indignant trash talk before logging off. Pulling the ear piece off his head he dropped it beside the game unit then lay back on his bed. The room was suddenly quiet and Wade found him self doing exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. He was thinking.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
“This the place?” Sam asked as she looked the front of the store over.
“Yep.”
Sam nodded and started heading for the door. True to her word, she had worn her cowboy boots and hat, plus a pair of cut-off shorts and a t-shirt. Like most t-shirts girls wore, it was fairly clingy and the shorts were cut in a fashion to show off the majority of Sam’s leg but Wade wasn’t complaining. He did have to stop himself from looking too hard though. Sam hadn’t noticed. At least, Wade didn’t think she had. Thank god for Sunglasses.
“How’d yah find this place? Or do y’all come to toy stores often?”
“You know. Just a big kid.” Wade shrugged as they went through the door. Wade wasn’t sure if it was just some kind of audible illusion, but he thought that Sam’s soft southern accent seemed a bit more apparent when she wore her country clothes. Maybe it was just that he expected it more, or maybe the accent just fit the style.
Wade let the though dissipate in his mind as they passed fully into the store. It seemed like a normal mom ’n pop style toy store with a selection of toys catering to mostly younger kids. A good selection of Thomas the Tank Engine trains formed a large display, right next to that sat the Disney Princess figures and books, and the rest of the isle was filled with Cars movie die-cast toys. Apparently, the owners of this story knew what younger kids were interested in. The other few isles held a selection of more mundane toys, the kinds of things Grandparents bought for kids. Things that they thought were either educational, inspired artistic creativity, or reminded them of the toys they used to play with back ‘in the good old days’.
“Awww, I bet yah have hours of fun in a place like this.” Sam teased playfully, but Wade let the comment roll off his back offering only a quick smile in response before nodding towards the back of the store.
“Come on, that fire ninja should be hiding near the back.” Wade said as he slid his sunglasses off and hung them from the collar of his shirt.
Wade led her to the back wall where they had a large display of stuffed animals. Instead of them all being piled in a bin, each one was set individually in rows on the shelves, with those little glass eyes looking out at all who passed. Wade could almost hear them calling out ‘Take me home!’.
Standing back a few steps, he let Sam scan the shelves until her eyes found what she was looking for. With a grin she quickly stepped forward and grabbed the plush fire ninja doll and hugged it to her chest. Wade half smiled as he watched. He’d never known a girl who didn’t love stuffed animals and clearly Sam wasn’t any different. Sam continued to clutch the plush doll to her chest as her eyes went back to the other ones laid out on the shelves.
“Looking for something else?” Wade asked after a minute.
“Just seein’ if they have any horses.”
“Hmm…They got that pink and purple deal up there…with wings…and oversized eyes… and uhm, a sparkly horn on its head.”
Sam looked up at it and wrinkled her nose a bit before shaking her head. “Not the kind was I thinkin’ of. I kinda like the ones that look like real horses. Sorta like that one!”
Sam said as she reached out and picked up a rather plushy looking brown horse. Apparently, she was going to purchase a mount for her newly acquired fire ninja as well. “You wanna browse?”
“I outgrew Mr. Turtle pools a long time ago, and I don’t mean emotionally. I’m good.”
Sam paid for the dolls and they left the store together. Stepping back out into the sun Wade took a moment to replace his sunglasses over his eyes and look around the shopping area in Faultline. It was kind of odd, for a district that was pretty much destroyed the commercial area still seemed like it thrived. It probably had something to do with the good selection of stores. Clothing stores were most prevalent but it also had places like the toy store, a music store, a few restaurants and pubs, a place to buy jewelry and even a large bank. They were all laid out around a plaza set-up with fountains, and small trees. All of it was located on few terraced levels that added to the aesthetics of the area. Really, it wasn’t a bad place to be on a nice afternoon.
Sam didn’t seem opposed to doing a bit of wandering and the two spent the next couple of hours moving from store to store browsing at everything offered. Sam passed on going into the ladies clothing stores but often led the way into the stores catering to men. After a few such occurrences Wade couldn’t help but think that Sam was more interested in picking out clothes for him rather than for herself. Which was cool. Wade thought his tastes were pretty decent but it was always good to get some tips from a girl. There were a couple of things that girls were just better at and clothes were definitely one of them.
After a while, they stopped and sat at a quaint looking outdoor café to get something to eat. Wade doubted the strength in the flimsy looking wrought iron chairs but amazingly enough it did support his large frame. When the waitress came Wade ordered a glass of vegetable juice and a plate of fresh raw vegetables after Sam had placed her order.
“Heard y’all were on some kinda diet.” Sam commented after the waitress had left.
“Yeah, it’ll give me more energy.” Wade responded as he absently the scanned people walking around the plaza.
“Don’t think it’s working, big guy.”
“Huh?” Wade pulled his attention back and looked over at Sam.
“Just mean, you’ve been kinda mopey lately. Yah don’t look too energized to me.”
“No… I… well, I feel good for training and stuff. I dunno, just got a lot of things in my head right now.”
“Wanna share?”
Wade took another glance around the plaza but he wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for. Maybe he was making sure there was no one around that he knew or maybe he was stalling. He did know that he hadn’t had much success figuring things out on his own. Maybe it was time to try talking.
“Just seems like there is so much I have to get done, and, you know, not enough time to do it.” Wade said.
“What kinda things?”
“Well… school takes up a lot of time, and it seems like every class I’m in has given me a big end of term assignment to get done. They’re not due for like a month, but that’s a lot of work, right?”
Sam nodded and let Wade continue.
“And then I’ve got work on weekends and my training before classes, homework after, working on my engines after that. Parent’s Day is comin’ up, and now my Dad has decided to come along, after that Prom is coming up kinda quick…” Wade paused and let out a sigh. “I could go on, but I think you get it.”
“So. You’re real busy. That it?” Sam asked curiously.
“Uhm… I guess?” Wade responded tentatively. He wasn’t sure what Sam meant by ‘That’s it?’, didn’t she hear what he had been saying? He just listed off a slew of problems, but she didn’t seem all that concerned about it.
“Wade, most ‘a that stuff is nothing. Not one ‘a those problems is gonna mean you’re out on the street, an’ none of them is gonna do you any harm. Just take ‘em one at a time, y’all will get through ‘em.”
Wade sat silently for a few moments as he took in what Sam was saying. Suddenly ‘That’s it?’ seemed to make sense; to a certain degree at least.
“When did yah find out ‘bout your Dad coming to see ya?” Sam asked.
“Few days ago.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Sam said, then paused as the waitress brought their food and drinks to the table.
“Why’s that?” Wade questioned, once the waitress had departed.
“ ’Bout the time y’all got mopey. Not lookin’ forward to the visit?”
Mopey? Wade didn’t think he’d been mopey. He figured he’d been conflicted, or distracted. Definitely not mopey, but apparently he was wrong. Wade looked at Sam and realized she was waiting for him to answer the question. “Uhm… I was, when it was just my mom and sister. I dunno, kinda sprang this on me last minute.”
“You don’t get along with your dad?”
“We used to just fine. Then I turned out to be meta-human.”
“He didn’t like that?”
“Not really, I don’t think he hated me or anything, but I think I ruined his image.” Wade could see that Sam wasn’t totally following along so he took a breath and continued. “I haven’t really told anyone at Westbrook this, but…”
Wade took then next while to fill Sam in about his life back in Falls Plain. He told her about his humble beginnings as a sports loving but rather un-athletic kid. He told her about how that all changed the day he started growing and getting stronger. Wade told her about how he quickly became the town’s star athlete, in practically any sport he decided to play. In a town like Falls Plain, status was key, and success as an athlete seemed to top the status ladder. So with the kind of ability Wade displayed, came a life akin to smaller town royalty. Not just for him, but for his parents and his younger sister too. The Bradock family, and everyone who hung out with Wade were suddenly on everyone’s ‘A’ list.
And then the day came that people could no longer turn a blind eye to Wade’s size and strength. He was publicly acknowledged as a meta-human and everything fell apart. All of the championships he’d helped teams win over the previous few years were suddenly called into question. The whole town felt as if he’d disgraced them, and like the fame that had spread to his family and friends, the disgrace fell upon them too. Or it should have, but most of them did the only thing they thought would save their social status, they turned their backs on him. His dad had been no different. Only his mother had held a scrap of support for Wade, but even that seemed to be only in private.
Wade finished off the vegetable juice in his glass and set it down before continuing.
“So, I’m just not sure what to expect. Kinda figured he was happy to see me sent here. It’d give him a chance to rebuild his damaged social status with out the disgrace hanging around to remind everyone whose father he was.” Wade finished with a note of bitterness in his voice.
Sam frowned softly as she looked at Wade and seemed to take a moment to consider her thoughts before speaking. “Can’t really say why he’s comin’, but keep in mind he’s still your dad.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So… maybe give him a chance?”
Give him a chance. Wade hadn’t actually considered that his dad’s visit could be genuine. It was possible, but Wade couldn’t bring himself to think that it was likely. His dad had turned his back on Wade; that kind of thing was hard to forgive. Especially from a family member. Give him a chance. Was it as simple as that? It sure didn’t sound too difficult.
“Alright, Sam. I’ll give him a chance… what can it hurt?”
“Won’t hurt ya much at all, I figure. An' look, you’ve solved yourself a problem too.” Sam replied with a smile
“Ok…” Wade chuckled softly. “Guess that takes care of parent’s day. Prom shouldn’t be much harder. Really just need a tux or something is all.”
"That red tux post you made on MyFacePlace… that was a joke right?” Sam asked with a genuine note of concern in her voice. When Wade nodded she let out a relieved breath and continued. “Well, if y’all need another shopping trip, I’m your girl.”
“Really? I dunno, you pulled out some questionable picks in those stores earlier.” Wade stated in a dead-pan manner, but quickly found his façade broken by a smile.
“Me!? You were the one who bought purple jeans!” Sam stated in her defense.
“Those are gonna look sweet… oh! Wait… Purple tux!” Wade nodded then added. “I like it.”
“Y’all better be joking again.”
“Not at all… I bet I could convince all the guys to rock purple!” Wade said with a smug note in his voice as he crossed his arms and looked out at the plaza. “I can see it now…”
Sam rolled her eyes and threw one of her french fires at Wade. It bounced off his arm and he immediately looked back at Sam.
“Wade! No girl at Westbrook would ever forgive yah for wreckin’ prom, so just drop that idea now! You hear me?”
“Ok, ok.” Wade responded with a smile and held up his palms in a defensive gesture. “Cease fire.”
“Ok. Just drop the silly tux idea.”
“Dropped.”
“So, besides your tux… anything else you might want to do for prom?” Sam asked curiously.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“A date, maybe?”
“Well… I’ve got a name or two in mind, but I gotta admit, they may be long shots.” Wade said. He could see that Sam was about to open her mouth and he just knew the next question was going to be ‘Who?’, so he decided to block it before it even got asked by quickly adding “What about you, you gotta have a date, right?”
“Not yet.”
“Serious?” Wade exclaimed. He knew that Sam was serious by the slow nod she offered in reply. He hadn’t really expected that answer and with out thinking he asked his next question. “Juan hasn’t asked?”
Wade instantly regretted his question. Sam looked down at the table, but not before Wade noticed her cheeks already starting to flush. Clearly he’d hit a bit of spot with Sam, but he had no idea what kind of spot.
Wade picked up his glass of juice and noticed that it was empty so he just toyed with the straw for a moment. The one moment stretched into two. Wade could feel that things might get awkward in a hurry and he really didn’t want that. He liked hanging out with Sam and really wanted to keep things on a relaxed level. He had to think of something quick. He opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind.
“He hasn’t hurt you, or you know, done anything mean, right?”
Sam looked up and quickly shook her head emphatically. “No! Nothing like that.”
Wade took a few seconds to study Sam’s face. She’d reacted at the mention of Juan’s name, but quickly jumped to his defense as well. Now she actually seemed a bit concerned. Maybe she was worried Wade had the wrong idea?
“What is it like?”
“It’s…” Sam began but then trailed off and simply shrugged.
“I ain’t gonna pry, but I’m pretty good at keeping things quiet... If you did want to talk.”
“You’re not gonna tell anyone?”
“Got my word.” Wade said solemnly.
Sam nodded softly and began to tell Wade a number of things over the next short while. Some of them he had suspected and some of them he would never have guessed. As she spoke Wade listened, but began to feel a bit guilty. He couldn’t stop thinking that he was glad other people had issues to work out too. Yet, like Sam had said, they weren’t problems that had them living on the street, or facing death, so they’d eventually work themselves out. Wade, and Sam, despite all their perceived problems would both be fine.
After Sam finished talking, Wade offered a reassuring smile and steered the conversation back towards lighter topics. He paid for their food and the two chatted casually as they walked back towards the train station.
By the time they were riding the train back towards Westbrook Wade was feeling like him self again. What ever cloud that his seemingly insurmountable problems had caused to form over his head had quickly evaporated. Maybe talking was the best solution to working out problems after all. Who knew?
“Yep.”
Sam nodded and started heading for the door. True to her word, she had worn her cowboy boots and hat, plus a pair of cut-off shorts and a t-shirt. Like most t-shirts girls wore, it was fairly clingy and the shorts were cut in a fashion to show off the majority of Sam’s leg but Wade wasn’t complaining. He did have to stop himself from looking too hard though. Sam hadn’t noticed. At least, Wade didn’t think she had. Thank god for Sunglasses.
“How’d yah find this place? Or do y’all come to toy stores often?”
“You know. Just a big kid.” Wade shrugged as they went through the door. Wade wasn’t sure if it was just some kind of audible illusion, but he thought that Sam’s soft southern accent seemed a bit more apparent when she wore her country clothes. Maybe it was just that he expected it more, or maybe the accent just fit the style.
Wade let the though dissipate in his mind as they passed fully into the store. It seemed like a normal mom ’n pop style toy store with a selection of toys catering to mostly younger kids. A good selection of Thomas the Tank Engine trains formed a large display, right next to that sat the Disney Princess figures and books, and the rest of the isle was filled with Cars movie die-cast toys. Apparently, the owners of this story knew what younger kids were interested in. The other few isles held a selection of more mundane toys, the kinds of things Grandparents bought for kids. Things that they thought were either educational, inspired artistic creativity, or reminded them of the toys they used to play with back ‘in the good old days’.
“Awww, I bet yah have hours of fun in a place like this.” Sam teased playfully, but Wade let the comment roll off his back offering only a quick smile in response before nodding towards the back of the store.
“Come on, that fire ninja should be hiding near the back.” Wade said as he slid his sunglasses off and hung them from the collar of his shirt.
Wade led her to the back wall where they had a large display of stuffed animals. Instead of them all being piled in a bin, each one was set individually in rows on the shelves, with those little glass eyes looking out at all who passed. Wade could almost hear them calling out ‘Take me home!’.
Standing back a few steps, he let Sam scan the shelves until her eyes found what she was looking for. With a grin she quickly stepped forward and grabbed the plush fire ninja doll and hugged it to her chest. Wade half smiled as he watched. He’d never known a girl who didn’t love stuffed animals and clearly Sam wasn’t any different. Sam continued to clutch the plush doll to her chest as her eyes went back to the other ones laid out on the shelves.
“Looking for something else?” Wade asked after a minute.
“Just seein’ if they have any horses.”
“Hmm…They got that pink and purple deal up there…with wings…and oversized eyes… and uhm, a sparkly horn on its head.”
Sam looked up at it and wrinkled her nose a bit before shaking her head. “Not the kind was I thinkin’ of. I kinda like the ones that look like real horses. Sorta like that one!”
Sam said as she reached out and picked up a rather plushy looking brown horse. Apparently, she was going to purchase a mount for her newly acquired fire ninja as well. “You wanna browse?”
“I outgrew Mr. Turtle pools a long time ago, and I don’t mean emotionally. I’m good.”
Sam paid for the dolls and they left the store together. Stepping back out into the sun Wade took a moment to replace his sunglasses over his eyes and look around the shopping area in Faultline. It was kind of odd, for a district that was pretty much destroyed the commercial area still seemed like it thrived. It probably had something to do with the good selection of stores. Clothing stores were most prevalent but it also had places like the toy store, a music store, a few restaurants and pubs, a place to buy jewelry and even a large bank. They were all laid out around a plaza set-up with fountains, and small trees. All of it was located on few terraced levels that added to the aesthetics of the area. Really, it wasn’t a bad place to be on a nice afternoon.
Sam didn’t seem opposed to doing a bit of wandering and the two spent the next couple of hours moving from store to store browsing at everything offered. Sam passed on going into the ladies clothing stores but often led the way into the stores catering to men. After a few such occurrences Wade couldn’t help but think that Sam was more interested in picking out clothes for him rather than for herself. Which was cool. Wade thought his tastes were pretty decent but it was always good to get some tips from a girl. There were a couple of things that girls were just better at and clothes were definitely one of them.
After a while, they stopped and sat at a quaint looking outdoor café to get something to eat. Wade doubted the strength in the flimsy looking wrought iron chairs but amazingly enough it did support his large frame. When the waitress came Wade ordered a glass of vegetable juice and a plate of fresh raw vegetables after Sam had placed her order.
“Heard y’all were on some kinda diet.” Sam commented after the waitress had left.
“Yeah, it’ll give me more energy.” Wade responded as he absently the scanned people walking around the plaza.
“Don’t think it’s working, big guy.”
“Huh?” Wade pulled his attention back and looked over at Sam.
“Just mean, you’ve been kinda mopey lately. Yah don’t look too energized to me.”
“No… I… well, I feel good for training and stuff. I dunno, just got a lot of things in my head right now.”
“Wanna share?”
Wade took another glance around the plaza but he wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for. Maybe he was making sure there was no one around that he knew or maybe he was stalling. He did know that he hadn’t had much success figuring things out on his own. Maybe it was time to try talking.
“Just seems like there is so much I have to get done, and, you know, not enough time to do it.” Wade said.
“What kinda things?”
“Well… school takes up a lot of time, and it seems like every class I’m in has given me a big end of term assignment to get done. They’re not due for like a month, but that’s a lot of work, right?”
Sam nodded and let Wade continue.
“And then I’ve got work on weekends and my training before classes, homework after, working on my engines after that. Parent’s Day is comin’ up, and now my Dad has decided to come along, after that Prom is coming up kinda quick…” Wade paused and let out a sigh. “I could go on, but I think you get it.”
“So. You’re real busy. That it?” Sam asked curiously.
“Uhm… I guess?” Wade responded tentatively. He wasn’t sure what Sam meant by ‘That’s it?’, didn’t she hear what he had been saying? He just listed off a slew of problems, but she didn’t seem all that concerned about it.
“Wade, most ‘a that stuff is nothing. Not one ‘a those problems is gonna mean you’re out on the street, an’ none of them is gonna do you any harm. Just take ‘em one at a time, y’all will get through ‘em.”
Wade sat silently for a few moments as he took in what Sam was saying. Suddenly ‘That’s it?’ seemed to make sense; to a certain degree at least.
“When did yah find out ‘bout your Dad coming to see ya?” Sam asked.
“Few days ago.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Sam said, then paused as the waitress brought their food and drinks to the table.
“Why’s that?” Wade questioned, once the waitress had departed.
“ ’Bout the time y’all got mopey. Not lookin’ forward to the visit?”
Mopey? Wade didn’t think he’d been mopey. He figured he’d been conflicted, or distracted. Definitely not mopey, but apparently he was wrong. Wade looked at Sam and realized she was waiting for him to answer the question. “Uhm… I was, when it was just my mom and sister. I dunno, kinda sprang this on me last minute.”
“You don’t get along with your dad?”
“We used to just fine. Then I turned out to be meta-human.”
“He didn’t like that?”
“Not really, I don’t think he hated me or anything, but I think I ruined his image.” Wade could see that Sam wasn’t totally following along so he took a breath and continued. “I haven’t really told anyone at Westbrook this, but…”
Wade took then next while to fill Sam in about his life back in Falls Plain. He told her about his humble beginnings as a sports loving but rather un-athletic kid. He told her about how that all changed the day he started growing and getting stronger. Wade told her about how he quickly became the town’s star athlete, in practically any sport he decided to play. In a town like Falls Plain, status was key, and success as an athlete seemed to top the status ladder. So with the kind of ability Wade displayed, came a life akin to smaller town royalty. Not just for him, but for his parents and his younger sister too. The Bradock family, and everyone who hung out with Wade were suddenly on everyone’s ‘A’ list.
And then the day came that people could no longer turn a blind eye to Wade’s size and strength. He was publicly acknowledged as a meta-human and everything fell apart. All of the championships he’d helped teams win over the previous few years were suddenly called into question. The whole town felt as if he’d disgraced them, and like the fame that had spread to his family and friends, the disgrace fell upon them too. Or it should have, but most of them did the only thing they thought would save their social status, they turned their backs on him. His dad had been no different. Only his mother had held a scrap of support for Wade, but even that seemed to be only in private.
Wade finished off the vegetable juice in his glass and set it down before continuing.
“So, I’m just not sure what to expect. Kinda figured he was happy to see me sent here. It’d give him a chance to rebuild his damaged social status with out the disgrace hanging around to remind everyone whose father he was.” Wade finished with a note of bitterness in his voice.
Sam frowned softly as she looked at Wade and seemed to take a moment to consider her thoughts before speaking. “Can’t really say why he’s comin’, but keep in mind he’s still your dad.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So… maybe give him a chance?”
Give him a chance. Wade hadn’t actually considered that his dad’s visit could be genuine. It was possible, but Wade couldn’t bring himself to think that it was likely. His dad had turned his back on Wade; that kind of thing was hard to forgive. Especially from a family member. Give him a chance. Was it as simple as that? It sure didn’t sound too difficult.
“Alright, Sam. I’ll give him a chance… what can it hurt?”
“Won’t hurt ya much at all, I figure. An' look, you’ve solved yourself a problem too.” Sam replied with a smile
“Ok…” Wade chuckled softly. “Guess that takes care of parent’s day. Prom shouldn’t be much harder. Really just need a tux or something is all.”
"That red tux post you made on MyFacePlace… that was a joke right?” Sam asked with a genuine note of concern in her voice. When Wade nodded she let out a relieved breath and continued. “Well, if y’all need another shopping trip, I’m your girl.”
“Really? I dunno, you pulled out some questionable picks in those stores earlier.” Wade stated in a dead-pan manner, but quickly found his façade broken by a smile.
“Me!? You were the one who bought purple jeans!” Sam stated in her defense.
“Those are gonna look sweet… oh! Wait… Purple tux!” Wade nodded then added. “I like it.”
“Y’all better be joking again.”
“Not at all… I bet I could convince all the guys to rock purple!” Wade said with a smug note in his voice as he crossed his arms and looked out at the plaza. “I can see it now…”
Sam rolled her eyes and threw one of her french fires at Wade. It bounced off his arm and he immediately looked back at Sam.
“Wade! No girl at Westbrook would ever forgive yah for wreckin’ prom, so just drop that idea now! You hear me?”
“Ok, ok.” Wade responded with a smile and held up his palms in a defensive gesture. “Cease fire.”
“Ok. Just drop the silly tux idea.”
“Dropped.”
“So, besides your tux… anything else you might want to do for prom?” Sam asked curiously.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“A date, maybe?”
“Well… I’ve got a name or two in mind, but I gotta admit, they may be long shots.” Wade said. He could see that Sam was about to open her mouth and he just knew the next question was going to be ‘Who?’, so he decided to block it before it even got asked by quickly adding “What about you, you gotta have a date, right?”
“Not yet.”
“Serious?” Wade exclaimed. He knew that Sam was serious by the slow nod she offered in reply. He hadn’t really expected that answer and with out thinking he asked his next question. “Juan hasn’t asked?”
Wade instantly regretted his question. Sam looked down at the table, but not before Wade noticed her cheeks already starting to flush. Clearly he’d hit a bit of spot with Sam, but he had no idea what kind of spot.
Wade picked up his glass of juice and noticed that it was empty so he just toyed with the straw for a moment. The one moment stretched into two. Wade could feel that things might get awkward in a hurry and he really didn’t want that. He liked hanging out with Sam and really wanted to keep things on a relaxed level. He had to think of something quick. He opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind.
“He hasn’t hurt you, or you know, done anything mean, right?”
Sam looked up and quickly shook her head emphatically. “No! Nothing like that.”
Wade took a few seconds to study Sam’s face. She’d reacted at the mention of Juan’s name, but quickly jumped to his defense as well. Now she actually seemed a bit concerned. Maybe she was worried Wade had the wrong idea?
“What is it like?”
“It’s…” Sam began but then trailed off and simply shrugged.
“I ain’t gonna pry, but I’m pretty good at keeping things quiet... If you did want to talk.”
“You’re not gonna tell anyone?”
“Got my word.” Wade said solemnly.
Sam nodded softly and began to tell Wade a number of things over the next short while. Some of them he had suspected and some of them he would never have guessed. As she spoke Wade listened, but began to feel a bit guilty. He couldn’t stop thinking that he was glad other people had issues to work out too. Yet, like Sam had said, they weren’t problems that had them living on the street, or facing death, so they’d eventually work themselves out. Wade, and Sam, despite all their perceived problems would both be fine.
After Sam finished talking, Wade offered a reassuring smile and steered the conversation back towards lighter topics. He paid for their food and the two chatted casually as they walked back towards the train station.
By the time they were riding the train back towards Westbrook Wade was feeling like him self again. What ever cloud that his seemingly insurmountable problems had caused to form over his head had quickly evaporated. Maybe talking was the best solution to working out problems after all. Who knew?
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
The cafeteria was just starting to get busy as Wade was finishing off his own breakfast. He had been coming in as soon as it opened each morning mainly because it fit his new schedule and also because it gave him time to make three or four trips back to the counter with out having to wait in line each time. If they’d only just serve him three helpings of everything, it would make matters so much smoother. It wasn’t like he’d ever left any food on his plate or anything.
Wade took a look around as he gathered up the homework he’d been working on as he ate. It was the usual mix of faces. Some he recognized, some were still pretty much complete strangers. As he stood he caught the eye of a girl sitting near the corner. Wade held her gaze and her eyes narrowed but she didn’t look away. It seemed like she was angry, or at the very least annoyed. Wade continued to look at her for a moment longer before turning and leaving the cafeteria. Why did she seem familiar? Wade was sure he didn’t know her. He couldn’t recall even speaking to her in the past. Weird.
Stopping by the bunker quickly, Wade checked to see if any free times had become available for some extra training. He frowned as he looked the schedule over. There had been a few cancellations but nothing in a time slot that worked with his schedule. The sound of footsteps behind him grabbed his attention and he turned to see who was approaching.
“Good morning, Wade.” Mr. Halle said as he walked up beside him and also began to scan the schedule for the day. He was the teacher who had been overseeing Wade’s training time in the bunker. “I hope you’re not looking for even more time in the bunker?”
“Morning… and yeah. I am. Can you slide me in anywhere?”
“Wade, you’re already beyond your allotment of weekly training sessions. I think you’re pushing things too hard.”
“Nah. I’m good. Hey, is it too early to sign up for next week yet?”
“Yes. You’ll have to wait like everyone else.” Mr. Halle responded then let out a quick sigh before continuing. “I’m also going to keep you to your maximum allotment of time the next few weeks. No extra sessions.”
“What!? Why? I said I was good.” Wade replied quickly, a bit surprised by the sudden announcement by Mr. Halle.
“It’s for your own good. You need to slow things down, pace yourself. Besides, this is going to be a busy month. Term assignments, finals, the prom… You’ll have a lot of things going on. Don’t put too much stress on yourself by over extending.”
“Whatever! I’ve got a handle on my assignments, and finals will be no biggie either. Prom… well, who really cares? It’s just a dance. I’m not even graduating!” Wade began. Who was Mr. Halle to tell him what he could and couldn’t handle? He tried to keep a handle on his growing annoyance. Maybe if he could state his case in a reasonable manner, Mr. Halle would see he was right. “I’m getting good. Every time I go in there, I come out better.”
“Yes, Wade. You are showing noticeable improvements. But I’m afraid that I have to stand by what I just said. No extra sessions.”
“Fine.” Wade stated with a note of displeasure that was unmistakable. “Whatever. Just ramp up my difficulty level then. If I can’t train longer, I’ll just go harder.”
“We stick to the training program. You have no powers that are dangerous to others, nothing that is imperative you learn to control. Again, I’m sorry; you’ll progress only when I feel you have mastered your current difficulty level.”
“Seriously?” Wade burst out; he was barely able to keep from raising his voice too much. “I can do so much more than you’re letting me do. You’re holding me back!”
“Wade. In all the years I’ve been doing this, you’d be amazed at how many times I’ve heard that exact same sentence from different students. I admire your willingness to push yourself, but it’s our job here at the school to make sure you progress at safe and reasonable levels. Remember Wade, Westbrook isn’t a facility to produce meta-human weapons. We want you to develop in all areas of life. In the end, you’ll see that it makes you better overall.”
Wade waited until Mr. Halle had finished then simply turned and walked away. He couldn’t have disagreed with Mr. Halle more. How was he supposed to learn, if he was stuck in the kiddie pool? Hell, any coach who knew anything about developing his team wouldn’t insist that a talented player just sit on the bench, he would give him a shot and see what he could do. If he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready. But at least he got the chance to try. Mr. Halle wasn’t even giving Wade that kind of opportunity.
Over extending? Wade was sure he was not over extended. His assignments were all nearing completion and he felt he had a good grip on most of his courses. A bit of study a week or so before the finals would see him pass those no problem. Prom… again, no big issue. He’d go if he felt like it, if he had the time to spare. And then after prom he could… Wade paused as his brain started screaming at him. What about after prom? He didn’t have any big plans, did he?
Just to be sure, Wade fished his phone out of his pocket and called up his calendar app. No, nothing out of the ordinary was on his schedule for the end of May, or the start of June. Odd. So what was it then? A little red dot was present on his screen and he began to wonder about it. He really hadn’t read the tutorial on this program, so he didn’t know what all the features meant, but red dots seemed to be something designed to grab his attention, so he hit the little button that was next to it.
A list of things ‘To do’ popped up and a number of them were displayed in red. This seemed to indicate that he had passed his pre-set due date for these events and hadn’t taken them off the list yet. Wade scanned down the events in red and saw that they all seemed to be related to projects or due dates for school work. He’d taken care of all those already so he wasn’t worried. He was about to hit the button to close the app when his eyes fell on one of the events.
Wade looked at the event reminder in shock. Had that already gone by? He checked the date on it and saw that it was nearly a week and a half old. That wasn’t good. Wade quickly navigated to the Ticketwizard site on his phone and went to their ticket ordering page. It immediately asked for his credit card information. Wade swore causing a panicy looking freshman who was walking by to jump and scurry away, but Wade didn’t pay him any attention. He had a bit of a problem on his hands. No credit card meant he’d have to go in person to a ticket booth and pay cash. Not a huge deal, but he wouldn’t be able to get to one until the next day at the earliest.
Wade wasn’t that worried, he hadn’t even heard of the band Gretchen wanted to see, so how fast could the tickets be selling? He may not get a pair of prime seats, but they’d still probably be pretty good. Then, once he got those tickets, he could figure out a way to get the extra training he was looking for.
Wade took a look around as he gathered up the homework he’d been working on as he ate. It was the usual mix of faces. Some he recognized, some were still pretty much complete strangers. As he stood he caught the eye of a girl sitting near the corner. Wade held her gaze and her eyes narrowed but she didn’t look away. It seemed like she was angry, or at the very least annoyed. Wade continued to look at her for a moment longer before turning and leaving the cafeteria. Why did she seem familiar? Wade was sure he didn’t know her. He couldn’t recall even speaking to her in the past. Weird.
Stopping by the bunker quickly, Wade checked to see if any free times had become available for some extra training. He frowned as he looked the schedule over. There had been a few cancellations but nothing in a time slot that worked with his schedule. The sound of footsteps behind him grabbed his attention and he turned to see who was approaching.
“Good morning, Wade.” Mr. Halle said as he walked up beside him and also began to scan the schedule for the day. He was the teacher who had been overseeing Wade’s training time in the bunker. “I hope you’re not looking for even more time in the bunker?”
“Morning… and yeah. I am. Can you slide me in anywhere?”
“Wade, you’re already beyond your allotment of weekly training sessions. I think you’re pushing things too hard.”
“Nah. I’m good. Hey, is it too early to sign up for next week yet?”
“Yes. You’ll have to wait like everyone else.” Mr. Halle responded then let out a quick sigh before continuing. “I’m also going to keep you to your maximum allotment of time the next few weeks. No extra sessions.”
“What!? Why? I said I was good.” Wade replied quickly, a bit surprised by the sudden announcement by Mr. Halle.
“It’s for your own good. You need to slow things down, pace yourself. Besides, this is going to be a busy month. Term assignments, finals, the prom… You’ll have a lot of things going on. Don’t put too much stress on yourself by over extending.”
“Whatever! I’ve got a handle on my assignments, and finals will be no biggie either. Prom… well, who really cares? It’s just a dance. I’m not even graduating!” Wade began. Who was Mr. Halle to tell him what he could and couldn’t handle? He tried to keep a handle on his growing annoyance. Maybe if he could state his case in a reasonable manner, Mr. Halle would see he was right. “I’m getting good. Every time I go in there, I come out better.”
“Yes, Wade. You are showing noticeable improvements. But I’m afraid that I have to stand by what I just said. No extra sessions.”
“Fine.” Wade stated with a note of displeasure that was unmistakable. “Whatever. Just ramp up my difficulty level then. If I can’t train longer, I’ll just go harder.”
“We stick to the training program. You have no powers that are dangerous to others, nothing that is imperative you learn to control. Again, I’m sorry; you’ll progress only when I feel you have mastered your current difficulty level.”
“Seriously?” Wade burst out; he was barely able to keep from raising his voice too much. “I can do so much more than you’re letting me do. You’re holding me back!”
“Wade. In all the years I’ve been doing this, you’d be amazed at how many times I’ve heard that exact same sentence from different students. I admire your willingness to push yourself, but it’s our job here at the school to make sure you progress at safe and reasonable levels. Remember Wade, Westbrook isn’t a facility to produce meta-human weapons. We want you to develop in all areas of life. In the end, you’ll see that it makes you better overall.”
Wade waited until Mr. Halle had finished then simply turned and walked away. He couldn’t have disagreed with Mr. Halle more. How was he supposed to learn, if he was stuck in the kiddie pool? Hell, any coach who knew anything about developing his team wouldn’t insist that a talented player just sit on the bench, he would give him a shot and see what he could do. If he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready. But at least he got the chance to try. Mr. Halle wasn’t even giving Wade that kind of opportunity.
Over extending? Wade was sure he was not over extended. His assignments were all nearing completion and he felt he had a good grip on most of his courses. A bit of study a week or so before the finals would see him pass those no problem. Prom… again, no big issue. He’d go if he felt like it, if he had the time to spare. And then after prom he could… Wade paused as his brain started screaming at him. What about after prom? He didn’t have any big plans, did he?
Just to be sure, Wade fished his phone out of his pocket and called up his calendar app. No, nothing out of the ordinary was on his schedule for the end of May, or the start of June. Odd. So what was it then? A little red dot was present on his screen and he began to wonder about it. He really hadn’t read the tutorial on this program, so he didn’t know what all the features meant, but red dots seemed to be something designed to grab his attention, so he hit the little button that was next to it.
A list of things ‘To do’ popped up and a number of them were displayed in red. This seemed to indicate that he had passed his pre-set due date for these events and hadn’t taken them off the list yet. Wade scanned down the events in red and saw that they all seemed to be related to projects or due dates for school work. He’d taken care of all those already so he wasn’t worried. He was about to hit the button to close the app when his eyes fell on one of the events.
Gretchen Tix on sale. 9:00am
Wade looked at the event reminder in shock. Had that already gone by? He checked the date on it and saw that it was nearly a week and a half old. That wasn’t good. Wade quickly navigated to the Ticketwizard site on his phone and went to their ticket ordering page. It immediately asked for his credit card information. Wade swore causing a panicy looking freshman who was walking by to jump and scurry away, but Wade didn’t pay him any attention. He had a bit of a problem on his hands. No credit card meant he’d have to go in person to a ticket booth and pay cash. Not a huge deal, but he wouldn’t be able to get to one until the next day at the earliest.
Wade wasn’t that worried, he hadn’t even heard of the band Gretchen wanted to see, so how fast could the tickets be selling? He may not get a pair of prime seats, but they’d still probably be pretty good. Then, once he got those tickets, he could figure out a way to get the extra training he was looking for.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
“What the hell? It’s sold out?” Wade asked. It didn’t seem possible, but that was exactly what the scruffy looking guy with too many earrings told him from behind the glass at the Ticketwizard outlet booth.
“Not completely man. I can get you two, but they’re in the upper section, and… not together.” The guy responded as he typed on his computer and scanned the screen before him.
“How close are they together?”
“Uhm… lemme see. Looks like the closest I got is about four rows apart.”
“Nothing side by side? At all?”
“Hey man, it’s a small venue. Paragon’s got millions of people. Of course it’s gonna sell fast.”
“Crap…”
“Yep. Hey, listen. If you want you can sign up on our website to get notifications about all our upcoming events. You know, make sure you don’t get shut out again, right?”
“Pass.” Wade responded before turning to leave. Shut out? No chance. He’d find some tickets. He already knew where to go. The guys at Dockside Deliveries seemed to know a guy, who knew a guy, for just about anything. They had to know a guy who could get Wade some tickets to this concert. A few phone calls later and Wade had gotten the name of a ticket broker in Steel Canyon. He was supposed to be Wade’s best bet so Wade didn’t waste any time getting over there.
The office was small and the walls hosted a number of pieces of sports memorabilia in nice frames. A pudgy looking guy with a badly receding hairline spoke on the phone, seemingly in the midst of making a sale. He held up a finger as Wade walked in and continued his call. Wade milled about the office taking a closer look at an autographed picture of Sandy Koufax until the man hung up his phone.
“Hello, my friend! What are you looking for today? I got everything.” The guy smiled brightly as he spoke. He seemed friendly enough but something about him definitely seemed a bit slimey as well.
“Vinny said you have tickets to shows. I was hopin’ you could sell me some?”
“Vinny?” The guy asked questioningly, then added after a moment. “Vince Buchannon?”
“Yeah.” Wade could only guess that was his name. He’d ever only herd him called by the name Vinny B.
“Good guy!” The broker said with another smile, then added hopefully. “Did he give you the money he owes me?”
“Uh, no. Sorry.”
“Ah… no problem. Tell him I haven’t forgotten though.” The broker took a moment to type away at his computer then looked back to Wade. “Ok… what event you looking for?”
“It’s the Twist of Fate show. Uhm… later this month.”
“Twist of Fate? Hmm… lemme see. That’s the UFC deal coming to Miami, right?” He asked as he typed.
“No. It’s a concert, a rock group or something, here in Paragon.” Wade quickly checked his phone. “It’s supposed to be in ‘the temple’?”
The broker nodded and he resumed typing for a few moments then looked back to Wade.
“Sorry, buddy. I got nothing for that. Too small a show.”
“What? I thought you had everything?”
“Everything that anyone would actually want.” The guy said in a tone that was a bit disdainful. He glanced up and must have noticed the look on Wade’s face because he seemed to suddenly reconsider his previous sentence and quickly added. “It’s just…That’s a small show with an old band. They usually don’t even sell out. It’s just a few of the old-time fans who want to see that kinda stuff.”
“You know anyone who does have tickets?”
“Doubt it… sorry. Brokers just aren’t interested in that kind of show. If there’s even a chance we’ll get stuck with tickets that don’t sell, we stay pretty far away.”
“Great. I’m screwed now.” Wade said sullenly as he turned to go.
“Hey, buddy… try the music shops around town. Maybe they can give you a few leads.”
Wade nodded as he left the office and went back to the street. Things weren’t looking good at all. He had put a lot of faith in his connections but it seemed like they hadn’t been able to take care of his needs this time. With little choice left, Wade took out his phone and started looking up directions to some of the local music shops. While he was creeping closer to defeat, he wasn’t going to give up.
“Not completely man. I can get you two, but they’re in the upper section, and… not together.” The guy responded as he typed on his computer and scanned the screen before him.
“How close are they together?”
“Uhm… lemme see. Looks like the closest I got is about four rows apart.”
“Nothing side by side? At all?”
“Hey man, it’s a small venue. Paragon’s got millions of people. Of course it’s gonna sell fast.”
“Crap…”
“Yep. Hey, listen. If you want you can sign up on our website to get notifications about all our upcoming events. You know, make sure you don’t get shut out again, right?”
“Pass.” Wade responded before turning to leave. Shut out? No chance. He’d find some tickets. He already knew where to go. The guys at Dockside Deliveries seemed to know a guy, who knew a guy, for just about anything. They had to know a guy who could get Wade some tickets to this concert. A few phone calls later and Wade had gotten the name of a ticket broker in Steel Canyon. He was supposed to be Wade’s best bet so Wade didn’t waste any time getting over there.
The office was small and the walls hosted a number of pieces of sports memorabilia in nice frames. A pudgy looking guy with a badly receding hairline spoke on the phone, seemingly in the midst of making a sale. He held up a finger as Wade walked in and continued his call. Wade milled about the office taking a closer look at an autographed picture of Sandy Koufax until the man hung up his phone.
“Hello, my friend! What are you looking for today? I got everything.” The guy smiled brightly as he spoke. He seemed friendly enough but something about him definitely seemed a bit slimey as well.
“Vinny said you have tickets to shows. I was hopin’ you could sell me some?”
“Vinny?” The guy asked questioningly, then added after a moment. “Vince Buchannon?”
“Yeah.” Wade could only guess that was his name. He’d ever only herd him called by the name Vinny B.
“Good guy!” The broker said with another smile, then added hopefully. “Did he give you the money he owes me?”
“Uh, no. Sorry.”
“Ah… no problem. Tell him I haven’t forgotten though.” The broker took a moment to type away at his computer then looked back to Wade. “Ok… what event you looking for?”
“It’s the Twist of Fate show. Uhm… later this month.”
“Twist of Fate? Hmm… lemme see. That’s the UFC deal coming to Miami, right?” He asked as he typed.
“No. It’s a concert, a rock group or something, here in Paragon.” Wade quickly checked his phone. “It’s supposed to be in ‘the temple’?”
The broker nodded and he resumed typing for a few moments then looked back to Wade.
“Sorry, buddy. I got nothing for that. Too small a show.”
“What? I thought you had everything?”
“Everything that anyone would actually want.” The guy said in a tone that was a bit disdainful. He glanced up and must have noticed the look on Wade’s face because he seemed to suddenly reconsider his previous sentence and quickly added. “It’s just…That’s a small show with an old band. They usually don’t even sell out. It’s just a few of the old-time fans who want to see that kinda stuff.”
“You know anyone who does have tickets?”
“Doubt it… sorry. Brokers just aren’t interested in that kind of show. If there’s even a chance we’ll get stuck with tickets that don’t sell, we stay pretty far away.”
“Great. I’m screwed now.” Wade said sullenly as he turned to go.
“Hey, buddy… try the music shops around town. Maybe they can give you a few leads.”
Wade nodded as he left the office and went back to the street. Things weren’t looking good at all. He had put a lot of faith in his connections but it seemed like they hadn’t been able to take care of his needs this time. With little choice left, Wade took out his phone and started looking up directions to some of the local music shops. While he was creeping closer to defeat, he wasn’t going to give up.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
Pushing open the door, Wade entered the store and took a look around. Rock Candy was pretty much what he’d expected from hearing the other kids at Westbrook talk about it. A bunch of young wanna-be rockstars ogling the various instruments and rock paraphernalia. They stood side by side with aging never-weres, who just couldn’t seem to give up on their musical ambitions. Wade thought that the store actually seemed a bit behind the times. A section held a selection CDs still and even… records? Those must just be for collectors or something. Wade couldn’t even imagine spending money on such a relic. He actually couldn’t really see the appeal of hanging out in a store like Rock Candy. Not that he had anything against rock music or people who played it. Wade even liked to rock out from time to time, but he just preferred a more urban scene.
It was tough to decide where to start in his quest for a lead on some tickets to the Twist of Fate show. Should he talk to one of the guys working there? That might be wise, but as he looked around, he realized it was hard to pick out the store clerks from the patrons. Everyone there seemed to be wearing pretty much the same thing. Jeans and a t-shirt, or a hoodie. Ear rings and tattoos were also pretty common. Tats were cool, but most of the ones he could see all had the same themes; Flames, skulls, medieval weapons, angels, devils or some combination of them together. Not really his idea of something to permanently ink onto your body.
Wade decided to just start wandering around. He figured he was hard to miss and eventually one of the store employees would ask him if he needed anything. After about ten minutes, Wade began doubting his initial plan of attack. He’d been looked at, but not a single person there had asked if they could help him. Maybe it was just too obvious that he was not going to be a serious customer. It was time to start handling the merchandise.
Walking over to a long rack of guitars Wade pulled out a random one and tried to put the strap around his neck. Unfortunately the strap was way too small, so instead of the guitar sitting down by his waist, it sat more about mid-chest. The guitar seemed a bit on the small side as well, but as far as Wade knew, one guitar was as good as the next. Unsure of what to do, Wade wrapped a hand around the neck of the guitar and began to randomly twang the strings. Wade felt like one of those Hawaiian dudes playing a ukulele like he’d seen the last time he watched Hawaii 5-0. Maybe it was comical, or maybe just a sight out of the ordinary for the store, but soon a number of people had paused what they were doing and were looking his way. Some looked dumbfounded, others had half smiles on their faces, and a few just shook their heads and rolled their eyes in a rather haughty manner before resuming their browsing.
“That’s a kid’s guitar.” A woman’s voice sounded from behind Wade’s back.
Wade turned to look at her and continued to randomly twang away for a moment. The lady was in her early thirties by the looks of it. She had hair that was clearly dyed to be jet black, too much eye make-up and worst of all, three piercings in her nose. Otherwise she might have been kind of attractive. She wore clothes designed to blend into her environment. A faded t-shirt with some band’s logo across the front of it, and tight jeans with a number of rips on the legs.
“What can I say? I’m a newb.” Wade smiled then added “Be gentle with me.”
“I don’t know… you look like you can take a bit of punishment.” She responded with a smirk as she looked Wade over. “So… can I help you out with anything?”
Wade smiled again. “Lady, I sure hope so.”
It was tough to decide where to start in his quest for a lead on some tickets to the Twist of Fate show. Should he talk to one of the guys working there? That might be wise, but as he looked around, he realized it was hard to pick out the store clerks from the patrons. Everyone there seemed to be wearing pretty much the same thing. Jeans and a t-shirt, or a hoodie. Ear rings and tattoos were also pretty common. Tats were cool, but most of the ones he could see all had the same themes; Flames, skulls, medieval weapons, angels, devils or some combination of them together. Not really his idea of something to permanently ink onto your body.
Wade decided to just start wandering around. He figured he was hard to miss and eventually one of the store employees would ask him if he needed anything. After about ten minutes, Wade began doubting his initial plan of attack. He’d been looked at, but not a single person there had asked if they could help him. Maybe it was just too obvious that he was not going to be a serious customer. It was time to start handling the merchandise.
Walking over to a long rack of guitars Wade pulled out a random one and tried to put the strap around his neck. Unfortunately the strap was way too small, so instead of the guitar sitting down by his waist, it sat more about mid-chest. The guitar seemed a bit on the small side as well, but as far as Wade knew, one guitar was as good as the next. Unsure of what to do, Wade wrapped a hand around the neck of the guitar and began to randomly twang the strings. Wade felt like one of those Hawaiian dudes playing a ukulele like he’d seen the last time he watched Hawaii 5-0. Maybe it was comical, or maybe just a sight out of the ordinary for the store, but soon a number of people had paused what they were doing and were looking his way. Some looked dumbfounded, others had half smiles on their faces, and a few just shook their heads and rolled their eyes in a rather haughty manner before resuming their browsing.
“That’s a kid’s guitar.” A woman’s voice sounded from behind Wade’s back.
Wade turned to look at her and continued to randomly twang away for a moment. The lady was in her early thirties by the looks of it. She had hair that was clearly dyed to be jet black, too much eye make-up and worst of all, three piercings in her nose. Otherwise she might have been kind of attractive. She wore clothes designed to blend into her environment. A faded t-shirt with some band’s logo across the front of it, and tight jeans with a number of rips on the legs.
“What can I say? I’m a newb.” Wade smiled then added “Be gentle with me.”
“I don’t know… you look like you can take a bit of punishment.” She responded with a smirk as she looked Wade over. “So… can I help you out with anything?”
Wade smiled again. “Lady, I sure hope so.”
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
Wade sat listening to a song he didn’t know, on a radio station he would probably never have even thought to listen to. 104.3 Paragon’s classic alternative rock station. If Wade had to guess, he would have thought that classic alternative rock was a bunch of songs from the early 90’s. It was quite a surprise to find out that alternative rock went back as far as the late seventies.
“Hey, Asher… the hell is a Sex Pistol anyhow?” Wade asked as he looked over at his roomie who was typing on a laptop across the dorm room they shared.
“A gun or something?” Asher responded absently, not really paying attention as he worked to finish whatever assignment he was busy with.
“Personally, I would have gone with somethin’ bigger than a pistol. Like a shotgun, or a cannon or something. Oh… a grenade. Yeah. Sex Grenade. Blowin’ up all over you…” Wade grinned as he spoke, clearly amused with his own train of thought.
Asher looked up suddenly from his computer and gaped at Wade. “What are you talking about? Did you say sex…”
“Shhh!” Wade interrupted and motioned for Asher to be quite as he turned up the volume on his phone a few bars. “This is it… let’s see if that rocker chick from the rocker store knew what she was talkin’ about.”
The song ended, only to be replaced by a faint generic sounding guitar riff and drum beat as the DJ broke in. He had way too much excitement in his voice for Wade’s liking, but at least he wasn’t wasting too much time with inane details. He got right into announcing the station’s new radio contest. It seemed like they had put at least a solid fifteen minutes of thought into it, based on the title. The contest was going by the clever title of ‘Twisted tunes for Twist of Fate’.
It even sounded simple enough. They would play two of the bands songs overtop of each other, apparently this qualified as the songs being twisted, and the contestant would have to name the two songs. If they got them both correct, the station hooked them up with a pair of pretty decent seats to the show the following week. The contest started the following day and listeners had two chances per day to win.
After that the DJ declared that it was time to keep the hits coming and fired up a song Wade nearly recognized, but didn’t know from where. It didn’t really matter as the tune was quickly forgotten once Wade shut down the station’s app on his phone.
“That sounds pretty easy. If you can get through.” Asher commented as he returned his attention to his lap top screen.
“Yeah, but I’ve got fourteen chances. And seriously, how many people even listen to the radio anymore? I’m gonna get this, I know it.” Wade replied confidently.
“You know their songs?”
Wade’s bubble of confidence suddenly burst. Asher was right. It was a pretty major component of winning the contest. There was no way he could learn all of the group’s songs well enough to pick them out over top of each other. He didn’t have that kind of time. He’d need some help. Suddenly lightning struck and Wade jumped up off his chair. He had a solid idea, it was his only hope to win this contest. Wade almost ran as he headed for the door. He had no time to lose.
“Wade, where are you going? Do you need any help?”
“There is only one guy who can help me now!”
With that said, Wade took off down the hall of the dorms.
“Hey, Asher… the hell is a Sex Pistol anyhow?” Wade asked as he looked over at his roomie who was typing on a laptop across the dorm room they shared.
“A gun or something?” Asher responded absently, not really paying attention as he worked to finish whatever assignment he was busy with.
“Personally, I would have gone with somethin’ bigger than a pistol. Like a shotgun, or a cannon or something. Oh… a grenade. Yeah. Sex Grenade. Blowin’ up all over you…” Wade grinned as he spoke, clearly amused with his own train of thought.
Asher looked up suddenly from his computer and gaped at Wade. “What are you talking about? Did you say sex…”
“Shhh!” Wade interrupted and motioned for Asher to be quite as he turned up the volume on his phone a few bars. “This is it… let’s see if that rocker chick from the rocker store knew what she was talkin’ about.”
The song ended, only to be replaced by a faint generic sounding guitar riff and drum beat as the DJ broke in. He had way too much excitement in his voice for Wade’s liking, but at least he wasn’t wasting too much time with inane details. He got right into announcing the station’s new radio contest. It seemed like they had put at least a solid fifteen minutes of thought into it, based on the title. The contest was going by the clever title of ‘Twisted tunes for Twist of Fate’.
It even sounded simple enough. They would play two of the bands songs overtop of each other, apparently this qualified as the songs being twisted, and the contestant would have to name the two songs. If they got them both correct, the station hooked them up with a pair of pretty decent seats to the show the following week. The contest started the following day and listeners had two chances per day to win.
After that the DJ declared that it was time to keep the hits coming and fired up a song Wade nearly recognized, but didn’t know from where. It didn’t really matter as the tune was quickly forgotten once Wade shut down the station’s app on his phone.
“That sounds pretty easy. If you can get through.” Asher commented as he returned his attention to his lap top screen.
“Yeah, but I’ve got fourteen chances. And seriously, how many people even listen to the radio anymore? I’m gonna get this, I know it.” Wade replied confidently.
“You know their songs?”
Wade’s bubble of confidence suddenly burst. Asher was right. It was a pretty major component of winning the contest. There was no way he could learn all of the group’s songs well enough to pick them out over top of each other. He didn’t have that kind of time. He’d need some help. Suddenly lightning struck and Wade jumped up off his chair. He had a solid idea, it was his only hope to win this contest. Wade almost ran as he headed for the door. He had no time to lose.
“Wade, where are you going? Do you need any help?”
“There is only one guy who can help me now!”
With that said, Wade took off down the hall of the dorms.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
Wade checked the time. He was still a few minutes away from the scheduled time that the radio contest was supposed to start. Apparently he had to wait for the cue to call, but he was beginning to have his doubts about that. For the past four days he’d hit the speed dial button on his phone the second the cue to call was announced. For four days he had been told that he was too late and that they already had a few contestants lined up.
After two days of rejection, Wade had decided that he needed an advantage. It had taken a bit of convincing, but Wade felt it had been worth it. Now he had his secret weapon and his lucky charm. It was time to check the status of both.
Wade wasn’t sure that a ‘listening egg’ was the device he was looking for, but Syd had assured him it would do the job. Looking it over, it seemed to be doing everything it was supposed to do. Little lights blinked and the cables attached to the laptop seemed to be secure. The computer program was already running and seemed to also be ready to go. Apparently all he had to do was let the egg hear the two songs in the contest and it would do the rest. It would only need a few moments to display the correct answers on the computer screen.
With his secret weapon functioning properly, Wade turned to his lucky charm.
“How you feeling?”
“Tired. You didn’t say this would be at six in the morning.” The younger kid responded as he rubbed a hand through his hair.
“The contest is at seven. We gotta be ready.” Wade replied then looked the kid in the eyes with a stony expression. “You can do this right? I didn’t get my ass kicked for nothing, did I? ‘Cause, you know… that would kinda piss me off.”
The kid swallowed and quickly bobbled his head in agreement. A look of genuine terror came across his face and Wade grew a little worried that the kid might bolt. Not wanting that to happen Wade offered a friendly smile and slapped the kid on the back.
“Awsome. You’re the man. Ok, let’s do this. How does your mojo work again?”
“Uhm… I don’t really know… I just kinda do it?” The kid responded in a tone that seemed a little meek.
“Cool. In that case, here’s my phone. I’ll let you do your thing. They should be announcing the cue to call any minute. We just need to listen. But you gotta be quick, I swear I’ve dialed right at the…”
Wade trailed off and watched as the kid suddenly stabbed the dial button on his phone. Wade wanted to groan. He’d dialed way too early, they hadn’t even announced the cue to call yet. Wade was about to snatch the phone back, but he heard the DJ on the radio suddenly announce that the contest was coming up and people should start calling. The kid waited a few seconds then handed the phone back to Wade. He got to his feet and wandered out of the room; convinced he had done his job. Wade was skeptical and was about to call the kid back but as he put the phone to his ear he was amazed to hear the line connect and a voice on the other end.
“104.3…”
“Hi… uh, can I play in your contest?” Wade asked apprehensively
“Definitely, you a big Twist of Fate fan?”
“Yeah, love the Fate”
“Alright. Slick Rick will get to you in a couple of minutes. Wait on hold.”
After that the line switched over to a feed of the station’s broadcast and Wade sat back to wait out the commercial break. He glanced over towards the door, but the kid was gone. Amazing meta ability that kid had. He may not be lifting city buses or throwing balls of fire, but what he did seemed pretty cool in its own right; and if it worked out, then a little public humiliation was definitely worth it. Worst that could come of it would be a few snickers or jokes at his expense. He doubted anyone would actually laugh in his face, he didn’t think anyone in the school actually had a death wish. What was the saying? ‘Don’t wake the giant’? Especially if he might already be pissed off.
In the end though, Wade had felt good about the little staged fight. It was good to see the younger kid get a bit of a boost to both his confidence and maybe even his social standing. The plan had seemed to work as well, later that day Wade spotted the two holding hands as they walked across campus. The guy got the girl, so it was all good.
The commercial break ended and the DJ came back on the air and did his little intro ramble before getting to Wade. Wade just played along, pretending that he listened to the station all the time and was a big fan of the morning DJ. The contest itself was a non-issue as well. Syd’s listening egg worked as promised and Wade nailed the two correct songs; as well as the concert tickets that had been eluding him for the past two weeks.
Smiling as he hung up the phone, he planned to stop by the station after lunch to collect the tickets and then go and pick up his tuxedo. By the time he got back, it’d be just about perfect timing to head to the prom. Things were going his way again. Once prom was over he could get back to training, and this time there would be no distractions… or so he thought.
After two days of rejection, Wade had decided that he needed an advantage. It had taken a bit of convincing, but Wade felt it had been worth it. Now he had his secret weapon and his lucky charm. It was time to check the status of both.
Wade wasn’t sure that a ‘listening egg’ was the device he was looking for, but Syd had assured him it would do the job. Looking it over, it seemed to be doing everything it was supposed to do. Little lights blinked and the cables attached to the laptop seemed to be secure. The computer program was already running and seemed to also be ready to go. Apparently all he had to do was let the egg hear the two songs in the contest and it would do the rest. It would only need a few moments to display the correct answers on the computer screen.
With his secret weapon functioning properly, Wade turned to his lucky charm.
“How you feeling?”
“Tired. You didn’t say this would be at six in the morning.” The younger kid responded as he rubbed a hand through his hair.
“The contest is at seven. We gotta be ready.” Wade replied then looked the kid in the eyes with a stony expression. “You can do this right? I didn’t get my ass kicked for nothing, did I? ‘Cause, you know… that would kinda piss me off.”
The kid swallowed and quickly bobbled his head in agreement. A look of genuine terror came across his face and Wade grew a little worried that the kid might bolt. Not wanting that to happen Wade offered a friendly smile and slapped the kid on the back.
“Awsome. You’re the man. Ok, let’s do this. How does your mojo work again?”
“Uhm… I don’t really know… I just kinda do it?” The kid responded in a tone that seemed a little meek.
“Cool. In that case, here’s my phone. I’ll let you do your thing. They should be announcing the cue to call any minute. We just need to listen. But you gotta be quick, I swear I’ve dialed right at the…”
Wade trailed off and watched as the kid suddenly stabbed the dial button on his phone. Wade wanted to groan. He’d dialed way too early, they hadn’t even announced the cue to call yet. Wade was about to snatch the phone back, but he heard the DJ on the radio suddenly announce that the contest was coming up and people should start calling. The kid waited a few seconds then handed the phone back to Wade. He got to his feet and wandered out of the room; convinced he had done his job. Wade was skeptical and was about to call the kid back but as he put the phone to his ear he was amazed to hear the line connect and a voice on the other end.
“104.3…”
“Hi… uh, can I play in your contest?” Wade asked apprehensively
“Definitely, you a big Twist of Fate fan?”
“Yeah, love the Fate”
“Alright. Slick Rick will get to you in a couple of minutes. Wait on hold.”
After that the line switched over to a feed of the station’s broadcast and Wade sat back to wait out the commercial break. He glanced over towards the door, but the kid was gone. Amazing meta ability that kid had. He may not be lifting city buses or throwing balls of fire, but what he did seemed pretty cool in its own right; and if it worked out, then a little public humiliation was definitely worth it. Worst that could come of it would be a few snickers or jokes at his expense. He doubted anyone would actually laugh in his face, he didn’t think anyone in the school actually had a death wish. What was the saying? ‘Don’t wake the giant’? Especially if he might already be pissed off.
In the end though, Wade had felt good about the little staged fight. It was good to see the younger kid get a bit of a boost to both his confidence and maybe even his social standing. The plan had seemed to work as well, later that day Wade spotted the two holding hands as they walked across campus. The guy got the girl, so it was all good.
The commercial break ended and the DJ came back on the air and did his little intro ramble before getting to Wade. Wade just played along, pretending that he listened to the station all the time and was a big fan of the morning DJ. The contest itself was a non-issue as well. Syd’s listening egg worked as promised and Wade nailed the two correct songs; as well as the concert tickets that had been eluding him for the past two weeks.
Smiling as he hung up the phone, he planned to stop by the station after lunch to collect the tickets and then go and pick up his tuxedo. By the time he got back, it’d be just about perfect timing to head to the prom. Things were going his way again. Once prom was over he could get back to training, and this time there would be no distractions… or so he thought.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
-
Wade Braddock
- Former Member
- Posts:93
- Joined:Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:21 pm
- Location:Vancouver, BC
Re: Wade of Westbrook
Wade walked down the street looking at the tiny little dwellings the people in Steel Canyon called houses. Not only were they practically touching each other, but they all seemed nearly identical. Like some giant house producing factory had just cranked out an endless amount of them for this section of the city. Still, despite their tight proximity to each other and their shared architecture, the owners of the homes seemed to have done a lot to individualize each home. Somehow they all seemed unique in their own little ways.
The neighborhood seemed friendly enough too and a lot of people were out and about. Neighbors chatted with each other, young couples were strolling down the street, older couples with a younger child or two made their way to and from the small green spaces or playgrounds that dotted the area. The neighborhood may have been close to one of the city’s most prolific business centers, but it clearly didn’t share the same hustle and bustle that most of Steel Canyon did. It was like an oasis of calm and tranquility amidst a frantic sea of commerce.
The afternoon was a perfect spring day. It was warm enough to warrant leaving a jacket at home, but a soft breeze took the edge off the heat and kept perspiration to a minimum. This was good because for some reason, Wade was feeling a bit nervous as he stood looking at the front door to Lillian’s house.
During prom when Lillian had asked Wade if he wanted to come to her parent’s home for a barbeque, all he was thinking at the time had been ‘Nice! Free food!’. That was something that he pretty much never passed up, and seeing how it was a barbeque as well, made it nearly impossible to say no. Later on Wade realized that ‘free food’ also meant not just hanging out with Lillian, but her family as well.
As Wade climbed the three stairs up to the tiny front porch, he took a deep breath. It was silly to feel nervous about going to a barbeque. That’s all it was. Cooked food, and a group of people he didn’t know. Take away the food, and it felt very similar to Wade’s first day at Westbrook. He had no idea what to expect. Lillian would be there of course and he was looking forward to seeing her… and there was barbequed food; so really, it couldn’t be that bad. Wade rang the doorbell and waited a few moments until the door swung open and he found himself looking at an older man.
“You must be Lil’s friend from school.” The man said as he looked up at Wade.
“Yeah. I’m Wade.”
“Well, good to meet you, Wade. I’m Lil’s father.” He said with a friendly smile and opened the door even wider. “Come on in. The kids are out back, I’ll show you the way.”
Wade thanked him and followed his lead through the house. Despite seeming like a tiny little dwelling from the outside, the floor plan was actually fairly open and went a long way towards making the place seem a lot bigger. The furnishings were nice but not too fancy, with just the right amount of decorative nick-knacks laid about. Hardwood seemed to dominate the flooring, but soft looking area rugs had been placed in areas that looked like they might serve as spots to sit and socialize. The overall decor of the home was well thought out and nothing really seemed like it didn’t belong. Clearly the Parker’s took a lot of pride in their home.
Out in the back yard, Lillian sat at a patio table chatting with a guy who looked to be in his early twenties. As Lillian’s father emerged from the house with Wade in tow, their conversation ceased and they both turned to look at Wade.
“Hi, Wade.” Lillian said with a smile. “Did you have any trouble finding the house?”
“No, right where you said it would be.” Wade responded.
“Go and find a seat, Wade. What can I get you to drink?” Mr. Parker asked before listing off a few options. “We’ve got soda, iced tea, bottled water, some kind of red fruit juice.”
“Iced tea sounds great, thanks.”
As Mr. Parker retreated back into the house, Wade took a seat next to Lillian as she introduced the guy at the table as her older brother Michael. The three of them chatted for a short time and Wade was surprised to find out that Michael had also attended Westbrook. That was a nice discovery as it instantly gave Wade something to talk about with Michael, which in turn helped break the ice. While they chatted, Lillian’s father and mother joined them on the deck.
“This place must seem so small to you.” Mrs. Parker said when she noticed Wade gazing around the yard.
“Mom.” Lillian said with a terse, some what embarrassed, note to her voice and glanced in Wade’s direction quickly.
“For heaven’s skake, sweety. I’m not saying that because of his size, didn’t you say he came from the mid-west? I’m sure they don’t have many little places like this out there.”
Wade chuckled softly and nodded in agreement with Mrs. Parker. “Most of the houses out in Falls Plain are much bigger. But I like this place, you’ve done a real nice job on it.”
That seemed to get an approving smile from Mrs. Parker and a proud nod from Mr. Parker but before the conversation could continue an object landed with a thud on the deck and bounced a few times before rolling to a stop near Wade’s foot. Wade smiled as he bent down to retrieve the familiar object, immediately rolling it in his grip like he’d been taught, readying it to be thrown again.
“Is that a baseball?” Michael asked as he eyed the ball in Wade’s hand.
“Yeah. Came from that direction.” Wade replied and indicated the neighbor’s yard.
To prove his assumption a thump was heard against the fence as two hands suddenly latched onto the top rail. Then a scrambling sound was heard for a few seconds. Finally a young boy’s head popped up and peered over the top of the fence. His eyes grew wider when he noticed that everyone was looking at him.
“Sorry!” He called out. “Can I have my ball?”
Wade nodded and walked over to the fence. Wade waited for the boy to drop back to the ground and retrieve his baseball glove before gently tossing the ball into his waiting mitt. Since the fence wasn’t full height it didn’t even reach mid-chest on Wade so he took a moment to look into the boy’s yard. He saw a couple of cushions, which probably belonged to the lounge chairs on the deck, had been leaned up against the fence. The boy ran to the other side of the small yard then turned and lined up the cushions. Winding up like he was attempting to throw from center field to home plate the kid let the ball fly. Again it sailed way high, but this time Wade snatched it out of the air before it could fly into the Parker’s yard.
“Sorry!” The boy called out again and ran towards the fence with his mitt extended before him, ready to catch the ball. Wade smiled and hung onto the ball. The little guy had good arm strength, but his mechanics were all wrong.
“Can I show you a better way to throw it?” Wade asked. The boy thought about it for a few seconds then nodded. Wade extended his arms and lifted the boy up and over the fence. “It’ll be easier to show you with out the fence in the way.”
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Parker!” The boy said with a smile as Wade set him down. “Hi, Lillian… hi Michael!” He added and waved.
“Hello, Scott.” Mrs. Parker called back. “Taking up baseball?”
“Yup! I’m gonna be a center fielder!”
Wade smiled quickly and spent the next few minutes showing Scott how to properly wind up and rotate his body to correctly follow through. The boy seemed to catch on quickly and soon Wade was satisfied that Scott’s throws would be drastically improved. With no more to teach him, Wade lifted him back over to his own yard. As soon as Scott touched the ground he ran back to his spot and turned towards his cushion target. This time the ball flew straight into the cushions and the boy cheered in delight.
“Thanks! You’re awesome!” Scott called out enthusiastically.
“I think you have a fan.” Lillian said and smiled warmly.
“Heh… can’t have too many of those.” Wade said in agreement as he returned to his seat.
“Ok, with that good deed taken care of, maybe we should begin dinner now.” Mr. Parker stated and his wife nodded in agreement before getting up and heading into the house. Wade liked the sound of that. It appeared that Michael did too; he got up and headed for the Barbeque. Mr. Parker nodded in Michael’s direction as he spoke to Wade. “Looks like Michael will be in charge of the cooking tonight.”
“Is that what he calls it?” Lillian said with a good natured grin.
“Hey!” Michael responded, but didn’t take it any further. He instead focused on preparing the grill.
“Lillian!” Mrs. Parker called out from the house “Can you give me a hand?”
Lillian rose from her seat and made her way after her mother, leaving just Wade and Mr. Parker sitting at the patio table. Mr. Parker asked Wade a few questions about his classes and was mostly interested in how well he had done in his first semester at Westbrook. He seemed satisfied when Wade told him that he’d managed either a ‘C+’ or a ‘B’ in all of his classes, but when Wade added that he thought he could do better next semester Mr. Parker nodded and looked pleased.
A soft muttering rose from the direction of the barbeque as Michael fiddled with the control knobs and leaned closer to peer into the grill area.
“Everything alright?” Wade asked.
“This thing isn’t putting out enough heat… I think something must be clogging the gas line.”
“Does it have a pressure equalization valve?” Wade said as he rose from his chair and moved to stand beside Michael.
“Uhm… I have no idea.” Michael admitted
“It’ll be by the tank… yeah, there it is.” Wade pointed to a large valve-like object located where the hose met the gas tank then added. “If the line doesn’t have time to equalize the pressure, it’ll drop into like a safety mode, which limits the gas. It’s like a safety feature in case the gas is left on.”
“Oh. Ok. How do we fix that?”
“Pretty easy. Just shut ‘er down. Then turn the gas controls to their pre-light setting… wait a few extra seconds… and fire it up.” Wade spoke as Michael followed the procedure. After a few moments he continued. “Ok, that should be good. Fire it up.”
Michael hit the gas ignition button and the burners blazed to life. He smiled as he looked down at the size of the blue flames coming out, they were noticeably larger than they had been during his previous attempt at getting the barbeque warmed up.
“You seem to know your stuff, Wade.” Michael began as he turned to look at Wade. “Teaching kids to throw… secret grill tricks.”
“Yeah, it’s a mid-west thing. Sports and cookouts. We’re born with a ball in our hand and we have to be certified barbeque pros by the time we graduate or we bring shame to our family.” Wade said with a smile. The comment earned a laugh from Mr. Parker before he rose and headed inside the house.
“Lil, seems to think a lot of you.” Michael said, his tone growing more serious.
“Oh… Uhm, she’s really cool, you know… fun to hang out with.” Wade replied.
“So far she’s said good things about you. That’s not going to change… is it?” Despite being head and shoulders taller than Michael, for some reason Wade felt a bit intimidated. Something about Michael’s demeanor left no doubt in his mind that Michael would prove to be an ardent defender when it came to his little sister’s happiness.
It actually made Wade think of his own little sister, and suddenly a part of him longed to be back home making sure that she was as well looked after as Lillian seemed to be.
In response to Michael’s question, Wade shook his head, but before he could get any words out Mr. Parker came out holding a tray of meat to be cooked on the grill. Following closely behind him was Lillian with an armful of plates and cutlery.
“Hey, Lil.” Michael called out. “I’m starting to think that Wade should be the one doing the cooking here! He was born to grill.” Michael slapped Wade on the shoulder in a friendly gesture as he spoke and just as quickly as it had come, Michael’s serious attitude had disappeared.
“Michael! You’ll not make our guest do any cooking!” Mrs. Parker scolded as she emerged from the house with a large bowl of salad. Michael just laughed then turned his attention to the plate of meat his father had set down by the grill. One by one the pieces of chicken and hamburger floated into the air then settled themselves on the grill in neat rows. The display made it pretty clear to Wade what Michael’s metahuman ability was.
“It’s ok, Mrs. Parker. Happy to help out, but I think Michael’s got this under control.” Wade told her. Just to be sure, Wade quickly explained how to get a convection current going by adjusting the heat and rearranging the meat so that the chicken cooked fully but avoided being seared too badly by the higher heat required for the hamburger. Michael looked at the grill as if he was seeing it for the first time then smiled at Wade and started to work on implementing the suggestions.
Wade returned to the table and a short time later they were all eating. Michael declared it was his best work yet and Lillian was quick to agree. Over the course of the next few hours Wade found himself enjoying the company of the Parker Family, but once again it made him long for being back home. It reminded him of how it had been with his family before being publicly acknowledged as a metahuman. A brother and a sister, a mother and a father, all co-exisiting as a happy family.
It was the same with Lillian and her family. It was all love and laughter and it was clear that none of them would rather have been anyplace else. Wade was glad that he had found a place where that sort of environment still thrived and he had to admit to himself; it felt right.
The neighborhood seemed friendly enough too and a lot of people were out and about. Neighbors chatted with each other, young couples were strolling down the street, older couples with a younger child or two made their way to and from the small green spaces or playgrounds that dotted the area. The neighborhood may have been close to one of the city’s most prolific business centers, but it clearly didn’t share the same hustle and bustle that most of Steel Canyon did. It was like an oasis of calm and tranquility amidst a frantic sea of commerce.
The afternoon was a perfect spring day. It was warm enough to warrant leaving a jacket at home, but a soft breeze took the edge off the heat and kept perspiration to a minimum. This was good because for some reason, Wade was feeling a bit nervous as he stood looking at the front door to Lillian’s house.
During prom when Lillian had asked Wade if he wanted to come to her parent’s home for a barbeque, all he was thinking at the time had been ‘Nice! Free food!’. That was something that he pretty much never passed up, and seeing how it was a barbeque as well, made it nearly impossible to say no. Later on Wade realized that ‘free food’ also meant not just hanging out with Lillian, but her family as well.
As Wade climbed the three stairs up to the tiny front porch, he took a deep breath. It was silly to feel nervous about going to a barbeque. That’s all it was. Cooked food, and a group of people he didn’t know. Take away the food, and it felt very similar to Wade’s first day at Westbrook. He had no idea what to expect. Lillian would be there of course and he was looking forward to seeing her… and there was barbequed food; so really, it couldn’t be that bad. Wade rang the doorbell and waited a few moments until the door swung open and he found himself looking at an older man.
“You must be Lil’s friend from school.” The man said as he looked up at Wade.
“Yeah. I’m Wade.”
“Well, good to meet you, Wade. I’m Lil’s father.” He said with a friendly smile and opened the door even wider. “Come on in. The kids are out back, I’ll show you the way.”
Wade thanked him and followed his lead through the house. Despite seeming like a tiny little dwelling from the outside, the floor plan was actually fairly open and went a long way towards making the place seem a lot bigger. The furnishings were nice but not too fancy, with just the right amount of decorative nick-knacks laid about. Hardwood seemed to dominate the flooring, but soft looking area rugs had been placed in areas that looked like they might serve as spots to sit and socialize. The overall decor of the home was well thought out and nothing really seemed like it didn’t belong. Clearly the Parker’s took a lot of pride in their home.
Out in the back yard, Lillian sat at a patio table chatting with a guy who looked to be in his early twenties. As Lillian’s father emerged from the house with Wade in tow, their conversation ceased and they both turned to look at Wade.
“Hi, Wade.” Lillian said with a smile. “Did you have any trouble finding the house?”
“No, right where you said it would be.” Wade responded.
“Go and find a seat, Wade. What can I get you to drink?” Mr. Parker asked before listing off a few options. “We’ve got soda, iced tea, bottled water, some kind of red fruit juice.”
“Iced tea sounds great, thanks.”
As Mr. Parker retreated back into the house, Wade took a seat next to Lillian as she introduced the guy at the table as her older brother Michael. The three of them chatted for a short time and Wade was surprised to find out that Michael had also attended Westbrook. That was a nice discovery as it instantly gave Wade something to talk about with Michael, which in turn helped break the ice. While they chatted, Lillian’s father and mother joined them on the deck.
“This place must seem so small to you.” Mrs. Parker said when she noticed Wade gazing around the yard.
“Mom.” Lillian said with a terse, some what embarrassed, note to her voice and glanced in Wade’s direction quickly.
“For heaven’s skake, sweety. I’m not saying that because of his size, didn’t you say he came from the mid-west? I’m sure they don’t have many little places like this out there.”
Wade chuckled softly and nodded in agreement with Mrs. Parker. “Most of the houses out in Falls Plain are much bigger. But I like this place, you’ve done a real nice job on it.”
That seemed to get an approving smile from Mrs. Parker and a proud nod from Mr. Parker but before the conversation could continue an object landed with a thud on the deck and bounced a few times before rolling to a stop near Wade’s foot. Wade smiled as he bent down to retrieve the familiar object, immediately rolling it in his grip like he’d been taught, readying it to be thrown again.
“Is that a baseball?” Michael asked as he eyed the ball in Wade’s hand.
“Yeah. Came from that direction.” Wade replied and indicated the neighbor’s yard.
To prove his assumption a thump was heard against the fence as two hands suddenly latched onto the top rail. Then a scrambling sound was heard for a few seconds. Finally a young boy’s head popped up and peered over the top of the fence. His eyes grew wider when he noticed that everyone was looking at him.
“Sorry!” He called out. “Can I have my ball?”
Wade nodded and walked over to the fence. Wade waited for the boy to drop back to the ground and retrieve his baseball glove before gently tossing the ball into his waiting mitt. Since the fence wasn’t full height it didn’t even reach mid-chest on Wade so he took a moment to look into the boy’s yard. He saw a couple of cushions, which probably belonged to the lounge chairs on the deck, had been leaned up against the fence. The boy ran to the other side of the small yard then turned and lined up the cushions. Winding up like he was attempting to throw from center field to home plate the kid let the ball fly. Again it sailed way high, but this time Wade snatched it out of the air before it could fly into the Parker’s yard.
“Sorry!” The boy called out again and ran towards the fence with his mitt extended before him, ready to catch the ball. Wade smiled and hung onto the ball. The little guy had good arm strength, but his mechanics were all wrong.
“Can I show you a better way to throw it?” Wade asked. The boy thought about it for a few seconds then nodded. Wade extended his arms and lifted the boy up and over the fence. “It’ll be easier to show you with out the fence in the way.”
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Parker!” The boy said with a smile as Wade set him down. “Hi, Lillian… hi Michael!” He added and waved.
“Hello, Scott.” Mrs. Parker called back. “Taking up baseball?”
“Yup! I’m gonna be a center fielder!”
Wade smiled quickly and spent the next few minutes showing Scott how to properly wind up and rotate his body to correctly follow through. The boy seemed to catch on quickly and soon Wade was satisfied that Scott’s throws would be drastically improved. With no more to teach him, Wade lifted him back over to his own yard. As soon as Scott touched the ground he ran back to his spot and turned towards his cushion target. This time the ball flew straight into the cushions and the boy cheered in delight.
“Thanks! You’re awesome!” Scott called out enthusiastically.
“I think you have a fan.” Lillian said and smiled warmly.
“Heh… can’t have too many of those.” Wade said in agreement as he returned to his seat.
“Ok, with that good deed taken care of, maybe we should begin dinner now.” Mr. Parker stated and his wife nodded in agreement before getting up and heading into the house. Wade liked the sound of that. It appeared that Michael did too; he got up and headed for the Barbeque. Mr. Parker nodded in Michael’s direction as he spoke to Wade. “Looks like Michael will be in charge of the cooking tonight.”
“Is that what he calls it?” Lillian said with a good natured grin.
“Hey!” Michael responded, but didn’t take it any further. He instead focused on preparing the grill.
“Lillian!” Mrs. Parker called out from the house “Can you give me a hand?”
Lillian rose from her seat and made her way after her mother, leaving just Wade and Mr. Parker sitting at the patio table. Mr. Parker asked Wade a few questions about his classes and was mostly interested in how well he had done in his first semester at Westbrook. He seemed satisfied when Wade told him that he’d managed either a ‘C+’ or a ‘B’ in all of his classes, but when Wade added that he thought he could do better next semester Mr. Parker nodded and looked pleased.
A soft muttering rose from the direction of the barbeque as Michael fiddled with the control knobs and leaned closer to peer into the grill area.
“Everything alright?” Wade asked.
“This thing isn’t putting out enough heat… I think something must be clogging the gas line.”
“Does it have a pressure equalization valve?” Wade said as he rose from his chair and moved to stand beside Michael.
“Uhm… I have no idea.” Michael admitted
“It’ll be by the tank… yeah, there it is.” Wade pointed to a large valve-like object located where the hose met the gas tank then added. “If the line doesn’t have time to equalize the pressure, it’ll drop into like a safety mode, which limits the gas. It’s like a safety feature in case the gas is left on.”
“Oh. Ok. How do we fix that?”
“Pretty easy. Just shut ‘er down. Then turn the gas controls to their pre-light setting… wait a few extra seconds… and fire it up.” Wade spoke as Michael followed the procedure. After a few moments he continued. “Ok, that should be good. Fire it up.”
Michael hit the gas ignition button and the burners blazed to life. He smiled as he looked down at the size of the blue flames coming out, they were noticeably larger than they had been during his previous attempt at getting the barbeque warmed up.
“You seem to know your stuff, Wade.” Michael began as he turned to look at Wade. “Teaching kids to throw… secret grill tricks.”
“Yeah, it’s a mid-west thing. Sports and cookouts. We’re born with a ball in our hand and we have to be certified barbeque pros by the time we graduate or we bring shame to our family.” Wade said with a smile. The comment earned a laugh from Mr. Parker before he rose and headed inside the house.
“Lil, seems to think a lot of you.” Michael said, his tone growing more serious.
“Oh… Uhm, she’s really cool, you know… fun to hang out with.” Wade replied.
“So far she’s said good things about you. That’s not going to change… is it?” Despite being head and shoulders taller than Michael, for some reason Wade felt a bit intimidated. Something about Michael’s demeanor left no doubt in his mind that Michael would prove to be an ardent defender when it came to his little sister’s happiness.
It actually made Wade think of his own little sister, and suddenly a part of him longed to be back home making sure that she was as well looked after as Lillian seemed to be.
In response to Michael’s question, Wade shook his head, but before he could get any words out Mr. Parker came out holding a tray of meat to be cooked on the grill. Following closely behind him was Lillian with an armful of plates and cutlery.
“Hey, Lil.” Michael called out. “I’m starting to think that Wade should be the one doing the cooking here! He was born to grill.” Michael slapped Wade on the shoulder in a friendly gesture as he spoke and just as quickly as it had come, Michael’s serious attitude had disappeared.
“Michael! You’ll not make our guest do any cooking!” Mrs. Parker scolded as she emerged from the house with a large bowl of salad. Michael just laughed then turned his attention to the plate of meat his father had set down by the grill. One by one the pieces of chicken and hamburger floated into the air then settled themselves on the grill in neat rows. The display made it pretty clear to Wade what Michael’s metahuman ability was.
“It’s ok, Mrs. Parker. Happy to help out, but I think Michael’s got this under control.” Wade told her. Just to be sure, Wade quickly explained how to get a convection current going by adjusting the heat and rearranging the meat so that the chicken cooked fully but avoided being seared too badly by the higher heat required for the hamburger. Michael looked at the grill as if he was seeing it for the first time then smiled at Wade and started to work on implementing the suggestions.
Wade returned to the table and a short time later they were all eating. Michael declared it was his best work yet and Lillian was quick to agree. Over the course of the next few hours Wade found himself enjoying the company of the Parker Family, but once again it made him long for being back home. It reminded him of how it had been with his family before being publicly acknowledged as a metahuman. A brother and a sister, a mother and a father, all co-exisiting as a happy family.
It was the same with Lillian and her family. It was all love and laughter and it was clear that none of them would rather have been anyplace else. Wade was glad that he had found a place where that sort of environment still thrived and he had to admit to himself; it felt right.
There is no, more moving, religious experience than cheating a cheater.
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