Infinite

Vertical

𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂
Goin' vertical, a dream gets to fly
It's like a miracle, up into the sky
If you want it, you need it, now you just got to free it
And it goes vertical

I won't, I won't, won't be held down
Be stuck here on the ground
Yes sir, it's the real me, real me
I have found and I'm risin' up, risin' up
𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂

Alex had no idea how Willie had ended up in front of him. And it killed him to see how desperate he was. The word "please" broke him. He knelt by Willie, before noticing that the clothes Willie was wearing were his. Why was Willie wearing his clothes?

"Why don't we head to Julie's?" Alex asked, and Willie only nodded. If Alex did most of the work, he might actually make it there. Just maybe. Alex grabbed his hand and took them both there, only noticing a slight decrease in energy that seemed to be replenished almost instantly. "Is everything okay?" Willie managed to stand just before they left, but it didn't change what he felt. It didn't change the fact that he wanted to lay down for the next week. Maybe even for the next month.

"I escaped, but I'm just so... tired." Willie flopped on the couch, clutching one hand with the other. It was the only way he'd be able to pay attention to what was going on around him. "It almost feels like a dream. Or a hazy nightmare that has yet to turn bad."

"You're safe here." Alex sat next to him, resting one hand on his friends' to comfort him. "I don't think the scary people of Area 51 will find us here." Willie nodded, resting his head on Alex's shoulder. As he shut his eyes, he heard Alex hum a little, just a short song that made Willie feel at home. The words hadn't been enough for him, but the little melody reminded him of his mother when he was very young.

He remembered one day, when he felt especially sad because a few kids had teased him for liking skating more than football or soccer.

"William, you know, you're the brightest kid I know." His mother pulled him in. "Those kids don't know what they're missing." She hummed a little song. His favorite song in the whole world, "Vertical".

"I know, mom." Willie sighed, taking a moment before heading out to skate some more. If it weren't for his mother, he probably would've never taken skating as seriously as he did.

"Alex, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, partly because it felt like a relief to say it aloud and partly because he was still tired. Though, with Alex still by his side, he could feel the energy growing within him. Little by little, but with how depleted he was, it didn't take much to make him feel like he had more energy.

"For what? You didn't do anything." Alex's hand drifted from Willie's arm to his clenched hands, pushing them apart. Alex squeezed Willie's hand, trying his best to comfort him.

"For everything that happened at Area 51. I should've known better—" Willie cut himself off, the sentence spinning off in a thousand different directions. He should've known better; Caleb had proved that much. Stories about the infamous ghost police proved that much. Tall tales spun about Area 51 proved that much. He just didn't think. And, for the second time since he was born, that—not thinking, that is—got him into a world of trouble.

"You couldn't have known. And you're here now. You're safe, right here." Alex gave his hand another squeeze. He didn't know what to do. Usually, he was the one that needed consoling (or, for that matter, to be talked down from a ledge). Alex, however, did know what he always wanted to hear. "I'm right here."

"No, I should've known. Ghosts always talk about Area 51, and I just wanted to take a chance. And that chance almost made me lose you. And there's no forgiving that." Willie, with just enough strength to get back to Caleb's club, stood up. "I'm sorry. I don't deserve you. I have to go."