Wally didn't see the point of attending his first Homecoming in the afterlife. Without Daniella, he struggled to find a compelling reason to warrant him to go. However, against his initial reservation, a few of the other spirits, including Mr. Martin, managed to convince him that the dance might aid in the journey of accepting and coming to terms with his death. Thanks to the abundance of clothes provided by the theater department, he was dressed to the nines prepared for the 1983 annual Homecoming Dance at Split River High School.
As Wally entered the gym, he found himself surrounded by the familiar faces of his friends from another life. What was meant to be his final Homecoming alongside his closest friend became his inaugural one in the afterlife, spent with his new spirit guides that had been there for him since he arrived.
As the night progressed, a sense of joy was recognizable in the atmosphere despite the recent passing of a beloved classmate and football prodigy. Wally welcomed the sight and feeling of his peers enjoying themselves rather than wallowing in sorrow over his death. The dance served as a happy occasion, allowing him to revel in the new and familiar experience without a cloud of sadness. He actually found himself enjoying the experience all together.
While dancing with Janet and Dawn, who he was coming to learn was a bit of an airhead, he swore he caught a fleeting glimpse of the long black curly locks that he had grown to adore and ironically felt like he saw a ghost. "No way," he muttered under his breath, ditching Dawn and Janet as he pursued the enchanting figure he recognized immediately.
At the drink table, Daniella paused, her fingers tightly gripping the edge in a failed attempt to gain her composure. Unbeknownst to her, Wally was standing right across from her at the other end of the table, his gaze filled with longing as he admired her. She looked breathtaking in the short and sparkly yet slightly frilly blue dress she'd been telling him about for the past week, one to match the blue and white corsage they both knew he planned on getting her for the occasion.
"You came," he whispered with a small smile, bringing his hand to cup her cheek only to realize there was no use, and dropping his arm back in place. She looked down at the drinks as she let out a deep shaky breath before grabbing a cup and filling it with the red liquid from the glass punch bowl. The whole time, his eyes never left hers.
Janet decided to approach the table, standing next to Wally in order to support him. "I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend tonight," he spoke solemnly, his eyes trained on the girl he loved as she walked away to sit alone at a table. "I'm sorry," Janet apologized, noticing the lonely girl while casting a glance upon her desolate frame, "she looks beautiful."
"She always did," he smiled softly, his gaze still fixed on her. He walked over to the table she was at, Janet never leaving his side for emotional support. "S-She hated these things," he spoke to Janet, pulling out a chair to sit right next to his best friend as he gestured around the room. "Well, not hated. Danny never really felt like going. And of course the one time she agrees," he cut himself off, not wanting to finish the thought that they both knew was coming.
Daniella sat at the table people watching and imagining what it would have been like if Wally was there with her. Tears began welling in her eyes at the thought of what could have been. They would have been having an amazing time tonight. He would have forced her to dance, making her laugh and smile the entire time, but there was no point in laughing and smiling now with him gone. Not an ounce of her being was enjoying herself, because how can someone enjoy themselves at an event they were supposed to go to with their now dead best friend?
He let Janet leave, not wanting to bother her with his sorrows anymore. His whole life, he was able to read Daniella well and even now with makeup littering her face as a mask, he could tell she wasn't doing too well. He had only been dead a day, and he hoped that it wouldn't have affected her this badly, but that was wishful thinking. Deep down he knew that the only reason she came tonight was in his honor.
Wally did the only thing he could think of that night which was sit by Daniella's side the whole time telling her about the 24 hours he's spent as a ghost. Even though she couldn't hear him, the façade of having a conversation with her was comforting enough to him, to an extent. It was his own way of what felt like a proper goodbye.
Before he could continue his ramblings, the principal had walked up on the stage, envelope in hand as the Homecoming King and Queen crowns sat at the table behind him. "I hope everyone is having a good time tonight," he introduced with a wide smile, causing a roar from the crowd of students. "It is time to announce Split River High's 1983 Homecoming King and Queen!" His voice thundered, earning an even louder cry from the audience this time around.
"Alright, and you're homecoming king is," the principal announced with fanfare before opening the card. His smile quickly dropped; his energy depleted from what the card read. "Uh, W-Wally Clark." Wally turned towards the stage, eyes wide in shock, "what?"
The crowd was silent, the music had stopped, and Daniella could feel hear her heart beat louder and louder in her ears. Her life was slowly falling apart around her, and this seemed to be the final straw. The walls of her mind seemed to collapse, with any semblance of stability left within her shattering as her thoughts began to suffocate her. Hot relentless tears began to stream down her face that she couldn't stop, a horrible mirror for the ruckus occurring inside her. Slowly, her breathing became shallower and more erratic as she began to hyperventilate. It felt as though she was no longer in control of her own body but watching everything happen from outside herself.
This was not how tonight was supposed to go. She should've been clapping and cheering for Wally alongside her peers as they placed the ridiculous plastic gold crown on his head, but instead she was breaking down at the thought of him and his horrific death.
Nobody moved or made a sound until she stood up from her chair abruptly, causing it to squeak and in turn causing everyone to look at her. A myriad of different looks were thrown her way, the main one being conveyed as pity and remorse as everyone knew the unbreakable bond she shared with one of the most well-liked guys at the school. With all eyes on her, she ran out of the gym with mascara already cascading down her cheeks.
Wally chased after her, his voice echoing her name through the halls, yet he was met with an almost haunting silence that he still hadn't gotten used to, other than the echo of whispers from the gym.
His heart ached as he observed her come to an abrupt halt, her gaze fixated upon his old locker. The sight of his jersey number etched upon the metal surface, accompanied by photographs capturing moments he once shared with his friends, most featuring Daniella by his side, had sent a surge of emotions coursing through the both of them. The ground surrounding the locker was adorned with scattered flowers and gifts, a jarring reminder of the cherished memories they had woven together.
She exhaled an unsteady breath, succumbing to the weight of her emotions as she sank down to the ground, finding comfort in the support of the frigid metal lockers and cold tiles situated across from Wally's old, decorated locker.
"What the fuck am I going to do without you?" She sobbed, clutching her purse impossibly tighter to her chest as her gaze lifted towards the largest photograph of him, one that was used in the yearbook last year prominently displayed, her sobs echoing around the vacant halls with each breath she struggled to take.
"I'm right here, Danny," he whispered softly, his voice carrying a solemn tone as he took a seat on the cold tiles beside her, bearing unfortunate witness to her unraveling. He was sick of seeing her fall apart, but this time there was nothing he could do to help her.
YOU ARE READING
scar-crossed lovers ➶-͙˚ ༘✶ wally clark
Fanfiction*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: "i'm checking myself out forever. i'm saving this all for later. scar-crossed lovers forever, here we are, untouched forever." *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: IN WHICH... daniella white died with the only thought...
