[ptps]

(con't)

23. Roses

His roommates were nice, considerate people, but this…

“Ed. I’m a guy,” Wilt said blankly.

“But they’re pretty flowers,” Ed insisted.

“Co co coco,” Coco agreed.

“And you,” he turned on her, “I’m sorry, but… you expect me to wear this?”

She coco-ed something fairly lengthy and testy at him. Wilt gave in.

He came to Christmas dinner that night wearing a rose-adorned, overly-flamboyant pink-and-purple pullover that made everyone except Coco and Ed choke on their pudding and almost die from laughter.

Well, it is keeping me warm, Wilt reasoned with himself, and tried not to drown in his stew.

28. No genius but full of idiots

It’s been ages since he’s seen a kid like this. The things Bloo says and does to Mac are unbelievable; Wilt is personally surprised Mac has never once considered disowning him before where hundreds of other kids would have.

Then again he supposes that’s the nature of their relationship. It’s wonderful and frightening to watch: they could be best pals in a minute, and bitter enemies in the next. But at the end of it all both would always come back to each other, everything forgiven and begun anew.

He wonders if Jordan has forgiven him. Doesn’t dare to hope.

20. Violence

“Bloo?”

“Yeah?”

“I really think you ought to go down there and say – ”

“Whatever for?”

“Because you made him angry.”

“Wilt? Pssh. Wilt is the sweet, gentle, tree-hugging-iest sap of us all. Him? Angry?”

Mac pointed to where Wilt was furiously sinking hoops. The backboard was denting with every throw made against it, the hoop was rattling continuously, and the ball was moving so fast it was practically invisible.

“Mac, he’s playing basketball. He does that evvvvvvvverydaaaaaaay.”

“At the speed of light?” Mac glared.

“…argh, fine!” Bloo turned towards the court, scowling. “I’M SORRY I CALLED YOU NAMES, BEANPOLE!”

12. You think too much

It’s unconscious, but sometimes he finds himself comparing. The way Ed tugs on his hand when he wants attention, how Coco always listens; how Mac smiles and the way Bloo gets when he’s dead-set serious on achieving something.

He remembers tucking Jordan in, reading him stories, playing with him, teaching him. It’s the same laughter, the same spirit, even though it’s coming from different voices, different faces, different hearts.

They’re all little pieces of something he had from long ago. Bloo’s hollering breaks into his thoughts and Wilt joins in the on-going pillow fight with a laugh of his own.

29. Fire; Water; Earth; Metal; Wood

Bloo was like fire: destructive, vexing, wild; yet reliable when tamed.

Mac was like earth: stable, dependable, practical; what they fell back on.

Ed was like water: tranquil and timid; until provoked.

Coco was like wood: buoyant and supportive – until she got burnt.

And Wilt was like metal: dented, but tough enough to stay in one piece.

They make an odd group, Frankie mused, watching as the group – a blob, a bird, a monster, a pole and an eight-year-old kid – played Frisbee, their joyous laughter carrying across the house, but I guess it’s their differences that make them strong together.

35. Haha......

He hasn’t laughed this much in years. The others are falling all over the place as well, clutching their sides; Coco’s doing a ferocious air paddle with her legs that only makes him laugh harder – oh, cripes, cramp, cramp! – and Ed’s shaking so hard he’s actually shedding. Mac screams in helpless mirth.

Bloo is relentless, and he delivers another overly-dramatic, painful line, eyes crossed, pulling the most hideous faces ever. He looks like the stupidest thing on earth.

Wilt rolls across the floor to collectively convulse with the others. Too much of a good thing couldn’t be all that bad.

22. Once upon a time...

A first year runt against fifteen giant-sized third years, and they’d sneered about his height, sniggered at the oversized red-white-and-blue sweatband doubled up around his wrist. Even the captain told him to leave the tryouts.

He’d asked to prove himself through a one-on-one. Five minutes into the game, the score read 19 – 0.

Nobody laughed so much after that.

He always told the truth when it came to questions about his skill. “My Imaginary Friend taught me basketball,” he would say, even after he’d grown into his thirties. He wished Wilt could see him now. He’d have been so proud.

30. Cracks

He could have been his twin. Wilt rubbed his eye, blinked, rubbed some more. Knelt down so he could see the boy properly, make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

“I’m sorry. W-What did you say your name was again?”

“Um. Harry?”

Not Jordan. He closed his eyes. Tried to remember how to breathe. Not Jordan. Stupid, Jordan wouldn’t be a kid by now anymore, anyway…

“Well. Nice to meet you, Harry! My name’s Wilt!” He stood up, and if he was lucky the family standing behind him wouldn’t notice his legs shaking ever so slightly. “Let’s begin the tour, shall we?”

21. Lost Memories

At some point Wilt had decided to “stop looking back” and to march through the future with his head held high. It didn’t matter that he was broken; he was certain the day would come when a kid would willingly adopt him for what he was.

Still, he couldn’t avoid the Creator-Creation reunion that came every five years, a reminder that screamed, “Don’t you DARE forget what happened before!”

Then he realized there was no way he could move forward if he kept running away from the past.

It ends tonight. Wilt narrowed his good eye, and made to leave.

14. Before you say goodbye

Bloo waking up had not been part of his plan. He’d wanted a silent departure, with minimal fuss and detection. Then again, he figured he could at least give a hint to someone in case they worried, because he didn’t want anyone worrying over him.

So he told Bloo he was going somewhere. For the first time since he’d came to Foster’s, he spilt a teeny tiny bit of the secret past he’d kept welled up inside for so long. It wasn’t much. It wasn’t everything. But it was something, and he left before Bloo could question him any further.

33. Upside down

He hadn’t expected the strange mix of Friends and humans to show up and ask for someone he hadn’t seen for over thirty years. Found it nearly impossible to believe that Wilt was actually looking for him, until he realized they were only hazarding a guess at who Wilt was looking for.

Then he realized, and his stomach twisted. The strangers were all in his plane and flying back to his hometown in less than ten minutes.

Larry had already taken Wilt’s arm and eye. He wasn’t taking anything else. Jordan fidgeted anxiously and willed the plane to go faster.

19. War

He knows he’s losing. He doesn’t have to look at Larry’s sneering face to know how many points he’s behind by; doesn’t need to hear the crowd scream tips he’s going to ignore anyway.

He hurts everywhere. Already his legs are trembling from the strain, his lungs are aching and his stump is on fire.

Stats screams something he doesn’t make out, but he sees Larry charging towards the basket and he knows this is it.

Wilt puts himself where he knows he’s going to die.

I cannot lose, he reminds himself as the shadows loom nearer, not this time.

4. I can never be angry at you

He feels like exploding. There’s shock and joy and fear and sadness – and pride, because this is his little kid, right here, all grown up into a big boy – and self-loathing, because he’s failed in front of his creator for the second time.

He’s half-afraid to ask but Jordan doesn’t waver, doesn’t stop smiling as he holds up that same wristband Wilt lost so many years ago.

His good eye hurts from straining to hold in the tears.

When they hug, Wilt feels a thousand tons lighter and his bruises don’t hurt so much anymore.

And his heart is singing.

18. Photograph

“This is my Imaginary Friend.”

His teammates gathered around the strip of photos that was being passed around. Several eyebrows rose.

“Why’s he upside-down in this one?”

Jordan shrugged. “I had to get his face in somehow.”

“Hey, look at this. He’s givin’ Michaels a noogie!”

“I told him I was too old for that…”

“What’s this one, a ‘Show Off Your Converse Shoes’ shot?”

“Ah… we slipped.”

“…dude, you’re thirty-something, and you STILL make faces for the camera?”

“What? I’ve got an inner kid who refuses to grow up.”

Jordan blew them a raspberry. His teammates shook their heads.

5. Love

Life at Foster’s continues as usual: the duties, the adoptions, the rules; the trouble Bloo gets them into, the bickering, the laughs at the end of the day.

He keeps in contact with Jordan: calling after his matches, sending presents through the mail. When Jordan’s free enough, he even visits Foster’s to play a few games with Wilt, and it’s something they both look forward to every time.

He doesn’t know when he’ll finally get adopted by a new family. But life as it is, with his current family, is all that Wilt could ever wish for.

And it’s perfect.



end