Chapter 14

Hey, sorry it took so long to finish this. I've had writer's block and it was towards the end of school when I started. Plus, I've been depression and anxiety due to the amount of change going on at the time. But I'm thankful for my gf Emily, who convinced me to stay on the fanfic and all the die hard 'Angelic' fans who kept me going. Love y'all!

Alyss floated back up to the top, wiping the water from her eyelids and pushed her drenched hair back. Its blondeness was now no more, replaced by a dripping, light brown sheet. He had grown close to the sight of her and her silver sheet of silky hair for it seemed like the perfect pair. No other color hair seemed fit for her personality. Just as she opened her eyes, Will splashed her playfully. She shrieked and giggled, throwing her hand as a shield. She felt comfortable with him so close, as if nothing that the devil could dream would ever bring her harm. Though it was her birthday, it was her nature to believe her most cherished wish would never be granted. Even if by some strange disruption in the vortex that this were the case, Will would probably only do so out of pity, not for a mutual feeling. Her smile melted away into the small churning waves of the pool. Though its motion was oblivious to Will, it was not to Halt. He wasn't a therapist, though it was desire to become one, but it was clear that she was conflicted by adverse thoughts, especially when the definition of Halestorm's lyrics was all but motivational. Halt swam over, stealing the attention of both Alyss and Will.

"Excuse me Alyss, I need to borrow Will," Halt interrupted, his grip digging into the flesh of Will's shoulder. Will bit his lip to keep from yelling out in pain. Before Alyss could give her consent, Halt yanked Will behind him by the arm, dragging him to secluded section near the palm trees. Horace and Crowley were leaning against the wall, boredom seizing control of their brains. George was at their side as well, but not propped against the wall. Ashley was situated comfortably on his back, her arms relaxed around his neck and her legs straddling his torso.

"What is this?" Will demanded, pulling his arm away from Halt's controlling grip. "An intervention?" Halt held his hand out, silently begging Will to speak in a more muted tone.

"We don't need them to hear us," he argued. His expression hardened, twinges of seriousness slowly becoming much more crucial to express. "Do you not see her?" Will thought Halt was referring to Ashley, but her expression gave no sign of offense. He glanced at Alyss to make sure the distance between them had not decreased.

"See who?"

"Don't play dumb!" Halt growled. Will spread his arms in protest.

"You aren't telling me anything!" Will retorted. "Who are you talking about?" Halt said nothing. Instead he pursed his lips and pointed at Alyss, who was sitting at the edge, staring blankly down at the water. Delia and Julia shared concerned glances with one another and swam to her side, wordlessly asking what burdened her mind.

"She's making every effort to show she likes you!" Halt emphasized. "The only way this could be clearer is if she came out and told you." Will wished the minds of girls functioned that way. Since the birth of Will's love life, he had been gifted with the labor of deciphering the secluded adoring thoughts of any girl. The effort it took to probe one, perhaps life changing secret was exhausted.

"What gives you that idea?" Will protested. "The only thing she's done is turn on music and jump in the pool." Halt and Horace groaned in exasperation, George rolled his eyes, and Crowley's lips were pursed. This was typical Will, always drowning in the darkest assumptions of situations, especially with one of this nature.

"Your observations are horrid for a running back of your skill," George remarked.

"As long as I've known her, she has never exhibited any taste in rock music," Halt added. "That ought to be her tell tale heart!" Will wasn't so sure. Halt may have known her longer than he has, but he couldn't possibly have known her entire repertoire of preferences. Perhaps she was able to stomach a morsel of rock.

"That doesn't say anything!" Will excused. Halt moaned, displeased at Will's stubborn mind; he always had a pleasure in disproving visual perceptions that were more than likely to be screaming the truth. "She and I are just friends…and that's all we'll ever be." His tone hinted an accent more hurt than protesting.

"If any word of that was true, then I'm a pumpkin," Horace commented. "It's impossible for you two be 'just friends'." His fingers indicated air quotes. "Because of the way you act around her and vice versa." Will's mind was spinning; his thoughts were fusing with others, twisting reality with simple opinions. Will had known girls on several occasions that acted over affectionate and their only wish was to remain friends. He hoped with all the bits of strength in his heart that his wasn't one of those cases, but things never occurred the way he wants.

"Will, if you don't take it from Horace, take it from me," George suggested. Will considered this; George's word was certainly more reliable than Horace's. It wasn't that Horace engaged his tongue in nothing but falsehood, but he had a tendency to act in a joking manner. Not all words that escaped his lips were true. George beckoned Ashley to his side, which appeared at beside him so fast that Will almost believed George had pulled her there.

"What?" she asked, her eyes glittering as she stared back at him.

"How long did you like me?" George asked her. At first, she looked dumbstruck; seeming odd that George would ask this of her with no regard that his friends were there. Her gaze grazed over Will and suddenly the reasoning was now clear, as if someone had just preached it to her.

"Since the sixth grade," she answered composedly. Her stare was pulled back onto Will like a magnet, but retreated back to George. "Why?" Will rolled his eyes; he wondered how long he was to endure their conjectures. He felt his neck twisting against his restraint, depraved, desperate for a glimpse of Alyss' radiant beauty. He could never figure out how anyone was able to bear the burden of her rank of elegance. His head tilted, immersing himself in the sight of her, a trance. Faint voices could be heard in the background, lecturing and gradually evolving into a tone of irritation. A slight shove whipped his head forward, snapping Will out of the trance. Will whirled around, fuming. George's arms were outspread, carrying disbelief on his shoulders.

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?" George interrogated. Will shook his head; the truth, though hurtful, was the only thing he was able to speak for he possessed no talent of falsehood. George rolled his eyes, but caught himself before he succumbed to his exasperation. "I'm just saying that she gave me subtle hints and it took me five years to realize that she liked me all this time." He peered over Will's shoulder at Alyss, as if expecting her to be merely inches behind Will. "Don't make the same mistake I did." Will felt his face burn from embarrassment. There was no other girl that had even a similar affect that Alyss had on him, compelling Will to love her with every fiber of his being. The amount of strength he could muster to talk to her drained him, leaving him so weak that it felt as if he had run twenty miles. From that particular experience, that fatigue was not worthy to be compared to that of battling through his shyness. Ashley sighed and whispered something to George. He mouthed unknown words back to her. She pushed herself out of the pool and beckoned Will to follow her. Will looked at George, praying for an answer, only for his response to come in a silent shrug. He climbed up onto the concrete, retracing Ashley's steps to where she and George sat. Her phone was in her hand, her fingers tapping the screen rapidly.

"Will…Alyss likes you," Ashley announced. "Since everyone wants to be complicated about it, I'm not. Alyss is head over heels in love with you." Will's heart was soaring, but a small glint of doubt was flickering in the back of his mind.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. Ashley groaned in exasperation and buried her face in her hands.

"Why do you have to make everything more difficult than it needs to be?!" she exclaimed. Everyone around us turned to look at them. "You need to wake up! Study the way she looks at you. She loves you, she adores you. She's playing heavy metal music for god's sake! Music with apparently dirty lyrics." She wrinkled her nose at Halestorm's words. Will understood her; as long as he's listened to them, Halestorm's songs are always sexually driven.

"That…" Ashley jabbed Will hard in his sore ribs before he could finish his sentence.

"Means she's in love with you!" Ashley ranted. "How many times do I have to say that until you get it through that thick skull of yours?" She jabbed his skull with her index finger.

"Oh come on!" Will protested. "If she was in love with me, wouldn't she have said something by now?" Ashley rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Typical, clueless Will, she thought. At this point, the only thing that would convince him was hearing it out Alyss' own mouth, the mouth he so desired to be the one that kissed it.

"Will, she's even shyer than you," Ashley explained. "She has a harder time completing a sentence without suffocating when you two are around each other. And come on, Halestorm? That's a dead giveaway!"

"Lots of girls like rock!" Will protested. Ashley shook her head once more and punched Will's arm rather hard. "Ow! What's that for?" She discarded his question and went on to contradict him.

"Not girls like Alyss," Ashley fought back. "If she's as obsessed with the arts as you say she is, then artists as, er, suggestive as Halestorm, are not high on her list of 'favorite singers'. Or at least not without some sort of motivation." Will stared confusedly at her. He glanced over his shoulder at Alyss, who was whispering with her two friends, occasionally bursting into a fit of giggles.

"What do you think she's talking about?" he asked curiously, edging towards the side of the pool, as if he magically acquired hearing of the same talent as an owl. Ashley peered over him and studied Alyss for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"Oh gee, I don't know," she replied sarcastically. "The love of her life is here at her birthday party; shirtless I should add, and his favorite genre of music is exploding through the loudspeakers; maybe she's talking about the stock market!" She gazed at Will, silently demanding that he be somewhat practical. With Alyss hypnotizing him every second, being practical was second to not seeming like an idiot.

Too late, Will thought.

"Why don't you go find out?" Ashley suggested. "I'm sure she won't mind Will Treaty pulling her away from her friends." She added emphasis to his name. She pushed him into the pool before he had a chance to ponder over anything. Will glared back at Ashley, who was trying hard not to laugh.

Horace and George were over in the corner wrestling; Ashley leapt into the pool and joined Cassandra, whispering unknown aspects to each other, leaving Will to stare at Alyss some more. She truly was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The way her blonde hair seemed to tumble gracefully down her back entranced him. Her gray eyes glittered whenever she saw him wiped his mind clean.

Alyss looked over at Will for a split second, and then turned her full attention onto him. Will's heart skipped a beat, his mind went fuzzy and all of his thoughts were deemed no more. She waved at him, beckoning him to her. Despite his initial decision, it felt as if invisible hands were dragging him through the water, guiding him towards the girl he's adored since his freshman year. He staggered when he finally reached her, balancing only when his back scraped against the concrete.

"Hi," she greeted, her angelic smile upon her face. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, revealing the other half of her gray eyes. Will choked as he tried to greet her back; she giggled at his foolishness, deeming it cute rather than weird or unattractive.

"H-hi," he managed to say. Alyss floated closer to him; she brushed a dripping strand of hair from her face. Will felt his heart work itself up to the bottom of his throat. He swallowed hard as he gazed deep into her sparkling gray eyes. Diamonds were nowhere near as perfect as her eyes. "F-fun party." Alyss smiled deeply at Will.

"Th-thanks," she replied. "I-It meant a lot to me that you…came." Will's heart was a feather, fluttering on the gently blowing wind. He opened his mouth, but his voice refused to work. Alyss giggled slightly, but not so; Will's mind went blank. In his mind, she literally had the sweetest giggle. And the most lustrous eyes. And the most gorgeous smile.

OH MY GOD!

"Will?" Alyss asked. Will jumped, his heart racing. Alyss stared bewilderedly at him. She was dying right now; she wanted to know what thought Will's mind had clung to, what was so interesting about it that it pulled it away from her. "Are you okay?" The words hung in Will's throat. He nodded his head for the words had run into a traffic jam in his throat.

"I um…I just…" He stopped himself.

Good job with the stutter, 'Love Doctor', he thought bitterly. Alyss smiled at him; she made a motion to step towards him, but developed cold feet and retracted, fearing that he may catch on. When it came to Alyss, Will was completely blind, oblivious to every signal that had been thrown his way. If it wasn't for the fact that he actually showed up to her birthday party, she would have given up a long time ago. But it's Will Treaty! At her birthday party! This was every girl's fantasy! Or at least every girl at Meadow Ridge anyways.

"Just what?" Alyss asked, trying to help. Will gulped, mentally kicking himself for chickening out. If anything, her voice had just made it even more difficult to say what he was going to say.

"I um…I wouldn't m-miss this," Will stammered. Alyss' cheeks burned intensely, she swore she had just felt her heart melt. Her gorgeous smile crept onto her face, hypnotizing him.

"Aw, you're sweet," Alyss swooned. "Really? This is nothing!" Will huffed, a bit of confidence filling his chest.

"Alyss, I'd miss every UGA game to come to your party," he said. Alyss felt like she was part of the water. She took a step towards Will; she could feel her breath bouncing off of Will's chest and back onto her. Will stared into her deep, perfect gray eyes, trying desperately to slow down his breathing. He could feel everyone's stares fixed on them, not daring to remove their focus.

"Pizza's here!" Mrs. Mainwaring called. Will and Alyss jumped away from each other, both of them biting their lower lip. Mrs. Mainwaring strode through the sliding glass door, carrying four boxes of pizza. The scent was intoxicating, so overwhelming that the pool had cleared in less than five seconds.

Horace clapped Will hard on the back, nearly knocking the air right out of him.

"You ready?" he asked, ripping off a large chunk of his pizza. Will stared at him confusedly; he rubbed the sides of his mouth with his slice, too distracted with Horace to actually get it into his mouth. Horace laughed and threw a couple more slices onto his plate.

"For what?" Will demanded, wiping his mouth with a nearby napkin. Horace's expression turned devious, making Will's stomach churn nervously. Nothing good could come of this.

"You'll see!" Horace avoided, a mischievous grin on his face. Will's eyes widened, amusing Horace. He took his pizza and sat next to Alyss on a cushioned couch. Alyss looked at him and smiled shyly.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, watching people slip into the pool and splash each other in the face. Horace and Cassandra eventually got bored enough and disappeared behind the fake palm trees.

"You're party is freaking amazing!" Will complemented, ignoring the rapid beat of his heart. Alyss' smile brightened; she scooted closer to him. A wave of comfort came over her with him being this close to her. Will felt as if air supply had been cut off. He had the most beautiful girl in the entire world inches away from him and her Hollywood smile upon her face, her most amazing feature.

"Aw, you mean it?" she asked. She wanted smack herself; what possessed her to ask him that? Out of everything she could've asked, she asked him that?

"Of course!" Will admitted. "Alyss, I've been looking forward to this all week! I wouldn't miss this for the world." It felt as though her heart had just melted through her entire body. It was literally the sweetest thing anyone had ever told her. And coming from Will's mouth, it even sweeter. She felt herself leaning towards him and he doing the same. As soon as their eyes began to close and the space between their lips became smaller, Luke's voice startled them. They jumped away from each other, brushing themselves, acting as though nothing happened.

"Seven Minutes in Heaven!" Luke yelled. "Gather round the table and bring a pair of guts! That means you too, Will and Alyss!" He gave them the 'I'm watching you' sign and beckoned them to the table. Will gulped; looks like he didn't have to wait too long to see what Horace was planning.