082. Friends

Wade found escape in being the class clown. Leo found pleasure in other people’s pain. Wade craved attention. Leo craved anonymity. The friendship that followed was that of a fool and his patsy, but despite that it thrived. Under Leo’s influence, Wade’s pranks, ever outlandish, took a violent turn every now and then. Under Wade’s influence, Leo learned to make things entertaining. Both were loved and hated, as most class clowns are.

They would meet the one to change their dynamic in the seventh grade. Her name was Jennie, with an “ie”, and she would be Wade’s very first love.

055. Smile

“Do it,” Leo hissed, grinning at Wade.

“How much did you get?”

“Five bucks. One dollar finder’s fee for me, four dollars for your porn.” Leo had taken up a collection to pay Wade to yank the new girl’s ponytail. The thing was, he had to do it during class, which guaranteed trouble.

“All right.” He looked at the inviting ponytail. Poor girl was too smart for her own good. She’d been branded a nerd.

Wade reached out and yanked. Jennie shrieked. She whipped around and glared at Leo. But it was the strangest thing…she smiled at Wade. She knew.

094. Rain

When he saw her on his bus stop, Wade froze. The rain drove down in sheets between them, cold and nasty. Jennie lived somewhere near him. She shivered and folded her arms under her chest, rain dripping down her face. For some reason, she didn’t have an umbrella.

Jennie had been the butt of several pranks since that first one, but none by Wade. The smile had disarmed him. Nobody had ever smiled at him like that. Leo, however, had done his best to make up for Wade’s lack.

Wade walked up to her and shared his umbrella. She smiled.

025. Game

When Jennie suggested hanging out, Wade jumped on it. They met at her house because he wouldn't expose her to Derrick. Especially not when he was drinking again. Leo did not know of this meeting; he hated her at this point.

Wade wondered what they would do. He had no idea how to have anything normal. When she suggested a game of Sorry, he just nodded with a smile. She smirked. It was a joke that he didn’t quite get – she was giving him an apology that he had never been able to make.

“Your move, Wade Wilson.” She smiled.

054. Animal

Jennie had a dog. It had been a birthday present from her father once upon a time after a business trip, and now it was several years old. He was a mid-sized mutt of a hound named Watson. Sherlock would have been too cliché, she said. She liked Watson better, because he worked for his intelligence.

They took walks with Watson. He had never told her about his wanting a pet, but as with most things, she just seemed to know. Those walks were some of the best times he had that year. She loved that dog. And he smiled.