Will O Wisp | YA Novella

Chapter 18: I Wish You Would

It's 2:00 AM, in your car, Windows down, you pass my street, the memories start

In their free skate, Will lets his mind drift from the technicalities. The calculations fade to instinct, and he allows himself to be totally lost in the routine rather than getting every movement perfectly detailed.

You say it's in the past, You drive straight ahead, You're thinking that I hate you now, Cause you still don't know what I never said

A synchronized triple axel. The crowd roaring like a hoard of lions on its completion.

But Will doesn't focus on the exact movements—the twisting of his blades or the clean edges of his crossovers that the judges are looking for. He lets himself, through the passionate choreography of two teenagers who lost their first love, recall the moment Ocean chose this song.

"Taylor Swift?" Will had said. "You want us to do our free skate to Taylor Swift." He couldn't believe his ears as Ocean played him the track, all rushing pop melody coupled with synth instrumentation. They were special guests on the Stars of Ice tour, and it was early morning in an unfamiliar rink in Los Angeles.

Ocean gritted his teeth, looking as if Will slapped him with the most personal insult. "Excuse me, but this is a deal we made. Any song, any artist, and we split the two decisions."

I wish you would come back, Wish I never hung up the phone like I did, and I, Wish you knew that, I'd never forget you as long as I live

Learning the choreography—the complex sequences of footwork that required them to cross paths multiple times and risked possibility of clashing blades and face-first falls, was a special sort of torture.

Cynthia Woods, their choreography for a long four years, had shouted at them while they skated at their home rink in Oahu—a small arena that was recently upgraded in the past year. "Sorry, but you two need to look like your in love with some girl, not like you want to murder each other every time your paths cross."

Their blades tangled in the very next second, causing both boys to eat a mouthful of ice.

Will had shouted at his partner afterward. "Why do you keep messing up on that part?" he had asked. He dug deep, the looking for insults becoming a daily practice. It became easy, but he didn't realize until now that his words brushed against a secret that Ocean was still attempting to veil. "I guess it's hard for you to imagine falling out of love when you've never had a girlfriend."

He regretted saying it, though he never admitted his folly, even when Ocean gave him the cold shoulder for over a week, ignoring Will's taunts and going through their sessions like a machine rather than his usual self.

Why didn't you tell me then and there? It would've been so much easier, wouldn't it, to let me know how you felt? 

Wish you were right here, right now, It's all good, I wish you would

A lift that involves Will revolving directly overhead Ocean, like a vertical spinning top. Then, resting his knee upon Ocean's shoulder before transitioning into what they've named the superman—arms and feet outstretched to the crowd.

The first time they practiced this lift combination, Coach Burnaby had convinced them minutes before to go through with it. To face it head on, leaving all worries underneath the ice as he liked to say. Ocean was hesitant, mumbling something about its difficulty, and Will was doubtful of his partner's strength.

They ended up colliding against the side of the rink, Ocean gasping while Will mustered a stream of curses while clutching his skull.

"Next time you drop me like that," he said. "I'll pull you with me on the way down."

There's no need for that today, not when they fit together seamlessly, every movement attuned to the rushing beat.

You always knew how to push my buttons, You give me everything and nothing, This mad mad love makes you come running, Stand back where you stood

Last night, they spent the hour before bed listening to the track on repeat, and this line is what stuck in Will's mind, because it defines their relationship to a T. "When this is all over," he had told Ocean—the wind curled around his fingertips as he leaned on the balcony's railing. "We'll figure it out—you and me. I'll talk to your parents. I'm good at convincing anyone, as you already know."

"So is that a yes?" said Ocean, fiddling the hem of his shirt as he always does when nervous.

Will sighed, looking the other way, into the winter night—stars visible and moon gracing the snow-covered rooftops around the village—to hide a small smile. "Throw me into a quad lutz tomorrow. Then yeah."

I wish we could go back, And remember what we were fighting for, and I, Wish you knew that, I miss you too much to be mad anymore

"Shoot me," says Will, aloud. Even though the tradition may have started with a joke about hunting chickens around their high school campus, it stuck and it somehow—defying logic—helps Will to center himself, to increase his chances of a clean landing.

And I, Wish you were right here, right now, It's all good, I wish you would

Their last element, a thrown quad lutz, may be slightly skewed in the takeoff. But Will adjusts himself midair, managing to keep a one-footed landing despite a forward lean. Before he can stumble, Ocean moves to grab his partner into their final spin sequence. And when it's all over, Will presses against Ocean's back.

He moves quickly for an embrace, laughing when the audience begins to chant their lucky title—Will-O' Wisp! Will-O' Wisp! Will-O' Wisp! He whispers into Ocean's ear, pulling back to pinch the blonde boy's cheeks before they have time to naturally redden. For the first time, he's totally unsure of whether they've placed on the podium, whether all the competition that preceded and will follow could triumph over their adjusted routine. But he doesn't care, they've found something more valuable than twin gold medals. 

He enjoys the sight of Ocean doing his best to keep composure, in front of the crowd and in light of the words whispered—"You've finally got a boyfriend." 

A/N: The song is "I Wish You Would" by Taylor Swift! Thank you for reading & have a listen because it's one of my favorites :)