Hello! This my first KevEdd story so I am new to this. I recently came across KevEdd and fell in love. So, I decided to contribute to it. I hope you enjoy my story.
The sun had only been up for a little while yet in the cul-de-sac but some of the houses had lights on. Parents were leaving for work, leaving sleepy eyed teens with breakfasts to prepare them for the first day back. The high school was not too far away so most of the kids just walk to school. A few had cars but it wasn't really worth the gas money to most. Only rainy days and running late meant made such transportation needed. But one kid in the cul-de-sac was not headed for the school just yet. In the Vincent house, Edd was packing his bag efficiently. The front half of his messenger bag dedicated to his senior year and the other to his first college class. His adviser talked with him about taking a semester at a local college and if the first semester went well he would take two in the spring. Edd liked the idea of getting a jump start on his college career and his parents agreed that it would be beneficial for his mental stimulation as an experiment.
Most of the previous night had been spent choosing an outfit for the morning. Eddy had told him he needed to dress differently for college, like it was a different planet then their high school. His 'dorky clothes', as Eddy crudely put it, would make him stand out in front of his classmates. Edd knew that Eddy was only trying to help but it was the only way Eddy knew how to talk to Edd. With help from the internet, Edd finally settled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a plum v-neck with converse. To top it all off, Edd pulled on his beanie. The hat had become a comfort blanket for him and he never left the house without it. Only a few people had seen him without it on. It had become a habit to pull the brim over his eyes when he was embarrassed as if no one could see him if he could not see them. His mother thought it was endearing while his father told him that he needed to face his problems instead of hiding. He took his father's words to heart but the habit still ensued anyways.
Edd smiled at his organized bag and headed downstairs. The house was empty as usually. His parents spend most of their time recently in other states or even out of the country, where ever their jobs took them. An email from his parents wished him luck on his first day and that they would be home for Thanksgiving. Edd sent polite thanks back and that he looked forward to their appearance during the holiday season.
After a quick, nutritious breakfast, Edd grabbed his bag and headed out the door. His companions, Ed and Eddy, were most likely not even up yet so he did not have to worry about waiting for anyone. He loved his friends but disturbed his perfect attendance record more than he would like to admit. There were a few times that Ed had picked up his two friends and ran so that they would not be late. Their large friend was surprisingly strong and athletic. Edd could still remember the look on Eddy's face when the football coach came over to them at lunch and asking Ed to join to football team. He had seen one of Ed's frantic sprints into the school and saw talent in the boy. Ed had fun chasing down the football when the other team was in possession of the ball. After a good tackle, he would stand up, find his friends in the crowd and say 'look guys, I got'im' before running back to the team. At first Ed was not really accepted on the team but after his first practice the guys made their peace with the big guy. He was good and they knew it.
Edd, lost in thought, jumped as he heard as a motorcycle speed past him. It was none other than Kevin Barr, his neighbor across the street. When they were children, he was a tormentor and bully. There were many summer days that the Ed's spent running away from the ginger boy. It was usually Eddy's fault that they were being chased but Kevin took it out on all three of them. But things changed when puberty hit the cul-de-sac, Kevin seemed to turn his attentions elsewhere, lucky for the Ed's. New friends were introduced to the kids that had only known the other neighborhood kids. Kevin and Edd had a few classes together over their middle and high school years and they were polite to one another.
Kevin disappeared around the corner and Edd continued his walk to the bus stop. He sat on the bench and picked at the hem of his shirt, a nervous habit. Edd was about to enter a new world of academia and the fear of the unknown made him uncomfortable. There would be older students around and he rarely interacted with people older than him other than parents, teachers, and Eddy's brother- if he could not avoid him. College kids were another breed of student, more sure of themselves than high school students.
A few other people came up to the bus stop, waiting as well. The bus eventually came and Edd took a seat to the front, his bag in his lap. The bus was half full, people commuting to work and school as well. There was little noise on the bus so Edd pulled his head phones out of his bag and listened to classical as he was driven farther into the city. The college, Peach Creek State, was only a ten minute bus ride away. Edd had memorized the bus schedule so that he would never be late for class, neither college nor high school. His parents asked if he needed a car but Edd refused, to many hazards and unpredictability. The bus was just fine for him.
The bus finally rolled up to the college and Edd disembarked. There were many students milling around the front of the buildings, talking to other students or staring at campus maps and schedule. Edd pulled out his phone and pulled up the map on his phone, his direct path to class marked. Preparedness lead to success, Edd always said. His class was in the science building on the third floor. His adviser wanted him to take a freshman class but he opted for the introduction to psychology lecture, a second year class. With his test scores, the college allowed it as Edd knew they would. He wanted his first college class to be thought-provoking, not some filler class.
Edd was early to the class, as he scheduled. There were a few people in the room but there were many seats to choose from in the large auditorium classroom. His first instinct was to take the front, center seat but Eddy told him the middle, center seats would be more beneficial both academically and socially. Since Edd did not know how college worked and if he would get bullied, he decided that he would rather be safe then unprepared.
After wiping a seat quickly with a wet nap and let it dry, Edd sat down and got out his laptop, a gift from his parents. They were going to give him one after he graduated but his mother thought it would be more favorable to have it now. It came in the mail a few weeks ago, letting Edd set up the system as he pleased before schools start. All of my projects transferred from my desktop to my new computer. He broke down folders for his college class for lecture notes, homework, and personal notes, ready for the upcoming learning.
As if some silent bell rang, students poured into the classroom. The noise level reminded Edd a little of his high school cafeteria. There were many smiles and jokes. He wasn't really noticed by the other students who seemed acquainted with the idea of new students. The students looked a few years older than him, which lined up well with second year students.
Seats filled quickly but there were enough space between clusters of students. Edd was pulling out my syllabus when someone slid into the seat next to him. Trying not to be bold and stare at whoever took the chair next to him, Edd looked out of the corner of his eye at his classmate. His hair was teal, shocking and edgy. His attitude was casual, waving to others in the room. With a few years on Edd, he looked at ease with his body, leaning back slightly in his chair. Before Edd could avert his eyes, his classmate looked over at him. His ear burned with embarrassment at getting caught looking at a stranger.
Nate had been running late for class, as usual. He had a hard time finding good parking in the crowded parking lot. It annoyed him that the best spots were reserved for facility and staff members. Students had more to carry so why did the professors get front spots. On his walk to his class room, he smiled and waved at people he knew from classes or study groups. Girls giggled and waved back while the guys nodded back. Nate had enjoyed his college life so far. He was glad to be out on his own finally, even if he had to work lots of hours to pay rent and have pocket money for whatever he pleased.
He didn't like morning classes but this was the only class he had until later on. Nate thought 8:30 morning classes were evil. His morning coffee was drunk on the car ride over, burning his tongue slightly. A mint rolled around in his mouth, getting the coffee taste out of his mouth. Coffee breath was not a good first impression or second impression for that matter. Finally ducking into the classroom, Nat looked for a seat. He usually sat in the back but all of those seats were taken. The front seats were out of the question. There was an open seat in the center of the group next to a guy he had never seen on campus, which puzzled Nat. This was a second year class so all of the students had taken their freshman classes together. He looked younger than his classmate and didn't talk to anyone around him. He wore a black beanie, covering most of his hair.
'Strange,' Nat thought, walking up the stairs. Chairs scooted forward to let him pass by until he was at the open seat. The guy looked at Nat out of the corner of his eyes, as if he was sizing him up. Nat made sure not to make eye contact as a few more people called out to him in greeting. When he looked back, his classmate noticed his gaze on him and looked at his desk, a light blush on his face. Nate smiled at his shyness.
"Hi, I'm Nat." Nat extended his hand to Edd.
Edd was shocked that Nat was talking to him, use to being ignored by strangers. The smile from Nat was even more surprising. It was bright and relaxed. A smile turned girls into puddles of goo and made guys smile back.
"Greeting, m-my name is Eddward. But m-my friends call me Edd," Edd stuttered and shook Nat's hand.
Nat was surprised how soft Edd's hand was, how small it was. It was like holding hands with a girl.
"It's nice to meet you Edd. Did you transfer from another college?"
Edd shook his head. "I am actually a senior from Peach Creek High School and I am attending college at the same time. I am a freshman at this college."
Nat was shocked. Edd was still in high school but was in a second year psychology class, a tough class. He must have been about 17 or 18 then. Nat was almost 20. His age accounted for his small stature.
"Dude, either you are a genius or your adviser signed you up for the wrong class."
Edd laughed, his hand going up to cover his mouth so not to show the gap in his two front teeth. Nat only caught a glimpse of it before Edd stopped laughing.
"I have the intelligence quotient of 140 so I would lean more towards the genius notion then the terrible scheduling of Mrs. Paths."
Nat let out a low whistled. "Dang, I call dibs when partner projects come up."
Edd blushed and looked away, his heart fluttered. This reaction was strange, he thought. Most people knew he was smart and asked him to work with them when group work was presented from teachers. Eddy or Ed was usually the first to claim him but there have been other people, classmates have asked him for help over the years. Eddy tried to convince Eddy to charge for tutoring sessions but Edd did not need the money. His parents set up an account for him, monitored purchases, and made sure that Edd had what he needed.
Laughter from Nat pulled Edd back to the present. He flashed another smile and opened his mouth to say something but the professor called for the class's attention. He was a small, thin man with glasses that never seemed to stay on the bridge of his nose, constantly fixing them. Nat liked Dr. Harper. He made boring studies fascinating and was the reason that Nat changed his major to psychology.
"Hello all welcome back to academia. I hope the break was full of reading and preparing for another wonderful semester rather than sleeping all day and celebrations."
Laughter filled the auditorium before Dr. Harper continued with the beginning of the lecture. "In this course will cover topics such as research methods, behavior, sensing and perceiving, memory, psychological disorders, and consciousness. We shall explore the inner workings of the human brain, looking at past and present methods in science and psychology. It is well known that I am fascinated with these topics and I hope I can make you all see them as I do so that you will become fascinated as well."
The lecture went on, going over the syllabus and the required text books for the course. Edd notated on his syllabus things he needed to remember for future dates. Nat had not pulled out anything to write with, just listened as Dr. Harper talked. Half the time was spent watching Edd, diligently taking notes, hanging on the professor's every words. The way his hand glided with the pen was delicate, his handwriting as delicate as his movements. Nat wanted to pay attention to the lecture but got lost in the movement. Before Nat knew it, the class was over. The first day was always short, just going over the syllabus and answering questions. Edd was putting his things in his messenger bag, getting ready to leave.
Nat quickly grabbed his bag and followed Edd to the front of the class, talking to Dr. Harper. The professor smiled and shook Edd's hand and talked animatedly to his student. They talked for a couple minutes before Edd bowed slightly and excused himself. Nat fell into step with Edd in the hallway.
"Hey, I'm going to get some coffee. Would you like to join? I could show you around the campus."
Edd was startled that the sound of Nat's voice, not realizing he was beside him. His mind was still thinking about other things. Being bullied for years, Edd flinched slightly. When someone was following him, it usually ended with violence or terror. Edd did not have an escape route planned, thinking he would not need one on the first day. Did Nat wish him harm? Why was he following him?
"N-no thank you Nat, I must be heading to the bus stop to arrive on time to catch the next bus. I must attend classes at my high school." Edd clutched the strap of his messenger bag, trying not to look frantic.
Nat noticed Edd's demeanor change. What had caused such a reaction from the small boy, Nat wondered. Maybe he was just jumpy but that did not seem to be the right answer, not the whole truth. It made Nat feel sad for some reason.
"Oh okay. Can I walk with you then? I have to go to my car to get my next textbook." Nat gave Edd some space so as to not agitate or trigger him again.
"Of-f course," Edd stuttered.
They walked side by side at a safe distance, not talking. It was not awkward, surprisingly comfortable actually for the both of them. Nat saw a few more people he knew and Edd noticed that he did not stop to chat with them. Instead he kept walking with Edd, which Edd did not understand why.
They finally reached the crowded bus stop. Students chatted about everything from class to jobs to relationships. Edd liked listening to others conversation. It was interesting hearing about other people's daily lives and activities. The new crowd of people, college kids, introduced new, interesting situations to observe. Waiting for the bus would be interesting in the days to come.
"Well I guess this is where I take my leave," Nat said, putting his hands in his pockets. "It was nice to meet you Edd."
Edd smiled. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well Nat. I hope the rest of your day is productive."
The bus pulled up and the crowd surged towards it. Nat and Edd stood together for a second before Edd followed.
"Hey Edd," Nat called as Edd got on the bus. "See you Wednesday."
Nat smiled his dazzling smile before turning to leave. It was not long before he blended in with the crowd of students heading towards the parking lot. Edd took his seat, his heart racing. That smiled made his chest hurt yet confused him. As the bus pulled out of the campus parking lot and headed back out of the city towards the metropolitan that surrounded it, back towards his cul-de-sac. He may have been leaving but his mind was still on that campus.