"The program is failing! We'll lose them!"
"Not if we reboot it..."
"The memory will be lost then too!"
"But that's a small price to pay! We can't let them die because of a system failure! They'll keep their memories of their lives before this but if they can't find a solution, there's nothing more we can do. The world will end... they're all we have now."
"... rebooting system."
f̔͐̌̓̚͘ ̩͍̙̩̳̰ͯͯi͓̗̳ͮ̓ͣ͋̈̇ͥ ̛͇̜̬ͧ͆̆̾́͐͒v͕̳̱ͣ̈̇͒͢ ̭̰̱͉͔̘̾͋e̹̯̊̈́ͫ̌ͅ ̳͈̖́͂̃͑ͪ̇͑d̓̂҉͍ ͖̳͚̍́̊͛a̼͙̗̦̔͜ ̤͙̟̐̃̈̀̑ͬ̆̀y̢̘̲̗̍̆̋ ͚̀̾ͩ̄ͬ̉s̀
"Detention again, Mr. Barr?" The old librarian shook her head. "I'm no longer surprised, even, just take your seat."
Kevin grunted, locating Nat's teal hair before sitting next to him, said friend nudging him. "Glad to see you made it."
"Either spending a Friday here or spend a Saturday here. I'd rather spend Friday." He snorted, eyes scanning the library briefly, catching a quick flash of red. It was enough to keep his attention for just a moment longer than it probably should have. He looked back down to the desk.
"Mind on other things?" Nat snorted.
"Mm? No, not really." Kevin shrugged, glancing back a moment. Something was off and he couldn't quite place what had started it, he shook it off. "Mind's just everywhere now, y'know?"
"Man, I hear you. With graduation around the corner... Two weeks man and we're out of here." Nat reclined in the plastic chair, resting his feet up on the table in front of them.
"Um..." A soft voice popped up, the two males looking over at the source, hiding behind a stack of books in seriously scrawny arms. "You should probably put your feet down before Ms. Landon see's you... she's really strict about these things."
"Ah? Thanks for the warning man." Nat sat normally, flashing a slight wink to the nervous wreck of a high school student... which only made his flustered demeanor worse, something Kevin recognized right off the bat, along with the red shirt, which must have been what he'd seen earlier.
"Double D?" Kevin spoke up. "Aren't you a bit too much of a teacher's pet to be in detention?"
The smaller male bristled, setting the books down for a moment to look Kevin in the eye with as irritated a look as he could give. "For your information, I'm an assistant! I help Ms. Landon restock the shelves after school. Not all of us are complete degenerates." He huffed and picked up the stack again. Kevin couldn't help but think that the stack must be heavy for someone with as little upper body strength as Edd had. What's more, he was impressed with the guts Edd had to stand up for himself. He'd come such a long way since those hot summer days in their two block world. Without a comeback, Kevin just watched Edd walk away with a sort of pride in the boy.
"You're staring, Kev." Nat snickered. "Didn't know a guy like that was your type."
Kevin rolled his eyes and shoved Nat lightly. "What, you think you're my type?"
"I'm everyone's type."
"That's why you're having such a difficult time with that emo theatre nerd?"
"Shots fired! Ouch! You got me there. But mark my words, I'll win him over."
"Good luck, idiot, five bucks says he turns you down flat."
"Oh you're on." Nat grinned, the two of them shaking on it.
Ms. Landon was locking up, every student had left already besides Edd, who was putting the last book on the last shelf when he saw the red cap he'd known for years. Kevin must have left it during his nap. It seemed they'd fallen asleep while there. Kevin was probably going wild looking for it. It was unlike him to forget it like that... Edd figured he'd just take it to him on his way home.
He passed through the doors of the library and headed out to the car his parents had bought him two years previous, a silver Camry with a spotless record, not to brag...
Lately it had been raining quite a bit, today it was pouring harder than the day before and on his way to the car, Kevin bolted past him, leaving his bike propped on the brick of the school. Edd turned, calling back for him, but it seemed he wasn't listening. Umbrella in hand, Edd went back for the school, feet sloshing in the rain. He chased Kevin back to the library, the other male was soaked through and dripping.
"Double D, you have to let me in!" Kevin insisted, not wasting a moment after spotting him.
"I've got your hat, Kevin, relax." Edd smiled and handed it over. "Let's get your bike in the trunk, I'll drive you home."
Before Kevin could answer there was a huge crash outside, the two of them exchanged a look and bolted for the doors. The rain was like bullets in the ground, firing too fast to see. The sky was a dark red, lightning flashing without its noisy counterpart.
"What the hell?!" Kevin looked up at it, having to shield his eyes from the brightness of the red light. The ground began shaking so hard that pebbles were bouncing off the pavement. "Hey, dork, what's going on?!"
"I-I'm afraid I have no clue! I've never seen anything like this!" Edd spoke over the rumbling of the earth, both of them beginning to rise up off the ground, flailing for something to grab on. In the sky a black orb appeared, and the sky split in two, sending both boys back against the brick of the school. As the sky tore more and more, things began to float up, disappearing into the sky. The teenagers found all they could hold onto was each other's hands, but even that was rapidly failing, being torn apart by the force of whatever this was. They scrambled to keep hold but debris knocked them apart and they were sucked into the vortex and its pitch black, unforgiving nothingness.
Edd woke up with a start, his alarm going off. He gave pause, thinking of the strange dream that'd passed through that night. It was so intense he could still feel the deafening wind pulling him upward. He checked the clock and got out of bed, he couldn't be late! He had to help set up for the pep assembly. While most schools did theirs on Fridays, Peach Creek High tended to do theirs on Mondays. Something about getting kids rallied for the rest of the week (not that it worked well).
School was pretty much empty so early in the morning, besides the set up committee, there wasn't anyone there. Set up consisting of kids who mostly had detentions they needed to make up all at once. A few of the kids there actually wanted to be there, and even some others had both detentions and wanted to come in. Streamers set up, banners pinned down, balloons everywhere... it was according to the plan Edd had sketched out.
And naturally there were two in attendance who were goofing off.
"Ed, inhaling helium won't make you fly." Double D sighed, snatching the balloon his friend was attempting to breathe in.
"But Double D-!" The high pitched, helium induced tone the simple boy now had caused Eddy to suddenly burst into tear jerking laughter.
"Oh man, Double D, you gotta let him keep doing that, this is pure gold!" Eddy cackled.
"I'm not sacrificing health for your amusement, Eddy. Please get back to refilling the balloons before I have to move you to a different area."
"Killjoy..."
"I don't care how much joy I have to kill, this is going to be perfect! I won't have your... tom foolery messing it up!"
"... what are you? Fifty?" Eddy rolled his eyes. "Who even says tom foolery anymore?"
Edd's ears were red with embarrassment. "I don't care who still says it, just get back to work!"
"Okay okay! Jeez don't get your panties all twisted." Eddy grumbled. "Ed! Hand me another balloon!"
Edd went back to checking over the other departments until the five minute bell rang and the assistants all left. Perfect. Just what he'd been looking for, down to every streamer and piece of confetti, it was how he'd envisioned it. With a happy sigh, he headed out of the gym. The end of the day would be just amazing. He'd always had a plan for everything, it made everything feel very safe and complete. Perhaps that was just his upbringing. Either way, he was pleased with the layout and he became calmer just knowing it was over. The gym would be off limits for the day until the pep assembly.
Gathering up there, Edd couldn't contain his excitement. It looked, once more, like he imagined. People flocked around, wearing the colours of their school, surrounding the massive display he'd created. Edd had always been artistic as well as scientifically minded. With a deep breath he took his spot on the stage he'd created, behind a graciously decorated podium, banners of their school mascot behind them. He took a deep breath and moved to talk, shaking his nerves off. He was overdressed, a tie around his neck tied with an Eldredge knot. He was not going to cut corners on this, oh no, he'd look good all around, even to the tiniest detail. His speech went over smoothly, the designated games set up by the staff played through, mercifully distant from the display.
And then...
One of the pillars "donated" from the theatre department toppled over, cracking in two and already Edd knew how this would end, his stomach lurching. The banner tied to it fell with it, pulling the other pillar down, tearing streamers and the other decorations as it came down. Edd stepped back, absolutely horrified, the podium getting crushed (thankfully after he'd moved away). It was a domino effect of destruction, and the instigator? Edd looked to the start of the whole mess and, the silence of the gym emphasizing his blurred rage, stood a very guilty looking Ed, accompanied by Eddy. All that planning and work, toppled by his own friends.
"D-Double D, it was an accident!" Eddy was almost sweating, unable to run from the crushed look his friend now wore. "Lug head over here had a balloon and..."
"I don't want to hear it." He replied in a calm tone that just made everything more frightening for the short teen. Edd abandoned his spot and walked quietly out of the gym, feeling all eyes burning into him.
The air outside was cooler than the gym, Edd took a deep breath, pulling the knot free from his tie. It didn't matter anymore. Rave would never forgive him for getting drama department props broken... He sat on the curb, screw the suit... or rather not, he did place a cloth down first. This was a nice suit, why ruin it? He had the closing speech, but it no longer mattered. He was exhausted now, a weekends worth of last minute planning and set up... of course it'd be those two that tore it down. As long as he'd known them, he knew they were destructive in nature, and Edd certainly didn't hate them for it, he was just mad.
"Hey, dweeb, what're you doing out here?"
Edd looked up over his shoulder, startled by the sudden break in silence. It was only Kevin, a little odd, everyone was still in the gym from what he knew.
"Oh, hi." He laughed dryly. "What is it?"
"Just passing by, looked like you were having a bit of a meltdown. You okay?" Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets, didn't seem like Edd would escape the line of questioning.
With nothing but emotions to hold back and no one else there, the facade of calm cracked more. "Just a minor disaster, I'll be okay."
"Would that disaster have to do with the crash I heard from the gym?"
"Kevin were you skipping the assembly?" Kevin shrugged, like that answered all the questions accurately. With a sigh, Edd just let it drop. "Yes, it would relate back to the gym."
"Jeez, you okay?"
"I'm fine. Pride's bruised but otherwise I'm fine."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"I'm sure the school will be discussing it, there's no need. It's just going to be a long week..."
Overhead the sky began to cloud over. Kevin looked up, the air getting thicker. "We should get inside, it'll start raining."
"So?"
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Listen, dork, if you stay out here and get soaked, that tux ain't gonna make it."
Edd huffed, that was true. The tag said dry clean only... he stood up, grabbing the cloth he'd put down, and walked off stuffing the cloth in a pocket. The scrawny boy didn't pay attention to whether or not Kevin was behind him. It was the end of the day and Edd planned on just going home and napping before he got his homework done. It had been too long a day to just concentrate on school work. He went off to the bathroom to change clothes, packing the suit up in a plastic bag designed for such things. His bag was tossed in the back seat of his car, the suit hung on a handle, and with a tired groan, Edd drove for home.
The rain pattered down slowly, creating a calming sound against his windshield. At least his internalized rage was starting to fade. The rain was always so tranquilizing. He liked to listen to it hit the windowpanes and the roof while at home. It was sleep inducing even, not that he'd ever doze in the car. He pulled up to his house and walked inside the dark, empty home. His parents were hardly home, it wasn't like he expected as much, they were busy people. The usual sticky notes hung on the walls all around, as well as a few new ones he read on his way up to his room.
Clean the kitchen, sweetheart, we love you.
Take out the garbage, son.
Water the plants please!
We left some money on the table in case you wanted pizza tonight. We love you!
He smiled, most may think his life lonely and miserable but it was one he was accustomed to, and one he loved. Sure he'd like his parents to be home more, but at least he knew they loved him. There was never once a doubt in his mind that they didn't. Double D closed the door to his room, collapsing on his bed and pulling the black beanie off, fingers running through his hair.
"Maybe tomorrow will be better..."
From next door he could hear the shouting of Kevin's parents, it wasn't uncommon, once his father had lost his job, everything went downhill for the guy. Edd felt sorry for him, a father that drank so hard the house smelled of vomit, and a mother with nerves as frail as glass... Kevin had to tread carefully or everything would explode, and it sounded to Edd that he'd misstepped. Both his parents were screaming now, Edd's hand hovered over the phone but hesitated. He knew he could call the police but... would Kevin want that? Edd knew first hand that while your home life may not be perfect, it may be one you loved regardless. Edd didn't know enough to meddle, so he resolved to call if something broke or someone got hit.
Kevin's room sat right across from Edd's, their windows facing each other. Currently the curtains were drawn open, so Edd could see when he'd slammed the door to his room in a hurry to get out of the argument. The ginger was pacing the floor and muttering to himself, body language angry and stressed. Edd idly thought it reminded him of a bull, charging through a small space, only, Kevin seemed to be calming down.
The red headed jock tossed his dirty shirt to the side, sitting on the edge of his bed and rubbing his face. They were fighting constantly... it was so hard to watch, memories of a happy family were all he had now. The dysfunction was palpable, it left a bitter taste in one's mouth. He hadn't bothered to turn his lights off, he just leaned against the bed, hoping the world would just melt away in the wash of the rain. In that moment, he let himself fall onto his back, the sheets cool against his skin.
There was no way out of this other than to move out, and he wasn't eighteen yet. Soon, though, his birthday would mark the day his father happily kicked him to the curb, and then what? Kevin had been thinking it over for months, his birthday was in a couple days! What was he supposed to do when he was suddenly homeless and his parents didn't seem to think there was a problem with that?!
He growled lowly, pushing a pillow on his face. He could crash with Nat, Nat was filthy rich and would likely let him stay. He'd have to ask... Kevin blinked, feeling watched. He sat up and looked out his window, catching a glimpse of a suddenly embarrassed Edd staring back at him before he darted from the window.
"Dork..." He sighed, heading to the window and tossing an old beer cap at Edd's.
Through the soft rain, the pane slid upward and Edd stuck his head out. "S-sorry... I couldn't help but hear-"
"Save it. Doesn't matter anyway, it's not like it's a secret my parents argue a lot." He leaned against the windowsill. "Your folks aren't home then?"
"No, as per the usual."
"... could I come over?"
"E-excuse me? Why?"
"Why not?"
Edd rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you do have to go back home. It's a school night I can't have anyone keeping me up too late."
"Tch, dweeb... fine, I'll be over in a moment." Kevin snorted, walking out of his room.
It really wasn't like it was a wait, the doorbell ringing mere minutes after that conversation had ended. Edd answered the door, turning red.
"Good lord! You forgot your shirt?!"
"Mm? Oh... yeah." Kevin shrugged.
"Indecent..." He sighed. "Come in, I was gonna order pizza for dinner."
It was quiet for a while, idle conversation, joking around and eating pizza ("At the table, Kevin!"), and probably bonding more than either thought they would with each other in their entire lives. It wasn't like they hated each other like they used to, they'd grown, and as such, acted like they had. Even though Eddy still carried a grudge, most of Peach Creek had grown up. He supposed that was the best part of life, those sporadic surprises that litter joy into your life. With the time passing as quickly as it did, the rain had stopped and they'd ended up doing their homework together, all leading up to Edd and Kevin sleeping on the couch.
Kevin's eyes cracked open, checking his phone he swore quietly. Three AM... Dammit. His gaze shifted to the smaller teen nearby, Edd's steady breathing bringing about a soft rise and fall to his chest. Kevin supposed he should put Edd in his own room... it'd be better to sleep there instead.
Careful not to wake him, he lifted Edd up, stepping carefully through the dark up the stairs. Which room was his? He assumed the one with the light on... sure enough, the walls and shelves were littered with experiments and sticky notes. With a light laugh, he set Edd down on his bed and pulled the cover up. The room was just as childishly wonderful as he thought it would be. It fit him. For all Edd's maturity, there was still a little child still left in him.
It's cute...
Wait... what? Kevin shook the thought off and went back down stairs. It was far too late to go back home right now, whether Edd liked it or not, Kevin was spending the night. He crashed on the couch, pulling the blanket off the back. Before he fell asleep, he thought how wonderful all this silence was...