If he was was able to speak up and be heard over the babbling around him, he would say, loud and clear to his idiotic peers, and his unattentive parents, and every other damned person in this small town, he would tell them he had had enough. Peach Creek was a small town on the edge of rural and urban, and Edd (because he refused to let anybody call him Double D anymore) had had enough.

While everyone desparately changed to keep up with the rest of the world, through their fashions, their neighborhoods, and the way they acted, what they seemed to ignore was the big part of becoming a modern-day city: to actually connect the city to other places. Without that, they were still just as isolated, dependent solely upon the faulty internet signal and inspiration in magazines and television to give them inspiration for a modern town. Even his best friends weren't enough to keep him here.

At least, whatever had become of them. Eddy had always been strongly influenced by his older brother; shortly after moving into 10th grade, he had taken up his brother's drug habits as well. Now, he was a shell of what he used to be, unrecognizable from the young twelve year old with the mischievous glint in his eye. Ed had surprised everyone, especially Kevin, by becoming quarterback of the small high school football team. He was now a jock and a jerk, and just as stupid as he had always been. He had lost his lovable charm, but seemed to attract a lot of girls, either into his football games or his bed. No, his friends weren't worth it.

In fact, as he thought about it, everyone had changed. Naz was dating Kevin, and their six or seven breakups a month tended to be gossip around school. After junior high, the Kankers had disappeared. Sarah had turned into a full-on slut, and Jimmy was gay (which wasn't a shocker) and enjoyed acting like Sarah. Rolf was Rolf, but much more serious, and Johnny's boyish, innocent attitude had changed. He had turned much quieter, and Plank, who he had adored, was now a pile of wood shavings in a jar.

What drove Edd mad was watching these people, these fools, act like they knew exactly what they were doing. What had happened to the charm of the home-ish feel in this town? If they decided to enjoy what they had, Edd wouldn't be leaving the town with such disgust. It made him want to scream, and what Edd really wanted to do was just get out of Peach Creek. Isolation in a small town surrounded by marshy forests and a desperate air of change with people he disliked was too much.

Edd wanted to live in a city. Not a small town, and actual city. One where people were diverse, and if he didn't like people, there would always be others who he would like. If he didn't live in Peach Creek, he could stop reading the same books found in the small shack of a library, and maybe find one that would have enough books so that he didn't read through all of them twice. The freedom and the ablility to fly away and catch his dreams if he so chose was tempting... And it would all be his soon.

Edd was packing his suitcases, color-coordinating and organizing and refolding. He was going to head off to college soon; off to a university in New York, of all places. The thought of the color, the people, the atmosphere... it almost made him want to smile a smile he hadn't been able to release in so many years. Away from all this... He'd never have to come back.

Soon... So soon...

…..

I don't know what possessed me to write that. That was incredibly out of character compared to what I usually enjoy writing. Hehe, I hope you enjoyed it anyway…