Author's Note: The character designs for Eddella and Marky as well as the cover art for this story are all from VampireMeerkat. They are excellent with their artwork and I admire the stuff they have done for Ed, Edd'n, Eddy in general.
It was never weird for her to be the sole girl of the Eds. After all, thanks to her motherly tendencies, befriending two of the most immature boys in the cul-de-sac helped her act out her personal issues. What with Eddy's inability to socialize without insulting one of the others and Ed tending to be a little...airheaded, Eddella always had to be the caregiver of the trio. Eddy and Ed, being so used to it, didn't grow as they probably should have. Even now when they were in high school, they still acted as immature as they did in middle school, minus the constant scams and desperate attempts to be included with the other children. They were part of the bigger group now, despite them hardly changing at all.
Eddella sure felt like she changed, other than appearances. She was the captain of many clubs, such as chess, mathletes, debate, and more. She had even come out of her comfort zone enough to join the cheerleading team with Nazz, Sarah, and Jimmy. Of course, she still made sure to wear clothes underneath the skimpy shirt and skirt. Nazz, of course, allowed it; she knew of Eddella's modesty and respected it. She was always so cool about it; Eddella was very grateful. Anyway, she made sure to be as involved with Peach Creek High School as much as she could, all the while still having to step in now and again to prevent Eddy and Ed accidentally killing themselves with their constant antics.
If only she could say things were better where the Kanker siblings were considered. Lee and May still terrorized poor Ed and Eddy, their heightened hormones thanks to their age making it near worse. But then there was Mark or 'Marky' as his sisters call him, the sole brother of the Kankers as she was the sole female of her own trio. And, as fate would have it, when Lee and May set their sights on their 'boyfriends', he set his eyes on her. When they were younger, Marky would constantly tackle her to enforce his own affections onto her. That made her absolutely terrified of the boy. He would often turn up out of nowhere, sometimes not even when he was tailed by his sisters to harass Eddella while she was doing some sort of scam with her Eds or just hanging around her home researching some subject or another. When they hit high school, nothing changed except for his looks.
When he had been younger, he had long rugged blue hair that covered one of his eyes, always wearing a black tank top along with dark green jeans. His shoes, though worn out, were always black. He was around the same height as Eddella then, the only two taller than him being Ed and Rolf. Now, however, he was twice as tall, his hair a few inches longer while still covering the same eye, often wearing a black t-shirt with a large brown jacket over it, zipped halfway up. His jeans were long and tattered, though blue instead of green, his old sneakers switched for a pair of purple ones instead. He also had, unfortunately for Eddella, a silver stud in his tongue. Everything about him was the complete opposite of Eddella. And still, he had yet to give up on pursuing her, despite her expressing many times that she didn't feel the same way.
Of all the girls in the cul-de-sac, between herself, Nazz, and Sarah, he had to choose her. It infuriated Eddella. No matter how hard she tried, he came back ten times harder. Marky Kanker was completely devoted to a girl who hated being felt up, kissed out of nowhere, and having her space violated without her permission.
But besides all of that, Eddella's life had made a turn for the better. She was a junior in high school now, scouting the school website for any scholarship opportunities. She was still on the cheerleading squad, as well as being the sole captain of all of the school clubs, and she still had to deal with the misadventures of those in the cul-de-sac, plus the occasional terrifying visit of the Kanker siblings. Nevertheless, she continued to live everyday with a smile, hoping that all of the craziness would soon die down if she could help it.
In fact, that was exactly what she was trying to do now.
"ED, GET YOUR HEAD BACK IN HERE!" she cried out, leaping from her own bus seat in order to grab her friend, whose entire top half was outside one of the windows he had been sitting beside. She tugged at his torso to no avail, considering Ed had the strength of ten rhinoceroses. Eddy, instead of helping her, chose to cackle in his seat at the scene. "E-ED! You're going to get us into so much trouble! Please refrain from accidentally decapitating yourself by running into a stray telephone pole or worse! Get back in here, m-mister!"
"I'M A DOGGY, DOUBLE D!" Ed laughed maniacally.
"Eddy!" Eddella cried out, "Could you refrain from encouraging Ed with your vexatious laughter and aid me in pulling him back inside?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit your naggin'!" Eddy huffed, finally curbing his laughing and grabbing Ed by his feet, his bigger size helping him in doing so. Since middle school had ended, Eddy had gone through a growth spurt that skyrocketed him to be three inches over Eddella's, but still an inch smaller than Ed. His hair had grown out, resembling the same blue hue his father had. He still wore his yellow shirt and blue jeans, however, as well as his red sneakers.
Anyway, with their combined strength(or lack thereof), they managed to pull Ed back inside, his tongue lulling out of his mouth like a dog. Ed changed a lot since their middle school days, too. His hair, like Eddy's, grew out to be almost as red as Sarah's. He abandoned his jacket in favor of just wearing his red and white striped t-shirt over his ripped blue jeans which, no, they were not ripped on purpose. Ed was just that accident-prone.
"I tasted the mailboxes, guys!" Ed exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly.
"Jeez, Sockhead, why ya gotta ruin his fun? Lumpy was just enjoying what little time we have before we get down to hell," Eddy shrugged, slipping into the spot beside Ed. Eddella rolled her eyes.
"Please, Eddy, I wish not to endure another day of your grousing over a thing like school. You go there to learn; it's an opportunity we're all fortunate to have," Eddella snorted, taking a seat across from them, flattening her purple skirt in the process.
"Jeez, you sound like my mother," Eddy grumbled, leaning forward so his head leaned over his hand.
"Hardly, Eddy," Eddella rolled her eyes. The three remained silent for the rest of the trip, the only thing breaking it being Ed's humming as he swung his legs back and forth. Eddy grumbled lightly under his breath as the bus took a right turn into the school's parking lot, glaring up at the sign that read, 'Peach Creek High School, Home of the Cobblers'. Edd understood it was a place of utter judgement from their peers that Eddy hated the most, but it was still a place they were required to go. They may as well just suck it up and get it over with.
When the bus slowed to a stop and opened its doors, the trio got to their feet and slowly made their way for the front, following the other kids from the cul-de-sac who rode the same bus. Edd held her books to her chest as Eddy and Ed automatically pulled in around her, the both of them now glum as they approached the double doors.
"Ed is gone once more, guys!" Ed exclaimed unhappily, his head drooping. "No school for Ed, Double D!"
"Come now, Ed, cheer up!" Edd frowned, lifting a hand so she could gently pull Ed's head up. "I have a surprise for you during lunch! And it just might be gravy if you promise me to at least attempt an eager hand with your classes!" Ed suddenly gasped, standing straighter, his height now superior to the two of his friends. He began to bounce up and down excitedly, clapping his hands together.
"GRAVY FOR ED! GRAVY FOR ED!"
"Can it, will ya? You're givin' me a headache," Eddy snapped, sticking his thumb into his right ear and moving it about.
"Now, Eddy, don't pout. Don't forget. You have that quiz in history first period that I went over with you last night. Please try to remember that the Nile is not the name of a hurricane and is actually a river." She dusted off some dirt that laid on his yellow shirt thanks to Ed's shoes when they pulled him back into the bus. He swatted her hands away childishly and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Whatever, Sockhead, see you in third period." With that, he trotted off, looking aggravated.
"Ed? Do you need me to lead you to art or do you think you can remember where it is?" Edd asked.
"I remember this time, Double D! Pardon me, miss," with that goofy smile of his, he laughed giddily as he took off in the opposite direction of the art wing, but he was too fast for Edd to stop him. Shaking her head, she made a left and made her way to her locker, hoping to grab the textbook she needed for her own first period, which happened to be Chemistry, one of her favorites.
She felt a lot more relaxed now, which was another sign of the big issue. For many years now, since they were barely five, Eddella constantly had to be the motherly-type of her trio, constantly attempting her best to make sure Eddy and Ed are developing as they should as boys. It was exhausting. She was tired of having to be a parent when this was supposed to be a friendship, but that was selfish. It wasn't like the both of them asked her to mother them so much; she did that all on her own. It just got so difficult and hard to stop. Don't get her wrong, Edd loved them both very much and vice versa(even if Eddy wouldn't admit it), but she just wished she could stop with this habit. Just be one of the kids. Kick back. Relax. Be a teenage girl for once that went to parties and had fun! But that wasn't her. It was never her.
Ever since she had moved into the cul-de-sac, she had taken after the stereotype as the nerd. She knew practically everything that most people didn't know until their early twenties. Since her parents were often not in the picture, Edd didn't get to be a kid. She had to be the adult she didn't have, which would also explain why she was the way she was. In a way, she blamed them. She blamed them for never being there for her and making sure she was a functioning child. She blamed them for how she had to act with her two closest friends. She blamed them for her lack of any social skills she was supposed to have. She blamed them for-
"Hey, muffin..."
Eddella froze, her hand strained on the open locker door with her mouth slightly parted. No, no, she had to be wrong. It was someone else speaking to another student. The Kankers always showed up hours late, it just couldn't be him! But as she turned on the spot, her heart beating somehow faster, she recognized that blue hair and seductive smirk anywhere. Marky Kanker was there a lot earlier than he was supposed to be, and he had his eyes set on his Eddella.