The mist shielding the rising sun looked like golden fog. The clouds were painted in beautiful reds, purples, and golds all reminding Ed of the Autumn seasons approach. Though he was watching the sun rise while pouring himself a bowl of cold cereal he was deep in thought beyond the pretty sunrise.
The first day of sophomore year. He had worked his way through the bumped and bruises of sorting out his place in the high school last year as a freshmen. Bullies, schemes, crazy gym teachers and even nuttier principals. Ed himself wasn't the cause of most of his troubles last year. The bullies picked on Double D and Eddy, so Ed had to pick back. The schemes were always his way of watching out for the other two Eds. Best friends always stuck together right? He was always getting into his own trouble just being uncomfortable with his long limbs and height. Knocking stuff over was pretty much accepted fact since toward the middle of the year the teachers had begun to put anything breakable into their desk drawers once Ed's class was scheduled to arrive. After that he wasn't really in trouble.
Of course it helped that the gym teacher had decided to start pushing him into sports right from the word go! She was new last year. College student just turned twenty one toward homecoming last year. She seen Ed's potential. Track was her first choice, since he had such long legs and great stamina but once it became obvious Ed could also impact solid objects like cars, (longer story), without flinching or slowing down the principal and his vice-principal took notice. They approached him to join the football team. They told him with training and some great seasons in his high school career he could gain a scholarship.
At the time it wasn't something Ed ever thought about. Although most of the kids he grew up with at the cul-de-sac assumed he was slow Ed was just not as quick to speak. He chewed his thoughts carefully making sure h was watching all sides of a conversation and that he wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings with his responses. If that were not possible he would end up with silly statements that weren't relevant but wouldn't offend anyone even if it resulted in people calling him names. It didn't bother Ed; he often just thought of the words in their proper use and how funny it sounded when he translated it in his mind. Honestly Ed only thought Double D would understand his humor in this but he didn't want to leave Eddy out so he never spoke of it.
Ed looked down at his bowl of frosted shredded wheat; it had gotten mushy while he was woolgathering. Shrugging he just tipped the bowl up and drank it like soup. He still had to make sure everything he needed was in his bag before trying to catch the bus.
May Kanker dried her hand son the dish towel by the sink. She had washed up her breakfast dishes since she was the only one of the Kanker sisters that still ate the first meal of the day. She noticed the sun was halfway up the horizon; time to grab her bag. May insisted on walking to the high school last year. Her sisters were already gone having found their own friends to hang with before going to school. Cappuccinos were their breakfast and the only way to start their day with a side of gossip.
Pulling the strap of her messenger bag over her head she let the strap rest between her breasts making sure the flap was covering her bag securely. She had a brand new Nextbook in there to use for whatever, not to mention her papers. Clipping a mini umbrella to the strap by her hip she stepped out the door of her double wide home.
Miss Kanker, her mom, had won the lottery last year. She got some great money out of it and the Kanker family was no longer in need of much. Although they could live better anywhere they choose with the money their mother insisted on only what they Needed. She put money into trust funds for the girls and made sure they had a new home, clothes, and necessities. May asked for the nextbook so it would be easier on her to carry it with all her books purchased electronically and available on the tablet then lugging around close to thirty pounds of books. That was the only real splurge she asked of her mother.
May walked through the trailer park affixing earbuds in her ears allowing her surroundings to be drowned out by her thoughts and music. She was walking to school through the woods short cut she discovered last year. It had been amazingly hurtful when a good portion of the student body suddenly decided the sisters were the hottest people in the school after their mother won the lottery. People she didn't know were in her face asking to be her friends, boy friend, girlfriend, whatever she wanted. The popular kids were smiling in her face and inviting her to parties, but behind her back they were spreading ugly rumors and trying to cause trouble for the suddenly small town famous trio of girls. Marie used the additude to scare away most of the fakes while Lee just bulldozed through their ranks with her determination and sometimes her fists. May just slid out the side door after the janitor took pity on her situation and showed her how to leave without being seen. It led to the woods off to the side of the high school. Too far from the fields and the driveway to see in she was safe to walk and have time to herself.
As nice as it was to not be treated like dirt because her sisters A. Lived in a trailer, B. had different fathers, C. Their mother wasn't married D. were poor white girls; the list could go on but being called names like Trailer Trash and Bastards; having their virginity questioned on site and the disrespect directed to the girls used to be over whelming. The older two sisters would fight and sass their way around it but May would rather follow their lead and try to ignore the pain every time she was insulted. She would rather pretend she didn't heart he comments; act like she was interested in anything at hand and talk about it with whomever wasn't currently torturing her with vicious taunts. May wasn't aggressive like her sisters. She didn't like the mean spirited people she had to endure back then or the two-faced beings they had become once they heard about the money.
Waking up from her thoughts May was nearly through the woods when something tapped her shoulder.