I don't own this show, the cliché story plot or obscure references.
Warning: mention of rape and child abuse.
Revelations in the Rain
"Drrrat!"
Name: Edd, "Double-D"
Age: 15
Hair: Black
Occupation: High School Student
My Current Crisis: "The confounded Weather Man lied again. How they let someone with such a high margin of error continue to- oh never mind." Double-D said, rubbing his eyes.
The "Genius Ed-Boy" started as a freshman at Peach High School the previous fall and had eventually found his own rhythm, just as the school year was winding down for the summer. He was separated from Ed and Eddy due to their low marks and his outstanding ones. They met in what few classes that they were able to choose and still remained each other's main sources of friendship. Edd briefly remembered Eddy yelling to him that detention was over but, due to the school's well funded science department, had lost all track of time during his latest experiment. "Curse my inquisitive ways." He started to rub his temples while leaning against the tree he was currently taking shelter under. The janitor had thrown him out ten minutes earlier without a chance to go retrieve his emergency umbrella from his locker. Still being weak, but not as scrawny as he used to be, the beanie-clad teenager attempted to run home, only to get hit by a sudden squall that left him seeking shelter under a large oak tree.
"Don't look like it's gonna let up any time soon, does it?" A low female voice said. Edd jumped. He peered around the other side of the tree, gasping at his worst nightmare. Marie Kanker was laying stretched out under the tree. A cold sweat began to mix with the rain while his eyes began darting for an escape route. She stared up lazily from her left eye. "Oh, calm down. I'm in no mood today." Marie said as she turned away from him and shifted into a sitting position.
Edd glanced at the rain. It was still pouring but he calculated that it had calmed down slightly enough that he could run at full speed and make it home without his books receiving significant damage. Still, be it the dread of running, or Marie's oddly lethargic behavior, he inched closer to the middle Kanker child until he stood right next to her. The minutes ticked by while they both silently became engulfed by the hypnotic beating that surrounded them. Double-D began to sit down, but froze when Marie suddenly shouted, "DON'T SIT THERE!"
He snapped straight up. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just-"
"Stop apologizing already!" She snapped before her voice softened to a whisper. "You can sit down if you want to, just not on my right side."
"O-okay." Edd slowly circled in front of his past tormentor. He knew that this was a serious situation but he couldn't stop his eyes from lingering over her body. She had definitely gotten taller then when she first started attacking him. She still wore her baggy pants. Only now she was donned with a black t-shirt, wet from the rain, that clung tightly over her well formed-
Edd gasped and jumped down to a sitting position next to Marie. "What?" She asked with a strange look.
He pulled his hat down. "Nothing!"
She let out a sad laugh. "You're so weird. So what brings you out here?"
He tipped his hat back to normal. "I, um. I got ditched back at school. But, Marie, why ever are you out in this disastrous weather?"
"Same story. 'Cept I kinda skipped class and fell asleep out here. When I woke up…" She motioned to the rain around them.
"You know you really shouldn't play hooky as much. Attendance is a valuable part of our academic-" He stopped when she gave him a look of pure devastation.
"So what?" She spat, jumping to her feet. "It's not like you actually care! No one cares about white trash like us!" Marie was about to run off but felt something soft grab her wrist.
"Wait!" Edd surprised himself at his own forwardness. "Please. Talk to me."
Marie looked down at his hand. On any other day, she would simply intertwine their fingers and tackle him to the ground. Instead she stared back at the rain and then calmly sat back down. "It's not like it really matters if I go to class or not. I mean I ditch a lot but- but I just don't like the rain. When I saw the clouds darkening, I left. I hoped that I could make it home but I guess I was kinda too late.
"But why the rain?" Double-D asked softly.
"You've probably noticed how my sisters and I look nothing alike, right? Well we all sorta have different dads. My mom was going through a bit of a rough patch. Going through a lot of men to pay the bills, ya know?" She started playing with the hair around her right eye. "So, before my mom got full custody, I had to spend a lot of time with my dad. He wasn't exactly the most understanding person but having me around meant that he didn't have to pay child support. I spent almost all the time outside doin' anything I could to get away from him."
"But you couldn't stay out in the rain."
She gave a sad smile. "Yeah, if I got sick then I'd be inside even longer. But one rainy day dad came home drunk, angry at work, money, his life or whatever. He saw me and well…" She paused and turned to him, lifting up her bangs. Edd let out a "GOOD LORD!" when he realized what she showed him. She waved her other hand in front of her right eye, which looked hard and glassy. "My mom got full custody and my dad got fifteen years." Marie let go of her hair and pulled her legs to her chest. "That's why I chased you around so much as a kid. I promised myself that if I ever found a decent guy with a decent family that I'd grab 'im and never let him go." Tears began to form in her left eye. "Guess that didn't turn out too well, huh?"
Edd cupped his eyes between his thumb and pointer-finger. He let out a frustrated sigh, trying to absorb everything that his long time tormenter had been saying. It took a few minutes until he finally spoke. "Your strategy may yet bear fruit. But first, I'm afraid, you must find someone who fits your requirements." He let out a long sigh. "Did you know that my father isn't my birth parent?"
Marie's head shot up. "What do you mean?"
"I fear that I don't lead the dream life you think that I have. You see, shortly after her marriage, my mother was raped by her best friend. The second prize to my father if you will. At first my parents simply reasoned my mother's pregnancy as my father's doing, but it was obvious after I was born."
Double-D slowly pulled his hat off his head. "The hell?" was Marie's only response at the large scar that cut straight over the right side of his head and left a clear line without hair.
"My parents couldn't stand the sight of me so father 'accidentally' dropped me on a coffee table. He thought it was for the best but his mother came in and called for an ambulance. I lived with my grandparents for a few years, always trying to be a good little boy so my parents would come back for me. They finally took me in after seeing my natural gifts of intelligence and we moved here to start a new life." He gave a bitter laugh. "Even now, my parents spend most of their time at work and refuse to speak to me except through sticky notes."
"Double-D." She whispered and inched closer. He sensed that, unlike every other time that Marie Kanker got close to him, this time she had good intent. Whether it was because of the sympathy he felt for her, or the sadness he felt for himself, Edd pulled Marie into his arms and they both cried away their pain.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .. …
Some time had past until the rain from both the sky and their eyes had slowed down. Cold, tired and hungry, they both got to their feet and watched as the sun started to break through the clouds.
"I'm sorry." Marie finally said. "If I had known that you had half as much trouble as you did, I wouldn't have been so rough on ya."
She began to walk away, when something soft touched her hand. She looked down confused at the hand in her own and then lifted her gaze to match Double-D's. "Maybe we can start over?" He asked sheepishly. "Would…you like to come over to dry off? Maybe give me company for dinner?"
For the first time in years, the Middle Kanker gave a genuine smile. "I'd like that a lot."
Summer Rains: you can never predict them.