I rolled out of bed, sleep still hanging over my body. I stretched, cracking my knuckles and toes. I peered over at the clock and read the digits 10:45; I had slept in. Mara and Joy were already gone from our room, so I changed into a loose t-shirt and skinny jeans and made my way down to the kitchen. No one was at the table, besides Trudy who was clearing off some plates.
"Oh Patricia, dearie! You're finally awake!" Trudy exclaimed, picking up a few things as she spoke. "Would you like some breakfast? Everyone already ate, I'm afraid, but I could whip something up just for you!"
"No, it's fine. I'll just grab a muffin or apple... Or something." I replied. I looked around the living room and kitchen, seeing no one around. "Where is everybody?"
"Nina, Fabian and Amber went to the library, Joy and Amber went into London for the day, Jerome and Alfie are in their room, and Eddie went out for a bit." She told me, walking over to the sink now. I nodded casually, taking a seat at the table. Nice of Mara and Joy to invite me to go...
"Do you know where Eddie went off to?"
"I'm afraid not. He just said he was going to hang around campus and would be back later."
"Alright... I think I'm going to go look for him." I said, getting up from the chair.
"Okay, just don't be too late!" Trudy reminded me as I grabbed an apple and began walking away from the kitchen. I opened the front door, the cool mid-spring breeze instantly hitting me. I followed the path that led around the campus and passed by the other boarding houses. Some people passed me on the trail; Most people walked in groups, some jogged along on their own.
The school sat to my left as I was almost all the way back to Anubis house. Eddie was no where to be found and I was starting to think he had left campus completely. I sighed in defeat, ready to go back to Anubis and put my feet up. I glanced at the school as I passed it, not wanting to be this close to it on a Saturday. I smiled slightly as I passed the elementary school that sat next door, nostalgia getting the best of me as I saw the playground. Jerome, Alfie, Joy and I used to play tag on the playground together. Jerome would run and I would tag him when he was at the edge of the play set, causing him to fall down the slide backwards, bumping his head at the bottom. By the time Jerome was tagged, Joy would already have Alfie pinned to the mulch. He was always such a baby when it came to the game. Joy would put him in a harmless headlock and he would scream for Trudy to come save him.
A spot of color on the playground pulled me from my reminiscing. Someone was sitting on the swings by their self, slowly swaying the swing back and forth. I squinted a little harder and I instantly recognized the person. I strayed off the path, making my way through the grass, eventually hitting the playground's mulch. I made my way over to the swings, sitting on the swing beside the blonde-haired boy.
"Decided to be a lone slimeball today?" I asked him. Eddie smiled a little bit, glancing over at me.
"I just felt like getting away... I felt like coming here."
"Here?" I questioned, looking around the place. "To a playground made for seven year olds?"
"Yeah... I was just thinking about my childhood. If I hadn't been kept away for my 'safety', I would've come to this exact spot all the time when I was younger. I probably would've played here with everyone from Anubis." He said quietly, peering around the children's hang out. I extended my hand over to him, taking his in mine. I felt sympathy for Eddie- He always wondered about the 'what ifs' when it came to his dad leaving him when he was younger.
"What was it like here?" He asked me after a moment. "What would little Yacker do when she came here?"
I smiled slightly, glad to see his mood improving a tad. "Well, I would always have Joy by my side. Even back then we were best friends. Jerome and Alfie were with us too, since we were the only four in the house at the time. Trudy would sit at one of the picnic tables, talking with the other house mothers while we played."
I glanced over at him, seeing his reactions to what I was saying. He noticed my pause and laughed, saying "Yes, Yacker, I'm listening! You can continue!"
I chuckled, sneaking a peek down at our intertwined fingers. "There was this one time that Joy and I had decided to bring our jump ropes here. We stood on the grass, seeing who could do more jumps- I always won." I added with a victorious smile. "But every time we were in the middle of a contest, Jerome and Alfie would come over and stop the ropes mid-jump. Joy and I got sick of it, so they did it once more and we just tackled them to the ground. I remember Alfie's cries like it was yesterday! We tied Jerome's foot to Alfie's and then we tied their hands together with what was left of the rope. Despite their kicking and flailing arms, we somehow managed to get them tied to a pole!"
"Oh god, you were even mean as a child!" Eddie exclaimed, laughter taking over both of us.
"They started it! That's what they get for messing with my jump rope." I defended myself, making Eddie laugh even harder. Things settled down and we just swayed on our swings for a few minutes.
"That's what I was talking about. I'll never have those memories of you tying me to a pole when we were younger. I never got the chance to make memories at this place." Eddie said, sadly. I wasn't used to this side of Eddie; The side that had no walls, no force fields- The side that held Eddie's true emotions. The real Eddie.
A smile crossed my face as I stood up, pulling Eddie to his feet as well. "Come on." I said simply, tugging him along.
"Yacker, what are we doing?" Eddie groaned as I pulled him onto the jungle gym's steps.
"Today we're going to be seven." I declared, pulling him to the top platform of the playground. I heard him chuckle from behind me and I let go of his hand, taking off into a sprint. "First one down the slide wins!"
I raced across the platform, Eddie gaining on my heels and I flung myself to the ground, butt hitting the slide with a thud. I expected to slide down easily like I had when I was younger, but instead I was met with two plastic bars clenching against my thighs. I cried out in pain, stuck in the middle of the slide. Eddie hopped over the side, quickly coming over to where I was.
He let out a howl of laughter when he realized what had happened. "Your butt is too big for the slide!"
"Are you calling me fat?" I challenged. He put up his hands to surrender, taking a step closer to me.
"I'm saying you have a nice butt- No complaints here."
"That's not something a seven year old would say." I reprimanded, freeing myself from the slide's clutches. He took a step closer, grabbing me by the waist and placing a small kiss to my lips. "And that's not something a seven year old would do, Cockroach."
"Who needs to be seven when you can be seventeen?" He whispered huskily, diving back to my lips again. I responded immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt his arms snake around my waist, pressing me closer to him. I tangled my fingers in his hair, combing them through the blonde mess. We broke apart for a moment, catching our breath, before colliding our lips together once more. Eddie stepped forward slightly, causing me to fall back a few steps. I fell back onto the slide, Eddie tumbling down on top of me.
"Try not to fall on me this time, Slimeball." I teased as he placed his hand on my cheek, leaning in to kiss me once more. I felt his tongue slide between my lips, dancing with mine. My hands traveled from his hair, back down to his neck again as one of his hands slid under my shirt. I could feel the cool, hard plastic against my back as my shirt exposed my stomach and lower back. I pulled him closer to me once more, trying to press our bodies as close as possible.
Just as Eddie slid his hands up my shirt a little further, we heard it. The one noise that could kill the mood and make us want to die- "Edison Sweet, Patricia Williamson!"
We jumped apart instantly, me pulling my shirt down and Eddie smoothing down his hair. Eddie took a deep breath, sending a wave in his father's direction. "Hey, Dad!"
"Both of you, back to your houses before I give you a month's detention!" He bellowed. His face turned a purple-red color as he yelled, half from embarrassment, half from rage. Eddie took my hand in his, pulling me up from the slide. We briskly walked past his father, keeping our heads low. Once we were out of hearing distance, we turned to each other and burst out laughing.
"You did say you wanted some memories!" I choked out between laughs. Eddie nodded, laughter shaking his body.
"Yeah, that'll forever be known as the time my dad caught us getting it on at a playground!" Eddie exclaimed. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, mine around his waist as we walked back to Anubis, laughter filling the air the entire way.
My god, did I actually write a happy one shot? That hasn't been done in a while. Well, I'd love to hear feedback from you guys, so leave some in the reviews! You can also leave questions about a new multichapter or any other questions you have in the reviews. If you have an account, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have(: Thanks! x.