Chapter One: A Changed Man…

Eddy typed away at his keyboard, each strike of his fingers sounding off little "taps" that melded into the meldoy of keyboard tapping that was orchestrating throughout the AP Economics classroom. Every student was making their final efforts to edit and perfect their reports to their fullest potential, not wasting a single second to chatter, sweat, or even breathe. The teacher roamed around the classroom, meandering through the rows of computers occupied by busy students, making the hairs of every student he passed rise in fear of negative criticism and rejection. Yet amongst the air of anxiety, noise, and hard work, Eddy sat and gazed upon his final work. He proceeded to print his final report.

The bell rang.

"Time's up, students! There will be no time to finish what you have written after school today. Print what you have written and leave your papers on my desk," instructed Mr. Sanchez. "Have a good weekend!"

The first out, Eddy strolled along the hallways to get to his locker. Since school was out for the week the corridors were a sea of energetic youths as per usual, and Eddy found it difficult to swim through. After following through he managed to find his locker, and he hurriedly unlocked it and swiped his bag with a swift sweep of his arm. With his belongings he traveled down into the main lobby where he kept his eyes pealed for his two long-time companions.

"Over here, Eddy!"

Eddy jerked his head to his left to see Ed, the lovable oaf. And next to Ed was Eddward, most commonly referred to as "Double D". "What's up guys?" Eddy asked.

"You wouldn't believe the savages in this school! Some senior dripped some slippery liquid all over the stairwell and a teacher fell!" Double D shouted over the commotion of the main lobby.

Eddy chuckled and asked, "Really Double D? That's funny! Who was it?"

"Mr. Ferugio…"

The words put an immediate halt to Eddy's laughter, for Mr. Ferugio was a respected elderly substitute teacher that withheld students with the upmost respect, and vice versa. He was arguably the most likable man in the entire school building. "Damn, is he alright?" inquired a serious Eddy.

Ed chimed in. "No one is sure what happened, but he should be alright."

"Let's hope," added Double D. The three continued to chatter, mostly about unimportant matters of high school nature. They made their way to the flaming van they had called their own since they were young boys. Ed and his father, an auto mechanic, had salvaged the abandoned vehicle from the junkyard and invested a pretty penny in rebuilding it.

"Good thing we can drive home now, those losers on the bus were such a pain," complained Eddy.

"Engine is working in fine condition too; this van is just like the space shuttle in Martian From the Deep 2!" Ed boasted, admiring the fruits of his labor as he unlocked it and started it up. The van hummed and reared out, but screeched to a sudden stop at the sound of a horn. An engine roared from behind the Eds, and through the rearview mirror Ed could see the dreaded sleek, red Corvette of Kevin.

"Did you get your licenses out of a Chunky Puff cereal box, dorks? Or is that hunk of metal so big you can't see where you're goin'?" shouted the loud-mouthed jock. Alongside him groaned his girlfriend, Nazz. She could not resist his confident aura, but she still could not stand his childish name-calling.

"Take your stupid red Hotwheels somewhere else, asshole!" called Eddy from van.

Kevin threw his head back and laughed as he recklessly swerved out of the parking lot, nearly clipping off another car that was backing up out of its spot.

Eddy was sitting in his bed giving himself a break from his long day at school. His disco ball shined sparkles of red, yellow and green hues across the room, dancing to the beat of the soft music played off the old record player. His mind wandered from his AP Economics class to his friends to his homework to Jessica. Jessica. He forgot to go to her house after school. Grunting in panic, Eddy sprawled from his bed, dressed up in his clothes, stopped the music, and turned off the lights. The slide door slid open and close with a "thunk", and he darted out into the dark April evening.

The air was scented with the late evening spring smell of fresh air free from the icy chains of winter. The crispness of the night soared past Eddy as he frantically ran down the sidewalk of the cul-de-sac. He stopped for a second and flashed his eyes towards the forest, wondering if he should take a short-cut into the next neighborhood or stick to the main road. Seeing as he was already late as it was, Eddy made a sprint for the woods, hurdling over the wooden fence bordering the suburban complex with the horde of darkened trees.

Rocks, puddles, roots, and spider webs did not phase Eddy as he traversed through the murky depths of the woods. His mind escaped from his physical environment and drifted into subconscious thought. His mind thought about disappointing Jessica, and making his folks worry. A sudden collision forced Eddy's mind to snap back into his body as he tripped over a root concealed in the shadowy blanket of the night. As he met with the ground, Eddy heard a rattling of twigs to his left, and dismissed it as animals. With his mind set on reaching Jessica's house as fast as his legs could carry him, Eddy overlooked the two shadowy figures that lurked in the darkness of the forest, and continued onward.

Jessica perched herself on the white wooden porch rail, shifting her weight forward to gaze out into the starry night. She sighed with disappointment, yet the bright holes that gleamed out in the tattered dark blue sky gave her some relief in knowing the winter had passed. Her eyes were so fixated upon the stars that she did not notice her exhausted boyfriend jogging around the corner.

"Jessica!" panted Eddy as his hands met his kneecaps. Eddy lifted his head and stared into Jessica's hazel eyes, seeing the hurt and sorrow seeded within them. She was just a little shorter than Eddy, but now she looked as though she were 3 feet taller as she looked down from the porch. Her short, brown hair fluttered with the spring breezes, and the beauty of her round facial composition did little to comfort Eddy now.

"I've been waiting for 50 minutes, Eddy! I was so worried something happened to you! I didn't even get a respond to your texts after school," scolded Jessica.

"I'm sorry Jessica, I had a rough day with my Economics class and we just finished a major report for this marking period. I wanted to chill with my friends for a bit after school and I ended up exhausted so I took a nap on my bed. I'm sorry I forgot to come," he apologized.

"You never can think about me for a little while, can you? I encouraged you to take that fucking class your sophomore year in the first place when you were thinking of dropping out. If it weren't for me you would be working minimum wage for your uncle as a coffee boy! And now you can't even be here for me when I need some help? I just asked you to come over and help me with this algebra shit, but you can't even manage to do that!"

A torn Eddy couldn't help but stare at the pavement; angry with himself, ashamed he had forgotten about his loving girlfriend. He couldn't stand his selfish nature and sometimes wondered if he would ever change in that respect. "Look Jessica," he muttered, "I know how much you care about me and how I changed for the better because of you, and I'll try to make this up to you."

She sighed. "I'm tired of 'trying' Eddy. I want you to follow through and do something about it."

Eddy looked up at Jessica. With a smile he said, "How about we go in and I'll help you out now? I still came to help you, right?" Jessica smiled back and beckoned him inside, and they made their way into the house.