Ed refused to go down, but if he had to, he wouldn't do so easily. Five boys had surrounded him as he made his way home from school, once again his lateness attributing to an hour's worth of time spent in detention. They were calling him names and taking turns shoving him. One boy stuck his foot out in hopes to attempt to trip him, but Ed simply hobbled out of the way just in time. Whatever it was he had done to merit such abuse, he dearly wished he could apologize for it. It made his stomach hurt to think people didn't like him and whatever slight or offense he had committed, he wanted to atone for. He didn't understand that people were mean, sometimes, just for the sake of being mean.
"What're gonna do, big baby, cry?" a smaller boy asked in a petulant tone as he got into the tall youth's face. Ed blinked and pulled his head back as the shrill question was asked over and over again, as if the boy were stuck on repeat. He cringed his right arm inward, pulling his shoulder up as another boy punched him hard in the bicep, and then pulled away from his left as he was kicked in the calf. All the while the runt of the litter kept asking him if he was going to cry in his shrill nasally voice.
And then here came the leader. He was tall with a shock of greasy black hair that fell over his forehead, to which in essence helped to hide a myriad of angry zits. His eyes were small and piggy and his smile, if it could have any tangible attributes, would have smelled like death. He advanced on Ed, his horrible odorous personality taking much joy out of tormenting his victim. "I guess he's too stupid to answer, maybe we'll have to convince him to talk!" he announced to his group. There came in the wake of his statement a boisterous cheer of agreement as the head of their pack lifted his fist. Ed didn't cringe back, but continued to gaze up to the outcast leader with clear blue eyes that suffered only from innocence and confusion. Before the blow could be swung, however, there came the sound of thunder, a whistle and then a mighty crack as a baseball zipped between the leader and Ed. Ed, briefly, felt the wind of the ball as it barely escaped hitting his nose, and then trekked the path. It was embedded into the fence next to him.
"Let him go," a familiar voice instructed. It was calm and strong. Kevin.
"Get out of here, runt," one of the boys called to the redhead who simply sat on his bike with his bat now resting over his shoulder. "This ain't got nothing to do with you."
"I'm not going to repeat myself," Kevin said. His tone was almost jovial. He seemed to the pack of animals that he was finding them quite amusing and this made their leader anger. Turning from Ed, he pushed his sweaty bangs from the ugly eruption of acne on his forehead and then pointed at him.
"I don't take orders from no sniveling little kid. Beat it, or you'll be next." His voice wavered as Kevin casually pulled another baseball out of his front pocket.
"Ooooh, real tough there, man. Threatening to beat up someone smaller than you. You're so cliché, dude. That guy you're picking on has no qualms with you, so I think what we have here is a misunderstanding," Kevin reasoned with his faux amiableness.
"A failure in communication, if you will," Double Dee jumped in. His voice was as hostile and tight as the expression on his face.
"Yeah," Eddy said with an easy going countenance as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He ambled to the wooden fence and then leaned casually against it, slowly rubbing his knuckles against the front of his shirt as Kevin's eyes danced with fire. Even though he was smiling, his expression began to turn dark.
"You leave my brother alone!" Sarah belted. She had discovered the scene now unwinding before them, and had made haste to inform the others in the cul-de-sac.
"You fail to understand a few things," Kevin continued. "This is our territory and these are my dorks. Not yours, mine."
"What are you getting so worked up over?" the leader asked. "He's just a retard, who cares about them?"
"We do," Double Dee seethed. "And don't you dare call him that… ugly word!" he spat as he put the large stick he was holding against his shoulder like a batter ready to hit the ball. "He's our friend and you'd best get that through your heads right now!"
"Whoa, Double Dee, chill out, I got this," Kevin said smoothly. He kept his eyes trained on the five boys still surrounding Ed, who stood amongst them with his head down and his expression humble. Addressing them he ordered in a calm voice. "Back away and you won't regret it. Hit him one more time…"
"And you'll regret it," Eddy stepped in this time. His smile was still easy and smooth. He looked as though he could walk right up to those boys and shake their hands. That's what unsettled them the most. When people grew so angry they were smiling and jovial; that's when trouble really got started.
"I gotta go home," one of the smaller boys said. "Sorry, man, can't hang around." Giving Kevin a furtive glance the boy quickly left and the outcast group was now down to four.
"Well, looks like we're even," Kevin said. "So, what are you going to do now, Stacey?"
The large boy's eyes widened comically. No one called him Stacey anymore and hadn't since he was in fifth grade. He'd been known as Stitch for the longest time, ever since he had hit a teacher so hard she had to have stitches.
"I'm going to break your arms, that's what I'm going to do," Stitch said. His threat woke something in Ed, who suddenly became animated.
"You don't hurt my friends!" the tall youth cried out as he turned to square himself against the bully.
"C'mon, Ed," Kevin murmured softly. "Don't throw the first one, what have I told you? You got trouble, you let me handle it."
The group of bullies had previously surrounded Ed in a tight circle, but now they were beginning to grow loose. The victim of their abuse had suddenly awoken thanks to his friends coming to his aid. Stitch frowned, but so much pride was at stake, he just couldn't bear to let this fight go.
"I don't think so. Go home to your mommies; we've got business to discuss." Clamping his jaw tightly, he reached out with both hands and shoved his palms into Ed's chest. Ed, in turn, only staggered back, but kept his feet. Another boy pushed him from behind, and Ed tripped forward pin wheeling his arms for balance, but again, not crashing to the ground.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya," Kevin said as the shoving match began to grow more serious. "Ed! Head down!"
"Head down?" Ed called out.
"Duck, Ed, DUCK!" Double Dee exclaimed and duck Ed did. As soon as he was out of range, Kevin tossed the baseball up and then swung his bat in a smooth easy manner. It connected to the white leather with a decided crack and then shrieked towards a boy slightly shorter than Stitch. The boy cried out in surprise, holding his side and backing away from the pack that was now standing idle and staring at Kevin and the two remaining Eds in shock. Nobody had ever stood up before them before. Well, there had been a few kids in the past, but they had made sure to teach them a lesson in bravery that they wouldn't soon forget. This was different however. This felt as if it could escalate into something very potent and very bad. The boy who had been struck with the ball fell back, whining about his pain and then turning and running in the direction the other one had ran.
"Three on one," Eddy said through a grin as he began to approach. "Those ain't fair odds." Double Dee was with him, his body trembling like a leaf in a storm due to the adrenaline coursing through his system. He wasn't thinking for one moment that he was about half a minute away from a physical altercation, no; he was enraged at the injustice of what one of his dearest friends was having to suffer through. Adding insult to injury; Ed had never confided in them his troubles.
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Stitch said. He looked over at Kevin to see if another ball wouldn't magically appear, but the redhead's hands were empty. In fact, Kevin was just dismounting his bike to stalk over towards them. All three of the kids advancing towards him were smaller than he; save for Ed, whose height alone was the main reason for being the target. They felt it was something that evened the playing field.
"Back off or get hurt, you can't be this stupid," Eddy said.
"Hey man, I need to jet," another boy said. "Why don't we just go back to my place and crash and play some games, huh? We don't need no trouble."
"If you're scared, go run home to your mommy," Stitch said.
"I gotta run an errand for my brother," another boy said. "If I don't, he'll destroy me, you know how he gets…"
"Yeah, sure," Stitch scowled. He watched two more of his pack dart down the lane and away from the little kids who were almost upon them. Now, it was just he and his little Toadie, who had been stuck on repeat before Ed's friends came to support him.
"Peter… go show 'em what I've taught you," Stitch said as he put his hand on the runt's shoulder and shoved him forward roughly. The freshman staggered and then tripped in place as he came face to face with Kevin. Eyes wide and a gasp in his throat, his only recourse was to back away quickly when the redheaded boy slowly grinned at him.
"Ed," Double Dee said gently as he slowly removed the large stick from his shoulder. It fell to the ground, forgotten as he reached his hand out to his tall friend. "Come on, Ed, let's go home." He spoke in a calm and soothing tone and Ed, nodding, acquiesced, and stepped towards his friend and took the offered hand.
"Yeah, that's right, retard, go home to your mommy," Stitch said, heatedly. His eyes glittered with hate as Peter came back to his side, perhaps in hope of the same sort of comfort their victim was now receiving as his own tribe surrounded him and put their hands on him in warmth. Instead, the scrawny youth was shoved down to the ground. Stitch cursed at him as he drew his foot up to kick, and Peter cried out as fists were added into the mix. When he realized that his audience was walking away, Stitch pulled back from Peter and glowered after them in dumbstruck silence.
"Coward," Eddy spat in disgust as he, Kevin and Double Dee began to herd Ed gently back towards the lane.
"Jerk!" Double Dee spat, and then turned to clamp his hand over his mouth over calling someone such a harsh word. He grappled onto Ed's shoulder and held on as they walked away.
"Dork," Kevin scoffed and then laughed brashly as he walked back to his bike.
Blinking up to Stitch, Peter sat up on his hip and wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. "You beat me up," he whispered, betrayed.
"Yeah, well, you're out of the group, you're a useless little wimp who can't follow orders, and we don't need you!" Turning, Stitch made one last attempt of trying to save his position on the pecking order, knowing full well he was unseated. Peter may have been small and annoying, but unlike him, the rest of the guys actually liked the scrawny little guy. "I'll get you all! Just you wait and see!"
"Get out of here!" Sarah cried out to the fallen leaders retreating back. "You're just a bully and a creep and nobody likes you!"
It was the sniffling that caused Ed's head to shoot up and he halted suddenly in his steps. Double Dee and Eddy lurched forward at the unexpected stop, and then looked up to Ed, who had turned to survey the kid still on the ground.
"C'mon Ed, let's go home," Eddy urged gently as he brushed off the front of his friends shirt. Double Dee was quiet, however. Knowing what was to come, he rubbed the back of Ed's neck with a tender hand before pulling away from him.
"Hey, Lumpy… home's this way," Eddy said. He cut his eyes to Sarah, who only looked at him with tight lips and wise eyes. She put her arms around Jimmy's shoulders as Ed turned and lumbered back to the boy still sitting dejected on the ground.
Cringing back as his shadow fell over him, Peter gazed up helplessly into Ed's passive face. There was no animosity there, no hate, and no malice. He sniffled once and wiped under his nose again before blinking in surprise at the hand that reached down to him. "Really?" His voice was small and warbled.
Ed nodded once, his fingers splayed as a smile began to turn up the left side of his face. Peter sniffled again as his crew, now that Stitch was gone, began to bleed out of the shadows, the trepidation on their own faces mirrored by guilt. If they were on Ed's end, would they finish the guy off who had helped start so much trouble? Instead, they learned a lesson that day in compassion and forgiveness as Ed effortlessly hauled Peter up. Peter, in turn, only smiled up to Ed.
"You're not a big baby," Peter whispered as he rubbed his sore arm. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okie dokie, Smokey," Ed answered as he patted Peter's head.
"C'mon, Ed, we ain't got all day," Eddy called as the other boys began to advance towards their friend. It was good to see their expressions of shame. Maybe a very important lesson or two was learned that day.
Turning, Ed ambled towards his own group. No, more than a group he realized as they surrounded him. He put his arms around shoulders and hugged bodies tightly to him as they walked back towards home. This was family, and family was always there for each other.
"I love you, guys," he said, his mood once again full of sun and cheer.
"You're such a big sap, Ed, what are you gonna do, marry us all now?"
"Everybody but Sarah! That'd just be weird," Ed said. The group broke into joyous laughter as they rounded a turn and disappeared onto their home turf.