A/N: Hey guys! Yes, I'm back and I know a lot of you want me to update stuff and I always say I will but really I'm trying. I just got some inspiration for this fic from the new HoA movie, The Touchstone of Ra that's coming out soon and this is my version of graduation for the Anubis kids! I hope you like it! x :)
Through all of the years, work, stress, drama, and whatever else they've had to endure; they all went to hell and back, on multiple occasions, but still made it out alive. In the end, it was worth it. Wasn't it? Well, at least, thats how it seemed.
Mr. Sweet continued to read from the text book in his wrinkled hands; his glasses perched on the edge of his nose, and his brow furrowing as his voice spoke clear and loud, unaware of the tons of eager teenage eyes watching the clock. It was down to seconds now. The students had long since stopped listening to Mr. Sweet ramble on about nonsense or whatever it was he was rambling on about. There was just one thing they cared about; one thing that mattered.
"School's out!" Eddie screamed right as the bell rang. All at once, like a heard of wild animals the students jumped up from their desks, rushing about to get their things. No one wanted to miss a second of vacation. Papers were whipped around the room like tornados. Blazers went flying in all directions as the students expressed freedom each in their own ways. The Anubis kids cheered and hugged and were all chitchatting away with other students as well as they started to make their way back to the house.
"O-oh dear," Mr. Sweet said, peeling a blazer off of his head. His eyes spotted Eddie out of the crowd of students and remembered. "Oh!
Edison! Edison come back here for a moment, I need to speak with you." Eddie's smile frowned slightly, clearly bummed out.
"Yeah, yeah, listen- can we talk about it later, dad? I mean, it's finally vacation. Every second counts, right?" As the boy turned to leave again, his father reached out a hand, grabbing him by the shoulder and gently pulling him back. The dirty blonde let out a long sigh, turning to face his father.
"Edison, I'm afraid I have bad news..."
"Please, dad can't we talk about it later? I have to go prepare for graduation. Trudy doesn't wait forever, you know." Now it was Eric's turn to sigh.
"That's just it, Edis-Eddie. I'm afraid you can't go to graduation." Eddie, who was once wearing a big bright smile, now looked into his fathers eyes like his father was something he had never seen before.
"What do you mean, I can't go to graduation?" Eric reached out for his shoulder again but this time Eddie pulled away without even thinking first. Eric awkwardly pulled his hand back, folding both of them in front of him.
"You can't go to graduation, because you're not graduating." Eddie's face fell completely and the boy slowly started to back away from his father.
"What do you mean, I'm mot graduating? Tell me this is a joke! Dad!" There was a pause. The two of them exchanged looks that were very different from each other's. Eddie stared at his father, clamping his mouth shut and shaking his head ever so slightly, waiting for an answer that would never yet come. Eric just sort of looked at the ground, mumbling "I'm sorry", under his breath. "How can I not be graduating? I worked my ass off for this! Do you know how much time, and effort I've put into this? Do you wanna know how long I struggled, before anyone was willing to give me help? It's not fair!"
Mr. Sweet continued to mouth "I'm sorry" as Eddie was speaking. "And you with you petty sorries and sympathy cards. I don't need them, okay?" he yelled. "I don't need any of this! If you're not gonna tell me how I'm not graduating I might as well leave." The American grabbed his bag that he slung over his shoulder and turned to walk out. Before he could make it, Eric called back out to him.
"You can't graduate because you're failing your classes. Here," he says, showing him the proof. "I'm sorry, Eddie." Eddie grabbed the papers from his dad and read them himself. Pure shock struck his face, looking at the papers.
"These can't be right. I know for a fact that I didn't fail half of these! It can't be right..." Now, even Eddie was starting to doubt himself. "Can it?" Eric stood behind him now.
"I'm sorry, Eddie, but if you want to graduate high school then you have to take summer school. Perhaps Ben coul-" Eddie stopped him right there.
"Forget it!" he barked. "There's no way in hell I'd ever ask Ben for anything, especially not help graduating!" The boy whipped around, practically throwing the proof back into Mr. Sweet's hands. "You can't tell him any of this, alright? You just can't tell him! He already thinks I'm a loser anyways. I don't think he needs any other proof. Whatever, but I'm still going to graduation." Eddie stormed out of the classroom without even thinking about looking back.
"Edison!" Mr. Sweet yelled for him. He was shocked that Eddie was acting this way, though a part of him knew he shouldn't be. "Eddie, you know that's not true! He can help you, Eddie!" It was too late; for the boy was long gone. Eric sighed a long sigh, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. In the silence of the classroom he was all alone. However, not for long. There was a tiny knock on the door and Victor stepped into the room.
"Did you tell him?" his voice boomed in, even though this was his whispering voice. Mr. Sweet nodded, looking at Victor.
"He's still going..." Victor's eyes widened.
"What?" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air as he spoke. "You were supposed to get him to avoid the graduation completely! If he goes to that graduation everything is ruined, Eric!" Eric put his glasses back on, looking up at Victor.
"Yes, Victor, I am well aware of that fact. But I can't stop him from going to see his friends. He's going to do whatever he wants, no matter what I say." Victor ran a hand through his hair, aggravated.
"Eric, you're the goddamn Headmaster! Assert your authority as it and (i) force () him not to go! You know what will happen if he goes. You can't think of the others right now. It doesn't matter! Whatever happens to them is as of now out of our control, but we can't risk Eddie going to that ceremony! Do whatever it takes, Eric. Whatever it takes." Eric took a deep breath, knowing Victor was right.
"Very well, Victor. Whatever it takes." The two men exchanged a nod of understanding before exiting and going their separate ways.
Back at Anubis, Trudy had made a bunch of sweets and treats to celebrate. She was going around and giving her famous Trudy hugs as the kids sat around eating all the delicious things she had made. Eddie pushed open the doors of Anubis, trying his absolute hardest to wear a fake smile even though the conversation with his dad had just killed him inside. Fabian was the first to spot him. "See, here he is now," the brunette said to the others. The others all looked at Eddie, smiling. Eddie made eye contact with pretty much all of them, giving a general wave. His eyes stopped when they locked with Patricia's. She smiled at him, and suddenly it was about ten times harder to keep his smile on his face. Luckily Trudy came over and broke their eye contact.
"Oh, all of my lovelies," she said, holding her arms out to give Eddie a hug. "It feels like only yesterday you were all coming here for the first time, and now you're all grown up and leaving!" Eddie hugged her back , still desperately trying not to break his smile.
"Don't smother him, Trudy!" Jerome called out, taking a bite of a scone. Trudy let him go, beaming at him.
"Right, sorry love. Go on, help yourself to anything, Eddie. It's not ever day you get to graduate." Eddie let out a puff of air.
"You could say that again, Trudy. Actually before anything, Fabian, can I have a word with you in our room?" Fabian looked confused for a moment, but stood, letting go of Mara's hand that had previously been in his. Eddie started off to their room as Fabian followed. Only when they were in the room with the door closed did Eddie's smile fade.
"Eddie, what's the matter? You don't so good." Eddie wasn't concerned with not smiling anymore. His new challenge was fighting the tears.
"I'm not graduating..." he said, barely able to be heard. Fabian's eyes widened.
"What? Why? You have to graduate with us, it's not fair! If Patricia's graduating then you should be! No offense." Eddie rubbed his face with his hands.
"I don't know. Apparently I'm failing two important classes, so I can't graduate. I don't have enough credits. Mr. Sweet said I have to take summer, and then I could graduate. This sucks." Fabian looked more shocked than Eddie had previously.
"There has to be a mistake. You worked so hard, Eddie." Eddie took his hands away from his face -now flushed red and a few tears streaming down his cheeks- and looked back at Fabian.
"Apparently not hard enough. I just don't know how to tell the others. Especially Patricia..." Fabian thought for a moment.
"Maybe you don't have to... I can look into this more for you, Eddie. There's no way you could have failed two classes there's just no possible way. You haven't failed that many tests, you get fairly good grades on projects and class work... It's just not possible. Let me figure this out, alright? I don't wanna leave this place without you Eddie and I can assure you that no one else will either." Eddie cheered up a bit hearing this.
"You really think it'll work, Fabes?" Fabian looked directly into Eddie's eyes.
"It's got to. You're going to graduation Eddie, and we'll all be right there with you." The two boys exchanged smiles and hugged like the best friends that they had become.
"Thanks, Fabian," Eddie thanked him. "For everything." When they pulled away they kept their eye contact for an extra few seconds before breaking.
"You're welcome. Now, I'd suggest you go back out with Patricia. I think she'd wanna see you."
"Right," Eddie said, going for the door.
"Oh, but Eddie, you might wanna..." Fabian pointed to his own face to gesture what he meant with Eddie. The blonde got it after a few seconds and nodded, heading to the bathroom first to wash his face free of the redness and tears. Fabian smiled, exiting the room after Eddie and heading back out with the others. Fabian hadn't noticed someone else in the hallway. Someone who had been listening in on their conversation, and who now knew of their plans. It was Victor.
Victor quietly made his way back to his office after hearing Fabian's advice to Eddie. Shaking his head slightly, Victor approached his desk. "So, Rutter thinks he can get Eddie to graduation with the rest of the students. Now that won't do, will it Corbierre?" he spoke, picking up his stuffed Raven and stroking it preciously. "What's that Corbierre? Get rid of the Rutter boy too? Oh ho, why Corbierre, you sneaky bird. Well as much as I agree, we can't. Not yet anyways. Let's let destiny decide his fate." A couple more strokes for the bird, holding it close to his chest, and then Victor places him back on the desk. "The time is coming, my old friend." With a spooky and evil sounding laugh, Victor exited his office, unseen by anyone before or after.
Eddie exited the bathroom and made his way back into the living room where everyone was still munching on sweets. He casually walked over and planted himself on one of the couches next to Patricia. "Yacker," he greeted. She playfully pushed him, a drink in her other hand and a smile on her lips.
"Where were you? You didn't come back with us and then you went off with Fabian. Everything alright?" Patricia asked.
"Yeah, everything's great. Just some dad stuff and ya know, guy stuff. Nothing big, I promise." The blonde looked at her with a smile, and quickly pecked her on the lips. She pulled away, wincing but more in the way of she didn't like to be kissed when she wasn't expecting it. Meanwhile, while everyone was chatting and exciting over graduation in a few days, Victor was off making a call.
"Eric, we're in trouble. The Rutter boy knows. We have to move to plan B; get the girl."