A/N: Second chapter is here. I hope you all will enjoy this one. I, of course, don't own any of the characters except Emily and Tony. (Oh noes! OC s! Don't worry, I promise they all have legit places in the fic.) Song lyrics that are italicized and stared are not mine. They belong to Meg and Dia's song "Timmy."
Survey the Social
Chapter two.
It was probably after midnight, but she didn't care. On the roof of a run-of-the-mill house in a regular development sat a girl with an acoustic guitar, playing a slow melody.
"Watch him leave the floor. My body's inching towards the door. I just turn instead. Not done pretending yet, never done pretending yet." Black painted fingernails and agile fingers tips fluttered over the strings as the words turned into humming. They only paused to pick up pencil and jot down lyrics in the cool moonlight. "I'm indifferent, let me go. Gotta dance and think of him no more. Never never understand the words I wrote. Never mind a heart that's broken, right? You can never be mine, all I do is fight fight. I'm indifferent to you. I've got nothing for you."
"Will you shut up?! SOME of us have school tomorrow!" Lee's shadowed outline yelled out the window of their small home. Marie gave her sister a crude jester before shoving the pencil in the spirals of her notebook.
Peach County High was truly intimidating. The building was three stories tall and half a mile long, meant to house a staggering 3,500 students and faculty. It was built to accommodate students not just from the Peach Creek school system, but three surrounding school districts as well. The brick building seemed extra cold and extra dark and menacing to the smallest of the Eds as the rest of the Peach Creek kids waited for their bus to take its spot in front of the school. There was a conga line of busses and student and teacher vehicles that held up traffic on the main road. Maybe the whole thing wouldn't be so nerve racking if their trio was complete. Double D was missing, strangely. Without his ravings about academic challenges and the rewards of proper hygiene, Eddy felt extra vulnerable here. To top it off, Double D never came back to tell them what that surprise was, the jerk.
"It's like The Human Ocean from Mars!" Ed said with glee as he pointed out the window at the massive crowd in front of the school. Hundreds of students were filing into the building. Eddy gaped at them, trying to figure out who was student, and who was teacher.
"I don't think the life guard is on duty, Eddy." Before Eddy could reply to Ed's dumb comments, Ed put an inner tube around Eddy and shoved floaties on his arms. "There. Now you can go in the water."
Eddy quickly tore off the swimming gear and threw them back into Ed's face "I don't need stupid baby stuff, and it's not water moron! It's people. Hundreds of people." He turned and pressed his face against the glass of the window. "If my brother was top dog of this school, I can do it too." He grinned at himself at that and climbed up to sit on the top of the seat in front of him. "Hey! All you jerks are looking at the future king of Peach County High!"
"All I see is a runt that's going to get trampled when he gets off the bus!" Kevin laughed, the rest of the bus joining him.
"Why don't you come back here and say that-" The bus suddenly came to a stop, sending Eddy flying backwards, landing in Ed's lap.
"There, there, little one." Ed patted Eddy's head as everyone rolled with laughter as they exited the bus.
Eddy got up, red faced and fuming, grabbed his bags and stomped off the bus. As predicted, the mob of people in front of him made it hard to see.
"Where'd they all come from Eddy?" Ed asked, sticking close.
"Forget that, just pick me up lump-head." In seconds he was lifted up on Ed's shoulders. It was only moments before the rest of the students noticed the two, some pointing and some laughing.
"Look!" Shouted a boy who looked far too old to be a student there. "That guy brought his baby brother to school!" The surrounding kids laughed.
"Shut up! He's my slave, get it right!" Eddy shouted back. "I don't see you with any lackeys. And what grade are you in? You've failed the 11th grade five times? Six?" He crossed his arms and sat triumphantly on top of an oblivious Ed. The students looked at Eddy's confident composure and the other kid's face as he groped for a come back. When he failed to think of one, the students started cheering for Eddy, everyone parting for the two of them. Eddy looked down at Ed "This is going to be a good year. To the front door, slave!"
"You got it boss!" Ed saluted, almost dropping Eddy but caught his leg again quickly and trotted off to the front door. As they made their way, they passed Kevin walking with Nazz in tow.
"Future king, baby." He grinned, winking at Nazz as they passed. She smiled at him and Kevin shook his fist.
Once they were inside, Ed put Eddy down. "Too bad Double D wasn't here to see that." Eddy laughed.
"Do you think he was eaten by the closet monster that collects human toes?" The genuinely worried expression is was always annoyed Eddy a little bit. It would be different if the kid was kidding, but as always Ed believed it could actually happen.
"No he's probably still joy riding in his new car, the jerk. When I see him again I'm gunna-" He was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder and a smooth female voice.
"That was really cool how you stood up to Tony back there. I'm Emily." She was only slightly taller than him with long brown curly hair that shimmered and flowered over her tan shoulders. Her body, wow her body was perfect. Curves in the right place and the most stylish clothing covering only the curves that really needed covered. She giggled when he started to drool and gently tilted Eddy's chin up when his eyes lingered too long on her body. "I like cool guys."
"W-well I'm as cool as they come. Eddy's the name and this lump is Ed. I usually have another lackey but he's-"
"Double D!" Shouted Ed as he rushed off into the crowd and came back with a floppy Edd in his arms.
"It's about time you got here." Eddy said, arms crossed. "Never thought you'd be late for the first day of school." Instead of replying, Double D hung his head and slumped his shoulders. To that Eddy raised an eyebrow. "What? Did your folks stand you up again?" Double D solemnly shook his head.
"Eddy shush. He has a tummy ache from all the mashed potatoes." Ed scolded before rubbing Double D's back. "Shh It happens to me all the time."
"You know this guy?" Emily whispered to Eddy, sending shudders down his spine. She studied Double D from his pathetic depressed looking posture to his button up shirt, tie, dress pants and brief case. There was a eye glass case shaped lump in his pocket. "He's such a geek." That time it was a whisper loud enough for Edd to hear.
"I-uh-oh he's just does my homework for me." Eddy laughed. "Or I give him a wedgie." Double D put his hands on his hips at that. "It's that right, Double Geek?" D's response was an intense glare at his friend. "See? He's even too scared to talk to me. That's how I like my nerds."
"That is quite enough!" Double D shouted. The three people in front of him suddenly burst out into laughter. Across Double D's upper teeth was a thick metallic band. Bright, shiney braces were his special and expensive gift. The new reading glasses were an extra bonus he had earned when he couldn't read the fine print on the consent forms for the braces. He waited with crossed arms and angry expression for the laughter to stop. Even Ed was laughing. When it didn't and other random children were laughing too, Double D had had enough.
"Oh sure! Laugh! I'll have you know that corrective dental hardware is a sound investment in one's future and-" It didn't work. They were just laughing harder.
"Where's the head gear?" Eddy managed as he gasped for air. "It looks like you swallowed Jimmy from two years ago! What a geek!"
At that, Double D turned and marched off, completely furious. But then again...he knew that they'd react that way. It's why he was dreading to come, why he desperately didn't want to show them. At least he didn't have to suffer the trials of having head gear like poor Jimmy did. He certainly gained new respect for his younger peer. But for that ingrate Eddy to laugh and laugh like that! It wasn't that humourous! He pushed into the closest bathroom and dropped his briefcase by a sink and glared at himself in the mirror.
"What in the world do they find so amusing?" He asked, searching his face. With a sigh he relaxed and held his head, feeling a headache coming on. "My first day of high school should not be so troublesome."
"Some things don't change, do they?" Asked a female voice from the window sill. Double D look up and blushed, stepping back.
"M-M-Marie Kanker?!" He choked out as she hopped down. Marie had grown well. Pretty blue hair with the same choppy cut, just the back met the base of her neck before ending. She wore a customary black tank top which ended low enough to give hints at a shiney blue belly button ring, but certainly covered more than what most of the females wore here. Loose gray-blue cargos hugged her slim hips. Marie's lips curled into a grin as he pressed against the sinks as she approached and she placed black painted fingers on her hips as she looked him over.
"It's been a while, huh? 3 years since Mama got hitched to a real man and we moved into a real house?"
"What are you doing here? This is a men's bathroom!" D asked before slipping onto the floor.
"Funny, I don't see any urinals." She smirked. Double D looked around and to his horror he found that it was true. In his overemotional state, he must have failed to notice and walked straight into- He covered his eyes immediently, trying to get up and bumping his head on the sink in the process. She took his wrist and lead him back to his feet before surprisingly letting him go. He peeked through his fingers at her, his knees shaking.
"Y-you're not going to...?"
"Rape you? Hardly." She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "I gotta say I'm a little disappointed. I was really hopping you'd have grown up a little."
"I'll have you know that I'm quite mature for my age." Marie only rolled her eyes at his proclamation.
"Let me guess. Eddy was a jerk to you and you got upset and walked blindly into a girl's bathroom?"
Double D looked at his shoes. "Perhaps."
"He called you a geek, huh? The braces, right?" She came closer and took the glasses case from his pocket and took out the thick, black and square frames before slipping them gently on his face. Even when the glasses were on, she held his face still, eyes locked on his. "Labels like geek and nerd only bother people who don't know who they are." She let him go and took a step back, studying him. "For the record, I think these look good on you."
Marie waved and left, leaving Edd stunned, staring at the pink stalls and window. Was that really Marie? And what did she mean didn't know who he was? Of course he knew who he was!
Right?
Suddenly, the sound of someone coming in interrupted his thoughts and Double D dashed into a stall and closed the door, waiting with shaking knees until the giggling gossiping girls left. As soon as they had he dashed out just in time for the first class bell.
The first class was English, but the new teacher's words faded behind Double D's thoughts. Why did those labels bother him so much? Maybe because geek was a step below dork? He took out a note book and jotted down his thoughts, making a social ladder of sorts with the bottom being geek, then nerd, dork, loser, freak, no body, prep, cheerleader, jock. Surly this would need more investigation. Still, he felt a little uneasy about Marie's words. This social investigation might end up a personal journey of his own. Double D wasn't sure wether he should be excited or nervous about that fact, after all, experiments were meant just to clarify nature and logic...not be interpersonal mirrors.
This was going to be an interesting study indeed.
A/N: This is getting fun. Don't worry, this story isn't about ships, so if you're hesitant about EddxMarie, or some weird OC pairing, then don't worry. I've got more in mind for the fic than just who's smooching who. If/when relationships come into the picture it won't be the whole focus of the story, I promise.
I kept most of the characters exactly as they were because nothing has changed significantly in their lives. They all still live in the same houses and with the same parents as before. However, family changes and moving can do a lot to help someone grow, so I had a lot of fun thinking about how I would like to develop the Kanker Sisters. I hope it doesn't turn any of you guys off to the story.
Thanks for reading!