Many people thought they knew Eddward Marion. If asked, they would tell you that Eddward was a thin, gangly creature who stuttered a lot. Others would say that he was a brilliant person, a genius even. They would say he was always nervous, probably due to his incredible shyness. Many would swear he was a very kind boy, though his social awkwardness kept him from having a large amount of friends. A few would whisper of scientist parents, who had raised the boy to enter the medical field despite his protests.
You might even hear rumors of what lay underneath the beanie he wore everyday- nothing, because he had cancer and had lost all of his hair, a very large scar, most likely from an injury that had made him both smart and socially inept, or curly hair, because he was far too embarrassed to show it. Whatever the reason, many people noticed and was curious about what the boy was hiding under his cap.
And, if you should ask those who knew him best, they would say there was more to him than met the eye.
Those who were graced with his presence often barely noticed him. He was always in the back corner, his eyes on the notes he was taking and his mouth shut. He was rarely called on, and never worked in groups if he didn't have to. Most assumed the boy just didn't care for company, and left it at that. They assumed he was stuck up. They assumed he was too shy. They assumed he was already done with the project.
If he were to present in front of a class, he would stand very straight, moving very quickly through the material he had, looking uncomfortable but determined. Many thought he became a bit different during such times, though the attributed his change of attitude to his perfectionism. Some thought he faked his confidence for a good grade. Others? Well, they thought he was just a fake all around.
Few knew of his past in junior high. It was basic knowledge that he had been picked on, but to what extent most didn't understand. They were not horrible bullies, but they were effective. Some believed his shy nature was a result of being verbally harassed during those years. Others believed it was because of his timid personality that he had been made fun of.
Regardless, those who had seen it themselves knew it didn't matter either way.
There were, surprisingly, quite a few people that thought they knew him.
They thought he was a pretty open book.
A kind, awkward nerd that was treated ill for a time.
A thin boy who knew too much for his age.
A lonely kid who was too shy to make many friends.
A strange, socially immature type of person.
A quiet, smart being who just didn't have many people to talk to.
A nerd.
A geek.
A wimp.
A genius.
A loner.
A dork.
Oh yes, many claimed that they knew who he was. They, for some strange reason, seemed to think that because he acted a certain way in public, they had every right to label him and call that 'getting to know him'. They thought that being near him, and seeing just how he handled a few different situations made him easy to read. Made him something they could understand, as surely he was socially awkward he couldn't keep anything to himself anyway. He was just that, someone the students loved to label for their own convenience, as it somehow made them a better person for doing so. They thought they were doing the world a favor by knowing his name, somehow righting whatever had wronged him by simply taking the time to memorize the symbols that made up the beginning of his rhetorical identity.
His name was Eddward Marion.
And this is his story.