Chapter 1

Four years later:

Kevin leaned forward in his chair as he flipped another page of his yearbook and smiled at the fond memories. He inhaled deeply and stretched his arms out, placing them behind his head. He had found himself in this same position more and more often lately. Life hadn't taken him very far and he longed for the old days at the cul-de-sac when he was a lot closer to happy.

He sometimes felt guilty for being so unhappy with his life. He had a beautiful girlfriend and his parents still payed for all his living expenses, the only thing holding him back was himself. There was no reason for him to get so down over nothing. He sighed and turned another page, blushing when he saw Double D's gap-toothed smile looking back at him.

Just then he heard Nazz coming out of the bathroom and he quickly turned the page. He could smell the fumes of hairspray and strong perfume as she sighed loudly in annoyance. "That thing again?" she asked with a harsh tone.

"There wasn't anything on tv," he shrugged "what's the big deal?"

"I'm just sick of you living in the past, why can't you just be happy with me here, in the present?" she asked in a softer voice. She watched Kevin as his frown changed into a scowl.

"How am I supposed to be happy with you constantly nagging me?" he asked, raising his voice a little. "Just cause I'd rather reminisce than go out partying every night doesn't mean I'm not happy!" Nazz shook her head at his comment.

"Don't make this about me!" she said, anger increasing her volume. "I work hard all week trying to keep my grades up, I have a right to go out and be with friends on the weekend!" She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't wanna fight anymore" she pleaded. "I'm just worried about you Kev…"

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'M FINE." He scolded. "Just go out with your stupid friends and leave me alone!"

Nazz looked at him with hurt and anger in her eyes. "Fine!" she yelled, trying to hold back tears. Before Kevin could apologize she stormed out the front door slamming it behind her. Kevin closed his yearbook and stood up.

He thought for a moment about going after her but sighed and walked to the fridge instead. After opening the refrigerator door he paused for a moment to feel the cool air on his skin, then grabbed two beers and took them to the couch.

Kevin chugged the first beer and continued surfing channels until his second bottle was empty. "I give up." He said to himself as he got up and went to grab another beer. He stood in the kitchen drinking for a bit before he decided to go for a walk. 'Some fresh air might do me some good' he thought. He locked the door behind him and gulped down the last of his beer, tossing the empty bottle into a bush carelessly as he walked away.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

After what felt like five or ten minutes Kevin came upon a coffee shop. "Should probably sober up" he thought aloud. Without looking he forcefully pushed the door open until it stopped against another body with a 'THUD'.

Edd felt the cold door slam into his shoulder before he had a chance to move out of the way. He let out a small yelp of pain as he lost his balance and fell to the floor, his school books tumbling around him. "Oh I'm sorry I..." Kevin started to apologize before noticing just who it was he had knocked over. "Double Deeeeeee!" he let out with a tipsy grin. He took a step forward to help the smaller boy up but tripped over one of the books and ended up on top of him. "Oops" Kevin laughed. "Greetings Kevin" Edd spoke shyly as he started to blush.

The red head smiled down at him without moving to get up. Double D cleared his throat, "if you wouldn't mind, could you kindly remove yourself from my being?" he asked. "Oh, yeah" Kevin blushed as he quickly stood up and dusted himself off. He reached out his hand to help up the dark haired boy and collected some of the books for him.

"Sorry about that." Kevin apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's quite alright, but…" Edd hesitated, "if you don't mind me asking, have you been drinking Kevin?" He lifted his ball cap to push his hair back out of his face then replaced it with a sigh. "Yeah, so what?" he asked defensively.

"Well, it's just that consuming alcohol can become a nasty habit, especially for someone in your age group…" Double D began to ramble. "Many young people drink to try and avoid their problems and it can become very dangerous quite quickly. Becoming intoxicated is never safe, and doing so all alone is often a sign of addiction. I'm simply concerned about your well-being." He finished with a nervous smile. Kevin shook his head. "Whatever dork."

"I'm fine, just had a few beers after fighting with Nazz." The red haired boy confessed. "Would you perhaps like to discuss it over a cup of coffee?" Edd asked with a small smile. Kevin shrugged, "There's not much to talk about, but I guess I could use some coffee." The dork's smile grew on his face, showing the cute gap in his teeth. "Excellent." He chimed.