A few days had passed since Double D began planning. His parents agreed to order the parts he needed, but they hadn't arrived yet. In the meantime, he had a rough draft of the 3D environment ready, and he managed to build prototype frames for the goggles and gun. They were both very rough, made out of uncomfortable plastic and metal scraps. He had just been adjusting the left temple of the goggles when the doorbell rang.
"Confound it," he angrily said to himself. His parents weren't home, and he had been looking forward to the entire day without interruptions.
The doorbell rang four more times as Edd stormed his way downstairs. Whoever was at the door was painfully stubborn.
"Coming!" Edd shouted. He reached the door, straightened his shirt, and then pulled on the handle.
"Eddy?" was all he could manage. His friend stood on the welcome mat with a large grin, rubbing his hands greedily. Ed was just behind him, blankly staring at the top of the doorway with a vacant smile. Had they forgotten so quickly about the events only several days past?
"Heya, sockhead!" Eddy enthusiastically yelled as he stepped forward into the house. "You better find a seat, because I'm about to blow your mind!"
"Eddy, now's not the time—"
Eddy grabbed Double D by the arm and swung him into a nearby chair. He sank into the cushion.
"Can it," Eddy barked. "You're not going to believe your ears. It's the master scam. The motherlode!"
"Eddy, I—"
"Theme parks," he interrupted, throwing his hands. "All of 'em have these rides, right? Big giant rollercoaster tracks, tons of metal and wood and space! Well, what if I told you we didn't NEED the track!"
Double D furrowed his brow. For a moment, he started to consider how to achieve what Eddy was describing. That was the trap. He shoved these thoughts away, promising himself to not get involved in another one of Eddy's misguided adventures.
"Stop!" Double D said, finally managing to interrupt Eddy's momentum. Eddy's lips dropped into a low frown as he raised his eyebrow.
"What's your problem?" Eddy asked.
"My problem," Edd began, "is that you clearly haven't thought for one second about what I said last week. You're charging into my house, uninvited, spouting off about a new way to take advantage of the trust of everyone in the cul de sac! I won't have it, Eddy!"
Eddy's face grew red as he shrank back. Even Ed, who had finally sauntered into the room, began to look ashamed. Double D rose from his chair and continued.
"I haven't spoken to you in days, because I have nothing to say to you. Until you thoroughly learn from your mistakes, count me out of any schemes or plots you might be concocting. I'm very busy for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I encourage you to focus on something more productive than making a… what was it? A roller coaster with no tracks? I'd offer a mirthless laugh, but even that is more energy than I want to spend on your antics right now. You need to leave, Eddy."
Double D walked to the still-open front door and gestured outside. Eddy paused for a moment, then his face twisted in anger. He walked up to the door and looked Edd squarely in the eyes.
"Okay," Eddy said, pointing a finger in Double D's face. "I'm gonna let that fly this once. You better sort out whatever's eating you, sockhead, because I don't like the way you're talkin' to me!" He stormed outside. Double D crossed his arms defiantly.
Ed then crept up to the door like a scared puppy. Double D exchanged a glance, letting a wave of guilt wash over him. He really didn't have a problem with Ed, and it felt tragic to see his argument with Eddy inflicting so much damage on the poor fellow, who looked to be on the brink of tears.
"Ed," he said absently, his hand outstretched.
Ed just wiped his nose with his sleeve and slowly walked after Eddy. Double D watched his friends travel down the sidewalk, around the corner, and out of sight.
Well, that didn't feel good, he thought. He looked down absently at his welcome mat. He started to worry that he was overreacting. Eddy had only come over, the same way as always, to eagerly present one of the many plans that entered his head. There was no real insult, no malicious intent. He'd have to remember to apologize to them both, when the time was right.
Edd's gaze wandered to his mailbox. He noticed, with a welling excitement, that the flag was up. Perhaps, he thought, the parts had finally arrived.
He walked briskly across his yard, hoping that Ed and Eddy weren't still nearby. As he scanned left and right, he saw Kevin raking leaves across the street. Edd silently thanked his luck that his own parents didn't often ask him to do yardwork.
Still, he thought, one had to admire Kevin's diligence with his chores. He was wearing a white tank top, his familiar green sweater wrapped around his waist. He worked fast and neatly, which seemed contrary to his usual image. He planted the end of his rake into the earth and wiped his brow. Then, unexpectedly, he and Edd made eye contact. Double D froze in his tracks and came to a shocking realization.
He had walked far past the mailbox.
Embarrassed, he turned around and tried to ignore Kevin's gaze. He reached the mailbox and opened it, reaching deep into the back. His hand touched a small package. He retrieved it and examined the label. It was addressed to him.
He couldn't contain his excitement. He swiftly but carefully removed the band of tape on the top of the box and pulled the flaps aside.
"What's that?" Kevin asked.
Double D shouted and hurled the box into the air. He immediately regretted it; the box contained all of the parts for his goggles, the light gun, even the tracking system. His parents had paid for it once, and they would not be excited to do so again. This made each part practically irreplaceable. The world moved in slow motion.
Kevin caught the open box perfectly.
"Uh, you okay, man?" he asked.
"Certainly!" Edd replied, straightening his posture. "You just… surprised me, is all. How are you today, Kevin?"
"Fine, dork," Kevin said, lightly slugging Edd in the shoulder. He looked down the street where Ed and Eddy disappeared.
"I heard you guys arguing a minute ago," he added. "Everything cool? Seemed louder than usual."
Double D looked down toward the ground, clutching his own wrist. Was everything indeed 'cool?' He couldn't say for sure. That had been the first time he stood up for himself against Eddy, and the consequences were still ambiguous. He did know, however, that he greatly wanted to distract himself from the subject as soon as possible.
"Um, never mind that," he finally said. He held his hand out. "May I have my package?"
Kevin looked down at the box, shook it once, and then handed it over. He didn't seem to be satisfied with avoiding the subject, Edd considered, but he also seemed to understand not wanting to talk about something.
"So, what is that stuff?" Kevin asked as Double D gratefully took the box back.
"Just a few electronic components for something I'm working on," he replied. "You recall Eddy's scam from several days ago? The 'Virtual Reality' course?"
"Who could forget," Kevin said with a smile.
Edd blushed at that. Kevin certainly seemed to have enjoyed the excuse to shoot the Eds with a slingshot, but Double D was still embarrassed to be involved with the whole ordeal.
"Yes, well…" Edd began. "I've been looking into a way to make the experience a little more genuine. A real headset, being tracked in a three-dimensional environment, which would then be displayed back to the user. Also, a gun peripheral to interact with the environment—"
"Uh, hold on, dude…" Kevin said reluctantly, his hand held up slightly. "I can kind of already tell I'm not gonna know what you're talking about."
"Ah," Edd sheepishly replied. "Yes, I find that I often start yammering on with too many details. I get that way when I'm focused; I've been working on this project nonstop for several days, and I might be getting a bit obsessive."
"Well, why don't you just like, show me?" Kevin asked.
Double D paused. He didn't think Kevin had ever been inside his house. In fact, this single conversation was already more than they had probably spoken to each other in the last year or so. He considered the disorganized state of his room, but shook himself away from that thought. It would be nice, he decided, to have company other than Ed or Eddy.
"Of course, Kevin," he finally replied, gesturing toward his house. "Right this way!"
