Chapter 2
A few minutes later, after Ed and Double D had gotten over their shock of seeing Noodle on Eddy's front porch, the four teenagers were in Eddy's living room.
"So, let me get this straight," Eddy said to Noodle. "You and Murdoc came up with this hair-brained scheme of a music video just so you could disappear for a while?"
Meanwhile, Noodle was sitting on Eddy's couch, looking like a schoolgirl who had been sent to the principal's office.
"Now, Eddy," said Double D. "There's no need to sound harsh about this…"
"No, it's okay," said Noodle. "I probably deserve it for making such a shocking video."
Ed just stared. "So…uh…you didn't meet your horrible, flaming doom in that windmill?"
Noodle smiled. "No, Ed," she said. "The whole thing was staged. I parachuted out of the windmill before it crashed."
"Well…okay," said Eddy. "But that still doesn't explain why you even made the video to begin with."
"Actually, the video was mostly Murdoc's idea," said Noodle. "But I did need a break. Keep in mind, I was getting the most publicity because I made most of the album by myself."
"Understandable," said Double D.
"So, I went to Murdoc and asked him if I could lay low for a while," said Noodle. "It was a little strange, actually; he told me he already had an idea in mind for our newest music video. He said if I did the video without any protest, I could "disappear" for a while. Mind you, I wasn't 100 supportive of the video, but I figured if it meant I could take a break, I could handle it."
"So, what are you saying?" asked Double D. "You think Murdoc may have been trying to get rid of you on purpose?"
Noodle sighed. "With Murdoc, I honestly wouldn't be surprised. But…out of the time I've spent with him, I wouldn't think he would want anything to happen to me. But still…"
"You can't help but wonder?" asked Eddy.
"Yes, exactly," said Noodle. "And now that I think of it, a few days before we started shooting, I heard Murdoc talking to someone in his Winnebago. I caught the words "Noodle" and "El Manana," so whoever it was, they were talking about the video."
"Well, did you ask Murdoc about it?" asked Double D.
"When I brought it up to him, he seemed to not want to talk about it," said Noodle. "He said it was "personal business" and that I shouldn't worry about it."
"Maybe he's part of some secret alien race that requires the sacrifice of young girls!" said Ed.
"Oh, that's really nice to say, Ed," said Eddy.
Surprisingly, Noodle giggled. "If Murdoc is an alien, he's the only satanic alien I've ever met. And while he does like young girls, I don't seem to recall any human sacrifices…a few cats, maybe, but no humans."
The Eds were all wide-eyed.
"And you've lived with that guy all this time without being scarred for life?" asked Double D.
"Well, it helped to have 2D and Russel there, too," said Noodle. "They're probably the reason I'm not scarred for life."
"Oh, yeah," said Eddy. "I almost forgot about those two."
"Do they know you're here?" asked Ed.
"Well…" Noodle paused. "No, they don't. Only Murdoc knows I'm here. 2D and Russel are probably thinking the same thing all our fans are thinking after seeing the video. They left Kong Studios soon after Murdoc and I finished making the video."
"What?!" asked Double D. "Even they don't know about this? Why didn't you tell them?'
Noodle shrugged. "Murdoc told me not to."
"So you just did it?" asked Eddy.
"If I've learned anything from living with Murdoc, it's to not question his actions," said Noodle. "If he's up to something, he'll eventually talk."
"Well…okay," said Double D. "But I still don't like it."
"Believe me, I don't like having to not tell anyone else, either," said Noodle.
"So why'd you come to Peach Creek?" asked Ed.
Noodle smiled. "I figured now was a better time than ever to see you guys again," she said. "But…I don't want to stay too long. I was thinking of heading to someplace I can relax for a while. As soon as I'm done here, all I need to do is head back to the airport and tell them where I want to go. I was thinking about heading to the Maldives…"
Suddenly, Eddy's face lit up. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I just got a great idea!"
"What a surprise…" said Double D.
"See, Ed, Double D, and I were planning on taking a road trip, since it's our Spring Break right now," Eddy explained to Noodle. "Why don't you come with us, and if you want, when we stop at a town with an airport, we can just drop you off there while we finish our road trip. It's so simple!"
"Like me?" asked Ed.
"A road trip?" asked Noodle. "Well…I don't know. The last time I traveled across the country was with three older men and it was plagued with nightmares on my behalf…"
"But if you hadn't gone on that tour, you wouldn't have met us, right?" asked Ed.
Noodle smiled again. "Yes, I suppose so," she responded. "And I guess it would be nice to hang out with people around my age…" She grinned. "All right. I'll do it!"
"YAY!" said Ed. "ROAD TRIP!"
"Excellent!" said Eddy. "Just need to finalize a few things…" He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, bro? I need you to help me carry a few things…"
"While Eddy's doing that, why don't we show you the car we'll be traveling in, Noodle?" asked Double D.
With that, he, along with Noodle and Ed, walked outside to see the impressive red convertible sitting in Eddy's driveway.
Noodle was definitely impressed. "This is Eddy's car?" she asked.
"It used to be his brother's," said Ed, matter-of-factly.
"I'll be honest with you," said Double D. "If it had been a few years back, Eddy's brother probably wouldn't have given it to Eddy. They weren't as close as they are now, seeing as everyone was expecting Eddy to be like his perfect older brother."
"Really?" asked Noodle. "Well, what happened that caused them to get close again?"
"Well…I think it would be better if Eddy explained it himself," said Double D. "It'll be fun to reminisce once we get on the road."
"So…what's his brother's name?" asked Noodle.
"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" said Ed. "His name is…"
"Get your bags ready, people!" Eddy suddenly yelled, running outside. "We're going to Los Angeles!"