Secret
The hot water on his skin felt good, the smell of his body wash filled his nose. His fingers scrubbed at his raven colored locks, the suds covering his scalp. Taking a shower was a wonderful time for him, it gave him a place to think. Right now, he had a few things running through his mind. Even though he was in a house full of strangers, he felt relieved to have a place to run to. He had school tomorrow, he was worried what would people think. People would look his way, most likely ask many questions he wasn't ready to answer. How would he be able to explain his situation? What would he tell his friends? That he was staying at one of the most popular kids at school's house? That wasn't something to be easily brushed off, especially because they were taking about him. He already knew how Eddy would react, his face would be as red as a tomato.
He groaned softly to himself as he scratched at the back of his head. These troubling thoughts had been running through his mind for a while now. He continued thinking about it all the way until he was finished with his shower. Shutting the water off, he reached for the fluffy towel awaiting for him. It was much softer than the ones he had at his own house. Grabbing the cloth, he pressed it against his face. It smelled good and the cool surface felt nice against his hot face.
A loose shirt and shorts were waiting for him after he dried himself off, it was the usual nightwear for him nowadays. Once winter came, he would probably go back to his fuzzy pairs of one pieces. Grabbing his toothbrush he had brought, he stared at his reflection as he brushed his teeth. He had told himself this a thousand times already, one more wouldn't hurt. Everything would be okay.
Opening the bathroom door, steam rolled out. The air was chilly, it felt good. The tall carpet tickled his feet as he he walked up the stairs. His hands moved the towel in his hair, drying it off. It was late, almost time for him to fall asleep. He still did have a small amount of time to put in some studying. Going into his current room, he curled up on the bed. Sitting comfortably on the bed that was now his, he pulled out all of his books so they were surrounding him, he set to work on learning at least something new.
It wasn't even a few minutes later before he heard a knock at his door. Looking over, he closed his book as the door opened. His brows rose in surprised when he saw it was Kevin. "Greeting Kevin..." He began slowly, "How can I help you?" He wasn't expecting something nice to come from him.
The ginger didn't step inside, just rested his back against the door frame. His arms moved to cross against his chest, Edd could tell he was trying to be threatening. "Listen Dork," Edd could tell he was annoyed, just by his expression alone. "Mom decided to be nice and let you stay here for who knows what reason. I wanted to get something straight with you. I have some rules so my life can be easier with this inconvenience. I do not want anyone at school to find out about this, got it? I can't have people making fun of me." Edd assumed this would be an issue with him, instead of saying something, he remained silent as Kevin continued. "Stay out of my room and when I have people come over, make yourself nonexistent." He seemed to say it in such a threatening manner.
He didn't want to know what would happen if he went against the orders. Edd turned back to his book, "Like you, I have my own reputation to keep. You don't have to worry about anyone finding out." He explained as he tried to pick back up from where he left off. Yet he couldn't quite concentrate, even with the silence coming from the other. "I'm only going to be here for a short period so I'll try to stay out of your way until then." His fingers plucked at his pages as he couldn't gather the courage to look back up. He couldn't believe how cold Kevin was being about this. But he was getting his point across. "Goodnight Kevin," He sighed, wanting to be alone once more. It didn't take much to ruin the mood it seemed. The closing of his door was the last thing from Kevin, he leaned back against the pillows. The other could really be so cruel sometimes. He could be nice when he wanted, but it had been quite awhile. Honestly, during their middle school years, you could call them friends. But once high school happened, their relationship changed.
His books stared back at him, he felt a small amount of dread. He didn't know if he even wanted to study anymore. Frowning, he closed his book and put his pencil away. Looking around for his phone, he grabbed it and gave it a quick look over.
His mother gave him this for emergency only a few years back, she was worried about leaving him home alone for long period of times. But after time had passed and him being alone became a routine, he grew more accommodated to it. Sure it wasn't a fancy smart phone, but for a flip phone, it was pretty entertaining. He noted that he had a missed call from his mother, along with a text. She just wanted to know how everything was going. He wanted to tell he that he wanted to go back home. Instead he told her that he's enjoying himself. With a slight frown, he scrolled around on the small device. He installed Solitaire on it not too long ago, playing it on his free time. But knowing how late it was getting, he didn't play for too long before he got situated for bed. It made him feel a bit better, overall, he just hoped the weirdness of staying here would fade away after a period of time. Only he could hope.
"So I get a D on my test right?" Eddy had stuffed a spoonful of mash potatoes into his mouth, "So I tried to retake it. Well apparently that isn't allowed so now my parents are going to kill me. I can already see it, no video games or access to the internet for an entire month. They're insane like that. It's stupid as hell."
Edd watched the food fall out of his mouth as he ranted, wanting to cringe but decided to just nod instead. "Did you study for it?" He already knew the answer thanks to his friends bad habits. When Eddy shrugged, he chuckled. "My invitations of studying at the library will always be continuous. You'd be surprised how much just looking over your notes once could help."He noticed the two not looking his way, rather at there food and phones. He sighed, he should have figured as much.
He looked down at his own food, just a bag of baby carrots and some applesauce. Because of his new home, he wasn't able to pack his own lunch, having to stoop down to cafeteria food. At least the applesauce was strawberry flavored. This was definitely the best they had. He then decided to pull his eyes away from the food and let them roam around the large room. Everyone seemed to be in pretty high spirits after everything had happened. Maybe it was because of the extra day off school? He wasn't sure. But then again, it wasn't like any of these people had a tree fall into their house. Speaking of which, it was quite awkward coming in today. He had gathered quite a bit of looks, some actually asked him what it was like. He wasn't really sure on what to tell them. It was pretty obvious. Then there were his friends who wanted the entire story, including the epilogue. Which he couldn't tell thanks to his life being at risk.
His eyes stopped at the athletic table, at a particular ginger. The other was staring right back at him, a scowl on his lips. Throughout the entire first half of the day, he felt eyes on him. Kevin really was worried about his reputation. Even now, he was assuming he was telling his secret. But of course, he said nothing. Not even to his best friends, even though keeping the secret had him dying inside. So when Ed asked him where he was staying, Edd told them he was living with his mothers friend. It wasn't a lie but he was definitely holding back on some cold, hard facts. Eddy would throw a fit if he found out he wasn't telling them. Even after all these years had passed, Eddy and Kevin's relationship continued to be rocky. Polar opposites. Eddy would tell him what could happen or what would happen when the entire football team found out. It would be middle school all over again. So for now, he would keep the full truth to himself.
He tore his eyes away from Kevin's and shoved more food into his mouth. He didn't want to think about them all finding out. His brows knit together, he swallowed his food. He was sure he'd only be there for a few weeks. Moving a tree and fixing a wall couldn't be that hard, going to school, he actually saw some parts cut off. No matter how many times he had to tell himself, he knew there would eventually be light at the end of the tunnel.
He was finishing up his meal when the bell finally rang, he would need to be quick so he'd have enough time to stop at his locker. Bidding his friends goodbye, he was quick to leave.
Reaching his locker, he precisely spun the combination, causing the door to pop open. Swapping his books, he stopped to notice his reflection in the mirror. He noticed how tired he looked. He knew it was from his lack of sleep the night before. Kevin seemed to be a fan of listening to music and playing video games all night. His parents were in their room downstairs, but he wouldn't believe it if they heard nothing. Either way, it was tough on him. No wonder the male was sleeping through most of his classes. It takes work to fail like he was. He went back to thinking what his mother had asked of him. She wanted Kevin to get good grades. But if the ginger wanted nothing to do with him, how could he make that possible? Sighing softly to himself, he grabbed the rest of what he needed before closing the door.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed a familiar bluenette standing there, staring right back at him. It was Marie Kanker, the middle aged sister of the three. The fact that she's the scariest should also be mentioned. Though over the years, she had mellowed out a little bit. Still didn't make him less scared. "Greetings Marie..."He spoke slowly, not sure on why she was here. "How may I help you?"He asked, his eyes wandering to see if she was alone or not. Luckily for him, he didn't see the other two lurking behind him.
He noticed her eyes were narrowed, like she was annoyed at something. "We need to talk. Meet me at the football field after school, got it?" She questioned though it seemed more like she was barking an order. She didn't take long to get to the point. Simple and sweet, that was how she ran, he noted.
He gave a quick nod, not sure how to react to her demanding self. Seeing how quick she was going with this conversation, he didn't think he would have much time to tell her no. "S-Sure."Apparently that's all she wanted to hear because she was already walking away from him, her hands shoved in her pockets. Watching her leave, he felt confused. Why in the world would she want to talk to him? Should he bring a friend? What if she decided that she wanted to attack him. With the Kankers, you never knew what to expect. Turning, his mind continued to wander as he walked to his next class.
A/N: Wasn't a huge fan with how this chapter turned out. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this however. Thanks for reading and for everyone who has reviewed so far, I seriously appreciate it you guys!