Chapter 6

Edd entered his last class of the day, which was his new class, Auto Workshop. He showed the teacher his schedule and he told him to take a seat. The teacher's name was Mr. Fletcher and he was dressed in a short sleeves jersey, a pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers. He was an old looking man but he didn't dress like one.

"Alright class, we're going to go into what this class. You're going to learn the parts of certain mechanical items and how they work. We'll cover cars and much more in this class. Participation is a big thing in this class. You'll get homework and you be tested but hands-on participation is greatly focused on in this class. You can't really know what each part does unless you make that part work, right?" Mr. Fletcher asked. The class nodded and murmured.

"As I said yesterday and to those who are new here, you will be paired off in groups of four when it comes to working on projects. Who hasn't been assigned a group?" Edd and two others raised their hands. "Alright then, you three along with the guy in corner can form a group." The four sat and surrounded a table. "Alright, let's begin the first lesson." Everyone took out there notebooks and waited to write.

XXX

Sarah was walking home alone after separating for her friends off the bus. As she passed the park, she noticed Jonny just standing there. It wasn't un-usual to see the bald head boy just stand there and look at the trees. Despite him being better for it, Jonny missed his favorite piece of wood. His Plank phase was taken care of by the boy's parents after Jonny was threatened by the principal by being expelled. He was very resistant in the beginning, even running away from home. That's when he was cornered and had an intervention by the cul-de-sac kids. It would take another week before Jonny relented and accepted the help.

He let go of Plank which was a pretty sad thing to watch. Afterwards, he still went to therapy. He was a little more withdrawn but it wasn't so much that he pushed everyone away. He still hung out with them and he even made a few friends in school. He had an interest in carpentry, which wasn't surprising to everyone. He was really good at it too, with wood and stone.

Jonny was one of her best male friends. He was the one who stood up for her two years ago when Jimmy almost made her cry. The words that he said to him sent him running and then he treated her to some ice cream. They stayed pretty friendly and she was his ear when he wanted to talk. Nazz, Lee and her friends would tease her about having a crush on him, which she sometimes violently disagreed.

Sarah entered the park and walked up to him. She bumped her elbow into his side, startling him a little. She giggled at his face.

"Sorry but I couldn't help myself." Sarah said with mirth.

"One day, I'm going to have heart problems and it will be your fault." Jonny joked. Sarah just looked amused. They stayed quiet for a while before Sarah spoke again.

"You really miss him huh?" Sarah asked.

"Sometimes but I'm missing him less and less. I'm not saying that I would forget my childhood friend but I think that I can move on." Jonny answered her. That's when something came to his mind. "Hey, I've got something to tell you. You'll never guess who I saw in my American History class."

"Who?"

"Double D, he's back." Jonny watched his best friend and noticed that she was nervous and hesitant when he announced that.

"I-Is that s-so? W-Wow, did you talk to him?" Sarah asked with a nervous stutter. Jonny narrowed his eyes and saw that she was way too nervous. That's when it hit him.

"Oh my god, you knew that he was back, didn't you?" Jonny accused.

"What? No, I didn't know! I swear!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Sarah," Jonny said and stared at her. She refused to meet his eyes but it would soon prove to be futile. She let out a sigh and looked at Jonny.

"Okay damn it, yes I knew that he was back in Peach Creek." Sarah said.

"For how long?" Jonny asked.

"Not long… almost three weeks." Sarah said like a child. Jonny looked at her like she was crazy.

"So let me get this straight, you've known that Edd has been in Peach Creek for almost three weeks and you, Sarah Tolbert, actually kept quiet about it?" Jonny asked.

"Hey!" Sarah exclaimed. After calming down, Sarah explained how her meeting with Edd went. Jonny listened and was shocked at what she was saying. After it was over, Jonny was scratching his head.

"Man, I knew that we kind of messed up but I didn't think that it was so bad that he would want to avoid us." Jonny said.

"Look, I would really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to the others. He just wants to be left alone and graduate." Sarah said.

"Yeah, I won't say anything but sooner rather than later, the others are going to find out." Jonny said. He was a little surprised when Sarah hugged him.

"Thanks a lot Jonny. You're good friend." Sarah said. Jonny just smiled and asked if she wanted him to walk her home. As the two left the park, they were spied on by a familiar person of the cul-de-sac. Jimmy had spotted them and did not like what he saw. While he knew that it was his actions that ended the longtime friendship, he still wanted to be close to Sarah. He didn't like the fact that Jonny was her new best friend. He thought that he was still an annoying weirdo who could snap at any time. He was curious as to what they were talking about but forgot about it went to his home.

XXX

Edd was waiting at the corner of the street for Leon to come get him. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a white long sleeve thermal t-shirt that was cover by a short sleeve, red 'Arizona State' jersey and a pair of cream colored Timberlands'. He had on a red skull cap and waited for Leon to come. He didn't want Leon to meet him at his house as things between him and his parents had slightly worsened. He didn't need to make his friend uncomfortable in their presence. It wasn't long as Leon pulled up in a Toyota. Edd got in and the two drove off. After greeting each other, Edd began to talk.

"So, where are we going? You weren't clear about it."

"Well, I remembered that you liked to play the guitar and listen to some local talent when you were back in Arizona so I thought that I could take you out to see some of Peach Creek's local talent." Leon answered.

"So Peach Creek has stuff like that huh? That's another new thing that I know since I've been back." Edd said.

"That's something I wanted to ask you man. You know the cul-de-sac guys right? Are you cool with them?" Leon asked.

"Not really. Sarah is the only person that I have reunited with. I don't want to fall back on old times so I tend to avoid those guys." Edd explained.

"Bad memories?"

"Something like that. So, who is this local talent that you keep talking about?" Edd asked.

"Well, there are two good ones. The first was this group called 'Steno' but they did something stupid and got rid of their singer/lead guitarist just because he was the reason that people cheered for them. I also heard that they wanted to go in a different genre of rock, which I don't understand. The other group is called 'Smash Mouth', which is led by my future wife." Leon said with a grin.

"I didn't know that. When's the wedding?" Edd joked.

"Yeah, yeah, keep it up. I know she's into me because she's seen me play for a couple of bands. She runs the all-girl band and is sexy as hell. Besides, she's the only Kanker that's not attached." Leon stated.

"Kanker? As in the Kanker sisters of the trailer park?" Edd asked with worry. Leon looked at him in surprise.

"Well, I know that they use to live there but they now live in a house in your neighborhood. Hey, I heard the rumors about them too but trust me, they aren't what they were before. In fact, they were the most wanted girls in Junior High and High School." Leon said. Edd didn't comment on that as he knew the real Kanker sisters pretty well. He decided to reserve his judgment until he saw them again. Leon pulled up to a parking lot near a club where many students were lining up. They both got out of the car and walked toward the building.

XXX

Edd took a drink of his non-alcohol beer that Leon got them. He was very impressed with what he saw so far. When they got into the club, the first band was just getting ready to play. It was the first band that Leon told him about, Steno. It looked like that they were going into a metal type of rock but they were so bad that he joined the crowd in booing them. He saw that they didn't appreciate it and walked off after their second song. He never liked bands like that and waited for the next group.

Three groups later, which Edd admitted was some good music, the second band Leon told him about played. It was, as he said, an all-girl band and he instantly recognized Leon's 'future wife'. He had to admit that his friend was right about her. While Marie Kanker hadn't changed her appearance much, she did look very hot. Her tattoo added a bit of wickedness to her. He had to say that she didn't mind faulting it as a lot of the guys were very interested if one of her boobs would pop out. Edd enjoyed her music, which was a mix of punk and alternative.

As he listened, he turned to his right and was blessed with a site that he hadn't seen for a couple of days. It was that blond that he ran into earlier in the week. She was decked out in a pair of blue jeans, a short sleeve white tee with the words 'Fabulous' across her chest, a pair of white K-Swizz and several bracelets. She looked really good to his eye and he figured that he would go and introduce himself to her. He only got two steps when he saw a guy put his arm around her. Seeing this, Edd stopped himself for going over after seeing that the two were obviously together. He was a little bummed about it but he wasn't the type to interfere with other guys' girls'. Yeah, he got a lot of female attention but he never crossed that line when it came to girls who were attached.

He watched as Marie's band finished their set and gave their thanks to the crowd. Edd clapped for her and decided to get another non-alcohol beer. He noticed that Leon was missing but chalked it up to him going to try and flirt with Marie. He reached the bar and ordered.

XXX

The month of October rolled around and Edd had to say that it was uneventful. He hung out with Kendall and Leon, playing ball and such, kept up with his studies, did his part-time job with no problems and played his guitar from time to time. His relationship with his parents was still sour as they barely spoke anymore at dinner. He spoke with his uncle almost every Friday, which gave him a sense of normality. He made a few new friends and a lot of acquaintances. One of those acquaintances, he decided to test the waters with.

Edd entered his sixth period class and walked up to her. She was surprised by this but she wasn't about to complain about it.

"Hey Crystal." Edd greeted.

"Hey Edward, how's it going?" Crystal greeted back.

"I'm good. Hey, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me this Saturday?" Edd asked. Crystal was shocked by the question because Edd seem to ignore her flirting with him. She quickly got out of her shock and looked at him with a smile.

"I would love to." Crystal said quickly.

"Alright then, uh, say I pick you up at Tillman Station at around noon?" Edd asked.

"Absolutely, I'll be there." Crystal said.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it." Edd said and walked back to his desk. He heard a small little squeal of delight from her and Nazz, which made him grin. Unknown to him or Crystal, a red faced shorty saw the whole thing. He wasn't happy about this guy moving in on his territory. He had been chasing crystal since the summer and he wasn't about to give up on her just like that. He didn't know who this guy was but he was going to make sure that this 'date' was not going to be well.

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Authors' Notes: I changed a lot from the original. While May and Tyler were broken up, I put them back together. I felt that it was create better drama between Edd, May, Tyler and another character that I will introduce soon. Yes, I know that I changed the name but I lost my notes from the last time, so expect new names. Another thing that I changed was the Jimmy telling people because he's not going to be a big part in this story. He'll appear and he'll have a part but don't expect him to have a strong big part in this story. Another thing, I changed the Jonas story. I introduced the band first instead of going with the original idea. I didn't truly like how I did it and I decided to change it. Finally, I flipped the script with Edd and Crystal. She will be a supporting character and I plan to add the date in the next chapter. I like the character and I want to put her in the story more.

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.