Chapter 8: A Whole New Ed
When Double D had first found out that, due to inconvenience, the school would be releasing their scores via mail, he was annoyed at the delay. He checked his mailbox frequently, and once he finally opened the box to a thick, white stack of papers, just a day after it was raining cats and dogs, his first instinct was to call up his close friends and ask to open them all together at Eddy's. It didn't take long at all for them to congregate.
"Ed you're here!" Double D hurriedly ushered Ed into Eddy's home and shut the door. They all met in the bedroom, where Eddy laid down on his pillow lazily.
"I'm so nervous! There were a few questions where I thought it to be tricky, but still, I did think I did well in it… Oh! What am I saying? I can't have high expectations!" Eddy mimicked Double D's yapping, until Double D hysterically shook Eddy by the shoulders.
"The higher the expectations, the harder they crash down into the ground and shatter into a million pieces!" Eddy yanked his friend's hands off of him.
"Will you relax a little?" Eddy said perturbed. He turned and asked to Ed. "Why's he always like this." Ed contemplated hard, his finger rubbing against his chin noisily.
"I think Double D needs some buttered toast."
"Sure he does Ed."
"Okay!" Double D straightened up, the three of them all settled onto Eddy's vast bed. "Enough dilly dally, let's get to it! Who'll be the first to tear theirs open?"
Ed volunteered by biting onto the corner of his mail, and tearing off a clean line with a twist of his neck. The paper flew out the envelope, daintily landing on Ed's face upside down.
Double D fidgeted. "Well Ed? How'd you do?"
Ed corrected the paper with his tongue and began to read it. Ed stared at the paper hard and long, leaving Double D in an aching, sweaty wait. Ed stared and stared and stared... the less patient Eddy snatched the paper away.
"Oh for pete's sake! Lemme read it." Eddy squinted at the text.
"Uh… says here Ed got a 1978 out of 2769 overall…"
Double D clapped his hands for Ed. "Oh wondrous! You've gotten approximately 71 percent, you've passed!"
Ed's eyes enlarged. "Whoa. That's the most I've gotten on a test ever." Then his squeaky smile rolled on.
"I got a thousand percent Double D! YAAY!" He bounced on the bed excitedly in celebration.
Eddy snapped an annoyed look to him as he gripped on to the blankets, and then pleaded Double D to sober him up.
Double D shrugged. "Let him have this." Eddy scoffed and threw the sheet away.
"Well whaddya know, the old lump actually did it." Eddy yanked Ed back down to a sit. "Your turn Double D."
"Dear me!" Double D wiped a drop of sweat away, holding his letter up.
"How nerve-wracking!" He grabbed the letter with two fingers and began to very slowly rip it open. Eddy waited with his face on his hands, growing more antsy as the tearing drew on. Ed was still giddy from his outstanding performance.
"Will ya hurry it up Double D?" Eddy screeched. Double D's hands jerked, finally ripping it clean off with a little shout. The paper flopped onto the blankets anticlimactically. Double D swiped it up before Eddy could, and quickly read its contents in murmurs.
"Hmm… let's see…" His eyes scanned the paper down like a printer. Finally, he lit up like a bulb.
"Oh joyous day!" Edd held the paper up for his friends to see. "I've gotten a 2769! A perfect score, thank heavens!" He fell backwards onto the bed. Ed bounced in his seat again, and Eddy smirked.
"As if you'd get anything else."
"Look at me! My fingers are still shaky. You know, I-I've been rather worried since I had been taking more time out of my studies and into other activities such as extracurriculars and our social events together, so I've been anxious that it would affect my performance overall but… oh this is su-"
"Stuff a sock in it." Eddy covered Double D's mouth. "Now it's my turn." Eddy waggled his fingers and ripped the envelope immediately.
"Now not to brag or anything… but I did give in some effort in studying this time."
"Really now?" Double D asked with some hope. "Do tell, how long did you put into this studying?"
"Two whole hours." Eddy gave a cocky smile.
"I see.." Double D sighed, hope fizzing out.
"Uh-huh." Eddy flicked the paper out and began to read it. "And I might've guessed on a few questions or whatever, but I've still totally got… this…" Eddy's face suddenly changed as he reached the bottom.
There was a moment of pause. Double D gently tapped Eddy's knee.
"Um… Eddy? Care to share?" He asked, knowing that due to all implications of Eddy's facial expression, he did not get a good score.
"Come on Eddy!" Ed said in his usual, shouting sort of way of talking.
"If I could get a 1000%, you could get at least four!" Eddy still remained unmoving, his eyes going back and fro, rereading something over and over again.
Finally, Double D decided to slowly slip the paper out of Eddy's still hands and turn it around.
"Come now Eddy, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think! In the long run, this test doesn't really impact your future college apps. And for highschool I- wait." Double D looked at the paper harder, as Ed leaned in over his head.
"This isn't your exam report…" Double D's eyebrows furrowed. "This is just a letter from the school administrator. Hmm… it says here that due to your performance in the last several years, and the new standards put into the grading system, you will-" He gasped.
"Oh no. Eddy." He looked at Eddy, who was still staring at the air in front of him strangely.
"Snap out of it Eddy!" Ed shimmied up to him and massaged his eyelids. "It's a trance!"
"Hush now Ed. This is… this is quite serious! It says here that Eddy will not be able to.. to graduate Peach Creek Jr. High this year…" He covered his mouth, in shock. He had nagged Eddy about it earlier, but he didn't push it as far as he would've because he thought that the school would be lenient with their graduation quota, as they always have been. But now that those standards have changed… there was no way Eddy could move onto highschool with all those Fs he had gotten in the semester report cards.
After another minute passed by, something in Eddy untangled sharply, like twine. Suddenly, his face got red.
"They… they're..?" And he blew the fuse. "THEY'RE HOLDING ME BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR!?"
"Technically they're holding you back only until you can make up the credentials. Perhaps they'll let you do it over the summer?"
Eddy normally would've detested the idea of summer school like none other, but this time he milked on Double D's hopeful words and ran with it.
Literally, he ran out the room.
"Eddy! Where are you going!?" He chased after him, Ed following behind. The only indication of Ed understanding the gravity of the situation, was his slightly worried expression.
"Eddy? Eddy come back!" Double D yelled.
"I'm gonna go over to the school and give them a piece of my mind!" Eddy screamed back. "They BETTER let me take summer classes."
While the three of them ran down the road, Ed spouted off,
"Double D! I think Eddy lost his shiny little balls! He wants to go to summer school!" Ed wailed.
Double D paid no mind this time, only focusing on trying to keep up with Eddy and hopefully restrain him before he could do anything reckless. He tired out soon though and eventually asked Ed,
"Would you be a dear and hold Eddy for me please?" Ed was happy to help, and instantly leapt after Eddy like a bloodhound on the move.
As Double D expected, he heard Eddy shriek in the distance and hurl a slew of curses at Ed to "get him the hell down now!".
Double D finally caught up to them at the front of the school, where a waiting Ed and a defeated Eddy waited. The school seemed dimmer, but had the lights on. There were still some late afterschool programs running.
"Will ya call off your dog now?" Eddy grumbled. Double D cleared his throat.
"You may release him now Ed." Ed dropped Eddy with a low laugh. As soon as Eddy's feet touched the ground, he zoomed into the entrance.
"Ack! Ed, quick, we need to go after him!" Double D fretted.
"Aye-aye Double D!" Ed puffed up, giving a mighty howl worthy of any bounding hunter. "And the hunt begins!" He dashed off as Double D struggled to follow Ed's skid marks.
"Perhaps letting him go wasn't such a good idea! He's most likely headed to the counselors office…" Double D panted to himself whilst running.
"Maybe I could- OOF!" He crashed into another person in the hallway, hard. Blinking away stars, Double D recovered from the collision, realized he was on the ground, and looked up at the towering figure over him.
It was another kid his age, though Double D would've thought he was much older at first glance. It was a boy dressed from top to bottom in jet black, wearing a ridiculous belt that had threatening spikes protruding it. His eyes were a striking blue.
Double D would've given him a lecture on why such attire broke school protocol and how dangerous it was, but he was in a rush. Plus, the boy's intimidating stature didn't help to ease his nerves.
"Pardon me!" Double D squeaked, stumbling to get up. He dashed off again, not noticing that the boy actually tried to grab at him, just barely missing by a few inches.
The tall, busty boy just made an annoyed grunt before turning around. "What a geek."
Double D was nearly about to give up, when he finally found Ed and Eddy outside the office door. Eddy was still steaming mad, but a bit calmer now that he's ran most of his energy away. Double D was damn near about to collapse, and did so on the waiting bench right next to the door.
He panted. "Have you… any idea… how much you've put me through just now?" Eddy hmphed, tapping his foot.
"The stupid counselor told me to wait. Didn't even open the door." He puffed. Ed sat down next to Double D and waited idly by.
"Don't worry Eddy!" Ed said chipperly. "You'll get into the Riverdale School of Arts!" Eddy sighed.
"That's your school Ed."
"Yep!" Ed nodded.
Eddy rubbed his nose. "You know we're not all gonna go to the same school, right?" Ed's spine shot up like a bolt, the screws in his head turning.
"Oh come on." Eddy cracked his neck. "You didn't actually think me and Double D would go to an art school, did you?"
Ed's brain clicked into place, and fat drops of tears welled up in his eyes.
"We… we're not gonna be together?" He squalled.
"N-now now Ed!" Double D consoled him of his sudden discovery. "We'll still live in the same neighborhood and hang out with each other! We just won't see each other during school hours, that's all!"
Ed continued to bawl. Double D patted him on the back.
"We're still going to be friends of course, right Eddy?" Double D shot an eye at Eddy, who had started the tantrum. Eddy didn't reply, simply focusing on the office door.
As Double D soaked Ed's pool of tears with his packet of napkins, the door swung open. A student walked out, and an adult hand poked out to wave Eddy in.
"Bout time." Eddy rolled up his sleeves and stomped his way inside. Double D yanked him away for a quick talk.
"Eddy! Remember, you need to talk to him reasonably. If you make a mistake-!" Eddy swiped his hand away and walked inside.
The only thing he said was, "Don't wait up." The door closed shut. Double D slid back into the chair, terribly worried about how their discussion was going to go. Ed wiped away his tears and sniffed loudly.
"Double D! Let's go home and watch out for aliens." Due to Ed's particular up-and-down pronunciation of words, Double D wasn't sure if the last part was a warning or not.
"You can go on ahead Ed. I'll await Eddy's news and tell them to you later on." Double D replied.
Ed scratched his noggin for a bit, hesitant, but eventually decided to return home for the comfort of his basement, and to tell his parents about his "1000%" test score.
Double D fiddled for a few minutes. And then several minutes more. Then more.
After those few minutes turned into an hour and half, he got up and pressed his ear against the door to see if he could make out any parcels. Making out nothing, he heard a scratchy voice pipe up behind him,
"Didn't take you for a spy Double D." He jumped with a yelp, turning around.
"O-oh! Kevin, how do you do?" He nervously chuckled. "Um, no spy activities going on here. Just some light.. eavesdropping?"
"Sure." Kevin dropped his bag onto the bench and sat down. "I just finished up football practice. Had to stay in late today." Double D joined him on the bench.
"What're you doing here?" He glanced at the office door. "Ooh? Is Double D in trouble?" He teased.
Double D smiled a little, softly punching Kevin on the arm. "Wouldn't you want to see the day. No… I'm just waiting for Eddy." Kevin stiffened a bit at the mention, and got a bit nervous.
"Oh, right. Eddy… Why's he in the office?"
"Well, I'm don't think it'd be in my place to tell you but… he's talking to the counselor about his academic performance."
He shrugged. "That's overdue. Is it about his exam scores? Bet he flunked."
"Actually, Eddy, Ed, and I were opening our exam results together when it happened. Ed had gotten a decent C-"
"Shocker."
"-and I've gotten the full score.."
"Another shocker." Kevin snickered. "Congrats man." Double D grinned.
"Thank you. However, when it came to open Eddy's, it appears he picked the wrong envelope. The letter was about his er…" Double D leaned in to whisper, even though Eddy probably didn't hear anything through the thick door.
"... his graduation?" Double D said.
Kevin's eyes widened. "No way. Dude, is he-"
"Shh!" Double D hushed. "Not too loud."
Kevin continued. "Is he… getting held back?"
Double D scratched his neck. "Er… it's not determined yet. He's speaking with the counselor about it right now. Maybe he could squeeze in credentials during the summer?"
"That'd suck." Kevin stretched, balking at the idea of spending the summer in school. "But, guess it'd be better than spending an extra year here."
"Exponentially."
The two sat in silence for a bit. Then Kevin got up with a uproarious yawn.
"Well! He's probably gonna take forever. See ya dorky." Double D waved him goodbye.
"Yes, it has been an hour or so already since he's went in. Hopefully he'll make haste and come out soon." Kevin strapped his backpack over one shoulder, and began to make his way down to the exit… but he stopped.
He looked back at the worried Edd. An hour? Already? Yeesh, ain't worth it. He rubbed at his chin.
Coming to a resolution, he took in a quick breath and turned around again. Double D looked up questioningly.
"Wanna ride back to the Cul-de-Sac?" Kevin asked. Double D straightened.
"O-on your ride?"
"Well duh. Y'know, the one you built for me?" Kevin smirked. "And you know it's gonna be safe, because YOU made it."
"I know but… I really should wait.." Double D fell back.
"Seriously? You already wasted an hour here. Come on, he's not gonna miss you or nothing." Edd thought to himself, sticking a bit of his tongue out.
Has he always done that? Kevin wondered.
"... Alright. I suppose it is getting late. I'm sure he'd understand.." Kevin nodded.
"Cool then. Let's go." They walked down the murky hallway and made it outside to the rack. Unclipping the lock, Kevin pressed on the scanner and the vehicle purred to life. The lights turned on automatically.
"Seems to still be in good condition." Double D mused, getting on the back part of the seat. The seat was spacey, so Kevin had no trouble fitting past. Despite this, he still felt tense.
I'm just doing this as a friend… just to be friendly. Kevin thought, determined to establish this status by, strangely, doing "friendly" things to Double D. Probably not the best method of choice, but here he was.
The two rolled out. As the motorbike got progressively faster, the wind whipped at their faces more.
"Great lord Kevin, I nearly forgot! What about your helmet!" Double D called, gripping the ends of the seats tighter.
"It's no biggie D!" Kevin yelled back. Double D twisted around with much effort and unclasped the helmet from the back of the seat. Turning it forward, he shoved it onto Kevin's head and latched it with a click.
"Hey!"
"Apologies Kevin, but your safety must come first." Double D replied.
"Oh yeah? What about your safety? You got no helmet!" Kevin countered. Double D took a while to respond.
"Well… I trust that you are a good driver?"
"You sure about that?" Kevin laughed, wanting to shake the steering up a bit. Kevin sped up, over Double D's pleas to slow down.
"Eep!" Double D lost his gripping on the seat, and opted to wrap his arms around Kevin's torso instead. "Desist!" He shouted over the wind.
Kevin slowed down just a little, acutely aware of Double D's hands around him.
..Maybe I shouldn't have went faster.
At this sudden contact, Kevin train of thought directed their way to embarrassment, and then anger.
Why should I care about this? It's only him trying not to fall off. Ergh, that Eddy. If it weren't for him pointing my little feelings for Double D then I wouldn't be so-
Kevin stopped in his thoughts, realizing what he just said mentally. No. Nah, no way. His hands jerked on the handles.
Kevin went even faster, and Double D's shouts were drowned out by Kevin's mini revelation.
I… this… Did I just..? Kevin was glad he had the helmet on now, saving him for having to explain later to Double D why he was beet red. Kevin could tell he was, because he felt his ears burning.
I... had some feelings for him. Like, only a little but...
They reached the Cul-de-Sac, and Kevin braked to a screeching halt in front of his home.
"Oh my…" Double D wobbly got off the seat like a newborn deer, and he bent over to try and stabilize himself. Kevin got off too, keeping the helmet on.
Kevin felt oddly refreshed after that burst of speed. Immense waves of stress rolling off of him, he felt lighter.
"Uh.. sorry about that. I like to keep things fast." Kevin apologized. Double D balanced himself.
"No, no… I should've expected this. I did build and design your bike for speed, after all." He gave a crooked smile.
"I'll be off now. Thank you for the… perilous yet exhilarating ride back Kevin. I'll appreciate life more." Edd waved, and turned to go cross the street to his home, steps still a little shaken.
"Yeah man, see ya. See ya..." Kevin turned around, pushing his bike inside the garage. Only after the garage door closed, did he take off his helmet. He set it down and flicked off the lights, opening the door to his home.
"Holy shit." Kevin said aloud. Waving a metaphorical white flag to the paranoid voices in his head, he said,
"So... maybe I can like guys."
