Chapter 11 is here! I'd like to say real quick that I have NO idea how to make Ed's character seem believable. It's just that he's such a loose-cannon that you have no idea what he'd say in some situations, especially like the ones I put him in in this chapter. I tried my hardest, but if he doesn't seem like lumpy Ed to you, sorry.
The pool party was almost better than the cookout. The sun had just gone down, but it's orange hue and purple clouds were still hanging low in the sky. Kevin had flipped on the pool house lights and almost everyone showed back up except for Nazz, Eddy and Ed, which wasn't too much of a loss for Edd right now. Though he was upset at the way Eddy had acted, he just decided that if Eddy couldn't be happy for him, then Edd couldn't care less about him either. Nazz also wasn't that much of a surprise, still Edd felt guilty that he took Kevin's affections from her although Kevin insisted that he didn't.
The sock-headed Ed wasn't quite ready to get in the cold water and settled down on the side and splashed his feet in the crystal clear liquid. Jonny had come up beside him and put Plank down and told Edd that Plank had just ate and couldn't get in for a while. Edd smiled at Jonny. Imaginary friend or not, the kid was still a good friend to others. Kevin was in line with the other kids to get on the diving board. After Nat had walked in on them, Edd hadn't much to say to Kevin after that. Kevin knew it was because of embarrassment, and he had to admit that he didn't feel too much better about the situation.
The very kid that had ruined their moment made his way up to Kevin's side and muttered, "So, did you boys have a good time?" Kevin glared at Nat and said flatly "I don't know what you're talking about." Nat laughed and said "Please, I heard you guys in there." He brought his hands together in front of his chest and mocked Edd's voice "Oh, Kevin…Kevin!"
The ginger felt the blood rushing to his cheeks and he hissed "I'm gonna give you three seconds to get away from me." Nat laughed and said "Chill out boss. Just trying to get you to loosen up." Kevin snorted and said "Whatever, just leave Double Dork out of it. He's already taking it pretty hard." The two glanced at Edd, to see him still perched on the side of the pool watching the other kids swim. Nat shook his head and said "I won't tease him." He quickly butted in front of Kevin and jumped up on the diving board. Before Kevin could say anything Nat had already backflipped into the pool.
Edd peeked at Kevin and Nat talking and tried to keep from blushing. He can't believe Nat had walked in on them, and almost caught them in the act. He decided it would be safer for them to continue their relationship in privacy, when the others weren't going to be around. He watched as his boyfriend cannonballed into the water and couldn't help the smile that graced his lips. Kevin was so much more athletic than he would ever be.
He watched Kevin's dark figure under the surface as it moved around. He was so fast, thanks to those rock-hard muscles of his. Kevin swam over to his side of the pool and re-surfaced, and Sarah and Jimmy were calling out praises to him. Everything about Kevin was the exact opposite of himself, which made their relationship so much more interesting.
Jonny was still swimming in Edd's area, apparently listening to Plank and talking back. The shiny bald head of his was apparent wherever he swam. He popped up near Edd's feet, which he immediately retracted out of the water and away from Jonny's head. The bald kid smiled wholly and said "Plank wants to know why you're staring at Kevin so much."
Edd swallowed the lump in his throat and gave Jonny a weak smile and said "Oh…um, no reason really. Just observing Kevin's…um…swimming capabilities." Jonny continued to smile at him and after a moment he replied, "Plank thinks there's more than that. He thinks you like Kevin!" The boy giggled as he talked. Edd felt his face flush slightly and quickly said "Oh no. Nothing like that. I'm only watching Kevin and comparing his abilities to…um…Nat's. They both seem to be outdoing each other."
Jonny seemed to take the bait and turned to look at Nat, who sure enough was having fun showing off to Jimmy and Sarah as Kevin was swimming on the other end of the pool with Rolf. Jonny laughed and said "So maybe you like Kevin and Nat!" Edd knew his entire face was beat red by then and he exclaimed "Jonny that's ridiculous! It would be best if you…er…Plank, get those kinds of thoughts out of your mind! That's rather unhealthy, don't you think?"
Jonny shrugged and said "Whatever you say Double D! C'mon Plank. You've waited long enough." Edd gave a deep sigh of relief as Jonny took his wooden friend and went off. What an unbelievable statement. Although he admired Nat for other reasons, there was no way he could like Nat enough to have a relationship as he liked Kevin, even as sudden as those feelings were.
Fortunately he could see Kevin making his way over to him. The jock slid up onto the side of the pool with him and asked him, "Is Quirky giving you a hard time?" Edd shook his head and replied "No, not really. Although according to him, Plank is very suspicious of me." Kevin looked down at the water and kicked his feet and asked, "Why should he be suspicious?" Edd bit his lip and said "They've been watching me watch you." Kevin seemed to forget the whole situation and with a smirk, he said "Watching me, huh?"
The blush Edd thought he was starting to lose came right back. "Um, yes…" Kevin playfully flexed his arms and torso in front of his boyfriend and said "Couldn't resist the ol' Kev-mister could you?" Edd chuckled and said "You're a very skilled athlete." Kevin smirked and said "Thanks, I work hard for what I've got, but it'd be nice to have someone to share the pool with."
Edd was confused by that, and turned to Kevin. "Share the pool? Are we not hosting a pool party for the rest of the cul-de-sac?" Kevin laughed and said "You know what I'm talking about." He rested his hand on the square of Edd's back, who jumped at the slight touch and said "K-Kevin, we shouldn't be doing this in front of-" Kevin never let him finish, instead gave him a solid shove off of the pool's edge into the water.
Edd re-surfaced immediately and cried out at Kevin as the other kids laughed at him. "K-Kevin! W-What was the p-purpose of t-that? This water's f-freezing!" Kevin grinned and pushed off into the water as well. Edd scowled at Kevin as he drew near and said "T-This is NOT amusing!" Kevin's grin never faltered as he pulled his arm back. Edd froze to the spot, thinking he did something wrong and Kevin was about to hit him. "Kev-"
He never got the word out as Kevin swept his arm across the water and sent a wave straight into Edd's body. Edd yelped as the cold rushed over him. Kevin's laughter among the other kids' rang in his ears. At first Edd didn't know if he should be furious or laughing with him. But when he looked at Kevin and saw the happiness in his smile and the twinkle in his eye, he couldn't help but to laugh in response. He used both his hands to splash Kevin back, and soon the whole group joined them, splashing water every which way they could.
Edd didn't quite remember exactly who caused the splash but in that following moment a giant wave of water hit him square in the head and took his hat right off with it before he could even register that he had been splashed. Time seemed to slow way down as his emotions flared up and switched from surprise, to annoyance, to panic, then to shame as he slowly opened his eyes. It seemed everyone had seen what had just happened because all eyes were trained on his head, on that disgusting hideous scar of his. Their eyes burned into his skin and although it was quiet, he heard Nat in the back mutter "Whoa…" That word pounded in his ear drums. Whoa, indeed… That's all he had ever said himself whenever he took the hat off in front of the mirror and looked at it.
Embarrassed tears burned in his eyes as he turned to grab his hat, which floated limply in the water behind him and slapped his over his head, making his way to the side of the pool to get away from the prying eyes. Kevin tried to grab his arm and stop him. "Wait...Edd…" Even at Kevin's use of his real name he didn't listen this time and instead climbed out of the pool and ran into Kevin's house while the others just stared after him.
Kevin's initial reaction was anger, to turn around and demand to know the person who did it, to beat them within an inch of their life. Something told him however that he needed to relax, for Edd's sake. He turned a glare to the rest of the kids and after looking at all of them, he growled "What are you staring at?" The kids all looked at each other before they started talking amongst themselves. "Did you see it?" "It was so big!" "Wasn't that gross?" "No wonder he wears that hat."
Kevin had enough of this nonsense and loudly exclaimed "Alright, alright. We get it. He's got a scar. Big deal." The kids were only quiet for a second before they started to chatter again. Poor naïve Jimmy came up to Kevin and asked "Jeepers, Double D's head is so torn up, isn't it?" Kevin glared darkly and he let loose an angry roar. "THAT IS ENOUGH! EVERYONE OUT. NOW."
The kids scattered like cockroaches, clambering out of the pool. Soon Kevin and Nat were the only ones there. Kevin glared at the teal-haired boy and said "You too, Nat. Out." Nat put his hands up defensively and said "Hey man, I'm just as worried about the dork as you are." Kevin ignored him and climbed out of the water himself and growled "Get lost before I give you a ride on the end of my foot." Nat shook his head and retorted "Alright jeezus. Don't shit a brick, Kev. See you Monday."
Kevin quickly hustled down the hall to his room but found no one there. He paused for a moment then heard sounds coming from his bathroom further down. He walked over to it and rested his hand on the doorknob for a moment. Slowly he turned it and pushed the door open. He stood in the doorway and found Edd sitting on the side of the bathtub hands folded in his lap and tears streaking across his face.
Kevin came in and pulled the door shut behind him. Edd stated quickly "Please I don't want to discuss what happened." Kevin shook his head and replied "You won't have to. I sent them away, it's just you and me." He came over to the tub and sat down beside Edd, and pulled his shaking figure into a warm embrace. Edd quickly wiped his cheeks and said "I'm so embarrassed."
Kevin looked down at Edd and felt nothing but regret about the whole situation. He managed to pull a smile and reached down to tilt Edd's face up to his. "About what? That old thing?" He motioned to the right of Edd's forehead. "You should never be ashamed of something like that. It's just part of you." Edd looked deeply into Kevin's eyes seemingly trying to find an answer. "In fact, if I got to choose between you with or without the scar, I'd choose with every time." Kevin gently kissed the spot on Edd's hat the covered the large discolored portion of his head.
Edd smiled brightly, probably brighter than he ever had in the time that they'd been together. He hugged Kevin tightly, or as tightly as he could anyways, his eyes closed but that smile still present. Kevin returned the embrace and muttered in his ear, "I never got to share a swim with you." Edd's eyes flew back open and he looked up at Kevin. Before he could even protest, Kevin had pulled him up by the arm and was walking him down the hall.
When they got back out to the pool, Kevin stopped and let go of Edd. He walked over to the edge and jumped in. Edd was not so brave however, and walked over to the ladder and slowly climbed in. He stood in the water shivering for a moment, before coming over to Kevin. The athlete grabbed him in a tight embrace and kissed him. While they treaded water and lip-locked Kevin's hand snaked up Edd's back and rested on the back of his head. He gripped the black ski cap firmly and quickly pulled it from the other's head.
Edd's eyes flew open and his immediate reaction was to rip away from Kevin and try to reach up to his hat, which Kevin kept out of his grasp, a smile upon his lips. Edd whined and complained about it until Kevin kissed him harshly. Edd took this moment to wrap his arms around Kevin's shoulders. When he pulled back, Edd was silent, his lips swelling from the kiss. Kevin rested his forehead against Edd's and murmured "You look sexy without it." What was left of the heat in Edd's body rushed up to his cheeks and he stuttered his thanks. Kevin tossed the hat away, not caring where it landed and returned his hands onto Edd's body. "We never got to finish what we started earlier."
At his whisper, Edd shivered in delight. This time he was the one to kiss Kevin, which both surprised and pleased the ginger. Kevin opened his mouth and allowed a shy Edd to slide his tongue over to meet his own. Kevin slowly ran his hands down Edd's back memorizing every inch of skin, every goosebump, and every bump and curve of his body. As he rested his hands on the hem of Edd's swimming trunks, Edd suddenly pulled away and looked off to the right. Kevin looked at him then turned to see what he was seeing.
It was none other than big Ed, standing there shuffling his feet and looking rather afraid. The two boys ripped away and Edd calmly started, "Ed! What on earth are you doing here?" Ed looked at the sockhead but didn't reply with an answer, instead he seemed to droop a little and replied, "You and Kevin are together. Like Sarah and Jimmy. But they are only two and not three. So does that mean no more hanging out with Ed and Eddy, Double D?" Edd quickly left Kevin's side and climbed out of the pool and crossed over to Ed. "No that's not what it means at all Ed. Just because Kevin and I are companions doesn't mean that you and Eddy aren't." Ed perked up a little and said "So then does Kevin like us now?"
Kevin, who was sitting on the edge of the pool snorted and said "In your dreams, dork." Edd turned and gave Kevin a scowl. "Kevin…" Kevin sighed and said "Alright alright. I'll give you one chance, lumpy. But forget me being friends with Eddy, cuz that's not happening." Ed grinned brightly and hugged his sock-headed friend tightly. The smell of body odor and rotting food would have been too much for Edd if he hadn't dealt with it the last few years of his life, instead held his breath and patted Ed on the shoulder. Ed then ran over and gave Kevin a huge bear hug, which Kevin did not return, a sour look upon his face. Edd only giggled at the two as Ed pulled away and turned back to Edd. The sockhead smiled and said "Go home and get some rest, Ed. I will be with you tomorrow." That was enough for Ed, and he happily galloped out of Kevin's yard with a call of "See you tomorrow, guys!"
Edd turned back to Kevin, who stood up and said "Well that's twice now. Guess it's a sign that I can't have you tonight." Edd merely chuckled and said "Well, that's okay Kevin. I am perfectly happy waiting until another time." Kevin nodded and replied "Well then you wanna watch a movie?"
The two spent a fair amount of time together watching movies, eating popcorn and joking around together for the evening before Edd decided it was time to go home. Kevin had walked him to the door and had just leaned in to give him a goodnight kiss. When they parted, he said "You down for hanging out tomorrow?" Edd thought for a moment then said "We can at some point, but first I must do the homework I didn't get finished last night and you heard me promise Ed that I would hang out with him, too." Kevin nodded and said "You can bring the lump too if you want." Edd was positively radiating happiness as he kissed Kevin again. "Oh thank you Kevin! You have no idea how much that means to me."
Kevin smirked and said "Yeah alright. Go get some sleep, Double dweeb." Edd hurried across the street to his own home, even happier than he ever had been these past couple days. He was afraid that Kevin would reject his friends and that Eddy would try and tear him away from Kevin. As long as Kevin would keep an open mind, he felt that they could make it work.
I'll probably work on/finish Chapter 12 and have it up tomorrow. I'm just so tired tonight. I'll get it posted by either Sunday afternoon or evening. Hang in there with me, I'm trying real hard to make it a good story. Hope you guys are having as much fun as I am!