Returning to school after missing a week was a bit surreal, especially when exerting herself for too long still made her dizzy.

Of course, Marie had only technically missed school. When one's sister was a top student who was only too happy to visit her teachers for any work she missed, keeping up was just a matter of playing catch-up in the last few more-or-less-lucid days and cramming the information into her tired, recently-feverish brain. It was less of a reason to worry, if nothing else.

What did worry her was the fact that she had missed the last swim meet. She had missed it by that much. Edd had been counting on her like he always did, and just her luck, the flu had come a-knocking. She wondered whether he had trusted someone else to hold his dog tags for him or been able to put aside his borderline paranoia and stick them in his locker. If it was the latter... hell, it might be good for him. Might teach him to trust that not everyone was a douche.

The hum of conversation went on around her, but she largely ignored it as she made her way through the halls. It wasn't until her own locker was in sight that a familiar voice lifted itself above the rest.

"Marie! Hey, Marie!"

Still feeling not quite all there, Marie turned to find herself greeted by half-moon glasses and a bright grin, and found herself smiling back. "Morning, Nazz."

With one arm, Nazz hugged her books against her chest; with the other, she drew a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "It's great that you're back," she said, smiling over the rims of her spectacles.

"Heh, thanks." Despite the lingering fuzziness in her head, Marie inwardly melted. Oh no she's still cute somebody hold me.

"So, um, I assume you're feeling better, then? How are you doing?"

"Oh! Uh, still a little out of it sometimes, but I'm good!" Oh my God and she's been concerned about my well-being too.

"Oh, that's good then. I mean, that you're good. Uh." Nazz looked just the tiniest bit embarrassed, and her ears turn slightly pink.

She's like a kitten I just wanna hug her oh no must continue the conversation somehow just say something. "Oh yeah, and I just missed that swim meet last week, didn't I?" Marie blurted. "Uh, d-did it go all right?"

The smile on Nazz's face vanished as if she'd shaken it from an Etch-a-Sketch. Crap. CRAP. Damn it she hates Eddward you dumb girl what were you thinking.

"Yes," Nazz replied, suddenly cautious and wary.

Abort! Abort! Panic!

"Would you say it went swimmingly?"

The question had slipped out before she could stop it. Wistfully she imagined an alligator dropping out of a trap door from the ceiling and eating her.

For a split second she was met with Nazz's utterly dumbstruck expression, before the blonde's face crumpled in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"What the hell?" Nazz giggled. "Sorry, that was terrible, I just wasn't expecting that."

Ooh, good save, Marie. Looks likeyou're not a total screw-up after all.

"You do realize puns are the lowest form of comedy, right?" Nazz went on, her tone teasing.

"Puns are the highest form of comedy," Marie retorted playfully. "A good fifty percent of Shakespearean humor is made of puns."

"It doesn't count if the other half is mostly dick jokes."

This surprised a laugh out of Marie, and her embarrassment over the previous awkwardness had almost faded entirely when Nazz spotted something behind her, and froze. Confused, Marie searched her face for some sort of clue, but it was as if a pair of doors had slammed shut behind her eyes. Nazz's expression chilled, and an unnerving anger had taken over the previous lighthearted mirth. Marie followed her gaze and glanced back over her shoulder.

Ah. Word of her return had reached Eddward, apparently, or it was a simple coincidence that he was passing through the hallway right at that moment. A lump began to form in her throat, and the old, loitering concern reclaimed its usual place in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed the lump, as she always did, and pushed the constant worry to the back of her mind where she could manage it. Edd was her best friend and she loved him with all her heart, she really did, but something about him just never failed to darken the mood.

He seemed different now, though. Maybe her absence had softened the memory of his dour moods, or simply gotten her accustomed to only worrying about herself, but she doubted it. In any case, he seemed several times more sullen than he normally did, which was saying a lot. He blinked when he spotted her looking at him, as if noticing her for the first time; perhaps it had been simple coincidence, after all. She probably looked paler than usual, but she gave him a small smile anyway, and even from across the hall she could see the sullenness give way to something a touch more welcoming.

"Well, I have to go to class now," Nazz spoke up suddenly, startling her. Marie looked back at her, and knew that she probably couldn't reclaim the previous ease of conversation. Nazz's voice was falsely bright, and the cheerful smile looked pasted on. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," she answered, not sure how real her own grin looked. Briskly, Nazz turned and left.

Okay, this was just a bit weird. That Nazz hated Eddward had never been a secret to Marie, or beyond her understanding; hell, she got it. With most people he had enough venom in him to drop an elephant, and there was a reason she'd decided long ago that pursuing him was a bad idea. But Nazz usually didn't cut off conversations midsentence just to trade death glares from halfway down the hall. And what was up with Edd? He'd looked ready to drive a serial killer to tears.

"It's good to see you back, Marie." By some miracle, she managed not to jump; lost in her thoughts, she had failed to notice Edd's approach.

"Thanks, Edd." This grin was genuine, at least. "Sorry I missed your meet."

"No need to apologize," he replied. "One seldom asks to come down with influenza, after all. I'm glad you are well again."

"Did it go well, at least?" she asked, deciding that cringe-worthy puns were probably the wrong way to endear herself to him at the moment.

And there was that look again, that expression that made her wonder if he was about to sprout fangs and spit poison, or perhaps even swear. "It went fine," he said flatly. "I won all my events, as per usual." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was tight. "I'm sorry you missed it, as well."

"Did... something happen?" she asked cautiously, knowing full well that she would have been less precarious walking on spun glass and spiderwebs.

Edd heaved a sigh, one hand absently toying with his dog tags. "Kevin thought it would be amusing to appropriate my dog tags, unfortunately. Partly my fault, really; I was careless, and I lacked a backup plan for where to put them while I was swimming."

"Wait, what?" If that had actually happened, then Kevin was a lot dumber than she had given him credit. "A-are you sure it was him?"

Edd shrugged. "He must have come to his senses after a while, because he tried to sneak them back without being seen, just the day before yesterday. Johnny spotted him with them. Furthermore, he admitted it."

"Jesus," Marie muttered. "I'm really sorry, Edd, I didn't mean to get sick like that–"

"It's pointless to apologize for something entirely out of your control, Marie."

The late bell interrupted them, and Marie stepped away. "Well, you'll have to tell me all about how the meet went later," she said. "I'll see you later, then." So much for stopping by her locker.

"Of course. Again, welcome back."

For crying out loud, she couldn't leave for one measly week without everything going straight down the toilet, could she? As she walked as quickly as she could to her first class of the day, she silently cursed fevers, flu viruses, and idiots who couldn't cover their mouths when they sneezed. Something about this whole thing didn't sit well with her. Kevin wasn't that stupid, and surely Nazz was sensible enough not to aim all her wrath at Edd if Kevin had been the one to do something so silly and – let's face it – mean-spirited. God, everything had just fallen apart, hadn't it? Nazz was pissed off at Edd. Edd was more pissed off in general than usual. Friggin' drama was going to be the death of her. At least she was fully awake now.

It seemed her first priority would be to talk to Kevin.


She finally caught up to him him in the computer lab after second period, and she didn't like what she saw.

He was slowly gathering his things as if reluctant to leave the room for break, ducking his head in an attempt to be less noticeable (rather futilely, she thought; not to take a leaf from Jimmy's book but that sweater was so loud). She approached from the side, tilting her head slightly to catch a glimpse of his face. He wasn't quite scowling, but he didn't seem anywhere near pleased, either. His brows were knitted together, and his mouth was a thin, tight line.

It was unsettling, really. She usually didn't see that kind of subdued hostility on any face that wasn't Edd's.

Moreover, she was approaching from his left, which meant she could see the fading bruise on his jaw, and another just beneath his eye. She mouthed a curse to herself. Had Eddward done that? He'd never laid a hand on him before, at least not to physically harm him. Would he really have gone that far?

Only one way to find out.

"Hey," she greeted. She glanced back at the door, just in time to see the last person leave.

He glanced at her. "Welcome back."

"Thanks." She wondered how she might transition smoothly into the desired subject, and thought, Screw it. "What happened with Edd while I was gone?"

Kevin dropped his notebook. Without commenting or trying to excuse the error, he simply stooped and retrieved it. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But I want to hear about it."

"No."

"Something did happen, though, right?" she pressed, feigning total ignorance.

No reply. It was as good as a resounding "Yes."

Encouraged, she pushed a little further. "At the swim meet?"

With a sigh, he stopped. "Marie, I really don't want to–"

"I know you hate him," she interrupted. "And I get it, okay? You have every right to, and I can't apologize enough for him. But... just... please, Kevin?" She paused, praying for assent, or even just an answer that indicated that he wasn't ending the conversation. He still wouldn't meet her eyes, but after a moment of tense silence, what he gave her was close enough to what she wanted.

"I don't... hate him."

She wished the quiet admission didn't surprise her as much as it did, but she didn't press it. "Then tell me. Maybe I can help."

He looked dubious.

"We'll never know unless I try, and I can't try if I don't know."

Kevin sighed.

Without looking at her, or even turning away from his bag, Kevin told her. It took no more than a series of curt sentences as he finished packing his things. Marie stood with her hands in her pockets, outwardly impassive, soaking in the information without comment.

When he was finished, she glanced at the clock, and inwardly patted herself on the back for having the sense to talk to him during break, with fifteen extra minutes between classes. "Wait here for a sec, will you?" When he nodded assent, she turned on her heel and strode out the door and into the hallway. Thankfully the halls were beginning to clear as students went to gather with friends in the courtyards, but she knew the habits of certain parties well enough not to seek them out there.

She found Edd at his locker, as she knew she would, his mood still considerably more sullen than usual. He slammed his locker roughly, only to look up and see her coming. It was always gratifying to see his dark looks lighten almost imperceptibly whenever he looked at her, but she had neither the time nor the patience to focus on such things at the moment.

"Salutations, Marie," he greeted her. "Was there something you neede – ow! Ow! Hey!"

Marie knew she had certain privileges with Eddward Marion Rockwell. Certain rare privileges (not the least of which was the knowledge that his name was, in fact, Eddward Marion Rockwell), such as fewer boundaries, sass rights, that sort of thing. She preferred to avoid taking advantage of such privileges, for Edd's sake, but sometimes... just sometimes, you know?

Sometimes, for a genius, Eddward Marion Rockwell could be so damn stupid.

So maybe, just maybe, when she halted by him and wordlessly reached up, seized his earrings between her thumb and forefinger, and began unceremoniously towing him back the way she had come, she was taking advantage for his sake, too.

The few people still present in the hallways invariably noticed the protesting swim captain being dragged by the ear through the halls, by a girl half his size no less, but Marie could afford to care later. "Marie, what on earth – ow! This is undignified! Either release me or explain yoursel–"

"Shoosh."

"Don't you 'shoosh' me, I demand that you at least tell me where you're dragging me!"

"Shoosh."

Thankfully, Edd was speechless with indignation long enough for Marie to haul him all the way back to the computer lab and shut the door behind them. Even more thankfully, Kevin was momentarily too dumbfounded to immediately storm away. There was a slight scowl of annoyance on Marie's face as she dragged Edd over by the earrings, released him, and gave him a shove that sent him momentarily stumbling forward.

Marie had not expected Kevin to like the solution she was choosing. When she looked him in the eye and saw the metaphorical doors slam shut, the way Nazz's had at the mere sight of Eddward earlier, she was not nearly surprised enough to be discouraged. She was grateful, really, that Kevin had waited for her at all, that he had given her the benefit of the doubt, and if it had been the proper moment, she would have thanked him. He was glaring at her now, moments away from leaving, but she returned the look unflinchingly and pointed to the frowning, baffled swim captain that stood beside her and rubbed his smarting ear. "Tell him what you told me."

The shorter boy took a moment to transfer his angry glower to Edd before slinging his bag strap over his shoulder and stepping past them.. "I appreciate it, Marie, but mind your own business." His tone carried an unspoken go to hell.

Even if he had said it out loud, it would have taken a lot more than that to faze her, but she could almost physically feel the flash of temper from Edd. Kevin was only a few yards from the door when her friend caught up to him, hand slamming against the wall and cutting off his escape.

To Kevin's credit, he barely twitched.

"That wasn't very polite, pumpkin," Edd growled. In front of him, Kevin stared at the ground, his eyes burning with barely-contained anger.

Marie sighed, irritated, and casually reached for Edd's ear again. Ever the quick study, her friend stepped back. "Just tell him about the tags, Kevin."

"No." No longer blocked by Edd, he moved to leave.

"Really, Marie, if this is what has you so disconcerted, there is hardly any need for that," Edd informed her, his tone scalding. Kevin paused, the one hand curled around his messenger bag strap tightening into a white-knuckled fist. "Kevin has already explained things to me. More to the point, he has made it clear that he will not be making such silly errors again. I, likewise, made my own feelings on the matter clear, as well. Wouldn't you agree, pumpkin?"

The other hand was also a fist now. This was not panning out the way Marie had hoped, but it was panning out nonetheless. Longing for a bomb shelter, or at the very least a good umbrella, she stepped back and let it.

"What perplexes me, pumpkin," Edd went on "is that you apparently came to the conclusion that it was a good idea."

"Yeah," Kevin replied, his voice taut like a rubber band about to snap. "It 'perplexes' me, too."

"Well, you learn quickly, I'll grant." Edd smiled without really smiling. "I do hope that from here on out, you will refrain from–"

"Shut the hell up."

And snap.

"...Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Kevin spat. He paused, his clenched hands shaking slightly, and whipped around to face Edd. "Actually, you know what? No. You're not. Because I told you, I didn't take your stupid tags."

Edd raised an eyebrow. "I do hope you make up your mind eventually, pumpkin, because you said–"

"I said I made a mistake!" Kevin cut him off a second time. "If you're going to come to your own conclusions about what I meant, then that's your problem, not mine!"

There was a split-second flicker, an infinitesimal moment of unease, in which Edd looked to Marie for an explanation. She stared back impassively. He was about to get one anyway.

"I saw them get taken, all right?" Kevin went on, his voice scathing. "I knew where they were and who had them, but I wasn't going to say anything because why would I?" Furiously, he looked away for a moment, his face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "But then I saw you moping around and freaking out about losing them, and, and –" He shut his eyes briefly. "–and finally, just for once you were acting like maybe you were a member of the human race after all. And for some stupid reason that I still don't understand, I decided to go out of my way to help you!" He squared his shoulders and faced Edd, staring him straight in the eye. "That was my mistake, Eddward! My mistake was feeling sorry for you!" His voice shook as it lowered. "But don't worry, because I will never make that mistake again."

A moment of shocked silence passed, and then –

"I neither need nor want your pity," Edd said coldly.

"Thank God," Kevin spat back. "Because the next time you lose something precious enough to cry over, you're on your own." Contemptuously, he turned his back on Eddward without even acknowledging or relishing the latter's look of utter astonishment. He paused, one last time, to spit his final words bitterly over his shoulder. "You know what I've realized? My life would be so much easier if I just stopped trying to be good to people. Fuck you for making me wish I was more like you."