"Ouch!" Edd shouted out.
"Oh get over it, princess." said Nazz as she ran a comb through Edd's messy hair.
"How did I let you talk me into this?" lamented Edd.
"Because your parents went back to Big Apple, my mom is gone for the weekend to visit my aunt, and Kevin went with his dad to visit family in Missouri. We are bored."
"How did boredom end up with me allowing you to cut my hair?"
"Because I can be incredibly convincing. And my cousin has been teaching me a trick or two. I think I will be good at this."
"You think? Well that inspires confidence." said Edd as he nervously wrung his hands under the towel Nazz had draped across his front.
"Come on, Double D. You said it yourself, the same old woman has been cutting your hair since you were in diapers. You need a new look."
"What's wrong with my current look?"
"Just calm down and stay still or I'm going to give you a Mohawk."
Edd and Nazz were doing their usual Saturday hang out, but were starting early due to Nazz's increasing boredom. School was starting back on Monday and they were already two days into the new year. Kevin, Edd and Nazz celebrated at Kevin's with a movie marathon and liquor. Well Nazz and Kevin did. Edd stuck with water.
"So you never finished telling me how Christmas went." said Nazz as she snipped away at Edd's hair.
"Oh yes, it was alright I suppose. Father and I only said fity-seven words to each other after he told me Kevin wasn't good enough for me."
"That's shit. And specific."
"I counted."
"Hmm...I shouldn't be surprised. So you still haven't told Kevin about that?"
"No...I feel like it would just hurt his feelings. He was so worried that they were going to hate him. I thought the dinner went so well up until then."
"I'm sorry, Dee. Parents are weird. I mean maybe he will come around. Are you and Kevin still moving in together after graduation? I mean Mr. Vincent is going to get over it eventually."
"I don't know. He's not really the "getting over it" type. He's more of that expression, "my way or the highway". And...well...We have talked about moving in...but I just don't know anymore."
"You don't know?"
"Nazz. Can I talk to you? And it stay between us?"
"Of course."
Edd sighed deeply, "Kevin is going to get into State. He just is. I would be very surprised if he doesn't get in on a full sports scholarship. He did decent on the SATs. And I am really hoping to hear from Ivy University sometime in the next few months. Those two schools are seven hours from one another."
"And you two wouldn't be able to live together...But he has talked about not going to school."
"But then I would be the reason why he didn't go to school!"
"Edd, he's never really been big on school." said Nazz as she snipped off a rather large chunk of hair. Edd thanked the heavens that he usually wore his hat anyways. Hair grows, right?
"I guess. It's just a lot to think about."
"You mean over think about. And so you guys would be apart for four years. I mean that's what weekends, social media, and online chat were created for." said Nazz then she reached for her hair straightener on the bathroom counter.
"That hot instrument is making me incredibly nervous." said Edd.
"I have been straightening my hair for years. I am an expert."
"Ouch!" yelled Edd as the straightener touched his ear.
"That's what you get when you don't stay still."
"I was perfectly stationery, Nazz Fitzgerald!"
"If you were then your ear wouldn't be singed! Now hold still."
After several minutes of flat ironing. Nazz pulled the towel away and let hair fall to the floor. She smiled broadly as she admired her handy work. It eased Edd's nervousness about his hair a little bit.
"Okay, Double D. I'm done. Now look. If you don't like it then maybe we can take you up to Lemonbrook and my cousin can fix it."
Edd stood up and looked in the bathroom mirror. His hair that used to reach down to his shoulders was now just an inch below his ear. It was still shaggy but she had given him bangs that pulled to the side. They covered his birth mark completely.
"Oh my." he said.
"Is that a good "oh my"? Like "oh my god, I am never going to have anyone else touch my hair again except Nazz because she made me look like a cute slightly emo male model"? Or "oh my I can't believe I let this crazy blonde touch my hair"."
"Nazz...it's perfect. You can't even see...you know...it."
Nazz smiled and pulled a bobby pin out of a small purple container. She pinned his bangs to the side.
"Now keep them pinned at night. It will train your hair to naturally fall like that."
"You are practically a professional." he smiled.
"You are too kind. Now let's take some pics and send them to your man."
After several selfies, Nazz and Edd moved out into Nazz's living room. They spent the afternoon watching television and eating pizza. About the time the sun went down, Nazz went up to her room and got into her personal stash of liquor.
"Come on, Edd. Pleeeeeeease."
"I don't feel comfortable."
"It's one drink."
"Underage drinking could lead to a lifetime of-..."
"Watch what you say there, Dee. Me and your boyfriend are pretty active drinkers."
"Then I will just stick with saying that I am uneasy." said Edd and shifted uncomfortably.
Nazz broke out into a wide, rather mischievous, grin and ran into the kitchen. She ran back with a glass filled with a blue drink.
"Drink this." she said and handed him the glass.
"No!"
"Please. For me. It would make me happy."
"Ensuring your happiness is Daniel's job, not mine." said Edd and smelled the drink. "What is this?"
"Don't worry what it's called. Drink it! Drink it! Drink it!" she repeated over and over. Edd looked at the beverage. Every bit of him thought this was a bad idea, but to be honest he had enjoyed getting out of his comfort zone. He took a drink. The taste was not all that bad although it burnt his throat.
"There I took a drink. Can I put this down now?" he said and sat the glass down.
"It's not that strong. I mixed it weak. Barely any liquor it. And if you don't drink it, it is just going to go to waste."
"It doesn't taste weak. It burns."
"All liqour does that."
Nazz talked Double D into a quite a few more drinks. The taste was becoming increasingly more pleasant. It was taking less and less encouragement from Nazz to get him to take the next drink. And without warning, for the first time, Double D found himself inebriated. The room was spinning slightly and his body wasn't responding the way he wanted it to. He realized that when he tried to stand up and fell right back onto the couch.
"Nazz." Edd said, "I think I may be intox..intoxi...drunk. I think I may be drunk."
"Yeah I think you are." laughed Nazz, who could hold her liquor a lot better than Edd.
"I thought you said the drinks weren't ssstrong." he slurred.
"I may have lied. I just wanted to see you drunk." she laughed.
"That's mean...you're so mean...I'm going to tell Kevin on you."
"Oh I'm so scared!" Nazz said sarcastically.
"Well you should be!" said Edd dramatically and reached for his phone.
"Now, Edd. Think about it. Are you really going to make a drunk call? Are you going to be that guy?" Nazz said half jokingly.
"But I have to tell on you!" said Edd and found Kevin's name in his phone.
"Hello?" Edd heard Kevin's voice on the other side.
"Kevin! Nazzzzz is mean!" he said drunkenly.
"Edd?"
"Yeah and she told me not to call you! But I was going to call you if I wanted to!"
"Babe...Are you drunk?" said Kevin suppressing a laugh.
"I got peer pressured! It was just like all the after school specials said... And she said they weren't strong but she lied. She lied, Kevin!"
"She does that... Are you at least having fun?"
"I'm adorable." Edd said randomly.
"What?"
"Nazz cut my hair. And she said I was adorable."
"Well you are always adorable, but yes I got the pics. You look good, Edd."
"I'm having fun. Even if Nazz is mean. Kevin...I think I'm going to curse at her."
"Why would you curse at her?"
"You never listen! Because she's mean..."
"And she's mean because she got you drunk?"
"I think but I can't remember...I love you."
"I love you too."
"You're my favorite..."
"Your favorite what?"
"Anything." scoffed Edd as though it should have been obvious.
"You're my favorite, too. Now let me talk to Nazz."
"But I want to talk to you...I miss you..."
"I miss you too, babe. But-..."
"Fuck." said Edd.
"What?"
"I said I was going to curse and I did."
"I'm so proud..." Kevin said and laughed, "I thought you wanted me to get onto Nazz?"
"Oh yeah! Here she is." said Edd and curled up on Nazz's couch.
"Hello, Kevin!" she said brightly.
"Why did you get Dee drunk?"
"Because it was hilarious. And he needs to loosen up. He's too worried all the time."
"It is funny." he agreed, "But please keep an eye on him."
"What's the worst that could happen? He drinks and maths or something?"
"Dude, please?"
"Alright, alright. Here tell your boyfriend goodnight." Nazz said and handed the phone back to Edd.
"Hellooo..." Edd said in a sing song voice.
"Hey there, drunkie."
"Did you get onto Nazz?"
"I sure did. I set her straight. Now you go to bed soon okay?"
"Okay..."
"I love you, Edd."
"Love you too..."
Edd pulled the phone away and let it fall to the table. He looked really sad all of a sudden.
"Edd, are you okay?" asked Nazz. Edd pulled himself up, less than gracefully, and pulled a throw pillow to his chest. He shook his head yes. "Then why do you look sad?"
"I miss Kevin."
"I know you do. But we are having fun, right?"
"Yeah. I'm having fun...but I miss Kevin... You want to hear something sad?"
"Uh, sure?"
"I miss Ed and Eddy too." he said and tears welled up his poor drunk eyes.
"Oh, Double D. I'm sorry." she said and pulled him into hug. "I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know you were going to be a sad drunk. Hey it's okay..."
"I messed up. I messed up a lot of things. And things are going to keep being messed up. You're my only friend. And you're great..."
"But you miss Ed and Eddy."
"Yeah."
"You know Kevin is your friend too."
"He's my boyfriend... it doesn't count."
"Does too. And I'm sure Eddy will be okay eventually. He just has to sort some shit out."
Edd just looked at her sadly and fell back into the couch again.
"Hey do you want to yell "fuck" over and over real, real loud? It might make you feel better." asked Nazz trying to break him out of his depressed state.
"A little bit."
Edd woke up the next morning on the couch with a tie-dyed blanket thrown over him. He went to sit up but was instantly overcome with a burst of nausea. The nausea was only overshadowed by his splitting headache. He laid back and remained perfectly still. He remembered last night, but wished he didn't. He made a complete fool out of himself. He looked over at the coffee table and saw a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.
He got up slowly and took the morning one step at a time. He left Nazz a note about eleven when she still had not gotten up yet. He walked back home and stumbled to his room. He turned his record player on and laid back in bed. While debating on whether to get up and get things done or continue lying in bed, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was Kevin.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" asked Kevin.
"I feel like I am dying." groaned Edd.
"I've been there. Have you drank some water? You need to get re hydrated."
"I have."
"Good. Do you remember last night?"
"Unfortunately."
"Ha. It's okay, dude. Like I said, I've been there. Just take it easy. Dad and I should be home later this afternoon. Can I see you?"
"You may have to use a Ouija board, because I will have died by then. But yes, you may."
"I promise you won't die. And if you feel like throwing up, just do it. You will feel better."
"Okay...Bye. I love you."
"Love you too." said Kevin and hung up the phone. He burst into laughter.
"What's so funny, kid?" asked his dad. They were in his dad's truck, that had quite frankly seen better days, driving down the interstate.
"Nazz may have given Edd his first drink last night."
"Oh god, I would have paid to see that." said his dad with a deep laugh, "I mean...you kids shouldn't be drinking. Blah blah parenting crap blah blah."
"Yeah, yeah." laughed Kevin.
"I knew you two were going to be a bad influence on him." laughed his dad, "I think he's still a good kid though."
"Yeah..." smiled Kevin.
"I'm glad you found him, Kev."
"Me too."
When Kevin got into the city limits of Peach Creek, he texted Edd. He couldn't wait to see him. It was dark outside when his dad finally pulled his truck into the garage. Kevin didn't even bother getting his worn duffel bag out of the truck, he went straight to Edd's. As Kevin walked up the drive, he saw Edd open his front door. Kevin tried not to run to him. Edd closed the door quickly as Kevin walked in.
"I missed you so much." said Edd as he buried his head in Kevin's hoodie and absorbed his scent.
"I missed you too, Edd." He said as he pulled him close. "Although it sounds like you had a good time with Nazz."
Edd pulled back with a conflicted look on his face, "Well I enjoyed hanging out with Nazz...up until I made a complete fool out of myself..."
"Ha trust me, I've seen worse. How was your first hangover?" asked Kevin as he and Edd sat on the couch.
"It was terrible. To be honest I still have a little bit of a headache."
"Poor baby." teased Kevin.
"So tell me about your trip. How was it?" said Edd trying to change the subject, because he no longer wished to dwell on the events of the previous night.
"Um, it was okay I guess." shrugged Kevin, "I mean family is family, ya know? A lot of them asked if there was a girl in my life, if I had picked a college and what I planned to do with the rest of my life."
Edd sat down on the couch, "A girl? Did you tell them...anything?"
Kevin sat down and looked at him seriously, "No...I can't."
Edd had been having thoughts lately about whether or not Kevin would be able to come out even after graduation. Sometimes, the way he talked, Kevin made it seem like they would be hiding their lifestyle forever.
Kevin noticed the change is Edd's expression, "What's the matter?"
"Will you ever?" asked Edd nervously.
Kevin's face fell a little at the question, "I mean why does it matter, Edd?"
"It matters. To me. I mean I get that we are waiting until graduation to let everyone know, but my parents know and so do yours. And your family is umpteen hours away...I mean what would it have mattered?"
"Because they aren't going to be okay with it, Edd! You don't seem to get that. I'm glad that your family is all open minded and cool with the fact that you're gay, but mine won't be!"
"I'm just asking...are you ever going to be able to tell them? I mean we are planning a life together. What-.."
"Edd, I just got home. Can we please just have a nice evening? Drop it."
"Fine." said Edd a little coldly.
Kevin let his temper get the best of him. "You don't get it. Seriously, explain to me what difference it makes."
"If you said it...it would mean that you aren't ashamed of me."
Kevin stared at Edd for a moment before pulling him in for a deep passionate kiss. Edd submitted to Kevin. He pushed Edd onto the couch and kissed him more fiercely than he had in a while. Kevin whispered in his ear, "I'm not ashamed of you. I'm never ashamed of you. And don't you forget it." he said and then gave Edd a small bite on his neck.
Edd shivered with pleasure and pushed his questions aside so that he could take in the moment. This moment that he wanted to last forever.