When school started back up, Kevin's appearances with his old friends became scarcer and scarcer. Big Ed spotted him near the university's pool a couple of times, but Kevin would either give him a wave before ducking inside the facility or get drug away by a really tall guy wearing Double D's hat.

Edd, Kevin, Sy and Ang had a very good feeling as to what was going on, but didn't speak on it. They just didn't feel it was right. And for Sy, Ang and Edd's parts, didn't really care. Kevin was allowed to date. They all felt better now that he was doing just that because it meant he was moving on from Edd. Sy and Ang thought it would give Edd and Kevin a chance to take their own relationship deeper.

And Edd tried. It took a while for Kevin to get with the program. He thought they were fine. They lived together and shared nearly everything. What more could they need? But then he realized that they were both still trying to heal from the trauma their previous relationships had dealt out to them when they met. They were each other's comfort and coping mechanisms, sounding boards and ass kickers. Together they cowered in the fox hole that was recovering from a broken heart. Now was the time to have a real relationship.

So they went out with no concerns of whether or not their ex's saw them or not. Edd wore his old blue plaid shirt and sunglasses and Kevin's orange sweater when he could snag it away from him. He knew his ex seeing him in his things drove him nuts, so he figured his new boyfriend would like it, too. Kevin didn't know what to do, until he saw Edd and Kevin have a quick, hey you! conversation in the middle of the quad while Edd wore it one day. The jealous glint in the redheaded jock's eyes was all it took. It soon became Edd's favorite sweater for years.

Kevin would sign for Edd's packages and enjoy the gifts as much as their intended recipient.

Things were going good. So good.

Over spring break, Marie caught sight of her ex and Kevin having a cozy lunch in the city at some new tapas place. They were sitting on the patio and Kevin had his usual devil may care grin on his face as Eddward scowled, but his eyes were dancing. When the check came, rage filled the girl. Kevin leaned over and snuck the check away from Edd's fingertips with a forehead kiss. The swimmer blushed as his eyes closed and a small smile crept across his face. When he realized what happened, he opened his mouth to protest, but found Kevin's lips smashed against his.

"Shut up," the redhead smirked as he pulled Eddward's beanie over his eyes.

The swimmer just pouted as he pushed the hat back into place above his furrowed brows where it belonged. Kevin winked at him as he signed the check, and when they stood to walk away, Edd snatched Kevin's hand into his own. And Kevin just acted like it was most natural thing in the world. When they stopped in the parking lot at their vehicles, Eddward pulled Kevin close and laid his head on the redhead's shoulder. Considering they were the same height, seeing the usually confident, in charge swimmer duck his head into the grove of Kevin's strong shoulder was very much a turn on for the redhead, but Marie was slowly dying inside. Eddward being giving and open.

And suddenly their last conversation made sense. They were cuddled up on the couch and she just kept kissing him and trying to put his hands down her shorts and up her tank top. He knew he could either give in and drag on the farce or end it and keep up his detailing on two redheads who were sparking all kinds of things in him without using the poor girl as his CI. He decided to end it. It was now or later and either way would be bad. Better now when it could be so much worst if he did it later.

"You want more than I can ever give you, mon cherie. This won't work anymore, so I'm ending it," he had told her.

She just slapped his face and kicked him out of the trailer.

And now, under the warm spring sunlight, she was on fire. She would never be enough. Not for Double D, not for Kevin, not for Eddward, who was basically the epitome of Kevin and Edd combined. Again her failures came waving their epicness in her face. But she knew that if Eddward was in the city on a Thursday afternoon, that he was headed to the local comic book store to see what they had in stock. Keys in hand, she walked that direction, but not before seeing Kevin lay a smooch on the moody swimmer that made his knees weak. And the gesture cut her like a knife. Gripping her keys tighter, she resolved that Eddward would feel at least some of the pain she was feeling.

She ducked into a hat store next door to the comic book store. They shared a parking lot. When she saw Eddward's car pull up, she plugged her earbuds into her phone, pulled up a song from her Pussy Riot playlist, hit play and then opened Bubble Witch Saga. After letting two songs play, she closed out the game and the app, walked to the parking lot and carved her name inside a heart into the driver's side door. To say Eddward was pissed at her actions was an understatement. He went back into the comic book store and told them what happened. They gave him the card to the security service that maintained the security cameras at the lot.

He didn't want to press charges, but he did want to make a point. Getting a copy of the video for his insurance company and himself, he filed a claim on the damage done to the car. He then mailed the copy of the video with a letter to her telling her to get help as he wouldn't be so kind next time she thought she could destroy his property in an effort to lay a claim on him that she had no right to. Nazz came back to their shared suite to hear her crying over the video paused on a frame of her concentrating on making the final details to the damage she was doing to his Buick.

"He's right, Marie. It's time for you to move on. You can't let something like this get to you."

"Easy for you to say, Blondie."

"How, Marie?," Nazz asked as she leveled a look at her and Marie snapped her mouth closed.

Kevin and Nazz's breakup was pretty epic. Kelsey Banks wouldn't shut up about how she got Kevin to put his hand up her shirt. Considering that she was on the cheer squad with Nazz, practices were tense for the rest of the school year. It took Nazz and Kevin a while before they were on even the most basic of speaking terms again, but when everyone figured out the two best friends were rebuilding their friendship Kelsey dropped the cheer squad and a semester later transferred to Peach City. It wasn't cool to tease Nazz anymore when Kevin was back in good with her. But Nazz's pain was on her face for the better part of a year and it cut the cul-de-sac and the trailer park kids to their cores. No one hurt them, least of all each other! But over time, they always healed and moved on. Edd being the best example by far.

"Fine. I'll deal," she said as she pulled the DVD out of the DVD player and tossed it and Eddward's letter in the trash.

"Good," Nazz said as she texted Sy for information on who would be best to help Marie deal with this on the level the girl needed.

Two weeks after spring break, Mrs Annette Rockwell called her stepson. The insurance company had paid for the damage on his car, but it was going to raise his rates by at least $100. She had a plan in affect since she joined his family after his mother's death when he was 5 that would make sure that his trust fund was at perfectly decent amount when he graduated from college. Incidents like getting his car keyed cut into that plan considerably. And Eddward's plans for a decent conversation with the woman for once flew out of the window as soon as she spoke in that damn uppity tone of hers.

"Eddward, you need to make sure that you park your car in a safe place from now on," she said firmly.

"Or what, Annette? Grandmother made sure that no matter what I do or have done to me, that I will be taken care of. And if that does not occur, you will be the one to suffer. Not me," he said coldly.

There was some static and he knew she was passing the phone to his father. The man may have donated half of his genetics to his son, but as far as either was concerned, that was contribution enough. This conversation was going to be epic.

"Eddward."

"Father."

"Annie and I just want you to be safe. Considering the places in the city you like to go to and your lifestyle, you're lucky that only your car was damaged."

Eddward scoffed. Loudly.

"Eddward, I'm being serious here. You could have been hurt."

"Trust me, Father. No one is going to hurt me," he said menacingly.

Shelby Rockwell gave a shaky groan. He knew his son was right. If anyone hurt Eddward, they'd be hurt just as bad. He had a bridge and two crowns in his mouth to prove it.

"And it's not like you would have cared if I was hurt or not," Eddward continued as he set about cleaning his already spotless room, as the conversation started to aggravate his nerves.

Could his parents just not?! Could they at least pretend to care? Just once?

"Eddward, please. That's not true."

Yanking his hat off and cocking his head at the mirror over his dresser, he took a good look at the scar that crossed from about an inch from his hairline to the underside of his head, nearly slicing his head in half.

"I have a scar on my head that says otherwise, Father!"

Shelby is exasperated at this point. He's so sick and tired of going down this road with Eddward, but travel it they must.

"I was there for you! I could not prevented that accident from happening, you know that!"

"An accident?! Leaving my mother and I alone in strange city so you could close some damned business deal that could of been done in a fucking phone call wasn't an accident. Getting mugged and then nearly killed by some crazed lunatic wasn't an accident. These were all purposeful incidents caused by your selfish actions, Father. The sooner you admit it, the better. My trust fund will cover the new insurance rates just fine. Save your concern for someone who cares. Goodbye."

He hit the power button to turn off his phone and sighed. Hearing the door across the hall close, he grabbed his hat and put it back on. The redhead may get on his nerves, but like someone else he once knew, those arms were he felt the safest he had felt in a long while and he was going to put himself in them for a long while.