Author's Note: I'm sorry about the slow pace. It'll pick up starting tomorrow. I feel like I'm bad at writing Rolf. Oh, well. I do what I can. Enjoy!
Chapter 27
Eddy's theory that if they ate ice cream nonstop they would be able to finish off an entire tub of rocky road ice cream in one go proved to be correct. Edd sat on the floor with his back against the couch and his knees pulled up to his chest. He groaned and hugged himself. Eddy lay behind him on the couch facing the TV and rubbing his stomach. The look on his face screamed of regret, and Edd felt inclined to agree. Only Ed seemed unfazed; he had his head in the empty tub, licking at what little melted ice cream remained. A drizzle of chocolate liquid dripped to the floor. Edd winced, but at the moment he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Is this really the course of action people turn to when they face relationship troubles? It hardly seems to be helping anything…
On the television screen, Evil Pig Monsters from Outer Space: Part 7 flickered away, casting strange shadows across the room. Edd let his head fall back. He smiled when he felt Eddy tug on the end of his hat. In the quiet aftermath of the ice cream massacre, Edd was finally free to think back on his actions.
It made him want to cry.
How had he let himself lose control so completely? Not only had he chased his boyfriend down the street, screaming at him in front of anyone who cared to listen, but he had done it shirtless. He shut his eyes and hit his head gently on the couch cushion a few times. Eddy's hand pressed down on his forehead until he stilled. He peered up at his friend, brow furrowed.
"What is it, Eddy?"
"Quit beating yourself up."
"How do you know that I'm—"
Eddy scoffed. "Oh, please. Don't insult me. It isn't hard to tell. You're sitting on the floor, banging your head on the sofa, and you didn't even blink when Ed spilled chocolate on your carpet."
Edd sighed and rested his chin on his knees. "Yes, I suppose I have been rather transparent…"
"Give me your phone."
"P-Pardon?" Edd looked back, startled by the sudden demand. "Why would you need my phone when you have one of your own?"
"Because you aren't allowed to talk to a certain Shovelchin for the rest of the weekend." Eddy leaned down and snatched Edd's phone from the floor. "I'll be here. If your parents call—and I seriously doubt they will—then you can have it back. But the rest of the time it stays with me."
"But…what if he…I need to know he's safe," Edd stammered.
"He's with Nazz. He came back like two hours ago."
He's back? And he didn't come to see me? Edd felt his heart sink. He really must be quite furious with me. What if—?
"Hey! Earth to Sockhead! Before you go getting your panties in a twist, I told Nazz to keep him away. You both need some time apart. So just chill, alright? Watch the damn movie."
"Yeah!" Ed butted in. "This is the part where the evil pig overlord has to fight the giant mutated chicken!" Ed drew in a loud and sudden gasp. "Chicken! Gertrude! I forgot to go feed her today! I told Rolf I would! I'll be back, you guys!" He ran for the door, pulling his tattered shoes on. "Don't start the next one without me!"
"We wouldn't dream of it, Ed!" Edd called. "Tell Rolf we said hello!"
"Hello, tall Ed-boy! You are late!" Rolf called. He was leaning casually against the fence watching the chickens peck around for worms and bits of bread crumb when Ed ran up. "Slow yourself or you will startle them like Nana's bunions startle Rolf."
Ed forced himself to stop running and tiptoe up to the pen. "Hiya, Rolf! How is Gertrude today?"
Rolf grinned and waved a hand toward the hen house. "See for yourself, Ed-boy."
Ed poked his head inside the coop and grinned widely. "Hi, Gertrude! Did you miss me?" He reached in with both of his hands and gently lifted the chicken out and into his arms. "I came to feed you today!"
Rolf handed him the bag of feed and looked on fondly as the big teen delicately scattered the food across the ground. The chickens clustered around him and clucked for more. It never failed to amaze Rolf how such a big, blundering idiot could be so good with animals. Perhaps Ed could help out around the yard more often.
"How is Kevin, Rolf?" Ed asked. He didn't look up.
"Hmm? Casanova-Kevin is in a low place indeed, Ed-boy. He misses his smart one like Rolf misses the old country." Rolf scratched his head. "How is the smart Ed-boy?"
"Double D is sad. But I think he will be happy soon. I don't know why, though. I just feel it in my toes."
Ed beamed over at Rolf. Rolf smiled back. They lapsed into comfortable silence as Ed finished feeding the chickens and gently carried Gertrude back into the coop. Ed stood swinging his arms back and forth for a minute before blurting out a farewell. Rolf's hand shot out to rest on Ed's shoulder.
"Ah…perhaps the tall Ed-boy can stay for a few more minutes, yes?"
Kevin lay face down on Nazz's bed with a pillow over his head. She sat next to him, one hand scrolling through her email on her laptop and the other rubbing circles along his shoulder blades. Punk rock music played softly in the background. I'm such a fucking idiot, he thought.
"No, you're not," Nazz said.
Kevin sat up on his elbows. "What?"
"You're not an idiot. I mean, you are an idiot, but not about this."
"Nazz. How could you possibly know that's what I was thinking?"
She smiled down at him. "You don't know a guy as long as I've known you without figuring some things out. Besides, you haven't moved since you barged in here and flopped down on my bed without saying a single word." She tapped her chin. "You miss him."
"Yeah, I do."
"It wasn't a question, stupid," she teased. She worried her lip for a moment. "Look, what's done is done. You two just need to move past it now."
"Right, like he'll ever want to see me again." He fell back onto the bed. "I can't believe he yelled at me like that."
"Well, to be fair, you were kind of asking for it."
"No, I was totally asking for it." He sighed deeply into the pillow. "What if I fucked this up, Nazz?"
"Let me just stop you right there. I'm not really in the mood for your woe-is-me bullshit. He's fine. He feels awful about it, and he is worried about you. Does that sound like an Edd who won't forgive you?"
"How do you know all that?"
"Never mind." She waved him away. "I just do. Answer the question."
"No. It sounds like…like Edd. It just sounds like Edd."
"Exactly." She pushed at his shoulder until he rolled over. "Here is my advice: let him come to you. Now I don't want to hear another word of it. We're going to drink cheap beer and watch shitty chick flicks."
Kevin grinned and sat up. She reached under her bed for the six pack and a stack of DVDs. She's right. He'll come around. I'll probably just piss him off if I try to fix it. The doorbell rang and he stood up, stretching his back.
"I'll get it. It's probably Rolf, right?"
He walked out into the front hall and pulled open the door. He was greeted with a firm slap on the back. He staggered and coughed.
"Hello to you, too, Rolf," he laughed.
"The smart Ed-boy is fine, Kevin," Rolf replied. He wore an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.
"Uh…thanks, man." Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. "You want to come on back?"
Nazz appeared at the end of the hall. "Rolf! Where the hell were you? You're like an hour late!"
A hint of red crept across his cheeks. "Do not ask such questions of this son of a shepherd!"
