Chapter 38

He was fearful for what would happen. There was no guarantee that Marie would reason with him. Still, he was somewhat excited. Now that he was at the park, he decided to run over to the Kanker trailer. Hopefully it would all work out. He couldn't wait to be able to see May.

Double D turned a corner while running to crash with someone. He fell to the floor.

"Oh, my head! Double D!" The person got up to help the boy in the beanie hat.

"Oww… Jimmy? I'm sorry I was distracted, I…" And then he stopped. Double D had turned to see who was with him, to find that May stood right there next to him. His heart started to beat with intensity.

"H-H-Hi, Double D…" She said, frowning.

"May… H-Hi…" He stuttered.

Both teens stood in front of each other, looking at each other intently. Red tinting started to appear on both of their faces.

"Um… Jimmy, could you please leave us alone for a moment?" May asked.

Jimmy agreed, and went on to hide behind a tree.

Double D looked at the keeper of his heart with glassy eyes. He couldn't decide if he was surprised, intrigued, or excited. He knew he was going to see May later, but the suddenness of her appearance caught him off guard. Nervousness started to settle on him since despite the assurance that May didn't break up with him willingly, he still felt a very uncomfortable tension between the two of them.

"Double D…"

"May…" And yet, he couldn't help but to speak her name as softly as only he had gotten used to.

Suddenly, the eyes of the blonde girl started to water. She saw the boy she loved with all her might. He looked thinner, he had huge bags under his eyes, his red, glassy eyes. He bore an expression of utter pity.

She leaned a bit forward, but returned to her place. May Kanker wished nothing more than to hold him and be held by the boy, but she felt unworthy. She did this. Her boy was hurt emotionally because of her. Although May had wanted to fix things with him, she saw that her actions had only caused her beloved grief… She decided on freeing him from the prison she trapped him in.

"Double D… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! You didn't deserve any of this…" She cried.

"I…"

"Do you remember how I told you that in elementary school many kids would draw offensive pictures of me, making me look like a beaver?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I don't know how, but Marie found the one picture which started all of my humiliation. She's been threatening me to show it to everybody if I kept seeing you… I have been so scared to have everyone… to have you! mock me because of how bad I looked in that picture I haven't been thinking straight… I've been so selfish thinking of my own fears and safety that I've driven you away from me, and you didn't even deserve to be hurt! You never deserved to suffer any pain in all this!"

Tears started falling down on Double D's face. "May…"

May continued. "I told Jimmy to take me to you, because I wanted you to know the truth behind our breakup. Marie knows I've left the trailer, and now she's probably going to share that picture with the whole school…" She said, as she sobbed. "I'm-I'm ugly… I'm too ugly to deserve a boy like you… and I know you won't want me after you see how I look in that picture… so please, don't think that all that has been happening is your fault, it's rather mine… Goodbye, Double D…" she felt her heart breaking as she turned around and decided to walk back home, to face any punishment , her fear and insecurity clouding her logic as she was only digging a deeper grave for herself.

And yet, she felt a hand grab her own, stopping her. "Wait…" May froze. She didn't want to be with Double D, thinking her sole presence would bring him misery. And yet, she couldn't help but comply. The blonde turned around to face the boy who stopped her.

"Thank you, May…" Double D smiled, weakly. "You were honest with me… and I understand what you mean. But you're not being fair to yourself." He said, more serious. "Nobody can simply ignore a lifelong fear just like that…"

May was quick to object. "But I deceived you, I was mean to you! I—"

The boy in the beanie hat held his hand up to stop her from continuing. "… I haven't been too honest with you either, May… There's something I need to show you…"

May remained quiet. What does he mean?

Double D took a step back. "I'm not sure if you found out, but I wasn't born in Peach Creek. I moved here when I was around six."

May nodded.

"I moved because I wanted to run away. My parents thought it best to leave the town we lived in and start anew somewhere else, all to help me."

May was now confused. She didn't understand what he meant by help.

Double D trembled a bit. "I suffered a horrible humiliation similar to yours in first grade. I was five then. I was enrolled at a reputable private school. I was the best student of the class, and because of that, I was teased and mocked so much I was unable to form any type of friendships."

May started to tear up again as she heard the boy she loved speak, hurt concealed deep within his words.

"But the worst came one day during the physical education class, on the field." He continued. "The coach had set up a dodge ball game… I, as always, was picked last, and the majority of the kids who would play the meanest pranks on me were on the opposite team. The meanest one of them decided to leave me for last, to make me feel more afraid. I knew that it was inevitable that I would be hit… but I kept backing away. When he shot the ball, I was hurt with it, rolled in place, and tripped. And that day, children from other classes were playing baseball. I fell on my head on top of the metallic baseball knobs…"

May widened her eyes and whimpered in sympathy.

"… When I came to, I was at the hospital, lying down on a bed. My Mom and Dad were next to me. They both looked at me with forced smiles. But I knew from the way my Mother's eyes looked that something was wrong. As it turns out…" He said, as he removed his beanie hat. "The accident I was subject to required stitching, and I was left with this…"

May fell on her knees, shocked. Double D leaned his head forward for her to see it better. His short hair would grow irregularly and disorderly because of a long scar that went from the top of his right temple to the back of the left one. The scar did not travel on a straight line. The closest shape that could be attributed to it would be that of a zigzag line. Because of this, some strands had to be held with pins.

"The worst part came when I returned to school. Nobody even asked how I was, or if I hurt. The first thing the bullies did when they saw was to call me names, laugh at me, and pushed me around. I fell into such a depression I managed to invent excuses not to go to school for a couple of days, but then my Dad found out and removed me from the school. I believe it closed shortly after, but ever since then I've had to depend on this beanie hat to be able to go outside. You won't believe how happy I was when my Dad told me we would be moving here. But still, I couldn't go anywhere without wearing my hat… I feared, and still do, that people would laugh at me as those kids did back in elementary…" He finished, putting his hat back on.

May was inconsolable.

She never knew how hard life had also been for Double D. His situation was strikingly similar to hers! He feared someone would find him out and then his trauma would return.

"I never tried to get along with girls that much because of this, but ever since I fell for you things have been different…" Double D started to shed tears again, deeply concerned and afraid for what he was going to ask, "Now that you know my secret, May… do you find me repulsive?" He said, his voice shaky.

May stopped crying. She had never felt more love for him. "NO! I don't, Double D! I… I… I don't care about how you might look on the outside, I swear! I fell in love with you because of who you are, because of how good a person you are…" She wanted to assure the boy there was nothing wrong with his appearance.

Double D smiled. He felt such a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He fell on his knees, in front of May. "In the same way, May, my May, I would never care about how you could look in a picture. The May I have in front of me is a sweet, caring, funny, bubbly girl, who just happens to be very pretty, even if she doesn't realize it. I've come to realize… these past days that I haven't been with you I found it hard to function properly… I cannot eat, I cannot sleep, I can barely think of nothing but you and your smile. I can only conclude one thing: I don't like you, May, I don't just like you. I love you. I love you for the wonderful person you are, I love you because your good soul is a relief to the worries in my life. I know that if I ever feel sad... there you are. There you are to lift my spirits again. Your smile is my assurance things are okay. Your laugh is the merriment I always yearned for. Your beauty is the delight I dream about and have ultimately hoped to find. I cannot see myself with anyone but you, not now, and not ever."

May didn't know what to say. She was red, her face was wet from all her crying. Her heart pulsated so fast she felt she would eventually faint. She was melting from the happiness her love's words made her feel.

"So please, don't leave me. So what if Marie has that picture? I'm here for you, May. I'm going to protect you against anyone, anyone who would dare try to insult you. I'm not going to rest, even if it kills me, to be able to bring a smile to your face and make sure you have a good day."

Now, May felt her whole body shake as she stared, blurrily, at the boy, the hero, who dared risk his existence for her sake.

"I know that Saturday we confessed we like each other… but we are obviously so much more. W-What I'm trying to say, May… May…" Double D asked, his nervousness catching up to him,

"… Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

She didn't know how he did it. Double D surprised her with everything he ever did or said to her. She didn't deserve someone as wonderful as him… and yet, she wanted him with all her might. My God, I can't go on… May opened her eyes. None of the things Marie could ever do to her mattered anymore. She wasn't going to separate herself from him anymore, no matter how much the blue haired girl would threaten her.

"Yes… Yes, Double D! YES!" The blonde girl fell to the arms of the beanie boy. She sobbed hard, akin to the time the two first professed their love for one another.

"I missed you… Oh, you don't know how much I've missed you!" Double D himself started to sob, sad that they had to spend so much time apart, but immensely happy that after all of their tribulations they were back together again, once again hugging, once again united.

The lovers found each other at such a position for several minutes, as if to try to make up for all the days they weren't together. When they both started to feel uncomfortable on the floor, and a little cold from the air current, they stood up. The two shared a laugh as they stood at the same time, apparently acting synchronously. Now that things were cleared up, Double D wanted to make sure he had done everything right.

"Soo… you didn't think I was too forward when I almost kissed you?" He said, referring to the Saturday they spent at the amusement park.

May giggled. She looked at him, and put both of her hands on his chest. "Double D… I have never felt more in love with you than when you kissed me then…" She said, her voice soft and dreamy. As if by instinct, Double D moved his hands slowly to place both of them on the small of her back. The two leaned close to each other. May started to close her eyes slowly and Double D did the same thing.

A magical moment that forever would remain in their memories took place as Double D and May locked their lips together in a passionate kiss that brought blush to both of their faces. Shame be darned, they had never felt as happy and content with each other as they did then. May felt herself sigh while still in close contact with Double D. He felt the joy brought about by their intimacy would soon overwhelm him.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Both heard a yell. The boy and the girl both turned their heads to see an irate blue haired girl address them fiercely.

Notes: I'd prefer to think of Double D's hair to be a short, messy style. If you look up "male short hair" on google images right now, the style I'd attribute to him would be the one for the third result.

For the creation of this chapter, I inspired myself listening to the song There you are, by The Click Five.