Chapter 50
"Dee, would you calm down?" Eddy demanded for the billionth time. "It's just graduation! What are you even nervous about? You scared they're gonna take your diploma away for being too anal?"
A bitter, hateful look sent his direction had the short teen shutting up, and Ed leaned over to put his head in between his two friends and mediate.
"Double D's just nervous about his speechy thing, Eddy! He has to give us all good wishes or we'll be eaten up by the graduation fairies! It's a big responsibility," he said sagely, nodding his head.
"Yeah, well, don't worry," Eddy grumbled. "You're freaking me out. Besides, if anything goes wrong, Kevin'll just punch it until it starts working again."
With a sigh, Edd released his hold around his knees and set his feet on Eddy's bedroom floor. "You don't understand, Eddy, and I don't expect you to, but could you at least refrain from making me feel worse about it? I know it'll be a struggle for you-"
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
"-but surely a little effort won't hurt."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Eddy grumbled an affirmative. Ed's face split in a grin, and he hugged his two friends tightly to his sides and began blubbering. His friends' protests went unheard and unheeded until a knock at the door had him up on his feet.
"Bark!" he yelled gleefully. "Bark, bark!"
"Who is it, boy?" Eddy asked, his face alight with sarcastic enthusiasm.
Edd rolled his eyes and got up to answer the door. A familiar redhead greeted him on the other side with a crushing hug.
"Stop stressing about this stupid speech right the fuck now," he said, setting a dazed Edd back on his feet.
"Already took care of that, Sir Late-A-Lot," Eddy grumbled. He waved a hand at them. "Well, go on then. See you there, Dee."
"Bye, asshole!" Kevin said cheerfully, pulling Edd out into the sunshine. Down the driveway, he tossed his spare helmet to Edd. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," the skinny teen sighed, fitting the helmet over his head.
"That's my dork."
The speech went perfectly, much to no one's surprise. The ceremony took forever, even by Edd's standards, but eventually it ended. A sea of hats rose into the air-"Yes, what a phenomenal way to express our graduation from four years of education, tossing pointed hats directly above our heads…"-and friends clashed with friends in group hugs, some crying, some laughing, most taking pictures. Edd quickly lost Kevin to the crowd, but he didn't mind. It wasn't hard to find Ed, and with his tall friend came his short one. Ed swept them up into a big hug and Edd patted his arm comfortingly.
"Don't fret, Ed. Even though you didn't get into the university Eddy and I are attending, I assure you that you'll see plenty of us."
Eddy and Ed exchanged a look. "You didn't tell him?" Eddy said, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"I wanted to surprise him!" Ed replied. He dropped his friends to reach into his pocket and pull out a crumpled piece of paper. He held it out to Edd and then jumped from foot to foot in anticipation. "Read it, read it!"
Confusion creasing his brow, Edd took the paper and smoothed it out, blue eyes darting across the text. As he read, his face split into a wide smile. "Oh, Ed! A football scholarship? Well deserved, indeed!"
"Yeah! I'm going to college with you guys! My mom was so happy she cried, and Sarah even gave me a pat on the arm!"
Eddy snatched the paper and shoved it back into Ed's pocket. "Yeah, yeah, we're proud of you, blah, let's get the hell out of this dump!"
Edd cast a wistful glance over the auditorium before nodding. "Yes, of course."
"Ice cream!" Ed shouted, running for the door as students left and right dove out of his way.
Eddy rolled his eyes and Edd hid a smile behind his hand. The two friends glanced at each other, and Eddy bumped his hip into Edd's. "Come on, let's make sure he doesn't flip a car or something."
As they walked through the halls for the last time, Edd tuned out Eddy's ramblings and simply allowed himself to feel sad. A major chapter in his life had come to a close, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, he was glad to be rid of it. University held so many opportunities for him that sometimes he wished he'd taken the easy way out and simply graduated early, but a glance to the side reminded him of the reason he hadn't. His dear friends…what would he do without them? No, he was better off here, and now there, with them. Kevin was a wonderful boyfriend, and he was glad to have him, but when the world came tumbling down and the dust finally settled, Edd knew that his two closest friends would be there for him.
"Sockhead!" Eddy shouted, snapping Edd from his thoughts. The shorter teen was already down the hall, pulling Ed along by his collar. "You comin', or what?"
Author's Note: Bam, it's done. Sort of. How am I supposed to write endings, I don't know. Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long, but I'd like to think it was worth it. I've definitely learned a lot from writing it. Watch for new fics, because they'll exist at some point. Thanks again!
