Chapter 30: Step Down
Wednesday morning had finally arrived for everyone in the cul-de-sac. It was now 9 AM, and the boys had completed their morning routines and had found themselves at Eddy's residence.
Whilst waiting for Eddy, Ed asks, "Where's Kenji at guys? Did he arrive here before us?"
"Nah, he's coming later. For all I know, he could probably still be sleeping, as something he tends to value is his sleep." responded Chris, while chuckling a bit. "But, that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy a good, late night hangout. We've done it before, but I can't say it always ends up favorably for the two of us."
"Why might that be the case Chris?" asked a slightly concerned, yet curious Double D.
"Because we often wake up in the afternoon, as evidenced by one time, it was like 3 AM or something, and we didn't manage to get to our beds, as we were both on a couch, one seat apart from each other. We still slept alright, as both of our seats were adjusted to be leaning back. But once we woke up and saw it was like 1 PM... yeah, not good, haha!" explained Chris, laughing at the memory.
As soon as Chris finished his explanation, Eddy opened the front door to his house, and told his pals, "Hey guys, come on in!"
Everyone entered the residence, and immediately made their way into the living room. Ed and Double D took a seat on the large couch, while Chris took a one person chair to the left of the couch. Eddy also joined his friends in the living room, taking a one person chair that faced towards all three of his friends.
"So guys, I'm guessing you saw that stuff that Cassie sent the other day?" asked Eddy.
"Yeah. I'm actually surprised at the fact that she was able to even inform us so fast about everything. If only it wasn't so late at night... ugh. Anyways, looks like we got a head start on how to stop those things, right?" said Chris.
"Precisely we do Chris, as we should sacrifice no time in preparing the solutions that shall prevent any of these device from assisting the victimizers." responded Double D.
Just as Double D finished his sentence, Ed felt buzzing in his right pocket, which indicated to him that he was receiving a phone call. He took out the phone from his pocket, and saw that it's his beloved May. In an instant, he answered the phone call, but accidentally placed the call on speaker; making it audible for everyone else present.
"Hiya May! Good morning to ya!" said Ed.
"Hi Ed! Happy to hear you. Um, I have something to ask ya." responded May, sounding slightly shy.
"Oh oh! Do tell!" stated Ed.
"Well... my mother wants to invite you and everyone else we know to our trailer, as to keep it short, me and my sisters finally get together as a family again after we talked with her last night! We told her some stuff about you and your friends, and she wants to meet you all!" explained May, with her voice much more cheerful. "So, do you and your friends want to come over? Lee and Marie will also be here for your other friends too!"
The thought of meeting the mother of three very rebellious girls was anything but a pleasant idea to the other three boys present; especially for Eddy. However, to Ed, based on his girlfriend's more cheerful tone, he concludes that it's a good idea.
"Do not fret my sweet May! We are on our way, the only thing we shall do before is wait for Kenji who is coming already!" responded Ed.
"Thank you Ed! See you soon, I love you!" said May in her same cheerful tone, after which the quirky couple hang up the call.
"Dude, meeting their mother?! This can't go well at all..." said Chris, worried.
"Have some optimism Chris! While I certainly understand the possible idea of uncomfortable circumstances, we must at least give this a chance!" commented Double D in a stern manner.
"Double D! How can you even be sure that their mother shred you, me and Ed to pieces for dating her daughters?" asked Eddy, panicking.
"I might also add... I'm still responsible for literally beating down one of her daughters. The idea of this going down well at all is equivalent to the chances of diving down into a sewer and not expecting to get dirty." stated Chris, crossing his arms, while also tapping his foot in nervousness.
"Aw come on guys! The mother of the Kankers could be real nice!" said Ed, putting up a small frown on his face.
"Well, fine, but let's just wait for Kenji, don't want to leave him confused now." stated Chris. "In the meanwhile, I should perhaps ask Hilde if she is coming today. And Skylar too."
Chris pulled out his phone from his pocket, and brought up Skylar's contact info, and hit call. To his surprise, Skylar answered in an instant.
"Hey Chris, how's everything going?" asked Skylar.
"Good, but I got some news. Me and the rest of the boys are going to head to the Kanker's trailer today. Are you on your way to the cul-de-sac right now or...?" responded Chris.
"Sorry love, but me, and Hilde for that matter, shall have to arrive to the Kanker's trailer later. It's because the two of us completely forgot about the work we were supposed to do a couple of days ago, and the two of us agreed to meet up at my house after you left the other day. I deeply apologize for springing this bollocks onto you so suddenly!" explained Skylar, sounding embarrassed.
Chris chucked slightly at his friend's tone; finding it quite funny, yet unnecessary.
"Skylar, relax already silly. It's fine, finish up the work you two gotta do, and meet us at the trailer later, okay? Besides, you two are both very smart individuals I'd say, so it shouldn't take you guys very long." responded Chris.
"I hope so. Watch yourself, and don't do anything too absurd while I'm gone. Love you!" said Skylar.
"Yeah, uh... no worries! See ya!" stated Chris, directly lying about there being no worries.
Once the call ended, Chris leaned back into his chair, groaning in annoyance.
"What is the matter Chris?" asked Ed.
"How are we going to be able to make this meeting normal? Because all of us have a bone to pick, so to say, with their mother. Expect you Ed, but that's to be expected." responded Chris.
The Eds gave each other quick glances, before Double D decided to state his opinion in regards to the matter.
"As I've previously stated, the circumstances may not appear to be most favorable currently, but we must give it a chance at least. I might also add, May sounded quite positive in her explanation regarding the idea of us paying a visit to the Kanker's residence, which indicates that it must've turned out in a positive direction for the sisters! So once Kenji arrives, let us please remain open-minded to the possibilities, shall we?" stated Double D.
Chris and Eddy shot quick glances of unease, before the latter gave his 25 cents regarding the situation.
"Alright alright, but you're the one to blame is this goes poorly!" said Eddy.
"Ha, you think you're in danger dude? I'm the one who relentlessly beat up one of her daughters, twice. If anything, I'll be surprised if she doesn't try to tear out my throat. Or tell me that I'm not welcome, either way, wouldn't surprise me." stated Chris, laughing nervously.
After Chris's statement, the four boys heard knocking at the door. Eddy got up from his seat and went to answer said door. To the benefit of the boys, it was Kenji; wearing a dark brown, short sleeve white Henley shirt, that was somewhat covered by a black blazer jacket. Across the jacket was also the strap of a small satchel that Kenji brought along. Kenji also wore grey jeans that were secured by a black belt; accompanied by black shoes, and white socks.
"Greetings my friends, are we doing well?" asked Kenji.
Chris got up from his chair, and went over to his best pal and gave him a fist bump.
"We're alright, but we got a change of plans. Not only are Skylar and Hilde not going to be able to join us due to some work between them, but also, the Kankers are having some sort of family reunion with their mother, and we're invited." said Chris, in response to Kenji's question.
"Oh. Did any of the sisters divulge the details regarding this?" said Kenji.
"Not really, tell ya the truth." responded Eddy. "Apparently they got back together as a family or other such stuff."
"Hmm... this reunion must be of high importance to the Kanker family." observed Kenji.
"Why do you say that?" asked Chris.
"Allow me to elucidate it for you." stated Kenji, staring directly at his best friend. "If, as Eddy formulated it to me, the Kanker ménage reunited as a family in the recent days for the first time in a while, it must symbolize that something paramount has panned out. Therefore, I can surmise that it is indeed of top significance."
"So in short, this little meetup is important. Gotcha." said Chris, laughing slightly at Kenji's ridiculously complex explanation.
"Shall we begin our trip towards the trailer?" asked Double D, after which everyone else nodded their head in approval.
After a couple minutes, the boys began their trek to the Kanker's trailer; their mindsets being entirely different, as they walk towards the trailer.
However, Ed, Edd, and Eddy were all thinking the same thing; how would the mother of their beloved girlfriends react to them being their companions? They could only pray for two circumstances being in their favor; how their girlfriends introduced them to their mother, along with that the mother at least could tolerate the bond between them and her daughters, otherwise they will have issues to no end.
Meanwhile, with Chris and Kenji, the pair of best friends were also of a similar mindset. While they are at least on good terms with the Kankers, the two of them (especially Chris) couldn't help but feel somewhat awkward coming into a situation that they felt like they didn't quite belong. However, given the fact that Jane is very important to figuring out the circumstances, the two were more than willing to brush that aside for the current moment.
After a couple minutes of walking, the boys made it to the entrance of the Kanker's trailer. Double D decided to take the initiative, and knock on the door.
"You sure this gonna go well for us?" asked Eddy to Double D, sounding slightly concerned.
"Eddy, let us remain optimistic, shall we?" responded Double D.
"Or at least as much as we can..." said Chris with a hint of reluctance.
The door opened to reveal Marie, who was in her usual attire, with her blue hair covering her right eye as normal. Double D naturally smiled at the sight of his girlfriend.
"Hey, come on in!" said Marie, opening the door wide for all of the boys to come in.
Double D moved to the side to let all his friends enter in first, after which he came in and gave a kiss to Marie, who returned the favor to him. After a couple seconds, the couple break it off, and Marie closed the door, and headed on over to the kitchen with Double D.
The rest of the boys unanimously gathered around the living area, with Ed, Eddy, and Kenji sitting down on the couch, while Chris stood near the left side of the TV, leaning towards the wall, and tapping his left foot nervously. Kenji takes notice of this, and stares directly at him.
"Are you alright my friend?" asked Kenji, getting Chris's attention.
"More or less. You know why this situation is very unpredictable dude, and I really don't like it." responded Chris, getting an uncomfortable feeling in his spine.
"Just keep an open mind, and whatever transpires, I shall be here to provide assistance." said Kenji, giving his friend a thumbs up, with Chris returning the favor; but not without a hint of reluctance.
May comes on over to the kitchen to greet Ed, running on over, landing on top of him, and giving him a hug. Ed, as expected, returns the favor happily.
"You and your friends get here okay?" asked May, resting her head on Ed's right shoulder.
"We did indeed, don't you worry my sweet May!" responded Ed, giggling a bit, while Eddy rolled his eyes at the sight of the goofy couple.
May then moved her head back to face Ed directly, which made the latter smile. The two decided to share a quick kiss for a couple seconds, after which May got of Ed's lap, and stood up in front of him.
"Any of you four want something to drink?" asked May.
"A soda would be nice, if there's a-any left." responded Chris, stuttering slightly.
"I shall take a glass of water." said Kenji.
"Soda for me aswell!"stated Eddy and Ed at the same time, which made the two boys stare at each other with a confused and smiling expression, respectively.
May nods her head, and goes to retrieve the refreshments for the boys.
In the kitchen, currently Marie and Double D are occupied organizing the table for everyone, while Lee and Jane are busy with preparing the food for their guests. Jane took notice of the beanie wearing Ed boy, and told Lee to keep in eye on the food; as she went on over to welcome him.
At the table, Marie had gone upstairs to use the restroom, while Double D finalized the remaining decor remaining. However, Double D had failed to realize that the Kanker's mother had been approaching him, due to his focus on organizing the table. Once he had set the last chair up, he was slightly surprised when he heard a female voice that he had not recognized in the slightest. He turned around and saw that it was Jane, which resulted in him gulping, and sweating a bit upon the sight of his girlfriend's mother.
"Welcome in, your name?" asked Jane, offering a hand to Double D.
"Eddward, but I go b-by Double D." responded Double D, with hints of nervousness rushing throughout his back.
Double D returns the handshake, and Jane gives him a small hug in return, which surprised him to no avail. Either way, he managed to compose himself, and give a kind-hearted smile back to Jane.
"You are Marie's boyfriend, yes?" asked Jane, with a curious expression.
"Yes, I am, Ms. Kanker." stated Double D.
"You are welcome to call me Jane, no need to worry. Well, as far as I've heard from Marie, you seem like a nice enough guy. I trust that throughout your time with her, you've been the best you can be, right?" said Jane, with a small smug expression.
"Yes, of course!" responded Double D, with a feeling of electricity running through his neck. Jane couldn't help but laugh a bit, before giving a thumbs up to him.
Marie finished up her business in the restroom, and as she came back from the restroom, she witnessed the sight of her mother and boyfriend having a conversation. She quickly ran over to see how it was brewing between the two of them.
"Hey mom, this is-" said Marie, before being cut off by Jane raising her hand in the stop signal.
"I know, Eddward, or Double D, as he prefers to be called." stated Jane with a smile.
Double D and Marie glances at one another with expression of relief. Marie couldn't help herself but give Double D a quick kiss on the lips, much to his surprise. Jane chuckled slightly at the sight of seeing her middle daughter with her boyfriend.
"Well, you two can wait at the table, or at the couch." said Jane, as she glanced on over the couch, and took note of the four boys that gathered at the area. "Or maybe just the table."
The three shared a laugh at Jane's remark.
"Don't worry mom, me and dreamboat will wait at the table." responded Marie, as she and Double D took a seat on two chairs near the table.
"Alright then Marie, I shall greet the rest of our guests." said Jane, as she made her way on over to the couch area.
As Double D and Marie watched Jane make her way to the rest of the boys, the latter decided to initiate a conversation with her boyfriend.
"So, surprised?" asked Marie, with a grin.
"I must admit Marie, this is quite the turn of events, especially considering the information you provided me the night of Nazz's birthday!" responded Double D.
"Yeah, it didn't come without force to be honest, but she finally came clean about a lot thing regarding the past last night. Another time I'll tell you more, but all you need to know is that she's willing to figure out who this father could be." explained Marie.
"My goodness, there is much to be discovered today it seems. Well, color me intrigued Marie!" said Double D towards his azure-haired girlfriend.
Meanwhile, at the couch, Jane had approached the boys at the couch; as the crew present gave their attention to her. Kenji decided to introduce himself first.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Kenji." said Kenji, as he stood up and gave a small bow, with his hands behind his back.
"Hi there Kenji, my name is Jane. You are a friend of everyone here, yes?" asked Jane.
"That he is." said Chris, adding his two cents into the mix; but he unfortunately doesn't realize that he is speaking to the Kanker's mother.
Jane gave a glance at Chris, and chuckled a bit at his statement.
"And you are?" asked Jane towards Chris.
Chris and Kenji gave each other somewhat concerned glances, which results in the latter deciding to speak for his friend.
"My dear friend Chris, he and I have a long list of friendly experience with one another." stated Kenji, attempting to paint his friend in the most positive light he can. However, Jane remembers the circumstances that Lee explained to her the previous night.
"Hmm... Chris, would you be so kind as to speak to me for a moment?" asked Jane.
"Yep. I'm screwed." said Chris in his mind, before telling Jane out loud, "Um, yeah... sure I suppose..."
"Thank you, just a moment." responded Jane, as she walked on over to the couch to greet Ed and Eddy.
"Hi Ms. Kanker! My name is Ed, and this is my best pal Eddy!" stated Ed, pointing towards Eddy as he did so.
Eddy however, was sinking into the couch as much as he could, due to his expected sense of uncomfortableness near the mother of the girls that were responsible for many unpleasant moments, to say the least.
"Hey Ed, it's good to meet you, but you're welcome to call me Jane. You are with May, and Eddy is with Lee, yes?" asked Jane.
"Uh, yeah!" responded Eddy, breaking out in sweat.
"Okay, good to know. How funny is it that a trio of best friends would have very similar names? Ha!" stated Jane, sharing a small chuckle with Ed. "Well, I'd like to get to you know two more later, should that be okay with you two?"
Eddy's initial attitude of being somewhat scared of Jane began to somewhat wither away; as he took notice of the surprisingly rather calm manner she was taking towards both him and Ed. Feeling more comfortable, he decided to respond to Jane's question.
"Yeah, that'd be cool with us." said Eddy.
Jane gives the two boys a small smile, before she then walks on over to where Chris was standing.
"Come with me outside." said Jane, as she made her way out the door.
Chris gave a concerned glance at Kenji, the latter of which already knew what his friend was thinking.
"Permit her an opportunity to express yourself at the very least my friend. I shall be nearby, should anything go inauspicious." said Kenji.
"Alright, fine. I owe her an explanation at least..." stated Chris, as he made his way outside.
Just as he made his way outside, May returned with the drinks for all of the boys. However, she also took notice of what seemed to be Chris's departure.
"Hey, isn't he gonna get his drink?" asked May.
"He has some responsibilities to rectify with your mother, specifically regarding the circumstances behind a couple of altercations with Lee." explained Kenji.
May's eyes widened at that statement, wondering how a conversation between someone that caused major trouble to one of her sisters and her mother.
Meanwhile, Chris went outside; closing the door as he did so. He stood to the left side of the door, while Jane stood to the right side, which brought the two of them in direct eye contact with one another.
"So, I heard that you are responsible for many things, yeah?" asked Jane, crossing her arms together.
Chris took a deep breath, before he then explained himself to the person he has been dreading to speak to.
"Look, let me spare my constant delaying and just say this. Yeah, I am. But it was not something I wished to do, it was something I was forced to do in order to save my friends from trouble that they caused. I am not saying what I did was right, because it definitely wasn't, but it was the only option I had. Do I wish I could've taken a more pacifist approach? Yes, but sometimes you have no choice when people you care about are in a situation that isn't exactly very comforting." explained Chris.
"What do you mean by, you didn't have any other choice? I'm not saying I doubt your words, but could you explain some more?" responded Jane.
"Well, not to bad mouth your daughters, but let's just say that when me and them first met, it was all just a show of violence amongst us. They were just too ignorant to listen to anything that wasn't their view. So, when they got the Eds into some shady stuff with them, I had to save them using the method I used then, as I had no other choice." said Chris.
"I see. Let me ask you this, was it you or Lee that initiated the violence that occurred between you two?" said Jane.
"It was actually a combination of both of us. But hang on a second, did Lee tell you all about this, or what?" responded Chris.
"Thank my daughters for that, as they told me much about you and your friends. But nevermind that, I can appreciate your honesty regarding everything. However, can I have your promise that you won't be attempting this again?" stated Jane.
"Of course, besides, me and the rest of your daughters are good with one another in a friendly way, so there's no reason to worry, trust me." responded Chris, silently waiting for Jane's response.
"That's good. You seem like a good friend and everything, at least according to Kenji, haha." said Jane, chuckling a bit.
"Everyone makes mistakes, but I think a better way to think about them is learning experiences, as both my sensei and... someone special to me, told me." said Chris, sounding somewhat happy at the thought of Skylar, which Jane took notice of.
"Ah yes, you're a martial artist I hear aswell. Also, someone special must be an understatement, if it seems you get happy at the thought of her." stated Jane with a playful smile, which makes Chris exhale in slight embarrassment.
"Let's save it for another time, okay? But really, sorry about all the stuff I did, I should've founded a diff-" responded Chris, before he paused himself, as he noticed Jane raised her left hand slightly in the air; the hand signaling himself to stop.
"It's okay. At least you admit to your mistakes. Just don't do it again." stated Jane with a joking evil glare, which made Chris laugh.
With that, the two of them then share a handshake, which seals the mutual trust between them. Jane began making her way inside, holding the door open for Chris. Once Chris reentered, Jane closed the door, and returned back to the kitchen to check on the food, while Chris rejoined his friends at the couch. Kenji immediately approached him to ask how everything went.
"So, how did it go?" asked Kenji.
"Very well actually. I feel like she should've been more harsher because of what I did, but that turned out to not be the case." explained Chris.
"Oh! Well, the circumstances are in our favor it seems. It's good to witness Jane possess a more sensible demeanor." said Kenji, sounding relieved.
"You're welcome." said the voice of Lee, who was approaching Chris and Kenji, and turned to face the former. "So, she didn't rip your head off it seems, eh?"
"Yeah, but I'm guessing you had some sort of involvement with her attitude regarding everything?" asked Chris.
"Yep, and so did Marie and May. You're lucky we got mom in her best mood possible. But seriously, we tried to get in a good word for you, and that's good that you two didn't cause more trouble than there already is." stated Lee.
Chris was surprised to hear that Lee, of all people, decided to vouch for him in a positive manner. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the gesture.
"Thanks, I appreciate your support." said Chris, as he and Lee exchanged a handshake, nodding their heads as they did so.
Lee then leaves to go join Eddy on the couch, wrapping her arm around his back, while Chris and Kenji continued conversing.
"I neglected to mention this earlier, but we actually might start preparations soon for an event that Cassie informed about the previous day." said Kenji.
"Oh boy, dare I ask what this event is going to... actually, better idea, save it for even this little celebration is over, alright?" responded Chris.
"Affirmative, we shall converse about that later." stated Kenji.
Meanwhile, over in the kitchen, Jane was busy organizing the soup leftover from last night inside a large pot for her guests. Jane ran over to Marie to tell her to ask everyone (minus Lee and May, as they, along with Marie, already had breakfast.) whether or not they wanted breakfast. Naturally, Marie obliges, and asks all of the boys whether they want breakfast or not. All of them accept the offer, which resulted in Jane getting out 4 medium-sized bowls, and filling up around 70% of the bowl with soup. Once they realized the soup was ready, all of the boys made their way to the kitchen table, with the Kanker family joining in for friendly conversation.