Chapter 5

Edd entered through the back of the house. While he wasn't recognized by anyone, he wasn't taking the chance to be. He already saw that he was in a class with Nazz. He was glad for his changes as she did not notice him. He saw the others walking through the halls. The only one he did not see was Eddy, for which he was glad.

As he was making his way to his room, he noticed a familiar sticky note. He let out a sigh and snatched it off the wall. He noticed that the words were in caps, and he scoffed. He shouldn't be surprised by their pettiness. They were acting like he didn't deserve and explanation. Not wanting to get frustrated, he got to work on those chores.

It did not take him long to do and made his way to his room. He entered and immediately fell onto his bed. He let out a yawn and stretched to get the tension out of his muscles. He laid there and just thought about everything around him. His parents were just as he remembered and thought that he was going to be the same as well. They were proven wrong.

He didn't understand why they even sent for him when neither of them even stayed connected since he left. It caused a very tense silence every time they were in the room with each other. He didn't speak to either of them since that night. They only spoke to him through sticky notes. It made him miss his uncle.

He was different from how he was treated by his parents. It was very confusing at the time. He was just as intelligent as his family, but he didn't obsess with academics like he did. He made connections with others that he never had the courage to do. What was different was that his uncle Richard talked to him. Oh, his parents cared for him but rarely showed it. Richard was patient and showed interest in what he did. He even encouraged him to continue his inventing. It wasn't the only thing that he did.

He made his see that there was more in life, more than academics. He got him into sports and cars, especially cars. He gave good advice, which led to him making real friendships. The people who he called friends didn't mind that he was intelligent and weren't trying to get something out of him. As time passed, Edd began to change how he dressed, how he spoke and his complete outlook in life. He liked the changes and felt good about the person he was becoming. If his parents thought that he was going to go back to who he was, they were in for a surprise.

Edd just closed his eyes to take a little nap.

XXX

Eddy cursed as 'Game Over' flashed in his face. Sucking his teeth, he dug into his pockets for more quarters. He groaned as he didn't have any. Annoyed, he grabbed his bag and headed for the exit. Once he stepped out, he was frozen stiff. The reason was the person who stood across from him at the exit. His name was Tyler Mason.

The bane of Eddy's existence. He was a tall, large teen with short brown hair and green eyes. The fair skinned male just looked at Eddy with a serious expression.

"S'up short-stack, are you avoiding me?" the teen asked.

"N-No, no way Tyler. I wouldn't avoid you." Eddy answered nervously.

"Good, I didn't think you would want another example of what I did to you your freshman year." Tyler stated, making Eddy gulp. Eddy remembers that day as the day his life changed. He had conned Tyler out of $40. Tyler was enraged and went looking for him. Eddy was warned about who he just messed with and decided to avoid the coming beating. He thought that he was doing a decent job until he caught him thanks to beating up Ed. The beating he got kept him home for a day.

When Eddy got back to school, Tyler confronted him. He was impressed with the con and demanded a piece of his action. At first, he refused and tried to extort Tyler. This made the sophomore laugh in his face. He pointed out that while he might be a bully, he was not as disliked as he was. No one would ever side with him due to his reputation. Then there was his main point that he would do even worst to him if he did not cooperate. Eddy had only one choice.

"Anyway, I'm assuming that you have my cut?" he asked. Eddy pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. He took it and checked the amount. Pleased, Tyler looked at Eddy who was not happy. This amused him. "Chin up, once I graduate, you can make back all the money that I took from you. Well, that is if you don't get expelled first." The comment made Eddy angry, but he didn't do anything, amusing Tyler.

"Why are you so upset? Aren't you the guy who's going to make it big? Aren't you that guy who doesn't need school? Don't get so bent out of shape when faced with your own words." Tyler mocked.

"Are we done here?" Eddy demanded. Tyler scoffed at his tone and walked off. Eddy glared at the retreating bully. His fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white. He never enjoyed being mocked. Not by Tyler, not by Kevin, not by anyone. It made him angry, and it made him want to punch someone out.

He calmed himself down as he would need to be when he got home. He could already hear his father's and mother's lecture. He did make a promise to himself. He promised that he would get even with everyone that mocked him. Every insult, every belittlement was going to be met with him proving them wrong. When he made it big, he was going to come back here and rub it in their faces. This he promised.

XXX

At lunch, Melody and Ryder watched their friend with concern. She looked to be in deep thought about something and was just messing with her food. They noticed that she had been this way for a week now since last Wednesday. Neither girl had seen her like this since that time Jimmy made her angry in Junior High.

"Sarah? Sarah?!" Melody called out, getting her attention. "What is up with you?"

"Oh, I am okay." Sarah said.

"No, you're not. You've been distracted for a week now. What's going on? Is it Ed? Is it… Jimmy?" Ryder asked.

"It isn't Jimmy." Sarah spat. She calmed herself before looking to her two friends. "Okay, I'm going to tell you something, but you cannot tell any of the others." The two nodded and leaned in. "Do you remember what I told you about the third Ed?"

"The smart one, right? He's in Arizona." Melody said.

"Not anymore. I found out that he's back in Peach Creek and has been back for two and a half weeks." Sarah stated, surprising the two.

"Oh wow. Has he met up with your brother and Eddy?" Ryder asked.

"No. He's hanging out with Leon and Wendell. He was playing basketball with them, and he still does." Sarah said.

"Okay, this doesn't sound like the guy you were talking about." Melody said.

"He's not and he's picked up a little bit of an attitude too. It seems like that he doesn't want to reunite with any one in the cul-de-sac. At first, I was mad because I thought he might be mad about the incident four years ago, but I don't think that's it. It's why I haven't told the others." Sarah explained. The girls were confused about this.

"Maybe, he didn't want to come back to Peach Creek? Did you get anything about his four years in Arizona?" Melody asked.

"After our first conversation, I don't think he's willing to have another." Sarah said.

"Well, you should. Unlike your brother and Eddy, it looks like this Ed grew up. At least you can find out if he has any plans to meet up with the other two." Ryder said.

"It's a better plan than I have. I'll wait until this weekend to get my answers." Sarah said. With that said, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

XXX

Edd and Leon entered Music class. Leon was explaining something to him as they walked in.

"So, it's this weekend, the show?" Edd asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of a 'back to school, end of summer' concert. It's great live school bands from around the area. So, you want to go?" Leon asked.

"Why not? I've got nothing to do." He spoke. Leon was hype when he caught sight of someone. He was wearing a Polo shirt with black jeans and white Skechers. Leon walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey Julius." He greeted. The brown haired, brown eyed teen turned to see who it was.

"Hey Leon, what's up?" he asked. Leon turned to Edd.

"This is Edd or Double D as we call him. This is Julius. He the lead signer of one of those bands we're going to see Saturday." Leon introduced.

"Former leader actually." That made Leon turn around to face him. "They voted me out of the band. Apparently, I was being selfish." Julius stated with a tone.

"Are you kidding me? How were you selfish? You were the voice of the group." He said.

"They wanted to go in a different direction, different genre. Something like the bad KISS. Apparently, Grunge Rock is old news." Julius explained.

"Are you telling me that KISS is better than Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden? I don't have an issue with KISS, but do I need to mention any greater bands from the nineties?" Edd asked. This made Julius chuckle as he agreed with him. Before an answer can be made, the teacher walked in. Everyone got to their seats and class began.

XXX

Edd had just waved good-bye to Leon and Wendell. They had invited him to eat with them, but he had other plans. He had just had a good game with them and decided to go home, do the assignments, and wait until this afternoon for the show. As he walked down the street, he couldn't help but wonder about his first week of school. It was a good week as he did not get recognized by any of the cul-de-sac kids. He saw them apart from Jimmy. He was glad for this but was curious as to how.

He knew that Sarah knew that he was back in Peach Creek so why didn't the others? Did she not tell them and why wouldn't she? They weren't friends so why keep his return a secret? It seems that he was going to get his answer as he saw Sarah at the end of the road. He walked up to her.

"I owe you a thank you for not telling the others. I can't help but wonder why?" Edd said.

"I don't know either. I guess the fact that you didn't link up with Ed or Eddy when you came back was a plus." Sarah said. "So, the last time we spoke, you were kind of a jerk. Are you angry about what happened four years ago? Because if you are, you have no right to be." This surprised Edd but it made him chuckle.

"No, I'm not mad about four years ago. I did what I did, and people got hurt. I deserved to be punished for that." Edd said. This makes Sarah sigh in relief.

"So, what was with the attitude?" Sarah asked.

"We weren't friends Sarah. The whole neighborhood made that noticeably clear. I'm sorry that I was a little mean, but I made a new life in Arizona, and I didn't really want to come back. I was forced back here, and I was still annoyed by that fact. Sorry that I took it out on you." Edd said.

"Wow, you really have changed." She spoke.

"For better or worse?" he asked jokingly. Sarah smirked at him.

"The jury is still out on that. We'll see as time goes." The two shared a laugh before calming down. "Alright, I won't tell anyone that you're back, but it won't be long before the others recognize."

"I'll deal with it when it happens. Don't sweat it." With that, the two began walking toward the neighborhood. Unknown to either of them, a familiar face saw the two walking. He frowned at seeing Sarah with this person and wondered who it was. He would have followed them, but he had something to do. With a flip of his nose, he continued to his destination.

XXXXX

Authors' Notes: Sorry for the delay everyone. I started a new job and it has taken a while for me to get use to it. It's a great job and I'm enjoying it. Anyway, I will attempt to update regularly now that I have time to do so. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.