How the Eds Met
Chapter 2
Edd woke up and turned off his alarm clock. He had a strange feeling that today wasn't going to be all that good, but then again, gym day was never really great. He took his bath, changed into his clothes, and went downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast. His parents had already gone to work, and he was an only child, so it was very quiet.
Edd opened the drawer and pulled out his favorite cereal, Chunky Puffs, and a bowl and got his breakfast ready. He then slowly sank down into his chair, but instead eating it, he just stared at it, thinking about the dream he had had for the past few nights. In all of them, there was a loud bouncing of a ball, and then tenticle like things entangled themselves around him, and then finally, everything went black. He just couldn't understand it.
Fifteen minutes later, the bus came by to pick him up for school. On it, he met up with his best friend, Rebecca.
"Mornin', Double D," said Rebecca. She's the one who had actually come up with the name in one their past conversations, and it had stuck.
"Good morning, Rebecca," said Double D sorrowfully.
"Are you feeling Ok?"
"I don't know, Rebecca. I've been having these weird dreams lately, and I can't figure out what they mean."
"Could you describe them?"
"I can't really, except there was a ball bouncing in the background, and then everything went pitch black."
"I've heard about stuff like that. Maybe your physhic or something?"
"I doubt it. Probably not many people are physhic if there are any people out there like that, and besides, if I was physhic, wouldn't I have already known about it?" said Double D.
"Sometimes, people do not uncover their powers until they're older," stated Rebecca. The school bus had just stopped in front of the school, so it was time to get out, but on the way out, Double D lost sight Rebecca in the crowd of students, so he walked in alone.
It was 3rd period, gym class. Double D desested gym class very much. He would always get picked last or get hurt someway, but the way he was hurt that day would change his life forever...
Todays game was dodgeball. Dodgeball, in Double D's opinion, was the worst game ever, and had no meaning at all. The captains were the two toughest kids in the grade, and, not to his surprise, he was picked last.
He stood there glancing at the other team. There were boys and girls over there at least 5 times his own size. And there it was. His dream came back to him. All he could hear was bouncing of the ball against the gym floor, and then it stopped and everything went black. He had been knocked unconscious.
Double D woke up 3 days later in the hospital. Everything was very blurry, and then it became clear. He could see, again.
"He's alright! He's alright!"proclaimed the nurse who had been sitting by his bedside. Instantly, his parents rushed in by him and began to ask him how he felt and if he was Ok.
"I'm fine, Mother, besides this awful headache," said Double D.
"Well no wonder, your head had split in two," Double D's father said quietly.
"What!"
"We thought that we lost you," said Double D's mother, hugging him. She had begun to cry.
"My head split into two?" Double D once again asked his father.
"I'm afraid so. You, uh, you got hit with a dodgeball so hard that it caused you to fly backwards and you well, then hit your head off the bleachers, which knocked you unconscious and caused your head to..."
"You don't need to tell him that. He's only 9 years old," interrupted his mother.
"The boy has a right to know,"said his father. His parents then went off fighting about it. Double D began to cry. Why did this happen to him? What was the purpose? He knew he couldn't go back to school. It would be too humiliating. All the kids would laugh and jeer at him and make fun of him now, not because he was smart or weak, but because his head looked like a deflated soccer ball, and he was practicly bald. No hair would ever grow there again. He slowly cried himself to sleep. Even though he had been sleeping for the past three days, he still felt tired.
Double D stayed at the hospital for the next two days, until he felt better.
Double D went immediatly up to his room and closed his door. He then sat down on his bed and started to read a book he had borrowed from his father, when his mother called up to him.
"Edward, you have a friend on the phone," called his mother.
"Just one minute," he said, putting away his father's book. He ran down the stairs and grabbed the phone his mother was handing to him.
"Thank you," he said quietly as he ran back upstairs into his bedroom. She shook her head and went back to supper.
"Hello,"said Double D.
"Hey Double D. You feeling better?"asked Rebecca.
"Besides this terrible headache, yes,"answered Double D.
"Do you think I could come over, then?"
"Um, sure."
"Ok, I'll be over in ten minutes." After that, Rebecca hung up. In a few minutes, Rebecca was over at his house. She rung the doorbell. His mother opened the door looking a bit surprised.
"Oh, hello Rebecca, we weren't expecting you. Did you come here to see Edward?"asked his mother.
"Yes. May I come in, please?"
"Certainly. He's upstairs in his room now. Oh, um, I was just cooking supper. Do you think your family would mind if you stay here? I am made spaggetti."
"I think they would be fine with that,"said Rebecca. She then walked into the house, took off her shoes, and went upstairs to Double D's bedroom.
"Double D, can I come in?"asked Rebecca. Slowly, the door began to open.
"Um, Double D, what happened to your, uh, head?"stuttered Rebecca. She knew he was a bit sensitive and did not want to hurt his feelings.
"I really don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, as he opened the door more so she could come in. When she was in, he closed the door again. They were both quiet for a few seconds, both sitting on other ends of the small room.
"Um, what's in the box?" asked Double D, curiously.
"Well, since your birthday was coming up, I made you a present," she said, walking over to him, handing him the box. "Sorry it wasn't more decorated. It was kinda short notice." Double D slowly took the lid off the box, and inside, he found a black hat with two white stripes sown onto each side of it. Double D's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Well, aren't you going to try it on?" asked Rebecca. Double D slowly brought the hat up to his head and finally put it on.
"There, you look better already," stated Rebecca with a smile on her face.
"Really?"
"Yep. Come see for yourself." He and Rebecca then went into the bathroom. Double D just stared at himself in the mirror.
"So, what do you think of it?" anxiusly asked Rebecca.
"I-I love it! Thank you so much, Rebecca. I'll always wear it!"exclaimed Double D as he tightly hugged Rebecca.
"Your welcome, Sockhead."
Double D went back to school the next day. It was gym class again, but he later found that he was exemt from gym, and was to have study hall to make up the time. After the last period bell rang, he meet up with Rebecca in the hall.
"So, what do you have for homework?" asked Rebecca.
"Oh, I have math lesson 107, and page 476 in english," answered Double D.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" They heard a kid from behind them. They turned around and saw two boys and a girl. The larger boy walked up to them.
"Didn't ya hear me, twerps? he asked.
"Just what do you want?" asked Rebecca.
"Have fun out of school, Einstien?" asked the girl.
"Well I, uh, I, uh-" started Double D.
"So, what's with the sock? Let me try it on," teased the smaller boy.
"You leave him alone," snapped Rebecca.
"Oh, your girlfriend standin' up for ya, nerdo," said the girl.
"I ain't his girlfriend. We're just friends," said Rebecca.
"Hey, what's this, Myth and Legend?" said the smaller boy. He had snuck into Double D's backpack and pulled out the book his father had lent him.
"Please, be careful with that," said Double D as he began juming up trying to grab it from the taller boy.
"He, he, oops," said the taller boy, as he dropped the book into a mud puddle,"how clumsy of me."
The three went off laughing as Double D just bent down staring at the book in the puddle.
"What am I going to do? I can't return it to Father in this condition!" exclaimed Double D. Rebecca then bent down beside him and picked up the book.
"I'm sure he'll understand if you tell him the truth," said Rebecca, as she tried to dry it off a bit.
"Well..."
"I'll go with you," said Rebecca, smiling. So they walked home together,since the school bus had already left.
"Edward, we'd like to talk to you," said his father.
"If it's about the book, I'm terribly sorry," he said quickly.
"It isn't that. You see, since your father has been away from work for such a long time, I'm afraid to say that he has lost his job," his mother said, sorrowfully.
"You lost your job?" asked Double D, "I-I-I am Soo sorry, Father I... I didn't mean-"
"It's not your fault, Edward. But yes, I'm afraid so, but I also have good news. I have found work in a small town fifty miles away, so we will be moving there in a month," reported his father.
"What?"
"Yes. The town is Peach Creek. There are many children your age there, and-" said his mother.
"But we can't move! Our family and friends live here," said Double D.
"Son, I'm afraid we have to. I can't drive fifty miles just to get to work everyday, and I've already taken the job," said his father.
"But-"
"No 'buts', Edward. Now go upstairs to your room. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes," said his mother.
Double D sadly walked up to his room. Moving would mean he wouldn't be able to see his family as often, or Rebecca everyday, and he wasn't very good at making friends.'I wonder what it will be like there,' he thought.
To be ContinuED...