Disclaimer – I own nothing (sobs)
A/N – The eighth chapter – as promised But, before I launch into that, I'd like to respond to a flame I received earlier for this story. Yes – this story is SLASH, you were clearly warned that it was slash in the summary. And yes – a lot of the stuff in this fic is very dark – we got rape, blackmail, chid abuse, alcoholism and a hell of a lot more going on here and I'm truly sorry if that offends anyone – but there is also fair warning of it and I don't think I should have to say this but I obviously don't endorse any of the things within here, so I am not about to make any apologies for that on my part. I am pleased to accept constructive criticism – and if you don't like this story then fine – you can say so and I don't mind, but simply drawling that I as a writer must be 'sick' due to that fact that the subject of slash is apparently 'sick' a beneficial review does not make. Guessing from your immature response I would also assume that you are under age for reading this anyway... Some people can be so dense... so yeah... that is my ranting over and done with... Ed is happy once more! Hope you enjoy this chapter
Closeted Secrets
Eddy's body shook with violent sobs as he slumped to the floor of his bedroom. Hours seemed to have passed since Double D had walked through that, still open, door, even though Eddy knew that it had probably only been minutes. He blinked through his tears and continued to focus on the exact spot where he had last seen his best friend. The door swung fiercely in the strong gale that had picked up as the night had worn on, making it slam against the wall with each gust of wind. Torrents of rain fell from outside, making loud pattering sounds as they hit the windows, sounds that incessantly drove at Eddy's conscious, taunting him and preventing him from being able to shut all evidence of the rest of the world out.
The rage he had been feeling toward Kevin had dulled as the feelings of utter self-loathing and guilt took over. It wasn't Kevin that Eddy was angry at – sure enough, it was Kevin's fault that Eddy was in this situation, it was Kevin's plan that had bought his to this point and it was Kevin who left Eddy rendered helpless to retaliate. But it was not Kevin who made the decision to betray his best friend in the most deplorable way he could think of. It was not Kevin who persisted and got so caught up in seeking his own pleasure, after Double D had so clearly made it obvious that the feelings were not returned. And worse of all – it was not Kevin who failed to notice the pain and the ghastly secrets that Double D had carried everyday
His shoulders fell and trembled, both from the cold that had wrapped around him, suffocating him, and from the fresh cries that wreaked though him. Darkness had fallen around the room, casting leering shadows over the walls that surrounded him, trying to pull him further into the night. He wanted so desperately a release from the guilt and the shame. Just wanted something to numb the pain. He contemplated returning to the kitchen to finish off that bottle of whiskey he had started earlier – but quickly thought against it. Alcohol was partly to blame for what had happened here tonight, and he wanted no more of that loss of self-control.
He stood shakily, and walked over to shut the door that had begun to let in the rain, soaking the carpet around the doorway. He took a deep breath of the bracing cold air swirling around him from outside before finally closing the door and locking the door. He could take no chances that Kevin would decide to descend upon him any minute to gloat upon the devastation he had caused. As he turned back to the room, an old photo frame hanging on the wall behind his bed caught his attention. It contained a photograph of himself along with his two best friends that had been taken several months ago. He stood to the left of the picture, striking one of his best poses and turning toward the camera with a huge grin. Ed – the tallest of the three – stood in the middle, wearing that same old vacant look on his face, and resting one of his arms over Double D's shoulders – half posing for the camera, and half preventing the smaller boy from escaping the shot. Double D himself stood to the right if the photo – a shy smile coupled with a nervous blush playing upon his features. Obviously he was more than just a little camera shy. And there they stood. Three best friends – each with their own unique and very different personalities clearly shown by their expressions in the photo – but all held together with the same special bond.
However, as Eddy gazed at the photo, he noticed that the frame had been knocked, probably due to the impact against the wall as Double D had crashed into the bedside table, so the photo hung at an angle as if to show the effect of that evening on the balance of their friendship – with Double D's half of the photo being lifted as that side appeared to be relieved of his presence, leaving Eddy's side of the frame weighted and hanging down, and ed – as always – remaining caught in the middle. Eddy had let his friends down before when they were kids – in more ways that one - but they weren't children anymore, and this wasn't as simple as letting them take the blame for another failed scam or leaving them to face the onslaught of kids as Eddy make a quick escape. This was sheer betrayal, unforgivable betrayal, and the strongest strain that their love had ever faced. Their friendship hung dangerously in the balance – and it was all Eddy's fault.
He needed a release – a way to escape the emotional pain that seared through his thoughts. He crossed the room to reach his bedside table. The liquid from the broken lava lamp had stopped dripping from where the shards of glass lay and had now formed a pool of pale red on the white floorboards. Eddy deftly lifted one of the shattered pieces of glass with his fingers, turning it over in his hands, admiring it as it reflected the moonlight that streamed through the window. Old habits never truly died – and this particular habit, that had plagued him ever since Kevin had started playing his malicious games, certainly seemed somewhat comforting to him now. He pressed the glass to his wrist. A shiver shot through his body as the cold surface touched his skin. It seemed so simple. Such an easy way of ridding the emotions that weighed so heavily on his mind. The physical pain was so much easer to deal with. He was about the run the edge of the glass over his arm when he was violently shaken from his trance by the sound of the phone.
Deciding to let it ring rather than having to face whoever was on the other end of the line Eddy dropped the glass back to the table and lay on his bed. He figured that he didn't warrant release from the emotions that he so damningly deserved. The proverbial sound of his answering machine message played in the background to his somewhat deaf ears. He didn't even realise that the ringing had stopped until he heard a familiar voice echo through the room.
"Hey Eddy... I know you're there, but there's no need to pick up. I just want to thank you for this evening's entertainment. As you can imagine, I'm absolutely devastated that I missed the main show – but no worries – there will be plenty more to come that will keep me amused. Goodbye for now..." And with that the phone went dead.
And there we have it – chapter 8! Apologies for my earlier ranting – but hey... flames suck... Thank you for all of the lovely reviews I have received for my last chapter (I feel a lot better about it now – cheers!), I hope that you will continue to support this fic as it rambles on Toodles for now.
