Disclaimer – Don't own nothing, nope nothing, not me...
A/N – I'm suffering! Stupid cold! I hate college – it's made me ill... anyway... enough of my moaning, chapter 17 is here! A day early too! Hooray! Thanks for your lovely reviews – but for now, enjoy!
Dedication – Dedicated to all the gits in college who contributed to me catching this cold. Damn them all... Damn them all to hell...
Closeted Secrets
"Where is he?" Ed pounded the door repeatedly, desperate for his friend to hear him. He couldn't wait to see Double D's face light up when he returned the hat to him. Ed loved to make his friends happy, to feel that warmth it bought.
Eddy looked to the floor and shuffled his feet from side to side. He didn't want to be here. It was far too soon. There was no way that Double D would be ready to see him yet – and Eddy wasn't exactly ready for that either. No. He had to do this. To prove to Double D that this whole thing was a mistake. To explain everything, about Kevin, about his stupid dares.
To prove to himself that he could do it.
Eddy hated to admit that he had failed. Especially to himself.
And yet, there was still something holding him back. A fear of rejection, of dismissal. A fear that his friend would never forgive him. If Eddy were to run now then he could still hold onto that slight chance, the tiny possibility that everything would turn out all right. If he were to follow Ed then there was every likelihood that hope would be so cruelly snatched away from him, and without it, Eddy did not know how he would live with himself.
Ed stood back from the door, puzzled, and walked to the window at the front of the house, trying to peer into the living room. Double D should have answered the door by now. Maybe he wasn't home? Ed's smile fell at this thought; he so dreadfully wanted to see his friend.
"Come on Ed, he's not home..." Suddenly Eddy didn't feel quite so brave. Surely an hour or two later wouldn't make any difference... right?
"No way Eddy! I see him! Look!" Before Eddy could object Ed had wrapped a large arm around his shoulders and pressed Eddy's face to the window. Eddy struggled to free himself from Ed's heavy paws, but to no avail. Ed was both larger and stronger than Eddy and seemed to feel nothing of the escape attempt presented to his from his flailing friend.
"Get off me Ed! He's not home ok? End of story!" Eddy growled, but again Ed seemed to pay no heed to his captive, and had instead fixed his eyes upon the small figure he could see through the window, drowning in thought.
"Eddy, I think Double D is asleep, see, he's just sitting there... Do you think that's why he's not answering the door Eddy?" He dropped his gaze to the shorter boy, who had now stopped struggling in order to obediently try and distinguish the figure of his best friend, and immediately an immense feeling of dread washed over him. Ed cursed himself for not quite being able to figure out why.
Eddy's mind raced with panic. Ed had been right. Double D was at home. Eddy could just about make out the silhouette of his friend slumped to the floor of the kitchen, his head hung down, letting his bangs fall daintily around his face. But why was he just lying there? Deathly still?
Eddy's breath caught in his throat. Why wasn't Double D answering the door? Could he not hear them? Did he just not want to open the door? Maybe he knew that it was Eddy and could not bear to face him. But in that case, why would he sit in plain view for Eddy to see him? And why, of all places, on the kitchen floor? Questions raced through the blonde's mind, pounding his thoughts for information, for a rational explanation, but he could offer none. His thoughts slowly began to turn more sinister, more dark. What if Double D's parents had come home? Double D had mentioned that they would arrive sometime today. But surely they would still be there? The car would still be parked on the driveway, but there was no sign of either of them to be seen. Had Double D had some sort of accident? A fall that had sent him crashing into the cabinets that he now leant against, knocking him unconscious?
Or maybe... Just maybe...
No. Eddy mentally scolded himself. How could he even think that his friend would do such a cowardly thing? This was Double D. He would never do anything so irrational, so foolish. No... Not ever.
But then again... He just looked so motionless.... A rag doll, carlessly tossed to the floor, forgotten, lifeless.
Panic again shot through Eddy's body as he finally found the strength to pull away from Ed's grasp and race to the back door of the house. He knew how much Double D would moan at him for having broken through that screen door yet again, but this was an emergency. He had no time to worry about his friend's petty lectures.
Ed stared after his friend. That feeling of dread still hung over his thoughts, casting shadows over his mind. Whatever this feeling was, Eddy obviously felt it too, Ed was sure of it. Suddenly he found that his feet were moving, following Eddy to Double D's garden and he could not stop running until he saw Eddy charge through the screen door into the kitchen.
That feeling of dread, whose flames danced throughout his thoughts, alighting everything they touched, only grew...
Oooooh! Cliff hanger or what? Ok, it was a short chapter, but it was intended as a kinda filler – I shall try and make up for it tomoz with the 'real' next chapter (if I feel well enough... stupid cold...) but for now, tell me what you think! Review, and inspire me to get up off my lazy ass to write more! Lol... Till next time!
