Eddy would glance at the crying teen every now and again. He wanted so badly to make Edd feel better but he didn't know what he could do. So he just let the guy cry it out. Double D had cried silently the entire way to the shops. He sat in the car and cried while his two friends went into the store. Ed had to work, and Eddy had to pick up a few things since Double D would more than likely be staying over for a while.
When Eddy got back to the car Edd's face was still wet but it looked as if he'd stopped crying for the moment. Double D looked at Eddy and gave him an unconvincing smile.
"I don't believe you." Eddy said as he started up the car.
Edd reached his right hand out and held up his pinky. "I'll be fine. I promise."
"Put your pinky away." Eddy said, rolling his eyes. "I know you will be fine. But that doesn't mean I can't worry about you while you aren't"
Edd laughed a sad excuse for a laugh, "Oh Eddy, I didn't know you cared so much."
"Well duh, Sockhead. You're basically the most important person in my life. I figured your smart ass would have figured that out by now." Eddy wasn't quite sure why he'd said it, but he had and he realized as he spoke just how true it was.
Double D sighed. "Is that why you didn't like him?"
Eddy looked from the road to Edd and his expression turned from one of openness to bitterness.
His face twisted in anger and then he aggressively flipped his blinker on. He pulled almost too quickly off the road and into a vacant lot.
"What are you doing?" Double D nearly shrieked.
When they were safely off the road Eddy parked the car and turned to face Edd straight on. "I know you just lost your first love or whatever, but I'm going to tell you this once and only once. You're damn right that's why I didn't like him. At least after you two got together. But before that I didn't like him because he was a cocky asshole. But once you two got together you humbled him. That's the only reason I could even stand being around the douche. Now I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry that you feel guilty about what happened to him. But what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I could say right now." He took a deep breath and continued on, "I'm glad it was him. I'm glad it was him and not you. You're my best fucking friend and if something happened to you I could never live with myself."
Eddy sat there staring at Double D waiting for a response, but Double D wasn't quite sure what to say. He wanted to be offended, because he'd just been told by his best friend that the other was glad his boyfriend had died. But he couldn't really bring himself to be angry. He just felt bad, because even after all their years of friendship, this was the first time he'd realized just how much Eddy really cared. He'd always just thought their friendship was one of convenience, but now that he knew how much he really meant to Eddy, he felt he should've known it all along.
Double D stuttered for a minute before he was able to speak clearly. "I should've been a better friend to you." That was all he could think to say.
Eddy shook his head and placed his hand on Edd's shoulder. "You've been the best friend a person could have. I don't think you can get any better than that."
Edd grabbed Eddie's hand and held it for a minute in his lap. "Thank you for saying that." Edd kept his eyes on their hands. "I haven't really felt like that great of a person lately. So it means a lot to me that you think that."
There was a strange feeling floating around the car, Eddy wasn't quite sure what to make of it so he shifted in his seat and pulled his hand away from Double D so that he could turn the car back on. "Yeah. No problem, Sockhead." He said.
The rest of the drive to Eddy's house was a silent one. Edd didn't cry again but he felt like he should. In the back of his mind he realized that he was probably dehydrated from crying all morning. When they got back to Eddy's house they were shocked to see Eddy's older brother getting out of a cab in the driveway.
Eddy's face contorted in annoyance. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"Who knows." Edd said just as annoyed. "Hopefully his visit will be short. Very short. I'm really not in the mood for his company."
Eddy parked his car next to the curb and got out. "Hey Terrence, what are you doing here?"
The older and scruffier looking brother turned around and smiled a surprisingly genuine smile. "I was in the neighborhood and I got this strange feeling that something wasn't quite right. So naturally I had to come check on everyone and see what was going on."
Edd slammed the door to Eddie's car and both brothers turned their eyes to him. "I'm going to go check on Kevin's dad." He shot a hostile glance at Terrence as he spoke. "Just text me and let me know what's going on. I'm not staying here with him."
Terrence chuckled at Edd's words. "Oh poor Double Dork having a bad day?" He asked in a purely playful tone.
Edd's eyes flashed with rage as he stomped over to the much larger man. He reached his hand out and slapped Terrence right across his left cheek. "Don't you ever call me that." He said in an even tone before spinning on his heel and walking in the direction of Kevin's house.
He didn't look back when Terrence asked what he'd done.
Eddy tried not to laugh even though he'd found it quite hilarious. He just put an arm around his brother and led him inside to put some ice on his face. Also to possibly shed some light on just why he'd been bitch slapped by a guy who had never hit anyone until that day.
Edd tried not to focus on the stinging sensation in his palm when he knocked on Mr. Barr's door.
"Hold on a second." Mr. Barr called from down the hall, his voice was thick and Edd wasn't sure but it'd sound like he'd slurred.
When the door opened Mr. Barr leaned his head on the doorway. His tie was hanging loose around his neck, and his shirt was still partially tucked in. "Is there something I can help you with?" He asked.
Edd wanted to be shocked, but he wasn't. He'd figured that something like this would happen. Kevin had told him once that his dad had taken to the bottle and stayed there for about three years after his mom left. So naturally Edd had assumed that it would happen again. Sometimes he really hated being right.
"Actually, I came to check on you." He said walking into the house. "I'd hoped to find you in a less drunken state. But since we're both here."
He left his sentence unfinished and grabbed the bottle from Mr. Barr's hand.
"You give that back." He demanded, but Edd just put the bottle to his lips and swallowed two big gulps of the unknown substance.
He let out a couple of coughs and handed the bottle back to Mr. Barr. "What is that?"
Mr. Barr laughed slightly. "Whiskey."
Double D was red in the face and he laughed too. "I don't think I'll be having anymore."
"Shouldn't have had any in the first place. That was a pretty dumb thing to do." Mr. Barr said before walking towards the living room.
"Believe it or not, that is not the most stupid thing I have done today." Edd said following the man.
"Oh really, what's the stupidest thing then?" The older gentleman asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I hit Eddy's older brother in the face."
"Wait, the one who tried to beat all of you up back in middle school?"
Edd looked at the man, his features contorted with confusion. "You know about that?"
"Well of course I do. Kevin told me all about it once. He said the guy was a real jerk." The man took a sip of whiskey and shrugged. "So why'd you hit him?"
Edd took the bottle again and sipped from it. "He called me Double Dork." He handed the bottle back to Mr. Barr and then put his head in his hands. Mr. Barr didn't say a word as he wrapped one arm around Edd and patted the boy on his back.
