Chapter 43: Heart-Shaped Box

So, a new day, another drama? Let's see.

Well, the lads met up around 7:50 AM to get ready to head on out to the school building, with... quite the different and new situation for them, to say the least eh? Either way, once they make it there at 8 AM they are, unsurprisingly, by some fellow classmates, getting them props for the performance, and among other things. Although, they are greeted by Kevin, who is early to school, surprisingly.

"Yo dudes! That was sick yesterday!" Kevin said.

"Hey Kev! Thanks!" Eddy responded. "What's bringing you here early?"

Kevin tells Eddy and the other lads, "You see man... Nazz's birthday is tomorrow, but she wants to have more guests coming to attend. I have no idea why, but she just does. Can you guys help me out with that?"

"Sure." Chris said, joining in. "How can we help?"

"Well, just pass these." Kevin says, giving the four some cards as invitation to the party. "The party will be hosted at my house. From 6:30 to 11 PM at the latest."

"Alright then." Eddy said. "We'll pass these out during class, but we best be fast about it! Don't want the teachers to get on us."

"That's all too true. Don't worry Kevin. We will do our best to gets this to as many people as possible. Heck, I'll invite some of my friends I know!" Chris stayed.

"That reminds me, I was thinking if you guys would wanna go?" Kevin asked the 4 lads.

"Sure!" All four responded, simultaneously.

"Awesome! I've already invited the others, like Rolf and Jonny. They all said that they would go." Kevin told the group of 4.

The group of, well, now 5, basically exchanged a bunch of details about the upcoming party, such as the activities, food and drinks (nothing alarming), and other stuff that the initial group of 4 would be curious about. After around 15 minutes, you know time it is! Ding ding ding! Class time!

"Well, at least we have our full groups. Okay, not really, we are missing the girls, but yeah." Chris said.

Eddy then tells him and Kevin, "Let's get to Math guys. Ed and Double D! Catch ya later!"

"Same here Eddy. Ed, let's proceed to Spanish." Double D said.

Ed waved at his other three pals, and so, they are off to class!

At Math...

This could prove interesting. Anyways, once the group of three get to class, Mr. Muta isn't there yet surprisingly, so they decide to give out invites to the WHOLE class for the party. To their benefit, all of them basically said yes, so, bam! They decide to take their seats, and JUST in the nick of time when Mr. Muta arrives. While in their seats, Kevin mentions to the other two about the music, saying, "You guys got any ideas for music though? Can't have it be just people talking and stuff."

"Hmm... I know some good lighter metal and rock songs, so... lemme work my magic, and I'll have a list ready." Chris stated.

Eddy followed up with, "I got records at my house, we can use those."

"Sweet!" Kevin responded. "Get it all set tonight, and tomorrow, we will get it prepared!"

The three share a laugh, before Mr. Muta stands up and calls attendance. However, as soon as he says the first name, Skylar comes in, listening to Slipknot's 1999 album, "Slipknot", and just in time for class. She seems normal so far, greeting Mr. Muta, and apologizing for being slightly late. Muta says that it's okay, plus, she's not even late.

Skylar pauses the album for now, and takes her usual seat next to Chris, but he somehow does not seem to notice her, for some reason...?

"Hey." She says to him. And so, he turns around.

"Oh... hey. How are-"

He is cut off by a out-of-nowhere hug. Probably as her sorry for her random attitude. Chris, although caught off guard, gives it back.

"Well, that's a way to say hi, isn't it?" Chris said, surprised.

"I guess, hmm?" Skylar said back, afterwards they break the hug. "Look, I'm up to talk at lunch still, but let me just say, sorry for acting weird yesterday."

Chris chuckles a bit before he says, "It's okay. It was just random and... I don't know, I was confused and slightly concerned. I'm also still up to talk for a bit at lunch, but I got some news for you."

Skylar put a face of curiosity, before Chris explained. "You see... Kevin told me and the other three that he is hosting a party for his girlfriend's birthday at his house, and he asked us to invite as many people as we can. So, since that's the case-"

"Yes."

Someone has telepathic powers! Chris, obviously not getting what she's hinting at, says, "What?"

"I'll go with you. That's what you're going to ask me, no?" Skylar bluntly stated.

"Wow... not how I planned that, but... no complaints right?" Chris said in his mind, before saying out loud, "Yeah... well, okay then. It will be at 6:30 PM tomorrow, so... take your time. I don't think people will be that early, in fact... from my experience, I expect they will be there like, maybe fifteen minutes? But that's just me."

"Cool cool. I'll let my parents know, and then I'll get ready tomorrow. I hope you will do the same." Skylar said with a hint of allure. Chris only rolled his eyes, as he notices that she's doing "that" game again.

He responded, "Yeah. Sure. If you're going to arrive later than usual, call me and tell me, okay?"

Skylar gives a thumbs up while smiling a bit, and then, Mr. Muta begins the lessons for today's Math.

What about in Spanish?

In Spanish, a quite different set of events occurred. Let's see what's up!

Ed and Double D take their seats, at different tables, but behind each other, just so they leave the seat next to them open to May and Marie, respectively. Speaking of May and Marie... they (along with Lee) end up walking in no less than 30 seconds after the Eds came in. Lee decides to take a whole table to herself, as Marie takes her seat next to Double D, greeting him with a kiss, and May takes her seat next to Ed, the two of which smile at each other. May begins speaking to Ed.

"Hey Ed. How have you been?" May asked.

Ed simply responded with "All is well! How is May today?"

"Okay." May said, admiring Ed's speech. "Is everything good after your performance?"

"As so!" Ed blurts out loud.

Ed notices something different about May, as her attire is quite different from normal. She still has her normal barrette, along with her normal long hair, but she has a light blue shirt, and white jeans on, with some black shoes on her. Ed actually thinks that she looks quite... pretty, to his surprise.

"May. You look quite pretty today!" Ed told May directly. Not exactly subtle, but then again, Ed has never been used to complimenting people in their appearance. (if anything, he compares the looks to stuff he's seen in horror movies, comics, action movies, etc...)

Regardless, May turns red quite a bit, and says, slurring a bit, "Thanks...! I appreciate that!"

"Wow. Would you believe that? I didn't think he had it in him!" Marie tells Double D, witnessing what just occurred.

Double D tells Marie. "It is unusual behavior from Ed, but it isn't anything abnormal. In fact, it is more of a gesture of appreciation."

"Yeah right!" Marie said. "You know, I think those two are going to get into something together."

"Marie, what would make you say that?" Double D asks.

Marie states, "Think about it, those two are literally like mirror reflections or whatever of each other! Plus, they have been getting together and talking more these days, right? So, ask me honey, they are getting closer."

"Huh... I suppose you are correct in those assessments Marie. Might I add also that Ed is seemingly over his fear of May, and of the opposite sex as a whole. I'm truly proud that he has allowed more new friends!" Double D said while smiling a bit.

Marie then tells Double D, "If only we could say the same for Eddy and Lee."

"Ah... well. For them, they simply have to reduce their attitude of being rebellious, and only then will something arise." Double D tells her.

"True I guess." Marie said. "Although, Chris and Skylar seem to be good too. I just hope he doesn't get aggressive with her."

Double D raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that Marie? Is this in connection to that situation that occurred with Lee and Chris? Marie, for the record, Chris had no intention of using his abilities of martial arts for harm, it was Lee who escalated the problem to physical combat."

"Yeah, but... I just wanna be sure he isn't going to be stupid with it." Marie stated. "But it seems like they are constantly teasing each other, or they are connecting over heavy metal music."

"Their connection over music is quite remarkable. I must admit, it definitely seems to bring them as one." Double D remarked.

Marie then mentions, "So, it's three out of four couple basically?"

"Where are you getting the other one from?" Double D asks confused.

"Us. Duh." Marie said, blowing a raspberry at him.

Double D got the feeling of realization. Because, well... Marie IS correct, right? He ends up laughing about it, before he says, "You got me there I suppose. Which reminds me, Marie, I actually something I wish to invite you to."

Marie smiles, waiting for Double D to explain. And explain, he does.

"You see Marie, Kevin has done the noble act of making a party for his significant other, Nazz. He asked me and my friends this morning if we could pledge some of our time to invite ours fellow friends to the party. I am pretty sure that Chris, Kevin and Eddy have done so in their class, hopefully at the start of it. So, would you like to come?"

"Of course silly!" Marie says while pitching Double D a bit. "Can May and Lee come too?"

"Certainly! Just as long as no trouble is brought about. That is all I ask." Double D tells her.

Marie kisses him, after which she laughs about it aswell.

After that conversation occurs though, Ms. Sofia officially started the Spanish class, therefore, any further conversations would have to wait a bit. How unfortunate.

At lunch...

Well, it is TIME. He won't admit it, but Chris has been basically thinking about how this conversation is about to go. Because, god forbid it's some "end of the world" type of thing. Ok, maybe not that, but it HAS to be important... right? Otherwise, Chris will have 0 clue as to what to think. Anyways, it's lunch, and everyone is at the usual table, although this time, they are joined by Kevin and Nazz, making a crew of 11! Sadly, not for long because... isn't it obvious?

"You wanna go now?" Skylar whispers to Chris.

"Yeah." He responds. "Yo guys! I'll be back in a bit."

Eddy tells him, "Sure man. No worries. I'm still going to be talking about the party, go do what you gotta do."

Skylar tells the others, "I'm gonna go for a bit. Catch ya in a few."

Marie tells her, while chuckling a little, "Alright then."

And so, the two of them leave the table to go outside to that SAME tree from when they first had a "private talk", so to say. Deja vu, again? Hahaha!

"So... I guess I should ask, what's up?" Chris said first.

Skylar sighs a bit, before she begins to speak. "Okay... well, this isn't easy to say, so first off, you are to NEVER say anything about this, EVER. Got that? This stays between us."

"What the hell...? Well, best agree man, because this sounds important." Chris says in his mind, before stating, "You have my word."

"Thanks. So, a while back, I used to date someone who... I don't even want to say their name anymore because like... he was just a lost cause I refused to accept until I ended the relationship. At first, he seemed nice and all, the only thing he got annoyed with me was the music I liked, but even then, he tolerated it. But that wasn't the issue."

"What was the issue?" Chris asked, not exactly liking where this is headed.

"After around three or so months of dating, I think, 'he is a great guy'... I was an idiot. You know what I find him doing next?"

Chris, reluctantly, asks, "What?"

"I called him to meet me at my house, no response. Okay, maybe he's busy, but he never does this. I called him five more times, before I decide to head to his house. He doesn't live far, so... no trouble. I look through the window, and he is on his couch with three other girls. Who they were, I had no idea. I was seriously angry, I actually kicked his door open. I'm not gonna detail everything... but you can bet on one thing... I ended up just going through a kaleidoscope of emotions..."

Skylar doesn't say anything else. Chris is stunned by this news, although, NOW it makes sense why she was concerned about the whole fame stuff from the other day. Regardless, to him, this is a lot to take in.

"What is actually wrong with that dude...? I am actually trying to find a reason for just why... but like, even to me, that's low beyond low." Chris stated, but then he notices Skylar's face turning sad. He decides to hug her for a bit, in an attempt to comfort her.

"This is beyond ridiculous... but I can't just leave! That is stupid to even consider right now!" Chris said to himself.

"After that..." Skylar began to speak again, while Chris lets go. "I never saw him again. Not that I even wanted to, especially after that crap. I got over it, but since then... can't really say I look back and think of that well. I just imagine myself beating the hell out of him. These days, I dedicate the song, 'Eeyore', to him. Or, 'Surfacing' works too."

"Ha, funny. Skylar, I got a question." Chris states.

"Yes?"

"Why would you be concerned about me getting into that type of stuff?" Chris asks. "Because trust me... that stuff is NOT my thing at all. And, god forbid I do that stuff when I AM WITH SOMEONE! I would be the stupidest human alive to do that."

Skylar responded, "Well... I suppose I just didn't want you to get involved. It was just a... very sudden thing. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you have nothing to apologize about. In fact, sorry you had to deal with that nonsense. Jeez..."

"Thanks." Skylar tells him. "I'm actually curious about something, is there someone you are interested in?"

"You're kidding me... oh no... now what?!?!"

Hahaha! Aren't we in a pickle now! As far as Chris knows, he has basically 0 options, because if he is to be honest, Skylar probably knows already, but maybe there is a way to admit it... WITHOUT admitting it directly.

"Well, not really honestly. I mean, I've perhaps taken a liking to someone, but not exactly too sure." Chris tells her.

Skylar laughs at him, telling him bluntly, "You are a horrible liar!"

"Oh my god, what makes you say that...?" Chris told her, slightly nervously.

"This is beyond easy to just... ahh man! You know what? I'm just gonna wait for you to admit it. You like someone." Skylar responds to Chris.

Chris chuckles nervously before saying to himself, "Okay... that didn't seem to work..."

You think?! It's quite a situation you're stuck in, when you try to throw an answer that should answer the question, but only extends it. Wow.

"Do you just wanna go back to the rest of them? I'm up to do so." Skylar tells him.

"Yeah." Chris resounds. "Also, no need to worry, I'm be sure to keep it private."

Skylar scoffs, before saying, "You better. Or you won't even imagine. I'm just messing with you, but yeah. Thanks for listening."

Chris nods as to signal "no issue", and so, both of them go back in to the cafeteria, back to the crew. When they both get back, it appears that conversations about the upcoming party are currently on.

"So yeah, snacks will be there too man, if you wanna bring stuff, bring it!" Kevin tells Eddy.

"Alright!" Eddy yells out. "This is gonna be sweet."

Eddy notices that Chris has returned, so he tells him, "Hey! How did it go?"

"Good. She wanted to talk about something, I listened. That's all." Chris, bluntly, responded.

"Alright then. Oh yeah, Kevin says that, if you can bring any snacks, bring em! Anything works!" Eddy told Chris.

"Well..." Chris thinks for a second. "Okay, I can bring some chips, and maybe a couple drinks. I think I'm gonna go shopping later with mom today, or if not, tomorrow."

Kevin tells Chris, "Right on!"

On the other side of the table, Skylar and Marie are having a conversation about the upcoming party themselves.

"So, did he invite you?" Skylar asks Marie.

"Yep!" Marie told her. "Asked me before Spanish started. Didn't even know about it until Double D told me."

Skylar laughs a bit before saying, "Funny. I got a different scenario."

"What?! Did he not invite you?!" Marie said, jokingly shocked.

"No... he was going to, but I knew once he told about the party and stuff. So, I said yes before he finished. He was surprised. I can tell." Skylar explains to Marie, the latter of which starts laughing a bit, and gives a fist-bump to the former.

"May!" Ed, out of the blue, yells out.

May, confused, asks Ed, "What's the matter Ed?"

"I... uh... would you wanna attend the party occurring today?" Ed said, getting the time of the party incorrect. Oh dear. But that was ignored by May, who felt like she got shocked by lightning or something. Was this really happening, is all she could say to herself.

Nazz, who was sitting inbetween Kevin and Ed, tells the latter, "Ed, dude, it's actually supposed to be tomorrow."

"Oh. Can May please come? Oh please?" Ed pleaded to Nazz, who only laughed a bit and responded to Ed...

"Sure. If you trust her, that's the more important part."

Ed jumps for joy, before he runs to May, grabbing her in a hug. As if we could shock May even more... my goodness, hahaha! Speaking of May, it should come as literally 0 surprise that while she's happy beyond happy... it's just surprised at the fact that Ed actively went and vouched for her to go.

Kevin, slightly surprised at what he witnessed, asks Eddy, "You guys plan to do anymore of those shows or whatever?"

Chris answers the question for Eddy, saying, "No man. Not right now, because the practice for last performance was like three days. We are going to need more time than that. Believe me."

"Aw man. That was awesome though, like, literally!" Kevin told Chris. "Hopefully you guys can do one more at least!"

"Thanks man! I'm sure we will. Again, time is needed for practice, but rest assured, we will try another soon." Chris responds to Kevin's comment.

Double D joins in to the conversation about the performances, saying, "I'm predicting at least a week or two's worth of practice. I shall admit, our performance for two days worth of practice was pretty passable for what it was worth, but I would prefer not to have repetition of that exact same situation."

"What he said." Chris stated.

The crew of 11 peeps spent the rest of lunch basically just having conversations about all different things. Of course, occasionally, the comment about the performance and upcoming party, but for the most part, it was just all normal conversation.

Quite the events... awesome!!