Hi guys! I was asked (told) by my boyfriend to sit down and finally write the next chapter since he's been patiently waiting all of 3 days for it, so here it is! This actually was not what I originally planned for this chapter, as my original plan will now likely be chapter 7, but I was actually happy with how this chapter came out. Here's hoping the rest of my plan for the next chapter comes out like I'm hoping. Its actually becoming difficult to keep Kevin and Edd separate a little. While I want them to come together slowly, I worry about making it too fast. Let me know what you guys think after you read! I love hearing back from everyone! The review function is finally working again here on Fanfiction, so now I can see everyone's and I can respond happily!
biginferno: I hadn't thought about doing that, but now you've caused gears to turn. If anything happens, I'm going to blame you for it ^-^
Himetnd: Thank you so much, I squeed while reading your review. It made me happy to think my writing had some sort of impact like that. Here's hoping that the rest of my work continues to do the same.
So, without further ado,
Enjoy Chapter 6.
Chapter 6 – A Walk in the Blinding Sun
The next morning I was still reeling from the previous night. I could feel the ghost touch on my cheek where Kevin placed his hand. I moved my hand back up to my face while in the mirror the next morning and a deep red crossed my cheeks. "What am I feeling?"
It was a Saturday and I decided to spend it relaxing in doors reading one of my newest novels from my favorite authors. Jonathan Safran Foer's Tree of Codes was a perplexing novel, not a normal text by any means. The pages were all cut up with segments of the text completely cut out so that only a sparse amount of text remained on any page. I had to take a piece of paper to put under each page as I read to make sense of the story. Word by word I read, enthralled by the physical action of reading this text. I only stopped reading to make myself something to eat for brunch. I typically do not wait that long to eat something, however, it was a weekend and I found myself easily distracted this lovely Saturday morning. A lot was on my mind and I had to find other things to distract myself.
I decided that I would shower after my late breakfast and then pick up where I was reading shortly after I put some comfortable clothes on. I looked outside my living room window to see the change in the trees. It was finally becoming fall, as we had hit late September by this point and the trees were allowing their leaves to begin that beautiful color transformation. I sighed lightly, admiring the magic of nature before I finally went up stairs to shower.
By the time I was finished, after enjoying the warmth the water provides and finally getting dressed, it was past noon. I made my way back down stairs with my beanie in my hands rather than on my head. I ran my hands through my black hair, trying to keep knots out of it while it was still wet. I sat down on the couch and pulled my book back over to me and smiled as I opened it back up. I tried to read through the pages, picking up words here and there and trying to make a cohesive story out of it, but I found it rather challenging. It made it seem like it was randomly contrived and constructed. I decided I better simply stick with my piece of paper to guide my reading of the text.
Before I knew it, the Sun had begun to set by the time I closed the book with a light sigh. It was a strange book, but I found myself interested in its bizarre makeup rather than just the meaning behind the words. The way the text appeared told just as much of a story as the text within it held. As I stood up to find something to make for dinner, I heard a knock on my door.
"Now who could that be at this hour?" I walked over to the door and slowly opened it. I gazed out at the figure in front of me, deep piercing green eyes gazed down at me from under his signature red cap with his bangs sticking out from it. The figure was dressed in dark fitted jeans, a casual button up shirt, and a sleek black leather jacket. I think I stared a little too long, but I could not help myself. Kevin looked amazing, and every subtle move he made pulled at each layer. I had to mentally shake myself from my stupor before I fell even harder into my thoughts. "Uh, K-Kevin! To what do I owe this visit tonight?"
Kevin raised a curious eyebrow while he looked at me. I must have turned red again. Curses. I must stop that while he is around. Why can I not control my skin tone? "You going to the Homecoming dance dressed like that, Dork? That's a little more… casual than I would have expected you to dress. Without your hat even?"
I wanted to die. I had totally forgotten about the Homecoming, but why did Kevin come to get me? "I-I-I must have forgotten in the aftermath of yesterday's festivities, but surely you could go without me, K-Kevin. No need for me to hold you up." Kevin grinned and shrugged. I nodded and motioned him to come in. He gave me a big smile and walked in behind me and then I shut the door behind him. "Um, shoes off here, if you please." He nodded and kicked them off without any argument. That was much easier than when telling Eddy to take his off…
"Ah, its no big, Dork. I can wait for you to change. I'm only here to make sure you keep your promise. You told Nat and me that you would come to our game and the dance today as well. You came to one, I'm just making sure you come to the other." I blushed and finally rushed for my hat that I noticed I left on the couch. I cannot believe I was careless enough to let him see me without my hat on. Curses.
"Nat and I, Kevin." He raised that curious eyebrow at me again. When I blushed and twisted the hem of my loose shirt in my hands, nervously, a cocky grin crossed his face.
"Uh huh, yeah, sure, whatever, Dork. Go get changed so we can get going. I have my baby ready to go in my garage, so hop to it." His baby? Whatever could that be? I stopped a couple steps upstairs when I realized what he was talking about.
"By baby… You do not mean your motorcycle do you?" Please say no. He smiled and nodded up to me. I could feel the blood rush out of my face and I think he noticed because his smile faded.
"I mean, it is still nice out for being late September. We can walk to the school if you'd rather do that, Double D?" I let out a sigh of relief and nodded while I continued upstairs. "Regardless, none of that matters until you get changed, Dork!"
I smiled while I changed. He was in my house, waiting for me to change, like he was my… No, I would not allow myself such fantasies. He was merely here to make sure I adhered to my side of our bargain. That was all. I walked into my bedroom and looked through my closet and my dresser trying to figure out what to wear. What does one wear to things like this? I decided upon a pair of skinny jeans that Eddy convinced me to buy, despite my arguments to the contrary. Once I wiggled myself into them I dug through my closet some more to find a nice dress shirt my parents had brought home from a nice clothing store near a mall at the Hospital they worked at. I had never worn it, as I have not ever gone to a more formal event, but it was a nice shade of red, a deep and earthy tone. I buttoned it up and decided not to tuck it in, it was flattering regardless, if I do say so myself. I slipped on my Converse sneakers and hoped this outfit was sufficient. I turned to walk out and nearly found myself screaming. Kevin was leaning against the doorframe and scared me out of my wits.
"K-Kevin! How long have you been standing there?!" I had not noticed his presence there. I was concerned that he saw me from start to finish. Which means… If he saw me while I was changing… then… Oh dear.
He shrugged with a mischievous grin. That evil, evil, adorable grin. "Long enough, Dork." I blushed wondering what that meant. "Long enough to see those interesting little briefs you had on." Yup. I was ready to die. Right there, in my own bedroom. Dear whoever is up there watching this malicious setup, smite me down. Put me out of my embarrassment. Kevin started laughing and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on, we're late. Nat is already at the school and Nazz left with her date about an hour ago."
Ah, that was it! All I had to do was change the subject, since I refused to touch on what he had said about my changing. "Oh, did Nazz get a date for Homecoming?" He nodded but when he did not say who it was I decided I would ask, simply for curiosities sake. "Did she tell you who she was going with?" Kevin shook his head, and I found this rather odd. Kevin and Nazz were as close as anyone could be; yet he did not know whom she had procured to take her to the dance. That was odd indeed.
I followed him out of the house and I locked it tight behind us. I did not take any house keys because I knew where my parents and I kept it. I found it easier to simply collect my key instead of carrying around copies everywhere I went. Only myself, my parents, and Ed and Eddy knew where the key was, so it was safe. We started walking down the street in the direction of the school that my friends and I walk every morning. I looked up at the sky and watched the stars blink on as the Sun completely set below the horizon and we walked to the light of the streetlights.
"So, Double D, where were your parents? It didn't look like anyone else was in that house other than you. What gives?" I sighed, not letting my eyes come down from the sky, the number of stars growing in the dark dusk.
"They work in a hospital about three hours away. They have very important jobs there and they have always been on the go. Small town life was not meant for them, at least, that is what they told me." A soft breeze blew through us and I shuddered, but not because of the cold. That did not mean I turned away the warm leather jacket that Kevin put on my shoulders. I looked up at him but he had turned away. Was he blushing? I could not tell in the low light, but I thought I could see something changing the color of his cheeks. The thought did not help my cheeks remain the same color, by any means.
He tried to get past his own physical issues by going back to our conversation. "You mean your parents don't live with you? Is that even allowed?" I shrugged. Laws of that sort were not exactly my specialty.
"They come home maybe one weekend a month to make sure I have everything I need. They also frequently and routinely send me money to make sure I can buy groceries for myself, but they know I am mature enough to take care of myself. I know they are doing what they can with what they have, but I do wish I could see them more." I turned my head back up to the stars. "You know, Kevin, they feel so distant, yet I love them anyways. Even when they are home, I still feel as if they are as far away from me as the stars in the sky."
I could feel Kevin's gaze linger on me as I spoke. I did not know why I was telling him these things but I could not help myself. Something about our casual walk to the dance brought it all out. I was comfortable, for the first time that I can recall in my recent memory, enough to talk about my inner thoughts. It might have been Kevin's influence, and his pushing me to not "fake it." I sighed and looked down. "It feels like when I am at school. I'm simply me and everyone else is always so far away." I looked over to the strong young man walking next to me, his forest eyes gazing down at me as if he was absorbing everything I told him for some unknown purpose. He actually appeared to care.
"Why do you feel like that at school? You still have your friends, don't you? Or is this about what I said in the library?" His face looked pained, as if he felt guilty for something.
I shook my head and gave a weak smile, but caught myself. I was faking it to ease any discomfort he may have felt at my moment of weakness. He told me not to fake it, yes? Then I would do no such thing in his presence. Maybe that is why I was comfortable with talking to him like this. He was the one requesting it, right?
"While, yes, I do have Ed and Eddy, I still find myself alone. I only see the two of them in our study hall, and that was only because I made it so. I had to make sure they got their work done, you see, so I took it upon myself to encourage our councilors to make sure we had this study hall where I could tutor them both." I shrugged, a rather callous action that I normally would not partake in. Kevin did not seem to notice or did not wish to disrupt my speaking. I remained quiet for a little while but Kevin never took his eyes off me.
"Come on, Double D. You didn't answer my question. I'm trying to get my head around you. You're a mystery to me, and that's odd. Most people are obvious. Eddy's a scheming creep and Ed's a goofy moron. But you, no, you I can't figure out." I gave him a sideways glance for insulting my friends but he just shrugged and gave me his signature cocky grin. I shook my head and sighed.
I knew there was no way out of this conversation, so I figured I might as well finish it and get it over with. "Everyone else at school has people to turn to." I pulled my hat down lower, almost covering my watery eyes. "I'm the outcast, Kevin. I'm among so many stars, but never close enough to touch them. Then there are those that burn brightest among all the others, those who I fear to get close to because of the risk of being burned. Stars are dangerous, but the Sun's are a risk that I know I cannot survive. Those who shine brightest, who I know I could never get close to, are the ones that hurt the most." I could not bring myself to look at Kevin. I wished for this walk to be shorter. Luckily I could hear music in the distance. We are almost there.
Kevin stopped however and grabbed my shoulder under his jacket. He looked down at me; his brows furrowed with stern look on his face. I winced under his gaze and tried to turn away but he held me where I stood. I could feel the heat from his hand through the leather on my shoulder. "Who do you think is so distant to be a Sun? We are in high school, Double D, we are all a mass of stars in one really small space. None of us are that dangerous."
I shook my head. "That is not true, and you are aware of it, Kevin. I have never been on the social radar. Ed has connections because he's Sarah's older brother and Eddy is notorious throughout the school. I am a nobody." A tear slid down my face, I could not help it, despite my internal fight to stop them. Suddenly I was pulled close to Kevin and my eyes went wide. I was against his chest, and I could feel his muscles move as he breathed. His heart beat in my ear, its slow and steady rhythm helping to calm me.
"There is no reason to feel that I am going to burn you, Dork. You aren't alone, all right? You are not a nobody. You don't need to change to be with others. You just need to be yourself." He held me close, his strong arms fully encompassing me. I could feel my tears sliding down my face. I gave a small hiccup while I attempted to control myself. "Seriously dude, you do not need to feel so left out. I may not be as eloquent about it like you are, but I want you to be happy among the rest of us "stars"."
I nodded and he let me go, slowly, and steered us toward the school where the music was becoming louder.
Maybe he was correct in his assumptions about me. Maybe I could live among the stars. However, the Sun could still burn. I looked up to Kevin as we walked up the steps of the school; Nat was standing in the doorway, tapping his foot in irritation. I suppose even if I do get burned, a little time among the vibrant Sun may be worthwhile after all.