"Marie!" I heard the shout from behind the closed door, but just rolled my eyes and finished putting on my eyeshadow. I heard pounding against my door.

"Quiet down, will ya? Jeeze, I'll be out in a second, Lee."

"You have five, now hurry up, will ya? You're hoggin' the mirror!"

Her raspy voice made me smirk, as I snapped shut the eyeshadow's case and stuck it back on my shelf in the cupboard. As much as I loved my house, my mom, and my sisters, being in a trailer home just meant a lot less room for...well, everything. I kinda wished May hadn't smashed the only other mirror in the house.

Pushing open the bathroom door, Lee shoved past and quickly locked it. I rolled my eyes again, but heard the tell-tale sound of packaging, and sighed. She could have just said something, jeeze. Didn't have to make up a phony excuse about the mirror. But that's Lee for you, insecure and wily as a feral animal.

As I walked back to my room, I heard May coughing. The scent of smoke was pretty strong, the wind must have been blowing it in the doorway. My fingered twitched, but I resisted heading out for a smoke. May didn't care, but I sure as hell didn't wanna get kicked out of school for smelling like smoke. Sure, I made exceptions and skipped class a couple times, but I tried to avoid the teachers afterwards.

I grabbed my bag off the floor, loading my schoolwork into it and whipping it over my shoulder. On my way out the door, May nodded a little goodbye, and I waved, heading towards school.

As per usual, I went through the woods to pass by Eddward's house. He didn't always want to talk in the mornings, especially since his dad was the king of all assholes and ruined most of them, but sometimes he'd show. He'd stand at the light pole out of view of his place, and I'd meet him. And, by the looks of it, he was there this morning.

The look on his face was disconcerting, but I let it slide for a second as I went over and bumped shoulders with him. I could hear him groan internally, but he didn't fight back, so least he seemed in a talking mood. I decided to pry.

"What's shakin' bacon?" I kept my tone light, having to be the sun against his darkness.

"Hmph." He slid his hand into his pocket, the small chain rattling, and pulled out a neatly hole-punched note. He unclipped the chain, and slid it over to me, letting the chain fall back inside his pocket. It annoyed me that he couldn't just bring me it to show me without going through all this crap to make sure his dad wouldn't find out. All it took was one slip-up, one cut, and...this began. I sighed, and read the note.

Tomorrow you will scrub the floor where your friend left wet tracks, I will not have mildew in this household. Please refrain from repeating this mistake next time, and clean it up immediately. Harrison

I pointed my finger into my mouth and made a gagging sound, and heard an amused huff from Eddward. He reached for the note, securing it back onto the clip and concealing it once more. At least he didn't seem too upset, but...that was kinda the thing. And what with the mention of a 'friend' in the note, I was curious...

"What's got you in such a good mood, black-eyes?" I cocked my head at him, and found his lips in a line. I sighed deeply, giving him a shove against his shoulder, "Just tell me, Eddward."

He seemed pensive for a moment, eyes examining the sidewalk, before returning forward.

"Yeah?" I prodded.

"Kevin came over." His lack of enthusiasm was unsurprising.

"Well, yeah, I kinda figured that much, but...?"

He kept silent, looking only slightly down.

"Oh, you sooo gotta tell me what happened now."

I heard him sigh, and watched as he slipped into...someone else.

"I...suppose it's of no use hiding it, is there?" I shook my head calmly, watching as his guarded façade fell. It was both disheartening, and pleasant, to see him like this. I never knew quite what triggered him to 'give up' like this, but I knew how easy it was for him to slip back into his other self. I stayed silent, waiting for a response.

He cleared his throat, taking a breath, "I...found him at my door last night. Wet from the rain, Lord knows I wouldn't leave him there, even if his home was right across the way. So I invited him in, and...of course, forgot to take care of the tracks, hence the note."

The voice he used was odd. Unlike the dark, stormy rumble, it was rather feathery in its insecurity. Lighter, but still afraid. I wondered how many people ever heard this voice from him...

"We spoke, and he drilled questions into me like the inquisitive person he is," I held back a smirk at the kindly remark, noting he'd normally never say anything favorable towards the boy in any other mood, "and eventually I acquiesced. He's rather amusing, though he did not find it as such when he questioned what I was doing to him."

A haunting, soft sadness rang in his chuckle. I bit my lip to keep myself from cutting him off, but watched the beautiful gleam in his eyes, the way his lips parted in that sad smile of his. This was the boy I dealt with all this crap for, I just wished the world saw him...

"I must say, I did not expect for him to...to," his voice went silent, "to kiss me." Several steps echoed on the sidewalk before he continued, voice hushed and wavering, "Afterwards, I suppose we were both shocked, but...I could not run. Not after that. And so I stayed there, against him...him against me...until we knew it time to part, and we said nothing. And thus was the evening that did not deserve to be."

I felt the iced edge of those last words, and painfully watched his eyes darken, any hint of a smile retreating from his now-closed lips. Shut inside again...

"It was totally an evening that 'deserved to be,' Eddward. You said it yourself," or a part of yourself, "he was the one that kissed you this time. You can't just shove that off to the side like it's last week's leftovers!"

A scoffed huff, and his frustratingly stubborn glare settled on me, "You should know the dangers. I dance upon razors, his kiss is my antifreeze and I shall fall to his bane before long. How foolish I to entertain such a laughable thing for so long..."

"Shut it, black-eyes," I gave him a shove at his shoulder, harder than usual, looking into his gaze, "You..."

I couldn't continue, but I didn't need to. He heard it through my eyes, and stayed silent.

The school came into view, and Eddward continued to sulk. I bit my lip and hid my hands in my pockets, eyes darting as I desperately look for a way to help him.

It struck me the moment I laid eyes upon a certain blonde-haired girl.

"Hey Eddward, why don't you go and talk to Kevin over there?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as though my statement was completely insane.

I rolled my eyes at him, "I'll take care of her, don't worry. You need this."

Silence. I knew he was contemplating it.

"If you don't, I'll make you regret it, you know."

His posture slumped, but I knew I'd won. Not that my threat meant much, with the boy being the master of shutting people out, but I wasn't going to complain. I guess he just preferred the bubbly me to who he knew I'd become if he didn't do what I wanted.

It's actually kind-of sad, you know? I'm the only person who knows who he is, every piece to his puzzle. He doesn't hide from me on purpose…but me? I have to have from him. I think, somewhere deep down, he knows how much I hide. He just needs this face from me, this person who can hold him up, because he's in no state to do the same for me. Sure, my life isn't half as bad as his, but my shoulders sag under life's weight every once in a while, and it's kind-of lonely.

But he doesn't know that. I mean, again, I bet he knows, but I won't tell him unless things get better for him.

And I really, really, really hope Kevin can help with that.

I sighed as we approached the pair, eyes locking on Nazz. She was eyeing Eddward, but I swiftly blocked her view as I approached. The glare she shot me was threatening, but I wasn't afraid.

"Hey hun, we need to talk."

"No way in hell am I talking to you, raccoon!"

When she said that, I was actually pretty shocked. Normally Nazz wasn't someone who'd resort to petty insults and name-calling, but I guess this wasn't a normal situation to her. Eddward, for the most part, left her alone; Marie had probably never spoken to her. And yet, here they were before her. Must have freaked her out a bit.

I saw Marie seething behind some controlled blinks. Even more shocking than Nazz's words was the fact Eddward's hand came to rest on Marie's shoulder. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

Eddward looked at me, and I could kind-of understand him.

"No need to be harsh, Nazz. They're cool." I tried to come across nonchalantly, but Nazz looked at me like I was a freak of nature.

"Cool? Cool? They're so not 'cool,' Kevin. And it's not like she doesn't deserve it. They both do…"

"Did." We both turned wide-eyed towards Eddward, whose hand held tight to his friend's shoulder. He lifted his chin higher as he continued, "Perhaps we did deserve such ire and distaste, once. But, as with all things, things have changed. You should know well that is the truth, and treat my friend with more respect because of it." His voice cut sharp, and he shot Nazz a scathing glare, "…I believe an apology is in order."

I got the vibe from him that he wasn't speaking what he thought was the truth, but it all seemed accurate. Nazz turned her head to look at me with disbelief, but I just shrugged and sighed.

Marie cleared her throat, shaking us all from our shock, "So you coming or what, Goldilocks?"

Nazz bit her lip, and our eyes met. I nodded in Marie's direction, mumbling, "It's okay, Nazz. Just..."

"Okay, fine," her voice was sweet, but exhausted. I watched the tense second-long stare between her and Marie, before they walked off. Eddward's hand fell from her shoulder, and he stared emptily at the grass. I let out a long sigh.

"I..." his voice was tinged with uncertainty, and had a strange, light quality to it, "I'm surprised that didn't come to blows."

My eyes widened, "Really?" I clenched my fist worriedly.

"Indeed. Marie is not one to readily tolerate such 'insults' to what little she does to beautify herself."

I looked at him strangely, "What do you mean, 'beautify'?"

"Mon ami, have you not noticed how little Marie does to make herself look presentable?" I cocked my head in response, and he sighed, "She is a lovely girl, but you would never know it from a single glance. The eyeshadow she wears is the most she's ever bothered, and insults towards it break what little self-confidence she had."

"But she seems-"

He cut me off, "Prideful? Self-assured? Heh," he chuckled darkly, "is it not hilarious how well we all play our parts? You'd think the world a stage."

There was an undertone to what he said that chilled me. Eddward's eyes softened.

"Kevin..." I turned to look at him, slightly surprised by his use of my name, "I'm...afraid that last night was a...mistake. On both our parts."

"What?"

"You see, I have been far too, how you say...I've been pushy. And you, you merely acted on hormonal impulses," I watched his fingers fidget, tapping against his upper arm as he refused to meet my eyes, "Would that someone else were there, you would have felt for them instead, I assure you."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Really?"

He tilted his head, eyes moving up but not meeting mine, "Quite."

"Yeah, that's kinda bullshit, Eddward."

He stayed silent.

I let myself speak.

"You're...okay, you're weird. And like, scary, and dark, and pretty fucked up, I know. But you act like that fucking matters," he winced for some reason, but I continued, "I mean...l-last night wasn't...it wasn't wrong, okay? It wasn't a mistake or anything. And I chose it. If..." My voice lowered, "If it hadn't been you, then no, man, I wouldn't have...y...you know..."

The silence weighed heavily on me, but I could see the light in his eyes. The storm swirled and pried at me, but hid its master's intentions.

He took a step towards me, eyes flicking to the sides, probably looking to see if anyone was watching. He blinked in contentment, and gingerly settled the palm of his hand on my neck.

I gulped, the touch was so soft.

"Mon Petit Rouge..."

The bell rang. I felt his fingers curl against me, and heat rose in my cheeks. His hand pulled away.

"Au revoir...mon cher."

His steps were hesitant as he walked away, and it spurred me to call out after him, "See you later, W-wolf."

Eddward stopped.

"Loup."

"...What?"

His voice was even and clear, "You may call me 'Loup,' if you so desire."

I tossed the word around in my head for a moment, and he remained still all the while.

"Al...right...I...guess I'll see you later then, Loup."

I caught a flicker of a smile on his cheek before he headed towards the door into school. Nazz looked at me weirdly as she walked beside Marie.

Before I knew it, I was all alone. Then in clicked.

"Ohhh...Loup means Wolf in French, doesn't it..."

And I smiled, and chuckled, and finally went inside.

Hey guys and girls, been a while, no? Moved into a new apartment, haven't had internet access for a few weeks. I hope you guys are alright with all this. I figured I'd submit this to prove I'm still alive, and I'll write the girl-talk chapter next.*yawns* Hope you enjoyed.