"Finally! Someone decides to show up!"
The electronic bell connected to the door of the video store rang its unchanging vibe as Kevin entered. He searched the aisles of movies until he spotted his two best friends waiting for him by the adult section.
"Sorry I'm late guys. I was-" Kevin was cut off by Emmett.
"Yeah, yeah whatever, dude. We're just glad you're here." Emmett's slick black hair shined in the store's lights.
They teen with the wavy green hair who was leaning on a stack of movies gripped Kevin's shoulder. "Today is the day, my good man."
"What's that supposed to mean, Jacob?" Kevin asked, unsure of what his two partners in crime were planning.
Jacob painted a serpent's smile on his face. "Today is the day we walk through those doors, Kev." Jacob pointed at the two swinging doors that had green words, big and bright, saying, "ADULTS ONLY 18+".
Emmett giggled like a schoolgirl. "Who knows what juicy porno they got in there, Kev!"
"Yeah! And since you're already 18..." Jacob put his hands in front of him with a smirk on his face.
Kevin stumped forward. "Wait. So you mean to tell me that you dirty man whores want me to go and fetch your porn fest?"
Emmett gave him a thumbs up.
"Man, you guys are sick-" Kevin was yet again cut off.
"Says the guy who went on his first porn sight when he was 12." Jacob pointed at Kevin with sly shame.
"Now, come on, Jacob, you and I both know that that was a totally different situation-"
"And you bookmarked certain lesbian videos on your own mother's computer!" Emmett pointed out.
Kevin shook his head in disbelief. "Uh – no! That was-"
Jacob laughed. "We know you, Kevin. Whoever it was that got you into porn or as you say, made you addicted, you're the only one who made the decision to accept it. So don't give us your stupid shit saying that you've lived the law of chastity your whole life because, you haven't. Now go in there and get us some pussy."
Kevin flushed with anger. "Guys..."
"Oh! And get me at least one video with some Japanese girls! They always know how to do the body surfing position just right!" Emmett put on a bright and hopeful smile that made Kevin's spine shiver.
Kevin stammered. "But guys, my mom's totally gonna-"
"Are you really gonna go Mormon on us right now, Kev? Because, I don't think that' gonna go down." Jacob touched Kevin's arm. "Now, be a good boy and go get us some naughty bitches, alright?"
Kevin couldn't believe it. Was Jacob actually going to force him to rent porno? "Who that fuck are you? Eddy?"
Jacob grimaced hearing that name. "You're fuckin' sick."
Kevin winked. "I know."
Emmett was growing impatient. He always felt like the 3rd wheel whenever he was around these two. "Time to go! And remember, Japanese!" Emmett shoved Kevin through the swinging doors, laughing and chortling with Jacob.
Kevin picked himself up off the ground where he had fell to Emmett's shove. Fuckin' idiots... He turned to the doors and gritted his teeth. "Nice job, Emmett! And Jacob, you're gonna be 18 in like 3 days can't you do it?!"
Jacob shook his head, although Kevin couldn't see it. "Nope! Me want porno now! And keep your phone up high! We're gonna call you and make our requests! And besides... we'll be watching this stuff at my place. My parents always work until like 10 at night! It'll be perfect!"
Kevin smiled. "I'll just start calling you Eddy then. OK! Phone's on, Eddy!"
Jacob groaned. "Just looks for some sluts with big clits, alright?"
Kevin shook his head and started walking down the little tunnel leading the adult section. Another sign greeted him saying "ADULTS ONLY – EXPLICIT CONTENT – 18 YRS OR OLDER". Kevin laughed quietly to himself then turned the corner. He couldn't believe what his eyes saw.
Rows and rows of pornography greeted his eyes, making Kevin's jaw drop. My mom would have my head if she knew what I was looking at right now... Kevin chuckled in spite of the immaturity. He started to pace back and forth between aisles, examining the nude pictures of the women and men on the covers. He found a cover that had two guys preforming the missionary position. Wow... Kevin picked up the video and looked it over while shaking his head.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
Ok ok. Find the vid called "My Mama Wasn't Watching". It should be in the aisle closest to the right side of the room against the wall
Only Emmett... Kevin thought as he scanned the shelf he was supposed to dig around in. He found the video and read the title. Idiots...
His phone buzzed again.
Well did u find it?!
Kevin replied.
Yes! Jesus H Christ!
Soon enough, Emmett texted him back.
Good thats all we wanted anyway. Me and Jake made a compromise ;)
Kevin shook his. He took one last glance at the shelves filled with hours of sex. Maybe I'll turn into Eddy someday... Ech.
"Did you see the look on the girl's face when we showed her the video?!" Jacob guffawed with laughter.
"I know right?!" Emmett smiled a cheesy grin as he patted the porno video, safely tucked in his sweatshirt.
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Why do I still do this?"
"Because you know it's fun. Why else?" Jacob narrowed his eyes and grinned.
Kevin made oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-I-still-fall-for-this-shit face and chuckled. "Man, you guys are gonna-"
Suddenly, all three to-be 12th graders looked up the busy street ahead of them. There, standing by the Easy Way restaurant were the trio's arch enemies: Johnny Parker, his wooden board Spank, Ed Smith... and Eddy Jamison.
The evil trio were sitting on one of Easy Way's outside white tables which were older than Kevin's grandparents. The peeling plastic looked hideous compared to the orange and yellow paint job on the restaurant building. Johnny was casually sitting on the table talking to Spank while Ed was busy playing with the table's umbrella pole. Eddy however, was running his fingers through his dark blue hair while chatting with Nat Goldberg, the beloved pervert of the town.
Kevin frowned. Eddy was so... so... disgusting. His navy blue skinny jeans, his gold and red studded Rolling Stones vest, his deep blue converse with gold diamonds, his jet black motorcycle gloves... Kevin couldn't stand the sight of his enemy.
Kevin and Eddy hadn't always hated each other... in fact, they started out as close friends. They were always pulling off BMX stunts as well as creating clever scams to get money. They were friends with everybody in their little town. Everybody knew them, and all the kids wanted to be "coolio" like them. But one night, in desperation to get away from high school bullies, Eddy stole Kevin's brand new red bike – the one Kevin's father had been saving to get for years. Kevin got angry obviously, and things went from better to worse between the two. And from that day on, instead of scamming the city, they set off to scam each other.
Kevin quickened his pace down the grey sidewalk. Practically holding Emmett and Jacob's hands, he quickly strolled by Easy Way trying to make contact with any of the boys. Sadly, Kevin was out of luck.
"Hey, baby..." Eddy turned his head towards Kevin, his blue eyes gleaming. "What's happening?"
"Just keep walking, just keep walking..." Kevin murmured to his friends.
Eddy motioned for Ed and Johnny to circle Kevin and his gang. "Hey, I asked you a question, mister..." Eddy's voice was light and dangerous. The diamonds on his shoes glittered in the sunlight as he stalked his way towards the redhead.
Johnny chuckled. "Yeah. You betta answer him, Kev. Spank says things about to get real nasty." He and the others continued to snicker.
"C'mon, Kev, they're all just prissy boys anyway, lets just growl at them and leave." Emmett nudged Kevin's side.
But Kevin was past the point of no return. He couldn't leave without putting up a fight. "No."
Eddy continued to harass Kevin as Kevin turned to face him. Eddy giggled loudly. "Look who's turning things around, guys! Whatchya gonna do, Kev? Slap me with your hat?" The guys laughed loudly at Eddy's pestering.
Nat had followed them still in his restaurant uniform. "Oh now, now, Eddy, leave the poor doll alone." He smiled sweetly and Kevin.
Kevin, his face now read, was figuring out where he should hit Eddy first. The face or the stomach? And in one knuckled blow, Kevin's fist went straight for Eddy's ribs.
Eddy bounded back into his friends. Nat gasped like a 1950's scream queen and watched from a distance. "Ooooo, this should get good!"
Eddy shouted in anger and threw Kevin a double punch on both cheeks. Kevin returned the blow with a kick in between Eddy's legs and a slap in the face. Eddy shoved Kevin to the ground and gave him several blows, sometimes punching the sidewalk concrete and not Kevin's soft flesh. Kevin wrapped his hands tightly around Eddy's neck and attempted to strangle him. It worked, only for a second, until Johnny slammed Spank right in Kevin's face. Kevin sprung back and yelled in pain. Jacob and Emmett watched from the sidelines. Suddenly, Jacob ran for Johnny, punching him until he fell to the ground.
"I've had enough!" Kevin punched Eddy's face and rolled over on top of him. Just gotta hit him in the right-
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" A booming voice came from down the street.
Everyone watching the fight, including some pedestrians, stopped and gazed up the street to see where the voice was coming from. Jacob loosened Johnny's collar and dropped Spank. Nat and Ed peered up the street with wide eyes. Emmett squinted his eyes from the sun.
Kevin lifted his head. "Oh, shit."
A police car, streaked in black and white, topped with flashing blue and red lights, was slowly emerging from the distance. The voice came out again cracked and electrified. "Now, just what do you think you kids are doing?!"
Kevin got off of Eddy and stood up, lowering his bloody hands to his sides. The teen with the spiky blue hair jumped up and stared at the approaching police car. The car parked and out came the sheriff of the town, Officer Dylan Deangle: Kevin's uncle.
With his keys jingling and his gun flapping against his side, Officer Deangle strode down the street with an annoyed expression planted on his tan face. "Kevin, another fight, really? Now, I may be your uncle, but that don't mean I can't arrest ya." Officer Deangle's 6'6" frame towered over Kevin.
"I-I... h-he-"
"I don't want any excuses! Now, you're gonna get in that car," Officer Deangle pointed to his cop car who's lights were still flashing, "and I'm taking you home! And you!" He looked at Eddy. "Pester him again and I swear you'll get a life sentence!"
Eddy held up his hands apologetically. "OK, OK. I get it, I get it. Sorry, Officer it, it won't happen again – will it guys?" Eddy frantically looked at his friends with nervous sweat rolling down his chin. Johnny and Ed nodded.
"No more popo!" Ed shouted enthusiastically.
Officer Deangle eyed them. "Good. Now scram!" The trio of trouble makers ran off down the opposite street that was full of small cafes. Officer Deangle shook his head and looked at Kevin. "What am I gonna do with you, nephew?"
Eddward sat with his legs crossed on his new living room floor. He examined the black coffee table, the almost put together maple sugar couch, the pine tree book shelves, and the sea blue wool rug that he had sown years back. He could hear his mother fussing with kitchen appliances as she organized her new cooking space as well as his little sister upstairs thumping around on her memory foam bed mattress. Eddward sighed quietly. The heat from the boiling sun fuzed on his beanie. Eddward preferred the cold. He preferred the dark. He preferred anywhere where he could be alone.
"Eddward! Could you come and help me?" Shiloh yelled from the kitchen.
Without a creak of the floor or rustle of his clothes, Eddward slid upright and floated to the kitchen. He looked down at his mother who had her head buried in the cabinet next to the metal stove.
"Eddward- oh! There you are! Acknowledge when you're in a room, sweetie?" Shiloh handed Eddward a red pot. "Now, put that over there. Oh, and, bring those boxes by the bathroom door downstairs. There are only 3 I think."
5, Mum, there are 5. Eddward lifted up the first box with his muscular arms. He shoved it between his right arm and his side as he opened the basement door. The cool temperature from the damp floor rose to Eddward's nose. He sniffed the murky air. I want to smile... but...
"Eddward?" Shiloh looked at her son who seemed to have zoned out. "Edd?"
Eddward lifted his head and looked down the stairs. Should I talk- no. Eddward elegantly went down into the basement as though his mother was never there. Shiloh sighed. Will he ever speak to me?
Eddward placed the box full of collected hand-painted jars in the corner of the bleak room. He stood still for a moment, taking in the dimness and icy feeling of the basement with its opaque windows guarding the darkness. He sighed happily. Cold and dark... Nothingness.
"Eddward! There are more boxes you know!" Shiloh called from upstairs with a little bit of force in her voice. Eddward gloomily glided upstairs back into the light. It hurts, Eddward thought
As the raven haired teen brought the last box down the basement which seemed already flooded with luggage, Eddward decided to look inside the cardboard walls of the dampened box. After all, it has his name on it. He carefully opened the flaps of the box and peered inside. Dragon statue, Harry Potter books, archery trophy, gold notebook- He stopped. There was something in the bottom that made him stop breathing. Her.
He picked up the photograph which sat in its parchment colored frame. The whitish light of the basement reflected off the dusted glass. Eddward blew on the dust. The picture was revealed. He looked at himself in the photo, smiling and fresh. Shaking, he looked at the girl next to him, rainbow eyes, heavenly face, green highlights in mouse brown hair... Warm tears rolled down his cold cheeks.
Why did you leave me?