Eddward's eyes opened before his alarm clock went off. He sat up quickly and silently in his bed, turning off the alarm before it started screaming. He crossed his arms over his lap and sighed. It was quiet. It was always quiet in the mornings. Eddward couldn't remember the last time his life had any noise in it. It had been awhile. His world was a sinkhole. His life was a sinkhole. There was no good in the air around him as he took a long inhale. Why did it have to been like this?
Walking to his dresser, Eddward pulled out his favorite black skinny jeans along with a pair of underwear, a black undershirt, and black socks. He buttoned his jeans and looked at himself in his full body mirror that hung on the wall. 'Have I really been starving myself that much?'
Slipping a grey sweater over his head along with his warm black jacket, Eddward sat on the edge of his bed to brush out his hair. Gorgeous hair he had, long and black and thick. It was clipped about halfway down his back with bangs sweeping over his face and his cheeks. Eddward liked the sound of his brush sifting through his hair. It was a smooth, clean sound. Eddward took his hair and tied it back into a ponytail. Next, he circled the ponytail round and round into a bun that pulled neatly at the nape of his neck. Applying a thin coat of hairspray, Eddward slid his beanie over his head, concealing his hair. He was embarrassed by its length and how thick it looked. He preferred to not be embarrassed by anything, but things were different now. His mere existence was an embarrassment.
Eddward entered his sister's room silently, smacking his lips quietly after brushing his teeth. He eyed his sister sweetly. She was soundly asleep in her bed, her dark wavy hair glistening in the faint daylight. She looked adorable. Eddward felt a small smile curl on his lips. It had been a long time since he smiled. It felt strange to feel happy.
He sat on the edge of the pink mattress and softly stroked his sister's face. "Isabeau..." he cooed.
The dark haired girl stirred. A tired moan emerged from her mouth. "I'm tired... early..." she whined.
"I know, dear, but you need to get up extra early today... you're going to school." Eddward kept on encouraging Isabeau to get up, and eventually she did.
She rubbed her tired eyes as she stood up. Yawning loudly, she made her way to her closet to pick out her uniform. Although she was only 6 years old, she was very intelligent and was enrolled in the town's private school, Wilson Creek's Academy. Eddward was supposed to attend Wilson Creek as well, but his mother thought he wouldn't be able to handle it based on what had happened to him that summer.
Eddward helped Isabeau get dressed in her blue and white uniform, fastening the collar around her smooth neck. "Alright," Eddward spoke softly with an expressionless face, "let's go downstairs and eat something, ay?"
As Isabeau poured herself a bowl of Cheerios, Eddward collected the school forms that his mother had signed the previous night. Shuffling them into a straight pile, he slid them into a folder and put it in his steel blue messenger bag. He then made his way to the kitchen to watch over Isabeau as she ate.
"Aren't you gonna eat somethin'?" she asked with a mouth full of cereal.
Eddward shook his head. "No, darling," he answered in a melancholy tone.
"Why not?" Isabeau asked.
"I don't eat anymore."
The morning air was cool and relaxing. Isabeau ran to the car as Eddward locked the front door of the house. The sun was coming up slowly, making its way above the hills in the distance. Eddward looked at the approaching light as he walked to the driveway along the cobblestone pathway. He secretly wished it would stay dark all night and all day like the inside of his soul.
Isabeau sat cheerfully in the backseat of Eddward's car and buckled herself. She placed her backpack next to her and kicked her feet against Eddward's seat. "Please, Isabeau..." Eddward sighed. Isabeau stopped kicking.
Eddward pulled out of the driveway quickly, starting down the road. The neighborhood was nice. Pastel colored houses sat next to each other, each one having a neatly landscaped front and back yard. It was a perfect street, really... almost too perfect for Eddward's liking. The main roads were pretty quiet as Eddward drove down them in silence while Isabeau hummed to herself in the back. Finally, Eddward pulled into the parking lot of Wilson Creek Academy, a mansion-like building with grey brick walls. The yard was green and lively, the marble steps to the front door dimly lit by the oncoming sunlight.
Eddward let Isabeau out of the car and began walking her towards the building. Eddward looked at the Academy with longing. 'Mother, why didn't you enroll me here instead of that dirty public school?' Isabeau squealed with delight when she entered the building and met her teacher. Eddward almost smiled. 'At least she's happy.'
Eddward kissed Isabeau on the forehead before he left her to go back to his house. The drive home wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't bad. It was neutral. Everything was neutral. Eddward no longer had feelings for anything or anyone. Not ever since she...
The sun was coming up faster when Eddward entered the house. He opened the living room curtains to let the light illuminate the modern-styled decor of the room. He gathered his school supplies and was about to leave when he heard a soft female voice behind him.
"Eddward?" Eddward's mother, Shiloh, tapped Eddward on the shoulder. The teen turned around and looked down on her. He was only a few inches taller than she was.
"Yes, Mother?" he answered quietly.
"Did you drop Isabeau off?" Shiloh tilted her head, her light silvery hair falling across her face.
Eddward nodded in response. "Yes."
"Ok..." Shiloh looked at the ground as if it would tell her what to say. She had so much to say to her son, so much to tell, so much to apologize about, so much to confess. She was worried about Eddward, worried that he might sink down into the black hole that took so much effort to get out of. She was worried that she might find him on the bathroom floor again, open pill bottle in hand, eyes colorless and dead. She couldn't let that happen again. She'd do anything to make sure that didn't happen.
She brushed the hair out of her face and cleared her throat. "Well, good luck, dear."
Eddward nodded and walked away from her, placing his hand on the doorknob. Before he could go however, Shiloh stopped him. "Eddward?"
"Mm," he grunted.
Shiloh tried not to cry. A desperate emotion swelled inside her chest. "I... I... I just want you to be happy," she said, voice breaking slightly.
Eddward sighed through his nose. "I know." He shut the door soundly behind him.
"I'm getting my car back tomorrow, guys!" Kevin smiled gleefully as he put his hands in the air.
"Finally! You're costing me so much in gas, bro!" Jacob laughed and gripped the steering wheel.
"So much? Dude, what the fuck, this is the second day you're driving me and I've given you 20 bucks," Kevin rebutted.
"Pfft," Jacob scoffed. "I don't care."
"Heyyy guys, um, Jayden says coach wants to see us before class starts," Emmett announced as he scrolled through his phone messages.
"What for?" Kevin asked, turning to look at Emmett sprawled out in the backseat.
"Don't ask me," Emmett replied as he opened an app.
The boys pulled into the school parking lot after getting their usual at Speed's. Kevin hopped out of the pick up truck, grabbing his backpack as something familiar caught his eye. He saw Eddward's beanie only a few cars away emerge from a silver Honda Chrysler, and after seeing the rest of Eddward's body as well, Kevin watched intently as the blue eyed teen quickly walked across the parking lot. Kevin stared at him as he briskly made his way to the school's entrance. Kevin hadn't realized he was staring until Emmett bopped him upside the head to get his attention.
"Bro! Come on!" Emmett laughed as Kevin followed his friends into the school, his cheeks tinting red with frustration.
The school's loud cafeteria welcomed everyone in. Kevin glanced at Eddward as he wandered to the breakfast line, patiently waiting behind a small girl. He noticed how Eddward kept looking at the girl with a seemingly major interest and he pondered why.
"KEVIN DEANGLE!" Kevin's named was screamed across the table. "Man, come on! Pay attention!" The booming voice belonged to Dameon, co-captain of the football team. "Hell, I'm not even the real captain and I'm aware of everything more than you!"
Kevin looked around the breakfast table at his friends: Dameon, Jacob, Emmett, Nat, Chris, Hutch, Lucas, Jayden, Dave, Timothy... and the cheerleaders, Susan, Emily, and Fiona. Everyone was staring at him in confusion.
"What's been going on with you, honey bun?" Nat asked, running his fingers through his slick hair. "You haven't been yourself ever since school started.
"Yeah, Kev, what gives?" Susan's tough voice startled the redhead.
"I'm sorry, guys... I didn't think I was being weird. I guess I'm just nervous about school or something; you know how I have my anxiety attacks."
"Yeah, sadly you get that from your dad," Chris huffed.
"Eh, whatev, Deangle. Just stick with us, k? Don't wander off to Deangle Land." Jayden chuckled loudly as he unzipped his athletic back to get something.
"Deangle Land?" Nat said. "Sounds like somewhere I wanna be."
Eddward sat with his hood up at an empty table and observed the students around him. They were all so loud and obnoxious, nothing like the students at St. Mondour. Eddward's eyes calculated silently as he continued to look at his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, Eddward was being eyed by a pair of brown orbs across the room.
"Hm, fresh meat..." Eddy Jamison pushed himself away from the wall, clacking his teeth in excitement. "Hey, Ed, Jimmy... look."
Two punk looking boys stared in the direction Eddy's finger was pointing. Both seeing Eddward at the same time, their eyes windened. Ed smiled with an open mouth. "Oo, who's that?" he asked eagerly.
"I dunno," Jimmy said quietly, "but he looks interesting."
"Let's go get him, boys," Eddy whispered as he and his gang slithered in between the tables.
"Heyyyy there!" Eddy smacked his hand on Eddward's table, making the hooded teen jump in surprise.
"What's goin' on, babe?" Jimmy inquired, smiling seductively.
Eddward looked back and forth, unsure of what to do. He cleared his throat and ignored the trio that was circling around him.
"Yeah, hot stuff. You're new here, aren't ya? We saw you in choir yesterday. You shy or somethin'?" Eddy crossed his arms and leaned against the table, studying the stranger.
Ed smiled and waved, his face right next to Eddward's. "Hiya!" he bellowed cheerfully. The husky boy yanked off Eddward's hood, revealing his face. Eddward growled, glaring at Ed then at Eddy.
Eddy's eyes widened when he saw Eddward's angelic features. 'Damn... he's hot.' "Hmm... why aren't ya talking to us? Jimmy, get Johnny over here."
Jimmy nodded with a sinister smirk. "Johnny!" he screamed across the room. A tall lanky teen wearing faded jeans, a white tee, and a heavy brown jacket came up to the table.
"What's goin' on, guys?" he asked, voice raw and villain-like.
"Johnny, this is..." Eddy looked at Eddward. "Name?"
Eddward hesitated before speaking. "Eddward," he finally answered.
"Eddward," Eddy looked back at Johnny. "And he's not talkin'."
"Oo, you don't wanna do that," Johnny said slyly as he made his way around the table to Eddward's side, "you might get in trouble. And we don't want that." Johnny pulled out a wooden board from behind his back and shoved it in Eddward's face. "This is Spank." The board started at Eddward with an angry expression scribbled on with red and blue marker. "And you don't wanna mess with him."
Eddward wanted to slap the board right out of Johnny's hand. Who did these guys think they were anyway? Luckily before Eddward lost his temper, the bell rang, and everyone began to disappear.
Eddy's gang stayed hot on Eddward's trail as they stalked him to his locker. "Damn..." Eddy said, "he's got a gorgeous face, doesn't he, Ed..."
The abnormally tall blond answered with a large smile. "He sounds like an Asian, Eddhey!"
Eddy rolled his eyes. "He's obviously not Asian, Ed. But he certainly sounds like something not from the U.S..."
After watching Eddward from a distance for a few minutes, the gang broke off on their own separate ways to go to class. Kevin emerged with watchful eyes from the boys' bathroom only a few paces away from Eddward's locker. He stared like a child would at ice cream at the pale skinned teen, mesmerized by his calm and elegant demeanor. The redhead followed him to their first period class, eager to stare at him some more. 'I swear to God, if someone saw how I was lookin' him over, they'd think I was gay.' Kevin shook his head as he was knocked momentarily out of his trance when he felt a sharp nail jab his side. It was Nat.
"Hey, sweet cheeks, are you gonna act normal today?" Nat asked with a sly smirk.
"Yes, yes, I promise," Kevin answered, hoping the annoyed look on his face would become apparent to Nat. Unfortunately, it didn't.
"Good, good," Nat said. "Oh, and I got another question: are you actually gonna sing in choir this year?"
This question seemed random to the jock. Kevin had been in choir ever since 5th grade, but he had never sang once. He only pretended to. He had such a strong fear of having a terrible voice that he always kept his mouth shut whenever it came to music. The only reason he was in choir was because of the joyous atmosphere and the peaceful feeling he got when he was with his friends in the class. Ever since he had become a member of choir, everyone had always demanded a stanza of song from him. But Kevin wouldn't budge, and he intended to keep his voice a secret from the world forever.
"I don't friggin' know, Nat..." Kevin mumbled now that he and the smaller teen were in front of Mr. Grant's classroom.
Nat nodded. "Ok, that means no," he stated plainly. He looked at Kevin with his tricky, furtive eyes. "I guarantee, Deangle, that I will hear you sing no matter what it takes." With that, Nat made his way down the hall to his own classroom.
Kevin made a face as he walked away. "Yeah right, fucker," he snorted as he entered the classroom, his thoughts being cleared as he saw Eddward sitting quietly in his assigned seat.
The day went on as it usually did. No actual lessons were started yet, but the students had fun talking to the teachers and getting a feel for what the year was going to be like. Almost all of the teachers at Peach Creek High were fun and energetic, but, like always, there's always one or two who drag everyone down. Kevin was thankful that he didn't have teachers like that on his schedule, and he hoped that Eddward was relieved too- if he even cared.
Third period was the first time Kevin got to seriously hear Eddward's voice. It happened when they were assigned to be lab partners for the year. Filled with excitement, Kevin had mustered all his courage to talk to the mysterious entity sitting beside him.
"So... lab partners..." Kevin chuckled nervously. 'What the fuck was that, Deangle?! God, this is worse than asking out a girl!'
Eddward looked at him with a sort of annoyed expression like he didn't want to be bothered. "Yes," he replied coolly, "lab partners. It'll be fun." There was no trace of enthusiasm, or sarcasm in his voice. It was just a sentence said without tone or meaning. Just words. Kevin furrowed his brow after Eddward looked away. There was something strange about his voice. Was it an accent?
Kevin decided not to say anything for the rest of the day to Eddward in order to avoid something awkward. He kept on staring at him, though. Kevin acted normal in front of his friends despite the previous day's strange attitude, and only shot glances at Eddward when no one was paying attention. God, he was intriguing. Kevin had no idea why.
Lunch was busy, as usual, and everyone around Kevin's table was listening intently as Nat explained the party he was hosting the following weekend.
"Alright, children, now listen up. This is the last real summer party of the year, ok? We're saying goodbye to fun times and hello to boring homework. So, I expect every one of you bitches to be there, otherwise I will have to punish you. And the punishment will be sexual." He winked. "I will bring invitations and my RSVP tomorrow to hand out, although you already know where I live, and all of you already stalk me on my phone. Sounds good? Good. Now I'm gonna go get some food that I know I won't eat." Nat trailed away from the table and into the cafeteria line.
Kevin smiled. Nat hosted the best parties. Between Nat and Jacob, Kevin didn't know who hosted them better. Kevin looked at Eddward who was sitting alone a few tables away. 'I wonder if he'll come. I bet Nat already knows about him. Nat knows about every new person who's ever set foot in this town.'
Meanwhile, Nat felt his shoulder being grabbed by a slender hand. "Hey, bud," Eddy's voice greeted.
Nat looked up at him. "Sup, Eddy?"
"Nothing much, just starving. Me and lumpy over here haven't eaten since last night. Ed tried to make spaghetti but it failed epically." The blue haired teen paused, a tricky expression spreading across his face. "Look over there," he instructed, pointing at a table in the center of the cafeteria.
Nat looked over. He instantly became interested. "Hm. Who's that? I've never seen him before."
"Name's Eddward," Eddy answered. "I dunno where he's from or anything, but he is hot as fuck. You should go introduce yourself."
"Not should, must," Nat corrected with a smile. "It's always my job to welcome the newbies."
Nat didn't even bother to wait in line anymore. He excused himself from his friends who he was waiting with, and began to casually stroll over to the hooded teen. He slid himself in the seat next to Eddward and looked him over. "Hey there," he said smoothly.
Eddward snapped his head at Nat. 'Great... another idiot...' Eddward didn't say anything and crossed his arms, turning away to let the teen know he wasn't interested.
Nat knew he was going to have to dig a bit to get this guy under wraps. "You're new here aren't you? Now I don't want any trouble, I just want to welcome you to the city. Now, can you take that hood off? A teacher can get you in trouble ya know..."
Eddward pondered the thought for a moment, then reluctantly removed his hood. Nat's eyes widened when he saw Eddward's pale, smooth skin. 'Eddy was right, this guy really is something special. I'm gonna have to get close to him.' Nat smiled to himself and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey, Nat! Get over here!" Johnny called from a few tables away. Nat looked at him and waved. He then turned his head to Eddward.
"Eddward, right?"
Eddward nodded.
"Alright, cool. I'll catch ya later, Edd-agator," Nat smirked as he got up and walked away.
Eddward stared at Nat's back for a moment before loosening his posture. 'Edd-agator... this sure is some awfully strange country...'
The second day of school seemed to be dragging for Eddward. He felt small and exhausted as he trudged through his classes. Nothing exciting transpired, and no earth shattering changes were made in his life. Everything was the same, dark, dank, and cruel. Why did he have to be alive?
Eddward walked into the band room with his head up but his shoulders slumped. He had no intention of drawing attention to himself. He didn't want to fit in, he didn't want to be an outcast, he didn't want to be anybody. After placing his books on a table next to the teacher's office, Eddward made his way to his locker to fetch his flute. He sat down in the front row of the wind player's section, adjusting his keys and his valves on the instrument. He spontaneously glanced up when someone caught his eye.
That girl.
Yes, it was that girl, the one Eddward had noticed in marching band camp the month before and this morning in the breakfast line. Eddward couldn't stop staring as the girl sat down across from him, putting her clarinet together. Eddward found himself drawn to her. His pupils widened and his pulse fluttered. He felt energy seep through his veins. The girl looked so familiar... exactly like... her.
Eddward shook his head as the band instructor walked up to his stand, laughing. "Haha ok everybody, sorry about the delay. Let's start practicing! We gotta master this music before the first football game this Friday!"
Ah, yes, the football game. Eddward had heard a lot of exciting murmurs about it. He assumed football was a big thing at Peach Creek High. As the instructor started everyone up with tuning, Eddward shot secret glances at the girl with the clarinet in her hands and the headband in her hair.
The parking lot bristled with students as the day came to a close. Kevin and his friends however, were making their way to the locker room for football practice.
"Aw, man, I'm so pumped for this game!" Emmett squealed as he shoved his backpack in his locker while pulling out his athletic bag.
"Same, bro. It's gonna be fuckin' awesome!" Jacob took off his shirt and replaced it with his jersey.
Kevin smiled as he acknowledged his friends' comments. His mind, however, was focused on another thing: Eddward. Kevin was determined to speak to him, to befriend him, to know him. And he knew he still had a chance. Eddward was in the marching band, and Kevin was on the football team. Practices ran at the same time and ended at the same time. Kevin had a plan. He was going to catch Eddward by surprise into his net.
The day wasn't over yet!