Disclaimer: I own none of the cartoons used within.

I wish I could properly explain the first prank. It probably came out kinda weird, but I hope you get the message (not in the deep layered symbolism way. Because there is none. If you see symbolism, you're wrong. Sorry.)

Ta-daa, it's Tomo! I bet you're all sooooooo thrilled!

Ch.2

MIYAZAKI HIGH SCHOOL

Pool

Wednesday, October 2nd

12:40 P.M.

"Eddy…"

"Yup, Coach Logan?"

"…Why are you wearing your school uniform?"

Eddy stood proud with a wide grin on his face at one end of the bright blue pool. The other boys in the class were all trying to suppress their laughs; a taller boy with messy black hair, a skinny emo kid, and a toned black boy with blonde hair. They were all wearing their swim trunks, while Eddy was clad in the school's white button down, black tie, purple blazer and black pants. The other boys standing in line laughed before their short, brawny, spiky-hair coach (nicknamed Wolverine) shot them a look.

Eddy had skipped dressing for gym to execute his plan. Ed was sitting on the bleachers, where he was banished for not dressing out, a blank smile on his face.

One row for swimming laps was not occupied.

"KEVIN! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"

"Coming!" Kevin ran out of the locker room, a puzzled look on his face.

He tentatively stepped up to the front of the last row.

Eddy plugged his nose and grinned maniacally just as everyone else's faces screwed up in disgust.

Wolverine flinched and rubbed his stubble, trying to figure out the most graceful way to handle it – that was, until he realized, he was never one for grace. "Hey, kid…"

Kevin knew it was him being addressed. He kept steady eye contact with the deep end. "Yeah."

"How long has it been since you washed those shorts?"

"Uh…"

"Well, you ain't gonna wash 'em in the pool, bub, if that's what you thought was going to come of this."

"…" Kevin said.

It was then that Eddy decided Kevin's disbelief-derived silence was the best sound in the world.

"Go back into the locker room, do something. Shower, then change back into your clothes. Please wash those shorts before next year."

The boys laughed, their voices distorted from plugged noises. Eddy made extra sure not to laugh louder than anyone else.

"And Eddy, go sit with Ed. You're both getting detention."

Still grinning, Eddy went over to the guffawing Ed. Detention – a small price to pay. He watched Kevin turn red for the first time as he scurried into the locker room to change out of Ed's swim trunks.

Eddy plopped down beside Ed. "You can have your gym bag back after, Lumpy."

Ed laughed. "Lumpy! Like Kevin!"

"Kevin's not lumpy, he's stinky, there's a difference."

Milo was called up to take place Eddy's place in this round of laps and snickered at Eddy's joke from the sidelines. Eddy watched short little Milo get in line. Milo – totally bald except for one hair, a wonky eye, with his freaky friends and freaky family. He was one of those poor victim kids, the type everyone knows; regularly picked on, not much he could do about it. Eddy's observations on Milo ran across his mind, right alongside reliving the delight of getting revenge and pulling it off…

Eddy's eyes widened. He took out his cell phone and sent Double D's phone a text message.

EDDY: Hey go into the auditorium bathroom after school. Need 2 tell U sumthin

He had to wait a couple minutes to get Double D's message. Double D never used chatspeak.

EDD: Why did you send me a message in class?! If I wasn't working on a project in architecture and all the machinery wasn't whirring at high volume, I would have gotten my phone confiscated!

Eddy rolled his eyes and shifted his position on the uncomfortable bleachers.

EDD: Staying after school?!

EDDY: Not like ur parents r ever home after school

EDD: Neither are yours!!

EDDY: Dont spaz. L8r

Eddy shoved his phone into his pocket as if it had personally insulted him. He leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands, a pensive position. His new idea was still a newborn, but he would be launching it ASAP.

Ready, fire, aim.

--

MIYAZAKI HIGH SCHOOL

Drama Classroom, 5-100

Wednesday, October 2nd

3:40 P.M.

It had been ten minutes since the bell rang, and Tomo Takino still scurried around the drama classroom. She had come here to retrieve the script she had left behind for the scene she and her friends were doing in third hour (left behind for the third day in a row, of course). It was no fluke, by the way, that she and her five best friends all had drama at third hour and biology at fifth. This schedule took much pleading, acting, whining, bargaining, begging, and many synonyms of such in the administrations office. Schedules had been rearranged countless times, all so they could have a couple hours a day of non-lunch in-school socialization.

Tomo let out a whine as she hopped in place, scanning the empty classroom for the marked up packet. Since her friends had all left already to walk home, and Tomo walked too, she usually had no reason to hurry.

But on this fateful day (oh the cliché of coincidence!), Tomo had go to the bathroom very badly.

"AHA!" she shouted. Her messily highlighted script sat over in the bin where the teacher put left-behind papers and pencils after the day was done (where she should have looked first). Tomo ran past a couple rows of desks to get it. Her foot connected with the shelf when she reached it with a thump. She whined, bent down, and clutched her foot. After a few seconds, Tomo ran out of the classroom.

She would just go into the bathroom for the theatre. Even though no one was to use the theatre after hours, Tomo figured being a drama class student had to be some form of permission. She bolted down one side of rows of seats in the empty theatre, her frantic footsteps echoing across the empty auditorium.

Tomo burst out into the carpeted room where parents and other guests gathered before being let into the theatre for graduation, awards ceremonies, plays, and the like. She grabbed the bathroom door with ferocity, but suddenly paused. What if a teacher hears me… can I be here? No… I should go somewhere else… I GOTTA PEE, THOUGH, AGH!! Who's gonna stop me?!... Besides… teachers you know… GOTTA GOOOOOO! Tomo squeaked in distress. A compromise; she opened the door as quietly as she could, thanking her lucky stars it wasn't locked. Ignoring urinals, she turned to go to the stalls, but stopped short and hid behind the tiled wall when she saw three pairs of feet beneath the handicap stall.

"You're so negative." First voice.

"I'm not negative, I'm realistic." Second voice.

"I'm Ed-i-tive!" A third.

"Yes, we know you're Ed." The first again. "This is a good idea, and you know it. You want to do it, too. Think about it – you know you do."

"I don't know if you plan on taking it seriously or if this is just some sort of vigilante fantasy." Second.

"Both."

"You'll abandon the idea when it turns out to be less fantastic than you assumed."

"I wouldn't do that."

"You wouldn't?"

"Nope. I'm so serious about this. We'll make money, we'll have fun, we'll get respect, and it'll be good karma."

"Having people pay you to play pranks on other kids is hardly good karma, Eddy."

"But we're talking people who can't stick up for themselves! People who deserve to get revenge on stupid jerks who kick them around but can't do it themselves! It's a service. It's good will. And just think of the business experience you'll get, Double D."

Tomo turned and left as quickly and quietly as she could.