Night had come and Kevin was back home safe in his bed but he couldn't get comfortable. He tossed and turned under his covers, placed a pillow between his legs, hung one leg over the edge but it was futile. Instead he rolled onto his side and focused on the side table next to his bed, a pocket sized notepad rested on top. He sat up, reached over and picked up the notebook, flipping through to a new blank page and wrote "Double D" at the top. Suddenly a feeling Kevin could only describe as guilt overwhelmed him. 'How could I forget...' He thought, dejectedly. Kevin felt a slightly sharp pain near his temples, he winced slightly and applied some pressure with his thumb and middle finger to help ease the pain. This was a familiar but distant pain and Kevin couldn't quite trace it back to it's origins but his mind was preoccupied with other things. Flashes of memories came flooding in bit in pieces, like a damaged movie that kept skipping around to different parts.
Double D had been in the neighborhood when they were kids. In a way he had even kind of been Kevin's first real friend. Kevin's parents had gone through a rough patch around this time, it had been before his mom quit her job. There was talk about his father seeing another woman because they were both too busy to see each other. At the time, he had never seen his mother so heartbroken. She spent many days trying her best to pick herself up from the ground in fits of sobs to make sure Kevin was taken care of and properly sent off to school every day. Kevin had tried his best to console her, but it wasn't the type of pain that would just disappear over night, no matter how many hugs he offered. It was then that Kevin went through his rebellious stage, he shut out his father and dedicated everything he could to help his mother recover. In an attempt to win back the favor of his son, Kevin's father bought him a fancy new bike; something Kevin had been asking for for a few years prior. Of course Kevin couldn't forgive his father with only this materialistic gesture, but he didn't refuse the bike either. He started spending long days riding around the neighborhood so his mother wouldn't have to wait on him hand and foot. Instead of playing with the other kids, Kevin spent many afternoons cutting through backyards and into the woods until he made his way down to the creek. The creek was his favorite spot because the woods offered him shade and the gentle splashing of the current relaxed him. Before he'd realized it, Kevin seemed to be spending everyday down at the shallow stream, watching clouds roll by as he dipped his feet into the cool water. Finally, after many visits, he ran into Double D who had been sitting close to the edge of the water with a magnifying glass. He was wearing an over sized black ski hat with two white stripes along the sides and a red-orange shirt underneath a pair of purple overalls. By his side on the grass laid a small brown satchel.
Kevin sighed loudly. This was his spot, he'd claimed it as his own many months prior. The thought of sharing his safe haven annoyed him.
"Oh!" The boy jumped in surprise, loosing his grip on his magnifying glass. He fumbled catching it a few times before it finally plopped into the river. "Ohh..." Was all he managed again as he hung his head. Kevin felt bad, he hadn't meant to do that. Suddenly the notion of being over protective of his spot felt silly. He walked over and started taking his shoes and socks off before stepping into the river and fumbling around in the water.
"Ahh! You needn't trouble yourself!" The boy called to him, he franitically began taking off his own shoes. "I'm quite capable of retrieving my own belongings!" He stepped down into the creek as well, and yelped slightly. Kevin stared at him for a moment and the boy flushed slightly. "The temperature is a bit chillier than I'd anticipated however..." He apologized.
"Why do you talk like that?" Kevin asked, shrugging his shoulders and going back to searching for the magnifying glass.
"I beg your pardon?" The boy inquired, he stared down at Kevin with wide curious eyes. Despite his timid nature, he seemed to be studying Kevin in a way.
"Like a dork." Kevin grinned in response. He turned his gaze back toward the water, his own face flushing slightly. Since he didn't really hang out with other kids the feeling of being analyzed felt a bit embarrassing.
"D-dork?" The boy repeated, incredulously. "How rude! Teasing one based simply on their preference in vocabulary.."
"Oh come on, this can't be the first time you've heard that. You should be used to it if that's how you always talk." Kevin was trying to be lighthearted but the look on the boy's face made Kevin realize that he wasn't taking this in a joking manner.
"I've never been called such a derogatory name before..." He huffed defensively, "And I don't usually partake in social gatherings, either." Now he looked a little bit pouty as he went out of his way not to look in Kevin's direction any longer, waving his hands around in the water for anything that might be his magnifying glass. He pulled up a old stick from the creek and tossed it away in disappointment.
"So... You don't get out much?" Kevin asked to try and break the tension. He did his best to make his tone more casual and less potentially offensive.
"Not particularly." The boy responded indignantly, still averting his gaze from Kevin.
"And you don't talk with other people?" Kevin pressed a little further.
"...not particularly.." The boy answered more quietly.
"...well that's why you've never been called a dork before. Not enough people have heard you talk." Kevin smiled, hoping his statement didn't offend the other boy like before. Thankfully the boy smiled back, finally realizing Kevin had meant no insult. At that moment Kevin realized the small gap in the boy's teeth, it was very little small so it didn't seem like he'd lost a tooth recently or anything like that. Instead it just seemed like and ordianary gap, probably big enough to fit a quarter in but not much else. The boy tilted his head to the side for a moment, his expression filled with awkwardness as he timidly fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Kevin blushed, he hadn't intended to stare and he was sure the boy must be self conscious about the gap too. He threw his hands back into the water and splashed around for the magnifying glass once more. "Ah!" Kevin gasped, pulling the small handle out of the creek. "Here we go!"
The boy let out a tiny squeak of delight, "You have my sincerest gratitude!" He remarked, tredding over to Kevin to take his magnifying glass back. "There you go again with the nerd talk!" Kevin laughed and playfully splashed at the other boy. "G-Good lord!" The boy exclaimed in response, sheltering his face as the water hit his clothes and soaked into them. "That was highly unnecessary!"
Kevin shrugged his shoulders and splashed at him again. "And I'm going to keep doing it for every sentence over five syllables!"
"At least allow me a moment to secure my belongings in my satchel!" The boy cried out, the second wave drenching him further.
"Ah, ah, ah! That's way over five!" Kevin used both hands to produce an even bigger splash this time, letting out an overdramatized villainous cackle. "You cannot escape my waves of gramatic digression!" The boy shrieked in response and quickly tossed his magnifying glass over towards his bag and gripped his hat to keep it from falling off as he fell backwards into the creek.
"Whoops..." Kevin stifled a laugh as he walked over to help the boy up. He leaned over and offered the boy his hand, "Sorry dude. Peace?" Instead, the boys eyes flashed and in an act of revenge he gripped Kevin's hand tightly and pulled, causing Kevin to lose his balance and topple into the water as well. Afterwards the boy pulled himself up and wrung a small amount of water out of his shirt. "Never lower your guard simply because your enemy has fallen." He smiled triumphantly.
"Okay, okay, dweeb. I guess I deserved that." Kevin retorted, hauling his own waterlogged body up. The two boys dragged themselves out of the creek and plopped into the grass, staring up at the pink sky while the sun set. "My mom's going to have a fit when I get home." Kevin laughed.
"Yes.. I suppose my parents would be considerably displeased as well." He nervously bit his bottom lip, the small gap in his teeth becoming evident again.
"Would be?" Kevin asked, rolling onto his side to look at the other boy.
"Well.. They're rarely home. Both are quite accomplished in different academic fields. Lots of research to be done, as we can never stop learning correct?" The boy answered, his smile not hiding the dejection and loneliness in his eyes. Kevin furrowed his eyebrows empathetically, recalling his own feelings loneliness as he remembered his mother.
"Well.. Why don't you come to my place? I'm sure my mom would love it if she had someone else to take care of for a night, too! My name is Kevin, by the way." Kevin's brilliant smile chased away the sad look in the other boys expression.
"Mine is Eddward! It has two Ds. That is E-d-d-w-a-r-d." He spelled out proudly nodding his head in an accomplished manner as if he had just won a spelling bee.
"Hah, even your name sounds dorky, Double Dweeb!" Kevin joked. Eddward huffed in response and gave a flash of a glare that Kevin would have missed if he'd blinked. "Well, what if I called you Double D? That sounds cool, right? And then everyone else will know that you have two Ds, and you won't have to explain it every time."
"...Double D.." Edd repeated, and nodded happily. "Yes! I'm quite fond of it actually, and it does seem like it would be easier to comprehend." He squirmed happily. "I have never been given a nick name before." He chimed. Kevin stood up and peeled his shirt off, wringing out some extra water before wrestling it back on. "Well, we'd better get home quick so we can change. My mom will have a conniption fit if we get home both wet and frozen. We can head back on my bike."
Double D nodded, "Conniption," he laughed. "Excellent choice. Perhaps I am more influential than you first perceived." Then he picked up his bag and tucked his magnifying glass inside as he followed Kevin. Actually getting on the bike proved to be the most difficult part. After several attempts of Double D trying to get on the bike first and falling over, Kevin finally decided it'd be easier got on and let Double D climb up after him.
"I apologize..." Edd murmured as Kevin pulled the vehicle up for a sixth time. "I usually walk, assuming I leave my home that it is... I haven't quite gotten down the mechanics. Nor do I have any protection from falling which is quite nerve wracking in itself..." He was beginning to ramble, trying to mask his unease with the barrage of conversation.
"..I guess just hold on.. I don't want you flailing around back their and knocking us over on the concrete. That would really suck." Kevin cut him off, they really needed to get home now and Edd was going to talk them into the morning. Double D clutched the bike of Kevin's shirt and nodded, "That would be quite troublesome indeed.."
Kevin pushed his feet off the ground and started peddling, the sudden shift in motion caused Eddward to fall back a bit. He clutched at Kevin's wet shirt but it merely stretched and offered little help in balancing him back out. Before he knew it, Edd had wrapped his arms around Kevin's waist and buried his face into Kevin's back.
"Geeze.. I can't believe you've never been on a bike. Dork.." Kevin muttered but he felt a strange tingling sense of happiness having his new friends arms around him. The shuddering embrace felt reminiscent of the shaky hugs he offered his mother when she had been too sad to offer them back. He felt like a protector and despite the chilling wind hitting their wet clothes, he felt warm, too.
That Summer the boys spent a lot of time together, Eddward came over almost every night for dinner and Kevin's mom always fawned over how well behaved and polite he was. Slowly she was becoming more and more in touch with reality again. She started dressing nicely again and then applying her make up in the morning again. After a couple months, everything felt like it had returned to normal, only it felt like Kevin had suddenly obtained a little brother. He watched out for Eddward, and they went exploring through the woods together, running through the neighborhood, sliding down the laundry chutes in Edd's house. However their favorite passtime remained spending the day lounging at the creek until the sun started to set. Kevin's mom had made it very clear they were not permitted to stay outside after dark again. Fall crept in quietly, and Kevin and Eddward spent more time inside together. Chilly winds kept them from going down to the creek for now, but they were able to enjoy themselve still. Once every two weeks they would rake up all the leaves in Kevin's backyard and spend the afternoon jumping into them before scooping them into bags to dispose of. Kevin's mom always rewarded their 'hard work' with warm mugs of creamy hot chocolate smothered in whipped cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. She'd even mastered Eddward's precise preferences on warming and how much milk he preferred. Everything felt like it was always supposed to be this way.
Eventually Kevin was able to make friends with a few other kids in the neighborhood through school, and as a result spent less time with Edd. It started with a cute young blonde girl who shared a mathematics class with Kevin. She'd brightly and energetically introduced herself as Nazz. Some evenings she would skip home with them to do homework, her hair bouncing lightly over her shoulders. On these days Eddward would politely excuse himself at Kevin's door and continue back to his own home. Kevin had tried to convince him multiple times that he was more than welcome to join them, but he believed Edd was too shy to hang around a pretty girl like Nazz. After a short time, Nazz introduced Kevin to Raph and the three of them would hang out at Kevin's house and watch movies our listen to Nazz pratice the sousaphone for band. It all seemed to have happened so naturally that Kevin hardly thought about the fact that Eddward had slowly faded out of the scene.
Winter settled in and brought a pleasant wave of snow, the kids spent their evenings playing in the fluffy white powder. Crunching footsteps rang through out the neighborhood, snowballs were tossed every which way. A few times Kevin brought a mug of hot chocolate to Eddward's house and spent the rest of the day with him. Edd constantly assured Kevin he was alright and apologized for not being more present, he claimed homework and chores had kept him busy many days. Kevin nodded in understanding but something felt a little different. Eddward seemed more distant and nervous, he kept tapping the mug with his index finger until Kevin eventually left for the evening. Things felt different now, strained.
Finally Spring blossomed up again, and flowers started sprouting from the grass and tree limbs. Everything shifted from a white slate to a lush green field. Kids were playing outside more often and things seemed peaceful now, until the evening Edd came knocking on Kevin's door after school. His eyes glossy and red with tears and his bottom lip was quivering as he tried to surpress a fit of sobs.
"Double D, what's going on?! What's wrong?" Kevin asked frantically, shocked to see his friend in such a state.
"I-I..I'm sorry, Kevin.. I w-was trying to find the r-right time to tell you..." Eddward sniffled. "But..." He wiped at his eyes, new tears forming and threatening to fall. "I-I'm moving..." Kevin's jaw dropped as he stared at his estranged friend incredulously. "What? Why?" He pressed as his throat seemed to dry up.
"My parents... Their job often requires us to relocate from time to time in order for them to give presentations in specific areas... It's just that time again..." Edd replied between sullen gasps.
"But..." Was all Kevin could manage to get out.
"I'm sorry..." Edd mumbled.
"..will you never come back?" Kevin asked hopefully.
"...perhaps... One day... If I can manage well in school... My parents said they quite enjoyed the peace and quiet here... Maybe one day we can..." Edd's voice trailed off, his eyes betraying his disbelief in the statement.
"You swear?" Kevin urged, choosing to ignore the look in Eddward's eyes. "You have to do it! You have to come back here." He held his pinky out to Eddward with a dead set serious expression and determination in his own eyes. Edd looked uneasy, unsure of whether or not he could really make such a promise. He'd always been better at seeing "the big picture" than Kevin was. Kevin was rash and mostly focused on the here and now.
"...okay." Double D finally answered. "I promise." He reached his pinky out and hooked it with Kevin's, shaking it lightly. "You can't break a pinky swear, you know." Kevin stated, matter-of-factually. "My mom said so."
"Of course not." Double D laughed, then waved a bit solemnly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye... For now."
"But not forever!" Kevin piped, trying to keep Edd from crying again. Eddward nodded and turned away making his way down the driveway. When he reached the end he turned back to wave one last time before running off. Kevin stood in the doorway for a little while, his hand still in the air as he'd waved back to his friend. It hadn't really sunk in yet, but that night he cried silently over the departure of his first best friend.
As the memory came to a finish in Kevin's head he let out a low groan. "Ugh... What a baby I was back then..." He sighed and closed the notebook before placing it back on the side table. "No wonder I forgot... So lame..." But inside he felt terribly guilty and couldn't help but wonder how rejected Eddward must have felt that day when he finally came back. "I really suck.." He muttered, pulling his covers over his head as he laid back down. He rubbed his head again, the earlier pain having faded to a dull throb. Some time later, as his head swam with questions and mind numbing guilt, he even managed to fall asleep.