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Now, onto stupid Eddie…. Poor Patricia!

"I-" I started, mind already conceiving some idiotic story.

Suddenly, I was interrupted by a familiar, cackling voice. Eddie rose from the floor to a sitting position, laughing so hard tears shone in his blue eyes.

"Wha…" I trailed off, emotion and confusion bubbling up inside of me.

"HA! You… you…" Eddie gasped for breath between snorts of laughter. "You actually thought… all of you…. Haha! Best… prank… EVER!"

"The… the blood…" I said weakly, still completely dumbfounded.

"Handy- dandy ketchup!" Eddie replied with a grin, finally getting his laughter under control. He pulled from his pants pocket a conveniently sized ketchup packet, completely drained of its contents. "You're so gullible, Yacker!" he smirked at me arrogantly. He was still breathing heavily from the effort of laughing.

I opened my mouth in the dead silence, trying to focus on one particular emotion. I finally chose anger, and let everything pour out in two words:

"You…. COCKROACH!" I spat in disgust, shoving his skinny form back down. I stood, and Joy crossed over to me.

"Trixie…"

I stood there for a moment, licking my lips hastily and trying to find more words, but instead tears burned in my eyes. I turned around and darted up the stairs, ignoring my friends' calls and Victor's unsympathetic commands.

When was the last time I had cried? I couldn't remember, and this was an alien feeling. I slammed the door behind me and collapsed on my bed. My eyes stung and burned, and everything blurred as tears ran down my face. What was this? I couldn't stop. I wasn't even sad. These tears were angry, relieved, happy, and humiliated all in one. I pulled my nearby pillow to my face and sobbed into it, body shaking. Hormones. Great side dish you got with puberty.

I cried and cried over one stupid American boy I had known two days for some mysterious reason, and for what seemed like hours. I knew that the only reason was I had never been so traumatized in my life… shock and all that… but why? Why did I care so much? It frustrated me, which made me cry even harder. I knew for a fact that I didn't like him, or else I would be killing myself right then. I knew what it felt like to like someone, and this wasn't it. But I couldn't stand the possibility that I might care about him, even a little bit. After all, if I didn't, then why else would I have freaked out so badly?

Finally, after about five minutes of sobbing, the door creaked open slowly. Without a second thought, I turned on my side and chucked my pillow with all my might at the little crack. At that point, I didn't give a rat about who it was behind that door. I just wanted them to go away.

The pillow hit its mark, the door, and it shut on the someone trying to enter my room.

There was a muffled yelp, and the thump of the wood against a head.

"Mara? Joy?" I called out from my bed in a stuffy voice. I regretted my pillow attack. That bump sounded like it hurt.

"No, it's Cockroach," came the voice.

"Go away!" I responded frantically. Now I was even more a mess than the first time he had barged in today. I felt a rising anger burning inside me, shaking my vision and making me tremble with fury.

"GO AWAY!" I screamed at the door again, even though there had been no response since the last call I had made.

In response, the door swung all the way open to reveal the American pig, who immediately upon seeing me took a defensive position, covering his head and face with his arms.

"Before you kill me-"

"What should prevent me from ripping your head off right now?" I growled, advancing towards him from the bed, puffy eyes and all. The loser suddenly dropped his arms after hearing my broken voice, and looked at me with a surprisingly intense gaze, right in the eyes. I dropped my eye contact after a minute, unable to hold it with him. I cursed inwardly for showing weakness in front of him, and in more ways than one, too.

"What? Why are you staring at me, you creeper?" I asked angrily, shifting my gaze to his baby blue eyes momentarily.

"Are you crying?" he questioned blatantly.

"No," I answered lamely, swiping stupidly at my watery eyes.

After a moment of silence, I looked up to find Eddie's one- eyebrow- raised- look.

"What?" I spat nastily, disliking the way he made me feel so insecure.

"You think I'm stupid?" he asked flatly. When I opened my mouth to respond, he said "Don't answer that-" with a sneer- "It's a retroical question."

"You mean rhetorical?" I jumped at the chance to correct him. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. The point is, you're crying."

"Yeah? So what?" I asked, defeated. "Like you've never cried before."

He suddenly reached out a hand towards my face, and I panicked and stepped back, slapping it away. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked harshly, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Boy, not very friendly, are we?" he smirked.

"Me? What about you? You just scared me half to death!" Admittance tasted weird in my mouth. I didn't like to admit it, but I wanted to make him see that he was a total jerk.

"Oh, please, it was just a joke! Can't you take a joke?"

I just looked at him angrily, biting my lip, a habit I picked up off of Mara.

"Let me help you," he offered in a voice so suddenly gentle and serene that it seemed unrealistic. He advanced toward me, and I stood frozen in surprise for a moment, before I backed away and sat on the edge of my bed.

"I don't want you to help me with anything," I said nastily. He gave me big, fake puppy dog eyes.

"Pweeeease?"

I was unamused. Or at least, I tried to be.

"Bug off."

Eddie ignored me and sat down next to me, making the bed creak. I shrugged away from him, but he grabbed my arm and drew me close.

"Get off of me, slimeball!" I barked, but he cupped my face in both hands and I stopped struggling, part of me curious to see what would happen, part of me screaming, "WHAT THE HELL?"

Eddie gently wiped away the remaining tears on my cheeks, and his hand came away with dark makeup on it. I must have forgotten to wash it off the night before. He raised his eyebrows.

"Wonder what you would look like without all that black stuff."

"It's called eye shadow, idiot," I said, face flushed. Then, wanting to change the subject and wanting him to leave already, "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Oh, yeah," Eddie laughed. "About that…" He stood and reached into his back pocket, pulling out two dirty toothbrushes. He shoved one under my nose.

"Ugh, gross!" I laughed, backing away.

"For you," he responded with a gentlemanly grin.

My face fell. "What? Why?"

Eddie straightened up, and did the best impression of Victor I have ever seen.

"'For Patricia, for disturbing the peace in this house, and for you, for being an utter idiot.'"

I snatched the brush from his hand, grimacing.

I glared at him venomously. "The punishment part isn't having to clean the toilets. It's having to clean the toilets with you."

Eddie smirked down at me and offered his hand.

Pursing my lips, I reluctantly took it.

Cleaning toilets with Eddie would NOT be a punishment for me. ;) I'll update as soon as possible!