This is my favourite chapter so far. A wee bit shorter than the previous chapter, but it shows how much Marie loves poor (or should I say lucky?) Edd, and how his conflicting emotions are having a profound effect on his decisions - I've tried to make him seem paranoid. Read and rate :)

Chapter 4 - Just before

Edd's Preparation

"Oh my, I don't know whether this choice of attire is too risqué." He said to himself as he compared jeans and a t-shirt with formal clothes. "Either way though, Marie will be all over me…"

After about twenty minutes of indecisiveness, Edd finally went for a smart-casual look, hoping to blend in with the crowd at the dance. Brushing his teeth, he contemplated whether he should also put on some aftershave. He couldn't understand why he was pondering putting it on in the first place. Was it Marie?

Time passed. Minutes turned to hours. It was now 20 minutes before the dance officially started. Edd, frozen like an ice cube, and sweating like one in the sun, was still standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, clutching a bottle of his father's aftershave. He shut his eyes. Why her? All his previous romantic feelings towards Nazz now appeared to be directed towards Marie.

"Please, anyone BUT her…" Without thinking, he sprayed the aftershave onto his neck. "Good Lord! What have I done!" Frantically, he tried to rub it off, but to no avail. All he succeeded in doing was rub it in more, strengthening the smell further. "That's perfect… Now Marie will be all over me throughout the entirety of the dance… Is that a good thing? I don't know…" He buried his face into his hands, silently crying.

He started down the stairs to his house. Each step he took was slower than the last - by the time he reached the front door to his house, he was shaking and sweating profusely. He clambered into his Chrysler, and slowly set off for Peach Creek High.

Marie's Preparation

Marie admired herself in the mirror. How Double D could've resisted her after all these years, she will never know. She had just had a shower, and had made herself look as pretty as possible.

She donned a sports bra, slightly ripped to expose her cleavage; with a grey hoodie over the top; and blue tight-fitting jeans. She was wearing her trademark Krankshaft number five, rather than the tacky rose perfume she had tried earlier. Putting on some lipstick, she batted her eyelashes at the mirror.

"No… too girly…" She tried a different approach. This time, she blew a kiss at the mirror, whilst slightly bending down, exposing her C-cups. "That's better. He's so cute when he's nervous…" She giggled to herself.

"MARIE! Hurry the Hell up! I need to prepare for Ed as well!" May was standing impatiently outside the locked bathroom door. "He's so adorable…" She sighed to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, quit your yapping, May… Jesus…" Marie unlocked the door, and without warning, May barged past her, and immediately started doing her hair. Marie swore, buried her hands in her pockets, and left the room.

With 20 minutes before the dance started, she crashed out on the sofa, and watched TV. Fishbowl 3 had recently come out on DVD, and she picked up where she left off - about 30 minutes in. She knew it was mindless, but it gave her a chance for her mind to wander. She started drifting off…

Oh Pumpkin… I've got a surprise for you…

W-why, what is it, M-M-Marie?

I love you.

And I y-you...

You're so cute when you're nervous...

Marie...

Yes pumpkin?

MARIE!

"MARIE!" Lee's voice screamed into her ear, louder than Brian Blesséd. "Wake up! It's time to go!"

Marie's eyes snapped open. She hated being disturbed. On the bright side, at least she got to see her Double D...

A/N - Shazam! Edd must be hating hormones right about now... Also, with Marie's dream, I refrained from adding descriptive, as when you're in dreams, you enter a world of your own. You imagine it.