"How can one who wears a sock on his head do this? I ask you!" Rolf asked Kevin and Nazz later at lunch. In his hands was an x-ray of his cracked skull. The nurse bandaged him up and said that he'd be find for the rest of the day. She was concerned when Rolf told her that Edd did this to him. She passed the message along to the principal for safe measures.
"Dude, you should frame that." That's all Kevin had to say about the situation? Rolf's eyes dipped to the floor a bit. He was glad to be friends with Kevin, but he wished to have a friend who cared about his dilemas.
Suddenly the doors to the cafeteria were thrown open.
It was the Eds.
Eddy was in this bad boy get up. His hair was slicked back and he wore a black leather jacket. Edd was at the front, innocently holding his lunch bag. He was calmer from this mornings events. It was Eddy who came and found him in the bathroom. Eddy told him how it was all an accident while slicking back his hair.
For a second he saw all the worried glances until Eddy popped a soda in his mouth.
Edd smiled at Eddy for the nice gesture. It was rare whenever Eddy payed for his friends food or beverages. He hadn't done that since the beginning of the summer.
However, Edd was blind to what Eddy was doing behind his back.
Eddy knew by being Edd's right hand man he could get away with anything. That way Edd won't think he was turning on him if he backed out.
The kids tried to mind their own business, but Eddy was quick. He thumped Jonny in the nose, shoved Sarah into the floor and took Jimmy's lunch tray. They all had this coming after the years of mistreatment.
Marie just rolled her eyes at all this. This was all so silly. But, she did mind her own business when Edd took a glance at the kids.
Edd tried not to let everyone's strange behavior get to him. As Eddy told him, they'll forget about it.
Edd walked over to grab a table. He was taken aback when Rolf and Nazz hurried from their seats.
"Why are you all leaving?" Edd asked. He thought that they were starting to become friends.
"Yeah, why yah leaving?" Eddy echoed throwing an arm around Edd's shoulder.
"Didn't I say that already, Eddy?" Edd asked trying to wiggle out from Eddy's arm.
Before Edd knew it he was being helped into his seat by Eddy. Edd felt uncomfortable with all the chivalry now. He felt as if he was being used now. Not that it was new, it was just that Eddy never did that when they were in school.
"Pretty good seat, huh?" Eddy said mainly for the whole cafeteria to hear.
Sarah marched up and grabbed Eddy by his collars. "Who the heck do you think you are?!"
Jimmy stepped in front on her the moment she cupped her fist.
"No, Sarah, don't! You can't! He's watching."
Edd saw them glance at him with a fearful look. He ignored it and waved at them seeing if they'd join them for lunch.
Sarah put Eddy down and even fixed his collar.
This was working. Edd's plan was working. He should have had Edd come up with scams from the beginning. Unless he was waiting for the right moment.
As if things couldn't grow more strange, Ed was sitting for away from them.
"Why is Ed sitting way over there?" Edd asked noticing how uneasy his friend looked.
"Way over there! You are so right!"
Before Edd could tell Eddy to stop, Eddy ran across the table when he saw that Rolf had grapes.
Edd was left alone with so many eyes staring at him. He felt so uneasy. Did someone find out about what happened in his childhood? He looked down at Ed who couldn't even glance at him. And Eddy's getup...
They knew about...
"That's my pie! I saw it first!"
"No way, Plank saw it first!"
Edd looked over to see Jonny and Marie fighting over the last piece of pie.
"In your dream, weirdo!"
"Plank had first dibs before you and your bad vibes showed up!"
Was anybody going to do anything? Edd waved his hands around to get someone's attention. That was when he noticed the teacher in the corner. He was asleep. That was odd. There was never a teacher in the lunchroom.
Edd got up from his seat and walked over to the scene. "Pardon my intrusion, but surely a compromise is not out of the question."
The cafeteria was stone quiet after what events took place.
There was a Jonny shaped hole in the school wall as Edd was holding up, what looked like, an unconscious Marie.
Oh no, not again, Edd said in his mind.
The kids were staring at him as if he were a monster. But, he wasn't. It was only an accident, right? Right?!
Eddy continued to milk everything by tossing confetti and dancing around Edd.
"Viciousness, thy name is Double D." Jimmy said aloud.
"Please, let me explain!" Edd pleaded.
The second he began running down the aisle of the table, the kids panicked. They ran away and cowered in the corner on the cafeteria.
"There's been a great breach of judgement!"
"Yeah, breach the heck out of em, Double D!" Eddy continued to play along. He was really starting to get to Edd now. The kids were all afraid because Eddy was milking this too far.
"Things are not as they appear!" Edd said to the group of kids. He was beginning them to listen to him.
"What do you want from me?!" Jimmy cowered sounding as if he was going to cry. "Take my money, my comb, my moisturizing lotion. Take it! Take it!"
Edd stood horrified. They all believed him to be a bully. He didn't beat up anyone. He just... accidentally... hit... struck...
"Sarah," Edd asked running towards the girl. She'd been unusually quiet about all this. "You certainly can't believe..."
Ed bulldozed in front of his sister barricading her. The girl didn't say anything to complain about this. For once she was happy that her brother was here to protect her.
There was a look in Ed's eyes that he never saw before. They were filled with hate.
Ed ordered Edd back, pointing a chair right in his face. "Stay away!" Ed shouted getting Eddy's attention who had been busy scooping up Jimmy's quarters.
"Stay away from my baby sister, you meany!" Ed's eyes were spilling with tears.
Edd was aghast. "Ed, my dear friend, how can you say that?!"
Ed slammed the leg of the chair into his nose. "We are friends no more!" He shouted. "My mom says I can't be chums with a Punchy McFisticuffs, like you!"
The room was silent. Everyone was taking time to let what Ed said sink in. Eddy looked from Ed to Edd.
This was no longer a game. Ed was shaking. Edd's whole face went pale.
It was like someone hit the pause button. As soon as the play button was hit Ed's heart could be heard breaking in two.
Edd collapsed to the floor.
Everyone looked up at the sound of sobbing.
None of them knew what to think about this. Eddy stared at Edd who was barring his fists out on the floor as he cried.
Was this his own fault? Edd was the one to start fighting and he went along with it. Was he supposed to go along with it? Or should have he have let Ed talk to him? There were so many 'should have' questions going through Eddy's mind that even he couldn't think straight.
He put a hand on Ed's shoulder and gave it a pat. In the corner of his eye Edd stood up trying to wipe his eyes. He need to say something. This wasn't right what Edd was turning himself into. Didn't he know that this would go wrong?
Before Eddy could speak, Edd bellowed; "This ends now!"
Ed screamed when Edd pulled him and the chair towards him.
The kids couldn't believe their eyes at what they were seeing. Ed cried out for help as Edd must have been doing something horrendous to him.
Eddy couldn't move. He was petrified with fear. He looked up, for a moment, thinking that his brother was beating his best friend once more.
But no, it was Edd...
Ed escaped. He ran from Edd who chased after him. He dug a hole through the cafeteria and crawled out.
"Come back here, you!" Edd called out in desperation.
While Edd had his back turned the kids ran out from the cafeteria.
"Yeah, you'd better run! Because Double D knows all your addresses!" Eddy yelled after them still going on with this act.
Edd stood, holding his head. He rolled his fists up wanting shut Eddy up. Tears fell from his eyes. So much happened in the past few minutes that his mind was jumbled up. Edd picked his head up going to ask Eddy what he did.
"Maybe a little rough on Ed, huh?" Eddy said to him before Edd could say anything. "He is our pal yah know."
Edd shot Eddy a look that said how done he was with him. This was all his fault. Eddy was the one to make them think he was a monster as he encouraged it. Why did he let him get away with that? He let Eddy get away with so many things recently.
And now even Eddy thought that he was a monster. Edd wanted to yell and scream at him saying that he did not beat anyone up.
But, he didn't.
Because he had no idea what happened.
"Right, you know best champ!" Eddy slowly backed out from the cafeteria never taking an eye off Edd. "So, hey, I'm gonna go make Nazz rub my feet."
And Edd was alone.
He finally looked at the cafeteria.
The tables were smashed in two and topped over.
There was a Jonny shaped hole in the wall.
Ed's imprint was on the ceiling.
His own clothes were ripped apart looking as he had been fighting.
"What have I become?" Edd said aloud. He held out his shaking hands in front of him. They were bruised and scraped.
Just like that day.
"Are these indeed that hands of lowly thug?"