Winged Cupid Painted Blind Chapter 7 – And Let Slip the Dogs of War
A/N- Love is a many splendored thing, there's the love you have for your family, then the love for your best friend, and finally there's the love for the person you want to be with for the rest of your life. Which "Love" Kevin is in, is still left to be seen. Remember this is 1992. Warnings: homophobic language and bulling
Edd was a fast and agile walker when he wanted to be, darting in and out between people, making his way as quickly as he could to his first class. Having said his farewells to his two friends at their lockers he was alone now, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with those around him, trying his best to keep a low profile in the hopes of making it without incident. Entering the classroom safely he breathes a sigh of relief, hopefully he could keep this up and avoid Tim's retribution the rest of the day. Standing at the door he looks around the classroom, no teacher yet and no other students had arrived, taking a step forward to head for his seat he is grabbed by two sets of arms, dropping his books at the door, he was pulled down the hall by his arms. "We're not done yet queer." Tim's voice is heard over the snickering of his two companions, being dragged backwards down the hall Edd could see the looks from the other students, who were doing nothing to dissuade the bullies, some of the looks were of pity other were of mild amusement. Edd just lay there in their grasp, knowing to fight their hold on him would be a futile action and only entice them to further acts of cruelty. Entering the closest bathroom, they pulled Edd to the handicap stall and closed the door, the two tipped him upside down and held him over the toilet.
Edd went into a mild panic, his fear of all things unclean hitting him in the gut, "Come on gentlemen let's be reasonable." Looking at the three of them in turn, receiving only a wicked smile and laughter in reply to his plea, his heart began to race a million miles a second, "You do realize how unsanitary this is, the things I could catch in there."
"We're only putting you were you belong," Tim said with a Cheshire like grin on his face, "With the rest of the shit." The two dunked his head into the toilet while one of them flushed it with his foot. As he was being lowered Edd took a deep breath, shut his eyes tight and closed his mouth hoping nothing would get in, his nose was the only concern he had, letting out a decent amount of air through his nose would hopefully keep the water out. Once the flush had ended they dropped him unceremoniously on the floor, Edd kept his eyes closed until all the water had drained from around them. Tim put his foot on Edd's chest and spoke low but very cruelly, "Now keep your filthy AIDS infested hands way from our captain," Pushing against Edd's chest with his foot as stood back up, "Don't make me repeat myself queer." The bell rings signaling that Edd was now tardy for class, his three assailants leaving through the door laughing to one another at the pitiful state they left Edd in.
Edd did his best to dab the water from his eyes using the sleeves of his shirt, once able to see again he rushes over to the sink to wash his face and hair of the filthy water he had been submerged in as best he could. His beanie on the other hand was still floating in the toilet, taking all the will power he could muster he retrieves it, he wrings it out over the toilet then rinses it in the sink, washing his hands again before wrapping his beanie in paper towels he then he heads out of the restroom. The halls were strangely quiet with all the students in their classrooms, he walks down the hall past his classroom and toward the office. Opening the door he enters staring at the floor, the familiar voice of his guidance councilor greets him, "Edd what are you going here, aren't you suppose to be in class?" Seeing his soaked hair and shirt her voice turns from chastising him to concern, "What happened Edd?"
Meekly looking up he meets her brown eyes, she wore a grey pencil skirt white long sleeve dress shirt with a cameo brooch at the collar her sandy blonde hair done up in a bun "Just the usual Ms. Johnson." Edd half heartedly smiled at her as he walked to the counter, "Swirly," he added.
She motions for him to follow her and they head down the hall of the office where she looks in a closet for a towel and a shirt to replace his soaked one, then out the back door to the closest janitor's closet. Leaving the door open she motions to the sink, "Lean your head over it," she said softly and began thoroughly rinses out his hair. Sighing she address him, "Don't let them get to you Edd, I know it's hard when they seem to be gunning for you, what's this make the sixth time you've been in because of bullying?"
"The eighth," Edd corrected her as the water came to a stop and she handed him a towel to dry his hair.
"Is there anything we can do to make it better for you?" She put her hand on his shoulder, he paused the motion of his hands and looked at her from under the towel.
Thinking for a moment he replied, "Not that I can think of," then continued to dry his hair.
Finished with his hair Edd hands her the towel and she hands him the shirt, it was pink, unfolding it he saw that on the front there was a unicorn Pegasus running along a glittery rainbow. He looks up at her with an expression that told her that this shirt will only make things worse, "I'm sorry Edd, it's the last one we have." Hanging his head in defeat she suggests, "How about wearing it inside out." Stepping out and pulling the door closed she allows him to change in privacy, once done Edd steps out of the closet defeated, the horse could still be seen through the fabric of the shirt. "You could wear it backwards and put your jacket on," Ms. Johnson suggested, Edd hung his head and allowed her to guide him back to the office. They put his wet things into a plastic bag and tied it shut, handing him a hall pass, "Put those in your locker grab your jacket then straight to class."
Edd nods, "Thank you Ms. Johnson." And he rushes out the door doing exactly as he was instructed, figuring that a tag by his neck would draw to much attention to the shirt he decides to do his best and hide it in his jacket. Walking into the classroom for a second time today he heads over to the teacher's desk to hand him the hall pass. Looking around he could see all eyes on him, this was probably the first time any of them had seen him without his beanie on and his long shaggy raven locks exposed to the world.
"Take your seat Mr. Vincent," Mr. Zimmerman said waving to the rows of seats, "Your books are already there, and next time leave them somewhere more appropriate and not in the middle of the floor."
"Yes sir, I will try harder the next time I am pulled away suddenly." Edd said with a subtle air or disdain in his voice, he walked to his seat keeping his jacket closed as best he could to hide the shirt but the pink was still noticeable at the collar. Taking his seat he leans forward to keep the jacket draped to block most people's view, as the teacher was writing on the board a wad of paper hits Edd in the head. He turns in the direction it had been thrown to see one of the boys from earlier mouthing the word fag and flicking his wrist daintily, Edd turned back around doing his best to ignore the barrage of paper thrown at him for the duration of the class. It amazed Edd on how much a teacher would ignore a situation, especially with all the evidence of paper and spit wads pilling up around him.
The bell rings and class lets out, as Edd was exiting the door the boy who had been harassing him all through class pushes him roughly out of his way, "Nice shirt queer." He said then rushes toward his friends, no doubt to share with them what Edd was now wearing, Edd went in the opposite direction toward his locker but could feel the eyes of his fellow students on him. Astounded how these people would ignore him most days, but now that there was something to mock he was the center of attention, whether it was the shirt or his exposed head he was uncertain. "It's just unmanageable hair for Christ sake" Edd thought to himself then resolved to ignore their stares, for there was nothing he could do that was going to change it today.
Arriving at his locker which was beside his two friends, he begins to dial in his combination, Eddy hearing the noise pokes his head around the door taking in his friend's state. "What happened to you soc…." Eddy changes his mind on the nickname, "Bed head."
"No Eddy, it's more like sex hair." Ed chimed in, snickering a little at his virgin friend.
"Yeah, but you need to get laid first lumpy," Edd sighed at his friend constant jokes about his supposed virginity, last year with Tommy Thompson counted didn't it. He just couldn't correct his friends on the subject, who knew how they would react, even if they did react favorable Tommy would deny it, he hasn't spoken to Edd since. "So what did happen and what's up with that shirt?"
Eddy's concerned but annoying question snaps Edd out of his thoughts. "Swirly," Edd replied quietly, "and the shirt is all the office had to give me, mine is currently drenched in toilet water."
"Tim?" Big Ed said closing his locker, Double D nodded in confirmation to his question.
"Want us to teach him a lesson?" Eddy cracked his knuckles raring for a good fight and to show that jock he couldn't mess with the Ed's.
The warning bell rang and Edd closes his locker, "As much as I appreciate the offer Eddy, you know it won't change anything." Edd rushed off not wanting to talk about this anymore, he waved goodbye to his friends and called over his shoulder as he walked away "I'll see you at lunch."
Eddy still thought the asshole needed a lesson in manners and when he spotted a certain red hat walking through the crowd of students a thought hit him. A thought that would help prove to Eddy that the jock was more than talk when it came to Edd and give him the satisfaction of revenge on behalf of his friend. Approaching the red head he stops in front of him barring his path, "We need to talk," is all Eddy said, the look of determination upon the short boys face told Kevin he was serious and for Edd's sake he would hear him out.
Edd waited in the lunch room at their usual table for his friends to show up, but by half way through the break they were still nowhere to be seen and he was beginning to worry about them. He would look up every once in a while from his meal to see if they had entered yet, but to not avail. As he stared at the door for what felt like the hundredth time his attention was broken and his thoughts interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, looking up he sees Kevin. "What's up?" The jock asked.
Edd halfheartedly smiled at the red head but turned his attention back at the door, "Waiting on my friends." He replied.
"They'll be along shortly, we were caught up in something." Kevin took his seat beside the raven haired teen.
Edd looks him in the face and studies his expression, what did he mean we were caught up? "What did you all do?"
With a guilty grin on his face Kevin explains, "Teaching a certain asshole a lesson."
Horror strikes Edd and it could be seen on his face, Kevin's change in expression told him as much, "Do you think this will stop him? Or should I go hire a bodyguard?"
Eddy drops his tray on the table startling Edd in the process, "We made it pretty clear that anything he does to you we will return to him."
Edd's mouth was a gap as Big Ed joined them sitting beside Eddy, along with Nat who sat on the opposite side of Kevin from Edd. "So what exactly did you all do to him that took so long?" Kevin points to the entrance, looking up Edd sees Tim walking in his hair and shirt drenched with what Edd would assume to be toilet water. "A swirly, really, it took you all this long to do a swirly."
"Well first there was luring him there." Nat replied, "Had to get him away from his friends."
"Then we did it to him about two or three times." Eddy added.
"Not to mention that we had to run from the janitor." Ed included then went back to eating his biscuits and gravy.
Edd looked to Kevin for an explanation the jock chuckled a little then let him know. "Nat told him the coach wanted to see him, leading him to the locker room where we were waiting to jump him, we gave him three good dunks when half way through the third the janitor walks in and sees the feet dangling in the air, in a panic we drop him and run for it."
"Best god damn time I've had in awhile." Eddy says smacking the table remembering the look on Tim's face as he was dunked in the toilet the first time. "I think he got a mouth full." Eddy continued to laugh, the jock had proven himself to be a true friend to Edd, so Eddy in turn would not say a word against him hanging around his friend.
Kevin looked at Edd, taking in his appearance without his beanie, "You know, I like the look, you should really show off your hair more often." Kevin smiled gently at the boy, Edd blushed and turned his face away from the red head.
Eddy spoke with a mouthful of food trying to finish his meal before the bell rang, "I've been telling him that for years, maybe you can finally talk some sense into him." The rest of what little time was left of the lunch break was spent in camaraderie with the two sets of friends. The more Nat saw the interaction between his friend and this dork the more he came to understand their gravitational pull toward each other and why their friendship was meant to be. Eddy and Ed were glad that their friend was meeting new people and putting himself out there, maybe he would learn that not all people have ill intent for you just because you don't know them.