Chapter Fifteen
A new layer of snow sprinkled down onto the Peach Creek cul-de-sac. The sun had long since gone down and after spending some time together for Christmas Eve, Ed and Eddy had left Double D's house to return to their own families and celebrations. Now alone Double D sat in his room and poured over information surrounding the subject matters of his classes for the upcoming semester.
He'd been at it for some time, both of his friends had departed hours ago, and with each passing minute, he was able to ignore his hunger less and less. With a sigh, he closed out of the websites that blanketed the screen and scooted a few inches away in his chair. He stared at nothing for several moments as he tried to navigate the maze like structure his thoughts had created.
Without much, if any, fan fair he rose from his seat and left his room, clambered down the stairs, and made his way for the kitchen. Once there he opened the fridge door and scanned the organized contents. He let it close with another sigh.
While Double D wasn't the most superstitious or traditional, there were still some things that bogged down his thoughts in moments like these. It was Christmas Eve after all, not just another night where his usual snacks or small meals would suffice. No, his appetite craved the luxurious Christmas dinner that held so much weight for so many. A delicious turkey or ham, maybe even roast beef. With sides galore that included potatoes, dressing, steamed vegetables, and of course a wonderful pudding or pie for dessert. The feast that so many others were having that night, surrounded with warmth and joy and their families. Each laughing as the season's merriment filled them with the sort of feeling only the holidays could bring.
He opened the pantry and removed a can of soup and flicked the stovetop on. He dismissed the feelings and memories he had never experienced. His eyes lingered on the sticky note that sat on the countertop, not disturbed since he had first read it.
He knew that if he wanted to, he could go over to either of his best friends' homes and be welcomed with open arms. Then he could eat like a king and enjoy in the comradery that even the biggest of cynics indulged in. But he would never interrupt an event like that, show up unannounced and be another hungry mouth to feed. He didn't want to create such a kerfuffle. Instead, he stood in his empty and dark home and ate a bowl of canned soup alone on Christmas Eve.
He returned to his room after he was finished and washed the dishes he had dirtied up. He laughed to himself when he thought about how that had to have been the easiest Christmas dinner to clean up after. But his amusement died when he walked into his room and let the door close behind him.
"Hiya, Dreamboat." Marie Kanker greeted, both hands behind her back. "Miss me?"
"Oh hello, Marie." he choked out as sweat started to build on his forehead, "What a pleasant surprise."
While his animosity for the girl had disappeared after spending almost an entire semester together, half of which as study buddies, this late night visit spurred some memories in his mind and a part of him feared she had reverted back to her old ways.
She strode forward and stood in front of him. Her face was mere inches from his, and she wore the same sly grin she always had on when she did these things to him. It wasn't fair, she had to admit, but she did love getting a reaction out of him. Her arms never revealed themselves.
"I got you something." she said.
"Oh well, that's very kind of you but you didn't have to do that." he sputtered. It was strange, he hadn't realized he was backing up until his back hit his door. What was even stranger was that Marie didn't seem to move either, remaining at her post in front of him at a not-so-innocent distance.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me out last semester. You didn't have to, but you did, and I really appreciate it." she said.
Double D was taken aback by her words but her voice also surprised him. It wasn't the shrill voice he was used to hearing. "It was my pleasure, Marie." he muttered without thinking. He always wondered how Marie managed to pull these reactions out of him, even after all these years. He was someone who prided himself on his intelligence and control, but whenever she was around, he didn't have either trait to call on.
The closer they got like this and interacted in close proximity to each other the more he noticed about her. The way her short, silky hair framed her face, how her blue eye shadow only enhanced the already enchanting eyes, how-. He tore himself from his thoughts as his face flushed, this was not the time or the place for such musing.
Her smile seemed to grow as a glint flickered in her eyes making Double D's mouth dry. As they stood there, staring into each other's eyes, he lost all sense of his surroundings. Before whatever spell he was under could continue Marie took a step back and moved her arms out in front of her, holding out a present with wreath covered wrapping paper.
"Ta-da." she breathed.
Double D stared into her eyes for a moment longer before the situation registered, and his brain caught up with him. "Oh." he muttered, as he reached out with both hands and grabbed the small gift. He felt dizzy and like the world was spinning around him. "Thank you." he said as he cleared his throat and sat down at his desk in an attempt to regain his composure.
Marie plopped down onto his bed and watched him. The devious smile was replaced with a smaller, more reserved one. If Double D knew any better, he could have sworn she was nervous. He redirected his attention to the task at hand and started to remove the wrapping paper. He took care to peel the tape off in an effort to not damage or tear anything. He was well practiced in his art form, but it was still a slow and delicate process. Marie didn't share his patience and the anticipation was killing her.
She swallowed her excitement, which was close to boiling over the edge, and waited. Marie, and for that matter any Kanker, wasn't the most patient person in the world. If she were on the receiving end of gift giving, she would have already torn the thing to shreds in a matter of milliseconds. But Marie was Marie and Edd was Edd. Two different people on the surface, but the more the duo learned about each other the more they sensed they had in common underneath their exteriors.
After what had to have been several hours, or even days, by Marie's count, Double D had one end of the gift unwrapped and opened. He peered inside and furled his eyebrows. It was a hardback book. He then raised the gift with the open end down and caused it to slide out of its paper confinements. He folded the wrapping paper up with a delicate hand as he examined the book.
"My old Reverse Psychology Manual?" he questioned with a quizzical expression as he handled the book.
"Yeah, we did some cleaning when we got back home, and I found that. Figured you'd want it back."
She had to admit, it wasn't much of a present. But with her lack of money and his acute ability to be happy with what he had made the short notice act of her finding something to thank him for his efforts last semester a challenging one. Was it considered re-gifting if it was something that you stole? Or at the very least something you took after someone left it behind? Still, she couldn't have come up with anything better in the short term and the satisfied expression on his face told her she hadn't screwed up too bad.
"Why thank you, Marie. I haven't seen this in…oh my, years!" he laughed as he set it down on the desk behind him. "I'm sorry to say I didn't get you anything." he avoided her eyes and scratched the back of his neck.
"Hey, don't mention it!" she replied, waving him off. "I just wanted to say thanks for everything. It's not even much of a present…you know considering…" she trailed off. Going down memory lane was fine when feeling nostalgic, but she feared that going done this particular route with Double D would only remind him of bad memories and scare him away.
"Nonsense!" he smiled, "It's the thought that counts and you put some thought into this." His smile faded and his eyes darted around his room. "I apologize but there's not very much I can offer in the way of refreshments."
"Oh? Home alone?" she asked. She knew. Everyone knew. But it wasn't something anyone brought up and it wasn't something they pressured Double D about when he was around. It was better to let him open up himself.
"Unfortunately, mother and father are otherwise busy this season, and I'm not very much of a cook. I'd offer you something to drink but I think all we have is tap water."
"I'm okay." she said. "Sorry your folks aren't around. By the way." it felt stupid to say out loud and she cursed herself doing it the moment the words left her mouth.
"Oh, it's quite alright. I hate to say that I've been used to mother and father's work schedule over the years." he brushed off.
"Still, you'd think a mom and dad could make time for their kid." she muttered. She didn't know where it came from or even why she said it. She was treading dangerous waters with her host and her reason for visiting wasn't to make him feel bad about his absent parents.
Double D was silent long enough for it to become uncomfortable as he weighed the thoughts and emotions that played through his mind. Marie always appreciated how he thought about his responses before blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. It gave her both some degree of satisfaction and dignation knowing that he valued what she had to say enough to not write her off like everyone else.
His eyes stopped darting around the room and the wheels in his head stopped turning. He sighed as his mind reached its stopping point and his shoulders slumped. "You'd think so…" he breathed. His composure was disappearing, but he held on to what little of it remained. These were thoughts he didn't like to entertain very often, and that he addressed even less, so it was hard for him. "But I assure you, it's fine." he smiled at her.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't help it. Whenever he smiled at her, or she heard him laugh, or he did any one of the thousands of things that filled her stomach with butterflies, she had to reply with either a burlesque comment or curt reaction to either make him feel uncomfortable or to make him stumble over his words and change the subject. She loved nothing more than to make him squirm. But the context of their conversation didn't call for it, she knew that. So instead, she trudged forward like a ship at sea approaching the coast in the black of the night without the aid of a lighthouse.
She didn't know what to say, or how to say it, but down in the pit of her soul, she knew she needed to say something. She owed him at least that much. He had been there for her and now she was going to return the favor, one way or another. "I never knew my dad." she muttered.
It had poured out of her and sprung free from some lower depths where it was stored beyond the back of her mind. "He left when he found out mom was pregnant and never turned back. Last I heard he was working someplace out west." she continued.
"I'm so sorry, Marie." the boy across from her muttered. His face was sullen, and his words dripped with sincerity. If the circumstances were different, she would have laughed at how very Edd he was being. Instead, she kept talking, the words trailed out of her mouth without conscious control.
"And mom…well I'm sure you've figured out she's been a very hands-off kind of parent." she sighed. She knew it was more than he needed to know, and more than he cared to know all things considered.
She hated her mother. She had tried. She had, but it was to no avail. Lee might defend her actions and May might flat out ignore them, but Marie was more realistic than that. Just like her opinions regarding college, they were built on personal anxieties and weaknesses. But she was who she was, and so was the woman that was her mother.
She had had a hard life and that had forged her. Made her who she was. But it still made Marie's mouth fill with venom and her eyes to narrow when she slithered into her mind. Excuses didn't make up for her lack of a childhood. Excuses were just more words and more bullshit. She was tired of both. A large part of her didn't blame her piece of shit excuse for a father for running off. Marie had only stuck around as long as she had because of her sisters.
"What about Lee and May's fathers?" Double D's words pulled her out of the toxic swamp her mind had wandered into.
"Lee's dad didn't want her. Said they were too young to have kids. Wanted to give her up. That broke them up and he went packing. Dunno where he is or what he does. Guess the domestic life didn't suit him."
She watched as the boy across from her shuffled around in his chair. He gave her the entirety of his attention. "May's dad owns some wrecker service or something. He was around for a while, but one night when we were all still young, he just quit coming home."
Double D opened his mouth to apologize to her again, maybe offer her some kind words or some of that inner warmth that seeped out of him and made him always see the best in people, even people like her, but she cut him off.
"I'm not tellin' you all this to one up you. It's not a contest or anything. I just wanted you to know that I know what it's like for them to not be there."
A brief moment of silence permeated through the room and Marie wondered if she had taken things too far. Double D sat hunched over with his head hung low and his arms in his lap. He looked at her, watched her, maybe even admired her. Despite all of the challenges that she faced, all of the negativity that surrounded her, she had turned out to be a fine young woman, in his opinion.
Sure, she had her faults. She had her moments where and when Double D would be the first to admit the flaws in her actions. But as she sat there with him in a deep and personal moment, bathed in the low light of his room and the moon's rays shining through his window he couldn't help but stare. Angelic would have been the first word that sprang to his mind, but his own inhibitions would never allow for that specific word to form on his lips.
So instead he went with the next best thing, "For what it's worth, Marie." he started, breaking the silence and keeping his voice level, "I think you've turned out to be an inspiring young lady."
This time she couldn't help herself but to bark out a shrill laugh. She knew he meant what he was saying, but someone who buddied up with Eddy McGee couldn't have been the best judge of character. "How?" she struggled to get out between her laughs and sharp intakes of air.
A smile spread across his face, and she couldn't help but return the gesture as she bit her lower lip and felt her face flush. "Well, for starters you're a wonderful sister. I may not have much of a frame of reference myself, being an only child. But I know that your relationship with Lee and May is unparalleled. You would do anything for them."
She shrugged, she wasn't used to compliments and even less used to them coming from the boy who had populated her dreams for years now. "It's no big deal. We got each other no matter what." she said, trying to play it off as best as she could.
"You're also very smart." he listed off, but before she could interrupt, he cut her off, "You were able to grasp complex and complicated concepts from a multitude of subjects ranging from math to science in the span of a few weeks. That sort of sharpness is impressive no matter what arguments you have to offer."
"Please, keep going." she grinned, "I love hearing this." she didn't. Not really. It was odd and different. But he was making her feel warm inside, something only he was able to do. Telling him to stop would have been plain stupid.
"You're well motivated. Even though I have to admit that what motivates you is vastly different from what motivates me. But it's still very impressive to see how much you've overcome. Not to mention how much you've stuck to your guns regarding some things…" he trailed, not wanting to give her the satisfaction.
"I like what I like." she winked at the beanie wearing boy causing his face to redden.
Things were changing. That could be said for all of them. Both he and his friends had come so far in such a relatively short amount of time. The same could be said about the Kanker Sisters, who for the longest period were their sworn enemies. But more and more they were turning into both valued and loyal allies. Double D never would have predicted that outcome. But as he sat alone in his room with Marie Kanker laughing and talking the realization started to set in more and more. And more and more he was beginning to realize how much he liked her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes looked when they reflected the moonlight, the way her hair bounced when she threw her head back to laugh. But less and less was it scaring him, and that might have been the most surprising part.