Chapter Nineteen
"We could go to the fair!" May said in an excited tone.
"That's just stupid!" Marie shrieked in response causing her sister's face to drop as a grimace formed.
Both the Eds and the Kankers were gathered together in the dorm commons sitting around the couch and discussing ideas for what to do for their week off for spring break. So far, they had hit a wall with all the suggestions being too outlandish or just not on the table for a litany of reasons, the biggest being the group's lack of funds.
"Why's it stupid?" May seethed. She wasn't in an answer, she just wanted the last word on the topic. She felt insulted that her sister shot her down just like that.
"Three reasons May," it was Lee who spoke up this time, "The first is fairs cost money to get in, then there's the matter of gettin' to it considerin' none of us have wheels, which ties nice and neatly into the final point…" she paused and took an intake of breath to emphasis her point, "We don't have any money for gas or a ride or nothin'."
Eddy shrugged, "Maybe we could talk Kevin or somebody into giving us a lift?" he suggested.
"Nonsense, Eddy," Double D sighed, "You still owe him gas money from the last time."
"Damnit. I forgot about that." Eddy swore as he tossed his head back.
More than anyone he wanted this to work out. He wanted his friends, both old and new, to get a break from the busy and fast paced school life. College wasn't turning out how he wanted, and he'd be damned if they were going to spend spring break on the couch. It was a sacred holiday for college students. It was the penultimate of college experiences, it combined the things he craved the most, partying, booze, and girls.
"We are as broke as a joke." Ed mused, more to himself than anyone else. But it still elicited a grin from May.
"Shaddup, Lumpy. I'm tryin' to think over here." Eddy belted out.
"Don't hurt yourself using all that brain power." Lee retorted.
"So, what's your oh-so-amazing idea?" he perked up, his face had already reddened. Lee only smirked and shrugged in response, content with getting a rise out of him.
Double D referred to the piece of paper he was recording ideas on, "So far we've crossed dirt biking, concert, and monster truck rally off the list." he sighed as he tossed the page and let it float down onto the coffee table in front of him. It danced to and fro in the air as it went.
"How come you only listed off my ideas?" Marie accused.
"Because you're the only one who's made any suggestions that weren't casinos and cruises." he replied.
"Hey, those are great options!" Eddy defended.
"Yes, but they're a tad outside our budget range."
"I dunno. Vegas might be a good idea." Lee started, stroking her chin as she spoke, "I've always heard the casinos give out free drinks, so that's covered. Plus, if you're drunk over there they just throw you in a cell for the night. That's room and board."
"I will not be spending the nights of my spring break behind bars!" Double D's eyes were wide and his tone serious.
"Buzzkill." Marie muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Having had enough of this Eddy shot out of his seat and raised his voice. Again. "Look we have to figure something out. Let's get real, what's something we can do?" he asked as he started pacing the floor. Nobody knew if the question was rhetorical or not but that didn't stop them from chiming in their opinions.
"What about a water park?" May asked.
"I don't need to say anything other than monster truck rally." Marie said in a dejected tone as she lowered herself into the couch and crossed her arms.
"Perhaps there's a nearby museum or art gallery with free entry for students?" Double D added.
"Let's just head back home and take it easy. Take it a day at a time and figure it out from there." said Lee prompting Eddy to stop his stride and turn to face her.
"Absolutely not!" he bellowed, "We've earned this. All of us. We've been busting our asses all year and haven't had a single moment of fun. We're in college, damnit."
Before Lee could respond with a curt comeback or a barbed insult, Eddy turned on his heel and pointed a finger at Ed.
"Ed, you got any ideas?" he asked.
Ed sat there for a moment, avoiding eye contact and wearing a shy demeanor. "Well…" he said, almost asking for permission to proceed. It seemed he had an idea but feared the group's reaction to it. Double D placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to comfort him.
"Go on Ed." he smiled.
"Me and my parents used to go camping a lot." he said, still avoiding the gazes that were on him.
"That's it!" Eddy smiled as he turned away from the group deep in thought again as he ran his mind through the logistics, "We can go camping! We can go swimming in the lake, roast marshmallows at night, drink a lotta booze, and make as much noise as we want!"
Ed was getting more and more excited now that Eddy had not only refrained from shooting down his idea outright but accepting it in full.
"Oh yeah, my parents still got the tents and stuff. We can borrow it no problem." he grinned.
"Well, I for one think it's a marvelous idea! The opportunities this will give us all on the local flora and fauna is something we can't pass up. I'll be sure to bring along my books on insects, plants, and animals in the area."
"Like we need a science lesson on break!" Marie all but shouted, "I want to take it easy. If the brain's a muscle and if I keep working, it I might pull something."
"Pip down, Marie!" Lee ordered, causing her sister to clamp her mouth shut. It was a well trained motion that had taken Lee years to drill into her sister, and still, it was rare that it worked. "I like this campin' gig, could be a lotta fun. Besides, we sure as shit don't have any better ideas."
"That's true…" May relented. As fun as all of her ideas sounded, she knew they all required something they didn't have. Money.
"But there's just one itsy-bitsy problem with this plan," Lee began again, "How in the hell are we gonna move all this stuff?"
The group fell silent again as the gears turned in their heads. After several minutes had passed, and none of them offered any ideas, it seemed that this was another idea that could be crossed off the list, dead in the water. But then, Eddy broke the silence.
"Well…there is something we could do about that." a sly grin spread across his as a devious look bloomed in his eyes.
"Far out, Eddy!" Jonny swooned.
The Eds and the Kankers were crammed into Jonny's parent's minivan and cruising up a mountain road. It was an older model, the same one they drove when the occupants were children, which was why they didn't mind their son using it for recreational purposes.
Eddy sat in the front seat, sunglasses covered his eyes as he fumbled with a paper map in an attempt to locate their route. So far it wasn't going so well. "Sure thing, Jonny Boy! When I heard about the Pine Wood Festival, I just knew I had to invite you." Eddy lied.
The Pine Wood Festival was a made up con Eddy had concocted in order to secure a ride from Jonny, who otherwise would have been less forthcoming about letting all three Eds and all three Kankers load down his parents' van and get a free ride for two and a half hours.
"You really think it's gonna have live music?" Jonny asked in his usual naïve but affable tone.
"Know it is, Melonhead. Now remember you just drop us off on the other side of the lake, we'll meet you there."
"It's at the main gate, right?"
"Sure is. But don't go having too much fun, you little rascal, you. Remember to pick us up in a few days."
"For sure, Eddy!" Jonny beamed.
Jonny hadn't changed much in the years since the confrontation with Eddy's older brother. There was a brief period of time when he caused a little bit of trouble for the new group of friends back in the day, but it was just Jonny being Jonny to the younger residents of the cul-de-sac so no ill-will was harbored. However, after their summer was over and they started going to high school he did drift away from his old group more so than anyone else. Jonny was a loaner by nature, always content with his own thoughts, and when things started moving at a faster rate in high school, with everyone so caught up in their own new lives as freshmen, he was more or less left behind.
Nobody knew what happened to Plank, and when asked about it Jonny played dumb. He claimed not to know who that was and that whoever was asking him was crazy. Double D had played with the idea of asking him to get counseling from the school staff, but the notion fell on deaf ears. Jonny was just Jonny at the end of the day. Besides he wasn't a danger to himself or others, so the rest of the gang decided to let sleeping dogs lie and leave Jonny to his own devices.
Everyone felt a variety of different emotions. Eddy seemed over the moon that his newest scam had worked out without a hitch, Lee and Marie seemed annoyed and irritated about the long car ride, the latter making her frustrations well known with groans of annoyance and the occasional outburst of a "What the hell's taking so damn long?" or "For the love of God tell me we're almost there." while Lee sat with her arm propped on the window frame and clenched her jaw in silent contempt at the situation.
Ed and May were having a blast. The two of them played various riding games and laughed at each other from their seat in the back. Double D, however, was sweating. He saw a few too many flaws in Eddy's plan. The biggest was Jonny's reaction when he found out there was no Pine Tree Festival. Would he outright leave them stranded in the middle of the forest without a way home? Or would he attempt to sabotage their plans in retaliation for their lies? Jonny had shown himself to be quite insidious when he was the butt of the joke in the past. He ran through the many outcomes that could befall the new group of friends should Jonny react in a negative manner. He wouldn't be happy about falling for another one of Eddy's schemes.
As he battled with his thoughts the van came to a slow stop in front of a vacant spot, it was a nice looking clearing with a great view of the lake that was only a small trek away. Eddy's grin grew from shit eating to victorious as he thanked Jonny and reminded him for a hundredth time to come back and get them before the week's end. Once their bags were pulled out of the back and their camping equipment unloaded from the roof rack Jonny waved before speeding off to the other side of the lake.
Eddy took a moment to admire their spot and the lake that sat behind it before he grabbed a camping chair and unfolded it. He plopped down into it with a happy sigh of relief. "Alright Lumpy. Get to work!" he ordered, prompting a salute from the larger friend as he filled his arms with their supplies and set to work putting up the camp. May and Double D chased after him, May just wanted to help her crush and Double D wanted to supervise the construction to maximize both its efficacy and ability to perform. He'd read numerous manuals on camp composition and was eager to test out his own interpretations. Marie followed along with a groan, not because she wanted to work, but because the sooner they got this over with the sooner the fun could begin.
Lee walked over to Eddy's perch and set the cooler down beside him. She cracked it open and produced two cans of beer that were wet and slippery thanks to the ice that filled the compartment. Eddy took his with a smile as she shut the cooler and sat on top of it. They cracked the first of many together in unison.
"Thanks, Legs." Eddy said as he took a healthy swallow from the can.
"You sure this is gonna work?" she asked in response, taking her own pull from the can.
"Without a doubt! I mean come on, look at this place!"
"Never would have guessed you were some kinda nature boy."
"Oh baby, I'm full of surprises." he winked.
She rolled her eyes in response. He was such a prick, but he was her prick at the end of the day, and she wouldn't have it any other way. In truth, she was just as excited about this as he was. It seemed like a pretty good idea to her. A way to destress and unwind together. She wanted to get some sweet alone time together with him. Maybe stargazing, maybe just sitting around the fire. She knew it was a matter of when not if that would happen over the course of the week and that caused a small smile to play on her lips as she sipped her beer next to the man she loved as they watched the people that mattered most to them argue about where the tents should go in relation to the fire pit.