I name these chapters after songs on my Spotify playlist.
Chapter 4
Lost it to trying
He was confused to say the least. For a whole week now the same jocks have searched him up just to give him the same amount of beatings for just being around his sister, saying that she's the one who sent them to get the message through to him… and yet, she's the one who seeks him out during the schooldays to see if he's ok. He doesn't understand… he's so confused and he hurts all over. It's getting harder and harder to pretend that everything is ok, that nothing is going on, both at home with Mel and with the other Eds. His body is aching, but he can't let anyone know about that, otherwise they'll start asking questions, forcing him to give them an answer… and everyone knows that nothing good can come out of that scenario.
A sigh escapes him as he collects his school materials for the weekend. It's Friday and the last bell has rung, signaling the end of the school day. Though he's usually not happy about it being weekend, he can't help but enjoy the thought of getting away from those… brutes for two days. Two days of not being attacked and beaten. How frightening it is that he now considers the mere thought as some kind of haven. Closing his locker and forcing his aching shoulder to carry the shoulder bag that's loaded to the brim in books; he eventually makes his way to meet Eddy and Ed to wait for the bus to take them home. Once he gets closer he can hear Eddy's loud voice echo down the hallway and Ed's carefree laughing. He loves his friends, he really does. However, right now he would do just about anything for some peace and quiet. He just knows that Eddy will have some scams to talk with him about once he shows his face and he just can't take that sort of conversation or planning right now. He's aching and has a headache, and he just wants to sleep. He's so tired and confused about everything that's happened this week…
"Hey Sockhead!" Eddy finally calls out as Edd emerges from around a corner, the same corner he's been hiding behind to gather his thoughts and strength. "Bout time you got here! Hurry up, will ya! I've got a new scam for us to put together!"
"Of course Eddy, right away Eddy." Double-D mumbles softly as he approaches his friends.
At first Eddy casts him a slightly surprised look, but it soon vanishes as Edd adjusts his shoulder bag and smiles greatly at them before leading the way out the school entrance. He's trying so hard to act as if nothing is wrong, to pretend that everything is as it should be. Tuning out Eddy's continuous rambling about this scam of his, Edd finds that he can still somewhat understand what the whole ordeal is about without actually focusing too much at listening to his dear friend. Or is that just how loud the shortest of the trio is?
As they reach the bus Edd heads in after Eddy, following him to their usual seats and sits down, focusing his attention to what's outside the window rather than anything else. The High School isn't going to let out until about half an hour, and then he's got to deal with Mel's curious form. That's also something he doesn't entirely understand: The jocks that claim they're beating him up due to an order from Mel, he's never actually seen her speak to them, ever. Nor has she ever mentioned them to him. But then again… why would she? If she doesn't want him near her at school, why tell him about the people she hangs with while at school? No… that's not logical. But nor is acting like an actual sister after telling said people to beat her brother up once they get home. That's also something he's not able to fully grasp. If she doesn't want to talk to him at school, why is she so interested in being with and around him at home?
A sigh escapes him during a small moment of not being alert to what he's doing or saying. He catches himself a few milliseconds after, but the deed is already done – Ed and Eddy heard it and they're both looking at him.
"What's the matter with you Sockhead?" Eddy asks. "I know it's a farfetched plan, but don't give up on this scam just yet! It's totally gonna work!"
"Like gravy helps your mood on a rainy day!" Ed adds in with a big smile.
"As if." Eddy groans, causing Double-D to giggle slightly.
No matter what foul mood he may be in, he can always count on his friends to cheer him up and make him feel better, whether they know it or not. The thought causes a weak smile to appear on his face, but it leaves as soon as the bus reaches the cul-de-sac. Time to get back to reality.
As the bus stops and lets them all out, Eddy keeps telling them about this great scam of his, and this time Double-D tries to hear something that his shorter friend is saying. It's something about a vending machine that they can fill with stuff from either their homes or the junk yard. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to, that's what Edd has learned while "working" with Eddy on these scams. Though, to be fair, this is probably the most normal a scam of his has appeared.
They walk in relative silence, with the exception of Eddy telling them about this brand new scam of his. It's hard to find the motivation to listen to him at this time, so close to home. Edd tries his best, but at this point he's not sure how convincing his attempts are. None of his friends are saying anything about him acting weird, so hopefully he's successful in his endeavor. Along the way from the bus stop some of the other cul-de-sac kids wave at them and tells them to have a good day and whatnot. It's the most attention they've gotten from them since the incident with Eddy's older brother. Correction; it's the most genuine attention they've gotten since the incident with Eddy's older brother, and since Double-D got an older sister. They're still not very interested in the scams that the Eds are trying to pull on them, but they do still go to check it out at the very least. Sometimes they actually manage to do something that's fun, which is what Kevin himself said to them during one of the scams they came up with after meeting Eddy's brother. Other times, they even come with suggestions on what they can do, however, that's very rare.
"Well Sockhead, are you gonna hang with us or do you have chores to do?"
Blinking, Double-D snaps out of his mind to notice they're standing in front of his house. When did they get here? Was he really in that deep thought? Shaking his head slightly to snap more out of it, he turns towards his two friends. They're standing in front of him, looking at him while waiting for his answer, though Eddy seem to already know what he's going to say.
"I-I'm sorry gentlemen, but father made sure to let me know that I have some more chores to do over the weekend." He says. "However, I should be able to work on this scam of yours tomorrow."
"Great!" Eddy smiles. "C'mon Lumpy, let's go get some mind numbing action going on!"
"Oh boy! Are we gonna watch The Return of Space Eagle?"
"Whatever you say, Lumpy."
And so, they're off… leaving Double-D to stand by himself in front of his own house, nervous to even enter it. It's an odd feeling, the feeling of not being safe in your own home. He knows about people that constantly live under those circumstances, but he never would've guessed he would one day be one of them. He always felt bad for them, but now he feels like he can understand them on a more specific level. Is that bad? He doesn't know.
Taking a deep breath, Edd collects his courage to enter the currently empty house. Mel is not supposed to be home for at least half an hour, so he still has some time to act like normal. Opening the front door, he makes his way inside, missing the concerned glances that are thrown at him from Kevin and Nazz who have been watching the Eds since they stepped off the bus. He's out of their sight by the time the door is closed, leaving him forever unaware that those two might even be concerned for his wellbeing, especially after seeing him needing to collect himself just to enter his own home. He removes his shoes like he always do, placing them by the door where the shoe-rack is before heading to his room on the second floor. The stairs creak slightly under his feet, the only sound that can be heard through the empty house. It's comforting, somehow. He heads towards his room and heads inside to place his shoulder bag on the bed, giving his aching shoulder a break from the weight. A sigh escapes him as his shoulder sighs in relief, but it's soon replaced to worry again as the doorbell rings.
He cautiously heads down the stairs, pondering who could be on the other side of the door. Mel would just enter since she lives here. Ed and Eddy would do the same, despite the fact that they don't… so who…? He gently grabs the doorknob and opens the door, revealing Nazz and Kevin. Nazz is smiling sympathetically at him while Kevin… is Kevin…? He seems to try to act like always, but there's something in the fact that he won't look at the dork that has said dork worried slightly. What could they possibly want?
"Hey Double-D!" Nazz says, smiling as brightly as she can muster. "We just heard you say you had some chores to do and wanted to make sure everything is alright with you?"
"O-Oh… that's… that's really kind of you."
Kevin grunts at that, but Nazz gently nudges him with her elbow to hush him up. "Yeah, well… would you like some help? I mean, we don't know what chores you have but we'd be happy to help."
Not sure how to respond to that, Edd remains silent for a short moment. "W-well… I appreciate the offer… however…"
"Do you want the help or not Double-Dork?" Kevin mutters, earning another elbow from Nazz. "I mean, Double-D?"
"I-I…" Swallowing his worry, Double-D gathers his thoughts. "I appreciate your offer; however I fear I must decline. M-Mel is about to return home, and I really must get started on dinner before anything else."
At the mention of his sister's name, the two preteens pale slightly in fear. No one is certain whether or not the teenage girl can be trusted yet after all. Edd was the only one who managed to see a glimpse of hope in her behavior at the start of this week; however that hope has been effectively crushed during the week. Now he finds himself very confused and torn as to what to believe.
"O-Oh, w-well…" Now its Nazz' turn to stammer in slight fear. "I-if you need anything, d-don't be afraid t-to ask!"
"Y-yeah!" Kevin says, faking a big smile at the smaller preteen. "C'ya around Double-Dor- I mean, D."
They make their way awkwardly down from Edd's front door. Said hat clad preteen watched in confusion and then horror as the two turns around to walk away down his front yard, only to walk straight into the one person they attempted to avoid. A small huff escapes all three of them from the small impact.
"Careful!" Mel says, watching the two preteens backing away from her and looking up at her in fear.
"S-Sorry!" The blonde says, slightly falsetto before she grabs the ginger boy and hurries away.
Following them with her gaze, Mel slightly shakes her head at their weirdness before she turns towards her little brother, still standing with the door open. "Hey bro." She says, smiling. "How was your day?"
Gulping his fears away, Edd braces himself and hopes for the best. "I-It w-was fine!" He tries to smile, but it turns into some sort of a grimace.
Raising an eyebrow at the response, Mel decides to leave it… for now. "That's good." She smiles gently before walking inside. "Got any requests for dinner?"
"O-oh dear!" Edd gasps – it's the second time this week he's failed to prepare dinner for his sister! "I-I'll get right to it!"
"You made dinner yesterday, and the day before that." Mel points out while taking off her shoes. "It's my turn, if anything. So, got any requests or am I allowed to experiment?"
Watching her head towards the kitchen with a smug smile on her face, Edd finds himself feeling rather lost at the moment. "E-experiment…?"
Confusion leads to fear, fear leads to destruction. When other people start to notice, you'd better have distractions.
