During the next week, Mondo Burger did mondo business; while Good Burger kept on going downhill. Customers were forming long lines at Mondo Burger, those annoying iCarly kids were helping to promote the place... and things for Good Burger were getting worse and worse. As customers formed long lines outside Mondo Burger, waiting to get in, the employees at Good Burger sat around the empty restaurant with nothing to do but blow straw wrappers at each other. While Mondo Burger employees piled their gigantic hamburgers on tables for eager, hungry customers... Ed stacked a few dozen wrapped, unpurchased Good Burgers into a pyramid, until it collapsed and the burgers scattered in all directions around him. Mondo Burger employees stacked their own overflowing cash drawers on Kurt's desk as Kurt grinned greedily at all the money... while Dexter snoozed snoringly in The Burger Mobile. The Toon Force kept visiting often, but even their company wasn't enough to make up for the decreasing numbers of Good Burger's reputation.
"Hey, kids, nice to see you all back," Mr. Baily said before looking among the group. "Isn't someone missing?" he then asked them.
"We didn't see Thor when we woke up this morning." Atticus shrugged.
"Yeah, we thought maybe he went on a morning jog or something." Cherry added.
"Well, I hope I didn't lose him to Mondo Burger too," Mr. Baily said. "You kids are all I have left these days."
"I GOT ONE!" Thor's voice suddenly called out from the doors.
"Got what? Got what?" Lionel asked as he turned towards the doorway.
"A Mondo Burger." Thor stated.
"Ooohh!" Fizz said, hurrying over to the warlock teen with his usual enthusiasm. "Let's see it!"
"Ease up, guys, give him sone air." Cherry told the Good Burger employees.
"Don't worry, I don't plan on eating it," Thor then told his friends. "I went as early as I could so we could all see it up close for ourselves without going in."
"Smart thinking, Thor," Atticus agreed until he blinked. "Boy, that sounded odd."
"Very funny," Thor rolled his eyes at that as he pulled the enormous burger from the bag and put it on the counter until he unwrapped the burger. "It's really big, you guys. It might even be too big for me." he then added he showed them the rather large burger that looked very unhealthy, even more than a normal cheeseburger from a fast food place.
"Question is, why is it so big?" asked Lionel, curiously poking the side of the burger. "This definitely doesn't seem natural."
"It really doesn't," Thor agreed. "It looks like something that crawled out of the school cafeteria."
"It's huge." Monique said.
Spatch scooped his spatula under the hamburger and lifted it from the counter. The Mondo Burger was so big and heavy that the spatula bent weakly under its weight. Spatch's upper lip curled back over his teeth and he growled at the burger, dropping it back onto the counter. He turned and went back to the kitchen.
"Wow." Atticus merely said.
"How much did it cost you, Thor?" Mo then asked.
"It was the same price as a Good Burger." Thor explained.
"This is not good." remarked Mr. Baily.
While Fizz went to the register to count money, Ed picked up the Mondo Burger and gazed at it in amazement. "Whooaaa!" he blurted. "How do they do it?"
Dexter shrugged and said, "They just use more meat."
"That, or they experiment on the meat," Lionel replied. "Growth hormones and whatnot."
"Poor cows." Deedee said, clicking her tongue sadly.
"Spatch, toss me a Good Burger!" Ed called over his shoulder. A Good Burger sailed from the back and Ed plucked it out of the air. He held it to his ear while holding the Mondo Burger to his other ear. Then he wobbled them back and forth a little. "Hmm..." he said. "They sound similar."
Mr. Baily walked over to Fizz at the register and asked, "So... what was our take today?"
"$43.09." Fizz replied.
"Oh, well," Mr. Baily said with a sigh, scrubbing a hand downward over his long, sad face. "I guess I can always feed my mother cat food."
"So, this is probably not the best time to ask for a raise?" Dexter asked.
Mr. Baily shot Dexter a hard look. "Not exactly, no," he said. "I'm going home. Mind locking up, Ed?"
Ed suddenly stiffened and grabbed his head with both his hands, lips pulled back over clenched teeth. "Uh... yeah. Makes it hard to think!"
Mr. Baily rolled his eyes and sighed. "Monique? Lock up, will ya?" he asked.
"It's handled." Monique said.
"G'night, people." Mr. Baily shuffled out of the restaurant, shoulders sagging and head hanging low.
"Bye, Mr. Baily." The Toon Force group told him politely.
"Poor guy, if only we could help somehow." Lionel commented.
"Yeah, but what can we do?" Thor shrugged. "We don't even work here."
"So, Monique, what are you gonna do tonight, uh, after you lock up?" Dexter said, smiling.
"I thought I'd go home." Monique replied.
"Bummer." Cherry smirked at Dexter as Ed began to put on his rollerblades.
"You're hilarious," Dexter glared at her before looking at Monique. "Home? How come?" he then asked.
"Well, that's where all my stuff is." Monique said casually as she headed for the kitchen, paying no attention to him.
Dexter stared at the spot where Monique had been standing, then smiled. "Ha! I get it! Home... stuff... that was good!" he then turned to follow Monique to say more. "You know, you're really funny with the-"
"Hey, Dexter!" Ed said, standing up on his rollerblades. "Whatya say we hang out tonight? You guys can come too!" he then added to the Toon Force as he saw them as new friends.
"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Lionel beamed.
"I guess it wouldn't kill us." Cherry shrugged.
"Yeah, gives us a chance to get to know the locals." Atticus added.
"HEY!" Dexter shouted as his eyes widened and Ed shot toward him. "Careful, Ed!"
"Whooooa!" Ed shouted as he lost control of his skates. He sped by Dexter and The Toon Force, barely missing them, but for a split second, Ed and Dexter locked eyes, making Dexter realize something. Ed then rolled on and slammed into poor Otis who wasn't expecting a collision of any kind.
Otis was knocked to the floor, but Ed rolled on until he hit a wall.
"Whoa!" Thor yelped as he darted over to the old man's side to help him up. "Are you all right, sir?" he then asked.
"Am I dead yet?" Otis asked. "Did that kill me?"
"No, sir, I think you're fine." Thor replied.
"Oh. Darn." Otis said with a frown.
"He's okay, guys!" Thor soon called out to his friends after he had helped out Otis.
"That's a relief," nodded Mo.
But Dexter was paying no attention to Otis. His eyes were slowly widening as he suddenly realized where he'd seen Ed before. He spun around and faced Ed, who was pushing himself away from the wall. "Wait a minute...!" he then exclaimed. "You!" he pointed a finger at Ed and began to step toward him.
"Me?" Ed asked, pointing a finger at his own chest.
"Now I know where I saw you before!" Dexter said, his voice raising as he approached Ed. "You're the in-line skatin' nut!" He poked Ed's chest with his forefinger. "You caused my car wreck!"
Ed's smile dropped away and his eyes became huge as he said, "Uuhhh... no?"
Cherry, Thor, Atticus, Mo, and Lionel all glanced at each other, realizing that something must've happened beforehand.
"You did too cause my wreck!" Dexter shouted. "You're the reason I owe 1900 bucks! You're the reason my mom found out I was driving without a license! You cost me a fortune! You ruined my summer! You wrecked my life!"
Ed stared at Dexter for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Then he asked, "So, uh... you don't wanna hang out tonight?"
"No!" Dexter barked. "I don't wanna hang out with you—EVER!" he spun around and stormed away from Ed, heading for the door, but he stumbled to a stop when Otis hobbled in front of him.
"Do you think you could help me get to a hospital?" Otis asked, clutching his side. "I think I've broken a bone."
"Aw... sure, come on," Dexter said. He put an arm around Otis, shot an angry look at Ed, then helped Otis out of the restaurant.
"He doesn't wanna hang out with me." Ed pouted.
"Ah, he's just having a rough time," Cherry replied. "It's gonna be okay, Ed."
"Yeah, I guess." Ed shrugged and stared at the floor as he looked dejected at Dexter's rejection.
"Ah, don't sweat it," advised Lionel. "Give him a while to cool off... who knows? Perhaps something unexpected will bring you guys together again."
"Golly! You think so?" Ed asked with an excited smile again.
"We're sure of it." Mo told Ed with a small smile.
"All right!" Ed beamed and laughed. "I just love making new friends. They're like the people you already know, except ya don't." he then added.
"Yep!" nodded Thor.
"Cool! I'm glad someone gets it." Ed laughed and smiled at that.
"Somehow I feel like you two are gonna get along just fine." Cherry smirked at both Ed and Thor.
The next day, Good Burger was even emptier than the day before. Across the street, crowds of people poured into Mondo Burger, eager to bury their teeth into the huge burgers Mondo Burger sold for the same price as the much smaller Good Burgers. Mr. Baily paced back and forth in front of the counter while Dexter ate his lunch in a booth. Ed stood behind the counter. Before him were a Good Burger and a Mondo Burger. He examined them both with a magnifying glass.
Mr. Baily stopped pacing and spun around to face Ed behind the counter. "Ed!" he barked. "Put that Mondo Burger away!"
"But how do they do it?" Ed asked. "It's huge! Huge, I tell ya!"
Mo rubbed her chin in curiosity.
"They obviously use more beef!" Mr. Baily snapped. "Just get back to work. I'm gonna get back to work and... be sad." he went behind the counter and disappeared into his office.
A customer walked in through the door. But not just any customer. It was Mr. Wheat. He stepped over to the booth in which Dexter was sitting, eating his lunch.
"Ah," Mr. Wheat said with a cold grin, "Mr. Reed. Hard at work as usual, I see." Holding his Good Burger between both hands, Dexter looked up at Mr. Wheat cautiously.
"I am havin' my lunch." Dexter said.
"I just stopped by to tell you," Mr. Wheat said, "I picked up my car from the body shop. Good as new," He handed Dexter a slip of paper. "Here's the receipt."
Dexter dropped his burger on a napkin as he gawked at the receipt, mouth open and eyes wide. "$2500?" he then cried. "The estimate was only 1900!"
"That's why they call it an estimate." Mr. Wheat said.
Dexter slumped back in the booth and gawked at the receipt.
"Now," Mr. Wheat went on, "I estimate that you have approximately two-and-a-half months left to come up with my money."
Dexter looked up to see Mr. Wheat grinning down at him icily.
"Good day, Mr. Reed," Mr. Wheat said flatly. "I'm off to have my lunch... at Mondo Burger." he then spent another moment or two glaring and grinning down at Dexter, then turned and left Good Burger.
Dexter stared at the receipt for a long time, then lowered his head and groaned, "Twenty... five... hundred! Oohhh... it hurts!"
The Toon Force group winced for poor Dexter.
"Man, that kid can't catch a break." Cherry remarked.
"That's cushioning the blow, Cherry." Atticus rolled his eyes.
"Well, whatya want me to say?" Cherry shrugged. "The guy's about as lucky as a bad guy in a Tex Avery cartoon."
"No kidding," nodded Lionel. "We need something, anything to help Good Burger out of this slump; or else Dexter will be in debt even when he's a pensioner!"
Ed approached Dexter's booth carrying a tray of food: a Good Burger, a large bag of fries, and a Good Shake. He slid into the booth across from Dexter and put the tray on the table. "Hey, Dex," Ed said, smiling, "mind if I sit here?"
Dexter leaned back, annoyed, and said, "Yes, I do mind!"
Ed settled into the booth anyway.
"Uh... what are you doin'?" Dexter asked.
"Havin' lunch." Ed said.
"I told you not to sit here!" Dexter cried. "I don't like you!"
Smiling, Ed removed a long French fry from the bag on his tray.
Dexter said, "Can you get that through your head?"
Ed stared at the French fry. "I can try," he said before trying to shove the long French fry into his right ear. The French fry bent. Ed turned it around and tried to shove the other end into his ear. Once again, the French fry bent. "Nope," he then said. "I can't get it through my head."
Dexter rolled his eyes. "All right, I guess I'm gonna have to spell this out for ya," he then said. "I don't wanna have lunch with you, I don't wanna sit by you, and I don't wanna see you."
As Dexter spoke, Ed produced a bunch of grapes he'd found in the kitchen and plopped it onto the table. He plucked off two grapes and stuck one in each of his nostrils, then stared directly at Dexter.
"I don't wanna smell you," Dexter continued, "I don't wanna hang out with you... I don't even wanna use words with the letter 'U'!"
Ed grinned, and when he spoke, his voice was very pinched and nasal, because of the grapes in his nose. "Look at me!" he then said cheerfully. "I'm Grape Nose Boy!" He waved his arms around wildly and babbled, "Bloobidy, bloobidy, bloobidy!"
"Stop that!" Dexter shouted, suddenly annoyed by Ed's nonsense. "C'mon... quit it! Take the grapes outta your nose!"
Ed continued to wave his arms around wildly and babble, "Bloobidy, bloobidy, bloobidy!"
Suddenly, in spite of his own annoyance, Dexter laughed. "C'mon, take the grapes..." he then said, trying to swallow his laughter, but he found himself laughing even harder. He leaned back and guffawed as he watched Ed waggle his head back and forth with grapes in his nostrils. "It's not funny!" he then said as he continued to laugh.
"Hah!" Ed said. "Made you laugh!"
"So?" Dexter said, holding his stomach as he tried to calm his own laughter. "Oh, I give up!"
Smiling, Ed pulled the grapes from his nostrils. He offered one to Dexter. "Grape?" he then asked politely.
Dexter pulled away and grimaced. "Uh... I'll pass."
Ed ate both of the grapes, grinning as he chewed them. Dexter stared in shock, his mouth hanging open.
"Problem?" Ed asked as he chewed.
"Uh... well, I shoulda figured lunch with you would be... uh, different," Dexter said.
"Well," Ed said, "I've still got a Good Burger to eat, don't I?" He smiled as he pulled a small container from his pocket. He removed the top bun from the burger, turned the container upside down over the patty, and began to pound on it. A bit of orange goo spattered from the container and onto the burger patty.
"What's that goo?" Dexter asked.
"My sauce," Ed said, as he continued to pound on the container. "I make it myself."
"You carry your own sauce?"
The sauce suddenly came out in a gush and some of it splashed on Dexter.
"Aw, would you be careful?" Dexter barked, grabbing a napkin and wiping the goo from his shirt.
"Sorry!" Ed said, still trying to get the goo out of the container and onto his burger patty.
Dexter got some of the sauce on his finger and licked it off. His eyes opened wide as he smacked his lips. He reached over, grabbed one of Ed's French fries and dipped it into the glob of sauce on Ed's Good Burger patty, then stuffed it into his mouth. "Mmmm!" Dexter mmmed, licking his lips. "This sauce is good! You sure you made this by yourself?"
"Yeah," Ed replied. "It's my own recipe." Ed replaced the top bun and put the container of sauce back in his pocket.
"Does anyone else know about this?" Dexter asked.
"No." Ed said.
Dexter leaned back in his seat a moment as his creative juices were flowing and the wheels of his mind were spinning and when everything came together, his face was lit up by a wide grin.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Cherry asked as she walked by.
"Hey, Cherry!" Dexter called. "C'mere!"
Cherry raised an eyebrow at him and came closer. "What's up?" she then asked.
"Eat this!" Dexter said, suddenly grabbing Ed's burger and shoving it into the perky goth's mouth.
Cherry muffled and soon took the burger out before taking a few bites. "Hey! What's the big id-" she then began to ask until she stopped and smacked her lips. "Hmm... this tastes different... like kinda sweet and salty and saucy." she then remarked.
"Hey, guys! Get over here!" Dexter soon called out to Cherry's friends as well as the rest of the Good Burger employees.
As everyone was trying Ed's sauce, Mr. Baily was in his office, on the phone. "You know I think you're pretty!" he said. "You're gorgeous! Yes, yes! I love you!" he added before he heard a sudden murmur of raised voices in the restaurant and frowned. "Mom, I'll have to call you back, okay? Okay? Please... well, yes, you're still pretty... but I'll have to call you back. So long!" he added as he hung up the phone and tilted his head, listening.
"Lionel, I think even you might like this." Cherry said as she let Lionel try some of the sauce.
Lionel licked it off and smacked his lips a few times. "It pops, it zips, it zings in all the best ways!" he remarked. "Dee-lectable!"
"Yeah, it's really unique and amazing." Cherry nodded.
"I don't eat many burgers with sauce, but this is pretty great." Atticus agreed.
When Mr. Baily saw all of his employees gathered around at one booth, he muttered, "What in the name of ground beef...?"
"Hi, Mr. Baily," Cherry greeted. "You gotta catch up in the excitement."
"Yeah! C'mere and try this!" Dexter added.
As Mr. Baily approached the booth, Dexter dipped a french fry into Ed's sauce, then shoved it into his boss's mouth.
Mr. Baily started to protest... but then he began to chew. His lips smacked loudly and his eyes grew bigger and wider. "This is marvelous!" he said as his mouth stretched into a grin. "What is this?!"
"Mr. Baily?" Ed spoke up, standing up and sounding concerned, then spoke slowly as though his boss was incredibly stupid. "It's... a... french... fry."
Thor chuckled at that.
"No, NO!" Mr. Baily grumbled. "The SAUCE! Where did this sauce come from?!"
"Ed made it himself!" Dexter said happily.
"This is excellent!" Monique exclaimed.
"It's awesome!" Deedee declared.
Smacking his lips, Otis looked at Mr. Baily with a half-smile and said, "It makes me glad I'm not dead."
"It's really good sauce, sir," Mo nodded. "Maybe you should add it to the menu if Ed doesn't mind."
"Hmm... what an interesting idea." Mr. Baily smirked.
Smacking his lips, Otis looked at Mr. Baily with a half smile and said, "It makes me glad I'm not dead."
Dexter pulled Ed from the booth and asked, "Do you realize what'll happen if we start puttin' this stuff on Good Burgers?"
Ed stared at him for a moment, then replied, 'They'll get all covered with sauce?"
"No!" Dexter replied. "Well, yeah, but... just listen, okay? If we put that sauce on Good Burgers, everyone'll wanna eat here! We'll knock Mondo Burger off the map!"
"Ed!" Mr. Baily shouted suddenly. "Get in that kitchen and start makin' sauce!"
Ed looked at Mr. Baily, at all his fellow Good Burger employees, then at Dexter, his new friend…then he said, with a grin, "It shall be done!"
"YEAH!" Lionel exclaimed. "Good Burger is back in business!"
"Let's see Mondo Burger try to beat that." Cherry smirked.
"Now, now, let's just see what others think of the sauce first." Atticus advised.
"Hm." Cherry rolled her eyes at that.
When Good Burger opened the next day, the building was adorned with signs and banners with big, bold letters and a lot of exclamations. The signs proclaimed the arrival of Good Burger's delicious new Ed's Sauce. Inside, a huge banner was strung from one wall to the other above the front counter. The banner read: TRY OUR ALL-NEW ED'S SAUCE!
"Run! It's a stampede!" Cherry called out to the others as customers were eagerly rushing over. "We're reaching Black Friday levels! BLACK FRIDAY LEVELS!"
Good Burger quickly filled with curious, hungry customers eager to see what all the fuss was about. When they started eating their hamburgers, the restaurant rang with the exclamations of happy customers:
"Excellent!"
"Great sauce!"
"Awesome! Wow!"
"More sauce! It's fantastic!"
Mr. Baily approached Ed behind the counter, grinning. He took Ed aside, saying, "Ed! Ed! Look at all these customers! Good Burger's back in the game! Hah! Move over, Mondo Burger!"
"Move over!" Ed agreed happily.
"And as long as you keep making your sauce for us," Mr. Baily assured him, "Good Burger's gonna give you 10 cents for every burger we sell!"
At the register, Deedee was overwhelmed by all the customers.
"I'll go help Deedee," Mr. Baily said. "You make more sauce!" He threw his arms around Ed and hugged him hard, then pushed him toward the kitchen.
As Ed began to make more sauce in the kitchen. Dexter sauntered in. "Hey, Ed!" he said. "How's the sauce comin?"
"Cool!" Ed replied. "Mr. Baily says it's gonna save Good Burger."
"Yeah, yeah," Dexter nodded. "Now, Ed... you remember, it was my idea to put your sauce on Good Burgers... right?" he then asked.
"Sure. Hey, you know... you should get some of the money I'm making!" Ed suggested.
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Dexter said with a greedy grin. "In fact, since we're gonna be in business together, I thought we should sign a contract. You know, to make our partnership official." Dexter removed a contract and a pen from his jacket pocket and handed them to Ed.
"Hey!" Ed exclaimed as he looked over the contract. "I know some of these words! What does this all mean?"
"It's simple. See, of all the money that Good Burger gives you for that sauce, you get to keep 20%!" Dexter explained. "Cool, huh? Okay, see, and then, I keep the other 80%. So, it all works out cool for both of us."
Ed stared into space a moment, almost looking as if he were thinking. "Okay!"
As Ed signed the contract, Dexter said, "Yes! All right!" When Ed was finished. Dexter took the contract and looked at it. "Aw, you spelled Ed wrong!"
"Sorry." Ed said, taking the contract back before he fixed his signature, then handed the contract back to Dexter, who folded it up and put it back in his pocket.
Deedee burst into the kitchen with wide eyes, saying, "Ed! There must be 50 customers out there! It's unbelievable! What do you put in that sauce?"
"Well," Ed said, "you start off with some ketchup, add a little lemon juice, and-"
Dexter dove forward and tackled Ed, pinning him to the kitchen floor. "Listen to me carefully!" he then barked. "Do not tell anyone the recipe for that sauce!"
"Oh, you start off with some ketchup, add a little lemon juice and-" Ed then tried again.
"Stop it! Stop talking!" Dexter shouted. "Listen even more carefully! Never... ever tell anyone the ingredients of your sauce! You gotta keep it a secret! You wanna save Good Burger, don't you?"
"Sure! Good Burger's my life!"
"Then you've got to keep your sauce recipe a secret! All right?"
"Okay."
They were both silent for a moment, then Ed said, "Uh, Dexter? You're squishin' my pancreas."
Across the street, Kurt Bozwell stood in his office with Troy and Griffen. He was looking out his window with a pair of binoculars, staring directly through the window of Good Burger at the busy register.
"It's unbelievable," Kurt growled. "Two days ago, we had Good Burger crushed. And now look at 'em."
"It's the sauce, boss," Troy said.
Kurt dropped the binoculars and let them hang from around his neck. He turned and smacked Troy in the forehead, saying, "Duh. I know that. Do I look STUPID?" Kurt turned to Griffen. "I want Good Burger out of business. Find out what's in that sauce."
"I'll get some and have it checked out," Griffen said. He turned and hurried out of the office.
Kurt went back to the window, lifted the binoculars to his eyes and glared at the long line of customers at the counter in Good Burger. As he watched Ed and Dexter laughing and smiling as they waited on customers, Kurt ground his teeth together, making an ugly crunching sound.
After closing time, Mr. Baily wore a look of blissful delight as he counted the money in the cash drawer.
"Great job, guys," Mo smiled. "I think you actually put Mondo Burger in their place."
"Agreed." Atticus added with a nod.
"Thanks for your help too, kids," Mr. Baily said to them. "You'd make some nice Good Burger employees yourselves one day."
The group beamed at that, feeling accepted.
"Ed, here's your take for the day," Mr. Baily said, handing Ed some cash. "$67! Thanks for the sauce, kid."
As Mr. Baily trotted back to his office, Ed stared in wonder at the money in his hand, saying, "Whooaaa!"
"Way to go, Ed!" Thor smiled happily for their new friend.
Dexter walked up and plucked the cash from Ed's hand and began shuffling through it.
"Here, Ed," he then said, separating the money. "You get to keep, uh… $13."
"Wow!" Ed exclaimed as Dexter handed him his share of the money. "That's almost $14!"
"You don't say." Cherry whispered as she smirked and her eyes lolled in her skull slightly.
"Uh… yeah. Well, see you tomorrow." Dexter turned and headed for the door, counting his money.
Ed called, "Hey, Dex! Where're you goin'? You wanna hang out, or somethin'?"
Dexter stopped and turned to Ed, pocketing the money. "Gee… I dunno." When he saw Ed's wide-eyed, hopeful expression. Dexter felt a little guilty. "Well…sure. Let's hang out."
Ed grinned, pleased. "Cool! Wanna see my secret place?"
"Uh... that's not what I had in mind."
"C'mon!"
Ed led Dexter out of the restaurant and around to a brick wall at the back of the building. There was a ladder leaning against the wall leading up to the roof.
"Follow me." Ed said as he went to the brick wall. Standing right next to the ladder, Ed reached up and clutched the bricks, dug the toe of his shoe between a couple of them, and began to struggle up the wall with difficulty. He managed to get a few inches up the side of the building, grunting and gasping for breath with every inch.
Frowning, Dexter said, "Hey, Ed... why don't you use the ladder?"
Ed looked at the ladder beside him for a moment, then dropped to the ground and started up the ladder. He smiled down at Dexter and said, "This is much easier!"
As Dexter followed Ed up the ladder, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"To my secret place."
Climbing onto the roof, Dexter looked around. It was surprisingly cozy, with a couple of old chairs and a beautiful view of the stars.
"This is my place," Ed said proudly. "This is where I come to... think. I think."
"Huh. I didn't take you for much of a thinker."
"Oh, yeah," Ed said as they both seated themselves in the chairs. "I think about Good Burger, squirrels, cardboard boxes, types of cheeses, things that are sticky..."
Suddenly, someone else began to climb up the ladder.
"Whoa! Who's that?! Who's there?!" Ed yelped.
"Relax, Ed, it's only us." Thor smiled innocently.
"Oh! Hey, dudes," Ed smiled back. "You scared me for a second there."
"We're sorry about that, but we thought we'd come visit for a little bit before we go back to our inn." Atticus explained with a friendly smile.
"Oh, well, okay," Ed responded. "C'mon up!"
And so, the group did just that.
Dexter chuckled. "I bet you don't have one real problem."
"I got six toes on my left foot. What problems do you have?"
"Other than the ones you caused me?" Dexter asked, giving Ed a sidelong glance. "A lot. Most of 'em started when I was a little kid." He leaned back in the chair and looked up at the night sky. "That's when my dad left me and my mom. We must've lived in fifteen places since then."
"Yeah, I kinda have the same situation," Ed said. "My parents have always been together. They're always telling me how much they love me. And we've lived in the same house ever since I was born."
Dexter gave him a weird look and said sarcastically, "I see what you mean. The similarities are uncanny."
"Not canny at all."
Dexter sighed, looking up at the stars again. "I remember the last time I saw my dad. I was seven years old. And, for no real reason, he brought me this yo-yo. It was so cool. I mean, it wasn't just a regular yo-yo. It had these lights that lit up when you yo-yo'd it. Red lights on one side, blue lights on the other. And it made this funky whistlin' noise, too."
"Sounds like quite a yo-yo. You still got it?"
"Nah. After a while, it stopped lightin' up. Then it quit makin' the whistlin' sound. And then… I think my mom just threw it away. You know… I don't even remember what my dad looks like."
"I don't remember what my dad looks like, either," Ed said. "But at least I get to see him every day."
Cherry snorted as that sounded like a dickish thing to say, but it was also kind of funny.
"Aw, I give up," Dexter said, standing. "I'm goin' home."
Ed followed him to the edge of the roof where Dexter started back down the ladder. "Hey, Dex... thanks for hangin' with me. Y'know."
"Whatever," Dexter shrugged. "See ya tomorrow, buddy."
Ed's face lit up as Dexter disappeared down the ladder. He leaned over the edge of the roof and called, "Ya mean it?"
On the ground. Dexter looked up at him. "Mean what?"
"That I'm your buddy? You called me your buddy!" Ed was grinning.
"Uh... sure. I guess. See ya." Dexter waved, then disappeared around the corner of the building.
Ed went back to his chair and stared up at the stars, still grinning happily.
"Wow, these stars are pretty." Mo said with a small smile.
"Just like your eyes." Atticus whispered.
"Did you say something?" Mo asked Atticus.
"Uh, yeah, the stars are awesome." Atticus covered up and blushed a little.
"Hmm..." Mo paused and smirked at that.
Thor looked at them before he looked at Cherry. "Uh, your eyes are like... two big eyes." he then said to her.
"...thanks," Cherry replied as she raised an eyebrow at him. "I think my glasses magnify my eyes."
"I think they do that," commented Lionel. "They're neat like that."
"Yeah, I just look tired without my glasses." Cherry replied as she took her glasses off and she had bags under her eyes.
"WHOA! Where'd Cherry go?" Ed wondered as he looked around. "She was just standing there and now POOF! She's gone and a complete stranger just took her place."
Cherry then put her glasses back on.
"Oh, hey, Cherry," Ed then said. "Some weirdo was just here, did you see her?"
Cherry had a bit of a deadpan look on her face.