Chapter 9: Lavender

(Hey Everyone. Sorry for the wait. I have gone through a lot of shit that has greatly slowed down my writing intrigue. With the site refusing to remedy the email issue and thus not telling me when I got a review or a PM, I lost almost all my motivation to write. I had even stopped my writing rotation to work on other sites and see what they'd be like. However, a friend of mine recommended that I get the app as it still got the notifications and to my pleasant surprise, it actually worked. I'm still getting used to it and still plan on doing most of my writing on the laptop but with a more sure-fire way to get notifications, I feel like I can finally return to my rotation. So here I am again.

Now, as I mentioned before, the story will start getting just a bit more serious for this final half. I can safely say there will be at least five chapters after this one, given what I have planned. There's isn't much else I can say without spoiling so let's just get right on with the story...

The bell rang throughout all of Peach Creek Junior High, signaling the beginning of a new day of test, rulers, and being shoved into lockers. A weekend had passed since the surprisingly stellar performance of Romeo and Juliet that marked the end of the fundraising festival and all had mostly been quiet between the Eds and the Kankers. Double D and Marie did not speak to each other at all during the weekend, a fact that didn't really occur to the former until he stepped inside the halls of the school that Monday morning. His jovial mood was dampened as he realized she was sure to have heard of the play by now. What would be her reaction, he wondered. How would he explain himself when that awful yet inevitable moment came to pass? These thoughts tortured his mind as he opened his locker and took out his textbook for Algebra.

As it turned out, he wouldn't have long to wait for as soon as he closed the locker door, Marie was standing right there, arms crossed and her head resting against the next locker.

"Gahhh!" Double D cried as he fell on his back, his backpack taking the brunt of the fall. That still didn't keep stars from forming around his head as he slowly lifted it back up. "Ohh...it's...you." Double D carefully returned to his feet and gripped his head as he waited for the stars to dissipate. "Oh hello, Marie. How are you?"

"How are you?" Marie asked. "How are you? That's all you have to say to me?"

By then, the stars had finally faded from Double D's head and he gulped as he quickly realized where this aggressive tone of voice was coming from. "I...I'm afraid I don't follow?" Double D said, in one of his ultra-rare attempts to play stupid.

An attempt that, much like the rest of them, utterly failed.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Marie shouted as she shoved her finger into Double D's chin. "I saw the play!"

"The play? Oh...right! T-The play!" Double D chuckled nervously. "Ah yes, the play...did...did you enjoy it?"

"Enjoy it?" Marie grabbed Double D by the shirt and lifted him up. The smartest of the Eds rapidly kicked up his legs back and forth as he was lifted it up for it was all he could do to not to fall out of his shirt. "Why would I enjoy seeing my man entering Smooch City with another girl? Are you crazy? Are you?"

Then Marie coughed.

"Crap!" She dropped Double D and covered her mouth as her throat banished another wave of petals. They were small and purple and, despite being coated in bloodied saliva, gave off a pleasant floral smell. Double D was able to recognize the smell as lavender almost immediately, got up, and placed his hands on the still coughing Marie's shoulders.

"Marie?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

Marie turned her back on Double D and walked away. She coughed one final time and pulled her hands, the palms of which were now full of petals, away from her face. A single strand of bloodied drool hung from her lips as she stared at the accursed petals. Her throat was sore, more so than it usually was after one of these coughing fits and now that she thought about it, there usually wasn't this much blood coming out with the petals.

Her condition, whatever the hell it was, was worsening.

"Oh dear!" Double D ran up to her and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. Before Marie could so much as turn around, Double D plopped the handkerchief on her face and wiped the drool off, muttering "messy, messy, messy," to himself as he did so. After that, he pulled an empty plastic bag from under his hat and opened it. "Um...Marie?"

Marie, still barely coming out of her stupor, noticed the bag and slowly lifted her cupped hands above it. She turned them downward, allowing the bloody petals to fall into the bag, one at a time. Once they were all in the bag, Double D placed it in his backpack while Marie shuffled toward the nearby water fountain, wanting to get the taste of blood and wood out of her mouth. The water agitated the inner workings of her throat but its cool and refreshing taste made up for that. Once she was finished, she wiped the excess off and turned to Double D with a pant. "Did I tell you I freaking hate this disease?"

"I do apologize for not telling you about my true role in the play, Marie." Double D spoke. "I really do. I just wasn't sure how'd you react and given your...urm...condition, I felt it best not to agitate you needlessly."

"Oh, you agitated me alright." Marie hissed as she gripped the sides of the water fountain. "But not nearly as much as that blonde nitwit!"

"You mean Nazz?" Double D asked. "I would hardly consider her a nitwit."

Marie snapped toward Double D. "Oh, so now you're defending her?"

"Marie please, let's be reasonable about this!"

"I AM REASONABLE!" Marie shouted. Her throat filled up with petals again and she rushed over to the trashcan at the end of the hallway to release them. Double D dashed over to her and patted her back as she loomed over the trash can panting, a small trickle of blood over her bottom lip.

"Oh dear." Double D thought. "Marie's mysterious malady is worse than its ever been before. I must figure out what it going on and fast. But first things first, I have to alleviate her agitation somehow." Clearing his throat, Double D spoke. "Listen Marie, I'll admit it wasn't very gentlemanly to not disclose the full truth but I can assure you that me and Nazz have absolutely nothing between us other than the camaraderie between two actors of the theatre."

Marie met Double D's gaze, her single visible eye carrying a tired air to it. "You promise?"

"I promise." Double D nodded. "At any rate, the fundraiser is well behind us anyway so why don't we put that behind us and carry on to class?"

Marie remained silent for a few moments more, carefully studying Double D. "Maybe he's right." She thought. "Maybe I was just overacting. After all, that Nazz is nothing but an airhead. There's no way Double D would be interested in anyone like that. It briefly dawned on Marie that the same logic should apply to her as she wasn't exactly an Honor Roll student herself. However, she quickly rationalized that she had street smarts and that made the situation different. Hooray for those mental gymnastics. "Heh. Maybe you're right."

The bell rang throughout the hall, putting Double D on high alert. "Oh dear! Class is starting soon. We mustn't be late!" He grabbed Marie by the shoulders. "I will see you later, Marie. Stay well!" With that, he rushed down the hall toward his first period class. Marie watched as he vanished behind the door. The tickling sensation in her throat she had become all too used to was gone once again, yet she subconsciously lifted her hand toward it. "Double D." She whispered to no one.

Within the confines of his first period classroom, Double D breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a rather awkward start to the day." He whispered to himself as he approached his seat. He felt calmer the second he sat down in that plastic chair and faced the chalkboard. Apparently, their was a quiz today which was causing the other students in the class to groan or even whine. Double D, however, simply felt elated at the prospect of a new challenge for his intellect. Already he could feel the guilt of lying to Marie ebb away like melting snow.

"I'll admit that was rather uncouth of me but it's all behind me now." He thought happily. "Yes sir, from this point forward, there'll be no more theatre-related drama."

"...I beg your pardon sir?"

Double D now found himself sitting in the office of the drama teacher, Mr. Argento. Alongside him was an all-too enthusiastic Nazz, practically jumping up and down in her seat. Double D himself was completely still, only moving his mouth to ask Mr. Argento to repeat himself in the hopes of confirming the dire theory that he had somehow misheard him.

Mr. Argento wasted no time crushing those hopes.

"I said I want you both to star in my upcoming production of Pyramus and Thisbe!"

'Awesome!" Nazz exclaimed. "This is, like, so going to elevate my acting career!" She noticed Double D stiff in his seat and leaned over to him. "Aren't you excited, Double D?"

It took Nazz's soft breath on his cheek for Double D to snap out of his doom-induced stupor and he jumped up with a flushed, sweaty face. 'Oh! Uh R-Right! Um..." He turned to the drama teacher. "Mr. Argento, as...elated and as grateful as I am for the chance to star in a stage production of the story that directly inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, don't you think the audiences will consider the two plays over the course of two months...redundant?"

Nazz gasped in horror. "Double D! I can't believe you of all people would say that about the play and in front of Mr. Argento no less! Shame on you!"

Double D realized at once what Nazz meant and stammered as he desperately tried to find the words to express himself. But Mr. Argento, the same man forcing him into another stressful corner, stepped in to save him.

"No dear. Redundant! As in repetitive, doing the same thing twice. That is what your friend meant."

"Oh!" Nazz calmed down with a embarrassed giggle. "Sorry Double D, I really need to start paying attention in English class again."

"Right." Mr. Argento nodded before turning to Double D. "Eddward, I can understand where you are coming from. The two stories are quite similar after all. But I promise you, my vision for this production far succeeds anything seen in last week's play. I have it all prepared! The lighting, the effects, even the concession stand snacks. All I need now are the perfect cast and after your performance at my production of Romeo and Juliet, I know in my heart of hearts that this includes to two of you!"

Double D gulped. He had nearly lost his head over his little fib to Marie concerning his role in the play and certainly did not want to be in that place again. He was just about to offer another rebuttal when Mr. Argento continued.

"Just think about it! You'll have the admiration and envy of your entire school! Not to mention the grade bonus!"

"Mr. Argento, I'm flattered. Really. But I...g...grade bonus?"

"Indeed! I've talked with some of your other teachers and we agreed that you will each receive an 30% extra credit bonus for your overall grades!"

"3-30%!? Just like that!?"

"Just like that!"

"Awesome!" Nazz chirped. "That's like...worth five exams at least right?"

Double D was too dumbstruck by the offer to hear Nazz. "30% extra credit bonus! And all for just starring in a play! I can't pass this opportunity up!" Clearing his throat, Double D offered a curt nod to Mr. Argento. "Alright, Mr. Argento. I accept your offer."

"Me too!" Nazz beamed.

"Perfect!" Mr. Argento beamed as well. "We'll start rehearsal every day after school in the auditorium. I hope neither of you had any other plans."

"Can't say I do," Double D answered. In reality, Eddy was planning on starting a new scam after school but as it involved him and Ed working as garbage men, he wasn't too broken up about having to skip it.

"Excellent!" Mr. Argento declared. "Mark my words, my bright shining stars! This will be the best play Peach Creek High has ever seen!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Nazz shouted. "Alright!" Without warning, she wrapped Double D in a giant hug. "I totally look forward to working with your dude!"

"Oh um...y-yes." Double D muttered, his face lit up like a stoplight. "A-As do I."

"Another freaking play!?" Eddy shouted with a mouthful of mashed potatoes "But what about the scam!?"

"I'm sure you and Ed can fare well enough without me on...um...Ed's Nasty Garbage Removal Crew." Double D shuddered as he set down his fork, having lost his appetite just by mentioning those accursed words.

"Yeah Eddy!" Ed agreed as he scarfed down the offering on his tray. "We'll take everyone's garbage over to my place!" He giggled as he munched down on his last bite of food, eating half of his fork in the process. "I'll give it such a good home."

"Just remember I call dibs on anything valuable!" Eddy reminded his trash-loving friend.

Double D felt tempted to tell Eddy that it was against the law to steal other people's garbage but he figured they wouldn't listen to him and that this was to be a lesson they would have to learn the hard way. In any case, he was far more preoccupied with the situation at hand, namely how the hell was he going to tell Marie about the play without getting his head ripped off. As if he could somehow sense what Double D was going through, Eddy spoke, pointing a spoonful of potatoes at him.

"You know, if you wanted to keep this whole thing under wraps, me and Ed can help you out." He formed a cocky grin. "I'm a whizz at getting girls to believe what I say!"

"I'm sure you are, Eddy. I'm sure you are." Double D nodded. For a brief moment of time before lunch, he had actually considered leaving Marie in the dark about this. But that was only for a moment. Double D was not the kind of person to lie if he could help it and it always ate at his conscious when he did so. Not only that but given how he had fibbed to Marie twice now, he knew trying for a third round would not bode well for him. As hazardous as it would be on it's own, telling Marie about the play was the safest option and, morally speaking, the only real one he had.

He wouldn't have to wait long for his chance either as soon enough, the Kankers came barreling into the cafeteria, the three sisters fighting over the last slice of pumpkin pie, (Which they had stolen from Jimmy.) available for the day. The ball of violence they formed together crashed into the only empty table in the cafeteria, sending them flying into the air along with the pie. They each landed bottom-first on the bench, a bewildered look in their eyes. The pie, surprisingly unharmed, landed right in the middle of the table with a clank from the glass plate. The girls stared at the pie for a brief moment and then recreated their ball of violence.

"Oh dear..." Double D said as, despite his aversion to the violence, saw his chance to rip the proverbial band-aid off so to speak and got up from the table. "Thanks for the offer, Eddy, but I really have it all under control. Now if you'll excuse me, I do believe I have inter-sibling violence to break off." With that, Double D rushed over to the Kanker's table as Eddy and Ed watched in confusion.

"Heh. Would you look at that?" Eddy said as he pointed toward Double D. "Sockhead actually running toward the Kankers! What is this word coming to?"

"Will you tell me a story, Eddy?" Ed asked dreamily.

All Eddy could do in response what stare at Ed quizzically.

"Um...ladies...girls?" Double D asked in a voice barely above a whisper as he neared the brawling sisters. He still had bruises from the last time he got pulled into a cartoony ball of violence and certainly did not fancy a repeat. "Umm...Marie?"

"It's mine!"

"No, mine!"

"I saw it first!"

"Yeah, well I licked it so it's mine!"

The sisters continued to fight, completely ignoring Double D. With a heavy sigh, he tip-toed closer to the ball and carefully held out his hand. "Ummm...Marie?" He winced as it was grabbed and pulled. "Oh dear! Not again!"

Double D was pulled into the brawl against his will, taking the full brunt of the punches and kicks the Kankers meant for each other. So focused on their fight were they that they didn't even notice Double D had joined them. However, the imbalance created by the non-combative guest resulted in the ball of violence falling apart, Lee and May falling to the sides of the table with what remained of the pie splattered on their shirts. As for Double D and Marie, they rolled down the cafeteria, slowing to a crawl before finally uncurling right before the door. It didn't take long at all for Marie to realize she was now sitting on top of Double D who currently had a trail of stars dancing around his head. "Double D?" She asked.

"Ohhhh...heeellllooo...mmmmaaarrrriiieee..." Double D droned as he waited for the stars to dissipate. Eventually, he got tired of waiting and shook his head. Around this time, it had dawned on him that Marie was in fact right on top of him but this wasn't exactly anything new. The blue-haired Kanker had pounced on him quite a bit in the past. He was a little more used to her weight and presence than he would like to admit. As his head cleared, he remembered at once what he had let himself get dragged into the Kanker's brawl for in the first place and wearily picked up his head. "Marie. I...I was hoping to speak to you."

"To me?" Marie asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. At once her mind wanted to assume that Double D had finally made headway in figuring out the mystery of her condition but she quickly quieted it down.

"Can we talk somewhere private?" He asked.

More excitement. Her heart was fluttering and she felt a all-too familiar weight in her lungs. "S-Sure." She got up and lent Double D a hand. Whatever it was he wanted to say, she was sure it would be worth the time to hear.

"You're starring in another play with that blondie!?"

Evidently not.

"Please try to understand, Marie." Double D held out his hands as if shielding himself. "Mr. Argento is offering a 30% bonus of extra credit for us to star in this production. It will only be the one performance anyway."

"But another lovey-dovey play?" Marie asked. "Didn't we get enough romantic crap with that Romeo and Juliet snorefest? And what happened with Romeo and Juliet anyway? What's with this Phineas and Frisbee stuff?

"First of all, it's Pyramus and Thisbe," Double D corrected. "Second of all, this myth actually served as inspiration for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Why, one could consider them the original star-crossed lovers."

"Star-huh?"

Double D sighed. "Curse my expansive vocabulary. I mean they were the original tragic love story. You know, lovers doomed to death and all that."

"This school seems awfully obsessed with that kind of thing." Marie spoke in a off-put way, rubbing her arm as she felt the petals inside her chest double.

"With all the break-ups and rejections that tend to happen in a high school setting, I'd imagine quite a few people would want to see lovers fall." Double D commented casually. Only after he finished his sentence did he realize how dark he sounded. "B-But the point is, I can't pass an opportunity like this up. I know how, uh, upset you had become when I fibbed about the play at the festival so I figured it be best to tell you now, the complete and honest truth."

Marie was staring at the ground, carefully processing Double D's words. "Come on, again? Why is he so obsessed with these stupid plays anyway? Or maybe it isn't the play, maybe it's that good for nothing blondie, Nazz Van FARTanschmeer! Yeah! That's it! She must have him under his spell or something!" The pressure in her lungs tripled and she felt faint. "And what's worse is that it's agitating my stupid condition! There ain't no way I'm going to let that dumb blonde steal my man! There's no way I-

Her thoughts ceased as she looked up into his eyes. Soft, honest and quietly observing. This was a look Double D carried in his eyes a lot of the time but hardly ever did anyone ever stop to really notice it, to really lose themselves in it. Of course, direct eye contact tended to embarrass Double D to the point of looking away so it was a moot point anyway. However, as he had gotten quite used to Marie's presence for the past month or so, Double D apparently felt no need to do so this time, giving Marie enough of a chance to drink in his gaze, to let it soothe her raging mind and fill her with a sense of certainty. Certainty that nothing bad would come out of this play, even with Nazz involved.

"Then again, this IS Double D we're talking about. There's no way Nazz would be interested in someone like him right? This is strictly a stupid play thing." Much to her shock, she felt the pressure in her chest lessen. "I...It'll be fine...there's no way..."

"Okay," She finally spoke up. "If anyone could be trusted to tell the truth around here, it would be you, Double D. But are you sure it's worth it? Starring in another sappy play for some extra school points?"

"Extra credit." Double D corrected again. "Any serious student would do anything for more of it. In any case, I just hope I'm not upsetting you in anyway by doing this."

"You're not. Trust me." Marie replied. "I'm not that sensitive."

"Right. Well I-

Just then, the bell rang, signifying the end of Lunch.

"Oh dear!" Double D bowed his head. "Please forgive me Marie. I seem to have wasted the rest of your lunch time!"

Marie shrugged. "It's no biggie. Nothing in the cafeteria except stale mashed potatoes and-

Before Marie could finish speaking, Double D shoved something in her arms. She looked down to see it was a store-bought apple pie. There was a cartoon leopard on the package yapping about how "Jungle-riffic" the pie was.

"My mother packed that for me as dessert." Double D explained. "Says they're supposed to be healthier than the leading brand but, well, I was never one to trust talking animal mascots. Besides, I'm quite full from lunch as it is so, enjoy! Farewell Marie!" With this, Double D rushed off toward the school, leaving Marie alone with the cheap snack pie.

"Double D," Marie found herself saying in a longing voice. The petals agitated her throat and after scanning her surroundings quickly, she noticed a tree right next to the school entrance. She ducked behind hid, made sure no one was looking and coughed the petals out. They were Lavender, again but there was hardly any blood on them and the pleasant aroma that gave off was strong. Marie felt weirdly tempted to eat them but settled on devouring the pie Double D had left for her instead. It was about as cheap as it had looked, leagues below the pie she had fought with her sisters over for sure. But in the end, that didn't matter to Marie. Not when it was Double D who gave it to her.

That alone made it the most tastiest pie in the world to her.

A few days passed as normal for both Double D and Marie. They went to their classes, hung out with their friends/sisters and spent their free time doing what came naturally which for Double D meant reading and for Marie meant spending time with her sisters bullying those weaker than them. Of course, Marie still had those damned petals to contend with, although the "passing" of these petals was a lot more easier than it had been as of late, a fact Marie desperately wanted to to take as a sign that she was on the road to recovery at last.

As for Double D, the latest upend in his usual routine was his after-school rehearsals with Nazz in the auditorium. It hardly took long at all for him to get adjusted to the new routine. A normal eight hours of carrying out his everyday task as a student followed by two or three hours sinking into the mind of Pyramus. There was a part of him that even looked forward to these rehearsals day after day, although if he allowed himself to linger on it for too long, he would always be bothered by a rather disturbing question.

Why exactly was he excited to be there? The thrill of the play? The extra credit he would receive? Or maybe, just maybe, being close with Nazz?

It was this very thought that Double was forcing out of his mind as he slipped on his other shoe. He got up from the bench he was sitting on and stretched with a groan. The final bell had rung and from inside the locker room, Double D could hear the sound of the other students herding out in a rush. Why anyone would be excited to leave such a magical place of learning was lost on him but he didn't dwell on the thought too much. He simply waited for the noise to die down, peeking at his watch at one point, and when he became confident that the hallway was empty, he stepped out into the hallway...

...and smashed right into a waiting Marie Kanker.

"Gah!" Double D backtracked and calmed himself upon seeing that it was only Marie. "Oh. It's only you, Marie."

"Well, who were you expecting? Santa Claus?" Marie asked jokingly.

"Hardly." Double D answered a bit flatly. "In any case, what are you doing here? Not that I don't appreciate your company, of course, but usually, you and your sisters are throwing other students out of the way to be the first ones out of school."

"Yeah, well..." Marie uncharacteristically scraped her shoe along the tile floor with her hands behind her back. "I found this weird-looking roadkill near the trailer park this morning. I was going to go poke it with a stick after school and I was just wondering...if...you...wanted to...join me?

Double D squirmed at the mere mention of roadkill. Depending on how fresh it was, it was almost certain to reek. And yet, there was a part of him, perhaps a deep seated, morbid curiosity as to what kind of animal it used to be, that urged Double D to accept the offer. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your point of view) he had a prior obligation to fulfill. "Sorry Marie, but I as much as I would love to join you in the mild desecration of a mangled corpse, I was just on my way to rehearsal."

"Rehearsal?"

"For the play."

Marie's face darkened. "Oh right. That play. I totally forgot." The disappointment in her voice was all too apparent and Double D couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for it. This was a strange feeling in him for sure as he was certain that, were the two back in their original positions, he would be filled with fear rather than empathy at his denial of Marie's invitation. But that fear was long gone, Double expected no real retaliation this time, at least, none directed toward him.

"Perhaps another time," He offered as he shuffled past Marie and waved good-bye, "Ta-ta for now!"

"Ta...ta?" Marie mumbled back as she watched Double D leave. That particular way of saying good-bye always seemed weird to her, even when her sisters said it. But that wasn't the real issue at hand. The real issue was that her man was once again heading to the auditorium to play dress-up with that blonde nitwit. Double D wasn't the only one that found himself reacting to situations differently than he usually would. Marie was actually fighting to not give in to her own horrid assumptions. "Don't be stupid. Double D already explained everything, didn't he? It's just a stupid play. He and Nazz aren't doing anything. You're just being paranoid!" Marie sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck, her throat already itching at the sensation of petals lining it. "There's no reason to worry. No reason at all."

Marie made sure she was completely alone and coughed them out into her hand. She looked at them with disgust. The were bloody and coated in phlegm, a far-cry from the clean, healthy petals she was coughing out lately. Well, healthy at least compared to these.

"Dammit." Marie felt a warm trickle of blood on the corner of her mouth and wiped it off. She looked at her hands, one cupping the bloody petals and the other with a red smear on the back of it.

"It's just a stupid play." Marie whispered to herself. "That's all it is, just a stupid play."

Her brain continued to repeat the mantra like a chant of madness as her heart refused to even entertain the idea.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Argento!" Double D declared as he stepped onto the stage, dressed in his toga. Usually, costumes wouldn't come into play until right before the big day but Mr. Argento wanted to see the outfits in action and make changes as needed. "I was held up somewhat, I'm afraid."

"Never mind that!" Mr. Argento shouted in response from the front row of the seats. "Just start rehearsing your lines."

"Um..." Double D looked around the stage for his partner but she was no where to be seen. "Where's Nazz?"

"In her dressing room." Mr. Argento answered. "She'll be out in a minute so get started!"

Double D winced at the drama teacher's sudden shouting, to the point that he let go of the script in his hands, throwing it in the air. He realized his mistake at once and frantically fought to keep it from falling to the floor or separating itself page by page. After a few seconds, he was able to reclaim the script and flip to the scene he was to rehearse today. The seen required that Nazz be present but as he would rather not hear Mr. Argento shout again, Double D began to read his line regardless.

"Oh what were the gods thinking when they invented the concept of love?" He declared. "A folly, a mistake, a fool's drunken dream! A trap from which not a soul can escape without tears!" Double D stopped himself and stared at the script for a moment. "A little hokey, don't you think?"

"Stick to the script!" Mr. Argento roared.

Double D flinched and released his script into the air again. He frantically reclaimed it, crumbling up the corners of the paper in the process and gulped. "So I ask, why, why under all the stars of the sky should we be accursed with this forbidden love?" Double D rested the back of his hand on his forehead, partly to really sell the drama and partly to mask his embarrassment of setting up the scene for his missing fellow actor. But just as he had finished his line, he heard her voice.

"Pyramus my beloved, why must you focus on only the shadows of such things when I can only see the light?"

The curtain behind Double D wavered and from the slit in the middle walked Nazz, dressed in a golden-trimmed toga with one shoulder exposed to the elements and bracelets on both of her wrist. Her blonde hair was tied back with a golden scrunchie with small gemstones of all colors decorating it. It was all fake of course but it complemented Nazz's natural good looks all the same. Double D found himself completely entrapped by her visage. Sure, he had seen Nazz in this outfit before but only in the toga. Combined with her hair, it made her look as if she really had walked right out of ancient Babylon.

"Ah!" Mr. Argento squeaked. "I knew that scrunchie would complete the look. I just knew it! Tell me, dear! How do you feel?"

"I feel, like, total royalty to be honest." Nazz giggled as she turned to Double D. "What do you think, Double D?"

Double D was still too awe-struck to even hear Nazz's words, let alone reply to her. "I...uh...wow..."

"Yes, yes. It is a thing of beauty! How could it not be? I picked it myself! Now let's get back to the rehearsal." Mr. Argento sank back in his chair and shouted through his microphone. "Continue!"

"L-Love is the strongest force there is next to the Gods themselves." Nazz continued. "It can conquer any land. Win any war. Overcome any tragic destiny." Nazz moved closer to the thunderstruck Double D as she spoke her lines. Once she was close enough, she reached out as if sliding her hand through a crack in the wall and grabbed Double D's hand. "And I believe our love can overcome the feud between our houses, the hatred between our clans! We need only to trust in it. Do you trust in it, my dearest Pyramus?" She batted her eyelashes. "Do you trust in me?"

"Well, I...I..." As if some sort of acting instinct kicked in, Double D was finally able to get over his nerves and continue his lines. "I will. I will trust in you, my dearest Thisbe. On the eve of tomorrow, let us meet beneath the old mulberry tree outside our houses. There we shall see each other for the first time, fully confess how we feel and, if the Gods allow, we will find the solution to our feuding families that will allow us to stay together forever!"

"And scene!" Mr. Argento shot up from his seat and clapped. "Well done, my young friends, well done! You are getting better and better with each passing day!"

Double D and Nazz shared a proud glance.

"But," Mr. Argento continued, wagging his finger in the air. "You mustn't forget that, when the actual play is commencing, there will be a wall between you and you will only have the crack in it to see each other with, so memorize each other's faces while you still have the chance. You'll need it for visual cues!"

"Whatever you say, director!" Nazz replied with a giggle as she turned to Double D. "This is fun, isn't it Double D?"

Double D gulped, every blood vessel in his body rushing to his sweating face. "Y-Y-Yes, well, there i-is certainly a lot of entertainment to be had in the performing arts, as they say."

"Take five!" Mr. Argento shouted as he cracked his back and walked away. "I need a smoke." He grumbled.

"Awesome! I, like, totally have to text my friends about the play!" Nazz reached into her toga and pulled out her phone. She walked away from Double D, her fingers already dancing along the keys of her phone as she crafted her message.

"I see...you...you do that..." Double D quietly spoke as he watched her walk toward the far side of the stage. His face was finally cooling down and he felt as if he could breath again. He did so, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling it with a moan of relief. He turned toward the now completely empty seats arranged before the stage. Just last weekend, they had been packed to the brim with student and adult alike and he had been right here, playing the part of Romeo. He remembered the wild cheer of the crowd drowning out any would-be hecklers and giving him a sense of confidence he hadn't felt in a very long time, if ever. He felt a smile form on his face and made no effort to fight it as it was dawning on him that perhaps he had walked into a new chapter in his life, that of a performer. For the briefest of moments, Double D's mind filled the seats in the auditorium again, the crowd going wild after another spectacular he and Nazz had put on for them.

Double D took a bow.

The weekend was here. After five grueling days of pop quizzes and noisy hallways, the weekend was finally here. The Kanker's mother had left them a long list of chores to complete around the house but, as May and Lee started fighting over a stray sock they had found clogging up the inner workings of their dryer, Marie used the opportunity to sneak off toward the Cul-Dee-Sac. She hadn't seen Double D since Wednesday and figured now, with school out for the weekend, she could finally get some quality time with her favorite dork. There were already petals in her chest but they were quite easy to ignore today as there weren't a lot of them. They did hamper her breathing a bit and thus she found herself stopping a few times on her way to the Cul-Dee-Sac before finally giving up and taking a brisk walk the rest of the way there.

As she walked, she couldn't help but notice all the sights and sounds around her. The butterflies fluttering through the air. The birds sitting in the trees and singing their simple songs. The scent of fall in the cool air as it blew past her. All these things Marie would have missed had her lungs allowed her to keep running. A small smile formed on her face and she uttered a sigh of content, feeling quite peaceful.

"What a beautiful day...oh God what's wrong with me?"

Disturbed by what she had just felt, Marie shook her head clean of those pesky thoughts and marched through the alley. Before long, she was finally at the heart of the Cul-Dee-Sac and a quick scan of the area revealed none other than Eddy and Ed waiting in front of their friend's house, the big lug carrying a bag full of rolled up papers. Curious, and also just wanting to wait for Double D as well, Marie made her way to her former victims. "Hey dingbats, what are you doing in front of Double D's house?"

"Waiting for him to get back, what's it look like?" Eddy answered.

"Get back?" Marie asked with disappointment. "Where'd he go?"

"How should I know? I'm not his agent...yet!" He made a "get lost" jester with his hand. "Now beat it before you scare him off, will ya?"

"Nice." Marie deadpanned as her eyes shifted toward Ed's bag. "Ohh and what do you got there?" She reached for the bag, only for Eddy to rush in and push it away from her.

"That's a surprise for Double D's eyes only!" He replied. "It's our latest scam!"

"A bunch of rolled up papers?" Marie asked. "You're joking right? What kind of moron would pay perfectly good money for paper?"

"It's not the paper we're selling, it's...Look sharp!" Eddy shouted as his eyes darted over to the sidewalk. Marie turned to see Double D walking along it, his face buried in what looked like a script.

"What foul beast could have...with this sword...my beloved Thisbe..." Double mumbled the lines written in the script again and again. "I understand the need for melodrama in a play such as this but this is a little...much." That was the most polite word Double D could think of at the moment. As he stepped onto his driveway, he walked past his friends and Marie, never taking his eyes off the script. "Greetings, Marie, Ed, Eddy."

"Umm...hi?" Marie responded awkwardly as Ed followed Double D. "What are you reading Double D?" He asked in wonder as he tried to look over Double D's shoulder. "Is it a comic?"

"Hardly."

"Let me see! Let me see!" Ed pushed down on Double D's head, shoving it within the confines of his shirt and pulled the script out of his hand. As a seemingly headless Double D wandered about, Ed rushed over to the others with his prize, giggling like a little kid as he looked over the script. His excitement wavered almost immediately as he failed to find any illustrations of monsters or madmen in the pilfered papers. "Aww! No pictures! This comic stinks!"

Now it was Eddy's turn to grab Ed's head and shove it down into his shirt as he tore the script away. "That's because it ain't a comic, stupid! It's a script, no doubt from that crappy play Sockhead's in." Eddy had to jump up to push Ed's head down and waited until his feet were once again on the ground to look over the script. "Alright, let's see what we got here. Lioness eats Thisbe, Pyramus goes nuts. Pyramus offs himself with a sword? Who writes this garbage?"

As Eddy was reading the script, Double D finally felt the top of his hat and begin yanking on it in an effort to pull his head free, a goal he was just about to accomplish as Eddy stated his unwelcome opinion out loud. He finally pulled his head free with a gasp, shocking Eddy.

"I'll have you know...*wheeze*...that so-called garbage...*wheeze*...is a ancient myth that's been passed on for centuries!"

"So it was Methuselah's bedtime story. Big deal!" Eddy tossed the script away and pulled a new one out of his pocket. Marie was quick to capture the original script as Eddy shoved his new one into Double D's chest. "Now this script right here, this is were it's at!"

"New script?" Double D asked once he got the wind back in him. Afraid of what cockamamie plan Eddy was leaning on with this, he gulped and opened up the script to a random page. "So it would seem Johnny Neversmiles hid the gun they used to whack Eddie Mackerel inside of Miss Watermelon's purse. (Puts on glasses.) Now that's what I call a well grilled hot dog..." Double D lowered the script from his face slowly, his completely humorless face revealing itself little by little to Eddy and Marie. "A well grilled hot dog? Eddy, what is this?"

"It's the killer script for our new killer movie! A movie for which, I might add, you're the star!" Eddy answered. "Ed," He demanded with a snap of his fingers. "Show them!"

As if hearing Eddy's command gave Ed the strength to do so, he chose that moment to finally pull his head out of his shirt. "Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!" He snickered as he ran up behind Double D, took one of the rolled-up papers out and unfurled it. "Behold!" Ed declared as he presented the drawing to everyone.

"Oh my!" Double D whispered.

"What the!?" Marie choked.

"...ED!" Eddy shouted.

All three stared in shock at the drawing before them. It depicted Double D's head on the body of a green space monster with several tentacles in place of arms. Within the clutches of these tentacles was Marie, wearing a leopard skin bikini and clearly screaming for help. Marie wasn't sure if she was more disturbed by the fact that she had been drawn like that or that it was...surprisingly good. Who knew Monobrow was such an artist?

"What the heck is this!?" Eddy screamed as he marched toward the big lug. "I told you we were doing a action-adventure comedy!"

"But Eddy! Movies aren't any fun without monsters!" Ed defended sadly. "Besides Double D's still the star! Look!" Ed tapped Double D's head in the drawing. "He is a mutant pool boy from Planet Vegemite, ready to suck the spinal fluid on the unsuspecting populace!"

Stunned silence ruled the next few seconds.

"Just throwing this out there right now, I am not wearing a bikini for you guys." Marie stated before fluttering her eyes at Double D. "Unless you want me to, Double D."

Double D sputtered and spazzed at Marie's words. "Oh. Th-Th-That's quite alright Marie!" I...I don't believe that will be necessary." He chuckled nervously, his face as read as his shirt.

"Why you no good lousy..." Eddy growled as he shook his head and turned to Double D. "Look, the movie's currently in the planning stages and that's always a little...hectic but trust me, with you as the star, it will be a blockbuster!" He raced to Double D's side and wrapped his hand around his back. "Just think! Sequels! Prequels! Requels! We'll have a whole franchise on our hands! We'll be rich!" Eddy uttered maniacal laughter as he pondered all the jawbreakers he would be able to buy with blockbuster money. Ed was excited as well, jumping up and down like a little kid. Of course, as he was still insistent that the movie be about space monsters, his thoughts were more preoccupied with all the different monsters he could have Double D fight as the mutant pool boy from Planet Vegemite. He could very well have the next Godzilla on his hands.

Double D took a few moments to recompose himself and cleared his throat. "As...creative both of your ideas are Gentlemen, I'm afraid I must remind you of my prior obligation to Mr. Argento and will have to devote all my spare time in preparing for the play. Perhaps afterward-

"What?" Marie interrupted, not with a annoyed or angry tone but one of worry. "B-But it's the weekend! You don't have to go to that stupid auditorium today right? You have the day off." The pressure in her chest grew. "And I was hoping we could...hang out or something."

Ed jumped into the scene. "Yeah! Hang out like sloths on a tree!" Ed tried to wrap Double D in a giant hug but the smartest of the Eds dodged it without much effort, leaving Ed confused and teary eyed.

"I'm sorry guys...and Marie. But my obligations to Mr. Argento don't stop at the auditorium I'm afraid. I've been tasked with bringing the script home and going over the lines as much as possible. I've already taken the liberty of insulating the walls of my attic so as to not disturb my parents."

Marie sighed as she remembered Double D teaching her about Napoleon in that attic. It was also then that she remembered she still had the script in her hands. Part of her considered for the briefest of moments to simply hide it away and convince Double D to hang out with her instead. But somehow, despite being as small as it was, she found herself walking to him and handing it back. "Here. You dropped this."

"Oh!" Double D uttered. In the chaos of what had just transpired, he had completely forgotten that he no longer had the script with him. "Thank you Marie!" He responded as he took his own script back and tossed Eddy's aside. The shortest of the Eds watched as he script fell worthlessly to the floor before uttering a growl at Double D. "Well, it's been fun but if you'll all excuse me, I have some rather hammy lines to rehearse." And with this, Double D walked away toward his home, leaving his friends and former tormentor standing on the driveway.

"The nerve of that guy!" Eddy growled as he picked up his script. "Why I oughta!"

"Poor Double D." Ed bawled. "Forced to do homework on a weekend! Oh what a terrible fate!"

"...Shut up, Ed."

Marie watched on as Double D slipped inside his house, completely ignoring Eddy and Ed's banter. "This is bullcrap!" She thought. "Even on the weekend, that stupid play is taking him away from me. Why? Why is he going through so much trouble for a stupid play? Why?" Is it because of her?" Marie tried to stop herself from finishing that train of thought. Somewhere along the way since this whole ordeal began, since she and Double D found themselves on the same playing field, her rationale had finally had a chance to breathe. And right now, it was telling her not to give in, not to jump to the conclusion that Double D was after anything other than extra credit and, even if her baseless accusations did turn out to be true, what of it?

It's not like they were actually dating.

All of a sudden, there was a unbearable tightness around her chest. Both of the Eds were quick to notice her groan as she grabbed her chest.

"What's with you?" Eddy asked.

Marie shook her head and ran off. She knew the petals were coming out again and she would prefer it if nobody bore witness. She briefly turned as she ran to see if they were following her but to her relief, they simply stood on the driveway, staring at her with mild confusion. Confident that they wouldn't try to pursue, Marie hightailed it back toward the alley, all while the pressure in her chest grew tighter and tighter. Her throat went dry in preparation for the petals and once Marie had slid inside the alleyway, she poked her head out and looked both ways. Once she was positively sure that she was alone, she turned her back on the Cul-Dee-Sac, fell to her knees, and began to cough.

Each cough caused a tremor of pain to rack her body. She could already taste the blood in her mouth even before the first petal flowed. She whimpered a little as more came out, doing her best to keep the sounds of her coughing and retching to a minimum, lest she draw attention. Tears formed in her eyes as the petals came out, violet little demons caked in crimson, their pleasant aroma intermingling with the rustic stench of Marie's blood, their soft bodies offering a conflicting sensation with paired with its coppery taste. The whole ordeal lasted for only half a minute but Marie would be feeling the after effects, the sore throat, the aching chest and the uneasy stomach, long into the night. Once it was finally over, Marie began to pant, desperately trying to replace the air her lungs had lost to these damned petals. She wiped her mouth a few times as the moistness around seemed intent on staying and when it finally felt dry enough, she looked over at her hands and gasped quietly as she took in her reddened palms. Uneased, she examined the petals, making sure that no bits of flesh or important tissue had come out with the petals. No such luck. It was only lavender petals and blood laying before her.

Marie sighed in relief and made herself get up. She was hit with a nasty headache as she did so, her vision blurring and her limbs feeling week. With no other recourse, Marie decided she was done for today and began to make her trek home. Caught up in her malady, she accidently stepped in the bloody puddle before her with her right shoe and left a trail of one-sided footprints leading to the beginning of the construction site.

"Oh hark! Oh hark! Why oh why must the world be stained with cruelty such as this!?" Nazz shouted on stage. With Monday returned the daily after-school rehearsals in the auditorium and today, both Double D and Nazz were acting out their final role in the play. This, of course, meant that Double D was currently lying on the floor, a fake sword taped to his chest. As the costumes had been sent away for last minute touch ups, both of them were in their ordinary school clothes. "I cannot bare the weight of this guilt and loneliness!" Nazz cried out as she grabbed the sword away from Double D. "With my dying breath I beseech to my parents and the Gods to let us be buried together! May death itself never cause us to part!" And with this, Nazz rammed the foam sword into her stomach, uttering grunts and moans as if she was dying. After a few minutes of this morbid display and one final "Ack!", Nazz threw herself on the floor on the stage and threw out her tongue.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Mr. Argento cried as he stood up and clapped. "Although those death throes could use a little work."

Nazz and Double D both opened their eyes and looked at each other indignantly.

"Well, I need another smoke so take five!" With this, Mr. Argento walked out of the room, muttering about fire safety laws and once again leaving the stars in his new play alone together. As soon as she heard the door close, Nazz giggled as she sat back up. "That was fun!" She turned to Double D. "You make, like, the best corpse, dude!"

"Thank you for the rather...morbid compliment." Double D replied as he sat back up. His back cracked and he groaned in pain. "Ggh!"

"What's wrong?" Nazz asked.

"Oh it's nothing. Really! I suppose I simply threw myself to the floor a little harder than intended." Double D chuckled as he rubbed his back. In all honesty, he had never intended to throw himself at all. He was more than content with simply pressing the sword against himself and carefully getting into a laid back position but Mr. Argento would not have it. He demanded action, even if said action made Double D's spine crack. He was beginning to see similarities between his director and his friend Eddy and frankly, he didn't really care for them.

"Oh Double D." Nazz bent down behind Double D and lifted his shirt. At once, the young man stiffened, his face flushing as he tried to process just what the hell was happening. "N-Nazz? W-W-What are you doing?"

"Chill dude," Nazz giggled as she moved her hand up and down. "I'm just rubbing your back. My Dad did it all the time when I landed on mine."

Double D wanted to protest. A long time of being constantly manhandled by Marie, combined with his general shyness around girls, made him wince at physical contact with them, especially against bare skin. However, he was already feeling the pain subside , indicating that Nazz's technique was actually working. Plus, as much as he would never admit it, the sensation was rather...dare he think...nice. And so with a sigh, Double D allowed Nazz to continue rubbing his back.

"There we go." She said as she pulled Double D's shirt back down and got up. "Feel any better, dude?"

Double D slowly and carefully got up, focusing all of his attention to how his back was feeling. The pain was mostly gone although he still felt sore and knew there would be a bruise sooner than later. Regardless, he felt better and turned toward Nazz with a grateful smile. "Why yes. Thank you Nazz."

"Don't mention it, dude." Nazz dismissed with a wave of her hand. As she lowered it, she and Double D found themselves in the midst of a awkward silence as Mr. Argento had not yet returned from his smoke break. Double D tapped his finger against each other while Nazz, holding her hands behind her back, swiped her shoe against the stage, creating a squeaking sound that echoed throughout the auditorium. Both teens looked away from each other as they waited, a slight blush on their faces. Neither of them stopped to notice this either, so they continued to wait and wait and wait until at last, Nazz finally broke the silence.

"S-So Double D,"

"Yes!?" Double D shouted out of nervousness, startling Nazz. It didn't take long for both of them to calm down, Nazz giggling to herself and Double D wishing for the stage to swallow him whole at that very moment. When that didn't happened, he chuckled nervously and repeated himself more calmly. "Y-Y-Yes Nazz?"

"Well...I was thinking...Mr. Argento let us both keep our copy of the scripts so we could practice at home."

"Yes. That he did."

"And I've gotten a lot of practice at home over the weekend. I mean a lot!"

"As have I." Double D nodded. "As have I."

"But you know, there's only so much practicing you can do when you're by yourself, you know?" Nazz asked. "It can be kind of tricky when there's no one to read the other lines back to you."

Double D gulped as he began to guess where this was heading. Against his own wishes, his mouth continued to speak and asked. "I-I agree.."

"So...why don't we start practicing our line together?" Nazz suggested.

"B-But aren't we already doing that?" "Double D asked with his face coated in sweat.

Nazz giggled once more. "I mean after the auditorium dude!" Nazz seemed to lose all sense of shyness once she had finally gotten her intentions out. "Yeah! We can, like, totally alternate between days. My place some days, your place others! With all that practice, we'll be totally prepared for the play!"

Double D couldn't breathe. "Oh dear! This is all happening all too fast. I...I'm not sure I can stand it! I have to disagree! Disagree! Disagree!"

"Well that sounds like a swell idea, Nazz."

"EDDWARD, YOU BLOODY NIMCOMPOOP!

"Awesome!" Without warning, Nazz pulled Double D into a tight hug. If he wasn't so busy fighting for air as his midsection was squeezed, Double D would have been a flushing, stuttering, sweaty mess. As if able to sense that Double D was just about to send off for the Great Beyond, Nazz finally let him fall to the floor, right on his bruised back. She, however, was far too caught up in the allure of the actress world to notice. "This is going to be so cool!"

Just then, the doors opened and a peeved Mr. Argento walked in. "Would you believe that bloody custodian just walked right up to me and squirted water all over my cigarette!?" He asked. "What's a person gotta do to get a decent smoke around here!?" He sighed as he plopped back into his seat and pulled up his megaphone. "Alright, my little stars, time to shine!"

"Far out!" Nazz pulled Double D up from the stage floor. "Let's go Double D!"

"R-Right." Double D murmured, still a little dazed from the fall. Nazz leaned toward his ear and whispered. "And after this, we'll take the party over to my place!"

That snapped Double D out of his stupor right away.

"Oh dear."

Normally, the sound of the lunch bell would be music to Marie's ears. Even if she wasn't feeling particularly hungry before it rang, just the sound of the bell was enough to reawaken her appetite. Today, however, the furthest thing from her mind was food. Even as she sat at the lunch table, a tray full of veggies and chicken, she just couldn't summon the will to so much as lick it. Just looking at the slop before her made her stomach curl, not that it had felt much better before the lunch bell rang. Her chest was tightened onto itself as it felt like a conscious effort just to breathe. Marie didn't bother leaving for the bathroom, however, she knew that even if she did get rid of the petals, her stomach and chest would not feel better. And with the amount of blood she was sure to lose along with them, those damned little petals would be harder to hide.

There was no denying it. Her condition, whatever the hell it was, had gotten considerably worse.

It took her sisters quite a bit to realize she wasn't eating as they were currently preoccupied with fighting over the last calzone available from the cafeteria. (Which they pilfered from Kevin.) It was only when May happened to turn toward her sister while trying to pry the calzone from Lee's hands that she noticed her food still on the tray. "Hey Marie, what's the matter?" She asked. "Not hungry?"

"No," was all Marie would respond with.

"Is that so?" Lee chuckled darkly as she grabbed the tray. "In that case, more for you!" Lee rammed the tray into May's face hard and fast, causing the bucktoothed blonde to accidently squeeze the calzone, squirting the tomato sauce, melted cheese and pepperoni chunks all over her sister's face. Lee became still in shock for a few moments before screaming like a banshee and falling to the floor alongside her sister. Marie simply watched as her two sisters writhed in pain, a glum look on her face.

After a few seconds of screaming and moaning, Lee noticed the lack of reaction from her sister and sat up. "Hey what gives?" She asked. "Usually, you'll bust a gut when me and May hurt each other."

"Oh yeah," Marie uttered an unconvincing chuckle. "Sorry, I guess...I just don't feel well."

May sat back up now, taking a few seconds to allow the tray to slide off from her bruised face. "What's wrong, Marie? Is it the flower thi-

"We don't talk about the flower thing in public, you dolt!" Lee whispered loudly as she slapped May upside the head. She pulled what remained of the calzone crust out of her hair, ate it in a single bite, and got back to her seat. "Besides, I think Marie's blues over here are being caused by emotional pain rather than physical."

Marie looked up at her sister, her eyes betraying just the tiniest bit of shock. "Since when the hell were you a shrink?"

"Call it women's intuition." Lee said. "So, spill it, what's got you down?"

Marie sighed. As much as she didn't want to talk about her troubles, especially to her sisters of all people, Double D had once told her that talking about one's problems out loud could serve to relieve tension. The irony of her using advice Double D gave her for a problem he had unwillingly caused in the first place was not lost on her as she spoke. "It's just, Double D got signed onto another play by that hack Argento and he's been spending every waking moment preparing for it."

"Oh...another play!?" May sprung up from the ground, startling Lee. "You think he'll need anymore princesses to kiss?"

"In your dreams!" Lee shouted as she stomped her sister's head back down.

"Oh he's got all the princesses he needs already." Marie hissed. "That nitwit Nazz is in the play with him."

Both Lee and May gasped at the revelation. "No fooling?" The former asked.

"No fooling." Marie sighed as she rested her head on her hands. "I just don't know what to do."

Lee proceeded to pounce on the table, scaring Marie as she got right into her face. "I'll tell you what you should do, dear sister of mine!" She grinned manically. "That little parasite is after your man, right? I say we make like the Kankers we are and punish her accordingly."

"How?"

"A prank, of course!" Lee elaborated. "A public prank set to go off during the play." Lee snickered to herself. "Yeah...that'll put her in her place!" Both Lee and May started to laugh at the thought of humiliating Nazz in front of a live audience. Marie felt a moment of hesitation at first, her more logical, Double-D-like mentality wanting to argue against it. However, the physical pain the petals had put her in as well as her distrust in the blonde cheerleader gave strength to her Kanker instincts, allowing them to snuff out the voice of reason. Slowly, she starting to laugh along with her sisters. It was weak and haggard compared to theirs on account of her compromised lungs but it was hearty nonetheless.

Slowly, the cackling sisters dialed down their laughter as they huddled in a close circle and began to discuss their vile plans for Nazz and the play.

You know, this chapter was going to go a lot differently at first with Double D hiding the play from Marie until the final moment. Just goes to show how out of it I've become with writing. Thankfully, the site seems to have fixed its email issue for good this time so hopefully, I can get back to my usual schedule and wrap up this story. As I mentioned, I have five chapters left planned so we'll still be here a while.

One more thing, please don't PM me about commissions for turning my work into art. Even it it wasn't an obvious scam, (which it is) I have no money in which to pay you anyway so all you are doing is wasting both your time and mine.

That being said, if you do enjoy the story, please leave a review. It means a lot. And I hope you have a great day. Blessed Be.