Edd placed the final touches on his "All About Me" essay and frowned at it. He detested such mediocre essay prompts due for the most part to his dislike for speaking about himself. He sighed and saved it to a flash drive. He would have to print it out in the school library on Monday. His homework complete, he set about the chores his parents had left for him, neatly placing each sticky note into the recycling bin as he finished the task written on it. When he ran out of sticky notes, he retired back to his room and sat on the bed, looking around the room in boredom.
He loved school and enjoyed attending classes again, but he loathed the first week's distinct lack of homework. He was able to complete his work far more quickly than he'd hoped and now he was out of tasks to keep his mind occupied. Loud laughter from the cul-de-sac caught his attention. He slid open his window and leaned out into the warm afternoon. Nazz and Kevin were strolling past Edd's house, laughing at something on Nazz's phone. Edd considered calling out to his friends, but they seemed to be passing by without a glance. He stood up and was shutting the window again when Kevin caught sight of him.
"Hey, Double D! Come down here, we want to talk to you!"
"O-oh! Of course! I'll be right down!" Edd shut the window carefully and ran down the stairs. When he pulled the door open, Nazz and Kevin were standing on the front lawn waiting for him.
"Hi, Edd!" Nazz exclaimed. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug. "How have you been? I haven't seen you all week!"
"I've been well, Nazz, thank you. We are taking different tracks of study, you know. I am in the science track and I believe you are in the music track?" Edd raised his voice, looking for confirmation.
"Right on," she said. "How did you remember that?"
"Well, you have carried a propensity toward music ever since you joined the Peach Creek Youth Choir, have you not? I merely made a deduction based on facts I have acquired in the past."
Nazz giggled and waved him away. "You haven't changed a bit, Double D. Vocabulary as big as always."
Kevin butted in. "So are you coming to the party tonight? Nazz's parents are out of town, so it'll be sick."
Edd hesitated and twisted the hem of his shirt. "Oh, I don't know...I'm not really one for parties, and it is vital to my health that I keep a regular sleeping schedule..."
"Aw, come on, Edd!" Nazz grabbed his slender shoulders in an easy side-hug. "It'll be fun! You don't have to stay very long if you don't want to."
"Yeah," Kevin said, "at least stop by!"
"Well..." Edd deliberated. I am lacking in activities for the evening. "Alright. I'll come."
"Great!" Nazz said. She waved goodbye as she hopped on the back of Kevin's bike.
"See you at seven, Dork!" Kevin called out as they sped away.
Edd waved until they were out of sight and then allowed his shoulders to slump. What was I thinking? Deliberately placing myself in a social situation goes against every rule I've established for my high school years. He shook his head and turned to reenter his house.
A small, round object whistled past his ear and cracked into the door in front of him. He squealed and leapt backwards. Hand over his pounding heart, he bent down to retrieve the object. The wrapper crackled in his hand as he examined and identified the object as a jawbreaker. Grinning, he turned around to face Eddy, removing the candy and popping it into his mouth as he did so.
"Good afternoon, Eddy!" He ignored the scowl on the short boy's face. He knew what it was for, and he anticipated the words that came next.
"What are you doing talking to that jerk?" Eddy demanded.
"If I am correct in assuming you are referring to Kevin, then I am also correct in stating that he is not a jerk at all. Surely you must realize by now that the only cul-de-sac kid that Kevin has not befriended is yourself."
Edd turned and walked into his house, aware that Eddy was following. He gestured to the rack set by the door to collect shoes. Eddy rolled his eyes as he pulled his worn sneakers off. He flopped down on the couch with a huff.
"Whatever," he muttered. "Traitor."
Edd smiled and stepped into the kitchen to prepare beverages. Setting the glasses on the counter, he added ice to Eddy's and carefully filled both with lemonade from the refrigerator. He moved the glasses to a tray and added a box of whole-grain crackers before moving swiftly back into the living room. Eddy grabbed a glass with a mumbled "thanks" and turned the TV on. He flipped through channels faster than Edd could process the images that flashed across the screen, finally settling on an extreme eating show. Eddy seemed to find amusement in watching the host eat increasingly disgusting and unsafely prepared foods, but Edd watched with morbid fascination. The camera crew had done a stupendous job at making the host appear presentable, attractive even, but Edd could see the tell-tale signs of an unhealthy lifestyle. Why would anybody do this to themselves? A quick succession of knocks on the door broke him from his ponderings. Skipping to the door, he pulled it open to reveal a grinning Ed. He invited the large boy inside and dashed off to prepare him a cool glass of lemonade.
A glance at the kitchen clock revealed that Edd would need to prepare for the party soon or risk being late. He left the lemonade with Ed and excused himself upstairs for a quick shower. He fumbled around in his closet for something suitable to wear for several minutes before finally just putting on the clothes he'd worn to school. He readjusted his hat, allowed a few locks of hair to fall loose by his ears, and descended the stairs again. He found Ed and Eddy waiting by the door.
"Are you ready yet?" Eddy demanded. "We're gonna be late."
