Author’s note: Yeah, this is kinda bad stuff for a show geared to little kids, hence the rating. There’s blood, violence, and angst within. Please don’t flame, I think that this one’s justified actually, it highlights little things I’ve picked up on in the show. Eddy’s a pretty angry kid, when he gets riled, ya know. Dunno what inspired me to write this, probably one too many watchings of those Ed-boys. Not my first E-E-nE fic, but the first I’ve gotten to post here. Enjoy!

 

A Bad Day

Written by Zelda

 

Part One – Just the Same

 

 

                He was far more vexed than usual, and Edd noticed this instantly as Eddy slammed the door behind him. His face was almost beet red, and he forgot to take his shoes off as he entered, dropping his bookbag on the floor. It was almost customary to have Eddy and Ed stop off at Edd’s house after school, it was right on the end of the cul-de-sac, and without Edd’s parents around, served as a good place to unwind after a day of classes.

                “Eddy, please, your shoes!” Edd reminded him, proceeding for the kitchen for something to drink. “And where is Ed? Why didn’t he walk back with us?”

                “Detention.” Eddy growled. “Tried to make an omlette in Home Ec. and ended up going crazy about chickens again.”

                “Heh!” Edd giggled, a hand over his face. “When will he ever stop?” He looked back, and had his face drop a little as he noticed Eddy sitting on his couch, brooding. He still looked furious. “Eddy? Whatever’s the matter?”

                Eddy turned and shot his friend a death glare. “Oh, you wouldn’t get it, Double D. Don’t bother.” he hissed, as if the words were laced with venom.

                Frowning slightly at this, Edd took a few steps back towards the living room. “What wouldn’t I understand, Eddy? What’s wrong?”

                “It’s nothing Double D.” Eddy repeated, still growling, but turning back to stare at a blank and empty television screen.

                “It certainly sounds like something…” Edd started, continuing back for the couch, and sitting on it as well. “You didn’t get detention too, did you? You know what’ll happen if you miss it!”

                “No sockhead, I didn’t.” Eddy narrowed his eyes, as if he were trying to block Edd out. “Just shut up Double D. It’s somethin’ you’d never have to worry about.”

                Confused, Edd screwed up his face a little. “I don’t understand Eddy…”

                “Want me to spell it out for you?” Eddy shoved himself up and snatched his bookbag off of the floor. “Of course, I wouldn’t be able to get half a sentence out without you correcting my grammar in the process…” Before Edd could respond, Eddy pulled a single sheet of paper from his bag, and shoved it into his friend’s face.

                Edd had to put his hands over Eddy’s and push the paper back slightly so that he could read it. It was difficult, Eddy was forcing it closer. “Why,” he remarked. “This looks very much like an exam paper, and--- oh my….” Edd had halted upon seeing a large ‘F’ penned in red and circled in the paper’s upper right hand corner.

                “Yes sockhead. I got an F. Another F.”

                “But Eddy, that’s a failing grade, and---“

                “I KNOW that!” Eddy yelled, yanking the paper away and shoving it back in his bag with nearly a punch. “You think I don’t know that?”

                “My Eddy, I’m sorry to hear that…” Edd started. Eddy was right, Edd couldn’t recall the last time that he had done so poorly on a test. He searched for something to say.

                “Oh, not as sorry as I am.” Eddy threw up an arm, tossing the bookbag away. “You know what I’m gonna go through when my mom sees this? Do you know what she’s gonna say?” As he spoke, he leaned in closer to Edd, until he was hissing right into his face. “Go ahead sockhead, guess. There’s something that you don’t know!”

                “Y—you would be correct, Eddy…” Edd stuttered slightly. “I cannot predict how your parents would react to---“

                “Hah!” Eddy drew back with a dark chuckle. “Then I’m gonna get to teach YOU something, genius. I know exactly what mom’ll say. She’ll say: ‘Eddy, why can’t you concentrate more on your studies? They’re sooooo important.’”

                “Well, she’d be correct Eddy, they are important----“

                “Stop interrupting me!” Eddy yelled at him, balling his fists. Edd shifted nervously back on the couch as Eddy continued to pull his face closer. “I wasn’t finished, sockhead. She’s gonna say: ‘why can’t you be more like your friend Edward? You spend soooo much time with him, you’d think he would have rubbed off on you by now!’”

                “Eddy.” Edd started, frowning slightly. “I find it hard to believe that your parents would tell you this…”
                “They don’t have to Double D, I know they’re thinking it anyway!” he snarled. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve gotta try in school? Do you have any idea the way my mom’s gonna look at me when I haveta show her another F?” His voice suddenly dropped from a near yell to a near whisper. “Or do you know what my dad’s gonna do? After he gets home from work? And my mom shows him that paper? No…” he started, his voice rising again. “I know just what he’ll do. I’ll be in my room and he’ll yell, low at first, and then louder so that he’s louder than my records. And he’ll yell: ‘Eddy! Eddy!’” His voice rose in volume, making Edd shudder for a moment, and continue to retreat along the couch. “’You get out here this moment young man! You and I have a LOT to discuss!--- A LOT!---‘” He quickly looked down at the floor, eyes wide as if he were in disbelief.

                “Eddy…” Edd began in a tone that was softened my his concern. “I’m sorry that you did badly…”

                “Sorry nothing!” Eddy turned on him suddenly, his eyes restored to their former fury. “They don’t have to say it Edd! I know what they want from me! They want me to do what I can’t do!”

                Brows still knitted, Edd stood halfway and began to inch back along the couch, a hand reached out for his friend’s shoulder. “It’s alright Eddy, we all have difficulty adjusting to academic situations---“

                “Not ALL, just ME!” Eddy fumed, and then pointed a finger at him. “You should be the one to talk sockhead, you know-it-all! You’re always at the head of the class, you know everything!!”

                “I couldn’t possibly know every---“

                “Shut up!” Eddy snarled, suddenly leaning in closer to Edd again. “I’m sick and tired of it! You’re ALWAYS throwing that intelligence at us, always bossing ME around, always trying to tell ME what to do!” In a move that was as quick as it was purely impulsive, Eddy reached out with both hands and grabbed Edd’s collar, pulling him up.

                Edd squeaked in panic and jerked away, but found himself held fast in Eddy’s grip. “Eddy, please!” he squealed, eyes ringing up.

                “Oh, you’re gonna tell me what to do now too, aren’t you?! That I’m not good enough, that I can’t figure it out, I can’t make it work!” Eddy yelled right back in his face. “Just like my parents, you’re just the same! Just shut up!!”

                Edd tried to choke out a response, when Eddy shook him violently, rattling his head back and forth. The boy was lost in a blur of shock and surprise, along with his blurred vision and dull pain, as if he could feel his brain slam into the front and back ends of his skull.

                “Not so happy now, are you?” Eddy yelled, pulling him up farther. “And you can’t do ANYTHING about it! You’re not gonna tell me who’s best anymore!!” His pent-up frustration was almost tangible, along with the daggers in his words.

                Terrified at this point, all that Edd could do in his own defense was stammer. The thought to reach up and try to pry Eddy’s hands away never had the chance to enter his mind.

                Infuriated even more by Edd’s attempt at speech, Eddy hefted him up bodily and tossed him off of the couch, sending Edd tumbling to the floor. “Shut UP!”

                Gasping in panic, Edd scrambled uselessly, clawing for purchase on the waxed floor. All he could see were Eddy’s shoed feet as he stormed up to him. “Eddy stop!---“

                “You think you’re gonna pull one of those stupid tricks of yours on me again?!” Eddy yelled. “You’re not so witty NOW are you?”

                Edd opened his mouth to reply, staring up in terror at his friend, when he suddenly had his field of vision disintegrate to stars, as a blunt stab of pain radiated through his stomach. He let out a choked gasp, frozen as he felt his shirt being pulled again.

                Eddy was only using one hand this time, lifting and dragging Edd by the collar of his shirt. Edd made no protest beneath him, stiff as a board and gagging for air as the band of fabric tightened against his throat. Eddy was being driven on nothing now but pure adrenaline, feeling nothing around him. There was only an immense sense of power, power that he’d never had before. The power to stand up for himself, to finally have some sort of response to that which he’d had to take silently for so, so long. It was thrilling, exhilarating, strengthening. And through it, the short boy found the energy to grab Edd’s collar with another hand and heft him again, watching as the shaking body went squeaking across the floor, halted only by colliding with Eddy’s backpack. He watched with satisfaction for a moment, but then the fury returned tenfold as he saw Edd start to move, reaching an arm out for him, opening his mouth as if he were to speak again. Not waiting for the pain of those words, Eddy shifted his weight and sent his foot into the boy’s stomach again, harder this time. That would shut him up. And indeed, it looked like it had! Finally, success! Edd now lay in a shaking ball at Eddy’s feet, and the boy watched in thrilling triumph as he tried to curl up, arms clenched around his middle, gasping for air with his eyes open wide, ringed. Puffing his chest out with his final victory, Eddy leaned over and hissed in Edd’s ear. “Now you know. You’re just the same.” Unceremoniously he reached over, seeing Edd flinch as he did so, and grabbed the handle of his bookbag. He pulled it sharply away, and sent Edd’s head, which was resting on it, thunking against the wood floor. The sound sent another surge of electricity through Eddy, and he quickly shouldered his bag, not bothering to look back or to speak another word as he stepped over Edd, opened the door, and shut it behind him.

 

End of Part One

 

(*covers head with arms and cowers* Eeep, don’t hate me! Double D’s my favorite! He’s so adorable, the poor kid. Fear not, things only go uphill from here, providing that there is an uphill and that I don’t get flamed off of ff.net first!)