So you wanna be a rock superstar, and live large

a big house, 5 cars, you're in charge

comin' up in the world, don't trust no body

gotta look over your shoulder constantly

The people on the greyhound looked at the kid strangely. Some of them were used to seeing kids like him; Black stocking cap, snake bite piercings, the loose black tank top promoting a band, tight black jeans and black converse with a guitar bag and a few bags in the seat next to him. Most of them were used to seeing kids sitting with their head phones blasting hip-hop music. Hell, they were even okay with seeing kids reading thick books about computer programming. But to see all three wrapped into one 16 year old package? That's what threw them off.

Edd didn't pay them any mind, though. If anything, he was trying to forget the fact that he was on the bus. He was happy being at his grandparents' house in the Detroit suburbs. He was thrilled living somewhere where he could be himself, where he was talked to like a human, where his "Friends" didn't use him… yet here he was, on this damn bus, on his way back to what he considered to be his own personal hell. In some respects, he was what the people on the bus would expect; he was 16, and dammit, he was PISSED!

Within the next hour or two, he was back on the cul-de-sac, grabbing his stuff from the back of a taxi and shuffling into the house, which was still exactly how he remembered it- clean, orderly, picture-perfect. Edd dragged his stuff up to his room, which he saw was adorned with a sticky note.

Eddward: Please do the dishes before we return home.

No greeting, no glad-to-have-you-back… well, at least Edd knew that his parents still didn't beat around the bush. He threw his things into his room- which was exactly how he remembered it- and looked around. He decided that he was going to do some re-modeling, maybe walk around a bit to see how the cul-de-sac had changed, if it had changed at all, but before any of that, he was going to take a well-deserved nap. 8 hours on a bus will jet lag you a little bit. As he threw himself down on the bed that was JUST big enough to fit his 6'1, yet very lean body, he decided that the dishes could wait quite a while… it's not like his parents were going to be home any time soon. He figured if nothing else had changed, his parents' tendency to spend every moment at work was probably the exact same, as well.

A half hour later, Edd woke up fully energized. He started putting his clothes away, placing his books in the book case, and hung up some pages from a several magazines displaying some of his favorite musicians. After spending roughly an hour doing this, he looked out the window and decided to go for a stroll. He slung his acoustic guitar over his shoulder and stepped out.

The cul-de-sac was very similar to how he remembered it, but there were some notable changes, Edd noticed. The playground had become rusted. The construction yard was now an apartment complex. The candy store was now a restaurant called "Pete's Diner", which had a huge banner in the window stating that it was the only 24-7 diner in Peach Creek. Other than that, not a damn thing had changed, by the looks of it. After about 45 minutes of aimless wandering, Edd decided to sit on the old playground and strum his guitar a little bit.

Come on, take a step towards me

So you can figure me out

I've been hoping and praying for a single way

To show you what I'm all about

And I know, and I know this is the only way of pleasing the crowds

But when this is over and done with and we walk away

There should be no doubts

A blonde, shapely cheerleader and a sporty looking red head looked over the fence and looked at the punk/emo boy sitting in the playground, strumming at a black acoustic guitar, singing in a beautiful, yet slightly mournful voice.

"Wow… this guy's good Nazz!"

"Kinda cute too, Sara."

"Say, Nazz, does he look familiar to you?"

"A little bit… I can't quite put my finger on it, though?"

"Wait… doesn't he kind of look like…"

"You know, I thought that… but it couldn't be! I mean, it's been three years, and I, like, know that people can change a lot over time, but c'mon. There's no way that anyone can change THAT much in three years, like, you know?"

"I guess your right… I swear, though, if you look at him hard enough, he looks just like…"

"Shit, Sara, he's looking at us!"

Edd looked at Sara and Nazz and watched them duck their heads under the fence. Edd grabbed his guitar and sped off- the last thing he wanted was to be noticed. As he walked away, he thought that it was only a matter of time before people realized that "Double D" was back in town- school was starting back up tomorrow, after all- but he'd rather prolong that moment as long as possible.

SONGS USED

Rock Superstar by Cypress Hill
Beauty and the Breakdown by Scene Aesthetic