Chapter 2

Edd walked towards the trailer park as he fiddled with his collar. He wore a simple button down shirt and some nice pants.

'Nothing special,' he told himself, 'It's not even a real date.' Still he fiddled, his nervousness needing an outlet. There was no telling what shenanigans Marie would pull that night. All he had planned was a simple dinner. He walked the familiar path through the park until he arrived at the Kanker's trailer. He was 10 minutes early, but he was a stickler for punctuality. He steadied himself before knocking on the door. He heard shouting coming from inside. He was surprised when Lee opened the door.

"Hey there Double D, what can I do for ya?" she asked as she leaned against the door frame. "Last I remember, you guys never stepped foot in the trailer park unless we dragged you here."

Edd saw May peek her head around the corner and wave at him. He returned it shyly, not used to conversing with the Kankers. It was a new experience not dreading his existence with them around.

"Good evening, Lee. How are you tonight?" Edd asked

"Not so bad, about to head off to work."

Edd recognized the uniform for a local pizza place that focused on children's birthday parties. Even he knew to pity the employees who had to deal with the kids who went there. The last incident had two employess huddled in shock blankets and a small fire being put out. The children who went there went feral.

"I wasn't aware you worked there." Edd said, genuinely suprised. He thought about it and realised he hadn't seen much of the Kankers outside of school lately. Their employment would explain it.

"For about six months now." Lee said, stepping aside and motioning for Edd to enter the trailer,"Pop a squat, she's gonna be a little longer. No use sittin outside."

Edd hesitated for a second before stepping foot in the trailer. It hadn't changed much over the years. He sat on the couch next to May.

"I'm surprised that you would work there of all places. I've heard the stories form previous employees." he said. Lee laughed as she gathered her things.

"Oh its awesome. The kids there fear me more then you guys used to. The managers there love me because I stop any riot the little bastards try to start just by showing my face near the ball pit. The pay is pretty shitty but beggars can't be choosers." Lee turned towards Edd. "I hear you boys are finally fixing up that piece of junk van? You guys got your work cut for you from what Marie said."

"Yes, we pooled together our funds from various jobs and savings. I've been doing plenty of research and budgeting and I'm sure we can repair it at least to a running state in the next month." Edd said, realizing he was cornered. He started looking for exits before forcing himself to calm down. They weren't twelve anymore and he wasn't afraid of the Kankers anymore, at least that's what he told himself.

"You guys really gonna have your own car? How neat! Where are we going for the first road trip? The beach would be fun." May asked excitedly.

"Well it might be running in a month, but I wouldn't trust it on a long trip for quite a while afterwards." Edd said.

Lee walked into the kitchen, out of sight.

"Well whenever you do fix it up to where it's not a death trap, ya'll should let us know. I'd like to see it up and running." Lee said from the kitchen, raising her voice to be heard.

"Really? I didn't think you'd be interested." Edd said.

"Oh yeah," May said, picking up her comic book and continuing to read, "All the times we chased you into that thing? Ahh memories."

Edd grinned. He hadn't thought that their refuge from the Kankers would be that interesting to anyone else. He noticed Lee leaving the trailer.

"Well you two lovebirds have fun tonight. Don't try anything funny or you're dead meat." Lee said as she walked out, waving over her shoulder.

"Good luck on your shift, Lee." he said.

Edd had heard that threat before but didn't think anything of it.

"That's just big sister stuff, don't worry about her." May said, mistaking Edd's silence

"Oh its fine, I expected as much." Edd said.

Edd and May spent the next few minutes in silence. A comfortable silence, Edd realized. He sat patiently, glancing at the comic May was reading occasionally to pass the time. It wasn't much longer until Marie came from her room. He hadn't expected her to dress up, but he recognized the more than average effort she put into her attire for the night.

"Wow Marie, sleeves? I never thought I'd see the day." Edd joked as he stood up from the couch.

Marie twirled on the spot, taking the jibe in stride. She was wearing a baseball shirt with some punk band logo on the front. Her regular green cargo pants were tucked into a nicer, less dirty pair of boots.

"Bet you miss the midriff too, huh?" she said, lifitng her shirt flirtatiously.

"Ugh get a room you two." May said.

Edd started, blushing more than he would have thought. He had seen Marie's midriff before, but this was different somehow.

"We might later, but we're gonna head out now. Come on sweetie." Marie said.

She grabbed his elbow and led him out of the trailer.

"Lee needed the truck tonight, so we have to hoof it."

"That's fine. It's actually somewhat pleasant outside tonight." Edd said.

Edd led the way towards main street. He had called the sushi restaurant, but was unable to reschedule the reservation. Instead he decided to try something new that night.

"So where are we going? You know, on our date?" Marie said, punctuating the last word by bumping her hip into Edd's.

"I made a reservation at the new mediterranean restaurant they opened on main. It used to be the vacant building next to the photography shop."

"Ooh sounds fancy, didn't know you liked me that much."

Edd hesitated. He recognized the bait immediately. The truth would sound hurtful, but he knew how to throw Marie for a loop. He remembered the day they first used reverse psychology against the Kankers. They could dish out overt affections, but if they weren't expecting any, they got as flustered as Edd felt whenever Marie was around. She was obviosuly excited to have fun tonight so he decided to play along. He grabbed her hand and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh Marie, you've discovered my true intentions. What ever we will tell our families of our new found love?" Edd said, barely suppresing the red in his face. He was glad he was able to deliver such a cheesy line without stuttering. It would have ruined the effect. He watched as Marie froze, her face turning more red than he thought possible. He almost saw the steam rising from her ears. It was rare that he ever got the chance to stump Marie this way, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. She recovered quicker than he thought she would and they resumed walking.

"You play dirty, Edd. Pretty brave of you I'd say." Marie said as her face returned to a normal hue. "You know this means my revenge will be tenfold, right?"

"I've heard that threat before and it's nothing I haven't already endured." Edd said confidently. The Kankers had pushed boundaries before, but nothing that would seem too indecent. He knew that if he showed a sign of weakness after such an act, it would have been pointless. He had to have a victory tonight. He glanced at Marie and saw the wide smile on her face. He knew that look. That meant trouble.

"Oh honey, you can think that all you want." Marie patted Edd's cheek, "Just you wait."

Edd gulped. He underestimated her again. She could be bluffing, but he wasn't a gambling man.

"Alright fine, you win." Edd began to pull his hand away from hers. He had forgotten he was holding it throughout the exchange. Marie's gripped tightened and wouldn't let go.

"Nuh-uh. This is the first bit of your punishment." Marie said, smiling widely and pulling Edd closer to her. "We still have like 5 blocks to go and you get to hold my hand the whole way there."

Edd sighed. Every time he thought he had the upper hand, Marie would remind who actually did. Marie swung their arms out exaggeratedly, slightly throwing off the normal momentum of their walk, but showing no signs of stopping. Her smug aura was almost palpable, but Edd had no choice except to ride it out. Their walk towards the restaurant was uneventful, aside from the hand holding. Halfway there Edd realized that people might actually mistake the two of them as a couple. He glanced around, hoping to see no one he recognized. Luckily there was no one in his social circle in sight.

"We are almost there Marie. Could I persuade you to relinquish my hand now?" Edd said.

Marie put a finger to her chin as if deep in thought. Edd felt his hand slide out of hers.

"Hmmm I guess so. It would be pretty hard to eat with one hand." she said.

Edd, realizing that they were at the restaurant, quickened his pace to open the door for Marie.

"What a gentleman." Marie said as she entered the establishment. Edd followed her in. They didn't wait long before they were seated and had a menu in hand. Edd had never been here before but knew what he was going to order. He had loooked at the restaurant menu online before he had left his house.

"Yikes, pricey. Appetizer it is." Marie said, louder than she he had intended, surely. Edd wasn't supposed to here that. He did some quick calculations, remembering how much was in his wallet and the prices on the menu.

"It wouldn't be much of a date if I didn't offer to pay, right?" Edd said.

Marie set her menu down and gave a pointed look towards Edd.

"What's your angle Double D?"

"Angle? I'm not sure what you mean."

"Offering to pay for a dinner I practically shanghaied you into? That's gotta be a setup for something."

Edd was surprised she was so defensive.

"There is no angle Marie, I would just like to express my gratitude for your help with the engine lift and for lending me the car jacks."

She was silent as she picked up the menu and held it so Edd couldn't see her face. He was about to say something when a voice cut the awkward silence.

"Hello there! What can I get you two tonight?" the waitress said cheerily.

"I'll have the house special please. And with extra napkins." Edd said.

The waitress made a quick note on her pad and turned to Marie.

"And for you miss?"

She set the menu down and glanced at Edd

"I'll have the same thing." Marie said.

Edd grinned as he handed the menus to the waitress. Marie initiated the conversation, asking Edd about the van again and how his research was going. He admitted that he still had much to learn, but the process of learning always entertained him. They talked until the food showed up and the converstaion lulled as they ate.

"Man, this is good." Marie said between bites.

Edd nodded, fnishing his bite before speaking.

"Better than an appetizer right?"

"Most definitely." she said, tearing into the gyro with gusto.

It wasn't long before they finished their food and the check came. Edd was surprised that he actually enjoyed the dinner with Marie. The conversations varied from working on the van to the upcoming school year. He felt himself start to relax. Maybe Marie wasn't so bad these days. Edd placed the bills with the receipt and started to stand up. He was stopped as the waitress came back with another plate.

"Oh sorry I forgot to tell you. Here's your desert, courtesy of the couple at table 5 over there.

Edd and Marie looked at each other and then, in unison looked toward where the waitress gestured. Sitting in a booth by the window were Kevin and Nazz. Kevin was smirking and Nazz waved enthusiastically. Edd blushed and quickly sat down. He would never hear the end of this now. Just some more ammunition for Kevin to use against him. He didn't really bully anymore these days, but he was still somewhat antagonistic towards the Eds. Mostly out of habit, Edd guessed. He looked up to see Marie return the wave awkwardly and turn her attention to the dessert. A single large milkshake with copious amounts of whipped cream sat at the center of the table. The two straws sticking out of the whipped cream stared back at Edd. This was Kevin's idea no doubt.

"Well I'm not going to turn down some free dessert." Marie said as she leaned across the table and took a drink from the milkshake. Her eyes shot open and she sat back down. "Woah what kind of taste is that?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't even knew this placed would serve a milkshake. Not really a traditional mediterranean dessert." Edd said

"Well go on, give it a try. You could probably tell me what this thing is made of." Marie said.

Edd saw the glint in her eye, but couldn't figure out what she could gain from him trying a milkshake. He hesitated still. Marie motioned him to continue, digging her phone out of her pocket and beginning to text, he assumed. Mouth met straw and Edd took a sip from the straw. Quicker than he thought possible, Marie's head was right next to his, also taking a drink from the shake. Instinctually he looked to the side as he caught a sign of motion only to see a flash of light from Marie's phone. Edd sat down quickly.

"What was that?" He asked accusingly. He was starting to get tired of Marie's tricks.

"What was what?" Marie said, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Edd just stared at her, his irritation allowing him to stare her down.

"Aw come on, I just wanted a picture to commemorate our first real date." Marie said, after a moment of awkward silence.

"If you had asked, I might have taken a picture with you voluntarily." he said, anger beginning to fade into annoyance.

"Yeah right," Marie scoffed "Just let me have this. You avoid me like the plague, can you blame a girl for tryin?"

"I suppose not, just please ask next time."

Edd slid the shake over towards Marie and she silently drank, the comfortable mood ruined. Marie slid out of her seat and Edd followed suit. They walked out of the restaurant, glancing at the empty table that held Nazz and Kevin. They made it all the way to the trailer before Marie broke the silence.

"So, uh, are we cool? I'll delete the picture if it bothers you that much." she said quietly.

Edd knew he had to choose he words carefully.. He felt like the fresh air calmed him down. He shouldn't have been surprised that Marie would pull something like that. What upset him was that he was actually enjoying the dinner. Marie's antics just reminded him of the old times. But he had never heard her apologize before, at least not sincerely.

"It's not the picture that bothers me, Marie." Edd said.

"I know. It's just..." she trailed off, scuffing her boot on the ground.

Edd had never seen Marie like this. She never showed weakness, at least not to Edd. He moved closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, I get it. No harm done." he said.

She ducked under his arm and hugged him, quickly releasing him and moving toward the door of the trailer. She looked over her shoulder at him as she walked inside

"Thanks for the dinner, Edd. I'll be in touch." she said, shutting the door.

Edd turned and walked back to his house. The dreaded ordeal of taking Marie Kanker to dinner had been mostly enjoyable to his surprise. A small price to pay to placate her for a while. He wouldn't have to see her until the engine lift was ready. He would use that reprieve to focus his attention on the van. He let himself into the house and made his way to his room. The computer screen came to life as he turned his machine on. He brought up the spreadhseets and automotive manuals and began continuing his research. He triple checked the budget and found that they would still be hard pressed to adhere to it. He adjusted a few values, appropriating some money form one area to another, trying his best to balance it in a way that would make sense. The night wore on with no interruption to his work, just as he liked it.

-Break-

Edd's alarm rang at precisely 6 AM. He rolled over and silenced it, forcing himself to get up from the comfort of his bed. He dressed and prepared for the day as he would any other. He would have rathered slept in, but the van needed his attention. The timetable to have the van running by the beginning of the school year was tight and if that meant waking up early, he was prepared to sacrifice. He poured himself a cup of coffee and glanced at the list of chores his parents had prepared for him. He had already completed a majority of them, and the others could wait. Eddy and Ed would be here soon to help him work in the garage.

The lifeless hulk stared him down as he entered the garage. The amount of work that would be needed intimidated him.

'One problem at a time' he thought as he pulled on a pair of mechanic's gloves.

Hours passed and kept waiting to hear the garage door open, signalling the arrival of his friends, but none came. He had expected as much. He adjusted the light he had hung from the hood and began to formulate a plan. He pulled out a small camera and began taking pictures. He found enjoyment in the slow dissassembly of the inner components of the van. He was maneuvering the socket to a hard to reach bolt far in the engine compartment, concentrating so fully that he didn't hear the garage door open. Eddy and Ed walked in to see Edd's upper half inside the van. A mischievous grin crept across Eddy's face. He walked quietly up to Edd's side.

"Hey Sockhead!" he yelled.

Edd jumped and jerked back, hitting his head on the hood, almost losing his balance completely. He turned an angry look towards Eddy's laughing form.

"Ha ha ha, Eddy, very funny."

Eddy's laugh faded into giggles as he peeked into the engine compartment.

"Oh it was too choice to pass up." Eddy said

Ed walked up to the van looking in as well.

"How's the dissection going Double D?" Ed asked, reaching in and poking around.

Edd moved over to the worktable and began arranging his tools back into their proper place.

"Well enough, I suppose. I'm taking care to document each step so when I reassemble everything it will be just as it should." Edd turned to see Ed holding the distributor cap

"Oh, whoops. It just came right off." Ed said eyeing the cap over.

"That's alright. There's only one place that can go anyway. Just set it over there with the other parts. Label it as well please." Edd said.

Ed walked over to a mostly empty shelf and placed the cap in a random spot.

"So how was the date last night? You still have all your limbs so she didn't murder ya." Eddy said. "Wouldn't put it past them though."

"Oh! Maybe they brainwashed him to use for their own nefarious purposes." Ed said, sticking his arms straight out in front of his body. "He will serve as their zombie slave!"

Ed and Eddy began to laugh.

"Gentlemen, please. I haven't been brainwashed or possesed, and I'm fairly certain there was no murdering. Dinner was nice and Marie's company wasn't that bad."

"Careful Double D, that sounds pretty treasonous. Wouldn't want you gettin all buddy buddy with the Kankers now." Eddy said.

Edd walked over to the designated parts shelf and labeled the distributor cap, placing it in its correct spot.

"Treason? That's a bit hyperbolic don't you think? Marie got her date, and we get an egnine lift that much quicker." Edd said. "Now lets get to work."

Eddy and Ed spent most of their time working on the interior of the van. They knew better than to try to help Edd when he was working on a project this important. They could handle all the cosmetic stuff and he could handle the mechanical part.

The hours passed methodically. The interior of the van had been completely stripped out. Eddy and Ed grabbed a water each and walked over to the hood compartment to see how Edd was doing. The imbalance of work was making itself obvious. They were pretty much done with the interior, as far as removing everything. Edd had barely made a dent.

"Geez this is gonna be pretty one-sided. You sure you don't need help over there Double D?" Eddy asked.

Edd pulled himself out of the engine compartment holding a couple of cracked tubes.

"I had anticipated as much." he said, "It would be best if I did this alone. I have my methods and would feel more confident with my documentation process. No offense meant."

"Hey Sockhead, just means more work for you." Eddy said as he shrugged. "Me and Ed are gonna call it a day. Its hot in here and we need a break. Besides there's not much else for us to do. I'd rather get it running first and then make it look nice."

"Yeah I need to cool off. I feel like I'm melting." Ed said, peeling his shirt off and standing in front of the fan they had placed at the garage door to get some circulation.

Edd grabbed his camera and took another picture of the engine and of the hoses he took out.

"That's fine, gentlemen. You can leave if you'd like. I've got a bit more work ahead of me before I can call it quits for the day." Edd said as he looked at the clock. It read 5 PM, plenty of time before he had to complete his chores.

"Alright man, but if you need us you know where we live." Eddy said as he and Ed left the garage. "Don't die of heatstroke in there."

Edd waved them off and returned to his work. It's not that he didn't trust his friends, he just knew they would disrupt his process. He didn't want to admit that the work intimidated him. He just had had to do more research until he fully understood what he was doing. It was always easier to take something apart then it was to put it back together. He left the engine compartment and laid down on a rolling creeper to take a look at the undercarriage. He continued to document the damage and repairs necessary. He made a mental note to thank Marie for lending him the jacks. It would be close to impossible to do this otherwise. He went to grab the oil pan he had placed near the van. Now was as good a time as ever to drain whatever was left in it. It was just out of reach. He was about to give up when he felt the edge of the pan being slid underneath his fingers.

"Thanks guys, saved me a trip. Could you hand me that wrench as well?" Edd said, sliding the pan into place and reaching out for the wrench. He felt it hit his palm and began taking out the plug in the bottom of the drain pan. He made sure that he wouldn't be hit by any oil as he loosened it. The oil spilled out and over his gloves as he fully removed the plug. He let the oil drain, taking care that none would spill onto the garage floor.

"Alright coming out, clear the legs." He said as gripped the frame of the van and slid himself out from underneath in one fluid motion. He felt friction against his leg as rubbed against something. Most likely someone's leg he thought. What he didn't expect was Marie's face filling his vision with a smirk on her face. Edd was startled. He had thought it was Ed coming back to lend a hand. Marie placed a hand on either side of Edd's shoulders as she leaned over him.

"Hey sweetie, you miss me?"

Edd, thinking quickly, gave an extra push against the frame. He slid clear of Marie and stood up as fast as he could, lest she try to pin him down again. She turned to look at him with a frown on her face before standing up.

"What are you doing here Marie?" Edd asked as he picked up the creeper and laid it against the wall. "You got your date already."

Marie shrugged and moved towards the engine compartment.

"Yeah I know, can't wait til the next one. I just came here to see how you were doing on this thing."

Edd watched as she tugged on a pair of gloves he had laying near the hood and start poking around. He hesitated, unsure of her motives.

"I'm taking my time documenting the entire process so that when I attempt to reassemble everything, it will go smoothly." he said as picked up the camera and snapped a photo of the drain pan beneath the van.

"That's pretty smart." he heard her say from the other side of the van. "Got any plans for the engine yet? It's probably bricked."

Edd placed the camera back down and moved over to stand near Marie. He made sure to not stand right next to her.

"Unfortunately I think you're right. I'm expecting a full rebuild. I am somewhat nervous, to be honest." he said.

"Why would you be nervous?" Marie said as she turned her attention to Edd and peeled her gloves off.

"Well it's quite the undertaking. I've worked with motors and engines before, but nothing that appeared this far gone." Edd said as he closed the garage door and turned off the fan. "I was just finishing up for the day. Would you like to continue this conversation where it's cool?

"Is that an invite? You're willingly allowing me into your house? Who are you and where's my boyfriend?" Marie said jokingly as she stepped inside. Edd was surprised as she kicked off her boots and placed them next to the assortment of shoes that had gathered at the entrance.

"I'm not your boyfriend" Edd said as he led the way to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

"Not yet anyway." Marie said as grabbed a cup for Edd to fill as well. "One of these days you'll be singin' a different tune. So how are you gonna go about rebuilding the engine?"

Edd finished his drink quickly, The summer heat leaving him parched.

"Well I've been doing some research on the internet. Reading forums and watching videos and the like. There's nothing for this particular model so I'm just trying to glean basic techniques. That's as far as I've gotten."

"Well let me see what you're lookin' at and I can point you toward some useful videos."

Edd considered her offer. She did seem to know more about automotive repairs than he did. Surely she could be a credible source.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. My computer is upstairs in my room. Follow me, please." he said as he led the way.

He expected some quip from Marie, but heard none. He never thought he'd be leading a Kanker to the safe haven of his room willingly. They entered the room and Edd led the way to his computer desk. His laptop sat on top with a black screen. Post-it notes and notebook surrounded it, covered with notes referencing videos and information he had gathered. He sat in the chair and started to boot up his rig. He heard the 'floomp' of a body hitting his mattress and turned to see Marie sprawled on it.

"Oh man, this is comfy. I'm pretty jealous babe, this bed rocks." she said as she spread her arms out and closed her eyes in contentment.

"Uh, thanks, I guess. It is rather comfortable. It shouldn't be much longer before my laptop is on." Edd said. He looked around and noticed he had no other chair for Marie to sit in. "Would you like my seat so you can see what information I've gathered?"

Marie scooted across the bed so she was sitting against the wall and patted next to her.

"This way we can both see it and I don't have to give up comfy bed time." she said.

Edd unplugged his laptop from the charging cable and made his way toward the bed.

"No funny business, promise?" he said as he handed her the laptop and climbed on the bed.

"Nope, no promises." Marie said as she winked at Edd, "But I'll try to control myself."

Edd sighed, figuring that is the closest he would get to compliance. He sat next to Marie, scooting closer to her so they both could see the screen. He grabbed it back from her and began navigating his bookmarks and notes.

The time passed quickly. They watched the video tutorials Edd had saved and went over all the notes he had written. Marie would point out when something was useful or not. Her advice was a great asset, Edd found. She was able to help him find a more extensive video on engine rebuilding that would be more helpful. They decided to take a break from research and began watching a movie they found they both enjoyed when Edd felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy. He didn't remember when they had transferred from a sitting position to laying down next to each other. His half-asleep mind started blaring out warning signals, urging him to get up and regain some sense. But they were all for naught as he closed his eyes, just for a minute, he said. Just a minute and then he would stir Marie from her snoring slumber and they would part ways.

But he didn't. The movie played on and faded to a black screen as the sun stretched across the sky, lending a pleasant warmth to the two sleeping figures on the bed.