Eddward Rockwell looked from his father to his mother.

"Hello, Eddward," the new Mrs Sebastian Rockwell, Sophia, said softly. "I know this may be a surprise to you, but I am glad to finally met you."

Eddward just nodded.

Sebastian took his son by the shoulder and lead him to the plastic covered couch in his mother's pristine living room.

"I know this is sudden, but we'll be moving soon. I want to get into Peach Creek by the weekend because Monday starts the work week for us and school for you, young man. The movers will be here Wednesday morning. Anything you want to take with you, make sure to put in neat piles on the floor in your room. Special things and at least a week's worth of clothes need to go in your new luggage. Sophie will be here to help you while I get things settled in our new home."

Again Eddward just nodded.

Allison Rockwell sucked her dentures.

"Chin up, Eddward. You are a Rockwell. We roll with the punches."

"Yes, Grandmother," Eddward said softly as he raised his head to look the woman in the eye.

Her cold brown eyed gaze met his relieved own.

Scowl met smirk.

In the distance a trash truck was heard rolling down the street.

"Go take out the trash, Eddward," Allison ordered

The raven haired boy had never been happier to toss a bit more of his life away.

True to their word, Eddward's parents were there to help the formerly motherless child leave the home he had spent the first six years of his life in. When he was only three months old, his biological mother experienced a psychotic break. It'd be years before she was formally diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder. But considering that she nearly sliced her newborn son's head open to check to see how his young brain was developing, the former pediatric nurse was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison. This left her husband, an intern in residence at the local hospital to care for the young boy. But his hours wouldn't allow for direct parenting like hers would have. So he counted on his mother for help.

Allison Rockwell was a tough as nails child of The Great Depression. Having survived The Dust Bowl, she took the world head on with a wad of chewing tobacco in the corner of her mouth and her spit jar in hand. How Sebastian had an actual bedside manner considering who his mother was was a bit of a miracle. When he met his first wife, Amanda, the nurse had the scientific formal for iron on her right arm and a set doves taking flight on her left wrist, was sweet and unpredictable. She worked hard, had a bit of OCD and was so much fun. But when Eddward was born, something in the woman snapped. She was very keen on documenting every step of his development. Sebastian thought she was just being a fussy, over protective first time mom, but the knife to Eddward's head after a diaper change was a bit much.

But Allison was there every night Eddward was in the hospital, brought the child home with her, and raised him as best she could. Thankfully, the boy was an independent child. But sometimes, he was too independent, his mother's free spirit shining through. Over time he learned to quell it to avoid a whipping or lecture from his children should be seen and not heard grandmother. His father, when he wasn't working, encouraged him, though, much to Alison's dismay.

But finally out from under his grandmother's tough love home, he was free. Peach Creek was a nice place with nice people. The cul-de-sac his parents had moved him to was full of kids his own age. There was a trailer park near by that he spent most of his elementary school and middle school years avoiding like the plague. He played and tried to make a quick buck off his neighbors with like named friends at their homes, the nearby park and in the center of their cul-de-sac.

However, sometime before eighth grade, a scam went horribly, terribly wrong. Seeking shelter from his very angry neighbors, he and his friends ran to his best friend's brother for help. The young man only helped himself into another round of hurting his brother. Eddward got a beating for his trouble in trying to help his friend. But their neighbors rallied to their defense, a trio of sisters from the trailer park taking up the rear and dealing the final blows against their much larger assailant.

Because of this, the kids realized that no matter who you were, everyone deserved a friend. But for one, the lesson wouldn't be retained.

Ed, Edd and Eddy were hitting up the mall for some clothes, lunch and candy before their high school careers began. All three Eds were on the freshman squads for three different sports teams at Peach Creek High. Football for Ed, swim team for Eddward and the wrestling team for Eddy. Eddy was having the hardest time adapting to his new status of being a team member because his brother's reputation as one of the state's top wrestlers proceeded him. Despite being an all around jerk, Terry Sampson was a championship wrestler with several unbroken records to his name. He should have gone to college on several scholarships, but his grades weren't up to par and the idea of more school after high school was not an idea he liked at all. He barely graduated and moved to the coast, getting a job at the boardwalk's amusement park. Eddward's convinced he'll retire there, if such a thing could happen.

So when the boys run into a few of the upper classmen on the school's varsity wrestling team, Eddy's usual devil may care cockiness falters.

"'Sup, Lil Sampson," Dominic, the reigning state champ sneers, as he and his teammates effectively block the Ed's path.

"Hey, Dom," Eddy mutters.

"What was that, Skipper?," Dominic asks, ice in his tone.

"Hey there, Captain," Eddy says with a lackadaisical air that Ed and Eddward knew was a cover for a case of the nerves.

"Mmhmm, much better, Shrimpy. Who're your friends?"

"Uh, Ed and Double D, this is Captain Jones. He's on the varsity wrestling team," Eddy says by way of introductions.

"Double D?," Dominic quips as his teammates snicker.

"My name is Eddward," Eddward replies coolly. He can't stand guys like Dominic. Jerks for the sake of being a jerk was a good way to get on his bad side. "But I spell it with two D's."

"Why?"

"Why not?," Eddward shrugs.

"Check your friend," Dominic tells Eddy as he points a finger at Double D.

Eddward cocks a brow as Eddy sighs.

"Just be cool, Edd. Please," Eddy pleads.

Eddward rolls his eyes and goes to step around the group of tall teenagers in front of him, but Dominic stops him with a large hand to his chest.

"And what the fuck is with the hat?," he sneers as he takes it off Eddward's head.

And the varsity wrestling team found out how Edmond Hill got on the varsity football team by homecoming.

Swooping in to tackle the senior wrestler, he snatches the hat from Dominic and quickly puts it back on Eddward's head, but it's too late. The scar that slices his head nearly in half has been seen along with a mop of inky black curly locks. Along with wide, angry icy blue eyes, the scar makes Eddward look like a cross between badass and something out a B rate action film where the hero is really a villain.

Eddward tugs the hat back on his head, but he's shaking with rage.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to keep your damn hands to yourself?," he screams as he stands over the older boy.

"And what are you gonna do about it, you freak?!," Dominic yells back as he goes to stand up.

A kick to the gut was the only answer he got to his question before Ed grabbed Eddward to hold him back from throttling the guy into oblivion.

"D, Edd, look at me!," Ed screams as he shakes Eddward by his shoulders after he's tugged the still kicking and screaming middle Ed away from the wrestling team.

"WHAT?!," Eddward screams.

Taking in the pleading look in Ed's hazel eyes calms Edd for the moment.

"Look, I'm sorry he did that, but I think you taught him a lesson," the tallest Ed sighed as he and Edd looked back at the group of boys checking Dominic over and giving Eddy whatfor over his friend.

But Dominic locked eyes with Eddward and the ravenette knew that class was in session.

A few seconds later, Eddy stormed up to them.

"Thanks a lot, Sockhead," he seethed.

"What?!," Ed and Eddward said simultaneously.

"I've got clean up and laundry duty for the rest of the semester for that little stunt you pulled," Eddy said as he threw his hands up in the air and paced around.

"What a min," Ed said as he held up his hands in the time out signal. "You're mad at Edd, not the jackass who put his hands on him for no good reason?!"

Ed's perceptiveness was always one of his most endearing and slightly creepy qualities. With Eddward's help, he had fine tuned it a bit and was no longer the absent minded lug he used to be. So an admonishment from him meant something. Still, Eddy was pissed.

"I told him to be cool, you lug! But nooooo, he had to go and be a smart ass!"

"Removing myself from a group of neanderthals doesn't make me a smart ass, Eddy," Eddward said coldly. "It just makes me smart. As the saying goes, if your the smartest one in your circle, you need a bigger circle."

Eddy bristled at Eddward's quote. Eddward was the smartest of the three of them and probably the smartest in the cul-de-sac, but he had an easy way of making everyone want to strive for better. But sometimes, in Eddy's opinion, he could be too smart for his own good and too big for his purple britches.

"Then get the hell outta mine," Eddy said as he crossed his arms across his chest and stared Eddward down.

Eddward rose to his full height, 5'9 to Eddy's 5'5, and stared right back.

"EDDY!," Ed gasped.

"He thinks he's so much better than everyone. So how about he just practice what he preaches for once," Eddy sneered.

Eddward maintained a poker face as his heart broke.

"You were always so worried about what other people thought of you," Eddward sighed as he gathered his shopping bags from Ed. "Never once realizing that the people worth worrying over are, or in my case, were the ones that truly cared. Enjoy being top dog, Eddy. May your reign be long and your fall mighty."

Then he walked away. And once again, he felt relieved at discarding a piece of his life away.