DJG: Sorry for taking forever to upload this chapter, college is nasty and I am not okay with how much time it takes. Le sigh. Hopefully next semester will be better. Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter! :)

Kevin headed for the locker room as soon as gym was over. As one of the school's jocks, he was given a bit of leeway by the gym teacher, and was allowed to leave and change sooner than the rest.

However, the locker room wasn't empty as it usually was.

Kevin froze in the doorway, eyes wide as they fell upon the sight before him.

Standing at the sink, hands trembling a bit and holding on to the sides of the ceramic for support, was Eddward, who was visibly sweating and staring into the mirror as he spoke.

"Gather yourself, Eddward...r-remain calm. Th-this is no longer middle school, a-and James will not hurt you as he once did. Dodge ball is s-simply a child's game...shying away from it is beneath you-! Th-this is simply an o-overabundance of s-serotonin...c-caused by..." He trailed off, running a hand up to his head and tugging the ski hat off, his fingers tangling in his dark hair as he stared hard at his scar.

It was at that moment that his eyes locked with Kevin's in the mirror.

Eddward froze, before whirling around and giving a snarl. "You! What gives you the right?! How dare you!?" He demanded, grabbing Kevin by the front of his gym shirt and slamming him into the wall.

Kevin's breath was knocked out of him, his green eyes widening as he looked up at the taller boy. He was only taller by the slightest amount, but in their current predicaments, he felt much smaller than usual.

And then it hit Kevin. He made other people feel like this /all the time/. The teen had been akin to royalty all throughout elementary school and had never been challenged for that spot. So to have someone physically attack him for something as simple as walking into the locker room (something he had bullied nerds for in the past), made him feel terrible.

He felt like a dick.

Eddward's eyes were narrowed and angry. "You...! You were not supposed to see me in this state!" He snapped, his hands tightening in Kevin's shirt so much that he was nearly lifting him from the ground.

Kevin was still reeling from the idea that he wasn't just a jock. Wasn't a popular kid, necessarily. He was a bully. He had never considered that before. It was such an ugly word, but that was exactly what he was.

Shame was not an emotion he was familiar with, and he didn't like the way it felt at all.

"L-look, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be in here." He said, looking away.

Eddward blinked in surprise. An apology? And a genuine one, at that? How curious. But was it a trick somehow?

He sneered. "Of course not. You don't care about anyone's whereabouts except for yourself and others you deem 'popular' enough. I was just assaulted by a classmate, and you didn't even wonder where I had gone, did you?"

Kevin's head hung as Eddward continued to speak. Never had he felt so low. The hat clad teen didn't seem to realize just how strong of an effect his words were having on Kevin, either.

"No, of course not. You were probably thinking of ways to terrorize your weaker classmates. Perhaps bully Double Dimwit into doing your homework for you, hm?"

At that, Kevin snapped, anger in his eyes at the insult to the smaller boy. "Leave him out of this!"

Eddward arched an eyebrow. "Why? He's simply another nerd to you. A dork. Unworthy of anything but abuse and perhaps a public beating to reinforce your own authority."

Kevin grit his teeth. Why was this talk of Double Dorko getting to him so much? He didn't really care about that loser, he was just one of the Eds. He was just-

Oh, God, Eddward was right.

"Shut up, man! You don't know anything about him, so just leave him out of this!" Kevin retorted, shoving the other boy's hands off him.

Eddward's expression went predatory. "Oh, I know enough. He has been classified into a friendship group based on a common first name, and is constantly being roped into money making schemes against his will. Still, a sense of camaraderie with them keeps him from changing the situation. In layman's terms? Double D is a whore, a whore so desperate for friendship and acknowledgement he would do anything to keep things this way."

Kevin's fist slammed into Eddward's face.

"He's not like that!" Kevin screamed, face red with anger. "Double D never starts any shit with anyone, it's that stupid Eddy! The sockhead just tries to help people with his dumb little inventions! He's not a whore! Call him that again, and I'll kick your ass, got it!?" He seethed, fully prepared to beat the snot out of this Lemon Brook asshole for talking trash about a Peach Creek kid.

Instead of fighting back, Eddward merely grinned, flashing a gapped smile as he dramatically clapped his hands. "Well, well. We're learning, aren't we, Kevin? In the course of one conversation, you've admitted to yourself that you are indeed a bully, and think less of people who are not you. And not only that, you've already begun to change your own image. You defended a dork's honor in front of someone athletically inclined. Well done." He said in a bit of a mocking tone, standing and beginning to stroll away.

Kevin stared at him, eyes wide. He was confused, what the hell just happened!?

Eddward threw up a hand, as of waving, before exiting the locker room.

"Only you can choose where to go from here. I tore you down, now build yourself back up. See you around, Pumpkin."

School ended quickly after that, with Double D and Kev walking towards their homes together as they discussed Double D's robotics project.

The boy's conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a car's engine rumbling behind them. Double D turned, confused, only to freeze as he spotted the driver of the red sportsy convertible headed their direction. White sunglasses with green lenses. Brown hat. Scraggly unshaven goatee.

Eddy's brother.

It had been three years since he had last seen him, but Double D could have sworn that he still remembered exactly how painful it was to be hit with a door into the ground.

"K-Kev, w-we should be leaving now!" He squeaked, almost hiding behind the smaller boy as the car pulled up beside them, Eddy's brother smirking over the lenses of his sunglasses.

"Heeeey, it's the girlfriend! And that so called 'macho man' tough guy who thought he could take me on? How're kicks?" He asked, a smirk on his lips. His words were friendly but his tone held danger. Double D was trembling visibly and didn't have the ability to explain that Kev was not the same boy that had helped them fight off Eddy's brother back in middle school. Even with Kevin, Rolf, Nazz, and the Kanker Sisters, the one who had done most of the work was Ed, who was sick and tired of standing by and watching Eddy's brother beat the snot out of his two closest friends.

Kev's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Macho man? I think you're confusing me with someone else." He stated, unsure of why Double D was so distressed. It sounded like these two had a history...

"No way, man, I never forget a face. Why don't you boys hop on in? Let's go for a ride, for old times' sake." His voice held a teasing tone to it, although there was a hint of darkness in it, suggesting he was asking another question entirely. Kev immediately felt uncomfortable.

Double D was now on the verge of hyperventilating. They couldn't run away, Eddy's brother was in a vehicle, and they were two nerds. Escape was unlikely. What could they do?

Eddy's brother noticed their hesitation. "C'mon, girlfriend, don't be such a killjoy. Don't you wanna check up on me? To see if I'm 'setting an example for my little bro and being a responsible sibling?'" His fingers drummed along the steering wheel. Double D flinched as his words from before were thrown back in his face.

"I-I..." He wasn't sure what to do, he was on the verge of panic! This was bad! Luckily, he wasn't alone.

Kev made a face. "Listen, um, 'sir', me and Double D need to get home, our friends are waiting for us."

A bold faced lie, Eddy was in detention, Ed was being tutored, and he had just blown Nat off over a stupid fight. Stupid! They had nobody to help them!

Eddy's brother rolled his eyes, leaning towards them as if about to jump out of the car. "Oh, I'm sure. I'll bet the whole cul-de-sac is waiting for you two to come home. Won't they be disappointed?" He smirked again, only this time, nothing was funny.

"Ahem."

Double D, Kev, and Eddy's brother all blinked and turned to the other side of Eddy's brother's car, where, to their immense surprise, stood a familiar tall figure.

Eddward's blue green eyes locked on to Eddy's brother, as if sizing him up. "I'm afraid they will have to decline your invitation." He said calmly, crossing his arms in his leather jacket and leaning against the red car. He was the picture of relaxation, like nothing about this situation was odd.

"I'm seeing double-!" Eddy's brother murmured, squinting up at Eddward's face. This kid looked exactly the same as the girlfriend! What was going on? Did the sockhead have a twin brother?

Double D and Kev gaped at the older teen. Surely there was some mistake. Why would Eddward step in to try and help them? He was just another bully...wasn't he? Well, Kev knew better than that, but he still hadn't expected him to assist.

Eddy's brother tried to regain control of the situation, looking Eddward up and down and licking his lips. "Well, that's a bummer for them. Maybe someday I can give you a ride, eh?"

Kev's jaw dropped. This creep had a lot of nerve, talking to Eddward like that! Double D's eyes flicked between the two, nervously biting his nails.

Eddward made a small, flirtatious smile, revealing the gap in his front teeth as he leaned closer. "I suppose anything is possible. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of acquiring your name?"

Eddy's brother gave a lewd grin, taking his sunglasses off. "It's Eric. I'm Eddy's big brother. You might have heard of me." He made an obvious show of looking the swimmer up and down. Evidently he liked what he saw.

Kev blinked, grabbing Double D's arm. "Let's get out of here!" He hissed, tugging on the taller of the two's arm and beginning to walk away.

Eric's eyes darted back to them. "Excuse me, sweetheart, I just have a little unfinished business with these two. You understand the situation." He said to Eddward, turning his attention back to the two nerds and acting as if he was about to get out of the car.

"Oh. I'm afraid it's you who doesn't understand the situation, 'sweetheart.'" Eddward's voice hardened instantly, eyes narrowing under the shadow of his hat. Eddy's brother turned back to look at the teen, confusion in his features. He gave a choked gasp as Eddward's fingers wrapped around his shirt and yanked him nearly over the side of the car.

"You listen to me, right now, you sick son of a bitch. Those two?" He gestured towards Double D and Kev. "Those dorks are mine. The only one with the right to abuse or harass them is me, and if I ever hear a notion that you've attempted to contact them again, I will not hesitate to teach you why that is a mistake...lesson by painful lesson. Are we clear...'Bro'?" He asked, eyes dangerous. His volume had never risen above a speaking tone, but the way he said it still sent cold shivers down Kev's spine.

Eddy's brother resisted the urge to tremble, instead playing it off, yanking Eddward's hands off him. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, but you better watch yourself, brat!" He snapped, before hitting the gas and peeling out, ignoring the fact that despite having the last word, he was the one who was scared off. Eddward hmphed and crossed his arms, glancing back over at Double D and Kev.

"You. Double Distracting. That was for the event with the locker. We're even now." He said. Double D nodded quickly, relief evident in his features despite the blush he acquired from the nickname. He'd take a beating and spending a class in a locker a thousand times over to have avoided getting in the car with Eddy's brother.

Eddward's attention returned to Kev. "Now, Pumpkin...we, however, are not even. Come with me, I am returning to my home. I require your assistance in a project I am completing." And with that, he turned to leave, knowing without looking that Kev would follow.

And the shorter boy did, a feeling of gratitude and...something else in his chest. Respect? No, that wasn't quite it...

Double D blinked at the retreating pair, not bothering to call Kev back. They would simply have to hang out another time. And so, he turned the opposite direction and continued the trek home alone.

"He did WHAT?!" Eddy shrieked, eyes bugging out wildly at the news that his brother was back in town.

Double D rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "He...he attempted to get both Kev and myself to get into the vehicle with him...I suspect if Eddward hadn't arrived that he would have used force."

Eddy tugged at his hair impatiently. "That sneaky bastard! He hasn't told my parents that he's back in town! Why would he come crawlin' back to the cul-de-sac after all this time? And why was he tryin' to pick you up?" He asked, shooting a look at Double D.

The hat wearing Edd shook his head. "I admit, I am perplexed as well. He seemed convinced that Kev was actually Kevin, and seemed to be trying to instigate a fight."

Ed blinked and gave a small frown. "I do not like Eddy's brother, Double D! He is like the villainous Captain Flapjack in my comic book! He will destroy us all!" He cried, covering his mouth with his hands as if Eddy's brother would pop out of nowhere.

Double D blinked in surprise at Ed's honest reaction. He wouldn't have expected Ed to really understand the situation...but the taller boy had surprised him yet again. He gave a nod. "I understand your concerns, Ed."

Eddy shot then both a look. "Do you? Do you really? My bro's crazy, if he was trying to get to Sockhead and the nerdy Kevin, then he's gonna try again. I'm gonna tell my parents he's back in town, maybe they'll keep him occupied for awhile."

Double D nodded. "That seems plausible. I must admit, he seemed rather angry at Eddward Khouth, and I worry a bit for his safety as well. He did, in a sense, rescue us from your brother."

Eddy snorted. "That dickhead? Forget him! He's trouble, I don't care if he was nice once! He can handle himself."

Kevin frowned to himself as he sat at his desk at home, a can of pop in one hand and his phone in the other. He was idly searching the web, not really doing anything productive. He tried to tell himself he was having fun, but he kept being distracted by a nagging thought at the back of his mind.

Eddward.

Not the little one that he had grown up harassing. The new one, the one who he had caught having a panic attack in the bathroom today.

The one who had basically shattered his self image and scattered the pieces around in the course of one conversation.

Kevin sighed and rubbed his temples. "Damn it." He had never really thought about the consequences of his actions before. With his mom long gone, and his dad often busy at work, Kevin had never really had a solid grasp of how he was supposed to behave.

Now he had all this guilt, and wasn't sure what to do with it. But what was that Eddward had said? 'I tore you down, now build yourself back up?' How did he do that? This was getting way too deep for him.

As much as he didn't like it, it was true. He could change how he appeared to others...if he wanted.

On one hand, he could start being nicer, and assuage his guilty conscience. On the other, he had the football team and most of the school wrapped around his finger. He decided what was cool, and dished out punishment to those who weren't. Would he give that up?

Could he?

Cursing under his breath, he tossed the pop aside and reached into his desk drawer for a bottle of something stronger. A nice drink of Black Velvet, stolen from his dad's liqueur cabinet. He took a swig, giving a noise of disgust at the sharp flavor and harsh burn of the whiskey. However, a few mouthfuls later, he got the effect he was looking for.

He couldn't have an existential crisis sober, now could he?

DJG: Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with CombinED for the long breaks between chapters! Hopefully the next update will be up to everyone's standards! :) Love you all!