Orange Dreamsicle

Forgive and Forget

                             Orange Dreamsicle

                                 Forgive and Forget
                                         Chapter 8

          Jon walked out the front door, heading over to Eduardo's house. He knocked on the door before looking down at the ground. A few seconds passed, and the door opened. Jon looked up, seeing Mark. "Oh, hello! Is Eduardo home?" He asked, feeling a bit more comfortable seeing Mark. "Yeah, hold on." Mark spoke before going to get Eduardo. Jon slowly stepped inside the house, letting himself in. Eduardo walked over to him. "Hey," he said, awkwardness filling the air between them. "Okay, no, we're not going to be awkward like you were with me; just go talk you two." Mark said as he pushed them both outside. They stared at Mark as he shut the door behind them before both let out a sigh, one of annoyance and the other just to calm himself. "Okay, listen." Eduardo began. "I'm sorry. I know, I was an asshole, and you probably hate me, but I'm sorry." He continued, looking at Jon. "I forgive you." Jon spoke, causing a shocked look from Eduardo. "You know you don't have to forgive me, right?" Eduardo asked, still shocked. "I know, but I do. Second chance, you know?" Jon gave a soft smile. "So, will you come back to living with me?" Eduardo asked, getting a nod from Jon. "To be honest, I missed you both, and I miss the chaos between us, you know, when we weren't fighting." Jon explained, looking down at his feet as he tapped his fingers together. Eduardo let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, just come tell me when you're ready to move back in." He said, a small smile on his face. Jon nodded before hurrying back to Edd's house to tell Edd. Eduardo watched him before walking back inside, only to get himself a headlock from Mark. "Proud of you." Mark said, smirking. "Let go, you ass." Eduardo pulled himself away from Mark, getting a slight chuckle from him.

Tord made his way over to Edd. "You wanted to talk to me?" He was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Yeah," Edd said as he sat down at the kitchen table with Tord. "Alright, sir, talk to me." Edd spoke, leaning on the table. Tord tilted his head, confused. "About what?" He asked, curious about what Edd was going on about. "Okay, let me say this. Are you okay?' Edd asked. The question hit Tord like a bullet through his chest. If he didn't have the amount of control he had over himself, he probably would've broken just because of one simple question. "Of course I'm fine!" Tord shrugged it off. "Why wouldn't I be?" He chuckled softly, gaining a suspicious look from Edd. "Seriously, I'm fine." Tord leaned on the table, copying Edd. "Just fine?" Edd asked, prying. He was going to check in on every single one of his friends until he knew for sure that they were all okay. "Yes, well... no, I am. I'm just fine." Tord answered. Edd stared at Tord before sighing. "Okay, but if you need anything, just tell me." He spoke before standing up from the table and walking off. "Wait!" Tord spoke up, the emotions building up more quickly than he could do anything about it. "No... I'm not fine." He finally confessed. "In fact, I'm doing as horribly as I could be right now." He continued as Edd walked back over to his seat and sat down, listening. "I mean, I found out I'm part monster, and my mom and dad never told me, and now I have to relearn all that bullshit just because they couldn't tell and teach their own kid all about it." Tord began to tear up. "I'm not mad at my mom; she's always done as dad says, and I don't blame her; he's lowkey scary, but my dad really couldn't tell me that one thing? How much did he hate me?" He said this as he began to cry, covering his face. Edd sat up, frowning. "What can I do to help you?" Edd asked, scooting closer to Tord. "I don't know... I just feel lost. I don't know how any of you could help." Tord continued speaking through his tears, keeping his face covered. Edd continued listening. He wasn't really expecting Tord to breakdown, but he's glad he spoke to him. "I mean, I'm thankful to have you guys. I'm thankful for everything you guys did for me. I just don't know how to handle all this." Tord remembered what had happened with Paul and Pat and began to take deep breaths to calm himself, uncovering his face. "Genuinely, thank you. I appreciate you guys." Tord said as he looked over at Edd. "How about we go out for a bit and walk around?" Edd asked, wanting Tord to get some fresh air and relax a bit. "Yeah, sure." Tord nodded. They both stood up and headed out of the kitchen to the living room, then out the front door. "Oh, aren't you going to tell the others?" Tord asked. "They'll be fine." Edd shrugged it off before beginning to walk with Tord. "How about a monster and a slushie?" Edd asked, looking a Tord. "Sounds good to me." Tord nodded. "Alright. Now, keep talking to me." Edd spoke in a soft tone as they began to walk in the direction of the gas station.

"Alright, Matt, your turn." Edd said as he entered the house and motioned for Matt to follow him to the kitchen. Matt looked at him confusedly before following. "My turn? For what?" He asked as he sat down with Edd. "So, tell me, how are you? Are you okay?" Edd asked. "Yeah? I'm doing great! We have that venue coming up; life is great! Why do you ask?" Matt asked, confused. "Just checking in; are you sure you're alright?" Edd spoke, leaning on the table. "I will bite you and turn you into a vampire too; yes, I am alright." Matt gave an unenthusiastic reaction. "Okay, okay, just checking; bring Tom in here." Edd said as he sat up straight. Matt nodded and got up. "Tom, Edd wants you." He said this as he sat down in the chair next to the sofa. "Okay?" Tom spoke as he stood up and walked to the kitchen, standing in front of the table. "Yes?" He was just as confused as the others. "Doing a checkup, are you alright?" Edd asked. "I'm alive." Tom responded before sitting in the chair. "But how are you feeling?" Edd asked, crossing his arms. "What is this? Why are you checking in on everyone?" Tom crossed his arms too, smirking. "Okay, yeah, you're alright. I'm just checking on everyone; there's been so much stress, and I wanted to see if you guys needed to talk or needed help with anything." Edd explained. "That's sweet of you, babe, but I'm okay. I'm alive, and I have you guys, and that's all I could ask for right now." Tom's smirk turned into a smile. "Good, I'm glad you're alright." Edd said as he stood up and walked over to Tom. "Just remember, I'm here for you." He said this as he put his thumb and finger under Tom's chin, making him look at him. "I love you." He whispered. "I love you too, and I know." Tom leaned forward, both sharing a short kiss before Tom stood up, and they both went back into the living room. "What are you playing?" Tom asked Tord before looking at the screen. "Let me join!" Tom said this after realizing what game he was playing. "Hell yeah!" Tord smiled. Edd looked at them all, smiling softly to himself. Sometimes he feels like the older brother or dad of the group, even though he wasn't the oldest, but he sure feels like it sometimes, at least mentally. Either way, he's proud of them all.