Beakers and Beanies

Chapter 3

***TW: violence and slurs***

After the clapping and back pats are over, a teammate turns to Kevin and gives him a hardy grip on the shoulder. 

"I'm glad you finally did something, man. I was beginning to think you were gay! I mean, hanging around a cute girl and never wanting her? Impossible, man." 

Everyone laughs in response to this while simply Kevin smiles along. "Impossible Mike, but do you really think I look it?" He flicks the guy's chin and laughs flood the room again.

"God forbid the man is homosexual," Edd mutters to himself rather sarcastically as he takes his camera off it's stand and begins to put it in it's bag. Kevin turns his head at him, stunned. The football player that said the statement does the same and once Edd meets his eyes he, for a second, finds himself regretting his very existance.

"Huh? What'd you say, nerd? If you're gunna say something, say it so we all hear." The football player orders. 

Edd gulps, his mouth suddenly dry. "I-I was merely saying that Kevin being homosexual couldn't possibly be the worst thing in the world... that is if he is, in fact, homosexual." He responds, voice a trembling mess. 

"Hah! Oh! You gay then? Jealous that he didn't ask you to the dance? Jealous he's not in your ramming your shit-hole?" Edd is frozen, utterly disgusted with his eyes glued to his camera clutched to him as he continues to look down, face now a deep, bright red.

"No, I am just saying that you, as his friend, should support-" He turns his back and is beginning to leave as he speaks but a hand yanks the back of his cardigan and slams him back against the locker. Edd's breathe escapes him and he gasps, wincing at the pain in his back as he clutches his camera closer to his body.

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do, fag." Mike threatens.

The word makes Edd shiver. He can probably maybe stand up to Kevin for a second but stand up to a room full of Kevins? No, never-- it's impossible.

"I-I just-" "You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?" Edd looks up to see a fist in the air, and in his direction. He flinches and coveres his face but nothing makes contact with his body.

"Stop." Kevin was holding the boy's fist, his voice deeper than usual. The boy spins face Kevin. "What?! You're defending him? Why? He your gay best friend?" He barks.
Kevin gave him a tired but stern look.

"You're the one who can't keep your mouth shut, Mike." Kevin continues, "We're playing an important-as-fuck game in less than 20 minutes, stop acting like idiots, he isn't worth it." He lectures.

Edd is hurt. Yeah, that one hurt. They're the bullies here. All of them. He is let go as the rooms tension slowly subsides and Kevin returns to preparation, with Mike muttering senseless slur words to Edd.

Edd ignores him and turns to leave as the jock scratches the back of his neck behind him. Kevin then notices something and calls out to the other boy. "Hey Edd, your- uh- sweater's ripped."

 Edd stops and takes off his cardigan to take a look at the giant tear down the back. He sighs. Kevin continues, "Probably shouldn't be putting yourself in situations like that if you don't want anymore ripped sweaters. Here, it was the fault of my teammate anyway." He holds out a jacket for Edd to take.

Edd stares at it before opening his mouth to speak.

"You just got called gay and definitely said you weren't and now you're offering him your football jacket. Way to keep contradicting yourself." A voice belonging to someone nearby addresses them, resulting in Edd qiuickly closing his lips. They turns to meet a tall brown haired boy with green eyes and a mole below the side of his lip. 

"Way to be a bystander, Jay." Kevin follows his comment by rolling his eyes.

The taller boy called Jay ignores him and continues, "If you're cold you can have this." 

He puts a hoodie on the bench in between Kevin and Edd. Edd meets his eyes as the guy raises his hand to shake that of Edd's. Kevin tosses his own jacket into his locker, slamming it. 

"O-Oh, I'm Eddward hello. Well thank you but I couldn't possibly do that. I should be fine. It's just a tear." He smiles weakly, slightly nervous and still exhausted from what just happened. 

Before Jay can say anything else Kevin starts, "Yeah alright well we gotta go." 

"Nice to meet you Edd, have a good night. Don't let this mess ruin your mood." The words from Jay made Edd's face heat up just the slightest. Kevin found himself staring a second too long at Jay. His mind musters a, the fuck?

Edd nodds as looks down once. "Thank you. Good luck." He proceeds to wrap the camera in his cardigan before scurrying away. He opena the door that leads out of the boy's locker room so fast he almost hit Nazz, who was waiting right outside. 

"Whoah Double D, you good? Sorry about all that I thought it'd be better to wait out here after... all that." She smiles then looks at him more closely, slightly concerned. 

"Y-Yes Nazz everything is fine. I'm ready to go now. "