✓ 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐲 ━━ 𝗋𝖾𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾.

𝟏. first day of sophomore year

     𝓐 venomous voice yelled throughout the empty house, every morning like it constantly occurred without an off switch. "Eddie! Wake up, you're gonna be late!" The brunette jumped up out of his cloud-like pillows and blankets, purely out of the shock from his mothers bellowing voice just down the hallway. He squinted his tired, droopy eyes as a groan escaped his lips—limbs shaking from his morning stretch. Glancing over at the clock rested on his cocoa-colored oak night stand, which was cluttered with many aged books and empty ink pens that needed to be replaced for new ones shortly, he noticed the few minutes he had to get ready or else he'd be late and embarrassed.

     "Jesus," Eddie muttered hastily under his breath, jumping out of the covers and toward the bathroom so he could at least try and fit in a shower. It was a Monday morning, the first day of Eddies sophomore year. Last year wasn't the best...actually, it was the worst. It was like he attracted bullies, but now it was like a fresh start for him. He didn't want to think about last year, he simply just tried to push it out of his mind, stripping from his clothes and turning the shower on so he could start to get ready for the lengthily day ahead of him.

     Eddie had three close best friends. He met Stanley in elementary, so they were pretty close. Stanley was a very well-taken care of boy. Honey curls framed his gorgeous warm skin tone, his dreamy eyes always being the first thing everyone notices when they first lay their eyes on him. Eddie always thought of him as a pretty boy—he was surely very handsome, but Stanley never thought of himself that way. He didn't have much confidence.

     Stanley then introduced him to Ben and Beverly, the perfect duo who always spent endless amounts of time together. Ben was a chubby kid in his younger days, yet all the unwanted bullying he received for it motivated him to better himself and learn his respect. He knew he deserved better. Beverly always had a soft spot for the boy, which is how they ended up being so close. Ben was head over heels for the red-headed girl. Eddie would always tease the two about how much time they spent with each other, but Beverly would always insist they were friends and nothing more.

Bill was his newest friend. He met the auburn haired boy last year on his first day as a freshman. Bill helped him through so much during that year, always sharing science notes and giving one another math homework so that neither of them had received a bad grade. Eddie was almost as close and similar as him like he was with Stanley.

     Once the water got to a comfortable and warm temperature, Eddie went in and began to wash his hair at a rapid pace, feeling the water wash away at his skin. His large eyes scanned around the small spots of white space for the soap bottles, but every time he grabbed them, they were all empty. He huffed and peaked his head out from the soaked shower curtain. "Mom?!" He shouted aloud, waiting for some kind of half-hearted response.

     After a few long seconds, Sonia appeared at the door with furrowed brows and a confused look in her eyes. "Did we run out of body wash?" He asked with a bit of an embarrassed sigh. Sonia sighed as well before carefully leaning down and opening the cabinet under the sink, the sound of shower water hitting the shower floor like rain on pavement.

     Eddie's mother pulled out a bottle of soap and handed it to him before exiting the bathroom and locking the door for him, informing him to hurry up once more. Eddie looked down at the bottle, his face grimacing at the corny cartoon of a purple octopus on the front of the neon green bottle. You're kidding, he thought. He scoffed before opening the cap and poured the distasteful soap into his hand, having no choice but to use it.