*Tuesday* 6:43am
Gumball and Lexy were waiting for Eric to come pick them up for school as usual. Gumball was wearing a black shirt with a skull on it and worn blue jeans. Lexy was wearing her usual black T-shirts with short blue skirt. they heard Eric pull up to the house and honk the train horn. They went outside and got in the back seat. Gumball sat next to Carrie who was wearing a black and T-shirt and skirt, Lexy sat on the very right of the back seat, and Jamie was riding shotgun as usual. Jamie was wearing a black T-shirt and tight blue Jean short shorts.
Eric was wearing his "GET SOME!" Shirt, camouflage pants, work boots, and of course his mask. It seemed like a normal day but Gumball noticed Eric looked pretty pissed off.
"You OK dude?" Gumball said to Eric.
"I'm fine." Eric said still looking pissed.
"Your not fine. What's wrong?" Jamie said to Eric with concern in her voice.
"Nothing I'm fine." Eric said forcing a smile. He then kissed her and drove off.
Jamie didn't say anything she just watched him with concern as was everyone else. Eric drove and was almost to the school when he had to stop for a stop light making him mumble under his breath. He noticed a man in a car next to him looking at him.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT? DO YOU WANT ME TO COME OVER THERE, RIP OUT ONE OF YOUR RIBS AND STAB YOU TO DEATH WITH IT?" Eric yelled making the man look away quickly and startling everyone in the truck.
"Damn dude calm down." Gumball said concerned.
"I am calm. Perfectly calm. Can't you see how calm I am?" Eric said gritting his teeth and struggling to act calm.
It was quite evident that he was very angry but everyone decided not to say anything. They soon arrived at the school and meet blast at the front doors.
"What's up guys?" Blast said smiling to the group.
"Nothing much." They all said except for Eric who was spaced out and seemed to be in his own world.
"You OK?" Blast said to Eric.
"Oh Uh... yeah I'm fine." Eric said trying to act happy. Blast saw he was trying to hid his feelings but like everyone else decided not to say anything.
"I brought my motorcycle today." Blast said to Gumball.
"Sweet. You can follow us after school and hang out with us at my house." Gumball said.
"Sounds like a plan." Blast said.
The school day was pretty normal except for Eric getting progressively angrier as the day went on but he somehow managed to keep a lid on it.
*after school*
Gumball, Carrie, Eric, Jamie, Blast, and Lexy were standing on the sidewalk after the bell to leave rang.
"Alright so I'll just follow you guys to Gumball's house." Blast said as he went to get his motorcycle.
Eric and the rest of them got in his truck and waited for Blast. Soon Blast pulled in behind Eric riding a black harley davidson that looked totally bad ass. Eric pulled out and headed to Gumball's house with Blast following.
Eric was gripping the steering wheel tightly and looked like he was going to explode.
"You sure you're OK?" Gumball said concerned.
"I'm fine I just need music." Eric said as he turned on the CD player.
a metal song played loudly. It was half way through the song and it could not have been a worse time for this particular part.
No mommy, don't do it again
Don't do it again
I'll be a good boy
I'll be a good boy, I promise
No mommy don't hit me
Why did you have to hit me like that, mommy?
Don't do it, you're hurting me
Why did you have to be such a bitch
Why don't you,
Why don't you just fuck off and die
Why can't you just fuck off and die
Why can't you just leave here and die
Never stick your hand in my face again bitch
FUCK YOU
I don't need this shit
You stupid sadistic abusive fucking whore
How would you like to see how it feels mommy
Here it comes, get ready to die
Hearing these lyrics gave Eric the little push he need to be sent over the edge. The veins in his eyes grew. He smashed the gas and took a detour that lead to the woods. Blast followed him just barely keeping up.
"Dude What's wrong?" Gumball said very concerned for Eric.
Eric just kept driving looking more pissed than ever. In no time he was tearing down a dirt road and was now in the middle of the woods. He slammed on the breaks and got out of the truck. Blast pulled up beside the truck. He got of his bike and opened Gumball's door.
"What's wrong?" Blast said concerned.
"I think Eric is about to have a meltdown." Gumball said concerned seeing Eric standing in the middle of the road.
Every muscle in Eric's body was tense. His arms were stretched out and he could feel a ball of pure rage in the pit of his stomach. It grew and grew until it consumed his whole body and it finally burst.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Eric yelled so loud and violently it caused a fine mist of blood to shoot from his mouth. He felt like destroying the world. He needed to hit something and his eyes locked on a very large hickory tree.
He ran at it and punched it as hard as he could sending small pieces of wood flying. He continued to punch the tree breaking his hands more every time he did. His hands poured blood after each blow, the skin didn't have enough time to heal before he hit the tree again. He hit the tree until his hands were shattered. He was still full of rage and he picked up a very large Rock and threw it at the tree only for the rock to split in half.
Eric backed a good distance away from the tree and ran full speed into it with his shoulder. When he made contact he broke his collarbone, a few ribs, and the impact sent a shock throughout his body. He repeatedly ran into the tree until his body gave out and he hit the ground. He tried to get up and continue but his body wouldn't let him. Everyone was watching in shock and great concern.
"Holy shit." Blast said astonished and concerned.
"Come on let's go help him." Gumball said to Blast. They both ran up to him and grabbed an arm on either side. They picked him up and dragged him to the truck.
"Put me in the passenger side." Eric said as he tried his best to walk and shake off the physical pain.
"What are you made out of? Lead?" Blast said not expecting an answer as he and Gumball sat Eric in the passenger seat after Jamie moved to the back seat next to Carrie.
Eric seemed to have calmed down dramatically. He sat there with a blank look on his face as everyone waited for him to say something.
"That feels better." Eric said chuckling weekly.
"How do you feel better? Look at you man." Gumball said concerned.
"Physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional pain i just let out. I feel better for now but at a price." Eric said smiling weakly as he let his head rest against the seat.
"What do you mean at a price? I don't understand." Gumball said still concerned.
"I just opened a can of worms. I have done this before and I know what is coming next. I better enjoy this short moment of peace." Eric said.
"I still don't get it." Gumball said getting progressively more concerned with the way Eric was talking.
"I opened the lid and now it will all come out. Tonight I will feel the greatest pain inside of me I have ever felt. Like my soul is being torn apart and it will feel like there is a large black hole that breeds sadness where my heart should be. After that I will be burnt out for about two days then be back to what i would consider normal. But I am doomed to repeat this process again and again and again. It will never stop." Eric said.
No one knew what to say. They just continued to look at him.
"Well I guess we should go to your house. But your gonna have to drive." Eric said to Gumball said.
"Wait Why do I have to drive?" Gumball said.
"Well for one Blast has to drive his motorcycle and two look at my hands." Eric said holding up his busted hands.
"They don't look right." Jamie said concerned.
Eric looked at his hands for a moment then to Blast and Gumball.
"You guys are going to have to set them." Eric said.
"How?" Blast said.
"Just hold each of my fingers and I'll do the rest." Eric said holding out his hands.
Gumball and Blast grabbed one finger tightly and Eric pulled back and moved his hand around until the finger looked straight and felt like it was in the right spot. They continued this process until Eric's fingers and hand looked right.
"Uh... I could feel the bones moving around." Blast said a little disgusted.
"Alright Gumball let's get going." Eric said.
"I don't have my license though." Gumball said a little nervous.
"You'll be fine. I'll show you the back roads." Eric said.
"Well OK." Gumball said still a little nervous.
Gumball got in the drivers side and started the truck. He put it in drive and pulled out with Blast following him. Eric gave Gumball directions and in a short while they were at Gumball's house.
"That was pretty good." Eric said to Gumball.
"Thanks." Gumball said rather proud of himself. He then got out of the truck as did everyone else.
Eric was walking on his own but rather awkwardly. He was having trouble keeping his balance. Blast followed them inside and they went upstairs. They played video games for about 2 hours by that time Eric's behavior started to change. He became silent and had moved further away from everyone into a corner. No one noticed as they were having fun and talking amongst themselves.
After a while longer Gumball heard something strange and focused on it to hear what it was.
"I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way." Eric sang quietly to himself thinking no one would hear him. He felt a great pain take hold and he knew it would only get worse.
"You ok Eric?" Gumball said concerned.
"Uh... yeah. I think I'm gonna chill in the guest bedroom for a while." Eric said as he got up. He then walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.
"Think we should follow him?" Carrie said concerned.
"No i think he need to be alone for a little." Gumball said.
"I don't like the way he has been acting. Its starting to scare me." Jamie said feeling conflicted on whether or not to go after him.
"He'll be ok. Ill check up on him later. Lets just leave him be for now." Gumball said. They all agreed and went back to playing video games.
Gumball noticed Blast and Lexy had been talking and laughing with each other for a while making his brotherly instincts kick in. He watched them like a hawk out of the corner of his eye for quite some time before he decided to go check up on Eric.
"Well i guess ill go see how he is doing." Gumball said as he got up.
He walked out of the room and down the hall. He stopped in front of the guest bedroom door to see if he could hear anything. He heard nothing but silence. He then opened the door and walked in.
The room was dark and he could only see Eric's outline sitting completely still on the bed. He turned on the light and Eric didn't move a muscle.
"You ok?" Gumball said concerned.
"It hurts." Eric said as he turned his head to look a Gumball. he had tears streaming down his face. He wasn't sniffling or making any face as he cried the only way you could tell he was crying was the tears themselves. Gumball just looked at him saddened by what Eric had said and seeing him cry.
"You know its kinda funny. I haven't cried in so long i didn't think i could anymore." Eric said feeling the pain inside of him.
"Whats wrong dude?" Gumball said feeling bad for his friend.
"If you could imagine what it feels like to have your soul tortured I'm sure that would be what this feels like. I would much rather take all the physical pain in the world." Eric said as he looked at the ground feeling a war rage in his mind and soul. Gumball looked at him unsure of what to say. Gumball felt a tear well in his eye but refused to let it go. A few moments of silence passed.
"Can i ask you a question?" Eric said feeling darkness try to consume him. He was fighting with all his might to defeat it but it felt like he was losing the war.
"Yeah." Gumball said quietly.
"If there was a way to make it stop forever... would you do it?" Eric said still not moving his eyes from the ground and feeling hopelessness grip him.
These words cut Gumball like a knife. He felt a tear run down his face and a lump form in his throat.
"Don't say stuff like that." Gumball said as he wiped a few tears away.
"Why?" Eric said feeling only pain.
"Because i actually give a shit about you and i don't want you to kill yourself." Gumball said a bit angry as he felt a few more tears form.
"I don't want to die but all i feel is pain and worthlessness. The memories haunt me the most. I can't quit thinking about it. Something inside me keeps me fighting though. No matter how bad it hurts." Eric said revealing his true feelings. He let a few tears go, each one felt like it contained a terrible memory and they were coming out to taunt him.
"What your feeling won't last forever. You will be feeling better in no time." Gumball said still crying and trying to help his friend.
"Maybe so." Eric said still feeling incredible pain but talking seemed to help.
"Look dude... I get depressed too. I have an idea of what your feeling. I just want you to know your not alone and I'm there for you." Gumball said sincerely and trying to stop crying.
"Yeah. Hey I'm there for you too dude." Eric said sincerely and gave Gumball a fist bump. "I think I'm going to skip school tomorrow." Eric said still feeling incredible pain.
"Well if you are I am. I wouldn't feel right if I just left you like this." Gumball said.
"Thanks dude." Eric said.
"You want to come hang out with the rest of us?" Gumball said as he wiped the last of his tears away.
"I think I'll just go to sleep. I would just kill the mood. And don't tell jamie about this. I don't want her worrying." Eric said.
"Well OK. Hope you feel better dude." Gumball said before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
Eric just kept sitting there. He was still fighting the darkness that was trying to consume him. He felt a little better after talking to Gumball but knew it was going to be a long and painful night.
Gumball was in the bathroom looking in the mirror. He was making sure he didn't look like he was just crying. When he was satisfied with his appearance he went to his room where everyone was talking amongst themselves.
"Is he OK?" Jamie said seeing Gumball.
"Uh... yeah. He said he is going to sleep. He is pretty tired." Gumball said smiling awkwardly.
"Don't lie to me." Jamie said threateningly.
*sigh* "fine. He is feeling really depressed. He told me not to say anything because he didn't want you worrying." Gumball said.
"I'm going to talk to him." Jamie said as she got up. She then walked down the hall and into the guest bedroom.
"I'm skipping school tomorrow. Eric feels really shitty and I think we all need a day off school." Gumball said as he sat down next to Carrie.
"I'm in. What about you guys?" Carrie said to Lexy and Blast who were sitting on the bed next to each other.
"My grades are good so I can skip a day." Lexy said.
"Well if she is I am too." Blast said before covering his mouth and turning red. Lexy smiled and turned red as well.
"I don't like them being so close." Gumball said quietly to Carrie.
"Lighten up. Their fine." Carrie said. She then kissed him.
"Alright I guess them sitting next to each other can't hurt anything." Gumball said.
"So Blast were you going to sleep?" Lexy said smiling making Blast smile and blush madly.
"Not with you." Gumball said sternly after overhearing Lexy.
Lexy looked at Gumball and made a face that said "shut the fuck up."
"Uh... I guess I could sleep on the floor." Blast said Unconformably after hearing what Gumball said.
"You can sleep on the floor in my room." Lexy said smiling making Blast smile as well.
Gumball was going to say something but Carrie punched him in the arm before he could.
"Their fine leave them be." Carrie said to Gumball. Gumball frowned but nodded his head in approval.
"So how are we going to explain skipping school to mom?" Lexy said to Gumball.
"we just tell her we are going to school. Eric picks us up anyway so it would make sense if everyone stayed here." Gumball said proud of himself.
"But..." Lexy began before being cut off by Gumball.
"No buts. I have spoken. That is what were doing." Gumball said.
"Whatever." Lexy said annoyed.
They then heard Nicole's car pull in. Nicole went into the house and went upstairs to see what Gumball and Lexy were doing. When she reached Gumball's room she opened the door and went inside.
"What are you guy up too?" Nicole said.
"Hey mom can everyone stay here tonight since Eric drives us to school anyway?" Gumball said.
"I guess so." Nicole said after pondering for a minute.
"Thanks mom." Gumball said.
"Well I had a hard day at work so I'm going to bed." Nicole said sleepily.
"Night mom." Gumball and Lexy said in unison.
"Goodnight kids." Nicole said. She then went to her room and got ready for bed.
"See No problemo." Gumball said.
They stayed up for a while playing video games.
"Well I'm going to bed I'm tired." Lexy said rubbing her eyes. "Come on Blast." She said as she elbowed the half asleep Blast.
"OK." Blast said yawning. They both stood up and stretched a little.
"Remember you sleep on her floor." Gumball said to Blast.
"yeah I know." Blast said.
Blast and Lexy headed for the door. Blast went out first and Lexy second but before she left she gave Gumball the middle finger for his last statement.
"I swear I going to put up cameras so I can make sure they behave." Gumball said.
"Quit it. Let's just go to sleep I'm tired." Carrie said before giving him a kiss. They both got in Gumball's bed and went to sleep.
"He is so annoying. I can't believe he made you sleep on the floor." Lexy said annoyed as she got into her bed and Blast laid on the floor.
"It's just because he is you brother. I'm not holding anything against him." Blast said trying to find a comfortable spot on the floor.
"Here's a pillow and blanket. I have extra." Lexy said as she tossed them down to him.
"Thanks." Blast said as he put the pillow under his head and covered up.
"I think he thinks we would do something. Were not even going out or anything though." Lexy said looking at the ceiling.
"Yeah." Blast said laughing uncomfortably.
"Do you think... never mind." Lexy said.
"It's OK go ahead say what you were going to say." Blast said.
"Well... would you ever like... I mean hypothetically... g-go out with me?" Lexy said nervously.
"Yeah I would... I mean hypothetically... would you go out with me... hypothetically?" Blast said nervously.
"Yeah." Lexy said smiling to herself.
"That's cool." Blast said smiling to himself.
"Goodnight." Lexy said still smiling.
"Goodnight." Blast said still smiling as well.
They both fell asleep with a smile on their faces.