Season 4 episode 1 A Boy or a girl? (Part 1)
(Opening Start Scene)
[b]Bahaman intro who let's the dogs out Season 2 or 4 opening of 100 Deeds for eddie mcdowd.[/*b
(100 good deeds for Eddie mcdowd)
[Deed 59]
A Boy or a girl (Part 1)/100 Deeds for Alex Mack)
Consulting producer
BOB ROSENFARB
supervising producer
Tim Hill
Supervising producer
Bob mittenthal
program consultant
robbie rowe
visual effects producer
mr Blum
mr scopinich
producer
mike rubiner
produced by
greg a hampson
co produced by
scott c schwartz
erin o malley
created by
mr berman
ms katlin
and
mr bernstein
-SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY
RICHARD MOLL-
also starring
Will Faris
Guest Starring
Jeanette Finkle
as the voice of Alex
written by
Tim Hill
Directed by
Christopher Coppola
(Eddie said in his head, so much for me sleeping soundly and yet i still need to gain at least 3 more good deeds to become human again.
Justin shaking his head Grinning.)
(Scene changed).
Alex Mack was standing above Paradise Valley. Her entire family had just been through the worst experience by being kidnapped by Danielle Atron and escaping the plant within an inch of their lives. Alex's parents finally knew the secret and it turned out that Mr. Mack had been working on an antidote. So, here she was deciding whether or not to take it. She shot a beam of light towards the mountains and then took the vial and drank it. Everything appeared to be normal but she had to make sure. She tried to shoot a lightning beam again but nothing happened, Then she saw a stick on the ground and tried to levitate it but still nothing. Finally, she concentrated as hard as she could on water but she wasn't a puddle she hadn't even turned liquidy. It worked. She was a normal kid. Annie came up behind her. She had been watching Alex. "Well, I guess you'll be normal from now on." Said Annie
"I think I miss the powers already, Annie." Said Alex "But, I don't want to get anyone into trouble anymore."
"That's a very mature decision, Alex. I wasn't sure if you'd have it in you." Said Annie "Now, you better go in before Mom and Dad freak."
Annie and Alex go into dinner.
Meanwhile, at Sunset Eddie and Justin are talking "I hate to say it, but I'm glad The Drifter got his job back." Said Eddie
"Well, he is your friend. You'd be lost without him." Said Justin
"Me and the drifter friends? O, please. If The drifter and I are friends then I'm a teenage girl. Nope, just a dog who can talk. " said Eddie
"You saved Drifters butt and got him his job back. That makes you friends." Said Justin
"Excuse me? Are you suddenly talking to a teen girl over here?" asked Eddie "We are not friends."
"Whatever. " said Justin
Justin's mom from down stairs "Justin! Dinner!"
Justin yelled back "Coming , mom."
"Eddie, I've got your dinner too." Said Mrs. Taylor
They two of them go downstairs for dinner. A little while later they are all sitting at the dinner table. " Everyone, your father and I have an announcement to make. We are going to Paradise Valley . An old friend of your father's George Mack invited the entire family to spend some time there well, a week to be exact. We leave on Friday. So, what do you think?"
"Can Eddie come?" asked Justin
" Eddie… O, I forgot to ask him about Eddie. " said Doug "I'll call Allan after dinner. I'm sure it will be fine."
"It sounds like a ball, Mr and Mrs. T." said Tori
"O by the way, kids. Don't ask what Allan does. The plant where we worked was just shut down and he is very sensitive about it." Said Doug
They all agreed not to say anything.
Meanwhile, In Paradise Valley Prison. "Today is the day I get out of this facility and when I do get out the first thing I'm going to do is dispose of the Mack Family and their friends who helped ruin my foolproof plan." Said Danielle Atron as she finished tunneling herself out of the prison with a spoon followed by Lars. They both ran as fast as they could avoiding the search lights. They ran to Danielle's mansion.
"Ms. Atron, how are we going to capture the Mack family so we can kill them?" asked Lars
"Simple, we just kidnap Alex Mack when she's alone." Said Ms. Atron "So, for the next few days you need to keep an eye on her. You should remember like old times."
"I'm not it, Ms. Atron." Said Lars
Friday morning, The Taylor family is packed in the car and on their way to Paradise Valley. After a couple of hours they are at the Mack residence. Doug knocks on the door and George answers. "Doug! Come on in." said George
"Hello, George. Great to see you." Said Doug as the family enters
"O, where are my manners. This is my wife Barbara." Said George
"Hello, Doug. George has told me all about you." Said Barbara
"He has told me a lot about you too." Said Doug
Alex and Annie come down the stairs talking "No. He was very careful with it." Said Annie. Alex and Annie turn to see the company.
"Annie… Alex, this is my old friend Doug Taylor. Doug, this is my eldest daughter Annie and our youngest Alex." Said George
"Very nice to meet both of you." Said Doug
"Doug, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Mrs. Taylor
"What?" he said looking at Lisa who gives him a dirty look "O, of course. Sorry, dear. Goerge, Barbara, Annie, Alex… I'd like you to meet my family. This is my wife Lisa, My son Justin, our dog Eddie, and Tori she's a friend of the family… unfortunately, my eldest daughter Gwen couldn't be here she is in England as part of a school exchange program. " said Doug
They all gave their hellos. Eddie ran up and started licking Annie. She began petting him. Alex went up to pet him on the head and for a second everything froze and Alex felt a tingling sensation in her hand that started to spread through her body. Eddie started to feel the same. The hand was pulled off the dog and everything went back to normal. Eddie was a little confused. He had switched places with Alex and he was taller. Then he took a closer look around the room and noticed himself in front of him. Wait… he took a double take and then looked down at himself. He was Alex. If he hadn't been so concerned about himself he would have noticed the dog looking down at it's body too. Then it started frantically barking. " Well, Eddie sure is excitable." Said Annie
Eddie in Alex's body then whispers in Annie's ear. She looks scared at Eddie. "Mom, Dad, Alex, Justin… could I see all of you and Eddie upstairs for a minute?" asked Annie
"Why do you want me and Eddie to come?" asked Justin
"If I were you I wouldn't ask too many questions. I'd just go." Said Eddie
George. Barbara, Annie, Alex, Eddie, and Justin go up to Alex and Annie's room. "Annie, what is this about?" asked George
"Dad, that antidote you gave Alex seems to have a side effect. " said Annie
"What do you mean?" asked George
Annie turns to Eddie in Alex's body "Tell them what you just told me." Said Annie
"I'm not your daughter." Said Eddie "That is." He said pointing at the dog.
George goes over to the dog "Alex is that you? Bark twice for yes. Once for no."
The dog barks twice.
Justin walks up to Eddie is Alex's body "Eddie? "
"That's right Eddie McDowd is back!" said Eddie
Um eddie, said eddie.
Um Alex, said Alex.
((Out of nowhere came in a magical howl a familiar voice start to haunt eddie:
Edward ! you dare disobey me!.)
Eddie put his paws up up on his ears to resist.
To be Continued...
(Credits. of eddie mcdowd )
Season 4 episode 2: Eddie's day out (part 2)
(Meanwhile in 100 good deeds of eddie mcdowd)
Oh yeah Eddie Mcdowd is back yelled( Eddie in alex body.)
(Intro(Bahaman of who let the dogs out)Eddie mcdowd season 4
100 Deeds for Eddie Mcdowd
(Deed 59).
(Shocked music.) with come out background startup colour)
Chapter 2: Eddie's day out.
Supervising producer
Bob mittenthal
program consultant
Robbie Rowe
produced by Mike rubiner
Producer
Greg A Hampson
also starring
John Deene
Guest starring
Jeanette finkle
as the voice of Alex
special appearance by
Richard Moll
Directed by Christopher Coppola.
What does he mean. He's back?" asked Barbara looking at Justin.
"He used to be a kid; it's a long story." Said Justin
"Your dog used to be kid?" asked Goerge concerned
" That's right and you have all flipped if you think I'll ever go back to being a dog." Said Eddie
"But we have to change back. How am I supposed to live like this?" asked Alex in the dog body
"Did you hear that?" asked Annie to the others
" Yes, it sounded like Alex." Said George
"Alex?" asked Barbara looking around
" Dad, Annie, Mom, you can understand me? " asked Alex
They look at the dog.
"Alex? How is this possible? You're a dog. Dogs don't talk." Said Barbara
"What do you think barking is?" asked Eddie snidely
"I think I have an idea on how to change you back. Eddie, you touch Alex's head like you're going to pet her and the switch should happen the way it did before. Once, that's done we'll use the antidote dad's going to make the counteract this side effect to the GC 161 antidote." Said Annie
"Annie, that's brilliant. Are both of you willing to try it?" asked George
"Anything to get out of this dog body." Said Alex
" Forget it. I'm human again. This is exactly the chance I've been waiting for. No more deeds. No more drifter. Sure I'm a girl but I could live with that. Now, if you excuse me I'm going to enjoy my new life. " said Eddie
"Eddie, this is not fair to Alex. " said Justin
"I don't care and I'm sick and tired of waiting. " said Eddie "Now get out of my way. " said Eddie trying to head to the door which the others block.
"No." said Justin
"Fine Eddie McDowd doesn't need doors. " said Eddie. He opens the window and jumps out.
Alex runs to the window, "Hey! Come back here! Eddie! Come back! Jackass!" she yells at Eddie who is running away.
" Annie you and I better start on that antidote." Said George
" Justin… Alex and I will go after Eddie." Said Barbara
"Actually, mom, it's probably a better idea if you stayed here and entertained our other guests so they don't figure out that something is wrong." Said Annie.
"All right." Said Barbara
"I'll get Tori to come with me and Alex." Said Justin
They all exit the bedroom. They go back down to the living room where the others are waiting.
" That took a while. Is everything all right?" asked Doug
"Everything is fine. Why don't we go into the kitchen. Lunch is just about ready." Said Barbara "By, the way, Lisa that is a lovely outfit."
"Thank you. " said Lisa
Barbara takes Lisa into the kitchen.
"So, George, what have you been doing with yourself?" asked Doug
"I'm sorry, Doug I have no time to visit right now. I just remembered that I have to help Annie with a project for school. We'll catch up later unfortunately, it probably won't be until dinner. Feel free to make yourself at home while we're working."
"Well, ok. " said Doug confused "We'll talk later." Who goes to sit on the couch and turns on the Mack's TV.
"I'm going to take Eddie for a walk. Tori, would you like to come?" Justin asked Tori
"Sure." Said Tori
Later, in the park. Eddie is strutting through the park enjoying his use of two legs again. Louis, Ray, Robyn, and Nicole come up to him "Hey, Alex, we were going to catch a movie you want to come?" asked Ray
"A movie? No thanks. I have something a little more fun in mind." Said Eddie
"Are you sure it's the sequel to last year's summer blockbuster." Said Louis
"That piece of garbage. The writing was terrible and the acting was even worse. You wouldn't get me anywhere near the sequel. " said Eddie
" What are you talking about? You said you loved it when we saw it last summer." Said Robyn "O my god, you're not getting into that mood again are you? You said you'd warn me the next time you were in the mood like this. I mean I'm really having a bad day as it is I don't need your attitude on top of it. I mean I know I failed all my classes and I'm going to get kicked out of school. I mean the I thought I did well on all my exams but you never know and when I think I did well in something I usually don't so it stands to reason…"
"Shut up!" yelled Eddie "I was actually having a good a day. In fact, the best day I've had in a while and you are just bringing me down and frankly, I don't really care about what you are going through so stop talking to me. In fact, all of you just leave me alone. I'm trying to enjoy myself." Said Eddie. Nicole stops Eddie with her hand.
" That is completely uncalled for, Alex. I can't remember the last time you acted like this. I don't like it and if you are going to act this way maybe you shouldn't come with us to the movies. In fact, don't bother talking to us ever again. Come on, let's get out of here." Said Nicole who goes and walks in the other direction. Robyn follows suit.
"Alex, you ok?" asked Ray " Annie didn't spill a chemical that split you in two again did she? Ok, where is the nice one."
"I don't know what you're talking about now if you excuse me I have a new life to enjoy." Said Eddie
"New life? What are you talking about new life?" asked Louis
"Did you take the antidote your dad gave you? Is this a side effect because maybe you should talk to him about making an antidote." Said Ray
"I don't need an antidote to anything. I'm not going back to the way things were. This is me now so deal with it." Said Eddie
Meanwhile, Justin, Tori, and Alex are in the park looking for Eddie. "Eddie! Eddie! EDDIE!" yelled Justin
Tori looks at Justin confused "Why are you yelling Eddie's name when he's right here?"
"This isn't Eddie. This is Alex Mack." Said Justin
"Come again?" asked Tori
"Remember when I told you Eddie can talk? Well, the reason he can talk is that he used to be a kid. Anyway, due to the complicatedness of your universe Alex and Eddie have switched bodies and Eddie ran away refusing to switch back. " said Justin
"All right. " said Tori "EDDIE! EDDIE!"
"EDDIE!" all three yell. "EDDIE! EDDIE!"
Back in the part of the park that Ray, Louis and Eddie are in.
"We're taking you back home. " said Ray grabbing Eddie
"No, I'm not and you most certainly can't make me." Said Eddie
He shoved Ray to the ground and the two of them start punching and hitting each other. Louis tries to break them up but gets pulled into the fight. Suddenly everything freezes
"EDDIE MCDOWD!" The booming voice of the Drifter yelled. "What exactly do you think you're doing?!"
Eddie looks up from the fight. "I'm trying to get this guy off my back."
"Edward, you are regressing again and if you regress you know exactly what will happen." Said The Drifter
" You will not be my drifter. I'm not afraid of that anymore ! I finally have a way of being human without doing any deeds." Said Eddie "So, I don't need you and your magical weirdness."
" You can not steal someone else's life, Edward, that is not fair to Alexandra after all it's her life you took. Now, I'd go switch back with her if I were you." Said Drifter "If you do your own good deeds you will get your own body all in good time."
" I can't wait that long. I have an out now and I'm taking it. " Said Eddie
"Fine, Edward but just keep in mind if you be in someone else's life you'll get their problems too." Said the Drifter who disappears
"Problems? I'm in a 16 year old girl's body what's her biggest problem who to take to prom?" Eddie scoffed
Time unfreezes and the guys realize they are on the ground and Eddie is standing up. That's when Justin, Tori, and Alex show up. Alex is pulling Justin towards Eddie.
"There you are. Come on, we have to go back." Said Justin
" Wild horses wouldn't make me go back with you. " said Eddie
" This is ridiculous. You can't bring Alex in this to live out your deeds she never did anything to deserve this." Said Justin
Alex suddenly starts barking.
"Now, you know how I felt." He said to Alex.
"You understand her?" asked Justin
"I was a dog." Said Eddie.
As they talk a stolen chemical plant van plant pulls up a group of uniformed men come out of it and grab everyone shoving them into the back of the van.
"What's going on?" asked Justin as the van was moving.
"Well, we're going to take you all to the high school where Miss Mack here is going to be dissected and the rest of you are all going to be killed because Ms. Atron is very upset about her scheme being busted open. " said Lars.
"And you are?" asked Tori
"Lars Frederickson. Well, to the last day of your lives kids. Hope you had good lives." Said Lars.
" Wait, did you just said dissected? But I don't want to be dissected." Said Eddie "I just got a new life for myself…. Drifter! Drifter! DRIFTER! " yelled Eddie
Later, at the school. Louis, Ray, Justin, Tori, and Alex are shoved into an empty classroom. It seemed like hours before the door was opened again and when it was Barbara, George, Annie, Lisa, Doug, Robyn, and Nicole were shoved in and the door was locked again.
" Someone please explained what is going on around here
? Why were we forced out of your house George… Barbara?" demanded Lisa
"It's my old boss Danielle Atron. She must have broken out of prison. She was after our daughter Alex because she was dowsed with a chemical potion that gave her superpowers. She doesn't have those powers anymore its is because last week she took the antidote but it had it's own side effect. It switched the bodies of our daughter with your dog." Said George.
"Wait, so Alex is in here and Eddie is out there? Poor Eddie. " said Doug.
"Maybe we can ram the door open." Said Annie
A bunch of them run full force towards the locked door but nothing happens. They then try to unlock the windows but the locks are stuck. Robyn then takes a rock she found outside that day and tries to break the windows but doesn't make a dent on any of them.
"God, what did they use to make this school out of. It's like they created it so that no one could break in or out." Said Louis
Meanwhile Eddie is strapped to a metal table that was rolled into the science lab.
" This is ridiculous. I'm a citizen, I have rights. you can't dissect me!" yelled Eddie
"I'm afraid you're wrong on two counts" said Lars leering. "First, that whole rights thing doesn't matter because you're just a kid. Second, I'm not going to be the one doing the dissecting… she is."
Danielle Atron enters the room wearing a lab coat, goggles, and rubber gloves.
Drifter,Justin anyone help!
Wailed by Eddie.
[To be Continued]
[Credits]
Season 4 episode 3: Fast Times at Danielle Atron High (part 3)
(Intro)
Of 100 deeds for eddie mcdowd
(Deed 59)
Chapter 3: Fast Times at Danielle Atron High)
Atron walks over to the table. "Hello, Alexandra. It's great to see you again. " she said.
. "Well, it's not great to see you." Yelled Eddie.
"Now where are your manners , Alexandra?" said Ms. Atron "Lars…" she said as Lars hands her a scapula from the table and then continued talking to Eddie,"I'm glad to see you aren't trying very hard to escape. I'm surprised though I thought you would at least try to use one of your tricks on me like you did during the last time we met."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. If I had tricks I'd be using them to get myself out of this situation and sadly none of my usual tricks will work right now." Said Eddie
Ms. Atron moves the scapul closer and closer to "Alex's" head. "Why did this have to happen to me at the point when my life was finally turning around ? I wish the drifter was here."
Suddenly everything freezes. " Ready to go back to the way things were, Edward?" asked Drifter
"Yes, just get me out of here." Said Eddie " Please I'll do anything. I'll even give up a deed to be out.
" All right lets do this. To put things back on track, give this body it's powers back. " said the drifter waving his hands magically and then gesturing towards Eddie
"Nothing happened." Said Eddie
"What you didn't know when you took over this body, Edward is that Alex Mack used to have some special powers specifically the power of telekinesis, the ability to shoot electricity from her body, and the ability to change into a puddle of silver liquid." Said Drifter
"What do you mean used to?" asked Eddie
"Well, I brought them back but she took an antidote to get rid of them not too long ago thats why this happen." explained the Drifter
"Oh, that's what the others were going on about." Said Eddie "Why didn't you tell me that this was the problem she had to deal with? This is really not your average problem this is catastrophic!"
" I was trying to warn you but you wouldn't listen apparently the only way to teach you anything is to let you experience things for yourself. But don't worry I wasn't planning on letting it happen, if Ms. Atron slice you up anyway, my bosses would be very angry if I just let you die. As for that deed I'm not gonna take it away. as You saved me once before . You earned it. " said the Drifter
The Drifter then disappears. Eddie concentrates really hard on the water and is suddenly turn into a puddle on the table. He slithers towards the outlet. He changes back into Alex and then uses the electricity to turn out the lights. He then uses his mind to open the door and when he runs out he locks the door behind him. Just then time unfreezes. "Where did she go?" demanded Ms. Atron she then looked at Lars "Well, don't just stand there. Find her!"
Lars runs out of the room. Eddie in puddle form started to slither towards the nearest exit when he hears "Someone ! Help!"
"Justin!" yelled Eddie back "I completely forgot about the Taylors but this could be my only chance to get out of here in one piece. Save Taylors? Save myself? Save Taylors? Save myself?..." said Eddie weighing his decision.
He hears foot steps coming closer and hears the yelling again. "Damn it! Why do I have to have a conscience." Said Eddie who slithers towards the sound of the yelling. He slips under a door and reforms in front everyone.
" Blimey, Eddie. You have morphing abilities." Said Tori
" I guess my antidote is only temporary. " said George
"Antidote?" asked Doug
"Yea, Alex was in a chemical accident when she gained special abilities but last week she took the antidote I made for her so her abilities should be gone." Said George
"Oh they were a friend of mine who brought them back." Said Eddie
"A friend?" asked Justin
"You know, the Drifter." Said Eddie to Justin
"I thought you said the Drifter wasn't your friend." Said Justin smirking
"I said if he was my friend I was a teenage girl since I'm a teen girl…" said Eddie
"Who's the Drifter?" asked Barbara
He's this creepy guy who changed me into a dog now we don't have time to stand around. We have to go. I just got these powers so I'm not entirely sure how to do this but…" said Eddie who first tries to open the door with his mind but because it's locked it won't move.
He then tries to shoot it open with electricity and then tries both things again on the windows. He then turns to Alex. "With these abilities of yours can you morph people into liquid with you?"
"Yes. As long as you are touching them when you morph." Said Alex
"Everyone hold hands. I'm going to try something but it may not work." Said Eddie.
Everyone grabs hands and Eddie grabs on to Alex's paw then Eddie concentrates on turning into liquid and morphs everyone into a giant puddle. They all slither under a crack in the door. As they slither towards the nearest exit and get outside of the school. Then Eddie morphs everyone. "Everyone, get back into the house. " said Eddie
"Eddie, we are not leaving you behind." Said Lisa
"I have to stay and make sure the police get here. I can't risk your lives and mine." Said Eddie.
"You sure you'll be all right?" asked Justin
"I'll be fine." Said Eddie "You guys, go!"
The others head to the nearest van that luckily someone left the keys in and drive away. Eddie takes out a cell phone and starts to dial the police. As he does a hand grabs the phone out of the human hand and throws it on the ground breaking it. "That was pretty clever, Ms. Mack. Pretending not to have your powers back there and then sneaking you and your family and friends out at the last minute. Too bad they just left you here." Said Lars "Now, let's get back in the biology lab shall we? Ms. Atron is waiting." He said grabbing on to "Alex's" arm and picking Eddie up.
They start to walk back into the high school. They pass by a pay phone and Eddie zaps Lars so that he falls back ward and runs to dial the phone. "Hello, Police. I'm at Danielle Atron High. Danielle Atron and Lars Frederickson are ready to be picked up. " said Eddie. Just as he was ready to hang up. Ms. Atron comes up from behind him. He zaps her and she let's go and then he knocks her against the nearest wall. He then concentrates and rope floats towards him through an open window. He then goes about tying up Lars and Danielle and just as he finishes the police show up.
Meanwhile, back at the Macks house Justin starts pacing the floor "Where is he?" he asked
"Don't worry, Justin. I'm sure he's fine." Said Doug trying to calm down his son.
Just then a silver liquid puddle seeps through a crack in the door and slithers into the middle of the living room reforming back into Eddie.
"EDDIE!" said Justin running over to him.
" I'll take it you missed me." Said Eddie "Now, let's turn things back to the way things were before this crazy trip."
"You mean you're going to give Alex her body back?" asked Justin
"Absolutely! Compared to life as Alex Mack my life was a cake walk. I'd rather deal with deeds and the drifter than deal with powers and dissection." Said Eddie
Alex then goes over to Eddie and Eddie puts his hand on the dog's head and starts to pet it while doing that the tingling sensation restarts again as it does inside of Alex and well suddenly the human hand moves away from the dog.
"Eddie?" asked Justin
the dog looks up at Justin "Yeah?"
"Eddie!" said Justin hugging the dog.
"I never want to be a dog again." Said Alex
Alex's family and friends hug her.
(Redelivered scene)
"This is the oddest day I've ever had." Said Nicole
"oh I'm with you on that." Said Robyn
"Sorry, guys. It wasn't supposed to be this odd." Said Alex
"I'm assuming this was the type of thing that happened all the time?" asked Louis
"Without the dog switching of course." Said Alex.
"Well I'm getting out of here. I'll see you later. Alex." Said Nicole
"I'm going to go too. See you later." Said Robyn
"Me too." Said Louis
"See you, guys later." Said Alex
Louis, Nicole, and Robyn leave together. George comes up with Annie from the garage. "Oh, good, Eddie your back. You two ready to switch?" Goerge asked Alex and Eddie
"We already did." Said Alex
"That's great, Honey. Now to stop this from happening again drink this." He hands a vial to her
"What is it?" asked Alex
"It's called EM-59. And (the number 59 just glow) like that It acts just like the antidote to GC 161 except it won't have any side effects." Said George
("Whoa EM-59 ? Yes! I got a deed!" Cool, so I got 59 more good deeds to go i wonder what I am going to do next the drifter starts to make one last trip just to see eddie. And he disappears magically.)
"Nice going, Eddie!" said Justin out loud.
"What?" said everyone looking at Justin "uh Nothing. Nevermind."
Alex then drinks the potion and then tries using her powers. She then pets Eddie and looks down at herself realizing she was still in her own body. "I think it worked." Said Alex
"Now, we can finally have a normal visit." Said Barbara "Why don't I get dinner ready."
"I'll help you." Said Lisa
George and Doug sit on the couch "So, Doug I'd love to hear what's new in the postal service." Said George
The kids then go up to Alex's room.
The End.
[Eddie Mcdowd Credits]
Based of Lynch and whoever write this property
Season 4 episode 8: When Memories are made (Part 1)
Meanwhile in 100 deeds for eddie mcdowd
(show focus on eddie)
(Intro)
(100 Deeds for Eddie Mcdowd)
(Deed 100)
When Memories are made(Part 2)
Consulting producer
BOB ROSENFARB
supervising producer
Tim Hill
Supervising producer
Bob mittenthal
program consultant
robbie rowe
visual effects producer
mr Blum
mr scopinich
producer
mike rubiner
produced by
greg a hampson
co produced by
scott c schwartz
erin o malley
created by
mr berman
ms katlin
and
mr bernstein
-SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY
RICHARD MOLL-
Guest star
Olivia Hill
As the voice of barb mcdowd
(Deed 100)
also starring
Brenda song
also starring
Brandon gilberstadt
Guest Starring
Jason Dohring
as the voice of Eddie
written by
Tim Hill
Directed by
Christopher Coppola
Hey. Justin!" Eddie calls out, quickly approaching the eighteen year old in the courtyard of the high school. Today is his first day as a human again, after successfully pulling off one hundred good deeds, and he is eager to speak to his friend now that he's no longer trapped in the body of a canine.
However, he certainly isn't expecting the utterly terrified look that crosses the younger boy's face when he catches sight of Eddie heading his way. "Y-y-you..."
The reaction brings him up short, and Eddie frowns, concerned and confused. "What's wrong?"
"Yeah, ugh, I, I, I thought you l-left town or something," Justin stammers out, looking like a deer caught in headlights as he backpedals a few steps.
"Justin," he says slowly, carefully, "don't you remember me?" He has no idea what's going on here. Surely, Justin would remember all the good deeds, all the time they spent together? Wouldn't he? A wave of doubt hits him, and then comes the realization that he might be wrong about that.
He walks away, before Justin can run from him. He has to find that damned Drifter...
"Lookin' for me?"
Eddie jumps in surprise when the man in question appears in front of him, but he has bigger issues to deal with right now. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," the Drifter says, shrugging off the clear alarm on Eddie's face. "Aren't you enjoying being human again?"
And, well, yes, he is. He's enjoying clothes, and showers, and human food, and thumbs, and so many other things that he can't even begin to list all of them if someone were to ask him. But he's not enjoying whatever it is that's going on with Justin. "Why is he terrified of me?"
The man hums, as if he's thinking the question through. "Maybe because the last time he saw you, you covered him in paint and hung him from a flagpole?"
Which means that Justin's lost all of the memories he has of him. A sick feeling washes over him and he has to lean against the edge of a lunch table to keep his balance. "What was the point, then?"
"You tell me."
"What was the point!?" He demands, hands balled into fists at his sides as a wave of anger hits. He reigns in the urge to growl as he gets up in the old man's face. "You told me to be his friend, to look out for him. I did all of that. I did everything you asked me to do! So what was the point if he doesn't remember any of it?" And he's sure the Drifter won't approve of this outburst, but he really doesn't care about that right now, either. "You wanted me to be a better person, but if I have to feel like this, if I have to do it alone, then that's gonna be a short-lived accomplishment, I can promise you that." It's like the floor has been ripped out from under him. Justin has been with him through all of this, the best friend he's ever had. Justin understands. If he has to do this without Justin, then... "Turn me back."
The Drifter raises a surprised eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Turn me back. I don't care. If this is the alternative, I'd rather be the dog."
"Eddie," the Drifter frowns at him, "that's not how this works. You're a kid again, now be good and enjoy it."
He crosses his arms stubbornly over his chest. "No! You did this to me once, you can do it again. If," he pauses, considers carefully his next words, but he doesn't really have a choice, "if I have to, I'll do a hundred more deeds. I'd do a thousand."
"That's a hell of a promise, Edward," the Drifter tells him, as if he doesn't already know that. It took him nearly three and a half years to pull it off the first time. It wouldn't be a breeze to do again, he's sure, even though he is a much better person now than he was when he started and had a much easier time of finding good deeds toward the end. That had been because of Justin. "But..."
And that's not a good sign, Eddie knows. He sits down, head in his hands. "This isn't fair," he says, and it's probably one of the first times that's actually been a true statement when he's said it to the drifter. He'd had plans. For when he turned back. He wanted his GED, since he'd spent his senior year of high school as a dog - as if he would have passed if he'd been human, between all the skipping and all the misdemeanors; he probably would have ended up in jail if the drifter hadn't turned him. He wanted to go to college, if only because Justin did and he tended to want to be wherever Justin was. But now he wasn't getting any of that. There was no way Justin would trust him now, not if he was still so jumpy around him nearly four years after the flagpole incident. And he didn't have time to do to that anyway, with only a few months left before Justin would be graduating. Even if he could somehow manage that, it wouldn't be like before, like Eddie wanted it.
"But," he continues, "I told you this was how it was going to be."
"No," Eddie counters. "You said I wouldn't remember, either."
"Is that what you want?"
He'd been ecstatic when he'd woken up human, still with the memory of his time spent as a dog. He'd been worried, admittedly, but the Drifter had told him that so long ago, back when he didn't care about much of anything, least of all Justin, that he'd almost forgotten it. "No," he says. "Look, if you won't turn me back, can't you just make him remember?"
"It's not up to me to decide who remembers what," the Drifter tells him, though it almost sounds like he's sorry he can't do that.
And what the hell is he supposed to do with that? It's a non-answer in the worst kind of way, but he should be used to that after years spent trying to wrap his head around the Drifter's evasive responses.
"Go home, Eddie."
"What home?"
But the Drifter is already gone.
So, he goes. If only so that no one starts to wonder what a twenty-two year old is doing lurking around the high school. He goes back to his parent's apartment, which has existed in the same perpetually run down state it always has. His mom greets him with a drunk mumble and a request for another beer, as she takes a long drag from a cigarette. His dad isn't home. But that's not new. His dad is almost never home, and they all kind of prefer it that way.
Eddie's not sure if it's the lingering dog senses or just the fact that he hasn't been around anyone who smokes in years now, but the smell is smothering. He refuses to get her the beer, because he can count several empties and it's only noon, and considers it his good deed for the day. She disagrees, though, and throws one of the empty bottles at him while she shouts at him to get the hell out of her house. He would, if he had anywhere else to go.
But unemployed, degree-less twenty-something's don't have a lot of opportunities, so he goes to his room instead, even though it's not really his room anymore, just a shadow of the shitty person he used to be.
And this was never weird before. It had just been his family, his home, his life. His mom was always drunk, always smoking. He never saw his dad, and when he did, the guy was usually in a bad mood and that never ended well for anyone. But after years with Justin's family and their comparatively white-picket fence life, he knew it could be different, better than this mess. Even as their dog, he realizes, it had been better than this.
"I've gotta get him to remember," he tells himself.
But how?
After a sleepless night, one of his first spent alone since he was last human, last here, he drags himself out of bed. He misses Justin's room - hell, he misses Justin's bed, too, and waking up to one of Justin's arms tossed over him, to a hand dragging through the fur on his belly. He misses waking up to the smell of a tasty breakfast cooking and the easy chatter of a morning in the Taylor house. All that he wakes up to here is his mother's loud snoring on the couch where she'd passed out and the stale smell of spilled alcohol.
He leaves her there to sleep it off, and slips back out. Back to the school because he can't not try.
Justin's just getting there when Eddie arrives, but when he's spotted, the kid's quick to hurry Sariffa up and get them inside, where Justin knows he won't follow.
And Eddie tries to ignore how much that hurts. It's not Justin's fault he doesn't remember.
So he goes back home.
It's the same the next day, but by then the lingering scent that's been stuck in his head - Justin, home, family - is starting to fade and he feels sick with the loss of it. The senses are really fading now, the last traces of his curse. He stops hearing things, things he didn't even realize he was hearing until he couldn't hear them anymore, an eerie silence where before there'd been sound (the sounds of cars on the road, the constant hum of electricity, heartbeats). Same with smells. The cigarettes bother him less, and he's thankful he doesn't have a dog's nose when he finds some seriously rotten take-out in the back of the fridge that he suspects he put there himself when he was last human.
Justin ignores him again. Avoids him, skirts around the crowds of people gathered in the school courtyard so that Eddie can't corner him.
So he leaves again.
But he comes back just in time for school to get out.
"Justin," he says, calling out to him when he bolts for the sidewalk. "Hey, wait!"
"Look," the kid says, spinning around to face him when Eddie catches his arm. "If you're gonna beat me up, can you please just get it over with? There's no sense in drawing this out, is there?"
Eddie drops his hold and hates his old self just a little bit more. "I'm not-"
"Justin!" Sariffa calls, cutting between them to prevent his presumed attack. She eyes him warily, like he's some rabid dog - ha! - and ushers Justin away. "Come on, we've got work to do."
He breathes a heavy, frustrated sigh and shakes his head.
What did he do that was bad enough to deserve this sort of cruelty? He'd paid for his bullying, his crimes. Hadn't he? He'd come out the other side a better person. But maybe this was the curse, he thought, as he wandered aimlessly away from the school. They'd turned him into a dog and given him someone who was so much more than a friend, and then they took it all away from him and left him alone to dwell on the memories of it. A 'better' person, doomed to relapse. Yeah, that sounded about right. And definitely twisted enough to be worthy of the Drifter.
"Edward," the voice catches him off guard again, and he whirls around to find the strange man hovering behind him.
"What do you want now?"
"I don't know why you remembered," he admits, which is surprising because he hadn't seemed all that surprised when Eddie had said as much. "Or why he didn't, if you did."
"Can you fix it?"
Eddie already knows the answer he's going to get won't be the one he wants, it's never that easy. The Drifter would have made a much bigger show out of this if he could. And since this is just a sad, sullen meeting...
"Whatever."
"Eddie..."
"How am I supposed to change anything when I can't even get him to talk to me?" He demands, and it's only then that he realizes he's auto-piloted his way to the street outside of the Taylor home, his home. He can see Justin up in his room - their room - and wishes he could be as welcomed as he had been as a canine. But these versions of the Taylor's have no recollection of Eddie the dog at all, and they would welcome Eddie the human even less than that. "This sucks."
"For what it's worth," the Drifter tries, "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help, but-"
"You're right. It doesn't," Eddie agrees, and walks away from the house.
He spends a Justin-less weekend contemplating the merits of reverting to his bad behaviors, even goes so far as to think of targeting Justin in whatever he's thinking of doing, in the hopes that maybe that will get him turned back. Then Justin would hear him again, would see him again. But he doubts the Omnipotent Drifters Society would take pity on him and do what he wants - they'd probably turn him into something useless, like a goldfish or a hamster, and then he'd be stuck forever with no chance of fixing this at all.
The park is a familiar distraction for him, which isn't surprising after how much time he spent there as a dog.
Eddie'd only gone there to get out of his parents apartment for a while. Get out of their way. His father was supposed to be home tonight, and he definitely didn't want to be around for that. So, the park.
He claims a seat on the bench by the pond and tries to relax, but the absence of all the things he's used to here grate on his nerves and he just ends up even more stressed out than when he sat down.
"Hey!" A familiar voice calls, and for a second - just one stupid, foolish, hopeful second - he thinks that Justin's remembered. His eyes dart to the younger boy, as he jogs down the path toward the pond, but he freezes when he spots Eddie and a glance over his shoulder shows that Sariffa is coming from the other direction.
"Justin," he says, hoping he can maybe get a word in before she can swoop in and 'rescue' Justin from him again, "Can I just ta-"
"Are you following me?" Justin demands, looking more than a little suspicious to have run into Eddie again. "I... I can call the police, get a restraining order or..."
The threat is something Eddie doesn't see coming. It floors him almost as much as that first terrified look had. "I'm not-" he tries, but he is apparently not allowed to finish his sentences because Justin cuts him off there.
"Just leave me alone," he says, and dodges around the bench to head toward Sariffa.
Eddie drags a hand through his hair and stares out at the water. "I can't," he says to himself, because Justin is long gone.
Maybe in more ways than one.
The park is dark and quiet and mostly empty by the time Eddie decides it's probably late enough to risk going home. He hasn't done anything today except push Justin even farther out of his reach, but the sun has long since set and the chill in the late November air is more than enough to pierce through the jacket he'd thrown on in his rush to escape his parents this morning, so he's going to have to move.
He heaves a long-suffering sigh and gets to his feet, but his eyes linger on the pond, the way the full moon reflects on its calm surface. There are so many memories here. Memories he has and Justin doesn't. This had been a prime deed location as well as a fun place to spend time with Justin.
He's running out of time, he knows. This can't go on for much longer. Eventually Justin is going to do something to make him stop and based on today's threat, that doesn't look like it'll take much longer. And, well, he doesn't know what he's going to do when that happens.
"Whuff!"
Eddie turns to see a shadowy shape approaching him at a decent speed. The wagging tail tells him that it's a dog and he wonders if he still has lingering dog scent or something, because what's left of his dog senses recognize the bark as a happy sort of greeting, nothing hostile.
As the dog moves closer, Eddie gets a better look at it and...
It's...it's the dog. The dog he was. Down to the bandana and the wrist cuff and even the heart shaped mark in the fur on his chest.
"You," Eddie says, surprised to find a smile on his face at the sight of something familiarnotrunning away from him. "Where'd you come from, boy?"
He scratches behind the dog's ears and the dog leans up against his legs, begging for more.
"Yeah, you know who I am, don't you?"
He gets a long whine in response, and the sad blue eyes look up at him.
"He's never gonna listen to me, is he?" Eddie sighs and sits back down on the bench, unsurprised when the canine hops up to sit beside him. "Can't blame him, I guess, it's not exactly easy to believe."
The dog lies down, rests his head on Eddie's knee.
"Eddie! Eddie, where are you!?"
Eddie twists around in surprise because there is no way this is happening. A quick glance at the dog's collar and the name and address engraved on the tag there, reveals that yes, in fact, it is.
Sure enough, Justin appears a moment later, a leash in one hand and a flashlight in the other. "Eddie!"
"He's over here."
Justin freezes, looks like he's about to bolt again when he realizes who spoke, but the dog hops off the bench and walks over to Justin, grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls him over toward the bench. Reluctantly, Justin sits down beside him. "You're still here?"
"Didn't have anywhere else to be," he shrugs, still looking out at the pond. "I wasn't following you, just so you know; I'd been here for hours when you showed up."
"And my dog?"
"We're old friends," he answers, the faintest trace of a smile on his face as the dog gives another soft 'whuff' and rubs up against him. Eddie takes the hint and scratches at the spot on his neck that always felt amazing. "Yeah, that's right."
"That's his favorite spot."
"Yeah, I know."
"How?"
"I, ugh, I had to leave him behind," he lies, because he can't tell the truth, "When I left town, that is. You got him that afternoon, right, after what I did to you?"
Justin laughs, shakes his head at this seemingly bizarre coincidence. "I cannot believe that out of all the dogs in the world, I ended up with yours. Is... is that why you've been trying to talk to me? Do you want him back? Because-"
"No," he says quickly, cutting off that idea before Justin can freak out at him for it, even though it kind of is what he wants, sort of. "He's better off with you, I know that. I just... All I wanted to do was tell you that I'm sorry, Justin. I did a lot of bad things back then, and I was a horrible person to a lot of people. I never should have gone after you like I did, and I don't have any excuses, but trust me when I tell you that I got what was coming to me for it, that in some ways I'm still paying for it. And I need you to know that I'm not that kid anymore, that selfish bully jerk who did those things. I'm a different person now and a lot of that started because of what I did to you."
"What happened to you?" Justin asks, this mix of surprise and confusion on his face that almost makes Eddie spill his guts.
In the end, he laughs, and says, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"You're probably right. Whatever could make Eddie McDowd do a complete one-eighty has got to be a force to be reckoned with."
"Yeah, I'll say," Eddie answers, as he shifts to face Justin more directly, because this is the important part. "Is there, I don't know, any way you could forgive me? Give me a chance to make it up to you?"
"You're not the only one who's changed, you know," Justin tells him, "If you tried to hang me from a flagpole these days, I'd fight back."
Eddie laughs, even though all he can think is 'I know, I taught you that,' and says, "You'd probably beat me, too. I'm a little out of practice."
"How about this - it's cold, it's late, and I need to get home. But, tomorrow. I have a half-day of school. I'll meet you for lunch and I promise to hear you out, whatever you say, no matter how crazy, no interruptions. Tell me what happened, where you were, and then I'll see if I can give you what you want. Is that okay?"
"Deal," he says, agreeing to the plan before the likelihood of actually being believed hits him, no matter Justin's claims. "I'll find you in the courtyard."
"Okay," Justin nods, holds out a hand so they can shake on it. "It's a deal."
Eddie lets out a relieved sigh and takes the proffered hand. This feeling washes over him, then, that maybe this will be okay. It's all riding on whether or not he can convince Justin that he is not certifiably insane or some sort of deranged criminal. If he can do that, then maybe there's a microscopic chance he can have his best friend back. Better than microscopic, a part of him insists, like it's already done.
"See you then," he says, as Justin leashes the dog and walks away from him.
Eddie doesn't sleep. Quite frankly, he's not sure how he hasn't driven himself insane yet, pacing in his room and staring at the clock which has to be moving at half-speed for how long it seems each minute is taking.
He's got his story. His unbelievable, fantastic, terrible story and no proof to back it up, but he's going to tell the truth this time. He has to. It's all he has anymore.
By the time his alarm goes off in the morning, he's already showered and dressed, ready to bolt out the door. Even then, he still has half of a school day to kill before he can meet Justin, so he goes back to the park, back to all the memories there, to work on his argument because his Justin taught him to think before he went diving into anything and it seems like this might be one of the times that his words will be important.
Finally, finally, finally, it's time.
The walk to the high school seems like it takes forever even as it goes by way too quickly. He loses this part and that of his practiced speech more than once on the trip, struggles to keep it all in order in his head because 'let me explain this crazy curse thing' should come before 'I know really specific information about you that makes me seem really creepy,' he thinks.
The bell rings just a moment after he gets there, and he's pacing by the picnic tables impatiently. Justin appears just a few minutes after that and Eddie's quick to approach, glad to see that Justin isn't running from him this time.
"Hey."
"Hey," he echoes. "Do you want to talk here or, I don't know, the park or-"
"Justin!" Sariffa calls, rudely interrupting him yet again. She's rushing over to them like she'd done the other day, getting in-between them again, and Eddie would be impressed by the fact that she's not afraid of him (not that she has any reason to be, except that she still thinks he's that jerk of a kid he was before) if it didn't mean another interruption in this very important conversation. "Look, I know you're supposed to be all scary and evil," she snaps at him, "but I'm not afraid of you. Not only are you breaking all sorts of school rules by being on campus, but you're really starting to freak Justin out with all of this creepy stalker behavior you're exhibiting. If you don't stop popping up like this, we're going to go to the police or a teacher or Justin's parents and then you'll-"
Luckily, Eddie is not the only one being rudely , as Justin waves her down from her threatening speech before she can draw any additional attention toward them. "Whoa, whoa. It's okay, Sariffa."
"Justin, I don't think-"
"No, really. We were talking in the park last night and-"
Now it's Justin's turn, as Sariffa cuts in on him. "He was at the park again?" She asks, as if Eddie isn't still standing right next to her, "Justin, I'm sorry, but this is bad news. Something weird is going on and you really shouldn't encourage-"
"Sariffa!" Justin has to shout to stop this rant, and she doesn't look happy about the interruption. "Sariffa. It's okay. I know what I'm doing, alright?" He moves around her, to stand at Eddie's side. "We're going back to my place to talk some more. I'll call you later, I promise. It's fine."
Eddie stays quiet while they work this out, ignores the suspicious glances Sariffa keeps shooting his way, even as she walks away from them.
"Sorry."
"It's fine, she's just trying to make sure you're okay. I get it." Eddie answers with a shrug. He's glad Justin's got her to look after him, at least, if this doesn't work. "Your place?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Wherever you want," Eddie answers, and they start the walk in a comfortable silence. It's second nature to go there, that's home, and the chance to be back inside those walls feels like another tremendous weight off his shoulders.
Eddie the Dog greets them at the door, with happy barks and a wagging tail. Eddie the Human has to pretend not to know where the boxes of treats are hidden in the cabinet by the fridge.
Justin drops his backpack by the stairs and turns to face his guest, and Eddie will never know what he was going to say because he barrels right in to the reason he's here before Justin's parents can come home, or Sariffa can show up with the cops or anything else can stop him.
"So, here's my story," he starts, "You're never, ever, ever going to believe me, but I can't lie. Not to you. Not like this. Although, I guess I already kind of did because the dog wasn't mine. I... and this is the unbelievable part, so if you could maybe just listen to all of it before you decide that I'm completely crazy and kick me out - After that day, after what I did to you, I managed to piss off this grumpy old guy and he, I don't know, cursed me, I guess. He turned me into a dog - that dog," he says, nodding toward the canine sitting at Justin's side, "And he made it so the only person that could hear me was the last person I picked on. And, and that was you. And you found me at the pound and you helped me. I had to do 100 good deeds to be a human again and it took me three and a half years and with your help I finally did it but when I changed back you didn't remember me except from before and... and so here we are. And I know all of these things about you, about your family that would prove that I've been a part of it and it'll just sound like I'm some sort of completely obsessed stalker and then you'll just run away from me again or you'll call the police and get me thrown in jail - where I belonged when this whole mess started, before you made me a better person. Justin, you're my best friend, and I can't do this without you, so if there's any way you could ever-"
"Eddie!" Justin says, for what is not the first time. Eddie has been dimly aware that he'd been calling his name throughout most of his rambling speech, but he'd needed to get it all out before Justin started reacting to it - surely it would be negatively, how else could anyone respond to 'hey, believe this crazy thing I'm about to tell you and be my best friend again.'
It's not until Justin's hands land on his shoulders, which puts a physical stop to the pacing he hadn't realized he'd been doing, that he finally gets through.
"Eddie. Eddie, just stop."
Eddie pushes the hands away, turns the other way to avoid whatever freaked out look he's sure is on Justin face at the realization that Sariffa was right and he never should have brought this crazy person back to his house. "See, I knew you wouldn't-"
"You owe me breakfast."
"What?"
Justin's grinning at him, "You promised. The first morning you were here - you said you'd make me breakfast when you turned back, if I brought you some bacon."
It takes a few seconds for the meaning of this seemingly out of nowhere comment to register, but when it does, Eddie's voice is quiet and awed when he asks a tentative, "You remember?" because he had been pretty sure that it would never happen. "Everything?"
"Everything,"Justin confirms, and Eddie absolutely cannot help himself when he closes the distance between them to catch his best friend in a relieved, ecstatic hug. Nearly a week's worth of tension drains out of him instantly and it's all he can do to believe this is real. Justin hugs him back, and Eddie can feel him grinning against his shoulder when he says, "Though I was a little confused when I woke up this morning and thought there were two of you. I have to say, the dog is way better behaved now, talks a lot less, too."
"Fine, sure, make fun of me," Eddie grumbles, as he slowly pulls away, "I've only been going out of my mind trying to figure out how to get you to remember me. What happened?"
"I don't know," is the unhelpful answer he gets, "Maybe it just took time for my memories to come back? Neither of us was supposed to remember, right?"
Eddie nods, "Yeah, but the Drifter said he didn't know what was going on."
"Hm, maybe it was because I forgave you for what you did without knowing anything about who you are now?" Justin suggests, and that one seems a lot more likely and a lot more like the Drifter than any other ideas - one final test, to see what he would do now that he'd supposedly changed his ways. "'Cause I did forgive you last night, when you apologized, even if I didn't say it. I forgave you a long time ago, but I guess it didn't count when I knew what was happening."
"Well, thanks," Eddie says, aware that there's not really anything he could say to make Justin realize how much he'd needed this. "Hey! Why the hell did you let me freak out like that if you remembered? The entire time, the entire morning - I didn't sleep! I was worried you'd change your mind and go back to avoiding me. If you remembered when you woke up, why didn't you tell me right away?"
Justin shrugs, "I couldn't exactly call you, since I had no idea where you were, where you lived before. And I wasn't totally sure that you remembered everything, either. For all I knew, you might have actually thought he was your dog before all of this. I figured I'd wait and see what you told me, go from there."
Eddie can't really argue, those are valid points, and he'd never told Justin much about his own family history, "Fair enough," he agrees.
"So now what?"
Now Eddie needs to sit down. Coming down off of a weeklong adrenaline high that came in the panic of fighting for Justin's memories is exhausting. Not sleeping didn't help, and now that it's okay, now that they're okay, he can feel the toll it's taken on him. He sinks down onto the couch, glad when Justin follows him, settles beside him.
"You tell me. We'll have to come up with some kinda story. For your parents, for Sariffa. That is, if you still want me around, I mean-"
"Of course I want you around. You are my best friend." The dog barks and jumps up between them, seeming to voice his protest. "Okay," Justin amends. "You're tied, I guess."
Eddie smiles. "I'm okay with that," he admits. "And I know it can't be like before, I know I can't stay here or anything. I'll get my GED, try to find a job and a place that is not with my parents as soon as I can. I'll figure it out from there, what to do after you graduate."
"You could always come with me, you know. I'm not getting into any Ivy League schools or anything. I'll probably start at the Community College, at least. It's cheaper. You could take classes. Maybe we could get a place together or something."
Justin is definitely downplaying his school options, Eddie thinks. He'd seen the schools Justin applied to, knows he got into most of them. But they'll figure that out later. Right now, Eddie would like a break from life-altering occurrences and would like to do something normal and human with his best friend.
The controllers for the game console are sitting on the coffee table and he grabs them both up. One, he tosses to Justin, the other he keeps for himself. "How about a quick game before we go back to the serious conversations?"
Justin accepts his challenge and flicks on the television. "You're on. Maybe you'll actually stand a chance against me now that you have thumbs."
"That didn't sound quite as impressive as you thought it did, you know," Eddie counters, "You beat a dog at video games, wow."
"Shut up," Justin laughs at him, and Eddie revels in how normal this all still feels even with everything that's changed, everything that's still changing. He's got Justin, he's got a plan, and now he's actually got a shot at being the decent person he knows that he can be now, thanks to his best friend.
[Credits]
[100 Good deeds for Eddie mcdowd!]
