C3 Changes two

Then came the fateful day when the coach walked into the showers to get the guys to stop clowning around. He saw Ed delaying his own shower until the others had left. He'd pushed the boy into the room and told him to get to it. Red faced, Ed hung up his towel and stepped into the shower. The room went silent until the coach's voice boomed out.

"Fuck, I guess we're going to have to call you Mister Ed from now on."

When some of the players asked him what he meant he just told them to look it up. Edward recalled the look of disgust on the man's face as he left the shower room. When his teammates discovered 'Mister Ed' referred to a horse their laughter was a knife in his guts and his shame was complete. He couldn't help that he was so big. Being called a freak by his teammates was particularly painful even if they did it as a joke. He did his best from that time on to avoid showering with the others either by being first or last. He avoided the coach most of all. When he could. He took to wearing loose fitting pants. Anything to hide his shame.

At home he moved his bedroom to the spare room in the basement. There was a small bathroom down there where he could take his shower without Shirley or Grace accidentally seeing him. He couldn't bear the thought of them seeing his freakish nature.

Edward gave himself a shake when he found himself dwelling on that old history. He was eighteen now and he did his best to put up with the ribbing from the rest of his team though it still hurt.

He made his way into the card shop and began his hunt. He didn't want something too drippy or sappy as Grace was not sentimental in the least. She was a practical woman. He wanted a pretty card with a simple heartfelt message.

While he was hunting he felt eyes on him and looked down the aisle to see Melanie Stanwell and Izzy Desmond looking at him and giggling. They worked in the store. With a bold look at Izzy, Melanie walked down the aisle towards him with a smile on her lips. She was a tall, slim girl with lovely brown eyes and long wavy brown hair which went to her mid-back. He'd heard the other guys talking about her, saying it was too bad she didn't have big tits to go along with her sleek curves. Ed just thought she was nicely proportioned. She wore a lot of rings which always drew his eyes to her long elegant fingers.