Ed put his paints to the side of the bed before rolling back over and spreading out over the sheets. Oil paints were smeared over his cheek and stained his old clothing. The portrait was no where near being completed. And in some ways he thought it probably never would be. Oh, well, he thought. He had other things on his mind.

Ray. Jason. Ray and Jason.

Edmondo groaned silently to himself, placing a paint covered hand over his face. This was a mess...

Ed sits in the chair that sits neatly in the middle of the Diary Room for good long while, face one of deep thought. He hugs one of the pillows Kate had tossed to him during the other nights Truth or Dare game.

"I...I don't like sounding like some jealous wife or some emo kid from the city, but I...When Raymond kissed Jason, it wasn't supposed to be something big. It was just a dare. But, I saw the way he kiss him and..."

He sighs, nuzzling the pillow idly before lifting his eyes to the camera.

"I'm a hypocrite for saying it, because I was dared to kiss Lex. Felt like I was kissing my old man, which was a disgusting thought. I won't lie and say I wasn't hurt when Ray kissed someone else, even thought I know we're not exclusive. But, then he said something that just made it all that much worse. 'That's from me'."

He looks away, appearing to be rather upset. "I won't be mean and tell him something hurtful. But I won't let Ray -or- Jason go on without knowing that it hurt. -Especially- Raymond."

Ed sits in the Diary room, hugging one knee with a very pleased smile. He speaks in Italian, provided the subtitles the editor will put on the bottom of the screen will present the viewers at home with the proper translation.

"Oh, this is going to be rather interesting. Lex is full of himself. Oh, God! I bet he's already got a plan going in that bald head of his. Jason seems withdrawn. Like he's trying to skirt around being kicked out. The girls seem nice, though."

He laughs, shaking his head. "Shocked as I was to see Raymond? That's going to be hard for me, with his kid-shifty thing. I want to keep him close, you know? Try and get the kid to go as far through this as he can. But, then again. Fifty thousand dollars. That'll really help out my folks back home."

A sigh as Ed thinks, chewing on his bottom lip. "I don't mind the whiny blonde kid. Reminds me of my little brother. He'll get tired of this place and start bitching for his mother here soon. The first week is always the hardest for them. As long as I keep up with the role of Sweet Edmondo, I think I can stay under the radar long enough. Comfort a few people here, laugh at the stupid jokes of those people there..."

He grins slyly, sweeping back his hair. "This is going to be fun."

The hiss of steam bellows through the rather grubby apartment complex, pipes clattering and clanging overhead. The wallpaper was peeling from the stucco and drywall. A mess. Even walking down the barely carpeted hallway, one might catch scents of asbestos and maybe a just dash of formaldehyde. The tin numbers to many of the doors were swinging from a single peg, often displaying the wrong number.

102
Edmondo stepped out from the shower, wrapping up his torso with a towel he'd picked up the night before at the Quick'N'Save down the street. The static hum of the air conditioner bellowed softly through the studio apartment, the tiny strips of paper flailing as the cold air was being pumped in from the outside.