Chapter 1 – I'm fine

"Ok class, today we're going to discuss about a very common urge that most teenagers have when they feel they can't get along with their parents anymore, or can't find their place or…yeah, well. Anyone's got a clue?" Mr Garrison asked the class.

Of course he was met by silence, followed by Wendy who eagerly raised and shook her hand. Wendy Testaburger, also known as "the teacher's pet". It seemed like there was nothing this girl didn't know.

"How about someone else…let's see…Clyde?" Mr. Garrison said, trying to get the boy's attention. As usual, Clyde was passing notes with his deskmate, Craig. This didn't go unseen by the teacher.

"Dude, I think he's talking to you..." Craig leaned towards his best friend.

"Huh? Wha-..what did he ask?" Clyde turned towards the teacher, hoping he'd ask the question again.

"I dunno, something about teenage urges and shit"

"Oh, like sex and drugs and stuff?"

"No dude" Token, their friend who occupied the desk behind them poked Clyde on the back "It sounded like something bad and depressing".

"Clyde, you either give your answer now or you'll get an F" Garrison threatened, getting real tired of the student's shit.

"Uhm, I dunno man...cutting? Suicidal thoughts?" Clyde scratched his head, trying really hard to think about what depressed teenagers would do.

"Well that's not exactly it, but you were pretty close. Wendy?"

"Ahem" Wendy cleared her throat and got up."Running away from home, Mr Garrison" she said, slightly turning her head towards Clyde, giving him a superior look.

"Correct, you may sit down. Now I would like you to give me examples of..blah blah blah…his words slowly faded, as the class continued to fret and do anything but pay attention.

"Man, she's fucking annoying" Clyde said, glaring daggers at the back of Wendy's head, while nearly snapping his pencil in half. "Did you see how she just got up, like she was about to give a really important speech or something? Gosh, I can't wait for high school to end and never see her fucking face again"

"Just calm down" Craig tried to reason his friend, but was quickly interrupted by a snapping sound. "That was the last pencil you had, wasn't it"

"Ah, don't worry. Token's gonna lend me another one, right buddy?" Clyde smiled and turned around in his seat.

"Wha? Who do you think I am, the Pencil Fairy? That was the last penc..no, scratch that, the last THING that you borrowed from me." Yo, Tweek!" Token elbowed his desk mate, waking him up from another daydream he was having "Clyde wants a pencil"

"GAH! N-no! I DON'T have one! S-sorry…" Tweek apologised while shaking and squirming. He was quickly beginning to feel sad. "I'm SO sorry!"

"It's cool dude" Clyde smiled

"GOD! I'm so useless! Augh!" he started shaking even more. He always panicked when he thought he was a burden of some sort. His self-confidence was really low.

"Dude it's okay! Look at me" Clyde tried to get his attention "It's cool, all right? Everything's fine. Look-Token's fine" he pointed at their black friend, who immediately grinned towards the shaking blonde. "And I'm fine. Even Craig's fine, right Craig?" Clyde poked his desk mate, without receiving an answer.

Craig was, yet again, silent. After watching Clyde's efforts of trying to calm down their friend, and after hearing his last question, he began to wonder. Was he really fine? He looked around the classroom until his eyes landed on the blackboard. It seemed that while they were trapped in their own world, Mr Garrison continued with the lesson and had asked the students to come to the board and write some reasons regarding their discussion. Reasons teenagers have or find, that make them want to run away. While examining each sentence, Craig started to realize something, and suddenly he felt a slight pain in his stomach that quickly reached his chest.

He found himself in what was written on the board. It was like the class was asked to describe him and his life. Everything was true, from "not getting along at all with parents/siblings" to "feeling trapped/ unwanted/ unneeded". No, he was not fine, and he had known it for a long time. But the thought of running away…that actually never occurred to him. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Then it hit him. He knew what to do. He was going to run away, and he knew exactly WHO he was going to take with him.

"Craig?! Earth to Craaaaig!" Clyde snapped his fingers in front Craig's silver eyes.

"What"

"I said…You're fine too. Riiiight?" Clyde furiously winked at him, forcing himself to smile as wide as he could.

Craig looked at him, then turned to Token and Tweek. He sighed, and for the first time that day, he smiled. "Yeah…I'm fine.