Chapter Theme: R.I.P by 3OH!3
The Walls Became Fuel
Chapter One; The Art of Letting Go
"Kenneth, you aren't going to get any better unless you talk to me." Dr. Gloveland sighed out in exasperation while leaning back in his chair. His big glasses reflected the lights on the ceiling as he straightened out his green sweater vest.
"I don't need to get better. There isn't anything wrong with me." Kenny repeated for the hundredth time as the doctor tapped his pencil against the edge of his clipboard.
"You embedded a pen in a man's eye socket," The therapist reminded his patient rather harshly, "Do you think there was nothing wrong with what you did?"
Kenny didn't reply because he didn't have an answer. Sure what he did was horrible, but he wasn't in his right mind at the time. If the dumb prick hadn't been messing around with him in the first place he wouldn't have been rushed to the ER with a pen jammed into his frontal lobe.
The doctor sighed, "You do know what they are going to do to you if you don't successfully complete this program, don't you?"
As usual, Kenny had nothing to say.
"They are going to lock you up, McCormick! You are going to prison if you don't talk to me! I know what happened is hard for you to even think about, but I'm running out of options here and I can't help you evade the court forever." Dr. Gloveland sternly barked. He didn't want to be harsh with the young man in front of him. Kenny McCormick was really nothing but a traumatized child-at-heart who didn't know how to handle all of the horrible things he had seen, -at least that's what the jury decided- but the doctor was at the end of his rope. Every other day for the last two months Kenny had walked into his office, sat on his ass, and just stared at the wall. He was so unresponsive Dr. Gloveland would have thought the man was brain dead if he didn't know better.
"Can I go now?" The young man asked as if he didn't hear a word the doctor had shouted to him.
Dr. Gloveland stared at him for a little while as an unbearable heaviness weighed on his shoulders, and then he finally dismissed his patient with, "Yes, your time is up anyway."
Kenny stood from his chair immediately, but before he could even take a step towards the polished oak exit the doctor added, "Listen to me, and at least consider what you're doing to yourself by keeping up this silence. Your whole future depends on you completing this program."
Kenny could have laughed in the man's face by that point. What future? He surly didn't have any sort of hope ahead of himself after all that he had been through.
"Noted." The orange clad rebel murmured under his breath before stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him. The hallway was completely empty, which was actually pretty normal around that time of night. The only people left in the building were a few secretaries and workaholic therapists who used the darkness and silence to their advantage. Kenny slipped through the dim, yet beautifully decorated corridors until he found himself at the large glass front doors of his therapist's building. He grimaced angrily at the sight of heavy rain pounding the cement outside. He didn't recall hearing anything about a storm, but his only source of information at the time was an unreliable old radio he had mounted on the dashboard of the junk car he slept in. That piece of shit couldn't pick up much more than an oldies rock station, but even that sometimes wouldn't come through without blaring static. Either way a storm is what Kenny got. The winds began to blow harshly, causing trees to sway and a few people outside to lose their footing as they too tried to make their way to their cars.
He had no umbrella to keep the cold water from soaking through his clothes, but the hood of his dirty old parka did offer him a small shield from the storm as he launched from the thick double doors and sprinted towards his car. The sky above him was dark and grey, bearing the weight of the rainstorm that was beating Kenny into the cement as he desperately sprinted for cover. Thunder boomed overhead and the downpour was falling so hard he felt like he was suffering through a barrage of BB pellets. His legs pumped as quickly as they could go and his old sneakers began to lose traction against the grey pavement of the parking lot. Finally he reached his red 1985 Toyota supra and threw open the passenger side door. The lightening cracked through the sky, causing a bright flash of light to surprise Kenny as he dove into his crappy old car and slammed the door.
He let out a sigh of relief when the rain could no longer soak into his bones and eventually stripped himself of his drenched clothing when he settled back down. He tossed his parka, white T-shirt, and jeans onto the floor in front of him. He tried to adjust his radio in hopes of getting some reception before dressing, but all he could hear was the sound of rain pounding harshly on his thin metal roof.
He glanced over to his dashboard where he saw a little bundle wrapped painstakingly carefully with a thin white sheet. The rain droplets pounding at his window made him fear for his precious package; so he gathered up the little bundle and gently placed it under his passenger seat where he was sure no rain would ever taint it. Kenny knew he should work up the courage to deliver his package eventually, but he was beyond afraid of what it's recipient would feel about him knocking on his front door. The fear and anxiety was too great for his overworked mind, so he decided to say fuck it and deal with that whole mess at a later date.
He squeezed past the red front seats to climb into the back seat, where he kept his clothes. The moment he realized his friend, Bebe, had left him freshly cleaned clothing folded in a neat pile on his back seat he nearly had a conniption. She must have dropped off his laundry while he was being harassed by Dr. Gloveland. He was unsure at first about giving her a key to his rolling metal deathtrap of an abode, but oh was he happy he did. That was the first time in weeks his clothes had been washed and it couldn't have come at a better time.
"Oh god, Bebe, I love you so much. With everything I have, I swear. Oh sweet Jesus you're an amazingly beautiful person, oh yes." He practically moaned out as he pulled an unsullied and dry shirt over his head. He didn't care that he sounded like a teenage boy experiencing his first orgasm; he had clean clothes to sniff. The fabric was still warm from Bebe and Wendy's washer and they smelled like the candles Wendy always had in her electric burner. He absolutely loved that smell. It was like an odd mix of jasmine and honey and the aroma was more than welcomed since it helped chase away the moldy and musky stench his dank aged car had to offer.
It's sort of funny that he was allowed to live on his own after all the trouble he got himself into; especially considering he lived out of his car. Usually after someone goes to court for physical assault they at least get stuck with an ankle bracelet and house arrest. Yet, he was found guilty and life for him could continue as usual as long as he finished his whack-job therapist's program. However, odder things had happened in South Park over the years so it's best not to question such menial things.
Once he clothed himself in a baggy red T-shirt and a pair of grey sweats he curled up in the cramped back seat. Thanks to the salary he earned as a clerk in a local tobacco shop he managed to purchase himself a big yellow comforter to keep him from getting cold, but he was still without a pillow to rest his heavy head on.
His eyes glistened as lightning blazed in the sky and the relentless rain continued to pound loudly on the roof of his car. His neck was already hurting from the awkward position his head was in against the back door and his stomach grumbled.
Kenny hated being alive.
He hated everything about it.
He had tried so many times to end it all. He's drowned himself, hanged himself, over dosed on just about everything, flung himself from buildings, jumped in the path of oncoming trains and even made an attempt to slit his wrists open. Every suicide ended the same. The sweet stench of death would overtake him and for a few moments he would feel relaxed and at peace, and then once the peace had passed one of three things would happen. Sometimes nothing would ensue at all between the time of his death and when he awoke curled up in the back seat of his car, but other times he felt things. His favorite feeling was flying. It was almost as if he was in a constant free-fall with soft clouds brushing his cheeks and if he listened really closely he could swear he could hear the gentle voices of angels singing him to sleep. However, there were other feelings he'd experienced that weren't quite as enjoyable.
After the moment of peace passed sometimes he found himself in another place. A place where hot coals and fire scorched his hands and feet and the only sounds he could decipher were those of angry demons howling loud enough to bust out his eardrums. He seemed to end up there more and more often after what happened, but he didn't really mind so much. He hated the fire that surrounded him and the situation only left him screaming in agony, but there wasn't anything he could feel in death that was more horrific than the nightmares he would experience in life. There were times that he killed himself; knowing hell was waiting on the other side, just so he could avoid dreaming. And every time he had a gun to his head or found himself under the large steel wheels of a locomotive there was a hope inside of him that kept him believing he might not breathe again.
Yes, his nightmares were horrifying. Many of the dreams that plagued him weren't really dreams at all, but rather memories that his grief stricken brain refused to let him forget. Those were the hardest for him to cope with. Some were horrid reenactments of the unspeakable night that ruined him, while others were fond and happy memories that left him wanting to tear his own throat out. He hated the happy dreams the most. They weren't nearly as horrifying as the more frightening dreams brought on by the pivotal incident, however they only served to remind him of all the happiness he used to have; causing him to spiral downward into depression.
To be frank with the point, he would much rather wake up screaming than crying.
Things might not have been so bad for Kenny if he had his friends around to help him overcome the overbearing, bone crushing weight he was suffering through. However, they all left him. One by one they drifted away or cut him off completely.
The first of his trusted circle to abandon him was actually the hardest for him to bear. The first one to leave him was the one he loved the most. The first one to leave him was the only one he truly gave everything to. The first one to leave him was the only one who still haunted his fondest of dreams and memories that were now nothing but too painful to bear. The first one to leave him was the one who promised he would always stay.
The first one to leave him was Kyle Broflovski.
Yes, Kyle Broflovski, arguably his first love and the only healthy relationship Kenny had ever found. He left him to go to college in another state a couple years after their senior year of high school, which happened about four years before Kenny found himself living out of his car.
Losing Kyle was a devastating blow to Kenny, who overcame the majority of his bad habits through him and ultimately fitted his life and future around the other boy. Not to mention all the emotional turmoil Kenny went through when he realized his heterosexuality was in serious question. Before his affections for Kyle came to light he had only ever been with women, and a lot of them. Never once had he imagined himself in the bed of another man, but thanks to Kyle that's what happened.
Things were different with his redheaded boyfriend than they had been with all those girls, though. Sure there was a lot of sex and the occasional fight, much like he had experienced with the countless girls he fucked around with or actually tried to date, but Kenny and Kyle evened each other out beautifully.
Kyle managed to tame Kenny's wild side, causing the rebellious blond to actually graduate with high marks because of his many nights studying with Kyle. Kenny wasn't the only one who was changed by their relationship, though. He helped loosen Kyle up quite a bit both in an innocent, and not-so-innocent way. He even convinced him to enjoy many nights of adventure under the buzz of alcohol.
Life couldn't have been better for Kenny during those last few years of high school. He managed to end up in a wonderful relationship and he was doing an amazing job in school, which was a miracle in itself. He had a large and close knit group of friends and family and the future never looked quite so bright for him.
That euphoric feeling of purpose didn't last long though. Kyle's leaving turned out to work like the domino effect and each of his friends, family and aspirations became a chip in line to be toppled over while all Kenny could do was watch it all fell apart.
Cartman was the next domino to fall. Once Kyle was gone he slowly gravitated away from Kenny and Stan. Eric complained that things just weren't as fun without Kyle, the redheaded Jew-boy, to rip on and preferred hanging around his girlfriend, Wendy, rather than his old friends.
However, Stan stayed with Kenny for a few years after high school. Even when Kenny hit rock bottom and was nothing but an inconvenience to him Stan still stuck around. It did get hard from time to time, though, considering Stan still had his foot in Kyle's door, so to speak. During the resurfacing of Kenny's massive drug addictions and endless line of sex partners the last thing he wanted to hear about was Kyle, who was seemingly doing an amazing job in Georgia without him, while Kyle was the only thing Stan ever wanted to talk about.
It's not that Kenny could ever get away from the thought of his ex though. Even if Stan did have the courtesy to keep the topic out of conversation Kyle still constantly plagued his mind thanks to the tattoo of his name across Kenny's left upper arm.
He sadly lived to regret that life decision.
The issue with Kyle wasn't what made Stan leave though; not even after the near-crippling tragedy that destroyed Kenny's mind. In fact, he was in the hospital holding Kenny's hand when the incident left him dying in a hospital bed; not that Stan remembers that, of course. No one ever remembered when Kenny died. None the less, the distinct memory of the last close friend he had left sobbing out his name was enough to reassure him Stan would stay with him.
He didn't though.
He stopped hanging around Kenny about a month before he started going to therapy. Stan's breaking point was witnessing his disoriented friend jam a writing utensil in someone's brain at the local drug store. He didn't blame Stan for that though. He would have left at that point too.
It's really quite surprising that Kenny had any friends left at all.
"Fuck me." He grumbled irritably as he bunched up a pile of clean clothes under his head for some cushion. He was sick of sleeping in a stiff car seat, but he had little other choice unless he planned on dying again that night. The rain was still pouring harshly; making a racket over his head and keeping him awake. For the first time in a long time he really wanted to sleep. He wanted to try and rest his eyes rather than blow out his brains, but Mother Nature had other plans for him.
Unable to sleep; he climbed into his front seat of his shit car and slammed the key into the ignition. The pictures hanging from his rear-view mirror clinked together when the car began to vibrate; catching his attention and making him sigh.
He had a good collection of ornaments hanging from the metal mirror, all of which had some sort of sentimental purpose. A cheesy pair of pink fuzzy dice hung there only because that's where Stan and Cartman had put them as a joke during senior year. He also had his graduation tassel, a gold chain that once belonged to Kyle, and both of his sibling's school pictures hanging around that thin metal rod. He would have probably been better off if he took all those things down. All they ever did was tear back open his healing wounds, but he just couldn't let go. He couldn't let go of all of those happy and good things even though they tore him apart and irritated his bleeding heart every time he glanced at them.
The recollections of all the laughter and joy that once filled his life and lifted his soul were starting to slowly fade.
The laughter was gone.
The joy, the love, all the hugs and kisses had disappeared and those little keepsakes were the only things left that reminded him life was once worth living; even though it wasn't anymore.
The plastic of his sibling's photos clinked softly together as the rain drenched his windshield. Blue shadows cast into the interior of his car as his sisters soft smile beamed down on him through the dim lighting and left his throat dry, but his cheeks wet.
"What am I gonna do, Karen?" He asked her little plastic picture sadly before rubbing his forehead.
He took a moment to scan his surroundings and let out a long and unsure sigh when his eyes landed on his passenger seat. His leg bounced with anxiety and the stitches holding his torn heart together began to loosen and snap when he finally decided it was time to let go of his bundle. He reached into the shadows of it's hiding place and pulled the precious treasure out from under the passenger seat. He didn't want to give it up. He had no use for it anymore considering he used it for all it was worth, but he was so afraid to let go. The tips of his fingers brushed the cloth protecting the item he valued so highly and a sob almost made its way out of his throat.
That's when he realized he couldn't hold onto it forever, no matter how bad he might have wanted to. His eyes fogged over and filled with bitter tears as he shoved his car into reverse and backed out of the parking lot.
...
Kenny fucking hated smoking. Not because cigarettes can cause horrific cancers and not because they could suffocate those around him; he hated smoking because it entailed flipping open a lighter and holding a scorching flame just centimeters from his face and thumbs. God, he hated it so much. The feeling of the burning heat so close to his skin could send him into a horrible panic, but his cravings for nicotine only grew and grew the longer he tried to fight it off.
He held the butt of said cancer stick tightly between his lips, mentally preparing himself for the flame that would shoot from his lighter and ignite the end of his sweet release. His right hand trembled in rebellion and every time he tried to ignite the flame he would flinch or falter. He didn't like thinking that he was so incapable of completing such a menial task, but when someone is as fucked up as Kenny it's hard not to be afraid of little things.
Fire most definitely wasn't his only fear. The little flame at the end of his lighter didn't even scratch the surface of his inner most uncertainties.
"Ah! Shit!" He shouted when the flame caught the edge of his trembling thumb.
In a fit of rage he chucked his lighter across the car; where it clinked against his windshield and disappeared in the black hole that was his 1985 Toyota supra. He sighed to himself and picked at his thumbnail in frustration. He was pissed, but at least the roofing over his car kept the rain from irritating him. He was parked under the protection of an open garage that belonged to someone he was so afraid to see again. He was tempted to reach under his seat and pull out one of his many long bottles of alcohol, but figured he would probably get wasted off of his ass if he did. He could never just have one drink. Sadly, that was a trait passed on from his piece of shit father.
Piece of shit father.
Piece of shit.
Kenny hated that man. His father was not his family. That idea was tossed out the window after what the bastard had caused. Everything he ever loved, cherished, and protected was gone because of that single man's mistake and Kenny wasn't the only one paying for it.
He wasn't the only one who cried himself to sleep, either. That's exactly why he was here; parked in this garage while trying to build up the courage to just bring his bundle to the door and ring the bell. He was here to give someone closure. To give closure to someone who was probably hurting just as bad as he was, if not more. He still wasn't sure what reaction he would get when he finally did knock on that door. He was pretty sure he would get a dirty look at the very least, but this had to be done. Nothing could ever make up for what Kenny had failed to do, but he had to try.
He held the sheet-wrapped item tightly to his chest as he gripped the door handle and pushed his way out of his car. The garage he parked in was relatively empty, but that wasn't much of a surprise considering it's new owner has only been using it for about six months. A few tools were hanging from a rack above a work bench, a rather small deep freeze was pressed up beside a door that lead into a kitchen, and another car was parked a few feet away from Kenny's. Other than these few creature comforts the garage was baron.
Kenny approached the door with uncertainty raking through his being. He was nervous and afraid, but he knew that package needed to be delivered. He had already avoided this moment for too long as it was, he couldn't keep running away from everything that made him uncomfortable and he knew that.
He took a second to prepare himself before knocking loudly on the door. From deep within the house he heard a sudden chorus of furious barking and howling. The unexpected and booming noise sent him jumping back from the door.
"Tamara! Goblin! What the fuck did I say about barking like that?" A very irritated voice sternly barked through the loud racket of snarling dogs.
"Don't worry! I'll put them in the back room!" replied a very feminine voice from deep inside the guts of the house, "Just get the door!"
"Ah! Hold on a minute! I'll be right there!" The home owner yelled to whoever was waiting outside as he shuffled across the kitchen tiles.
Kenny felt the massive pressure of anxiety filling up his chest as the knob before him jiggled. The door pulled open; setting the dark garage aglow with light that flooded in from the kitchen. When the dark silhouette standing in the door realized who was standing in his garage his unseen expression was left confused and surprised.
"Kenny?" he asked in shock as he stood stif and concerned, "God... It's been so long. Have you been doing alright? I've heard a lot of things."
Kenny was surprised to say the least. He didn't expect the other man to show him worry and compassion of all things, but Ike Broflovski had always been a good and caring person, just like his older brother. No matter how he had been crossed he was always rather quick to forgive.
"Um... Yeah. I guess so. I actually came by to drop something off." Kenny replied as his fingers tightened his grip on his package.
Ike tilted his head to the side in confusion and eyed the item in Kenny's arms with curiosity, "Alright. Come in, come in. Ruby and I were just about to make a midnight snack."
"Ruby's here?" Kenny asked.
"Ah, yeah. Her and her parents got into it so she is staying here for a while. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later. Now hurry up and get in here before the bad weather gives you a cold." he insisted in a tone that sounds strangely like something his adoptive mother, Sheila, would say.
The first thing Kenny noticed when he walked into Ike's house was how messy everything was. Brown boxes overflowing with Karen's things were stacked on top of his kitchen counters and a wide assortment of women's clothing was laid out on his dinner table. Pictures of him and his fiancé adorned the walls just as they always had, but none the less Ike's photo album lay open atop the clothes littering his dining table; not that Kenny was surprised by any means.
It was almost as if every Broflovski was programmed for cleanliness and order. Kenny of all people should know that considering he dated one for four and-a-half years. During that time he couldn't even set a cup on the coffee table without Kyle giving him a scolding lecture about the benefits of using a coaster. However, Ike used Karen as the foundation of his life and everything got thrown out of whack when that foundation was ripped out from under him.
Kenny knew exactly how that felt, so he understood why his sister's things were strewn about her fiancé's house as if she lived there. It was the same reason Kenny kept her and Kevin's pictures hanging from his rear view mirror.
Neither Kenny nor Ike wanted to let go.
"So, you said you had something for me?" Ike asked as he rubbed his hands together as if it was cold. Kenny almost felt bad for stopping by. Even though Ike was being friendly it was quite apparent that the blonds' presence was stirring up painful thoughts in his mind; just as it was for Kenny to be reunited with his almost-brother-in-law again.
"Uh... Yeah." He almost whispered as he held out the sheet, "I... I didn't want to give it up... but I think it will be safer here with you. She wanted you to have it, anyway."
Hearing this Ike's eyebrows ruffled together with anticipation, but he reached out to take the cloth covered item gently. He wasn't sure what was inside all of that fabric, but for Kenny to have been coddling like that it must have been something important.
Ike's fingers twitched as he slowly and carefully peeled away the layers. By this time Ruby managed to wander into the kitchen. She offered Kenny a broken smile, for she too was damaged by the same incident that haunted Kenny and Ike. She too understood their pain.
Kenny tried to smile back, but it turned out looking weird and misplaced on his face.
The white sheet fell to the floor as Ike's fingertips trailed across a leather cover. "What's this?" he asked with a quivering lip and trembling knees.
"It's Karen's... She wrote about you a lot." Kenny replied before swallowing wad of pressure in his throat and leaning up against the edge of the wooden countertops for support.
Ike cracked open the diary and let his eyes run across one of the filled pages. Ruby watched with worry as he sucked in a trembling breath and tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes. His watery brown gaze moved from the diary in his hands to the scrawny twenty-four year old leaning up against his counter before he mumbled out a heart-felt thank you.
Kenny only nodded in response before Ike added shakily, "Is it true that you're living in your car?"
"Uh... Well… Yeah. Things have sort of been tough, but you know how it is." He dismissed nonchalantly almost as if he was taking about getting water on his shoes rather than being homeless.
"You're sleeping here until the storm passes," Ike demands as he tucks Karen's journal under his arm, "A car is no place to be sleeping, especially not with winds like that blowing outside."
"I... Really?" Was the response as a rather perplexed McCormick blinked in disbelief, "I thought you never wanted to see me again."
"I never said that, you just assumed it," The Canadian born man argues with a sigh, "Holding grudges is God's business, not mine. I… I was in the wrong anyway. What happened wasn't your fault… Now, I'm going to go shut the garage door."
With that he turned away from a grateful, yet astounded, Kenny and disappeared into the falling darkness of the garage.
Ruby cleared her throat to catch the older man's attention once Ike slammed the door closed. She knew of Ike's habit of wallowing in misery in his garage when he didn't want to bother others with his tears. The resurfacing of his late fiancé's most personal diary was sure to draw water from his eyes. He needed his time alone and she was going to make sure he got it.
"So I heard you got away with a slap on the wrist," She said with a bit of an ill-behaved smile, "At least the justice system did something right for once."
As she spoke she glided out of the kitchen and into the living room so Kenny followed her to continue the conversation. Ike's living room was much tidier than his kitchen had been. The walls where white and the carpets were green, a couple of leather couches were positioned on either side of the room and his drapes looked clean and expensive. Ike's television was not nearly as impressive as the rest of his living room, though, considering the tiny thing looked older than the man who owned it.
"I don't know what you mean by that," Kenny confessed as he stood awkwardly in the doorway, "I stabbed a man in the face and got off with therapy, that's barely justice."
Ruby had reclined in one of the expensive leather couches and picked up an issue of Teen Magazine by the time he had addressed what she had said.
"Oh come on Kenny, that douche bag had it coming and you know it," She argued as she flipped through her glossy magazine, "He shouldn't have said what he did."
"Well yeah, but I shouldn't have hurt him."
She cocked a brow in his direction in disbelief, "The Kenny McCormick I know would never regret getting back at someone who insulted his family. Remember when some sleazebag grabbed Karen's ass at the mall? You didn't let that shit slide. You decked the fucker, as it should have been. Same thing goes for that guy at the store. He deserved worse than what you gave him after what he said."
"Yeah, but he wasn't talking about my sister, he was talking about my brother."
Her pale face fell drasticly and her eyes scanned the room around them. A picture of the McCormick siblings sat just a few feet away from her. It was probably left there by Karen when she started moving her things into the house, along with all the other boxes and items that cluttered up the kitchen. Ruby rubbed her forhead before mumbling out, "I hated your brother, but he didn't deserve what happened to him. Carol and Karen didn't either."
A silence fell upon the two as they tried to keep their masks of strength from loosening and falling off of their faces.
"You miss her too." Kenny murmured softly, breaking the silence and snapping Ruby out of a trance.
"Well… of course… we all do… that's why Ike screamed at you that day. He didn't mean any of the things he said, you know. He just wanted someone to blame."
Kenny chuckled softly, and then leaned up against the doorframe.
"So you're living here now, huh? Ike said you fought with your parents." He said as a lame attempt to change the subject.
"Oh my god you don't even know." She fumed as she smacked her magazine closed. She too was looking for something to keep her mind off of her pain and an angry rant was Ruby's cure for every ailment.
Kenny cautiously approached the couch and sat down timidly as if he wasn't supposed to be there. Ike had said he forgave Kenny. He actually dismissed the whole thing completely, which was genuinely confusing considering the explosive confrontation they had just a few months earlier. None the less, Kenny was thankful to have a couch to sleep on rather than the cramped back seat of his car.
"Well then enlighten me."
"Okay, so it all started last month. You know how mom and dad kicked Craig out all those summers ago, right?" She asked, still furious by the tale she was about to tell.
"Yeah, I heard it was because of Tweek or something."
"Yeah! It was because dad freaked out about them being together or whatever. Okay, so Craig's been living with Tweek for like… years now, which was already pissing off my parents for some god awful reason, and you know, once a couple has been together that long they're bound to get married eventually."
"Wait… Tweek and Craig are getting married?" Kenny asked with a bit of a chuckle.
"Well, yeah. Sometime. They were going to wait until Clyde and Token get home from Iraq, but Token insisted that they go ahead and do it. Tweek called my mom to tell her she was invited because Craig didn't want to. He didn't want dad to know about it after all the drama he caused over them just being boyfriends and all, but Tweek wanted me and mom there so we planned to go without him, but dad found out anyway and flipped his shit over it. This is around the time my grandma passed away from her cancer."
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. She went peacefully. Anyway, in her will she said she wanted Craig to have my grandpa's old military uniform and that thing has been really important to Craig for a really long time because of how close him and granddad were, but my dad decided to be an asshole and take the suit without telling Craig about it. He said that Craig shouldn't have it just because he was adopted! Just because he isn't related by blood doesn't make Bobby any less of his grandpa, am I right? But I found out later that the real reason he didn't want Craig to have it was because he wants to marry his boyfriend and my dad is all homophobic or whatever. So yeah, Mom told Craig about it so him and Tweek came over to take it back. So they all start fighting over it and I'm watching all this from the staircase, right?" Kenny nodded his head and let out little noises of agreement as she went along with her long and rambling tale.
"So about this time was when my mom took Tweek in the back room to get the uniform while my dad continued being a dick by fighting with Craig over it. Then out of nowhere dad grabbed my brother by the front of his shirt and raised his fist like he was going to punch him! I yelled at him to put Craig down and Tweek fucking BOOKED IT into the front room. Now, that dude may be scrawny and short, but Tweek's a boxer, okay? He hits hard! So Tweek saw my dad screaming with his fist up so he popped the fucker in the side of the mouth! Long story short they left with the uniform and me and my dad got in this huge fight later about the way he treats my brother. I mean, sure Craig is an egotistical, narcissistic freak of nature, but if you're going to hate him hate him for those things and not because he's with a guy, you know? So yeah… dad kicked me out because I stuck up for Craig and Tweek. I didn't really have anywhere else to go at first so I lived with my cousin, Red, for a while, but Millie and Annie were living there already so they didn't have much room," She stopped to let out a sigh, "So I lived with Wendy and Bebe for a couple days before Ike took me in for good."
"Wow… That is quite a story," Kenny replied to show he had been listening, "but why didn't you go live with your brother instead of jumping around households?"
"You're kidding, right?" She asked with a snicker, "I'll stick up for the prick, but I don't want to live with him again. I don't know how Tweek can stand the guy. He's a major asshole."
"Aren't all cops assholes?" He retorted with a cockeyed grin.
"Only to you, Mr. Bad Boy," she said lightheartedly while picking at the chipping paint on her fingernails, "Speaking of bad boys, how is your dad doing? I heard he was finally released from the hospital."
"Don't know, don't care." Was Kenny's response as he propped his feet up on the glass coffee table.
"You know, everyone keeps saying you've lost your mind, but you seem just fine to me."
"Its because you haven't seen me angry. You wont like me when I'm angry." Kenny jokes as he clicks his teeth together.
She laughs at this and looks back down.
"Ike is gonna have a fit if he walks in and the hulk has his shoes on the table." Ruby warned; never averting her gaze from the purple nail polish she was picking away at.
"God, just like his fucking mother." He fussed as he lowered his feet to the floor.
"Ah! That reminds me. I'm probably going to have move my shit all around now." Ruby whined in frustration as she leaned her head back against the leather couch.
Kenny chuckled as he wiped the side of his face with his bare arm, "Why is that?"
"Ike's brother is coming home from college, so if he doesn't end up living with Stan I'm stuck with him."
"Wait... What?" Kenny asked with his heart thumping harshly against his ribcage and his stomach doing flips.
"Oh, Kyle got his teaching degree or whatever, so he's coming back to South Park." She said nonchalantly as she rolled her eyes. She continued talking, but was cut off abruptly when Kenny stood from his seat and began to walk out of the room without a word.
Ruby sighed out a knot in her chest when she realized what she had done, "Kenny! Where are you going?" She asked as she leaned forward in her seat.
"Away from here." was all he said before walking into the kitchen and out the garage door.