Enjoy!

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Things wouldn't have been this way if Cartman and Kenny hadn't bailed on them at the last minute.

Really, the group hadn't planned to do anything extravagant. Things had been pretty bland around town for a change, so they thought it'd be a good idea to go out, find a hill to sit on, and just enjoy the calm for a change.

Cartman had called it gay for the past few days, but when Kyle told him they didn't want him anyway, he suddenly made it his main goal for the weekend. Kenny made a joke about some playboy magazine that no one really understood, but he was all for it, too. However, Stan and Kyle were the only ones to show and had enjoyed the past hour drinking soda and talked about nothing that was interesting, but the two were close, so it was far from boring as well.

Maybe they should have left after the hour had passed because the conversation strayed to Stan and Wendy's relationship.

Yes. They should have just left.

It was just a simple question that arose from simple off-handed concern: He wanted to know why Stan and Wendy broke up.

Again.

Usually, Kyle never thought to ask because it was a never ending cycle of Wendy finding some insufficient fault with their relation and breaking things off. This would lead Stan to feel completely blind-sided and confused (Every. Single. Time.), but then he would act like he didn't care, which would pull Wendy back to him so it could all start again. The only reason he asked this time was because Stan broke up with her.

That was all.

He didn't actually care for the reason, but a part of him was just aware things had been shaken up a bit.

So, when Stan replied with, "I just think...Wendy isn't the one for me."

Kyle still wasn't all that interested because his friend was a little dramatic, but he felt obligated to ask if he thought he liked someone else. With a little hesitation, Stan said he thought he did. Kyle wasn't going to ask anymore, but Stan had more to say.

"I think I like you, dude."

Kyle froze, soda can barely touching his lips, struck with a bit of paralysis. He turned to Stan; he was leaned back on his arms and stared at him with little interest—like he didn't just say...that.

"Very funny," Kyle huffed, turning back to his original position and taking a much needed drink.

"It's not a joke, Kyle."

Yes.

It was.

It had to be.

Kyle's heart picked up nervously. Stan wasn't Cartman or Kenny. He didn't joke about this stuff—at least not with him. He lowered his drink to the ground, thinking as best he could. It couldn't be true. They were best friends—that was all.

There was no way...

"Dude," Kyle said, too unsure about the situation to look at him, "I'm...sorry."

And like that, it was over.

Those three words said everything they didn't have to, and there was no telling if that was good or not. Stan softly said it was okay, and the two didn't talk for the next ten minutes.

Stan was the first to leave.

No goodbye.

No see you later.

Just gone.

Kyle fell back on the ground, his can spilling out of his hand, and stared at the starry sky with a heavy heart.

He never saw this coming.

Thank you for reading!