Craig Tucker. Notorious for his depressing, pessimistic attitude and devilishly hot looks. The big asshole of the school, save for Cartman. He had the whole town begging to hold his hand. Rumor had it, he wasn't as gay as everyone once thought. Him and Tweek were old news, prehistoric, a 'lost cause.' Some wanted them back together, others wanted to be his new partner. He was incredibly popular, almost as much as Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman. He could get any girl he wanted. But he had eyes for only one and of course, she was taken.
Wendy Testaburger released a heavy sigh as Craig slipped into a seat beside her, wearing his usual frown. He pulled his blue hood down and faced her.
"What is it Craig?" She asked, trying not to sound too rude. As she waited for his response she poked at her salad with disinterest.
"Dumb ass Mr. Garrison had a talk with me after class and now I have a new partner." He muttered in his monotone voice.
Wendy scoffed. "That's what happens when you smoke weed on the playground."
He narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't on the playground, okay? I was in the woods, Mr. Maki just happened to catch me while I was headed home."
She stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork. "Whatever, Craig."
The table was still mostly empty, as some of Wendy's comrades were in clubs and others were still in the lunch line. Wendy used to be all about straight A's, joining every extracurricular activity she could, and being the star pupil of the school...but over recent years she learned that there were much better things to do with her life. Who taught her that? Craig, of course. But she didn't dare mention the details of that story.
"Anyways..." Craig began, drawing back her attention. "The reason I'm talking to you right now is because you're my new partner."
She froze. "What?"
He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Garrison apparently thinks I need tutoring as a punishment. Who better than Wendy Testaburger, smartest student in history, straight A, honor roll, fanatic."
She pushed her salad away and sighed heavily. "I'm not the smartest anymore and I haven't been on the honor roll for 3 quarters."
Craig raised an eyebrow. "So you've taken my advice to heart?"
Her fuchsia eyes fell. "Sadly. Habits tend to stick with me."
The blue clad boy perked up. "Oh, you're still smoking?"
She shook her head. "Not since I hung out with you last-" Her throat tightened. "I've been drinking, not smoking."
He frowned. "But your family is known for-"
"Save it!" She snapped, a little more aggressively than intended. "I know what I'm getting myself into. But things haven't been going good with Stan and it's the only way for me to escape." She closed her eyes. "Even if it only be for a few mere minutes."
Craig sympathized her. He knew exactly how she felt. After all, he had been the one who-
"Hey, Wendy."
Both teenagers' heads shot up.
Stan's smile faltered upon seeing Craig. He set his soft blue eyes on his girlfriend, who didn't look too happy to see him. "I figured we could eat lunch together, seeing as most of your friends are elsewhere and..." He pulled a face. "We really need to talk."
Wendy turned her back to him for a second, rubbing her forehead. Craig watched her intently. She seemed absolutely miserable, as though she was dreading having to talk with Stan and going through another argument that she would of course give up on simply because she didn't want to lose her boyfriend. Or did she? Nowadays it was unclear. The two were always fighting. They were in an on-off relationship. Nobody knew for sure when they got back together or split. It was a confusing thing and Craig hated getting involved with drama like that. But when it came to Wendy, he was willing to sacrifice his patience just a bit.
Wendy ran a hand through her silk, black hair before facing Stan. "Fine. Sit." She motioned to where Craig currently was. The seated boy glared.
"So you're just gonna kick me out?" He asked, rather rudely.
She suddenly looked as though she was about to break down and cry, something that wasn't typical of her, and Craig realized that something serious was going on and she truly needed time to talk with Stan, alone. So, Craig quickly got to his feet and moved aside. Stan stole his spot and immediately grabbed Wendy's hands. She tried to ignore the touchy boy and glanced over at Craig, giving him a look that said 'thank you.' He rolled his shoulders before turning and retreating back to his own table.
Wendy locked her eyes on Stan's. "You bailed on me." She stated.
He dropped his shoulders. "I know I did. I fucked up Wendy, I'm really sorry."
She waited for him to say more and to plead his case, but he was silent. She narrowed her eyes. "That's it?"
He blinked. "What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Irritation was clear in his tone.
Her hands slipped out of his and she crossed her arms. "Why did you bail on me?"
His face suddenly paled and he averted his gaze, only adding to her anger.
"Stan." She growled.
He tugged at his hat. "I...was with Kyle."
Her eyes widened. "What!?"
He hurried to defend himself. "He was having a breakdown! I would've called you but it was an emergency and I didn't have time."
She felt her stomach sink. "Right, but when I'm having a breakdown you can't come over because it's raining."
His blue eyes rolled to the side. "That was one time."
"Twice." She snapped, crossing her arms. "You ignored me twice."
He touched her cheek. "Yeah but I've been there for you all the other times."
She swatted his hand away. "There haven't been any other times, Stan." Her face was red. "You don't care about me. You care about Kyle. Fuck your excuses and lies."
He blinked. "Wendy, I'm not lying to you. I couldn't walk in the rain and-"
In an instant, she was on her feet. Her purple eyes were furious. "We're done. This time for good." Anger radiated off her as she stormed away, exiting the cafeteria and school. She pulled her keys out of her purple coat and unlocked the black crossover that was parked near the woods. She hopped in and slammed the door shut. Her hands fell onto the wheel, but she didn't put the key in the ignition. If she skipped school her parents would find out. They would take away her phone. They would ground her. She might even lose the privilege to attend sporting events for the rest of the semester. But did she really care about sports anyways? Did she really need her phone? She knew she would pay for it later, yet she still shifted the car into reverse and flew out of the parking lot. Not noticing the black pickup truck following close behind.
...
The snow sprinkled across her raven black hair as she sat on the old wooden bench that was built on the edge of the lake. Her cheeks were flushed red, but she wasn't cold. South park was always chilly, that's why everyone constantly wore winter jackets and hats. She, however, had ditched her purple beret when she entered high school. It was stupid to her. It didn't keep her warm. Nor was it stylish, not in the US at least. Plus, when she took it off, her hair was frizzy. The whole thing was way too big of an ordeal so she tossed it in the trash. She did keep her signature colors though. She typically wore her purple coat with a black outfit underneath, sometimes she might wear a yellow shirt, but not often.
Her eyes settled on the frozen lake. She remembered years ago when she was ice skating, and she bumped into Stan. He was so innocent, so sweet, so desperate and dedicated. Why had he changed? Was it simply due to puberty? Or was it because of the phase she went through last year? Yeah, that was a great time. It was probably the latter. But even after his ignorant attitude towards her, she still loved the memory of his bright red face and twiddling fingers, as he watched her skate. His eyes had been alight with adoration, now they were filled with only guilt. He always pulled the guilt trick on her, hoping she would forgive him. But this time it wouldn't work. Wendy Testaburger was done with Stan Marsh.
"I'm gonna guess that things didn't go well."
Her heart jumped and she spun around to meet a pair of dark blue eyes.
Craig raised an eyebrow. "Deep in thought?"
She released a sigh, her typical reaction to seeing Craig, and turned away from him. "You followed me."
He crossed his arms over the back of the bench and leaned forward so he could look at her. "So what if I did? It's South Park, be glad I'm not a pedophile, MJ, serial killer, or Cartman."
She tilted her head towards him. "I don't know whether or not to take you seriously."
He shrugged. "I never even know whether I'm being serious or not."
The anger and dread inside her slowly began to fizzle away as she listened to Craig talk.
"I think trying to decipher between serious and joking is way too complicated. I prefer just going with the flow, taking risks, seeing what the fuck happens because honestly I don't really give a shit if one wrong step leads to my demise. Ya know? I'm just glad that I still have my alcohol and weed. Even if I have nothing else." There was a hint of sadness in his usually dull features and Wendy realized that she wasn't the only one who was going through a rough time.
"Thats really deep." She muttered, barely audible. Silence fell between them and she turned her attention back to the lake. Her mind began to think about Stan again and she begged for a distraction.
Suddenly there was a tug on her hair and she snapped her eyes to the side. Craig had a strand pinched between his thumb and finger, he was staring at it with wonder.
"Can I braid your hair?" He asked, now running his fingers through her thick, luminous locks.
She frowned. "You know how to?"
"I have a little sister. My parents are always fighting and never have time for her, so I do it." He stated.
Her heart melted ever so slightly and he earned a small smile. She pulled the elastic band from her wrist and handed it to him. "Winter formal is coming up, so don't make me have to chop off any hair."
He took the hair tie and got to work without saying a word.
Wendy allowed herself to relax as he braided her hair. The gentle touch of his fingers cascading over her scalp and neck felt incredibly good. Stan never would have had the time for this, nor the interest. She could tell that Craig was taking his time and being extremely picky, but she didn't mind. It was actually amazing to her, that he could be this gentle. She liked it a lot.
The cold wind swept across her bare neck and slipped down her back, causing her to shiver. Then his warm hands brushed over her skin as he grabbed the remaining pieces of hair and she leaned into his touch unintentionally. When his hand escaped her, however, she found herself desperate for more. He tied off the braid and laid it over her shoulder. She blinked as he slipped onto the bench beside her.
"I'm fairly impressed." She said. Another breeze blew by and she instinctively moved closer to him.
A shadow of a smile played at his lips. "I'm good, I know."
She rolled her eyes and then stared at him. Whenever they talked, it would always turn into an argument. They had hated each other since elementary and neither of them knew why. Now, she was seriously wondering why she never tried harder to talk to Craig. In this moment, he seemed like an incredibly interesting guy. Kind of like Stan was when she first met him. But there was something much different about Craig. There was a burning desire, a lust for something more in life. Stan never tried to live in the moment, he knew what was set out for him and didn't really care what happened. Craig, however, seemed focused on today and tomorrow only. Not next week and not next year. Stan was boring and bland, Craig was exciting and intriguing.
Her heart sunk. Desperation. That's what this was. She had just broken up with her life long boyfriend and now she felt that there was an empty void that she had to fill. She was so god damn pathetic. She couldn't even take a break up.
"You look like you need a couple of beers." Craig spoke, dragging her from her thoughts. "I got some at my place."
She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Can I trust you?"
He shrugged. "Probably not, but I can show you a better time than that douchebag Stan ever could." He winked. "And send him a damn good message too."
The sound of Stan's name made her sick. To hell with it, she was going to enjoy life for one night. She narrowed her eyes. "Then what are we waiting for?"