Slowly, quietly, carefully, Kenny slipped from his bedroom window on to the soft snow below, his sweater pulled tightly around him and the small amount of money he had clutched in his hand. He trudged through the knee-deep snow until he reached the semi-cleared sidewalk, pausing to shake the clingy, white flakes from his pants. The cold had already begun to sink in as he began to make his way to the nearest store.
The vicious February wind at his face, leaving it feeling raw and sore. He pulled up his hood and pulled it tight, reminding him of his parka-coated youth. His mind skimmed back over the years, and he smiled to himself at all of the good memories he had. He focused on those memories to keep his mind off of the cold until he finally arrived at his destination.
Pushing open the door to the general store, Kenny let out a sigh of relief as the heat hit him. Pulling down his hood he began to wander up and down the aisles, looking for something very specific. Upon finding what he was looking for – a large metallic helium balloon in need of some actual helium – he grinned behind his hood and took it up to the clerk, money still clenched tightly in his hand. Placing both on the counter, he couldn't help but smile wider than he could remember smiling in a long, long time. This gift was for the most important person in his life, after all. After purchasing the balloon and having it filled with as much helium as it could hold, the excited blonde gathered his change and left.
With a new spring in his step, the teen hurried towards his next destination; a small house about three streets down.
Kenny covered the distance in less than 20 minutes, considering how small the streets were and how eager he was to arrive at the small house. When he finally did arrive, he fixed his hair and sweater in the mirror, having forgotten to pull his hood up when he left the store.
Once he was content with his appearance, he looked up at the balloon, smiling as the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" reflected the light from the flickering porch lamp. Satisfied with it, he turned back to the door and gently rapped his knuckles on the painted wood.
After a few minutes of silence, Kenny heard soft shuffling noises followed by a click as the door was unlocked and slowly pulled open.
Standing on the other side of the door was a groggy looking boy with messy blonde hair. He was shorter than Kenny by a couple of inches, but neither of them minded much. Once the smaller boy seemed awake enough to realize what was going on, Kenny held out the balloon.
"Happy birthday, Butters." He said, leaning down to hug his friend. He leaned back and just stared at Butters for a moment before turning and walking away, leaving the drowsy boy with a contented smile and a warmed heart.