This is my first South Park fic! Kenny is my favorite character, I couldn't resist writing my own story about him.
When I'm writing flashbacks they will be in italics, when the characters are writing or texting each other the font will be bold, minus my notes at the beginning/ends of the chapters.
Hope you enjoy!
The cafeteria was as loud and boisterous as always. I sighed loudly, gingerly rubbing my temples. That particular table across the room never failed to give me a headache.
"I don't get you Iza. It's plain obvious you hate eating in here, but every time I suggest eating somewhere quiet you refuse." Red said, her voice told me her patience with me was wearing thin.
"Just tell me who you have a crush on already!" Red practically screamed.
I lunged across the table, snapping my palm over her mouth.
"Shut. Up." I hissed angrily, narrowing my eyes at her. I glanced around, seeing if anyone was paying attention to us. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down when I saw our fellow high school students were walking by us like we didn't exist.
"Red. I've told you before, it's not a damn crush." I huffed, picking up my fork and moving my unappetizing food around on my lunch tray.
"I don't buy that bull for a second. You barely cared about anyone else in this school for our first two years, now all of a sudden in junior year you want to sit in the cafeteria every day and stare at their table?" Red dramatically gestures towards the table that I had been keeping my eye on for the past few weeks. I quickly reach across and grab her arm, bringing it down hard on the table.
Red is a great friend, she has been ever since I transferred to South Park at the beginning of grade 8. But damn, if I don't tell her every single thing I'm thinking she goes nuts.
Red yanks her arm away from my grip. She stands up, taking her lunch tray with her.
"I can't stand me sitting in here with you when all you do is stare at them. You barely even listen to what I have to say. If you change your mind about being such a creep, I'll be in the music room with Annie, Nichole, and Butters." Red walks off, fuming. I watch her retreating back, red hair swishing behind her.
I guess I can't blame her. Everything she said was true, I don't really listen to her anymore while we're in the cafeteria. There was a good reason, but it was something I just couldn't explain to her.
I looked across the room at the large round table in question. My weird, creepy obsession as Red would put it. There were 6 boys and 3 girls all sitting together. They made up the 9 most popular kids in our entire school.
Heidi and Eric, or Cartman as most referred to him as. They sat side by side, holding hands while they laughed and joked with their friends. I hated both of them. Cartman for his downright cruel humor and pranks, Heidi for her big fake smile.
Craig and Tweek, the most well known gay couple at our school. Everyone loved their relationship, unfortunately for Tweek despite their very open relationship status a lot of girls would still try to hit on Craig. I would see it happen almost every day at lunch. It would almost without fail make Tweek go into a twitching fit. In the end they both seemed like decent people, I definitely hated those 2 the least.
Stan and Wendy. I glowered at them from across the room. Stan had placed a large piece of meat on his spoon and balanced the spoon on the edge of table. He brought his fist down, sending the spoon and meat flying in the air. I watched it as it landed smack dab on the head of an innocent bystander. I could see him snicker, nudging Wendy's arm for a response.
She simply rolled her eyes and continued eating her food. Seeing he couldn't get a rise out of her, he turned to his other side, facing his best friend Kyle. He also rolled his eyes at Stan, but had a stupid grin on his face.
Out of nowhere a wet piece of food nailed Stan right between the eyes. Loud, obnoxious laughter creeped across the cafeteria. I knew exactly who it belonged to. My eyes focused on a boy with messy blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Kenny McCormick. Looking at him sent a shock through my body.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. He was the one I hated the most. But for some reason unknown to me, I couldn't take my eyes off of him.
I watched Bebe coil around his left arm like the venomous snake she is. The blonde couple elicited the most hatred in me. Kenny was a well known player. He jumped from girl to girl with no regard for anyone's feelings but his own. He was seemingly insatiable in the worst way.
Bebe had managed to nail him down for a couple months, but I was sure it wouldn't last. She was just as bad as he was in terms of playing with people's feelings.
Everyone knew her endgame was Kenny, she had finally achieved what she wanted. What Kenny wanted? That was anyone's guess.
I bit the inside my cheek. There was something about Kenny that had me mesmerized, much to my dismay.
A couple weeks ago I only gave a shit about 4 people in this school. Red, Annie, Nichole, and Butters. I recalled the memory that increased that number to 5.
"Hey, Eyes!" Cartman called out to me as him and his 3 other goons walked by my locker.
I faced him, putting on my best 'I hate you go die' face. Eyes was a nickname him and his friends had given me when I first transferred to this god-forsaken town. It wasn't very creative, all he was doing was talking one vowel out of my original name. It still bugged the hell out of me.
"Man, never fails to creep me out." Kyle laughed as he looked at my face. I turned my glare to him, hoping I'd creep him out even more. I had heterochromia iridum. One iris was black as night, the other piercing like ice. My pale skin and long dark hair didn't really help my case.
"If you had a better personality you'd be a lot less ghoulish." Stan threw in his two cents in a bored monotone.
"Nothing wrong with being a little different." Kenny smiled wide and winked at me. Time stopped. Kenny had made it clear multiple times in the past that despite his friend's distaste for me, he was interested in my atypical appearance.
I had found it gross, but in that moment something clicked inside of me. I knew I had to watch him. I could feel it. Something was going to happen to him, and I needed to see it.
I stared straight into his eyes. He stared straight back, expression unreadable. Electricity ran through the air between us. Could you feel it too, Kenny?
"Dude, can you stop trying to screw anything that breathes." Cartman said to Kenny, shoving him a little off balance. That broke our gaze.
Kenny seemed to snap out of it. He shook his head, laughing quietly while he continued to walk down the hall. I watched the 3 other musketeers exchange glances amongst each other before they continued after him. I didn't know what any of it meant. The strange glances, the electrifying feeling. All I knew is that it was impossible to ignore. I was being pulled towards him, whether I liked it or not.
I snapped back to reality when I saw Kenny's head turning in my direction. I looked straight down, taking out my phone and rubbing my thumb across the black screen, trying to look preoccupied. I knew he knew, and he knew I knew. Both of us didn't want to address whatever the hell this was. I squeezed my phone in frustration. Why couldn't I just let it go.
I got up, dumping the rest of my lunch in the nearest trash can and stormed out of the cafeteria. Did I like Kenny? No. Have I ever cared about him in the past? No. So why the hell do I feel like every single move I make is being dictated by him?
Frustrated tears pricked my eyes. God how I hated this. I desperately wished I could return to when I was teased and ignored; simply considered another weird looking kid in the halls of this school.
"Code red, I repeat, Code red. Students are to return to the nearest classroom immediately. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill." The principal's voice echoed loudly off of the hallways through the PA system. Based on her tone, it was serious.
My stomach dropped and my heart rate spiked. Someone threatening is in the school?
My thoughts immediately went to my four friends in the music room. That room was really close to the main doors.
I did a quick 180 and beelined towards the music room. I needed to make sure they were okay. I would never be able to hide in a classroom knowing they could be in danger.
I pushed through all the kids flooding the hallways from the cafeteria. They were desperately trying to push into the nearest rooms. Teachers were beckoning students into their rooms or redirecting them to another if theirs were full.
I groaned, finding it very hard to move against the flow of this many students. My short and small stature were severe disadvantages in this moment.
I somehow managed, dipping and weaving through any open spots I could find. Students were chattering on and on about this crazy intruder. I heard multiple people say he had a gun. The statement made my heart move to my throat and motivated my body to move faster. If something happened to any of them, I'd make sure to kill this psycho myself. Those 4 were like family to me.
I finally reached a point where the crowd thinned out towards the outer parts of the building. No one wanted to be anywhere near the entrances right now.
I picked up the pace, running full speed towards the music room. Teacher's were calling out to me, begging me to stop and get somewhere safer. I ignored them. If I got shot trying to make sure my friends were okay, so be it. I wasn't scared of dying, that only meant losing myself. Losing the people you care about, that's so much worse.
I rounded the final corner. To my horror, the music door was carelessly ajar and the window in the door had been shattered.
"No!" I breathed out. I was no longer thinking straight.
I ran through the doorway, my breath taken away by the sight that met me.
A ragged looking man dressed in all black had his left hand locked deep into Annie's blonde hair while the other hand held a gun to her temple.
He had his mouth open, making demands of Red, Nichole, and Butters. I wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. The pure look of terror and hopelessness and the tears on Butter's and Nichole's faces ate up every other thought in my mind.
I screamed, taking a running lunge at the gunman. Before he could properly turn around and face me my small body had hit him full force, knocking him to the ground.
"Oh my God, Iza!" I heard Red scream.
"What the fuck?" The man snarled. I was completely disoriented, but I desperately tried to regain my bearings. I knew I needed to get that gun.
My body was awkwardly placed halfway on top of the gunman's. I saw the gun held loosely in his hand and I reached for it. My fingertips touched the cold metal. I was shoved off roughly before I could attempt to get a good grip on it.
I rolled over, standing up and charging into the man's torso before he could take aim at me. He grunted, swearing loudly. We hit the floor, I could hear a sickening crack as the man's skull bounced off the tiles.
"God fucking damnit!" He cried out, grabbing the back of his head with both hands. This was my chance. I grabbed the gun, feeling its weight solidly in my hands. I scrambled off of him, standing up on shaky legs. My entire body was pumped so full of adrenaline I felt like I was going to collapse.
"Holy shit, Iza holy fucking shit." Nichole sobbed and ran over to me.
"Iza are you o-okay?" Butters said through his tears as he, Red, and Annie followed Nichole's lead.
"Y-yeah, I'm good, I'm okay." I said in between heavy breaths.
"Iza watch out!" Red screamed in my ear. My blood ran cold. I had taken my eyes off of the psycho.
I whipped around. He was charging straight towards me with a large lethal looking knife raised above his head. I fumbled with the gun, having no idea how it worked or how to shoot it. I wasn't going to make it in time.
My body stayed frozen in fear and time moved in slow motion. I could hear my friends crying out, but they were just as frozen as I was.
The look in his eyes was pure insanity. He had his teeth bared like a wild animal. He was only a few steps away now. This was it. I was dead.
He came out of nowhere. All of a sudden Kenny was in front of me. His broad shoulders filled my vision.
"Kenny!" I yelled in a high pitched scream. I heard it. Heard the knife break through his skin and bury itself deep in his pectoral muscles.
The man pulled the knife out, causing blood to squirt out of Kenny's chest. My stomach churned and I had to hold back my vomit. Hearing Butter's puking behind me made it a lot harder.
"Fuck." Kenny groaned, holding his chest. Kenny turned and grabbed the gun from me with his other hand, pointed it at the man and shot with no hesitation. He hit a perfect head shot. He handled a gun like it wasn't the first time he was killing someone with one.
The man's skull blew open, splattering pieces of skull and gore everywhere around the room. I couldn't hold back anymore. I bent over and puked, emptying the contents of my lunch all over the floor. I got it out as fast as I could, wanting to return my attention to Kenny.
He fell to his knees, before he could hit the floor I caught him, gently laying him flat out. I kneeled over him, watching the blood pulse out of him through the fingers he held against his chest.
"Red, call 911 right now." I said. I hadn't even realized I was sobbing loudly until I tried to talk.
I glanced up at her, she was already on the phone with an operator. Annie ran out of the room, screaming that she was going to try and find teachers to help. Nichole and Butters were desperately holding onto each other, tears streaming down their faces as they watched the scene unfold.
I put both of my palms over Kenny's hands, pushing down hard on his chest wound. He groaned, blue eyes rolling back into his skull.
"Kenny, please look at me. Stay with me. Don't sleep. Please please don't die Kenny." I sobbed. My hands were quickly dyed red with his blood. His eyes met mine, but they were hopelessly unfocused.
"Don't worry, I won't." He smiled, closed his eyes, and stopped breathing.
"Kenny?! Kenny!" I screamed. I sat up over his body, doing chest compressions while blood continued to leak out of his wound. After the first 30, I pressed my ear to his chest, desperately looking for a heartbeat.
There was nothing.
"No, no no no no no." I shook my head back and forth.
"Iza, he's gone. He's gone." Red whispered, grabbing my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry this happened." Nichole whimpered. Butters could do nothing but continue to cry.
I looked at my hands, they were covered in blood. So was the side of my face that I pressed against his chest.
I stood up. My leggings felt heavy. They had soaked up so much of his blood.
Kenny laid in a massive pool of blood with his eyes shut, small smile still plastered on his face.
"NO!" I screamed, grabbing my hair and pulling it has hard as I could. Is this what I was meant to see? Kenny dying right in front of me?
Red forced me into her arms despite me struggling against her.
"He saved you! Don't you know what that means? You're living for him now, not just you. So pull it together Iza. Don't lose it now!" She yelled into my ear.
She was right. For whatever reason, Kenny McCormick chose my life over his. I was living for two.
The rest of that day was a blur. The paramedics and police arrived soon afterwards. They quickly got us out of the crime scene and allowed us to clean up as best we could before they took our interviews. I spoke like a robot, barely registering their questions or what I said in response. I heard them throwing around words like 'these kids are in shock' or 'God this is awful'.
I was worried about Butters, Annie, and Nichole more so than Red and I. We were very sturdy people who could take a beating, or in this case horrible trauma, but those 3 were both very sensitive and struggled with a lot of things. Red and I had exchanged multiple looks of understanding. We'd have to stay strong for them, they're going to need us.
Therapist appointments were already in the works for all 5 of us together as well as individual sessions. We definitely all needed them. All I could see in my head was blood and Kenny's eyes as the life faded from them. It made me sick to my stomach.
I briefly saw some of the other student's reactions, most notably Kenny's group of friends. They were all crying, especially Bebe. She was inconsolable. I couldn't look her in the face. How could I knowing the reason Kenny was dead is because of me?
Eventually we were allowed home and told school was cancelled for the rest of the week to give everyone a chance to grieve and get the investigation underway.
Butters, Nichole, Annie, Red and I all hugged and told each other we'd be in touch before parting ways. We all needed the support and comfort of our parents. I'm sure none of us would be sleeping in our own rooms tonight.
For the rest of the night I cuddled up between my mom and dad, watching happy movies while they met whatever need I demanded of them. Water? Of course. Food? No problem. Of course, that's not at all what I wanted. I wanted Kenny alive and well, laughing with his friends like he always does.
I cried a lot that night. My parents made sure to comfort me as best as they could, but it's not an easy hole to fill.
I slept between them in their bed. 'Slept' is a very optimistic word. I dozed off for an hour or so before waking up and crying for the next hour.
At around 5am it was like the universe forced me into a dreamless sleep I couldn't escape from. I was grateful to be floating in darkness without my thoughts, even if it was only for a few hours.