My SECOND fanfic! A KyleXOC romance.

First chapter? Dry as all hell, but it will get better, I promise!

Chapter One

"Kyle!" Sheila Broflovski yelled from the bottom of the stairs of the two-story house. "Bubbie, Stan is here!"

Kyle sighed inwardly. He hated that nickname. Seven years and he still couldn't get rid of it. His mom was stubborn. No matter how many times he told her to stop, she'd still pinch his cheek and repeat the nickname with her wide smile. He ruffled his red hair. One thing he was happy about was how it changed over the eight years. It became darker, like an auburn colour. He curls hadn't tamed but his new undercut style made it look more stylish than disheveled.

"Kyle!" Sheila screamed.

Kyle rolled his emerald eyes dramatically. "Coming ma!" he yelled back.

He took one last look at himself in the full-length mirror. His collared shirt and cargo shorts were enough for the unusual Colorado summer heat. He quickly raced down the stairs to the main level. Stan stood by the door. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He wore a black, form fitting t-shirt that showed off his muscles from the past few years of football and weight lifting.

"Dude, take any more time?" he said, his dark eyebrow lifted playfully.

"Shut up," Kyle replied with a smile as he pulled on his sneakers.

Stan had lost his blue puffball toque to let his raven coloured hair rest messily on his head. He would wear a similar blue hat at times in the winter time, bringing a sense of nostalgia back to Kyle whenever he saw his best friend wear it.

"You ready to go now, Princess?" Stan joked when Kyle finished tying his shoes.

Kyle punched his friend's shoulder as hard as he could but he knew it did nothing against the muscles under his friend's skin. "Kyle," Sheila spoke up from the doorway to the kitchen as she held onto a drying towel. "Make sure you're back by midnight, young man."

"Mom," Kyle groaned.

"Don't whine at me, Kyle Broflovski," Sheila replied in a threatening tone. Kyle kept his back facing his mother as he rolled his eyes. He knew she'd have his ass red if she saw it. "Midnight. No later."

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore, come on," Kyle explained as he turned to face his mother.

"You may not be, but you are still under my roof. While you are under my roof, you live by my rules," Sheila explained as she pointed a chubby finger at her son.

Stan's hand clamped down on Kyle's shoulder before he could speak. Stan knew the argument could and would go on for hours if he let it. The mother and son were both equally stubborn. "Don't worry, Sheila, I'll have him back by midnight. I have to be back home by then anyways," he explained.

"What a liar," Kyle thought to himself.

"See Kyle? I'm not the only mother looking out for her son's wellbeing," Sheila said, her hands on her wide hips.

Kyle groaned as he turned. The two boys left the house to start down the street. "She's so overprotective! Gah, I can't deal with it anymore!" Kyle snapped as he kicked at a small stone with the toe of his shoe.

"She just cares about you. Be happy she's not like Butters' parents," Stan explained, his hands still shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

Kyle groaned and then exhaled loudly. "Yeah, okay. You have a point," he replied in a low mumble. He hated when Stan became the smart, logical one. An arm snaked around Kyle's shoulders and he was almost thrown off balance as his friend pulled him closer to him. "Let's just try to have some fun tonight. It's the last party before the last year of our high school career. After this year, everything changes."

Oh, how right he was.

"Hey, look," Stan said as he elbowed Kyle from his thoughts. They had been walking in peaceful silence, something Kyle loved about his long-time friendship with the Marsh boy. Kyle stopped along with Stan to turn and looked across the street a few blocks from the Broflovski house. A large moving truck was parked in the driveway of a bungalow with a For Sale sign out front that had been covered with a SOLD sticker. "New neighbours."

Kyle's focus was on the black muscle car parked next to the curb. He didn't know shit about cars but it was awesome. It had white stripes along the hood and roof and wide rims.

"What do you think?" Stan asked. "Crazy? Lame? Serial killers?"

"All of the above?" Kyle added with a grin.

Stan chuckled and continued down the street towards Stark's pond. Kyle moved to follow but stopped when he saw someone hop from the back of the moving truck. Their head was hidden behind the box they carried but Kyle's attention was caught by the two very distinctively coloured bracelets worn on their wrist. They were handmade like something an elementary school student would make.

"Kyle, let's go! We're gonna be late for the party," Stan called back over his shoulder.

Kyle quickly chased after his friend. It was dark by the time the two boys reached Stark's pond. Kenny's truck was parked not to Token's SUV he borrowed from his parents as music blared from the truck and the backs opened to the break in the trees where a large bonfire lit up the area crowded full of students from Kyle and Stan's grade. Stan moved past the back of Kenny's truck with Kyle behind him who stopped when he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder.

"Kyle!" Kenny yelled drunkenly.

"Hi Kenny," Kyle replied with a small smile. It didn't surprise him that alcohol was present even though Stan promised him there wouldn't. No doubt the back of Kenny's truck was full of whatever alcohol you could think of.

Kenny grinned and hummed as he leaned over the side of his truck from inside the flatbed. The hood of his orange sweater fell off his head to reveal his messy, long dirty blonde hair. Kyle ruffled it with a small laugh that made Kenny giggle.

"Are you two done over there?" Stan asked with a flat tone.

"Stanley!" a shrill voice sang over the loud music.

Stan's face brightened at the sound of the voice. He quickly spun around just as the brunette flung herself into his arms. Their lips crashed against each other, literally, and Kyle rolled his eyes. Wendy was drunk. She carried a red solo cup that she almost spilled over when her arms flung around her boyfriend's neck. Kyle took a quick step back out of the splash zone. Kenny almost fell out of his truck without being held up by Kyle anymore.

"Wow, okay, you are drunk," Stan said with a small chuckle.

"Yup!" Wendy said loudly and pushed her drink to Stan's chest. "Catch up!"

Wendy turned to skip off into the crowd and Stan followed without hesitation. Kyle jumped when a large brown bottle was dangled in front of his face. "Kyyyyle!" Kenny sang as he held the bottle's top between his fingertips.

"What's that?" Kyle asked, an eyebrow turned up quizzically.

"Liquid courage," Kenny replied drunkenly.

Kyle rolled his eyes and swatted the bottle away as he passed by. He wandered through the crowd of drunk students not old enough to be drinking observing the sights. Clyde had Bebe pinned against a tree as they wrestled tongues. Token played a bass quite poorly by the bonfire as people surrounded him. Kenny was handing out booze from the back of his truck. Kyle stopped on the opposite side of the bonfire and tilted his head slightly. A tall boy was leaned over a leaner blonde who had his eyes closed. It took Kyle a moment to realize it was Craig and Tweek. Craig had his face pressed to Tweek's neck as Tweek tried hard to bite back the soft whimpers he wanted to make. His body was shaking violently. Kyle scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Perverts," he muttered.

"Hi, Kyle," a sweet voice sang behind him.

He quickly turned around and smiled. The blonde-haired girl in a navy-blue jacket with blue-grey jeans stood a few feet away. The glow from the bonfire lit up the side of her face, highlighting her slightly blushed cheeks, made by the alcohol that coursed through her system.

"Hey, Emily. How was your summer?" Kyle asked, making nice with the girl he rarely ever spoke with.

Emily hummed quietly and took a step forward. "Uneventful," she answered. Kyle could smell the vodka on her breath. "Yours?"

Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty much the same," he answered. He was uncomfortable but he didn't want to seem rude.

"It's warm here, why don't we stand over there?" Emily asked as she pointed a finger in the direction of a large tree away from the crowd but still within the soft glow of the bonfire. She turned to start walking and Kyle sighed. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and followed her to make sure she wouldn't trip over her heels as she walked with shaky steps.

"Emily, are you alright?" Kyle asked worriedly as she pressed her back against the large tree.

Emily giggled into her hand. "Has anyone told you how hot you got over the years, Kyle?" she asked. Kyle's cheeks instantly reddened in embarrassment. "You've really grown into yourself, Kyle."

Kyle heart pounded heavily in his chest. Sure, he had gotten taller, not as tall as Stan though. He had a new hairstyle and his skin was a touch darker, but not much else had changed. He was still thin, bony even, and he had freckles all along the tops of his cheeks and his nose.

Kyle froze when Emily's fingers locked through his belt loops and she pulled him forward. His hands shook at his sides. Emily leaned forward, keeping her fingers locked around the loops. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"No! Nono!" he screamed in his mind and quickly took a step back.

Emily's fingers let go. Kyle shook his head frantically and he turned to quickly rush through the crowd to get away. His head was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach. Kenny was sitting on the side of his truck's flatbed handing two beers to Clyde when he noticed Kyle. His eyebrows knitted together as he watched the red head weave through the crowd and take off quickly down the street away from the party. Kenny hummed quietly to himself and slowly shook his head.

The hallway of the school was loud with chatter. Day one of the last year had begun. Kyle woke feeling groggy and unmotivated. He trudged to the bus stop with Stan where Cartman stood waiting. He was still fat and evil with a signature, "Hey Fags!" greeting when the two friends approached.

"Ignore him," Kyle said to Stan who was about to lunge at the brunette who was an entire foot shorter and looked like he could barely walk a block without falling over.

"What's your schedule look like this semester?" Stan asked as he leaned over to read over his friend's shoulder as they walked away from the office.

"Algebra, History, Spanish, and Gym," Kyle answered as he read off the page.

"Dude, we only have two classes together. At least I can cheat off you in History," Stan joked as he threw an arm around Kyle's shoulders.

"You can't cheat off me in Gym," Kyle replied with a small smirk. "Not that you'd need to."

"Physical education is the one thing I'm good at," Stan said proudly.

"The one thing," Kyle stressed and Stan smacked the back of his head gently.

Stan's locker was around the corner from Kyle's. Kyle looked around at his surrounding lockers but didn't see anyone from his immediate group. He knew the people in his class but he already had a feeling it was going to be a long and boring class. He took a seat near the back of the class in the middle as other students funneled inside. He opened his fresh new notebook to the first page and began to doodle along the margin with small cartoon drawings as he waited. The first day was always the worst and he was dreading it. The bell rang and the teacher began to hand out the class's textbooks. The chatter hadn't stopped as she moved between rows handing textbooks to students.

"Alright, now that everyone had a textbook, we can go over the syllabus," she explained when the classroom door suddenly creaked open. "Hello?"

"Sorry I'm late," an unfamiliar voice said over the dying chatter. "I got lost."

"It's no trouble, you're not that late. Take these and then take a seat," the teacher answered sweetly.

Footsteps moved. Kyle continued to keep his attention on the doodles that took up almost half of the margin. "Is it okay if I sit here?" the unfamiliar voice asked close by.

Kyle quickly turned his head to look at the hand pointing at the empty spot beside him. Colourful bracelets made his eyes widen. He let his eyes travel up and his chest suddenly tightened. The boy standing beside the table smiled. He had beige skin with medium length chestnut brown hair parted on the left and gold coloured eyes. Kyle cleared his throat shakily and nodded. The taller boy's smile widened a bit and he took the empty seat. The teacher carried on with explaining the syllabus every student had.

"My name's Aaron," the mystery boy introduced himself as he offered the hand that the colourful bracelets were wrapped around.

Kyle stared at the colours for a moment. The colourful string weaved through small beads that were painted with letters. Kyle couldn't make out what they said. "Kyle Broflovski," he said as he grabbed the boy's hand to give it a small shake.

The boy smiled. It was wide and made Kyle's chest tighten again. "What the hell is going on?" he thought to himself as he quickly moved his hand away.

"It's nice to meet you, Kyle," the boy said with genuine happiness.

"Mr. Carmichael?" the teacher called out across the classroom.

"Yes ma'am?" Aaron replied.

"Pay attention, young man," the teacher said.

Aaron's smile widened. It was genuine. Kyle blinked. "Sorry, Ms. Elson," he apologized.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Kyle thought to himself.

"Ugh, dude, creative writing sucks!" Stan exclaimed as he took the seat next to Kyle where he could sit next to the wall. He shuffled through his book but stopped when too much time had passed without a response from his friend. His eyebrow lifted as he turned his head to see Kyle staring a few desks forward and in the left row where Aaron sat reading something in front of him. "Dude!"

Kyle snapped from his daze with a physical jolt. His back straightened and he quickly spun his head around to look back at his friend with wide eyes. "Huh?" he asked in confusion.

Stan chuckled. "Dude, what the hell?" he asked as he rested his elbow against his desk and placed his chin on his palm.

"Oh, uh," Kyle stuttered, his cheeks pinking slightly. "The new kid."

Stan followed Kyle's pointing finger to Aaron. "New kid? Why would anyone join a new school in their last year of high school?" he asked quizzically.

Kyle nodded rapidly. "That's what I was thinking," he shrieked.

"Maybe he's a psychopath who got expelled from his last school?" Stan asked with a wide, unsettling grin.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Why do you always go there?"

"Because it's fun," Stan replied.

"How bad is my luck?" Kenny asked as he walked over to sit in the desk behind Stan. He had the hood of his sweater pulled up over his head and sat with his legs stretched out in front of him to invade into Stan's space. "I've got Mr. Boulder again for Biology again. It's bullshit."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you would keep your eyes open then you wouldn't have to retake so many classes."

"Hey, I don't need that kind of lip from you, Broflovski," Kenny warned jokingly as he tossed a crumpled-up piece of paper to let it hit the side of Kyle's head.

Kyle laughed and it filled the room. "I'm just telling it as I see it," he said as he ruffled his own hair and turned. He froze. Aaron's gold eyes stared over his shoulder as the corner of his lips turned up in a slight grin that made Kyle's shoulders shiver. Stan was distracted with reading his textbook but Kenny noticed the tension in Kyle's shoulders as he stared forward at the new kid. An evil, devilish grin formed on Kenny's face. He was going to have far too much fun with what he had planned.

Kyle sat down at the table in the cafeteria with a sigh. The day was dragging on. First period he felt tense the entire class as he tried to get as much information on the new student that sat next to him. Second period, though he had Stan and Kenny to keep him occupied, he couldn't help but think about the student a few desks in front of him. The smile he had was bewitching to Kyle. There was confidence and mystery behind that smile.

"Leftovers?" Stan asked as he poked at Kyle brown paper bag.

"Lasagna," Kyle answered bluntly as he reached into the bag to pull out a can of pop and the Tupperware dish full of a large slice of leftover lasagna.

"Leftover cold lasagna? Is that even considered a lunch?" Stan asked, his nose scrunched up as he spoke.

"Better than cafeteria pizza, again," Kyle rebutted. "You're pretty much eating ass. It smells like ass. It tastes like ass. It's ass."

"What's ass?" Clyde asked as he walked over with Bebe, Craig, and Tweek.

Clyde sat down across the table from Kyle with Bebe on his lap. It was an odd thing they did every lunch but no one questioned it. Craig sat in the middle and Tweek took a shaky seat beside his boyfriend who carried his food for him so he wouldn't drop it.

"The cafeteria pizza," Kyle answered Clyde when everyone was settled in.

"Oh, then you won't mind, right Stanley?" Kenny asked as he skillfully leaned over Stan's shoulder to take the half-eaten slice off his tray.

"Hey! Dude, what the hell?" Stan shouted and reached up to smack Kenny on the chest.

Kenny plopped down next to Kyle, sitting practically on his lap, as he nibbled on the slice of pizza. The cerulean blue eyes were scanning the room. He was looking through the sea of students for a specific one. A brunet sitting alone on the windowsill of one of the large bay windows that looked out the back of the school. He wore thin, silver rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his nose as he read from a worn book and chewed on a bright red apple. Kenny's lips turned up into the devilish grin once again.

Everyone was deep in conversation, except Kyle and Kenny. Kenny silently thanked whatever higher power there was in the world that Kyle was an independent introvert most of the time.

"Hey," Kenny kept his voice low as he nudged Kyle with his elbow. The bright green eyes quickly shifted their attention to Kenny. "Maybe we should invite the new kid over."

Kenny motioned over to the window and Kyle followed with his eyes. He had his fork between his lips having shoved a piece of his lunch into his mouth before his friend spoke. He swallowed his food and stabbed his fork into the piece of lasagna. "Why?" Kyle asked.

Kenny shrugged his shoulders. "He's alone. He doesn't seem lame or anything. Plus, I'm bored. He's new," Kenny explained.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess so," he replied and Kenny could hear his attempt at being nonchalant.

Kenny's grin widened. "You should go invite him over," he suggested.

"Me? Why? It's your idea," Kyle sputtered, trying to keep his voice lowered as he spoke.

"You're the kind one. I'm the weird one. I might scare him off," Kenny explained with a fake pout on his face. Kyle rolled his eyes and shook his head. Kenny sighed. "Alright," he said as he pushed himself up slightly from the bench, "I guess that works. It'll give me a chance to talk to him in private."

Kyle suddenly tensed. He quickly grabbed Kenny's wrist to pull his back down. Bebe gave the two boys a quizzical look. "I'll do it. You're right, you'll just end up scaring him off," Kyle growled.

He stood slowly and stepped over the bench to start to walk away. Stan noticed the absence of his friend and turned his head with furrowed eyebrows. "Where's he going?" he asked as Kenny slid across the bench towards him to take Kyle's spot.

"Just watch and take in the show, dear Stanley," Kenny said in a low voice and grabbed the fork stabbed in Kyle's lunch to shove a piece of the lasagna into his mouth.

Kyle had to shove his hands into the pockets of his sweater to stop their shaking. He was never really one for socializing and making new friends, it made him nervous.

"So why the hell did I stop Kenny? Why am I the one talking to him?" Kyle internally screamed at himself.

He stopped by the window and couldn't help but stare. Aaron was tall with soft muscles that appeared through his t-shirt revealed under his open sweater. He wore dark jeans and expensive sneakers that looked like they had never been worn before that day. He turned his apple in his hand before he took a bite, wiping the juice away with the back of his hand that escaped the corner of his mouth. Kyle swallowed hard. A strange sensation tingled his toes and the back of his neck. The boy stopped chewing for a moment. He lifted his eyes and then quickly turned his head to face Kyle who was creepily staring. Having been caught, Kyle's cheeks lit up with bright red flush as his body tensed. Aaron swallowed the mouthful of apple he had been chewing on.

"Kyle, right?" Aaron asked, the corner of his lip turning up slightly. Kyle swallowed again and nodded. Aaron carefully closed his book, removed his glasses, and turned to let his legs dangle along the wall. "What can I do you for?"

"Oh fuck, I have to say something. I haven't said anything!" Kyle panicked. "Uh, you weren't wearing glasses in class," he blurted out. "Really? That's your fucking go to?"

"Watching me, were you?" Aaron asked and Kyle noted how he always seemed so confident. Even his voice was strong and unwavering as he spoke.

"What? No, it's just—you sat next to me in class and they're noticeable," Kyle tried but failed to say without letting his nerves get the better of him.

Aaron could have easily laughed at how flustered Kyle got, but didn't. "I left them in my car and by the time I realized, I was already late for class. I just decided to hold off. I didn't think the teacher would make us take notes on the first day. I couldn't write anything down, but I guess that'll make me learn not to keep these damn things in my car."

Kyle lost himself in Aaron's words. There was something trusting and relaxing about his voice. Kyle quickly shook his daze away and cleared his throat loudly. "Right, uh, well, I was just wondering if you wanted to sit with us."

Kyle pointed a thumb over his shoulder. Aaron leaned to the side to see Kenny smile and wiggle his fingers in a waving motion. "Do I look that lonely?" Aaron asked as he sat back and smiled up at Kyle.

Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "A little bit. And besides, only weirdoes sit alone reading during lunch," he joked. Jokes were good. Jokes were calming.

"Weirder than staring at the guy reading alone during lunch?" Aaron teased with a lifted eyebrow. The blush returned to Kyle's cheeks. He felt warm. His entire body was on fire. Aaron laughed. It was a soft chuckle that instantly made Kyle relax. "I'm kidding. I'd love to join you guys," he said and stood. He wasn't quite as tall as Stan but he still stood over Kyle. He took a step forward to stand within inches of Kyle. "I warn you though. Everyone always falls in love with me eventually," he explained cockily and took another bite of his apple.

Kyle quickly spun around, maybe a bit too quickly. He led the way back to the table where Kenny had his chin resting in his hand as he smiled proudly. "Guys," Kyle spoke up, ending any conversation being held at the table. "This is Aaron, he's new. Aaron, meet Kenny, Stan, Tweek, Craig, Clyde, and Bebe. Aaron's gonna eat with us."

Kyle sat down beside Kenny who had taken the liberty of finishing off the red head's lunch without asking. Kyle rolled his eyes and Aaron sat down beside him, putting his book and glasses down in front of him.

"New school in your final year of high school? How much do your parents hate you?" Clyde joked.

"Well, we have a general understanding of hatred with each other. I'm only allowed another year though before I'm legally allowed to be kicked out so they couldn't go easy on me," Aaron joked back with his signature smile. Clyde chuckled loudly.

"Where are you from?" Stan leaned forward to ask.

"Boulder. My mom got a new job here so we decided to move," Aaron explained and took another bite of his apple.

"And you were okay with that?" Stan asked with general interest.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't not be okay with it. Besides, it's high school. It sucks no matter where I go. At least here I can kind of get a fresh start. Looks like I can't get away from the weirdoes though, no matter where I go," Aaron teased and lightly bumped Kyle's arm.

Kyle made a happy noise that startled even him. Stan's eyebrow lifted in curiosity towards his best friend. Kyle quickly cleared his throat and lowered his head. "Watch yourself, Kyle," Kenny leaned in towards Kyle to whisper. "You might turn redder than his apple."

"Fuck you, Kenny McCormick."