Stan wanted to make it easy for both of their sake; class was starting soon and he didn't want to make them late. With that thought in mind he swallowed the lump stuck in his throat and took a long drink from his coffee cup, the ever patient Wendy standing close by. With a watchful eye she studied Stan's behavior and took note of the expression plastered on her boyfriend's face.
"Is everything okay Stan?" He didn't expect him to say yes, and she didn't think it was a good sign that Stan had avoided visual contact when replying to her question.
"Not really. .I wanted to talk to you about. .something." Stan chose his words carefully, speaking slowly.
"What is it?" She asked, her heart beginning to skip uneasily within her chest, smile fading slightly.
"I know this might seem sudden but I kinda wanna. . break up. ." There, he said it. The words he had been dreading to say finally fell from his lips. Stress and Anxiety had built itself a cozy little home within Stan Marsh's head while the breakup debate took place. For weeks he wondered what would happen if he did break up with his on again off again girlfriend, but it wasn't Wendy he was worried about.
Genuine shock embedded itself on Wendy's face, not expecting to be on the receiving end of a breakup. "Oh, wow. .okay. ." She didn't know what to say at first, but some quick thinking remedied this. "Well I just hope we can still be friends." Despite it being a classic cliche she really meant it. "So. . can I ask what brought this on?" Wendy shifted from side to side, hands wringing casually, hopefully subtle. Internally eager, she waited for Stan's response.
". . ." Stan paused, debating on weather or not to be honest with her. However, because it was Wendy, Stan's hesitation didn't last long. "Honestly? I feel like I might be. .Bi." The last part he whispered while dropping his gaze to the floor.
"Oh." She deemed that anticlimactic and let out the breath she had been holding. Her smile returned in full swing. "That's a pretty valid reason for breaking up with me alright." She laughed softly to herself and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Well-good luck in figuring stuff out. And I'm here for you if you need it." She felt less inclined to avoid Stan due to relationship 'protocol' now that she knew of his internal struggle and she wanted to help as much she could, even if it was only lending a friendly ear.
Relief washed over Stan visibly, his knees unlocking and butterflies finally settling within his stomach. "Thanks, I'll remember that." He felt grateful for her level of understanding, some stress lifting from his shoulders. "Try not to spread this through the whole school." To pretend that the female population wasn't in some secret girly club was out of the question, this was High School after all, and he's seen his share of girly shenanigans. "It would be nice to keep some of my life a secret." He hoped gossip wouldn't spread to the wrong people. This was his business after all.
Wendy withheld a giggle and nodded. "Sure, but I can't make any concrete promises." She said nothing more and left the corner she and Stan had been tucked away in. Stan watched as his Ex walked off, leaving him to his thoughts. Looking back to the beginning of it all and comparing it to the end, Stan felt somewhat cheated at how much time he wasted. If he knew Wendy was going to react so calmly then he would have done himself a favor an would have done the deed long ago.
He decided not to think about it and headed for his locker. Standing by were his usual band of friends, engaged in a story Butters was retelling. The youth turned the dial on his locker and opened it, keeping to himself as he collected materials for homeroom. His gaze drifted to the various photos and posters he had taped up on his locker door, wondering if it was too soon to take down the ones featuring him and Wendy. In the end he figured it would be better to do it now rather than later.
Straightening himself upright Stan began to pluck the photos off the door, catching the attention of his Jewish friend. "Hey dude, what're you doing?" Kyle took a few steps away from the group and leaned on the locker next to Stan's, watching him with curiosity.
"Taking some stuff down." Stan tucked the photos in the back of his locker shelf and closed it, dismissing the event as anything special. Kyle however didn't dismiss it so easily.
"Huh? Dude you took down the ones with Wendy. Did something happen between you two?" He refrained from adding again to his sentence, not thinking it would be necessary.
At this point the boys standing by had begun to ignore Butters in favor of listening in on Stan and Kyle's conversation, something Stan took notice of right away. Brown hues scanned the area, making eye contact with many of them because clearing his throat. "Uh, well we broke up."
There was a beat, then Stan spoke again. "It's not a big deal." And it seemed like the rest of them felt the same way because they turned away, finding the information not all that interesting.
Kyle didn't feel the same as the others. "Not a big deal? Stan you turned emo when you guys broke up before." They had dated and broke up several times after that but Kyle liked to bring it up due to how ridiculous Stan had gotten over a breakup. "Are you gonna be okay?"
Stan snorted at the memory, rolling his eyes. "Pfft, dude that was forever ago. Besides I ended things with her, not the other way around." This information caused a gasp to erupt from Kyle's mouth.
"Whoa dude, seriously? I thought you were in lover with her." That had been the way things rolled for years, Wendy speaks and Stan pukes. It was a cycle, one he assumed would be repeated for years to come.
"Yeah well, times have changed, you know?" He really didn't want to make a big deal out of it honestly. Thankfully Kyle understood him well so he dropped the subject.
"Okay dude, well we better get to class." Coincidentally the five minute bell rang at that moment so they both decided to head to class. With it being the new year, the seating arrangement was new, but Stan wasn't surprised to learn that he would be sitting in the front of the class, like usual. With his butt planted firmly in his seat Stan took out his notebook and began taking notes as soon as class started.