I was studying again. It's what I did every day, that's how I even spent my weekends. If I didn't, I'd have to listen to criticism from my mother, who thought Ike was better then I was.
Which he probably was.
But I tried even harder, bringing my once straight A's to a steady stream of A+ papers. She was seemingly pleased. Gerald, my father, was a little less caring. He divorced my mother when I was thirteen (four years ago) and I held a grudge when he re-married and had another son. But that never stopped me from going to his house and trashing things. Or putting kool-aid in the shower head (and he'll never know!) His wife was younger and a little naïve, which I used to my advantage. Ike never wanted to see Gerald, in fact, he was rarely home. He did his chores and homework, then left to be with a friend (who's name i don't recall.)
Despite my bookworm attitude, I spent a lot of time with the group - Stan, Kenny, and Eric Cartman. Stan was my super best friend, the one person who I wasted my time texting and calling. Kenny was like a brother. He spent a lot of time over, loved my mom and her cooking, and even helped with chores. He was overly grateful, considering his home was in shambles.
Eric Cartmen, to me, was close to nothing. He was my bully, my tormentor, but we were close. As in i stayed close to him because I think I loved him close.
Stan grew his hair out and joined the football team. Kenny was taking business courses so he could learn to make good money and support his family. Cartman kept his life a secret from us. He lost a lot of weight, but really was broad and big-boned. He was probably 6'5 now, and the most intimidating in our little group.
We were all growing up, and growing a lot closer every day.