Craig lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been several hours since his last cigarette, but he was finding it difficult to muster the energy to get up and put on the clothes laying on the floor at his side. The sharp, cold air that he knew awaited him outside was also not too appealing, although living in Colorado his entire life allowed him to grow mostly numb to it. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop his body from shivering slightly as he lay on top of his blanket, wearing only his Red Racer boxers. He turned his head to glance out the window positioned on the wall next to his bed. The sun had set hours earlier, but the light of the full moon lit up the sky and illuminated his face as it shone through the window. He sighed before lifting his head and reaching under the pillow, pulling out a small handmade card Tweek had given him on the last day of school before Christmas break. Shaking a bit more than usual, the nervous boy had approached him and stared at the ground as he held the card out in front of him. He claimed he made a card for everyone, but Craig knew that wasn't true. He couldn't help but smile as he held the picture of the Christmas tree in the moonlight. Under the tree was a guinea pig wearing a Santa hat and at the top of the card, the words 'Merry Christmas' were written in red. The custom crayon drawing was the most special gift he received this holiday season, but he worried his indifferent, somewhat arrogant nature would prevent him from being able to tell Tweek how he truly felt about it. He held the card to his chest for a long moment and sighed once more before returning it to its place under the pillow.
Figuring his parents and younger sister were asleep by now, he forced himself to stand up from his bed and put on his blue jacket and pants. He slipped his shoes on, retrieved the pack of cigarettes and lighter from his nightstand, and slid his window open. Although everyone else was asleep, he wouldn't dare try to walk through the house and exit through the front door. He didn't want to risk being grounded for the rest of winter break, and perhaps even being roughed up by his father, no matter how small the risk was. With the bitter cold air assaulting his face, he pulled himself onto the ledge and jumped to the snowy ground below. There were many things he resented about moving to this one-story house, but the ease with which he could sneak out wasn't one of them. He slowly closed the window, being mindful not to make any unnecessary noise. He cursed to himself when he realized he had forgotten his hat, leaving his head vulnerable to the unforgiving Colorado winter. Nothing that could be done about it now. He sighed, his warm breath visible as it hit the air.
Craig paced around the yard for a bit in a futile attempt to stay warm. The frigid air was already turning his face and hands red, but he preferred this to being cooped up in his room all night. He reached into his pocket and removed the pack of menthol cigarettes. He groaned when he remembered it was already half empty. Craig was one of the lucky ones; he was friends with the local convenience store clerk, who up to this point was willing to sell him cigarettes. Most other high school freshmen had to convince upperclassmen to let them bum smokes after school, which was no easy task. He slowly raised a cigarette to his lips, his fingers now completely numb from the cold. Flicking the lighter several times, he lit the end of the cigarette. Taking a long, slow drag, he closed his eyes and felt the nicotine hit his system as he exhaled. He knew the habit would eventually kill him if he didn't stop, but he simply enjoyed the sensation too much.
He frowned as he placed the lighter back in his pocket. He knew it was nearly out of fluid, but he couldn't bring himself to part with it. His grandmother had given him a check for one hundred dollars on his fourteenth birthday shortly before she died. Aside from the lighter, he spent every penny on cigarettes. He was nearly brought to tears every time he thought about how disappointed she would be in him. He knew she gave him that money to spend on something fun, something that would make him happy. Instead he wasted it all on something that was slowly killing her precious grandson. He tried to promise himself that he would go to the local church and use it to light a candle in her memory; at least this way he could do something positive with the item he used his gift money on. He knew deep down, however, that this was never going to happen. He hadn't been to church for several years and now that the lighter was nearly empty, he knew it was too late. He hated himself for it. She was the one person who loved him more than anyone, and he couldn't even take a few minutes to light a candle for her. He felt his eyes begin to well with tears as he took another drag.
As he exhaled, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He tried to avoid looking whenever he came outside as the site only filled him with grief. As he stared at Stripe's grave, he was reminded of the emptiness he felt since his pet died over the past summer. He had gone through several guinea pigs over the years, but he always thought the memory of each previous Stripe lived on in the next. However, it had now been several months, the longest he's ever gone without a companion. He had hoped that he would receive one for Christmas, but of course that didn't happen. He thought back to Tweek's drawing. The spaz actually knew enough about him to draw a guinea pig; and cared enough to draw something for him at all. Craig shook the thought from his head. He tried to never dwell on something for too long. He turned his attention to the snow on the ground directly in front of him. Although he always resented when his parents made him shovel the driveway, he couldn't help but admire its aesthetic beauty.
With the cigarette nearly burned down to the filter, Craig took one final drag before stomping it into the snow. He knew he shouldn't leave it there as it would raise his parents' suspicion once the snow melted, but he didn't have it in him to care at the moment. He climbed back in through the window and, after giving himself a moment to warm up, threw his clothes on the floor. He climbed into bed and buried himself in the warmth of his blanket. He could still smell the stench of the cigarette on his hand. He hated it. He wished he could curl up in bed and focus on nothing but relaxation and comfort, but they were tainted by the foul smell of smoke lingering on his body. He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand next to him. 12:14 am. Less than twenty-four hours until the year came to an end. His eyes moved to once again face the ceiling as he pondered how pointless it all was. He was sure the new year would be no different than the last; no better, no worse. He would spend every day waking up, going to school, smoking, and lying in bed until he fell asleep; going through the motions, just as he always did. Relegating these negative thoughts to the back of his mind, something he was all too used to doing, he soon fell asleep.
Craig slowly opened his eyes. 10:22 am. He sighed and shook his head at the realization that he had slept for nearly ten hours. Not that it mattered, he would probably spend most of the day brooding in his room again anyway. He crawled out of bed and sluggishly got dressed, remembering his hat this time. He heard movement coming from other parts of the house. There was nothing unusual about this, as Craig was often the last one in his family to wake up. He felt in his pocket to make sure his cigarettes were still there before standing in front of his dresser to look at himself in the mirror hanging on the wall above it. The sight in front of him was that of a teenage boy who looked like he would much rather still be in bed. His black hair poked out beneath his hat, nearly covering his eyes, which were baggy and still half-closed. He began making his way for the door, but paused halfway. He returned to the side of his bed and retrieved the card from under the pillow. He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt compelled to carry it with him. Perhaps he just wanted to have the only thing that had managed to make him feel some level of happiness over the past few days.
He exited his room and stepped into the hallway. Trying to avoid any contact with his family, he quickly made his way for the front door. He enjoyed going for walks around town, as long as no one tried to bother him. He liked watching people going about their simple daily lives and basking in the quaint atmosphere. It was perhaps the only thing he didn't mind about living in a small town. Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, he heard his father say his name. He tried to make his sigh inaudible, but this proved impossible, not that he cared much.
"Craig, just where do you plan on going?"
"Just going for a walk, Dad. You know, like I always do…"
"Well pick up some snacks while you're out," his father said, walking over to hand him a ten-dollar bill. "It's New Year's and you should at least do something useful before the end of the year."
Craig sighed and took the money from his father's hand, avoiding eye contact through the short conversation. He once again reached for the doorknob and stepped outside, where his face was met with a gust of frigid air. Being daytime, it wasn't quite as cold as the night before, but still chilly enough to make him momentarily second guess his decision. He shrugged the thought off and walked toward the sidewalk. Anything was better than staying inside all day. Besides, he now had cigarette money.
He walked the short distance to the convenience store where his father was expecting him to buy snacks. He instead bought a pack of menthols and dropped the change in a donation box for charity; something about starving kids or animals, he didn't care. He knew his father would be furious when he returned home empty-handed, but he didn't care about that too much either. He had the rest of the day to mindlessly walk around town, and he intended to enjoy the opportunity to clear his head. Leaving the store, he returned to walking along the sidewalk, his eyes focused on the ground in front of him. He walked through the downtown business district where people were bustling around, probably returning Christmas gifts in exchange for cash; the ungrateful assholes. Craig scoffed at the thought as he approached the local coffee shop. He stood at the storefront for a moment and looked at the sign. Not much of a coffee drinker himself, the last time he'd been inside was several months ago with his dad. He had seen Tweek anxiously wiping down tables while his parents prepared the orders. They made awkward eye contact for a brief moment before Tweek twitched and returned to his work. That was at the beginning of the school year. Aside from the few classes they shared and occasionally passing each other in the hall, the two didn't see each other often. They had been in the same friend group in elementary school, but things change as people grow up and progress through the school system. This made the card all the more interesting.
Although he wasn't sure why, Craig found himself walking up to the door. He spent all the money he had on cigarettes, so he wouldn't be able to order anything even if he wanted to. He pushed the glass door open and joined the several other customers inside. He looked up at the counter and saw Tweek, shaking just as much as usual as he took people's money and handed them their coffee. He felt a strange mix of emotions at that moment. He wasn't sure what his intentions were by coming in here. He wasn't really in the mood to confront Tweek about the card, but he knew if he didn't do it now, he probably never would. Without a second thought, he forced his body to walk up to the counter. His eyes met those of the boy standing in front of him.
"Oh...h-hi, Craig," Tweek said in his usual shaky voice. A small grin appeared on his face, despite his best efforts to suppress it.
"Hey Tweek," Craig replied, trying not to convey any emotion.
"S-So, did you, did you want to order anything?"
Craig shook his head. "No, I just wanted to stop by and…see how you were doing. Did you have a good Christmas?"
Tweek twitched. "I…I guess so. D-did you?"
"I guess. I, umm, I liked your card."
Craig couldn't tell if Tweek was happy or nervous. His grin quickly turned to a grimace before becoming a smile again.
"I…I'm glad you liked it! I…um…I got something else for you too! D-did you wanna come over and see it?"
"You mean to your place?" Craig looked at his wrist as if he were checking a watch, embarrassed when he remembered nothing was there. "I guess I have time. When do you get off?"
"W-we could go right now!" Tweek said, becoming even more excited. "H-hey Dad! Is it ok if me and C-Craig go to the house?"
"Well, this is one of our busiest days," his father replied. "But since it's Craig I think I'll make an exception."
"D-Dad! Stop! W-why would you say something like that?" Tweek yelled, nearly ripping his hair out.
"Ok," his dad chuckled. "You boys have fun."
"I'm s-sorry about that, Craig. Let's just g-get out of here!"
"It's ok, dude. Just try to calm down."
"Gah! S-sorry. Come on, l-let's go."
Craig followed Tweek out the door. He wondered if he'd soon regret the decision. Tweek was a nice enough person, but he seemed unstable. He knew it wasn't his fault; it was well known that his parents had given him coffee since he was very young. It would be a miracle if he wasn't a little messed up.
Tweek didn't stop shaking the entire walk to the house. Craig followed slightly behind his…friend? He wasn't sure what they were. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he watched his body shake and twitch. Being accustomed to laying motionless in bed, Craig couldn't imagine what it must be like to be so hyperactive. He wanted to say something about it, but wasn't sure how to word it. Tweek was well aware of his issues, so he was sure anything he said wouldn't make a difference, anyway.
They soon entered the residential district. South Park certainly wasn't an upper-class town, but the only really low-income area was Kenny's house, so Craig was content enough living here. As much as he liked to say he hated his hometown, the laid-back atmosphere suited him quite well. It was boring, but that's how he preferred things. His mind began to wander when Tweek finally spoke.
"W-We're here!"
"Alright," Craig said, his mind snapping back to the moment. "Just let me have a smoke first."
"Y-you shouldn't do that," Tweek said bashfully. "I-it's gonna kill you, you know!"
"Yeah, I know." Craig removed a cigarette from the pack and placed it between his lips. He lit it and took a deep inhale as Tweek just watched, his body still shaking.
"S-so, why do you do it then?" Tweek asked. "You k-know it's bad, but you do it anyway?"
Craig nodded. "Pretty much."
Tweek continued staring at him with a genuine look of concern on his face. Craig smirked. He couldn't help but think it was kind of cute how this kid cared so much about him.
"Listen, it's not a big deal. We're all gonna die at some point, we might as well have something to enjoy until that happens."
Tweek frowned. This made Craig feel a bit guilty, although he really didn't understand why.
"I mean…you drink a lot of coffee, right? Why do you choose to do that?"
"I…I don't really know. I j-just do, I guess."
Craig nodded. It was silent for a moment as he continued to take drags from the cigarette.
"D-did you ever think about quitting?"
Craig sighed. "I mean, I guess. But why would I? It's not like anyone cares about me. I have no reason to."
Tweek stared at the ground, which only intensified Craig's sense of guilt. Why did he care so much? And why did Tweek care about him smoking? He looked at Tweek, his head hung low and body shivering. His cigarette now burned down to the filter, he dropped it and stomped it into the snow.
"I'm sorry I kept you out here. You must be freezing. We should probably head inside."
Tweek's face lit up. "Y-yeah! Come on."
Craig followed him into the house. As they began ascending the staircase, he wondered what else Tweek could have gotten him, and more importantly, why he had gotten him anything at all. The whole situation still seemed very strange. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out the card and looked at it. He then looked at Tweek, who was walking up the stairs ahead of him. The back of his head was covered with a mop of messy blonde hair. He wondered how it stayed so thick, considering how much Tweek pulled at it.
"Hey, Tweek," he said once they reached the second floor. "I…I brought the card you made for me."
"Y-You did?" Tweek replied, his face once again making an expression that Craig wasn't sure whether to interpret as happiness or nervousness. "So, y-you really like it?"
"I really do." Craig didn't bother trying to hide his smile this time. "It was really thoughtful."
Tweek smiled, and this time there was no question about what it meant. "I-I'm so happy to hear that, Craig! I-I really hope you like the other thing I got you too!"
They entered the room. Knickknacks were scattered everywhere on the floor and on top of Tweek's dresser and desk. His bed was unkempt, and piles of DVDs lay on the floor around the TV. Craig's room was certainly nothing to brag about, but this was on a different level. Craig didn't let it bother him, though; he felt it matched Tweek's personality, which is what a bedroom should do. Tweek hurried over to the nightstand next to his bed and removed something from a cage. His face blushed as he turned around to face Craig.
"I…I got her the day before Christmas. She's really friendly! I-I know how much you like guinea pigs and how much Stripe meant to you, s-so I thought…"
Craig stood by the doorway with a blank expression on his face. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn't process it at first. His eyes moved between Tweek and the guinea pig in his hands. His body was frozen. His parents knew how upset he was when Stripe died and how much he benefited from having an animal companion, but they didn't care enough to get him one. Nobody did; until now.
Tweek gently returned the creature to her place on the nightstand. "Y-you can keep the cage too. I mean…i-if you want… Do you like her?"
Craig walked up to Tweek without saying a word and threw his arms around him, burying his face in his shoulder.
"Why…why would you do this for me?"
Tweek patted his back. "Y-you just seemed so sad lately. I-I thought it might make you feel better."
Craig buried his face deeper into Tweek's shoulder and cried, but he didn't care. He was done hiding his emotions. After a long moment of Tweek rubbing his back, he finally pulled his head away. Tweek's shirt was wet from the tears, but he didn't seem to mind. His only focus was on consoling Craig.
"A-are you ok? I-I didn't mean to make you upset…"
Craig looked into Tweek's eyes and shook his head. "Tweek…I love her. I…I just can't believe you would do this for me. I…I didn't think anyone cared."
Tweek smiled, his body still shaking. "D-Do you want to hold her?"
Craig nodded, his face still wet from the tears. Tweek retrieved Craig's new pet from her cage and placed her in his outreached hands. Craig held her close to his body and looked down at her. She was brown and white, just like all the guinea pigs he had in the past.
"Thank you, Tweek," he whispered.
"I-I'm glad you're happy, Craig."
Craig didn't take his eyes off of her for a long while. She nuzzled into his shirt, causing more tears to roll down his face.
"D-did you wanna stay here for a little while?" Tweek asked. "We can put S-Stripe back in her cage until you're ready to t-take her home and watch Red Racer or something."
Craig nodded and handed Stripe back over to Tweek, who set her back in the cage. He wiped his eyes and looked at Tweek as he walked over to the pile of DVDs on the floor.
"Wait…you have Red Racer on DVD?"
"Y-yeah. Remember back in f-fourth grade when you gave me one of yours?"
"You still have it?" Craig asked, furrowing his brow. "After all this time?"
"Well…y-yeah. I like it and…i-it was from you."
Craig snickered, his voice still a bit choked up. "You're such a good person Tweek."
They looked at each other and blushed.
"W-well…thanks, Craig. So, d-do you wanna hang out for a bit?"
"Sure."
Tweek shuffled through the mess of DVDs while Craig sat down on the large bean bag chair in front of the TV. Tweek joined him after loading the disc into the player and turned the television on. Craig glanced over at him and for the first time noticed just how pronounced the bags under his eyes were.
"Tweek…," Craig said as the menu loaded on the screen. "When's the last time you slept?"
"Uhhhh…w-when was C-Christmas Eve?"
"Jesus Christ, dude. Are you serious?"
"I-I mean, I slept since then, but only a l-little at a time. I-I just can't do it, man. The c-coffee a-and the…well, I just get really s-scared at night."
"Why don't you try to get some sleep now then? I'll stay right here with you the whole time. Maybe that will help you relax."
"B-but what about my dad? H-he'll still be expecting me b-back later."
"If he says anything, I'll tell him we just lost track of time. Just focus on getting some rest now, Tweek. You really need it."
"Y-you would do t-that for me?"
"After what you did for me, it's the least I could do."
Tweek smiled. "T-Thanks, Craig. I'll t-try…"
"I can wake you up before the ball drops. We can watch it together…if you want."
"T-that's not for like another t-twelve hours…"
"With how messed up your sleep is, you'll need all the rest you can get."
"Y-you're ok with s-staying here that long?"
Tweek grinned as Craig checked the imaginary watch on his wrist. "I think it'll be alright. Please just try to get some sleep now."
Tweek turned on his side and rested his head on Craig's chest. He was a bit surprised by how comfortable Tweek had suddenly become with him, but he certainly didn't have a problem with it. He wrapped his arm around Tweek's shoulder and grabbed the remote with his free hand.
"Is it ok if I watch Red Racer while you sleep?"
"Mhm," Tweek murmured, nuzzling his head deeper into Craig's chest.
Craig could feel his heart beating faster as he looked down at Tweek. His eyes closed and mouth slightly open, it looked like he was already fast asleep. He tried to slow his breathing so as to not disturb him, but this proved difficult. He couldn't fully describe what he was feeling, but it was amazing.
After a long time; he couldn't be sure how long, Craig finally turned his attention to the tv. Selecting the 'play all' option, he listened to the all too familiar sound of the Red Racer opening theme. Luckily this was a show he could watch for twelve hours without getting bored. He had no idea that Tweek liked it as well. He completely forgot about giving him the DVD all those years ago. He thought it was sweet that he had kept it all this time; it must have really meant a lot to him. He rested his face on the top of Tweek's head and watched his favorite show, immersing himself in the moment. As the minutes and hours passed, he realized there was no place he would rather be.
As the DVD played its closing sequence, Craig looked at the clock on the wall. 11:54 pm. He couldn't believe how fast the time had passed. He allowed the DVD to return to the main menu and turned his attention to Tweek.
"Tweek," he said softly, stroking his hair. "It's almost midnight, time to wake up."
Tweek slowly opened his eyes. "C-Craig… Y-you really stayed with me this whole time?"
"Of course, Tweek. I told you I would. And see, I knew you had a lot of sleep to catch up on. It's gonna be midnight in just a few minutes."
Tweek glanced up at the clock. "W-wow, y-you're right."
Without lifting his head from Craig's chest, he took the remote from his hand and turned on the news, where the New Year's festivities were being covered.
"T-thank you, Craig…for being here with me."
Craig gently pushed the hair from Tweek's eyes. "No, Tweek, thank you…for everything."
With less than one minute before the ball was set to drop, Craig repositioned himself and fumbled around for something in his pocket. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Without a second thought, he tossed them in the trash.
"W-what are you doing, Craig?" Tweek asked, perplexed. "I-I thought you needed those."
Craig shrugged. "New Year's resolution, I guess. Besides," he said, his gaze moving to meet Tweek's. "I have a new addiction."
They both smiled. The TV crowd cheered as the ball dropped, signaling the start of the new year.
"Happy New Year, Craig."
"Happy New Year, Tweek."