The morning after a plan was created. It was rather simple in nature, hitch a ride with Stan to their school and rush to class. No detours or stopping to talk to friends.

But to his gloomy dismay, Stan had to metaphorically run over his ideas. Instead of giving his childhood best friend a ride to their shared school, Stan favoured taking Wendy in his used car.

Which Kyle would have been fine with every other day, but for this one particular date he didn't want to be anywhere near Eric.

Air still hot from last night, Kyle yanked on the side of his buttoned up shirt's collar. The heat was having the thin garment stick to his skin, and coupled with the mass of curls on his head, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. As he waited for the public bus, Kyle flipped to the next page of his book. He still hadn't found his charger yet, and his phone remained dead on his nightstand.

"I can't understand how you're still wearing that."

He tried his best to ignore the irritating sound of Eric Cartman's voice, but the twitch of an eye spoke that he had heard what was said.

The corner of his well known hat was pulled, reminding Kyle that he'd need to buy a larger one again. Still, he remained quiet, with his eyes fixated on his current page. But every time he tried to read a sentence, somehow he found himself going over the same exact line.

It was gone. Finally Kyle's eyes snapped up, glaring at the boy beside him with his book. Making sure he was safe from the redhead's arms, Eric turned it around to see its cover, careful to mark the page with a thick finger.

"Hm, didn't think you'd enjoy Oscar Wilde's works. And certainly not, The Picture Of Dorian Gray. But now it all makes sense!"

Kyle ripped the article from the other's hands, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Eric shook his head in disdain, "Oh don't be that oblivious, it'll take the fun out of everything."

A metal beast pawed its way down the road, rolling to a lavish stop. It filled any silence with its loud and crooked rumbling, until a groaning overtook that. The bus doors peeled open, offering a bit of shade from the sun.

Climbing into it proved otherwise, the interior was humid and the leather seats immediately stuck to any flesh it could find.

Scanning his bus pass, Kyle strolled over to the middle section, selecting a place near a window. But like the sizzling sidewalk outside, Kyle seethed as a familiar large form sat next to him. Determined to remain cool, even if sweat was pouring off of him, Kyle calmly flipped through his book. But a weight was pressed against his knee, and despite what he promised himself, Kyle couldn't help but sneak a peek.

And sure enough it was Eric's own knee, heavy and radiating like a furnace on the sun. Steeling his nerves further, Kyle spared a glance to the other's face. It was fixed ahead, with headphones that softly vibrated from the music dancing in the brunette's ears.

Kyle turned back to his book.


He praised every deity he could think of, even if he didn't believe in anything other than a single God. On a side note he also thanked the air conditioners in his school, currently keeping the building cold.

The metal of his locker was also chilly to the touch, something Kyle vaguely noticed as he popped its door open. Just as his fingertips brushed against his chemistry textbook, a lazy drawl greeted him.

"Sorry about earlier."

Kyle shrugged, "Not a big deal." Holding the textbook in his spare arm, Kyle grabbed the massive tome dedicated to calculus. Pulling it from the built in shelf, Kyle grunted from its sheer weight. Stan winced with sympathy.

"Can I make up for it? I know the public transit is shitty. How about after school I drive us down to the beach? Let us cool down a bit."

Kyle shook his head as his best friend wiggled his eyebrows, remembering the deal he had regrettably made.

"Can't, I already have plans."

"Oh. Well at least say it's with a hot chick!"

Snorting with laughter, Kyle grinned at the thought of Cartman dressed up as a girl. But with a start at their childhood, maybe Cartman would actually like the thought of wearing a dress and some shocking shade of pink or red lipstick.

"Nah, gotta do some stuff I'm not looking forward to."

The bell for class screeched into the halls, making everyone jump in panic. Stan was quickly swept up in a wave of rushing students, "Tell me later!"

"Okay!" Kyle shouted back, holding a firm grip on the edge of his locker as people pushed past. It was quickly shut, lock snapped in place, and Kyle begrudgingly headed to his first class of the day. Calculus.

As he maneuvered down the twisting halls, a hand caught the edge of his shirt, pulling him a step or two back.

"Don't forget, 4:00 pm." A voice whispered into his ear, and he was let go. Stumbling, Kyle cursed under his breath. He craned his head over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Eric lumbering off in the opposite direction.

"Fucking lovely." He mumbled under his breath.

"Broflovski, language!" an unknown teacher bellowed. Automatically he spewed out an apology before he jogged to the last door down the hallway.