The car ride back, needless to say, was incredibly awkward. I decided to stay completely silent, and Kenny mirrored my decision. He sat quietly, staring out my father's car window. My mind raced with all the things that had happened, and I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost passed the road leading to Kenny's house.

"Hey!" He shouted at the last minute, sitting up straight and pointing toward the upcoming turn. Startled, I jerked the wheel to the right, but fortunately we made it onto the right path with minimal problems. I took a deep breath. Kenny settled back down into his seat.

"It's okay, dude," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I just sat, staring at the road for a long time, letting his words sink in, and doubting that anything would be okay between me and Stan.

"Why did you break up the fight?" I said suddenly, keeping my eyes locked on the road.

"You guys are my friends, okay? No matter how incredibly stupid you're acting at the time." His voice wasn't angry, just serious. "I didn't want you guys to end up getting hurt." He added, returning to the window.

"Geez Kenny we wouldn't have killed each other," I said angrily, gripping the steering wheel. Kenny's mumble was barely heard over the mixed noises of the car and the wind outside.

"I didn't mean physically," If I hadn't been waiting for a reply I wouldn't have heard it. Then he sat up and spoke clearer. "You guys have been friends forever, alright? Don't screw it up over something stupid." He wasn't suggesting, he was telling; his voice mature and stern.

"Yeah, maybe we were, but Stan has other interests now, and I'm not one of them." I said bitterly, thinking of his cold expression outside the theater.

"Dude, Stan's been dating Wendy on and off for like – what – eight years? It never lasts. She'll leave him, and things will go back to normal. Isn't that how it's always been?" Kenny put his feet up on the dashboard. Normally I would remind him that this was my Dad's car, and that he didn't approve of feet anywhere other than on the floor, but somehow that didn't really matter right now.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't always want to be the one he runs to after his breakup."

"Well, then that's your choice. Just think about it before you throw out your entire friendship over one thing." He finished, sinking back into silence. I thought about all the good, mostly insane, times that Stan and I had shared over the years, and couldn't help but feel I was being overly dramatic about this whole thing. My stomach dropped remembering the pure rage in Stan's voice as he advised me to 'Stay the hell away' from him.

"Kenny?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Do you really…" I cleared my throat. "Do you really think Stan and I are gonna be okay?" I finished nervously, still staring dead ahead. I could see Kenny smile out of the corner of my eye.

"Listen, if anyone's friendship was gonna last, I'd be yours and Stan's. He'll get over it, don't worry." Kenny's cobalt eyes were shining happily, and for a moment, I really believed that things were going to be okay between me and my super best friend.

"Oh, Ken," I added, now smiling a little, "Want to, uh… come over? I have a new fighting game that's pretty fun, and Ike won't play with me."

"Hah, I'd kick your ass, Broflovski." He smiled, and turned up the car radio. The awkward air was gone; Kenny had a way of relieving tension.

I continued on the road to Kenny's house, until he advised me he didn't need anything from there. I turned around in a small dirt drive and headed back in the direction of my house. Kenny was now singing loudly to a particularly vulgar song on the radio. When the air went silent with what should have been a censored part, Kenny's voice would rise to fill in the naughty word. He really did have a nice voice, though. I remember in third grade his parents had spent what little money they had on singing lessons for him. I could easily imagine the skinny blonde in a rock band; probably the one who slept with all the girls.

My stomach dropped when my headlights fell upon my mom's car in our driveway. She didn't appreciate friends coming over without advanced notice. Kenny had just reached the chorus about 'that ho shakin' her ass on the dance floor', when I parked my dad's car behind my mom's. When I turned the car off, everything, including the radio and Kenny, went silent.

"Dude, that was the good part," Kenny smiled, reaching into the backseat to retrieve his scarf. I opened the car door and stepped out into the freezing cold. My hot breath swirled upward like smoke. Kenny crunched through the snow behind me. I took a deep breath, looking at my front door.

"Be on your best behavior, okay?" I mumbled, not wanting to spend the night listening to my mother's shrill voice. Kenny threw his arm around my shoulder and put on his best 'face of innocence'.

"Why Kyle, when have you ever known me not to be a perfect gentleman?" He grinned, dropping his arm from my shoulder. I rolled my eyes, and tried to give my best 'don't be an asshole or it's my ass on the line', face. Kenny just continued smiling. However, despite my best efforts with Kenny, my mother's furious voice was the first thing that greeted me when I walked through the door.

"Kyle!"

"Yeah, ma?" I asked, trying as best I could not to have my voice mirror my annoyance.

"Did you leave your poor brother home alone, Kyle?" She demanded; her face as red as her hair. I hated how she always used my name more than necessary when I was in trouble. Maybe all mothers did that, I wasn't really sure.

"Ike was fine! I just went to the movie with Kenny, okay?" I said, my voice as restrained as possible. My mother's furious eyes turned from me to Kenny, who was still standing in the doorway. She looked flustered as she realized that someone had been watching her scold her child.

"O-Oh, Kenny, dear, " she smiled quickly, "How is your mother?"

"Exhausted." He said simply. I guess yelling all day long could do that to a woman. Well, any woman except my mother, who was now refocusing her anger on me.

"We will talk about this later, young man." She said quietly, her voice shaking with rage. I took this opportunity too start heading upstairs, Kenny following quickly behind me. I slammed the door to my room, none too quietly, after Kenny. He was still grinning for some reason.

"What?" I asked him angrily.

"You know, Cartman was right." He answered, plopping himself down onto my bed. I scowled.

"About what?" I demanded, searching my mind for a time when Eric Cartman had ever said anything right.

"Your mom is kind've a bitch." He stated simply. I smiled and shoved him over. "I thought we were playing this amazing game?" he added.

We played that amazing game for the next three and a half hours. At first I felt really good, because I beat Kenny horribly in the first three matches. As soon as he got hang of it, though, he proceeded to kick my ass on all 23 levels. Finally, after another victory, he decided to call it quits for the night.

"Can I crash here?" he added, yawning loudly and flicking the game sphere off.

"Yeah, sure, dude," I said, stretching and heading to the closet, and tossed a couple spare blankets onto Kenny. "You're on the floor." I yawned, throwing him an extra pillow.

After my nightly routine of brushing my teeth, contacts out, and pajamas, I returned to find Kenny sleeping soundly in my bed. I let out an irritated sigh, but didn't really feel like fighting over it. I walked silently over to the other side of the bed where 'Kenny's' pillows and blankets were still sitting. I began to arrange them into some form of bed when I noticed my phone flashing. I reached quickly to flip it open.

Missed Call, Stan, flashed brightly on the screen. My heart jumped a little. Why the hell was Stan calling me, and, for that matter, why was I so excited about it? I glanced over to make sure that Kenny was still asleep, and mentally scolded myself for being stupid. Anger with myself brought back my anger with Stan. Under the large letters on the screen, New Voice Mail, and Listen Now? appeared. I started at the question for a while. What could he have to say to me? Did he call to apologize to me, or simply yell at me more? My pace quickened, and my face turned bright red. I was doing it again. On impulse I pushed firmly down on the 'Delete' button, and set the phone back on my bedside table. I settled myself into the makeshift bed and sighed deeply. The room was quiet except for Kenny's soft snoring.

I could have been thinking about the gory movie, or my chemistry test week, or Kenny and I laughing about my mom, or even about my mom's threat about our discussion to come, but, somehow, the only thing on my mind as I drifted off to sleep was Stanley Marsh.