Secrets, secrets, secrets! Everyone has a secret!
P.S. I love the idea of oblivious Stan Marsh and matchmaker Kenny McCormick!
Chapter Two
Kyle shut his bedroom door and let his head rest back against his door with a sigh. He made it through the first day of senior year where every single class was with the new student, Aaron. He made it through his mother's onslaught of questions when he got home. He made it through his father's lecture on making sure to figure everything out ASAP or be left behind. He made it, and his reward was sweet silence. He flopped down on top of his bed and let his tired muscles finally relax. He worked his fingertips into the pain that formed in his temples as he closed his eyes. The pain was dull and slowly faded away as he kneaded the tense skin. He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with a frown.
"That's not stopping anytime soon," he thought to himself with a sigh.
The lamp turned on with a click and Kyle sat down at his desk to flip open his Algebra textbook. First day back to school and he already had homework. He worked through the equations, taking his time as the sun went down outside. He tapped his pencil against his textbook as he stared at the open page in front of him. He was stuck on a question when he suddenly felt a sharp shock course through his spine as the image of bright gold eyes flashed in his mind. His pencil clattered against his desk as he pushed himself back in his chair. He groaned quietly, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself and slowly opened his eyes. The dull pain was back. He gently started to rub his temples again but stopped when he laid his eyes on his notebook. He gently nibbled on his bottom lip and then reached out to grab the notebook as he pushed aside the textbook. He'd come back to the equation later.
Kyle followed Stan and Kenny out of Kenny's truck in a tired haze. He went to bed late and struggled to stay asleep from his vivid dreams. They were moving across the parking lot towards the secondary entrance of the school but Kyle stopped. Stan and Kenny were deep in a conversation and didn't realize their smaller friend had stopped to stare at the familiar black muscle car parked in the lot. It was beautiful.
"Hey, Jew."
Kyle froze and his body tensed. The dull pain in his head amplified into a sharp pain. He quickly turned his head and Cartman stood between him and the school. Cartman's smile was wide to flash his yellow teeth. Kyle struggled to keep his shaking legs steady underneath him. "Out 'ere without yer bodyguards?" he snarled. Stan and Kenny were at the entrance and still didn't notice. Kyle started to panic. His chest tightened and he was struggling to breathe. Cartman's fat fingers wrapped around his arm and he took an instinctive step back. The grip stayed tight around his arm. "Yer not goin' anywhere, Kahl."
"L—Let go of him, Eric," a squeaky voice piped up.
Kyle and Cartman both turned their heads to see Butters approaching with Craig and Tweek. Cartman immediately let go of Kyle to take a step back, his hands up in surrender as Craig barreled down on him. Cartman was tiny against Craig's rage. Butters placed himself in front of Kyle and Tweek was holding on to the red head's arm as he shook.
"I wasn't doin' anything, Craig," Cartman replied smugly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Fatass?" Stan's voice suddenly shouted.
Cartman was surrounded. Craig was still towering over him as Stan and Kenny approached from behind. "Goin' to class, Fag," Cartman said as the warning bell rang from the school.
Cartman slipped his large ass out of the situation and everyone turned to look at Kyle. "Fuck, there it is," he thought to himself as he looked between the different faces staring back at him. "Pity. That's all there is."
"Kyle—," Stan started to say.
Kyle broke himself from any contact with anyone and began to storm towards the school. "I'm going to be late," he muttered as he passed by his friends with his head lowered. Frustration made his hands shake. He knew they were worried. He knew they just wanted to protect him, but he couldn't stand that look. Pity. It drove him nuts.
He stepped into his Algebra class after he dropped his bag off at his locker and stopped. Aaron sat in the same spot as the previous day. Kyle wasn't sure why but it was a relief to see him there. He had his glasses perched on his slender nose as he read from the book he was reading at lunch the day before. "You're staring again, idiot," he thought to himself. He immediately straightened his back and marched across the room to stop in front of the desk where the brunet sat. Aaron didn't look up until the small pile of papers were dropped on top of his open book. He looked at Kyle over his glasses and smiled.
"Morning to you too," he said teasingly.
"I copied my Algebra and History notes from yesterday," Kyle replied and started to move around the desk.
Aaron picked up the papers covered in Kyle's tired writing to examine it. "Wow, thanks," he said happily.
Kyle sat down in the seat next to Aaron and shook his head. "Don't thank me. I just don't want to see you fall behind on the first day at a new school. That would be embarrassing," Kyle explained and let the small smile form on his face.
"Hey! There it is!" Aaron exclaimed loudly as he gently poked at Kyle's cheek. "I thought maybe you were some sort of robot who didn't know how to smile."
"I know how to smile," Kyle said as he swatted Aaron's hand away and then turned to scowl at the taller boy.
Aaron grinned. "You're right, you have scowl marks and you're not even technically an adult yet," he explained as he pressed a fingertip to the space between Kyle's eyebrows. "Robots don't get wrinkles." Kyle smiled again and smacked Aaron's hand away as he rolled his eyes.
The bell rang and Ms. Elson stood at the front of the class. "Alright students, let's start our class."
Kyle felt like the class wasn't going to drag on as much as it did the day before. He may have been tired before, but he found energy from somewhere he didn't know he had. Aaron was strange but it was fun to be around. He quickly won over Kyle, Stan, and even Kenny. Everyone else took a little time but he eventually managed to win them all over. He even had Craig laughing to the point of tears one day. The person he had the most though was Kyle. They were in all four classes a day with each other. They sat next to each other in Algebra and Spanish where they knew no one else except for Clyde in Spanish who kept closely to Token.
It was two weeks later when Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Aaron were sitting together at lunch. Kenny usually took to scavenging small bits of food from everyone, but Aaron sat down and presented a second sandwich from his bag to the dirty blonde-haired boy across the table.
"Huh?" Kenny asked quizzically.
"It's yours. I made it," Aaron said with his bright smile.
"I don't—," Kenny said and Kyle was surprised by the nervousness in his voice. Kenny was always cool and collected.
"Would you rather the sandwich or would you rather pick from Stan's ass pizza and Kyle's disgusting leftover?" Aaron asked.
"Hey!" both Kyle and Stan protested simultaneously.
Kenny smiled meekly and reached out to take the offered food. "Thanks," he said and took a large bite out of it.
"I wanted to ask you guys something," Aaron said after a moment of silence made by his kind gesture towards Kenny that left everyone slightly stunned.
"Only if you make another one of these," Kenny said, his voice muffled by a mouth full of food.
Aaron chuckled lightly. "I wanted to know if you guys wanted to come over to my house after school today. It's still a bit of a mess because of the boxes but the game room is done," he explained.
"Hell yeah, dude!" Stan exclaimed loudly.
"Like I said, only if you make another one of these," Kenny spoke up as he waved the sandwich around in front of Aaron.
The brunet laughed and nodded. "Yes, Kenny, I'll make you a sandwich. I promise."
"You're coming too, right, Kyle?" Stan asked.
Aaron turned his head to look at his red headed friend. The smaller boy hummed lightly to himself as he tapped his fork against the inside of his Tupperware dish. "I don't know, he did call my leftovers disgusting," he mentioned in a teasing voice.
"Hey, I was kidding," Aaron said as he bumped his shoulder against Kyle's. "Come on, it'll be fun. I promise."
Kyle's spine shuttered at the proximity he was at with Aaron. He could feel the other boy's warmth through their shirts. A foot suddenly connected with Kyle's shin, snapping him out of his daze. Kyle shot a scowl across the table at Kenny who had his sandwich shoved into his mouth as he shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"Well?" Aaron pressed.
Kyle quickly turned his head to face his friend and smiled. "Yeah, of course."
Aaron beamed. Kyle didn't think it was possible for his smile to get any brighter, but it did. It made Kyle's chest suddenly tighten and he wanted to stare at that smile forever.
"Dude! What the hell! That's so gay!"
Kyle quickly shook his head and looked back down at his lunch but stopped before he could take a bite of the leftover meatloaf. His eyes shifted up and Kenny still had the sandwich shoved in his mouth but the corners of his lips were obviously turned up into his devilish grin that Kyle had noticed more and more lately. He was up to something.
Kyle ruffled his wet hair with his towel. Gym was harsh and left him feeling gross so he decided to have a quick shower to wash away the thin layer of sweat created on his skin. Most of the class was gone to catch their buses or walk home. Stan, Kenny, and Aaron waited in the locker room. Kenny and Stan were sitting back to back on the bench as Aaron leaned against the lockers next to Kyle's. Kyle stepped out of the shower room in his jeans while still drying his hair with the small towel.
"Kyle!" Stan yelled and startled his friend.
"Jeez, what Stan?" Kyle asked as he stepped over the bench and Stan's legs.
"Aaron has a dog and a cat and an iguana. An iguana, Kyle!" Stan explained excitedly.
Kyle opened his locker and turned to give Aaron a quizzical look with a lifted eyebrow. "You own an iguana?" he asked to verify.
Aaron nodded. "Yep, and a hedgehog too," he added.
"Dude, a hedgehog!" Stan yelled, his voice echoed off the walls of the locker room.
Kyle quickly spun his head around, making his body turn slightly, to face his dark-haired friend. "I heard him! Calm down, dude," Kyle yelled back. He sighed and turned back to face Aaron. The gold eyes were lowered to Kyle's chest, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Kyle mimicked his confusion before he looked down and was reminded of the long scar that ran from his left collarbone to just under his sternum. His cheeks heated and he quickly reached into his locker to grab his shirt to throw it on over his head. Aaron cleared his throat, frowned, and ran his fingers through his messy hair. It was the first time Kyle had seen him frown. Tension was thick between the two boys but it was quickly cut off when Kenny suddenly piped up in a whiny voice.
"Come on! I want another sandwich!"
"Alright, Kenny, we're going," Stan said and swung his legs off the bench.
They all grabbed their bags and met in the parking lot where Aaron and Kenny had parked beside each other. The old battered pickup truck looked even older next to the perfectly restored muscle car Aaron drove.
"You follow me?" Aaron asked Kenny who stopped and looked at Kyle.
The grin returned to his face. "What the hell is that look for?" Kyle snapped mentally.
"Why don't you take Kyle?" Kenny asked and everyone looked at him with different levels of confusion and curiosity. "If I lose you, Stan and Kyle can text each other to figure out where you are."
"But I know where—," Stan started to say but stopped when Kenny threw his bag over his shoulder and intentionally hit the raven-haired boy in the stomach.
"Try not to go too fast. My truck's sturdy but she's not very fast compared to yours," Kenny joked and then grabbed Stan by the shoulder. "Let's go, Stanley."
"Stop calling me that!" Stan shouted as he was pulled away.
"They have an interesting relationship," Aaron realized.
Kyle laughed. "That is probably the biggest understatement of the year," he joked and looked over at Aaron who seemed almost relieved towards him. "What?" Kyle asked sternly.
Aaron shook his head. "Nothing, let's go," he replied and turned to head towards the driver's side of his car.
Kyle opened the passenger's side and lowered himself into the vehicle. It had soft leather seats and was pristine. The inside had small details of blue on the dashboard and steering wheel but most it all was black.
"Wow," Kyle couldn't help but gawk. Aaron looked at him with curiosity. "I've never been in a car like this before. What—What kind is it?"
"A 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle," Aaron answered as the engine purred to life. The sound made Kyle's mouth stretch to a wide smile.
"It's beautiful," Kyle said as he gently ran his hand over the leather dashboard to let his thin fingers feel every bump.
"It sure is," Aaron said in a low voice.
Kyle quickly turned his head as Aaron was turning in his seat to back out of the parking spot. Suddenly, he was hit with the memory of the locker room. The frown on Aaron's face, it seemed so foreign, and Kyle knew he was the reason for it. Aaron put the car in drive and started out of the parking lot. Kyle fidgeted with the hem of his sweater's sleeve. The car turned out of the parking lot onto the main street.
"Look, I—," Kyle suddenly started to say but stopped himself when he realized he wasn't quite sure where he was going with it. Aaron didn't say anything. Kyle wasn't sure if he just hadn't heard him or if he was being polite in letting Kyle form the words. "My scar, there's a reason for it," Kyle started to explain. "It's difficult to explain, and I—."
"Kyle," Aaron suddenly said and the forcefulness in his tone startled the red head. Kyle pressed his hands harder into his lap as he stared down at them. "I barely know you and you barely know me. One of the great things about becoming friends is finding out new things as you go but at your own pace. I'm sure the scar has something to do with a long story that I will eventually know when the time comes. If that time isn't now, I'm not going to be heartbroken about it. Everyone has a past they're uncomfortable talking about, but you must find people you're comfortable with to finally share. I may not be one of those people now, but I hope I'll become one of those people. I mean, you guys are weird, but you're also pretty cool to hang out with too."
Kyle's shoulders relaxed. He couldn't look up but Aaron was speaking with a caring tone that made him feel—
"Safe?"
"You just—You looked so freaked out when you saw it," Kyle explained.
Aaron scoffed and nodded. "I will admit, it kind of freaked me out. It looks bad, like it hurt a lot. A hell of a lot," he explained and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "Can I ask you something about it?"
Kyle turned his head slightly to look at the swaying keys in the ignition. "Yeah," he answered in a low voice.
"Are you alright?" Aaron asked.
The question was like a knife to Kyle's chest. He had been asked it so many god damn times before but it always seemed like it was a reflex from people, like they were asking just because they had to. Even Stan sounded robotic every time he said it, but Aaron sounded genuine, like he really wanted to make sure Kyle was alright. Like every part of him was untouched.
"I'm getting there," Kyle answered.
Aaron nodded. There wasn't anything past that. There was no pushing for an explanation. There was no making sure or questioning Kyle's response. It was just complete understanding. It was nice to sit in the quiet cab of the car without having to explain his every action or thought. It was strange to say, but Aaron was probably the only one Kyle knew who understood.
"Fuckin' shut up!" the voice screamed in Kyle's head. He rubbed at his aching temples. "Yer nothin'!"
"Hey," Aaron's voice broke through the voices as a hand gently grabbed his wrist. He jumped at the touch but it was soft, not rough. It was ready to let go any second even know Kyle didn't want it to. Kyle quickly spun his head around and Aaron smiled at him. "Come on, we're here."
Aaron opened his door to step out and Kyle looked through the windshield. They were parked in the driveway of the bungalow he and Stan had stopped to watch before the party at Stark's pond. The party where he flipped out and went home way too early. The party where Stan and Wendy were so plastered that they almost made it to homerun. Stan was bummed the next day, which wasn't a good mix with a hangover, but he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
"Let's go!" Aaron called back inside the car before he closed the door.
Kyle quickly unlocked his seatbelt to climb out with his bag. Kenny stopped his truck on the street a few minutes later. His rock music was muffled but loud from inside the cab. Kenny and Stan were singing along as they banged their heads along to the beat.
"I take it back," Aaron said over the top of his car with a smile. "Those two are fucking weird."
Kyle let himself smile back. "Now that's the proper explanation of their relationship."
Aaron stepped inside first to throw his keys into the small bowl next to the door and kicked off his shoes. Kyle was directly behind him with Stan and Kenny trailing behind. It was a normal home with photos hanging from the walls and sitting on flat furniture. A television sat against the left wall. Immediately to the right was a bedroom, Aaron's. Stairs descended next to his bedroom and on the other side was another door to another bedroom. Across the living room was a large archway into the kitchen and a bathroom could be seen next to the second bedroom's door.
"Make yourselves at home," Aaron said as he stepped into his bedroom and removed his sweater.
Kenny immediately took the line to heart. He kicked off his boots and sunk into the large armchair to sit in it sideways with his legs dangling over the arm. Stan took his shoes off and walked over to the long haired white and black cat that was laying lazily on the arm of the couch. Kyle didn't sit. He removed his shoes, dropped his bag onto the floor, and started to look around. He was standing at the top of the stairs looking at a wide photo of three people standing in front of an amusement park. One of the people Kyle recognized as Aaron. He was much younger in the photo with a chubbier face and shorter hair. One either side of younger Aaron had to be his parents. A slender woman with long dark blonde hair and a man who looked almost identical to the older Aaron except with more muscle.
A drawer shut from Aaron's bedroom. Kyle's eyes unconsciously shifted and he could see the reflection of Aaron's back in the full length mirror set in the corner of the room. He was stripped down to just his black boxers with small white patterns. Kyle's cheeks flushed with heat as he looked over the muscles in Aaron's shoulder blades and the way the waistband of his boxers dipped down just a bit too low.
"Aaron!" Stan suddenly yelled and Kyle tore his eyes away as Aaron's reflection moved.
"Yeah?" Aaron poked his head out to ask and gave Kyle a strange look that made the red head quickly spin around and walk away.
"Where's your dog?" Stan asked. He was standing and holding the cat in his arms as it rubbed its nose against his chin.
"He's not actually here yet. Mom wanted to make sure we were all settled in first before we brought him. We're going to get him from a family friend who has been watching him next weekend," Aaron explained and then ducked back into his room.
Stan pouted. "It's awesome that your mom and dad let you have so many pets," he said.
Aaron made a noise from his room but didn't say anything. Kyle was still moving through the room looking at the photos. They were all of Aaron and his parents. The three of them at a picnic, Aaron looked about six. The three of them celebrating one of Aaron's birthdays, he turned three. And then there were a few of just Aaron and his mother. His graduation from middle school. Him holding a baseball trophy when he was about thirteen. Kyle narrowed his eyebrows together as he stared at a photo of a sixteen-year-old Aaron sitting in a fire truck with his mother standing beside it looking proud as hell.
Aaron returned with a new change of clothes on and walked over to smack one of Kenny's feet. "I'm gonna make you a sandwich now," he said and Kenny whooped. "We can order pizza later for dinner."
"When do your parents get home?" Kyle turned to ask as Aaron moved towards the kitchen.
"My mom works at the hospital. She's a nurse. Her hours are crazy. She won't be home until midnight at the earliest, if we're lucky," Aaron answered.
"And your dad?" Kyle pressed.
Aaron suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Stan and Kenny looked at him with wide eyes. Aaron slowly turned and sighed. "Alright, I guess it's time you know my deep dark secret that'll make you look at me differently and we'll stop being friends," he said as if he was joking but there was strain in his voice. "My dad's dead," he said and everyone tensed. "He was a firefighter. He died in a building fire when I was eight."
"Dude, what the fuck? Why didn't you say anything?" Stan asked as he set the cat down on the couch to which it gave a sad mewl in response.
"Because it's not a big deal, I don't want it to be a big deal, and I didn't want that dumb pity look people feel obligated to give even though they didn't even know my dad," Aaron explained. He let out a heavy huff and ran his fingers through his hair before he lifted both his hands in front of him. "Okay, look. I don't want to be that kid with the dead parent. I went through that in elementary and middle school. Even most of my high school career consisted of that. Here though, I can be—."
"The sandwich maker," Kenny cut in.
The mood lightened in the room. Aaron nodded. "Exactly. So, don't apologize. Don't give me the pity look. Let's just hang out."
Stan shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds good to me," he said with a smile.
Kenny nodded. "Yep! But only if you make me that sandwich!" he yelled.
Aaron rolled his eyes dramatically as he turned back around to disappear into the kitchen. Kyle frowned.
"Everyone has a past their uncomfortable talking about."
He understood because he was living it.
Next chapter coming soon! Be patient my pretties. :P
