Hate – Chapter 1

Kyle Broflovski's alarm screamed shrilly for almost a full minute before the boy had the will to shut it off. It took another minute for the boy to sit up, yawning and stretching slowly as he kept his eyes closed. He sat, unmoving, for about thirty seconds before slowly opening his eyes. He blinked slowly for a couple of moments before yawning again and sliding out of the warmth of his bed.

He knew he would regret staying up so late the night prior, IMing with Stan and Cartman. It had become a bad habit of late. He would see his friends at school, but he still felt that he didn't get to see them enough. Of course, he could care less about Cartman, but Stan and Kenny were important to him. Kyle had recently amped up his studying, since high school was half over, and college applications were just beyond the horizon. Stan was into after-school sports and Wendy, and Kenny was busy trying to get laid every five seconds. It was a rare moment for the gang to hang out like old times. For this reason, they found themselves IMing each other late at night, Kenny ditching out early due to varying circumstances. Stan would usually leave the chat next, which would result in Kyle and Cartman also signing off.

Kyle rubbed his eyes as he wandered towards the shower, promising himself that he wouldn't stay up as late tonight.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle sighed, resting his cheek in his hand as he stared blankly at his teacher. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to come to this class at all. The teacher hardly knew what she was teaching, a fact that had not slipped by unnoticed by his classmates. Therefore, not a single student listened to the young woman as she prattled on about whatever the hell she was trying to teach. Kyle found it a huge waste of his time. He glanced lazily around at his classmates. The boys were either goofing off with each other or staring at Ms. Miner's chest. The girls were gossiping and giggling quietly in small huddles. Kyle's mind began to wander as he glanced at Stan, who was sitting towards the front.

He loved Stan to death. It was not a lover's love, but a deep, intimate bond that only the best of friends could hope to share. Certainly, it had occurred to Kyle that his friend Stan was very attractive, but he could never envision their bond to cross the romantic line. But the friendship that they had was being threatened as of late. Kyle regretted the studying he was constantly doing, but whenever he tried to find time for Stan, the other boy usually had his own obligations. Stan was constantly doing something extracurricular after school, and when he wasn't, he was usually seen spending time with his girlfriend, Wendy. Kyle felt happy for Stan, but couldn't shake the fear that their friendship was on the decline. Kyle had been feeling rather lonely as of late, due to a lack of his Stan time.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also finding it more and more difficult to hang out with Kenny as well. Kenny was always obsessed with sex, even when they were little. However, this school year Kenny was out prowling the school halls during the day and the streets at night, looking for any lonely girl looking for a bit of company. The boy had stripped himself of his favorite orange parka he had always worn, and the girls were all charmed by his angelic face and startling blue eyes. Granted, Kenny could usually find more time for Kyle than Stan could, but Kyle felt that Kenny had higher priorities than nurturing his friendship with Kyle.

And then there was …

"Take a picture, Jew."

… the Fatass.

"Shut up, Cartman!" Kyle hissed, tearing his gaze away from Stan. He hadn't realized that he had been staring blankly at his friend while he was lost in his thoughts, and a faint blush of embarrassment graced his cheeks. He glared briefly over at Cartman, who was in the seat to the right of Kyle. He was leaning towards Kyle, keeping his voice low to avoid detection, and had a smirk playing on his lips. Kyle tore his gaze away and glared at the head of the student sitting directly in front of him. Cartman chuckled quietly and relaxed back into his seat.

Kyle would rather die than hang out with Cartman. The two boys never hung out alone after that incident in middle school, where Cartman locked Kyle up in his basement for almost three whole days before someone had discovered him.

Kyle hated Cartman with a passion, but had to admit to himself that lately Cartman hadn't really done anything that bad. There were the moments before and after class that they may share some heated words, but otherwise Kyle hardly ever saw him. Cartman had stopped pulling pranks on Kyle, but whenever they did see each other, bickering would always ensue. In fact, their insults had become almost automatic; the anger that used to reside behind their words was diminishing as the years passed. Kyle felt almost relieved when they began to bicker. He also secretly enjoyed it when Cartman would join the boys at lunch. It was a sign that perhaps things weren't really changing that much at all, and that maybe he wouldn't lose Stan and Kenny like he feared.

"Now class, I want you all to pay close attention…"

Kyle promised himself that he would get them all to hang out sometime soon, just like old times. He figured he'd ask them on IM that night, since he wasn't sure if Stan would be sitting with them at lunch or not; he was giving Wendy a look that Kyle suspected meant that he'd be preoccupied.