Hey, thank you guys so much for reading! I got a little choked up when I saw 113 hits, haha! omg, I'm such a pussy. And a special thank you to Darkslayer18, ticktock1029 and "anonymous creeper." The reviews meant a lot. (lol, sorry I wasn't up front about being a review whore in the first place, I appreciate your concern, Creeper!) Also, I don't own South Park and what not, but if I knew Trey and Matt's respective addresses, you can bet your asses I'd be stalking them.
Cuz I can now.
Being 18 rulez!
"Dude, stage manager?" Kyle was driving Stan home after the audition and Stan was positively tickled that Kyle was going to be involved in the school's production of Romeo and Juliet. "I thought you said drama is, and I quote, 'stupid and lame and super, super gay!'"
"It is," replied Kyle matter-of-factly. "But Mr. Slave sold me on the whole 'looks good on college applications' deal. Plus, you won't have to whine that we don't spend enough time together when you get the part."
"That's if I get the part." Stan suddenly sank into his seat and stared out the window. Kyle looked over at his super best friend and sighed.
"Hey, man," Kyle said. "I think you were incredible up there. And so did Mr. Slave and Big Gay Al."
"Big Gay Al liked Clyde and Kenny way more, though. I don't know if I got it…"
Kyle glanced back over to his friend. He smiled at him and punched him lightly on the arm. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
Kyle sighed and kept driving. When Stan's house came up on his right, he passed right by it.
"Dude, dude! What the hell, did you forget where I live, R-Tard?"
Kyle laughed as Stan frantically pawed at the window. "Come on, man, let's go chill. You look like you need to relax."
Stan stopped trying to break the child lock and looked over at Kyle. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"Oh my God, this is great!" Stan cried. "I haven't been here in ages!"
Kyle smiled. Stark's Pond had more history than the school history books. They had discovered a nearly extinct animal with Kenny and Cartman at Stark's Pond. Cartman had tried to kill Kyle there. Kyle's little brother was kidnapped by Visitors there. They skated on it, boated on it, and, during the terrible reign of The Wall-Mart, shopped on it. Peaceful and beatific, Stark's Pond represented everything that was beautiful about Stan and Kyle's friendship.
Kyle ate his ice cream ravenously on the grassy bank as Stan tore into his. There was something so perfect about the two of them together that Kyle's heart seemed to catch in his throat. He looked over at Stan. His black hair danced in the gentle breeze and the sun shone on his chocolate-smeared face. All sexuality aside, Kyle loved his best friend. Whether his confused man parts were directing him to men or women, Kyle knew that he'd never be able to live without Stan. He smiled and laid on the bank in blissful contentment.
A deep sloshing sound woke him up. He bolted up to see where Stan was, paranoid for a second that the Left Handed Killer or Visitors or Cartman had taken Stan, but relaxed quickly. Stan was napping in the sun, turned on his side to face where Kyle had been laying.
The sloshing got closer.
From behind a tree, a paddleboat swam clumsily into view. Kyle laughed.
"HEY, FELLAS!" Butters was standing in the paddleboat next to Kenny, waving frantically. Kenny couldn't keep the boat straight on his own, so he pulled his tiny friend down to a sitting level and directed them to shore.
By this time, Stan also sat up, his face still sticky with chocolate ice cream. Butters and Kenny pulled into the bank and hoisted the paddleboat up so it wouldn't float away.
"Hey, dudes," said Kenny, hands deep in his pockets. "We were both a little restless after auditions, so we decided to go chill by the pond."
"Where'd you get that ice cream?" Butters added, pointing to the puddle of vanilla next to Kyle.
Stan laughed. Then he touched his face. With a hint of disgust and a lot of amusement, he pulled his sticky fingers away and laughed again. "Dude, awesome!"
Kyle laughed as Stan pulled his shirt and pants off and ran into the pond in his boxers. Kenny followed suit with a loud cry of glee and Butters shyly sat down on the grass.
Kenny and Stan splashed each other and Kyle turned to his math homework. Butters lay on his stomach and sketched a particularly beautiful flower. The boys spent the whole afternoon by the bank and when Kenny and Stan got tired, they dried in the sun. For four South Park High juniors, it was the perfect afternoon- peaceful, quiet, and utterly carefree.
When Kyle's mother called his cell phone to bring him home for dinner, Kyle gathered his stuff and called Stan over.
"Hey, Stan! Matzo ball soup tonight- you in?"
"Sweet, dude! Gimme a sec."
Kenny and Butters said goodbye as Stan emerged from behind the bushes with his clothes on, minus his shoes. Stan and Kyle walked back up to the beat-up Taurus and drove to Kyle's house, both excitedly talking about this or that girl, carefully avoiding Wendy.
After dinner, Sheila Broflovski invited Stan to stay for the night.
"Really?" Kyle asked. "But it's Tuesday, Mom."
Sheila winked and said she'd be able to swing it with Sharon if they really wanted her to.
"After my little bubbele made Stage Manager, how could I possibly deny him?" Sheila smiled at Gerald Broflovski. "You know, your father and I were very involved in the Theatre while we were in college."
Ike and Kyle rolled their eyes as their mother spun around and hummed.
Later that night, as he watched Stan snore softly in his Terrence sleeping bag, Kyle (who still hadn't outgrown his Philip sleeping bag) thought back on the day. Absolute perfection. Absolute Stan-ness. He closed his eyes and smiled with the knowledge that nothing could ruin this wonderful day and nothing would spoil his wonderful friendship with Stan.
Then again, it is South Park.
The next morning, an impenetrable horde of students crowded the hall just outside the auditorium. They shouted over each other and tried to scramble closer to the doors.
"Huh," Kyle said to Stan (who had spent enough nights at Kyle's house to amass an impressive pile of clothes there- at least he wasn't wearing dirty clothes or naked). "I guess the cast list is up."
Stan stopped in his tracks and gawked at the screaming mass of teenagers. Kyle looked back at him.
"Dude, let's just go to first period. The cast list will be the same all day."
Stan looked genuinely anxious for the first time since Kyle had brought him to Stark's Pond yesterday.
"No, man, I gotta know now!"
Just then, Wendy and Bebe walked out of the crowd and up to Stan. Wendy was beaming.
"So, Stan," she said. "Guess we'll be playing opposite each other, huh? Congratulations!"
She and Bebe walked to their classes, giggling into each other's ears.
Stan and Kyle stood rooted to the spot.
"B-but, Mercutio doesn't have an opposite…" Stan stammered.
The first bell rang and the crowd in front of the cast list had all but dispersed. Kyle closed his eyes, not dreading the "tardy" he would receive nearly as much the looming threat of upheaval. He stood like a statue until finally, cruelly, Stan cried, "Holy crap, dude- I'm Romeo!"
"Shit," Kyle whispered.
Sorry about the corny mushy crap. Stupid me, I wanted to give South Park a perfect day before I went and destroyed it all, lol! Don't flame, please, just know I have a plan, and the plan is gonna take a little time. Haha, I kind of feel like the Demigod of this fanfic! No animal sacrifices, please!
