Chapter Three


Once Cartman was finished chasing Kenny, the group settled into a game of two-on-two: Cartman and Kyle against Kenny and Stan. After half an hour, Cartman decided he didn't care about the rules and started harassing everyone.

"Kenny! Quit staring at Kyle's ass."

"For fuck's sake, pass the ball, Stan!"

"How the fuck did I get the Jew on my team?"

After the third time Cartman told Kenny to quit staring at his ass, Kyle stopped what he was doing and asked, "What is your fucking preoccupation with my ass?"

Cartman smirked and pointed at Kenny. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

Kyle scoffed and threw the ball to Stan. "That's it. I'm out." He waved to the other two and said, "I'll see you guys later. And Cartman, do us all a favor and get the sand out of your vagina."

He heard Cartman's laughter as he walked away, but didn't look back. He was starting to get sick and tired of Cartman always picking on Kenny lately. Couldn't he see the other boy was going through a lot? It was bad enough that Kenny was still going out and solving his problems with violence-he saw the fresh bruising-with out Cartman adding to the mix. He felt his cheeks redden in anger and almost turned around to confront the other boy when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't let the fat ass get to you."

Kyle turned to face Kenny, telling himself his heart was pounding from the anger. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. "He just pisses me off sometimes."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know." He slid his hands into his pockets and kicked a rock past Kyle. His black eye from a few weeks ago had been replaced by another that had finally begun to fade, giving him a tough look. The wind ruffled his hair and he assessed his friend standing in front of him. "I can fight my own battles."

Kyle turned away and began walking back to his house as he attempted to keep his anger in check, finding himself fighting the urge to give Kenny a matching shiner. For a moment he imagined what would happen if he did it and the scenario that played through his head left him feeling breathless.

He didn't want that...right?

He peeked back at Kenny and not for the first time wondered what was hidden under the baggy clothes the other boy wore. He drug his hands through his hair and gave a tug of impatience as he tried to will the thoughts away.

Fingers closed over his and loosened them from his tresses. A chuckle followed then Kenny said, "You won't be able to donate any hair if you pull it all out."

Kyle let Kenny bring his hands down to his sides. "Why did you come after me?"

Kenny shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do." He matched his steps with Kyle's and headed in the direction of home. "Besides, right after you left, Cartman decided to go into detail what it was like eating Bebe out like I've never eaten pussy before."

"Glad I missed that." He was silent for a moment and asked, "What's it like?"

After stumbling for a second, clearly caught off guard by the question, Kenny recovered and thought about how to answer. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "It one of those things you have to experience for yourself. It'd be like asking a gay guy what it's like to suck dick. No one would ever really be able to answer your question to your satisfaction." He stuck his hands in his pockets and after a moment, pulled out what he'd been looking for. "I meant to show this to you earlier, but didn't want Cartman too see it."

Kyle took the index card from Kenny. Looking it over, he said, "You wanted me to know about auto parts?"

"Turn it over." When Kyle did so, he continued, "It has all the info for the wig thing."

"Thanks." He looked at the info then handed the card back to Kenny. "You're willing to commit to this? It could take a while for everything to grow out to the right length."

"It could, but I think I could do it." He grinned after a moment, then ruffled Kyle's hair. "I'm more worried about your hair. You might end up collapsing from under the weight of it."

Kyle shrugged. "If it's anything like my mom's, once it gets so long the weight will start to pull it straight." He pushed a random curl off his forehead. "I'm worried about what everyone will say about it."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Kenny said as he once again shoved his hands into his pockets. "Once word gets out about why you're doing it, you'll be drowning in pussy."

"You'll be drowning in pussy, dude. The girls will just wanna touch my hair."

Kenny reached out to touch Kyle's hair but caught himself just in time and shoved his hand back into his pocket. "You might have a point there." He played with the loose change in his pocket and added, "But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Yours is pretty soft and chicks dig soft hair."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Kyle mumbled as he spotted his house coming into view. Not exactly willing to let Kenny go just yet, he asked, "Any big summer plans?"

"Not really. Just trying to take one day at a time." Kenny smiled and nudged Kyle. "Decided to use some good advice I got from a friend."

Kyle smiled back. "How about we make plans to do something on Saturday? I was thinking we could go to the mall and get something for our moms."

"That'd be cool." They stopped in front of Kyle's house, facing one another while standing on the sidewalk. Unable to help himself, Kenny reached out and snagged one of Kyle's curls. He caught his friend's gaze and said, "You need to quit letting Cartman get to you. Just ignore him next time." He let the curl spring free and walked away, calling out, "See you Saturday!"

Kyle watched him walk away as he tucked the curl behind his ear, unaware of the person watching his and Kenny's exchange.


He and Kenny went out Saturday as planned, leaving for the mall after a game of basketball with Stan and Bebe, while Wendy and Cartman sat on the sidelines. As they were walking away, Cartman called out, "Enjoy your date!" earning a glare from Bebe.

Kyle snickered as he watched Cartman hang his head in penitence as he followed after Bebe. "I never thought I'd say this, but Bebe seems to be able to keep him in check."

"Gotta say I'm a little surprised too. Then again, she's always been pretty good at knowing what she wants." His eyes glossed over as he was lost to reverie, then shook his head to clear the thoughts. "What she wants is Cartman, apparently."

"No accounting for taste, I guess," Kyle said as he shrugged.

They walked in silence, stealing glances at one another, both wondering they had been reduced to this. After a few minutes, Kenny sighed and asked, "What did you plan to get your mom?"

Kyle thought for a second about whether or not he could tell Kenny, deciding that Kenny wouldn't say anything to Cartman if he was told in confidence. "My mom has this thing for angels. She thinks of it as a Christian thing, but absolutely adores them." He kicked at a pebble, sending it skittering in front of them. "There's this one she's had her eye on for a while now, but she thought it was too expensive for her to buy for herself."

"Maybe I can find something like that for my mom," Kenny said as the mall came into view. "Something pretty that lets her know I love her."

"I'm sure whatever you find for her will be perfect," Kyle said as he patted Kenny on the back. He pulled away and asked, "So...how's your dad taking everything?"

Kenny plastered a fake smile on his face and used a bright happy tone that belied his words. "He's been a miserable fucker and keeps threatening to leave my mom when she can't put out." His smile began to fade as he continued. "I'm glad Mom had half a brain to listen to your dad about setting the money up into trust funds or he would've drank through it already."

Kyle stood and listened as Kenny ranted about his father, feeling like these feelings had been building up for some time. Once he wound down, Kyle said, "I hope you feel better." He started walking to the mall again. "I'd just like to point out that it was super creepy to hear you use that happy tone the entire time."

"It's a gift," Kenny said as they entered the main entrance. His eyes scanned over the signage and his eyes lit up at the sight of a particular one. "Please tell me it's 'Touched By An Angel'."

They walked over to the store, Kyle making a beeline for the one he had in mind. It stood about two feet high and was made of a blue glass that started out transparent at the top, turning darker and more opaque once it reached the bottom. It was close to forty dollars, but Kyle thought it was worth it. He opened the box to make sure it was intact then shut the lid and carried it with him as he looked for Kenny. He found him near a display of pewter angels, carefully studying each one.

The one that caught his attention was of a young woman holding a sword toward the sky with wings nearly as large as her; it was labeled 'Fighter'. He picked up a box and said, "This is the one."

They went to the counter and paid for their purchases—both choosing to forgo gift-wrapping—then exited the mall. The sun was starting to go down as they began the trek home, making Kyle wish he'd asked to borrow the car. To keep his mind from lingering on bad thoughts, Kyle said, "I was thinking I'd give it to my mom on Monday. That way your mom could see it too."

"If you're going to do that, would you mind holding onto mine for me?" Kenny clenched his fists in anger. "I'm afraid of what my dad might do with it."

"No problem," Kyle said as something caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He started to look around, only for Kenny to put an arm around his shoulders and force him to look straight ahead.

Keeping his voice low, Kenny said, "They've been following us for a while now. I was hoping they would get bored and go away, but it looks like they thought we were easy targets." He looked ahead of them for a good place to carry out their confrontation, but didn't like the odds. He grabbed Kyle's hand and started to lead him toward the park. He whispered to the other boy, "As soon as we get to the park, I'm going to distract them and I want you to run away. Chances are these assholes aren't playing and I don't want you to get hurt."

He let himself be dragged along grateful for Kenny's ability to be able to plan on the fly. When they were almost inside the fence, Kyle asked, "How are you going to distract them?"

"Still working on it," he grunted out. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and managed to dodge the bottle thrown at him. He shoved Kyle ahead of him and turned his head in the direction the bottle had come from and spotted someone ducking out of sight. He muttered under his breath, "Fucking amateurs," and shifted his focus back to Kyle.

Kyle had turned around to look at Kenny and was bewildered by the calculating look in his friend's eyes. He stilled when he saw Kenny's gaze turn to him, suddenly moving away when he saw Kenny's motion to do so. He could feel his lungs burning from the effort to run, but as long as he could hear Kenny behind him, he'd keep running.

Kenny cursed and wished Kyle had worn a hat or something to cover up his hair, the bright red a beacon every time he ran under a streetlight. He caught up to Kyle and pulled him out of the path of another projectile. They stood still for a second before Kenny shoved Kyle behind him and faced their attackers. "You bitches are such fucking pussies! Come into the light and fight me!"

One of the punks stepped forward, playing with a switchblade. As he flicked his wrist, he said, "Such tough words for an unarmed kid."

Kenny snarled back, "Shows what the fuck you know." He glared back at Kyle and said, "Remember the plan." He turned back to the thug and taunted him, "Why don't you come at me, you big floppy vagina!?"

The punk hesitated, but found his courage and lunged at Kenny, spooked when the blonde didn't even flinch. "This isn't a toy, dumb ass. Just hand over the goods and I'll let you go."

Kenny handed his bag to Kyle then took a step toward the punk. He raised his chin and looked down his nose at the youth. His lips twisted into a sneer as he said, "Fuck you."

"You wanna be a fucking hero?" He flicked the blade out and lunged toward Kenny again, sneer on his face.

Kenny stood his ground—not noticing as the blade sliced through his abdomen—and gripped the guy's wrist. Holding the knife in place, he punched his attacker in the nose, breaking it, and followed up by kicking him in the nuts. Wincing, he pulled the knife out of the wound and threw it into the dirt. He spat at the punk and said, "Next time you fight someone, don't use a weapon. Weapons are for pussies."

He walked away from the group, keeping a hand pressed to his abdomen and hoped Kyle had run off. He pulled his hand away to gauge how fast he was losing blood; he had been certain that the bitch had nicked an artery, but it was taking awfully long to bleed to death.

"Sweet Jesus, Kenny," came Kyle's whispers from his right. Kyle pulled the blonde down into his hiding spot and saw the blood. "That's pretty bad, dude."

A soft chuckle escaped Kenny. "I've had worse." He brought a hand to Kyle's cheek and ran fingers over the soft skin. "I thought I told you to run."

Tears began slowly trailing down Kyle's face. He sniffled, "I couldn't leave you behind." He looked over the bushes concealing their hiding spot and saw the gang had left. "They're gone. Now we can get you help."

"Think I'm a little too far gone for that," Kenny said, panting as the pain started to take over. "I'm just glad you're safe."

The shallow breaths started to creep Kyle out. He clutched at Kenny, pulling him up into his lap as tears spilled onto the other's face. "Try to breathe. Don't die on me, damn it!"

"Don't worry about me," Kenny wheezed as he felt his life fading away. "Go home and I'll see you tomorrow."

Kyle shook his head, the tears falling earnestly now. And when the last shaky breath left Kenny's body, Kyle gathered him close and cried into his hair until there was nothing left.