A/N- I'm really enjoying writing this. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.
At lunch, I follow Stan into the cafeteria and we sit at our usual table. Cartman and Butters aren't here yet. As Stan pulls out his lunch, he looks hesitantly at me. "I am sorry about yesterday," he says, his voice quiet. "I really didn't mean to stay with Wendy that late."
I just shrug. "It's cool, man, don't worry about it."
"It's just that we just got back together and things were going so well. I got caught up in the moment," he adds quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. He does look genuinely apologetic, so at least there's that. He often seems a little dismissive of my complaints, or he just insists that there isn't really a problem at all.
I laugh a little. "Dude, it's fine, really."
He nods, still looking a bit uncertain. I smile and pat him on shoulder as reassurance, but then I get distracted.
Kenny and Craig tumble into the cafeteria, seemingly pushed in by Clyde, all laughing and smiling. Tweek trails in after them, looking wired and a little annoyed. Kenny is talking to Craig so animatedly, and Craig seems to be rolling his eyes, but grinning. I'm a little caught up in watching them. It's weird to see things from the outside, and being so aware that you are on the outside. I don't know what's so funny, but I want to. I suddenly feel left out, which is weird since I've never hung out with them anyway.
Then Kenny glances over and catches my gaze. I look away as quickly as I can, feeling my cheeks redden and get hot. I feel like I was caught doing something wrong, for some reason. All I was doing was looking over there. It's not like I was staring at them, he just looked over at the wrong moment, right?
I glance back over there to check if he's still looking at me. He's saying something to Craig, and then starts walking toward me as Craig and Clyde go toward another table. I look away quickly again. I don't know why I'm so embarrassed about him seeing me looking at him.
Kenny just comes over and sits down next to me, as though this is normal. "So I was thinking," he says. "What if I drove your car?"
I laugh and look at him, a little confused. On the bright side, I feel less embarrassed now. "Not a chance in hell, dude. There's no way I'd trust you with my car."
He puts his arms up. "Just hear me out, okay? I have some pretty compelling arguments."
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I'll bite. What are they?"
He hesitates for a moment and then points at me. "You drive like an aging hippie on tranquilizers. And it's unbearable."
I just stare at him for a moment. "Yeah, that's not good enough. I'm not trusting the most valuable thing I own with someone who seems to have a death wish. You drive like an eight year old on angel dust."
"Fine," he replies with an overdramatic sigh. "I guess I'll just have to suffer again." He drops the faked sadness on his face, replacing it with a smirk. Then he winks at me and ruffles my hair. "See you after school."
I watch, confused, as he walks away. I pat my hair back in place and frown a little. When I turn back to Stan, he's staring at me. "What?" I say, a little defensive.
"That was weird," he says. "When did you and Kenny become best friends?"
I laugh. "You know how Kenny is. Everyone is his best friend."
Stan shrugs. "Whatever."
Just then, Cartman and Butters came over and sat down across from us. They'd gotten pretty close over the years. Sometimes it seemed like they were always together. It used to be that Butters would just follow Cartman around like a puppy, but now it seemed more mutual.
The rest of lunch goes the way it always does: Cartman is a douche, Butters is a pushover, and Stan has more patience for it than me. By the time the day is over, I'm exhausted.
I walk out to my car, and Kenny is already there. He sees me and gives me a grin so animated that I get even more tired. How he always manages to stay so energetic is beyond me.
"Hey, Kyle! Did you give any more thought to my idea?" he asks. "Because I think it's worth revisiting."
"The answer is and always will be no," I reply, shooting him a glare.
"Alright, alright," he whines. "Will you at least drive the speed limit?"
I smirk and shrug. "I might," I say. "Don't hold your breath."
He gives me the same pathetic look he did this morning. The drive goes about the same as it did this morning, with Kenny restless and squirming. Every other sentence out of his mouth was a complaint, but I was amused enough that I didn't care. It's hilarious to watch him freak out like this.
"Has Tweek been rubbing off on you, dude?" I laugh as I pull up next to his house.
He glares at me. "No sane person would be able to deal with that speed."
"Are you trying to claim that you're sane?" I reply, raising an eyebrow at him. "That's cute."
He punches me in the arm. "Laugh it up while you can, Broflovski. But tomorrow, I'm driving, and you'll just have to deal with my speed," he says with a smirk. He jumped out of the car, and blew me a kiss. "Bye, sweetie! See you tomorrow!" He used an overly enthusiastic voice and waved happily.
I shake my head as I drive away. I don't understand that guy. I really don't. But I guess we're taking turns driving each other to school now. There's really no way to argue with Kenny.
