Hello, internet users! Welcome back to another chapter of my fanfic, and thanks for sticking with me!

I just wanted to spare some time to apologize for how long it took me to update my story. I have been very busy lately, both with work and certain mobile games that have recently been taking more and more of my free time. If you play "South Park: Phone Destroyer" and/or "Fate/Grand Order", then you'll know what I'm talking about.

That being said, please enjoy!

EDIT: I have the terrible habit of uploading a chapter without giving it a complete read first, so it's not a surprise that the chapter was full of grammar mistakes, and even some pieces missing. Please let me know if you spot any, and I'll be sure to fix them.

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...

If there was a first time for everything, then this was definitely the first time in Kenny's life that he wished class would never end. And sadly, it didn't seem like it would be the last.

When he accepted Cartman's demand of attending the girls's volleyball training sessions, he most certainly wasn't expecting that there would be one in the very next day. Not just that, but apparently the girls were in some kind of tournament, and so they would have practice after class the entire week. But that wasn't all! If by any chance the girls won Sunday's match, they would have yet another game against a different team soon. It was like the boys's baseball matches, except that the girls actually enjoyed the sport they played and weren't being forced by their parents.

So basically, what concerned Kenny was that if the girls won, it would mean another week of daily training sessions that he would have to attend.

Faced with the new information, Kenny immediately confronted Cartman about it. Increasing his punishment was part of the deal, but that was ridiculous. Paying the equivalent of seven boys's worth of punishment was one thing, but that was nearly the equivalent for every boy in their entire grade. Naturally, Cartman's answer was a swift 'fuck you', and he spared no effort to remind Kenny that their agreement was for him to attend both the trainings and matches for the entire month, no matter how many of both there were.

And much to Kenny's annoyance, Cartman was right. Giving a second thought to such an agreement should have been obvious, but he was so concerned in fixing his mistakes that he ended up committing another one. And naturally, being the kind of person who would never break a promise, Kenny had no choice but to oblige.

Which was why he was currently standing by the gym doors, gathering the courage to push them open and enter. Kenny's self-awareness of what was to come affected his perception of time, which gave him the impression that classes had ended much faster than usual. Now, the only thing separating him from what he assumed would be a very tedious afternoon was the two wooden doors he was looking at. Of course, there was always the option of commiting suicide and waking up in his bed like nothing happened. But that would be no different than running away, which needless to say was not an option.

"Kenny, are... are you going to be fine?" Kyle asked, standing a few meters away from Kenny, along with the other boys involved in the tournament from the previous day. They all watched Kenny with concern in their eyes as if he was walking straight towards his execution site - except for Cartman of course, who looked pleased.

Stan looked deeply bothered. "This isn't right..." He said to one in particular.

"Don't do it Kenny! You're going to die!" An exasperated Butters called.

"Shut up, you guys! He asked for this, so there's no backing out now. Unless you want to miss Game of Thrones with him? Huh?" Cartman taunted, and if anyone had anything to say then they gave up at that moment, looking dejectedly at the floor. "That's what I thought." Cartman scoffed, looking back at Kenny. "Get in there already, Kenny! I don't have all day!"

Kenny frowned, his back still facing his friends. He knew they wouldn't do for him what he did for them, but it wasn't like he ever expected them to. Two years of waiting for the series's finale had them incredibly excited and looking forward to it like never before. The books aside, since books are gay, Game of Thrones was undoubtely the heart - the very core of their fantasy games, the same way superhero franchises inspired them to create their own. Kenny knew how important the show was for everyone, not just for all the action, drama, romance and big-breasted beauties getting naked, but also for how they incorporated all that into their own fantasy world. After all, what show could possibly inspire them to come up with clever treasons, exciting backstories and the most epic battles better than the worldwide famous show?

Which was why despite looking genuinely concerned for Kenny the other boys didn't move a muscle to help him. But Kenny was neither surprised or disappointed with that. He knew that the kind of sacrifice he was doing was by no means easy or profittable in any way, so his friends's hesitation was perfectly understandable. Besides, if they tried to help they would completely ruin everything Kenny had fought for - which was none other than their freedom to watch the show and to avoid any contact with volleyball. Of course, Kenny would be more than glad if his friends relinquished watching the show just to ease his burden, but there was simply no benefits in doing that. Faced with their reluctance though, he had no choice but to believe his friendship meant more to them than a show, and that he was merely a victim of a consequence this time.

Kenny took a step forward and placed one hand in the door handle hesitantly. Inevitably, he started having second thoughts about this whole mess he got himself into, but somehow managed to keep calm and shove these thoughts away. It was far too late to run away- not that he would anyway. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to try and mentally prepare himself for what was to come. It wouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be pleasant. And there was no turning back.

"...Let's get this over with." He thought as he refused to hesitate for a second longer.

Clinging to the sudden feeling of determination, Kenny pushed the doors open and quickly entered the gym, not sparing a glance to the stunned crowd of boys left behind. No one said a word as they watched the doors for several seconds.

"...He's so dead." Craig commented.

"You guys think he'll be fine?" Butters asked no one in particular.

"...I hope so. He didn't deserve that." Stan muttered, hands shoved inside his pockets.

"Yeah, right." Cartman said, an unreadable expression on his face.

Kyle frowned. "You still haven't told us what made you change your mind, Cartman. Why did you decide to punish just Kenny?" The jew questioned, and-

"That's none of your damn business Kyle, you damn jew!" Cartman growled before walking away, fuming.

Needless to say, the boys were left behind in stunning silence.

"Uh..."

"...Dude. What the hell?" Stan muttered.

Butters shook his head. "I have no idea."

Kyle watched the fat boy in disbelief. "...All I know for sure is that whatever Kenny did... Cartman is pissed."

The boys nodded, wondering what the hell had happened in that kitchen...

...

Kenny didn't know what exactly he was expecting from a volleyball practice involving girls, but it sure took him off guard to realize that it actually seemed pretty normal.

Once he entered the gym, he noticed they were already engaged in their training. Sounds of bouncing volleyballs and feminine voices engaged in conversation made their way into his ears the moment he stepped into the closed room, and they were enough to increase his heartbeat rate to at least twice it's normal speed. He wasn't surprised to find out that there was no signs of boys anywhere in the field or in the bleachers, though it didn't make the situation any less awkward or complicated for him.

As far as he could see, their training itself was nothing special or extravagant, which he found a bit weird considering they had a big game coming soon. In groups of three, most of the girls were apparently bouncing the volleyballs to one another and trying to keep them in the air for as long as possible without letting them fall to the ground. A small group was stretching, while some of them ran laps around the field and some were happily chatting with girls sitting in the bleachers. Pretty much all the girls in Kenny's class were there, along with some other 4th graders from different classes. Kenny knew some of them by name, some by their faces alone, some by both, and the rest he didn't really know at all. But then again, there weren't nearly as many girls there as Kenny was expecting, so he had that going for him at least.

But despite being a pretty normal training session, Kenny still felt like he was in an entirely different planet. Being alone among so many girls was highly unsettling for someone so used to male company, specially when he wasn't really close to any of them. He had been on foreign countries, on space and even on hell (and heaven) itself. But none of these places made him as uncomfortable as where he was standing now. Like a room detached from reality, the whole atmosphere around those girls was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It wasn't like he had some kind of phobia for girls, or was still at that age where 'girls have cooties', or even had any issues developing new friendships. But he was clearly not only out of his comfort zone, but was also out of place. The environment wasn't really welcoming for boys; just like how the games he and his friends are used to play weren't any appealing to girls. The difference was as clear as night and day.

He peered silently at them by the doors, actually considering turning back and leaving before they noticed him. But it didn't really take long for someone to become aware of his presence; his orange parka earning the attention of even the girls farther away from him thanks to it's huge contrast from the white and green gym uniform. As if previously arranged, every single girl threw an incredibly unfriendly glare towards him as soon as their eyes met him, as if he had been caught breaking into their house or something. One by one, the girls would stop what they were doing and just silently direct a piercing gaze towards him.

But hey, no pressure.

Once Kenny realized that standing there like a moron wouldn't exactly make things any better for him, he nervously took a few steps forward and tried to make his voice sound as friendly as humanly possible. He considered removing his parka for some reason, but honestly felt like it'd probably be better to keep his face partially hidden as usual.

"[...Hey girls!]" He greeted, waving at them.

No response.

Like a parliament of owls, the girls maintained their nasty glares directed at him while remaining in silence. Waiting.

Realizing he wouldn't recieve a proper greeting back, he decided to go straight to the point. "[So, uh... I've been thinking, and... I'd like to watch you girls practice.]" He said, hoping it wouldn't come out as too weird.

Finally, the girls moved, but he figured the way they looked at each other in response to his statement wasn't a good sign. Several girls whispered to themselves and/or raised eyebrows at him, very evidently suspicious.

"Why?" The question came from his classmate Rebecca, also known as Red, who was still scowling at him.

That was a good fucking question indeed. Of course, Kenny had a good reason to be there, but despite taking pride in being an honest person, he figured that telling the truth right off the bat wouldn't exactly do wonders for him. If one thing was for sure is that he wouldn't ease any of that tension by admitting he was there against his will.

"[Well, you see... I heard you have a big game coming soon against Evergreen Hills, so I thought maybe I could watch it. Then I heard you had practice today, so...]" He said, hoping for the everliving shit of him that he got the opposing team's name right.

For the first time after a long streak of getting himself in bad situations, it seemed like Lady Luck finally decided to smile upon him. He let out a sigh of relief as some of the hostility in the air died down. He felt bad for not telling the whole truth, specially since it could cause him even more trouble, but damn, was it effective. Faking an interest in the sport AND mentioning the school they'd play against (correctly, apparently) did seem to suggest that he actually knew what he was talking about, or at least that he cared about it. And it brought results, as despite still being somewhat suspicious, the whispers and the overall look in the girls's faces changed ever-so slightly. It was definitely a huge improvement from when they started, and seeing that actually gave Kenny some hope to believe that a non-disastrous day would actually be possible.

His hope was short-lived, whoever, when he took notice of one girl whose frown hadn't disappeared.

"Cartman put you up to this, didn't he?" The girl was none other than Heidi, her tone filled with anger yet still calm. "To keep an eye on me? To keep track of what I'm doing and who I'm hanging out with?" She accused, and Kenny immediately saw whatever trust he could have built with the girls crumble to pieces. She saw right through him, but had Cartman's involvement clearly wrong. And naturally, there was no way to clear the misunderstanding without literally going against what he had just said. The glares were replaced with inquisitive, studying looks, but weren't any less intense.

Great.

"[No, I-]"

"Well, tell him to give it up! I'm done with him, no matter what he tries this time. I won't let him manipulate me ever again!" She declared, and as if to prove that things could always get worse, to put the cherry on top of it, she actually started sobbing.

Some girls approached her with concerned expressions and tried to comfort her with gentle pats to her shoulder. Even Kenny himself felt sympathetic for her, unable to imagine how stressful a relationship with Cartman could be when his friendship alone was nearly unbearable.

Both holy hell, did she just made things a hundred times worse for him.

If befriending the girls wasn't hard enough as it was, he knew that being accused of being a spy (and on top of that making a girl cry) would definitely not help his case. Things started going downhill fast, and slowly, the glares started coming back, one by one. He had to do something, anything, or the situation would escalate to something he wouldn't be able to repair.

Cautiously, he approached the crying girl. The supporting group next to her eyed him with even more menace than the usual glares, like lionesses protecting their lion cub from a dangerous predator.

He ignored them, avoiding eye contact but not getting too close either. "[Heidi... I'm sorry for what Cartman must have done to you. He is a piece of shit of a human being, and it's good to know that you moved on. You deserve better than that.]" He got her attention. "[But I'm not here to spy on you or any of the girls, specially not for an asshole like him. You have to believe me.]"

Still sobbing, Heidi looked at him uncertainly and eventually approached him with a frown. "...Promise me. Look at me in the eyes and promise me you're not here because of him."

"[I would never do this to anyone or for anyone. You have my word.]" Kenny answered without a second thought.

And he wasn't lying.

He was someone who took promises very seriously, and he would never exploit one for the sake of achieving meaningless victories. He was not there because of Cartman or his stupid rule. He was there because of his friends and himself. He was there because of his honor, and Cartman was merely a consequence. He looked deep into the girl's eyes and hoped she could see the sincerity in his eyes and words.

Heidi broke down in another fit of uncontrollable sobbing, but literally no one was expecting her to reach out and tightly hug Kenny as a result. The boy froze in absolute shock as Heidi buried her face on his shoulder and let out months of pent-up frustration and emotional wounds, crying like a lost child in a shopping center. He could feel her tears as they dampened his hoodie, but he was honestly so astounded with this turn of events that he had no idea what to do next. The sweet scent of lavender shampoo was messing with his head even more. Believing in him was one thing, but that? How was he supposed to react to that?! Should he hug her back? Pat her head? Try to comfort her with-

Oh my Satan, why the fuck™ was his little buddy reacting to the sudden proximity, now of all times?!

With that betrayal, he had no choice but to act fast. Since there were far too many options and too little time to think about them, he decided to do them all at once. He returned the hug, using one hand to embrace her and one hand to softly pat her head. Muttering a comforting 'there, there' on her ear, he hoped no one would notice how he slightly pulled his lower body away from hers. Thankfully, his little pal wasn't at full power yet, and would hopefully calm down if he somehow managed to escape from her bear hug.

Thankfully, she eventually let go of him and started wiping her tears, looking calmer and as if she had just let go of a huge burden she was carrying. Kenny immediately shoved his hands in his pockets in order to keep his treacherous's little friend's presence unknown, but genuinely smiled at how Heidi's expression relaxed.

"...Sorry about that." She said, still wiping her tears. "But... Thanks." She said, smiling a little. Kenny nodded, still smiling himself. But of course, she had no way of knowing that.

"Oh please, don't fall for this, Heidi!" Someone suddenly yelled, and Kenny's little friend immediately dropped down in defeat. One less problem to deal with, at least.

"For fuck sake... What now?" Kenny thought as he turned to find the source of the voice, letting out an annoyed sigh.

It was none other than Nelly, the girl who wanted to beat up Butters back when the whole gender war was at it's peak, but was stopped by Cartman and Heidi herself. Kenny didn't know her last name or care about it, but if there was one thing he knew about this girl was that she seemingly had a strong aversion to boys. She seemed more pissed than the others with the whole trolling incident and the 'Wieners Out' movement Butters started, and Kenny would assume it got even worse when her ex-boyfriend Francis joined.

Nelly had a nasty frown on her face as she continued. "Have you forgotten what those boys did to us in the only match they ever attended? How they ridiculed and harrassed us for weeks by pulling down their pants whenever they had a chance?!" She hissed, pointing an accusing finger towards Kenny the whole time. Girls around her seemed to agree, as Kenny heard a few 'yeahs' and 'she's right', which needless to say wasn't a good thing for him. "Even if he's not here to spy on you, I bet the boys are planning something again!"

By now, Kenny was more annoyed than concerned about keeping appearances and being friendly. "[How many times do I have to explain this shit? I'm just here to watch, nothing more. And I'm not a representative for all boys, but I assure you we aren't 'planning' anything, whatever that means."]

"You're lying!" She accused. Geez, she wasn't the friendliest, was she?

Unfortunately, it seemed that the surrounding girls agreed with her. Again, the situation seemed to have taken a turn for the worse when the glares started to come back, one by one. And this time, Kenny had no idea what to.

"Fuck... Is there even anything I can say that will make them change their minds...?!"

To Kenny's surprise, someone actually stepped up for him. "Calm down, everyone. I think it's unfair to accuse him without any proof. He deserves the benefit of doubt, at least."

He wasn't really expecting anyone's support, given how he was clearly outnumbered and surrounded by people who pretty much hated him for being a boy. If by any chance someone decided to help him out, he figured it would be Heidi, not only because of their little moment just now, but also because they were friendly with one another back when she still dated Cartman (and wasn't a fitting image of him).

But Wendy of all people was certainly not the person he was expecting to stand up for him.

Nelly scoffed. "Come on, Wendy! You honestly think he's here just to watch?" She insisted, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Isn't it incredibly convenient that he suddenly started liking volleyball and then came straight here?" She started poking her own head. "Use your brain! It's obvious that he is here to mess with us somehow!" She said, directing her glare at Wendy but still pointing towards Kenny.

"[...Or maybe I'm here just to watch.]"

"Like hell you are!" She growled.

"What's going on here?" A female voice interjected. Everyone turned to see an older woman approaching them. She was well-built and had short, spiky blonde hair with black hair appearing underneath. She was wearing a white shirt and a green jacket with a dark green and white trim that has the South Park Cows logo on it, as well as green, white, and dark green pants. Finally, she also had gray shoes, a black watch, and was wearing a whistle around her neck. Kenny recognized her as the coach that went to his class days ago, back when they were engaged in Cock Magic.

"Coach, this is Kenny." Wendy made a gesture towards the boy, who nodded. "He is from my class, and he said that he wants to watch our practice."

"Except that he doesn't!" Now it was Nelly interjecting, frowning. "Coach, I'm sure you remember what happened the last time boys showed up to our games, don't you?"

"How could I forget...?" The woman said somberly, letting out a sigh as she remembered all the complaints the opposing school made about South Park Elementary allowing their students to practice indecent exposure in public events. The headache never truly went away.

"Then you have to stop this! We don't want him here!" Nelly said, and several girls supported her. It would seem that the great majority was as uncomfortable with his presence as he was with theirs.

The woman turned a stern look towards Kenny. "Well, young man, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Kenny sighed, craving for death. "[Like I keep trying to explain, uh... ma'am... I am not here to cause trouble. Unlike me, the other boys my age don't like volleyball, which is why we don't have an official team. I just thought it could be, ah... fun to watch the girls play.]" Kenny said, having some difficulty to find the right words.

The coach blinked several times, looking very confused. "...Uh... Can someone... Translate?"

Kenny face-palmed. Of course, another dumb adult had trouble understanding him. Maybe he was partly to blame, but people his age never had any problems with that. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why adults were an exception.

Wendy rolled her eyes, giving the coach a brief explanation of what he had just said, and for some reason emphasizing parts like his supposed interest in the sport and his insistence that he wasn't trying to do anything wrong. He couldn't understand why she was helping him, nor could he read her expression. She wasn't glaring at him like the others, or seemed suspicious of him. For some reason she was acting pretty normal, and he couldn't decide if that was a good thing or just plain unsettling.

"...I see..." The coach rubbed her chin. "Alright well... Wendy, you're the team's captain. What do you have to say about this?"

The girl turned to peer at Kenny, who returned a curious, concerned look. "...As long as he doesn't cause any trouble, I have no problem with it." She said, confusing the immortal even more.

"Are you serious?!" Some random girl asked, and many joined her.

"Be quiet, girls!" The coach ordered, and soon all the noise died down. She scratched her head, turning to face Kenny. "Alright, boy, listen up. I personally see no problem in letting you watch their training. In fact, given our usually poor number of spectators, it really makes me happy to see someone willing to spend their afternoon watching their practice. So with that in mind, you are welcome to stay." She said, and Kenny let out a sigh of relief. "However," She continued. "Let me make it perfectly clear that the girls here take the sport very seriously. It is important to them and they are very dedicated to it. So if by any chance they are right and you are here under false pretenses, then you'd better leave through that door right now. I will not tolerate any kind of harrassment, stupid jokes and specially not any kind of indecent exposure in my gym. Otherwise, I will take you to the principal myself and make sure you are punished for it. Have I made myself clear?" She asked sternly.

Kenny was a bit stunned. He always took the girls's volleyball as a joke, but seeing just how serious they were about made him develop some respect to it. Realizing he gave no response to the coach's inquire, he quickly nodded. "[Uh-huh.]"

The coach nodded back, satisfied. "Good. Well, have a seat. We are about to get started."

With that, the coach turned on her back and blew the whistle by her neck, screaming orders at the girls. There were still several outraged scowls directed at Kenny, but eventually the girls dispersed and started to follow the coach's instructions, much to his relief.

Mentally exhausted, Kenny made his way to the bleachers and sat as far away from the female spectators as possible, avoiding eye contact with them as he looked for a nice spot to watch the practice. So much had happened in the few minutes he had been in that gym that he wondered if he could actually survive an entire month of it. One moment he was being glared at, then accused of something he didn't do, then had crying girls throw themselves at him... And of course, how could he forget the most awkward boner he had ever had?

It was insane. If this was what being around girls was like, then he felt strongly compelled to let go of his pride and never set foot into that gym again; maybe even kill himself somehow just to end up in his bed, away from that mess. He didn't belong there, and not even if he spent a whole year visiting them regularly he would be able to change that fact. What's worse, he wasn't even wanted there. Those who weren't completely against his presence simply didn't care about him at all. For all he knew, the only person who was actually pleased in seeing him there was the coach, but that didn't really make him feel any better.

He let out a depressed sigh as he realized the worse was yet to come. Right now, the girls were setting up the net so that they could do a training match. At the very least, they seemed to have mostly forgotten about his presence, too focused on their affairs to glare at him. But of course, that only applied to those donning the South Park Cows uniform. The girls who were there to spectate, like him, were still very aware of him being there. He knew they were whispering about him, but he still refused to acknowledge their presence since doing so would probably only make things worse.

"...Maybe there is still time to point out Cartman's cheating and end this nonsense. I haven't even seen them play yet and I am already on my wit's end... There's no way I can deal with this bullshit for a whole month. I will fucking die,. And what's worse: It won't make a damn difference." He growled, contemplating his own immortality with the usual scorn and resentment.

Feeling tired, he placed both elbows on the upper side of his thighs and leaned forward, using his hands and arms to hold and support his head. His excuse for being there was that he liked volleyball and thought it would be fun to watch, so not doing so would give even more reason for the girls to suspect him. Browsing his phone, napping, and even using the time to do his homework was out of the question. With a reluctant sigh, he fought the urge to shoot himself and forced himself to watch.

With the net properly set into a suitable height for girls their age and size, the girls were now dividing themselves into two teams. One of them was filled with girls Kenny either didn't know or only knew by face. The only exception was Millie Larsen, who Kenny found kind of hot. Seeing her there reminded him of the time he was possessing Rob Schneider's body. It's a shame that he was arrested for pedophilia before he got to kiss her...

The other team, on the other hand, had a few more familiar faces. Red, Annie and Bebe were from his class, and also part of the 'popular' (hot) girls. There were a few other girls he knew in that team who were also popular (hot), like Ashley, Jenny, and...

Wendy.

Kenny watched as the girl in pink hat gave out instructions to her teammates; some random girl from the other team doing the same. He knew Wendy had a strong personality, but it would seem like she was also a good leader. Like the coach said, all the girls seemed to take volleyball very seriously, as they were listening intently to Wendy's commands as she formed a winning strategy. From where he stood, Kenny couldn't really make out anything that she was saying, but from her facial expressions and the gestures she was making with her arms, he figured she was assigning positions on the field for each girl to stand on, as well as what they were supposed to be doing there - most likely taking into consideration their strenghts and weaknesses. And he had to admit: it was rather interesting to watch.

"I have no idea why she decided to help me. I don't think I ever talked to her outside of school projects; not even when she was still dating Stan. Well, I should thank her anyway when I get the chance. They would have probably kicked me out by force if not for her."

Lost in thought, Kenny snapped out of it when the coach blew her whistle again. The two groups of girls dispersed, taking her respective positions on the field. On each team, there were three girls directly in front of the net and three girls a few steps behind them. After a quick rock-paper-scissors game between each team's leaders, Wendy got the ball and went to the far back of her side of the field, stepping out of it and standing directly in front of the line.

Once the coach used her whistle again, Kenny was finally able to see just how serious these girls were about their game. Wendy immediately served the ball and joined the two girls in the back, while the other team moved to recieve the ball accordingly. One of the girls in the back intercepted the ball and sent it flying upwards a short distance, while yet another girl sent the ball towards the front row. Finally, a third girl jumped and brought her arm down like a lightning bolt, hitting the ball with a thunderous blow and sending it over the net in seconds, but Bebe stopped it from hitting the ground and the game continued.

Kenny couldn't help but widen his eyes in amazement. Holy shit, these girls were hardcore. Perhaps it was a bit mysoginistic of him, but he always expected the girls's volleyball to be as boring as stale white bread. He figured the games would be slow, without barely any excitement and full of fussyness over the smallest details, like broken nails or something like that. But it was the complete opposite of that. They all played like their lives depended on it; every drop of sweat was filled with genuine hard-work and passion for what they were doing. And damn, was it thrilling.

Even the female spectators had seemingly forgotten about Kenny for a while, too entertained with the match to pay him any mind. In fact, Kenny could have easily mistaken this practice for an actual game, given how the girls were clearly going all-out from the beginning. Even he found himself unable to tear his eyes away; his fatigue vanishing as he watched what should clearly be in a Top 10 Anime Battles video. Points would come in one after another, and Kenny couldn't help but find himself cheering as well.

"Damn, these girls aren't half-bad! I never thought it was possible to enjoy a girls's volleyball game, but man, did they prove me wrong."

Between a team of classmates and a team of unfamiliar faces, Kenny found himself rooting for the former. As the game kept going, Kenny found himself getting more and more absorbed by it, eventually loosening up and becoming comfortable enough to go from cheering quietly to even clapping. They weren't pros, but they would definitely reach that level someday with that level of dedication. It wasn't intense, dramatic, nor was it filled with action and danger like his adventures, but he had to admit it was pretty entertaining. He actually felt bad for never giving them a chance to show what they were about, thanks to a misguided, biased view pre-judgement that it would be trash. But now, seeing them put so much heart into such a simple sport made him more actually think that maybe a month of it wouldn't be so bad. Yes, he was despised, unwanted and none of them trusted him, but it wasn't like he was getting married to any of them. The glares and whispers were annoying, but whatever their view of him, he would keep his promise and see this whole ordeal to it's end.

The first set (out of three) ended with a victory for Wendy's team, with a difference in scores of merely four points. As if they had unlimited stamina, the second set was just as intense as the first, and again, both teams were on equal footing. As it turns out, watching the practice ended up being pretty educational for Kenny. By watching them, he not only learned the names of a few popular (hot) girls, but also a few things about the sport in general. To win a match, you need to win at least two sets, and to win a set you need to have at least 25 points and, on top of that, have at least 2 points more than the opposing team. Thanks to that, sets could last forever, since you could keep scoring past the 25 minimum until one team got 2 points more than the other. And when equally skilled teams faced each other, a point difference was quite difficult to obtain.

Which is why the second set took a lot more time to end. Compared to the 25 to 21 scores from the last set, Kenny was now looking at a 34 to 34, with no end in sight. He was at the edge of his seat, never in his wildest dreams ever imagining himself feeling that tense over a (girls's) volleyball match. He was throughly impressed with their performance, and was actually pretty excited to find out who would win in the end.

He was particularly intrigued by one girl in particular. Her skills at the game had caught his attention before, but the more he watched her, the more he understood just why the girl with the pink hat was the team's captain. She was like a king piece in a chess game; masterfully commanding her team yet still being part of the action. As the field rotated, she proved herself to be very capable both at the front and back rows, executing her roles with great dexterity while still paying attention to her teammates performance and guiding them. It reminded him of when he played 'Heaven vs Hell' on the PSP.

"Wendy really is something else. They are all pretty good, but she stands out from the rest." He thought, giving her a meaningful, curious look. "I might be a dick for thinking this, but she is pretty cute, too... We used to tease Stan for being so head over heels for her, but I'm starting to see why. Heh... The irony." Kenny grinned, eventually trying to focus his attention back to the game and not stare at one of his best friends's former girlfriend.

But it was hard, especially since the way she stood up for him earlier was still fresh on his mind. Considering her strong morals and how she was firm to her beliefs, he would have expected her to be as indignant and resentful of boys as Nelly was, if not more. From what Kenny knew, she never spoke to Stan again after his final attempt at getting back with her. Considering how some couples, like Token and Nichole, had sorted their differences and got back together after some time, it was a bit shocking that Wendy didn't accept him back, specially since she seemed a bit reluctant to even break-up with him in the first place. But that aside, since Stan was the only connection Kenny had to her other than being her classmate, he really couldn't figure out why she would go against her friends for him.

Making a mental note to ask her about it, he watched with great interest as the match reached it's climax.

The opposing team - let's call it Team B - scored a point. 34 to 35.

A girl from Team B served the ball, but it didn't make past the net. 35 to 35.

Wendy's team rotated clockwise on the field, changing positions. Bebe served the ball. Team B was successful in recieving it and attempted to score a point by aiming at an empty spot, but a block from Annie resulted in yet another point for their team. 36 to 35.

Kenny unconsciously gripped his knees, feeling so tense that he could probably shatter to pieces if someone pushed him over.

"[Come on, damn it. Just one more point...]" He muttered, unable to keep the thought in his head. Part of him wanted to see the girls play some more, but an even stronger one wanted to see his classmates emerge victorious. He then realized that he wasn't cheering on them over unconsciously picking the lesser of two tedious groups as a way for time to pass faster. His prejudice against the sport and it's players was long gone, and he felt like genuinely giving them the support they deserved out of his own will. He watched as Wendy herself positioned herself back to the same spot she started the match at, ready to serve the ball and hopefully score the point that would earn her victory. "[Go, Wendy! You can do it!]" He found himself cheering loudly.

If she heard him, then she didn't give away any signs of acknowledging his incentive. After a few tense moments, Wendy successfully served the ball to the other side of the court, giving birth to 43 seconds of pure anxiety, stress and apprehension for everyone in that gym. Team A was determined to win, and Team B was determined to not let them. Both teams were dead set in achieving their objectives; their bloodlust and desire to win overwhelming their exhaustion and fueling their spirits with a resolve that stunned Kenny into speechlessness. Points usually took a maximum of 20 seconds to occur, very rarely taking any more time than that. But for these girls to keep an evenly match for nearly an entire minute wasn't thanks to luck or any technical issues. It was nothing but their persistence and determination that drove them forward.

And eventually, Kenny was finally able to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Team A finally scored the winning point thanks to a failed attempt from Team B at defending a crushing blow from Annie. The ball landed on the wrong part of a girl's forearm, bouncing directly into the floor as a result and leaving no room for any defensive measure. The moment that happened, Kenny jumped from his seat and threw his arms to the air, exploding (figuratively) into a sudden wave of excitement.

"[Woohoo!]" He cheered, watching as both teams reacted to this turn of events in the way it was to be expected. Team A's players hugged each other and happily celebrated their well deserved victory, while Team B looked disappointed and frustrated. Regardless, both teams demonstrated their mutual respect moments after, shaking each other's hands with smiles on their faces. If these were fake or not, Kenny couldn't tell. Once it was all over, the girls finally started showing signs of fatigue; panting heavily for air as they gulped down their water bottles.

Kenny settled down himself, regaining his composure and taking some time to breathe. His presence long forgotten (or at least very well ignored), he noticed that all girls present had reverted back to how they were when he arrived; save, of course, for the fact that most of them were drenched in sweat and as tired as one could get after long periods of physical exercise. Despite that, they were all back to happily chatting and enjoying themselves, as if he had never intruded on their little world.

"They aren't that unpleasant when they aren't glaring at me like a bunch of assholes." Kenny thought. "If only they weren't so damn stubborn, things would have gone back to normal months ago. Why can't they realize that this mess is now entirely on their heads?"

"Alright girls, one moment of your attention please!" The coach suddenly called, and all the girls in the court turned to face her. "We are short on time today since the basketball team will be using the gym next. As such, I'm sorry girls, but we'll have to leave your rematch for tomorrow." She said to the losing team, who seemed genuinely disappointed. It was a wonder that they were still willing to play after such an intense match. "Regardless, I just wanted to say how proud I am of you girls. I know better than anyone how much effort, sweat and tears you girls have put in for volleyball, and the results are as clear as day and night. Remember your training, as well as everything you learned from your past mistakes, and I know we will emerge victorious on sunday!"

"Yeah!" All girls responded in one voice, as determined as ever.

And with that, the training was officially over. After congratulating the girls one more time for their magnificent performance, the coach assigned a few girls to dismount and retrieve the net, then excused herself to the teacher's room. Aside from the girls working on the net, everyone else gathered their belongings and either headed for the exit or for the changing rooms, happily commenting on the game as they did so. Kenny was disappointed that the match was over instead of relieved, and that made him feel a bit weird. He decided to wait for the majority of girls to leave, since he didn't want to get within an arm's reach from any of them. He doubted they would stab the shit out of him with a nail file, but it never hurt to be cautious around girls, specially when they were pissed.

As he got ready to leave, he noticed that Wendy was waiting by the gym doors; most likely waiting for the girls to finish with the net. He considered taking the opportunity to thank her and maybe question why she decided to help him. But for some reason he felt a bit nervous to approach her. It's not like he liked her, but he still didn't know what to make of her actions, and that confused him. Despite that, he figured there was no better opportunity to show her his gratitude. Once he got up, however, he noticed that the girls were having trouble with the net; all of them being a bit too short to reach the higher hooks that were keeping it in place. He wanted to ignore them and just leave, avoiding more trouble in the process, but a side of him simply couldn't watch that scene and not offer to help. They treated him like trash, but that didn't mean he had to act like one to get back at them. It'd just prove their point and make them dislike him even more.

Sighing, Kenny got up from the bleachers hesitantly approached the girls. Thankfully, one of the four girls were his classmates, so he felt a bit comfortable to approach her.

"[Hey, um... Do you need some help?]" He offered, half-expecting them to either ignore him or pull out a gun and shoot his balls.

Bebe turned to face him with a smile. "Oh, you want to help? Sure!" She said, stepping down from the chair. "Can you unhook that strap over there?" She said, pointing towards the part of the net that she had been struggling with. Nodding, he got up on the chair, feeling relieved. That went better than he expected.

"Maybe those girls aren't so bad after all." He thought as he stretched to reach the net, standing on this tip of his feet to do so.

It was then that he heard Bebe's voice again. "When you're done, make sure you fold the net and take it to the equipment room, okay? Okay thanks, byeee~"

...Wait, what?

Kenny turned to find Bebe and the other girls on their way to the exit, leaving him alone to deal with the net. Did... Did they just dump all the work on him?

"...I take it back." He thought as he glared at Bebe's receding back. If she didn't have such a nice ass, he'd have probably been a lot angrier at her. He averted his gaze from it though, fearing the very likely possibility of forgiving her because of those tight shorts. Those were his kryptonite.

"Bebe, you can't dump your duties on someone else!" Kenny heard a female voice reprimanding the blonde, but the girl and her friends were long gone. Sighing, the owner of the voice made her way towards Kenny.

Wendy...

"Sorry about that. She always does that." Wendy said as she approached the boy. "I'll help you." She offered, holding the bottom part of the net.

"[S-Sure... Thanks.]" A surprised Kenny said, proceeding to go back to what he was previously doing. He was a bit overwhelmed with the sudden presence of the girl he had been watching for the past few hours, and as a result he found his movements getting significantly clumsier. Thankfully, he managed to successfully unhook the net after some time without making a complete fool of himself. Still holding the net, Wendy made sure it didn't fall to the ground and got hopelessly tangled, keeping it extended and therefore easier to fold afterwards.

"Great. Let's move to the other side." Wendy said as she carefully placed the net on ground.

Nodding, Kenny grabbed the chair and moved it next to the other metal pole, proceeding to stand on top of it like before and working on unhooking the other upper part of the net. Meanwhile, Wendy worked on the bottom hook, which she could easily deal with from where she stood. Her shoulder was centimeters away from Kenny's leg, and added to the absolute silence between them, the atmosphere was even more awkward than when Kenny first entered the gym.

"It was nice of you to offer to help with the net." Wendy said suddenly, which for Kenny was a relief. It would have probably taken him an hour to come up with a decent way to start a conversation, so it was a good thing that she took the initiative. "It was a surprise, considering how they were treating you earlier."

"[Ah, uh, yeah. It would have left a bad taste on my mouth to leave when they clearly needed help. I know it sounds lame, but I felt that I should at least ask.]" He said, unhooking the net and stepping down from the chair.

"I don't think it was lame at all. It was a very sweet gesture, and I respect that." She said, keeping her gaze down and focused on what she was doing. "I suppose that as the team's captain I owe you an apology on their behalf. I wish I could say this was the first and last time something like this happens, but I know these girls better." She sighed.

"[You don't need to apologize to me. It's not like you can be held responsible for everything they do, right? Besides, I'm not really angry at them.]" Kenny said in a rather reassuring tone. He wasn't sure if his forgiveness was a result of Wendy's admirable attitude or if he ended up losing to Bebe's ass and her shorts after all. Either way, the point is that Kenny didn't really see the chore bestowed upon him as a bother. "[Íf anything, this is better than being glared at.]

Wendy giggled at that, and Kenny took it as a small victory for some reason. "I'm afraid I can't relate to that, but I'll take your word for it." She said with a small smile. Approaching Kenny, she grabbed the part of the net that he was holding, keeping both the top and bottom corners of the left side of the net in her hold. "Can you help me with the other side of the net? I'll show you how to fold it."

With a quick 'uh-huh', Kenny made his way back to the other end of the net, taking both corners of it the same way Wendy had the other ones. As she gave him brief instructions and they folded the net together, Kenny decided to not go back to that uncomfortable silence.

"[So, ah... Congratulations on winning that match. You and your team did great.]"

At this Wendy looked up, surprise evident in her eyes. "Oh... Thanks." She awkwardly averted her gaze, fighting a blush, which thankfully Kenny didn't seem to notice. "To be honest, a part of me was half-expecting you to not watch the game at all." She added.

"[Hm... So you didn't have much faith in me either, huh?]" He said, a bit disappointed, but managing to not make it evident. It made sense though, so he really couldn't complain. The fact that she helped him out didn't necessarily meant that she trusted him, a foreigner to her enviroment, completely.

She shook her head. "I wasn't expecting you to cause trouble or anything of the sort. I just wasn't sure what to think about your sudden interest in our practice. The way you showed up here was so sudden that it took several of us by surprise." She clarified.

"[...I understand.]" Kenny sighed. "[To be honest, I had my own doubts about this. It wasn't until recently that I took a liking for the sport, and I knew that coming here today was probably not a good idea. But then I heard about your match, and... I don't know. I guess you could say I was curious.]" He said, feeling a bit angry at himself. He wasn't telling lies, but telling half-truths didn't exactly make him feel 100% honest.

"Hm... I see." Wendy said simply. A short silence took place as they finished folding the net and moved on to removing the metal poles from the ground. "Well? Did you sate your curiosity?" She suddenly asked.

Kenny took a few seconds to think about it. "[...I did. ...And honestly?] He started, causing her to finally look up from what she was doing and face him. "[Despite everything, I'm glad that I came here today.]" He told her, and that one sentence carried so much truth that he felt cleansed from all the ambiguous answers he gave throughout the day.

Wendy said nothing, eyes still locked with his. And if she had anything to say, it was cut shortly by her phone, which started buzzing and ringing with a loud Jonas Brothers song that Kenny still had nightmares with. A quick peek at her screen as she checked it herself showed Kenny that she was being called by one of the girls.

"...I have to go. I hate to ask, but do you mind taking these to the supply room yourself? Ugh, I still haven't even taken a bath..." She said, though the last part came out mostly as a rambling to herself. She cancelled the call, but immediately opened a messaging app and texted something to the girl in question.

"[Sure, no problem.]" Kenny said, easily grabbing the folded net with one hand, while using his other arm to hold the two metal poles horizontally. His imaginative head was already picturing himself holding a shield and a lance, so bringing these by himself would most certainly not be a problem.

"I ended up dumping the work on you in the end too, huh?" She said as she grabbed her stuff in a hurry. "Are you sure you're ok with it?"

Kenny shook his head. "[Really, it's fine.]

"Alright then. Sorry, I owe you one!" She said with a smile, and then rushed towards the changing rooms.

"[Wait!]" Kenny called suddenly, which was unexpected even for him. He had no idea why he did so.

Wendy stopped in her tracks, turning back towards him with a confused expression. "What is it?"

"[I, uh...]" He felt a bit nervous, but his mind finally processed that there was something he needed to say. And that was his last chance of doing so. "[I... just wanted to thank you. For helping me out with the net, and for letting me stay here. I... really appreciate it.]"

For a brief moment, Wendy forgot about how late she was and was a bit stunned in surprise. "O-Oh, I see... You're welcome." She managed.

Kenny nodded, his parka hiding his smile. "[Sorry for keeping you. I'll see you tomorrow.]" He said, adjusting his hold on the items and turning back after she nodded.

Without waiting for a verbal answer, Kenny made his way towards the exit; the net and the bars still in his possession. As he walked through the court, his mind kept replaying the day's events. Thinking back, it was a real rollercoaster of emotions, but it wasn't half bad. Sure, he still had a long way to go before earning the girls's trust, and it would also take quite some time for him to get used to their animosity. But maybe, just maybe, he could pull it off.

And Wendy...

He knew for a fact that he wouldn't forget her actions or their little talk any time soon. In fact, this was the first time since meeting her that he saw her as something other than Stan's (ex)girlfriend, or as a reliable superhero ally by the name of Call Girl. He got to see for himself sides of her that he never noticed before, and it gave him a weird mix of intrigue and guilt. In the ned, he never asked what were her reason for helping him out, but he didn't really care anymore. All that mattered was that, for some reason, despite the almost guaranteed glares, gossiping and maybe even direct insults, he genuinely looked forward to the girls's training tomorrow. And of course, he couldn't wait to see what their charismatic captain would pull off next.

Smiling, he finally made his way out of the gym... unaware that the girl he had been thinking about had stayed behind, watching his receding back in silence until he disappeared behind those doors.

...

...

To be continued.

A/N: Well, this is it for the first chapter! How do you guys like it? Again, please don't forget to review and point out where I can improve. Believe me, I take grammar mistakes, OOCness and everything else very seriously! And naturally, compliments are more than welcome too!

"Hi, I have level 10 autism and I have an issue with how you are sexualizing the children in your story! The way Kenny ogles the girls is sexist and you should be ashamed of yourself!" The annoying reader said, all the while writing an essay on tumblr as to why I am such a terrible person.

Let me remind those with this kind of mindset that this is a story, and part of writing a story revolves around knowing and developing the personalities of the characters one is writing about. Our protagonist is a 10 year old boy who is known for being a pervert, so discrete, lecherous looks towards a classmate are to be expected for someone who is reaching puberty in an adult's show.

That being said, spare me the 'social justice warrior' agenda. If you feel uncomfortable with the way I depict the protagonist's perspective of the story, then just don't read it. I have better things to do than sexualizing a bunch of characters made of construction paper for no reason, even if the show itself portrays them as precocious. And seriously, it's a damn story. If these things bother you, then you shouldn't even be watching the show in the first place.

But anyway, if you are not a massive pussy, please review!

I'll see you on the next chapter! :)