Disclaimer: I do not own South Park; it is the property of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
With his hands stuck in his jacket pockets, Stan kept his eyes on the ground as he walked down the familiar path toward his best friend's house. His breath came out in frosty puffs before his face. Fall was only at its mid-point on this September afternoon, but it was still chilly. Winter was fast approaching.
The sounds of muffled yelling caused the boy to shift his attention to his right, toward a house with reddish-brown brick and a thatched brown roof. Even through the thick walls, he could still hear the raised voice of Stephen Stotch, presumably as he yelled at his son. Stan shook his head and sighed. Sometimes, he felt bad for Butters. The kid just couldn't catch a break.
Eventually, the raven-haired boy arrived at the Broflovski residence. He quickly knocked on the door and sighed. Maybe this was a mistake… after all, he could always tell his mother than he'd hung out with Kyle. It wasn't like lying to her was something he didn't already do all the time anyways. However, the click of the doorknob being pulled back quickly put an end to that thought.
Surprisingly, it was not Kyle or Mrs. Broflovski who answered the door, but rather Kyle's younger brother, Ike. Stan blinked at the third grader (the little boy genius had skipped ahead another grade) and awkwardly stuck his hands back in his jacket pockets. He never really interacted with the Canadian boy much, other than a passing greeting or farewell.
"Uh… hey, Ike. Kyle home?" he asked unsurely.
Ike surveyed Stan for a moment, before replying, "Yea, he's upstairs." After another pause, he opened the door a bit wider and said, "Come on in, I guess."
Stan nodded and stepped into the large house. While not quite as big as Token's House, the Broflovski residence was still quite large compared to most of the other houses in South Park. Giving a small nod to Ike, Stan said, "Okay, well… see ya." But before he could even get to the first step of the stairwell, Ike's voice made him pause.
"How come you acted out in class?"
Frowning, Stan turned just enough to look at the other black-haired boy, "Did Kyle tell you that?"
Ike shook his head, "After school word spread quickly about your outburst. Everyone knows. So, why'd you do it?"
Stan groaned and rolled his head back so he could glare up at the ceiling. Didn't assholes have anything better to talk about than him arguing with the teacher? God, he fucking hated this town. "I don't know, I just did."
Ike shrugged and made his way back over to the couch. "Well, you should probably figure out why you did it on the way up the stairs. You know Kyle is gonna be asking the same question, and I doubt he'll drop it like me," the little boy said knowingly. Damn, he really was some kind of super genius.
Without bothering to reply, Stan stomped up the stairs and over to Kyle's room. He didn't even think about knocking as he just went into the room, and was greeted with, "What th— Damnit Stan, can't you knock?!"
Glancing up from the floor where his eyes had been glued, he frowned up at Kyle. Said Jewish boy was clad in nothing but a towel though, his curly red hair dripping down to the floor. Rolling his eyes, Stan replied, "Jesus, calm down dude. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." Stalking over to Kyle's bed, Stan plopped down on it and crossed his arms behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, he said, "Who takes a damn shower in the middle of the day?"
"I tripped and landed in a puddle of dog piss on the way home, and I needed to get the rank smell off me. You'd know that if you hadn't gotten detention… speaking of—"
Stan shook his head and interrupted, "I'll tell you about that later, dude. Just get dressed. I wanna go over to Stark's Pond."
The raven-haired boy could hear the sound of shuffling cloth and the sound of a zipper being pulled shut. "Alright, I'm decent," came the voice of his best friend.
Looking over toward Kyle, Stan couldn't help but chuckle. He was wearing his usual attire, although a few wet curls stuck out from underneath his ushanka. "You are the most bashful guy I know," Stan teased.
Making a face, Kyle threw the towel at Stan and muttered, "Shut up. We gonna head over to Stark's Pond or what?"
Disentangling himself from the towel, Stan smiled at his best friend and said, "Yep!"
They quickly made their way downstairs, pausing only long enough so Kyle could let Ike know where they were going. Soon enough, they were out the door and into the crisp autumn air.
The journey to the pond was a quiet one, though not for lack of trying on Kyle's part. He kept trying to engage Stan in some conversation or another, but was met with unenthusiastic one or two-word replies. Eventually, the Jewish boy just lapsed into silence, though he did constantly flash worried or confused glances over to Stan.
When they finally arrived at the pond, Stan sighed and sat down on a log at the water's edge. He could feel Kyle slide in next to him. Oddly though, Stan did not immediately start talking. He knew he must still be under the effects of the vodka he'd drunk earlier, because nothing was beginning to seem particularly terrible to him yet, but he couldn't feel it. Stan hated that he was becoming accustomed to the sensation of being inebriated, because it meant that he was becoming an alcoholic. Hell… he knew he was an alcoholic, because he drank constantly. Just like his fucking dad.
Kyle, who could no longer bare the silence that had stretched on for nearly ten minutes now, said, "You alright Stan?"
This managed to break the raven-haired boy away from his dark thoughts, and he turned his attention over to his best friend. Giving a well-practiced smile, he replied, "Yea Kyle, I'm fine."
Still uncertain, Kyle surveyed his best friend closely. But when he was unable to find anything suspicious, he gave a curt nod. Changing the subject, Kyle asked, "So… what happened today in class? I mean, you seemed like you really wanted to get in trouble. Especially since Garrison was gonna let you off the hook."
Shrugging, Stan said, "I dunno what came over me. I just… I was fucking bored with class and that stupid lesson. I mean, Celebrity Smackdown? Who the fuck cares?"
Kyle chuckled, "Yea, what an idiotic thing to teach about. Oh, that reminds me, for homework we have to watch the Miley vs. Kim fight and write a five-hundred-word report on the winner." Kyle rolled his eyes at that, and Stan groaned.
"Think I'll get in too much trouble if I don't do it?" Stan asked.
"I wouldn't tempt it, dude. Garrison's already pissed off at you for class today," Kyle replied.
Stan sighed and shook his head. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath, causing Kyle to laugh. "Speaking of people who are pissed at me, how's Wendy?"
Now it was Kyle's turn to shrug, "Last I saw, she was crying with Bebe… really, I don't know why she cares, when she was just planning to break up with you anyways. Probably bummed that you beat her to it, for a change." Kyle's face took on a quizzical look, and he asked, "By the way, what made you do it? You've never been the one to break up with her before."
Guilt crashed into him when Kyle mentioned Wendy crying. But he quickly shook it off. Kyle was right, she was just going to break up with him anyways. Still… he probably could have handled it a bit better than doing it in front of the entire class. At Kyle's question, Stan leaned back and frowned, "I'm not sure. I just suddenly began to think about what everyone always said… that we would never work out together. And I started to think that they were right, and… and I don't think I like her anymore. I mean, she's a good friend, and I like talking to her. And her smiles. But, I don't think I'm crushing on her, if you know what I mean." Stan rubbed a hand against his cheek and huffed, "So, I guess I just thought that maybe it was pointless to date her, if I'm not into her anymore, y'know?"
Kyle beamed at him, "Well, I'm proud of you for taking the initiative, for once. And it's good that you know you don't like her anymore. Maybe now you can move on to another girl and actually advance, since… well, don't take this the wrong way, but you've been pretty stagnant for like… four years."
With a laugh, Stan said, "Yea, I can see that now. And while I don't know about dating other girls,I do know that I won't be getting back together with Wendy. Even if she asks again… which I'm not sure she will. Feels kinda like I broke the chain." Chewing on his lip for a moment, Stan asked, "Do you think she'll be okay? I don't wanna ruin our friendship completely, and I… was kind of an ass today."
The Jewish boy thought for a moment, then finally shrugged, "Yea, you were an ass. But I'm sure she'll be fine, eventually. She might be upset with you for a couple weeks though."
Stan nodded, "Yea, I guessed as much." Suddenly, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. For the first time in four years, he was completely free of that commitment. And while he still had plenty of other shitty problems to deal with, this was at least one less pressure against his mind. Smiling, he sat up a little straighter and nudged Kyle, "So, enough about my failed romance. Are there any girls you've got your eye on? I mean, I know you used to have a crush on Nicole, but I don't see her breaking up with Token anytime soon."
Kyle scrunched up his face, "Nah, not really. Besides, most of the girls at school stillthink I'm gay ever since fat-ass spread that stupid lie that we were a couple."
The raven-haired boy laughed. "Aww, what happened, grumpy because you guys broke up?" he teased, knowing it would set the fiery-tempered boy on edge.
"Oh shut up, asswipe," Kyle growled, shoving Stan hard enough to make him fall off the bench. This only sent him into a fit of laughter.
"Relax Kyle," Stan said once he'd calmed down. "I know you're not gay, 'specially for fat-ass."
Grinning, Kyle added, "Anyone who's gay for fat-ass should probably seek immediate medical attention."
Once again, the two boys started laughing at Cartman's expense. This was what Stan needed to take his mind off of his troubles. Spending time with Kyle always eased his mind, especially when Cartman wasn't around to annoy the Jewish boy.
For a while, the two boys talked and hung out, which made Stan feel all the more light-hearted. Eventually though, his mind began to weigh down on him, making him fret over shitty little details. He knew that this meant he was starting to sober up. But, from the way the light was fading from the sky, it probably wouldn't be odd if he suggested that they head home.
"Hey Kyle," he began, causing his best friend to turn to him, "it's getting kinda late, and aren't we supposed to watch that stupid fight on t.v?"
Kyle blinked and looked up at the sky, before jumping to his feet, "Oh shit, I forgot! C'mon, we can watch it at my house since it's closer, and then we can work on our papers together." The red head flashed a smile at Stan, making his decision to go home waver. He was sorely tempted to accept Kyle's offer. But he knew that throughout the night he would only get more cross, seeing more and more things as shit. Which would probably drive Kyle away from him… and he couldn't let that happen.
"Sorry Kyle, I can't. Mom said I have to be home before dark, since I'm still in trouble for getting sent to the principal's office," he said, feeling shitty about having to lie to his best friend.
Nodding in understanding, Kyle replied, "Alright dude. Call me though after the fight. Maybe your mom will let us talk if she knows we're working on homework together."
Stan made a half-hearted response and stuck his hands in his pockets. Eventually, they made it to Kyle's house, and the two boys parted ways. When he made it back to his own home, night had only just taken over the sky. Entering the living room, he wasn't surprised to see his mom waiting for him on the couch.
Sharon smiled over at her son and said, "Hi Stan, how was your day with Kyle?"
Blinking, he asked, "How did you know I was with Kyle?"
Patting a seat on the couch next to her, she replied, "I gave Sheila a call, and she said the two of you went over to Stark's Pond. Did you boys have a good time?"
Stan nodded.
"That's good. Are you feeling better sweetie?" she asked, giving him a caring smile. This made the boy's guilt even worse, so much so that he actually felt sick to his stomach.
"Actually mom, I'm feeling a little sick. Can I maybe skip dinner tonight and just go straight to bed?" Well, that wasn't technically a lie. "I think I might have a flu coming on." Ah, there was the lie.
Frowning, she went over to the boy and placed a hand against his forehead, "Well… you don't have a fever, but you do feel a little clammy." Pulling off his hat, she smoothed his raven locks away from his forehead. "Alright sweetheart, if that's what you want. Let me know if you do want dinner though, and I'll heat up some leftovers for you."
Stan nodded and thanked her, before heading up to his room. Locking the door, he sighed and closed his eyes. Well, now he would have an excuse for tomorrow when he would inevitably be puking his guts up. After all, that was what generally happened when someone had a hangover.
Going over to his drawer, he pulled out the bottle of vodka and finished it off. That was quickly followed by two cans of beer that he'd swiped from the fridge that morning. And to top it all off, he finished with a shot of straight tequila. Yes, Stan had many bottles stashed away in his drawer.
Completely plastered by this point, the boy stumbled over to his bed and collapsed on the mattress. He was so inebriated, he could barely even remember his own name at this point. Which was what he'd wanted… to forget.
Yep. Bit of a longer chapter than the others, but not too much.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I really have no idea where I'm going with this story, since it was originally supposed to be a one-shot. But then I just kept expanding on it, and well… yea. So now there is this. This is my first South Park story, so things are going to be a bit rocky at the start as I get a feel for all of the characters.
Also, thank you very much krsQ-Cats and julienthesheep for your reviews. It's good to know at least someone seems to be enjoying the story. If anyone else reading this is enjoying it, I would really love to know your thoughts. So please leave some reviews!
