Disclaimer: I don't own South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker do, those lucky bastards.
This chapter is for Masked Hatter for being my first review on the story.
.o.o.
Ah yes, junior year. All four of us were seventeen and we were partying like crazy except Kyle he was either with his girlfriend or studying. A lot happened that year, as usual my hair kept growing my love for Kyle kept becoming stronger and I was pretty depressed. I was often asked by Kyle why I didn't have a boyfriend because I was asked out a lot, I just told him I wasn't interested when in reality I was saving myself for him.
In January I got a call from my aunt and I found out that she was in hospital, she was fine but I was ordered by my parents to look after her for a week. I had a surprisingly useful talk with her on my last day there.
.o.o.
"Stanley, could you come in here for a bit?" Aunt Robyn calls from the living room, I'm sitting at the kitchen table staring at the black strands of hair falling over my eyes.
"Sure, what's up?" I ask as I walk in and sit next to her.
"Why haven't you cut your hair? I know you cut it when you leave." She says sternly, should I lie? Yeah.
"Oh, I just didn't want to cut it." I lie.
"No, you're lying." How'd she know? "I know you Stanley, why have you really not been cutting your hair?" I may as well tell her, it's not like she's gonna say anything.
"When I got home from here, I fell in love with Kyle, y'know the redhead with the girlfriend? And I just decided I will not cut my hair until the day Kyle Broflovski's heart is mine." I say rather passionately.
"Oh, Stanley I did something like that once." Aunt Robyn chuckles.
"Really?"
"Yes, I used to have hair that reached my hips when I fell in love with him. He used to say how much he loved my hair, but I found out that he had been cheating on me with another woman so I cut my hair so it sat above my shoulders as a sort of revenge.
"He was distraught when he saw all my hair had been cut, I told him I would not grow it again until he broke it off with this woman. I was nineteen and naive and he was nineteen and horny so he stayed with the girl, they married and had children but still I will never grow my hair out.
"I still love him, and I'll love him when I'm old and on my death bed."
"Wow, did he happen to be an environmentalist who used outhouses?" I ask, she chuckles and sits up.
"No, I just like to freak you out. You could of used the toilet anytime, I was surprised you never just said 'screw it I'm using the bathroom'" I smile at her, I just found out two things I never knew about my aunt. One she has a sense of humour and two she really knows what it's like to ache for someone you love.
.o.o.
It's been a week since I've returned from staying with Aunt Robyn and I'm walking up to my locker, I can see Kenny and Cartman walking up to me. No boyfriend or girlfriend, suspicious.
"Hey, Stan we need to talk to you, like now." Kenny says, they are on either side of my locker and giving me a weird look.
"Sure thing." I say nervously.
"It's about... your hair." Cartman says pointing at my tied up hair.
"My hair?"
"Dude, you haven't cut it in three years! What's the deal?" Kenny's acting like this is some crisis, it's just hair!
"I just don't want to cut it. Why?"
"People are thinking that you're so gay you want to be a girl but can't afford a sex change" Cartman says "you're giving us a bad name just by hanging out with us."
"What? I don't want to be a girl! I'm just not cutting it because it's for someone special."
"Who? Tell us now or we'll find out another way and it won't be pretty." Cartman looks seriously pissed.
"I-It's, for uhh, for umm..." My eyes scan the hallway and the first person I see is Wendy "Wendy"
"Dude, you're gay, stop lying and tell us now."
"Oh yeah, it's" Must find a guy, Craig walks past us, perfect "Craig."
They look at me confused, like seriously fucking confused. Crap, Craig is one of the dudes who keep asking me out, bad choice!
"Why?" Kenny asks suspiciously.
"Wh-When I got back I just thought 'hey I'm not gonna cut my hair for a year' so I didn't and then I fell for" I gulp and wince unnoticeably to them "Craig but I was nervous when he asked me out so I just decided to not cut my hair until I go on a date with him." Wow, if Cartman knew the truth he'd be punishing me for such a bad lie.
"Okay then." Kenny smirks and he and Cartman walk over to Craig who's been watching me, creepy.
Oh god they're talking to him, he's smiling. Jesus! What am I gonna do? They're walking over here, I don't like Craig, I like Kyle!
"Stan, Craig has something he wants to ask you." Cartman says evilly, as he and Kenny step back. I am so going to kill them.
"So, you grew your hair for me? That's pretty gay." He says in his usual expressionless voice.
"Yeah, I guess."
"I like it."
What?
"Are you busy tonight?"
"Uh, n-no."
"Meet me at Stark's Pond at eight." He says, before I can respond he walks away and Cartman and Kenny get closer.
"So?" Kenny wants details, screw him now I got to get out this mess.
"Fuck you guys." I sneer and walk away, I look back and they're both chuckling, I figure Kenny knows the truth and was just messing with me and Cartman, I have no idea, he's just a dickhead.
.o.o.
It's ten to eight, I'm dressed and showered ready to meet Craig, I'm gonna tell him it's a lie and that I don't like him, he was just the first male I saw. I'm wearing a Metallica band shirt and jeans, my hair is tied up and I'm ready to go. But I don't want to.
I sigh, I have to do this. I grab my brown jacket, slip it on and walk down stairs.
"See ya later, mom!" I call out as I grab my keys and close the door behind me, I could walk to Stark's Pond but in case Craig decides to gut me for lying I'm taking my car for a quicker escape.
I turn the ignition off as I arrive and walk towards the pond where I see Craig sitting on a log. I take a deep breath and sit down next to him, he doesn't move he just keeps staring out at the lake.
"I know you're lying, Stan, I know you really love Kyle. I don't care that you're gay and I don't care that you lied to those assholes you call friends" Craig says still not looking at me. Okay, this is really creepy.
"Then why am I here?"
"Because Kyle the biggest asshole of your group" What? "I know most people think it's Cartman but it's actually Kyle. Kyle is a dick, I know he knows you like him but he just keeps showing of his whorey girlfriend." I have no idea what to say, should I defend Kyle?
"Okay" Nah.
"I admire your strength, you put up with him so much. I know this is hard to believe, I'm Craig so I don't give a shit about anything" He's still blank and emotionless and I'm staring at him like he's god.
"Again, why am I here?"
"You need to stay away from Kyle for a while. You can come with me, Token and Tweek" Craig offers finally looking at me.
"I don't know..."
"Think about it, I need a call before midnight" Craig says, he then gets up and leaves. I stay put as I listen to his feet crunch in the snow as he walks away.
.o.o.
I honestly thought about what Craig said, y'know that saying 'If you love something, let it go' well maybe if I have some space from Kyle he might realise something. But I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm sure he won't just suddenly stand on a table and start confessing his undying love for me, probably just miss me a little. I hope.
I sit up on my bed and grab my phone, the digital clock on the dresser says it's nine thirty eight, I have plenty of time. I scroll through my contacts until I reach Craig and I press call, I hold the phone to my ear waiting for him to answer.
"Stan, you made a decision already?"Craig asks.
"Don't I get a hello first?" I complain, I smile broadly as I hear him groan.
"Why hello Staniel-"
"Stanley"
"-it's a pleasure to talk to you again. Is there anything you want to tell me?"Craig says in a sweet voice, he's always so annoying!
"Why yes there is Craigy..." Hahaha Craigy "... I've made a decision"
"And what is it, Staniel?"
"Are you gonna keep calling me that, Craigy?"
"Yep, until the day you die." Craig says, may as well get this over with.
"I'll hang out with you guys for a while, is that acceptable... Craigy?"
"Very much so, goodbye, Staniel" Craig hangs up the phone and I do the same. That was probably the most fun I've had in a month. A stupid conversation with Craig Tucker made me feel good, maybe some time without Kyle is good.
.o.o.
Its lunch time and I'm walking towards Craig's table, I pass my usual seat next to Cartman and sit beside Token and across from Craig and Tweek.
"Tweek, Token, remember how I told you guys last night someone will be joining us?" They both nod and Tweek starts to shake a bit more "Staniel, here will be replacing Clyde for a while"
"Staniel?" Token looks at me and chuckles, Tweek waves a bit from across the table but I can't really tell because he is shaking like crazy.
"Hey, Token, how's it going, dude?" I haven't talked to Token in ages, probably because I hated him for a while after he started dating Wendy in fourth grade.
"It's goin' good, you gonna come back to football, dude?" Token asks, he and Clyde have been both badgering me about that since I came back.
"No, I told you I got banned so I have to stick with baseball" To be honest I still hate baseball but our team never wins anyway so I don't have to play for long. I want to go back to football but I got banned from the team by the school's very homophobic coach.
"Yeah but we have a new coach, he doesn't give a shit about Clyde and Cartman, probably wouldn't care about you." Token explains.
"Fine, I'll go take a look later." Token smiles and pats me on the back, we go back to eating our lunch but I'm a little uneasy since Kyle is staring at me from his table like I just slapped him in the face. Crap, he's getting up and walking over here.
"Stan, what are you doing?" He asks with Bebe by his side frowning, she doesn't exactly like Craig that much or me either really, shocking. Oh sarcasm how I love you, wait Kyle he's talking to me.
"Stan, Craig hates us so again, what are you doing here?" Kyle says, tapping his foot.
"Eating lunch?"
"Yeah, but why over here?"
"Because I want to." Kyle huffs and walks out the cafeteria leaving Bebe standing by Craig.
"You're an asshole." Bebe says before chasing after Kyle, I don't really care anymore she has the man of my dreams and I don't so I have the right to be an asshole.
"Bitch."
"Yeah."
.o.o.
I joined the football team later that week and spent the rest of the year with Craig, Tweek and Token. Bebe and Kyle broke up that day permanently, I'm not sure why but from the rumours it had something to do with me. Kyle doesn't like to be alone for too long so after two weeks of moping he and Wendy went out, that was fucking brutal for me, the day I found out Kenny had stayed with me until three in the morning listening to me cry. Apparently he did still know and was fucking with me before.
My mom and dad got a divorce in March after my mom found out that dad had been having an affair with Cartman's mom. Dad and Liane apparently were head over heels in love with each other and were engaged in August. Cartman flipped and burnt down our house, dad moved in with the Liane. Mom and I moved into a really small house on the poorer side of town across from the McCormick's.
Mom lost her job and started going kind of nuts so I had to get a job at Harbucks with Tweek so that I could help pay for electricity. It was a fucking tough year but nowhere near as bad as my last year of high school.
