The next few days go by without incident. On Friday, Lisa and I went to the zoo and got some ice cream. We had a great time. It was so nice to get out of the house and be around someone positive for a change, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

Her parents took us out to dinner at this fancy steakhouse, which was a little awkward for me, but they're nice people. I guess they're pretty well off. I don't care about how much money Lisa has, though. She's just fun to be around.

She has a younger brother about Ike's age. When her mom dropped me off at home, my mom and her set up a playdate for our brothers. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot of Lisa from now on.

"Hey, Kyel, come take a look at this."

I mash the pause button on the game controller. Cartman is leaning up against the side of my bed, looking at something on his phone. I lean over and glance at the screen. "What is it?"

It's a pair of breasts.

"Cartman, what the hell!"

"Heh, heh. Nice, huh?"

"Who is that?" If he's been using Butter's dad's drone again, so help me…

"I dunno. Hey, hey Kinny, come look at this chicks titties." Cartman tilts the screen.

Kenny, who is lying on his stomach propped up on his elbows, hits pause, too. We're feeling a little nostalgic tonight, and decided to play Mortal Kombat. I'm winning.

His head is covered by a huge fluffy blanket; I can't even make out his features. He gives a thumbs up. "Whoa, nice sun lines."

"You guys are pigs," I mumble under my breath.

"Whatever, dude. Some of us like titties," Cartman huffs. He hunkers back down and pulls up a second webpage. Something about ISIS. I don't even want to know.

Three AM rolls around and we're all still up, laughing and throwing pieces of caramel corn at one another. Cartman's eating more than he's throwing, but still.

"Ew, Kenny, don't eat it off the floor."

"He has no choice, Kyle. Kenny's so poor floor 'corn is like, a super huge deal to him. Ow, GODDAMNIT! Don't hit me, you son of a bitch!"

"Then stop calling me poor!" Kenny fires back.

Cartman lunges at Kenny. "I'll kill you!"

"Dude, calm down, if you jump the whole second story might collapse."

"AY! I AM NOT FAT!"

I roll my eyes. This is so typical. I should be annoyed, especially when my mom starts tapping the floor below us with the handle of a broom, but I can't help but crack a smile. This is nice. I miss this. I honestly don't even mind that they're making so much noise, even when my dad comes up to scold us. It's hard to take him seriously in boxer shorts, bunny slippers, and my mom's robe.

"Ike has school tomorrow," my dad reminds me, like he wants me to feel guilty. It's not my fault Ike's a genius and takes weekend classes.

"Sorry, dad."

Kenny pops his head out from the blanket. "Yeah, Sorry Mr. B. We'll keep it down. So…" just as my dad shuts the door, Ken's blanket whips me in the face. "What's going on with that girl you've been hanging out with?"

"Lisa?"

"Yeah. Are you two dating?"

Oh, no. I was afraid of this. Kenny… he likes the chase, and that's it. He isn't ready for a steady girlfriend. He's still too immature. It's almost like a game to him, how many girls he can hook up with in given period of time. Luckily, Lisa is too smart for his tricks.

"Uh, well," I begin stammering, fighting to pull the blanket off my head. Great. I can hear the static that produced. I bet I look like Ronald McDonald right now. "No. I mean, not yet. I mean, I don't know. We're just friends."

"Yeah, Kyle's heart belongs to Stan, Kenny, didn't you know?" Cartman interjects like an idiot, finishing off the rest of the 2liter of soda.

"Shut up!" This is getting exhausting. "If I was so in love with Stan, then how could I be interested in Lisa?"

"That would be called bisexuality," he answers matter of factly. "You should really educate yourself. Ignorance is not an attractive trait mates seek out, Kahl."

"Shut the hell up," I mumble, blanket pooling around my shoulders now. Kenny is still waiting expectantly for me to give him the go ahead. I can't, though. "Look, could you not go after Lisa? Please? I really like her and I think I might have a shot with her. You can literally get any girl you want. Let me have her."

The corner of Ken's mouth twists up. "Okay, she's all yours."

"Thanks, Ken."

Kenny is the first to fall asleep, so, obviously, Cartman draws a sharpie wang on his face. It's tradition. At least he doesn't smear shit under his nose like he used to do with Butters. For how much Cartman questions my sexuality, he sure did some pretty gay stuff when we were kids.

I'm all curled up in my bed, my mind already beginning to drift off when my pillow vibrates. Confused, I squint at my phone. It's a text from Stan.

From Stan?!

My eyes pop open and I slide my thumb across the screen to unlock it.

It reads:

TEXT MESSAGE FROM: STAN

Saturday, 5:30AM

I'm sorry Kyle. I'll do better, I promise. Can we talk?

Normally that would pull at my heart strings, but tonight… forget it. I'm just too tired to get roped into anything this late. If he's serious, I'll talk to him tomorrow. Rolling over, I pull the covers up over my head, and let the television lull me to sleep.