This is really going to tickle the Kyman fans. Even I was looking forward to this chapter. Without further ado, read the one event that's going to change everything between Cartman and Kyle. Happy reading!
For the last past two days, I continued to stay away from Cartman. I avoided him at school and around the neighborhood. The fatass would often try to get my attention or say hello to me. No matter what he did, I kept my distance. I wasn't going to let him trick me. He was only going to wait until I bought his little amnesia story and then taunt me good with a classic, "Nya nya nya nya nya nya, ha ha ha ha ha ha hah!" So yeah, I wasn't going to fall for it.
One day I woke up in a bright mood on a nice Saturday morning. I was eager to get outside today. After eating a hearty breakfast, I told my parents I was heading over to the park today. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to see Stan until later because he had that dentist appointment today. And Kenny was off visiting relatives so I was on my own for a while. When I reached the park, I met up with Craig, Clyde, Token, Jimmy and Timmy who was all gathered around a big box filled with the newest airplane models. I joined the group to get a better look.
"Check it out, guys. Clyde's mom bought these cool wind-up airplanes from that party store," Craig held up a blue airplane.
After winding it up, we all watched in fascination as the airplane shot up into the sky to soar for a few moments before crashing back down onto the ground. We were all fighting over the box to snag our favorite colored airplane. I've always wanted to play with one of these.
"Leave out all the purple ones, dude. That's a popular color with the gays," Clyde pointed out.
Suddenly Jimmy was exclaiming. "Oh gggreat…look who is com…coming."
When we turned around to look, that was when I saw him arrive at the park too. Eric Cartman was making his way over us and from the looks of it, he looked happy about something. In his hands, he held the newest RC racing car complete with remote control. The fatass probably came here to brag like usual whenever he obtained something cool. When Cartman approached us, we were all uncomfortable at the big smile on his face. So we looked the other way to ignore him.
"Hey guys," Cartman greeted us. "Check out my new RC car that I've got!"
We took this moment to look at one another only to realize that none of us know what to say. Maybe it was because the debate on whether Cartman really had amnesia or not was still up in the air. None of us trusted Cartman and we didn't bother to hide it this time. In fact, Craig was the first to step forward and let it be well known.
"Get out of here dip-shit. Nobody ever hangs out with you," Craig said coldly.
Cartman's smile faded. "Wha…What are you talking about? Aren't we all friends here?" His laugh sounded nervous.
We all exchanged dark looks. Then Clyde spoke up next. "No. The truth is you haven't got any friends because everyone hates you. You're like the worst person in town. It's why we don't want anything to do with you."
Cartman was crestfallen by this. "No! Stop saying that! I "do" have friends! I know I do!" Then Cartman spots me in the crowd. His eyes stare into mines. He actually begged me for help. "Please Kyle…you're my friend. I know you are. Tell them! Tell them they're wrong!"
I would later regret not doing the right thing. But I couldn't let go of an old grudge. I looked Cartman right in the eye and the harsh words fell out of my mouth. "No… I'm not your friend, fatass."
And just like that, Cartman gaped at me speechlessly. But I turned away from him and that was the end of that. I followed the others and left behind a lonely Cartman who picked up his RC car and had no choice other than to wander off on his own. I didn't feel sorry for him and thought it served him right. Didn't we always used to say that Cartman would one day end up alone and miserable? It didn't concern me at all.
"What's the deal with Cartman? Does he really think he can act like a clueless dope? What is he after?" Token wondered out-loud.
"Timmy!"
"Timmy is rrrright, you guys. B-B-Best to leave Cartman t-to his own d-d-devises," Jimmy stutters dismissively on the whole matter.
Afterwards we went back to playing with our airplanes. My conscience however continued to nag at me from within. I knew I'd done wrong by cruelly rejecting Cartman like that. It wasn't my problem. Besides, Cartman and I hated each other so what was the difference? The lying bastard was probably up to no good for all I may know.
Hanging out all day with Craig's gang, the weather started to get windy which caused our wind-up airplanes to fly off-course. I tried keeping track of my green airplane but the wind changed direction again and I spotted my airplane fly high into the sky and over some wooded trees. Aw crap, I hope I wouldn't lose it. Leaving the others behind, I entered the woods to go recover it.
Following the trail, I heard the distant sounds of chirping birds. I waved my hands around to swat some bothersome gnats. The weather felt nice which meant the mosquitoes weren't too far behind. Looking closely around the shrubs, I couldn't locate my airplane anywhere. In my quest to find my toy, I heard a new sound somewhere. It sounded like hurried footsteps, like someone running around nearby. Was somebody else out in the woods too?
Curiosity got the better of me and I went off exploring instead. Going off the trail, I walked along a downward hill until I heard the sound of rushing water. Then I came to discover a river. I was greeted by the breath-taking view of a crystal-white river with a fast current. Living in a mountain town, South Park was filled with many picturesque sights to appreciate. As a kid, I couldn't resist exploring new areas such as this.
I carefully walked to the side because the current looked strong and possibly dangerous. That was when something caught my eye. Sitting on some big stones that almost seemed to form a bridge against the raging river; I saw my toy airplane sitting on a rock like it was waiting for me. Funny… How'd it get way over there? But I had to admit those turbulent currents made me nervous.
With baby steps, I cautiously balanced myself and began stepping on each big stone while feeling the splashes of cold water on my face. Every now and then I stopped to look down to see how fast the current was going. I gulped anxiously. I need to concentrate because one wrong move and I could fall in. With my eyes on the green airplane, I successfully managed to bent down and pick up the toy. That wasn't so hard. Slowly I turned myself around and prepared to head back to where it was safe.
I watched each stone I stepped on while listening to the sounds of treacherous waters. Almost there… But I didn't see the hidden attacker come up from behind and swing an oversized log at my head. I felt instant pain that almost knocked me out. Then my foot slipped and with a helpless cry I felt myself start to fall. I grabbed onto the ledge of the rock as half my body plunged into icy waters. With my heart hammering inside my chest, I clung onto the rock while trying to keep the fast current from carrying me away.
It wasn't easy because the rocks were slippery and wet. I couldn't get a good grip on them. Whoever the attacker was had vanished, leaving me here to be as good as dead. I couldn't wrap my brain around that right now. Right now I was in a very dangerous situation. Pure terror shot through me that before I knew it, I was screaming out for help.
"Help! Help! Somebody help! Help me! Heeelp!"
Nobody could hear me way out here no matter how loud I yelled. I was all alone and trapped. As I held on for dear life, I didn't see the big wave crash into me until it was too late. I easily lost my grip and fell into the cold depths of the river. Panic-stricken I furiously began kicking my legs to keep my head above the water. In an attempt to stay alive, I tried to swim for shore but couldn't. Wave after wave went over my head and the strong current continued to carry me toward dangerous waters up ahead. I couldn't fight it. With my light body, it wasn't easy for me to swim in these tough watery conditions.
My lungs felt like they were about to burst and my limbs were aching from exhaustion. I didn't notice someone running on the side of the river, trying to keep up with me. Instead I was more focused on those big jagged rocks up ahead. I was probably beyond help by now. Gasping for air, I was pulled in where my freezing cold body was smacking from one big rock to another. All the while I was waving my hands around in the hopes of latching onto a rock and climbing up. But I was slowly losing strength and becoming tired from swimming like crazy. I wasn't sure how long I would last.
I tried grabbing onto another rock, again I lost my grip and fell back into the water…and banged the back of my head roughly into a rock. Horrible pain paralyzed my entire body. I couldn't move, couldn't think, and couldn't breathe. I sank into the cold depths and realized that I was going to die out here. How could I have been so reckless? My last thought was my poor family. Poor mom and dad were going to have to identify my lifeless body down by the river. As I sunk deeper into the pitch blackness of the river, I closed my eyes and waited for death to take me. My body was going numb and I was slipping into unconsciousness. I knew this was it… Until I felt a hand reach down and grab hold of my jacket. I was being pulled up, lifted back up to the surface.
I was brought back up to the surface by a powerful force that the first thing I saw was the bright sun in the sky. Air had never felt so good. Coughing and sputtering, I felt myself being pulled across the river. Then I realized that someone had jumped in to rescue me. But who was it? My vision was blurry and I felt dizzy from having taken a blow to the head. I shivered all over and didn't know if it was from the cold or from the fear I felt. I almost drowned in the river…
Back on land made me wrap my arms around my rescuer who carried me away from the danger. I knew I was safe. Gently I snuggle on the shoulder of the one carrying me while trying to warm up. At last I was carefully lowered down to sit on a up-risen old tree root where I coughed some more and tried getting air back into my lungs.
"Are you okay?" A worried voice asked me.
"Yes…I'm alright now." I looked up into the face of my rescuer.
I was in for the shock of my life when I saw Eric Cartman knelt beside me, gazing at me with genuine concern. We just stared at each other for what felt like forever. Cartman was sopping wet, meaning he was the one who just saved my life. I couldn't believe it. How was this possible? Had he really cared that much for me? This wasn't like the fatass at all. Eric Cartman was supposed to be pure evil. He valued nobody's life but his own. But then how else do you explain Cartman risking his life like that? It had to be part of some scheme; that had to be it.
Cartman was the first to break the silence between us when he reached out to tenderly touch the lump on my forehead. "You're hurt, Kyle. Are you sure you're okay? Do you need any medical attention?" he asked.
I didn't answer him. Instead I clammed up right away with a wary look. Cartman saw my mistrust toward him and actually took the hint. Feeling unwanted, Cartman rose up and quietly left without another word. I watched him go and realized I didn't know what shocked me more; almost drowning or Cartman coming to my rescue. After sitting around for minutes, I got up and went to go find my rescuer. Finally I had a change of heart.
"Cartman! Wait up! Don't go! Come back!" I shouted after him.
Somehow I managed to catch up with him just as he was walking along the trail. He turned around as I approached him and immediately frowned irritably. "What do you want?" he said sourly.
Cartman sounded bitter already. I now know how wrong it was of me to treat Cartman the way I have. I felt bad about my earlier behavior, not only that, but I finally became convinced that Cartman really did have memory loss. The old Cartman would never have done something so heroic. He would have held a grudge against me and gladly let me drown out of spite. Did this mean he changed fully? Cartman studied me closely but got tired of waiting around. As he was about to walk away again, I grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Cartman wait…," my green eyes met his brown ones. "I'm sorry. I only wanted to thank you for saving my life," I said sincerely.
Cartman's frown softens after I thanked him, which made me wonder if he would still come to resent me. I couldn't bring myself to admit that we were lifelong enemies. Besides, he had no memory of our bad history. Cartman turned away from me, and I guess that was the end of that. As I stood there feeling somewhat better for apologizing, Cartman looked over his shoulder at me.
"Well? Aren't you coming?" He suddenly asks me.
Without waiting for an answer, Cartman leisurely strolled off without ever looking back to see if I was following. I was left in confusion. I had no idea what I should do. It was as if Cartman was giving me a choice… After thinking it over, I chose to follow him. I quickly hurried after him until Cartman and I were walking side-by-side together.
With the warm sun shining in the sky, the weather was feeling nicer than ever. I never thought I'd be sitting here on a park bench with the one person I couldn't stand. The awkwardness was there as Cartman and I sat together without facing each other. I watched him play with his remote control RC car that raced along the fields and tiny hills. But the minutes went by and still we didn't talk.
I guess we didn't know what to say to each other. We were suddenly like strangers. Yet every now and then I'd sneak a peek over at Cartman but only to see him quickly look away as if he'd too been secretly looking at me. After a couple of tries though, we slowly turned our heads at the same time and our eyes met. I couldn't stand being quiet any longer and I had to say something to him.
"So uh…do you remember me yet?" I wanted to know.
Cartman studies me closely but looked so lost and helpless whenever he tried remembering something. Sadly it left him more frustrated than ever. Then it occurred to me that I've never seen this weakness in Cartman before. He usually acted like a tough asshole most of the time. It seemed that not only has he forgotten his friends and family, he couldn't even remember who he used to be. Eric Cartman couldn't recall ever being the most despicable person in the world. Maybe it was a good thing. I truly began to feel sorry for him. I reached out and gently gripped Cartman's shoulder.
"It's okay, Cartman. No need to get worked up over it. I'm sure it'll come back to you someday," I said consolingly. But the truth was I didn't want Cartman to remember. Even if he did get his old memories back, wouldn't he go back to his evil ways? I had no doubts about the answer. It would only be a matter of time before Cartman would start remembering…
Suddenly Cartman smiles and offered me the remote to his RC var. "Want to give it a try?" he said.
I hesitate and became apprehensive all over again. Was this his idea of a joke? Is he trying to make a fool out of me? I held out my hand and expected for him to yank it back and start laughing at me. But no, Cartman placed the remote in my hand and I was able to play with his toy racing car. I can't believe Cartman actually sharing something with me. He's usually too spoiled and selfish. We sat together in silence again only this time Cartman seemed eager to have more conversations with me.
"How long have we known each other? How did we meet?" Cartman bombarded me with all his curious questions.
Oh great. I preferred not remembering how I got stuck with Cartman's company. It wasn't a pleasant memory for me. Thinking quickly, I tried coming up with best way to tell the story. "We met in preschool when we were a lot younger. We uh…we didn't become friends right away." That was putting it mildly.
"Really? So you're a longtime friend of mines, just like Stan and Kenny. Didn't we ever do fun things together, you and I?" Cartman asked. His attention on me and not the RC car.
All we did was argue, fight and find new ways to kill each other. That was the first thought in my head but I couldn't just flat out say it. But Cartman looked interested and wanted to know. So I had to come up with something fast. "Um…sure we did. Can't think of what exactly," I said slowly.
Cartman hung onto my every word. He really seemed fascinated. It's odd behavior for him which was why I was being so evasive. I still didn't trust him. In fact, I wasn't sure if getting close to him was such a good idea. Now Cartman went back to looking sad and clasped his hands together on his lap.
"You know, what bothers me the most is that I'm having a hard time remembering things about myself." He looks up at me hopefully. "Can you help me remember, Kyle? You've known me a long time."
If it was that important to him, I decided to tell him. But I would leave out all the bad stuff. The only problem was I couldn't think of a single positive thing to say. I forgot about the RC car and tried thinking up what I should say. Before I knew it, the words just started pouring out of my mouth as if my heart was doing the talking for me.
"You're Eric Theodore Cartman. Your favorite color is red, your favorite food is KFC, and your favorite song is "Come Sail Away." Your hobbies include photography, theater and music. You really love running your own business and you're a cat-lover."
Cartman was on the edge of his seat and was intrigued by all this. He looked like he was having so much fun that I ended up relaxing in his presence. "Wow! You know a lot about me. Tell me more!" he urged.
"Let's see…," I thought. "Your favorite smells are cherry, apple and vanilla. You like playing video games, I guess."
Cartman turned his whole body around so that he was facing toward me on the bench. I've never seen him like this before. He was so different now. It was totally unexpected. Our enthusiasm only increased as Cartman wanted to learn so much more. And I was more than happy to tell him. I'm not sure how it happened, but the longer we talked, the more comfortable we were with having the other for company.
"So when is my birthday?" Cartman asked eagerly. When I told him, his face lit up. "July 1? That means my birthstone is Ruby and my zodiac sign is Cancer!" he explained.
Something changed in his eyes. When Cartman looked at me, he asked me politely. "When is your birthday, Kyle?" I told him while suddenly feeling lost in those startling brown eyes. I wonder why I've never noticed the shade of his eyes before.
"Your birthday is May 26? So that makes you a Gemini and your birthstone is the emerald. Tell me more about yourself, Kyle. I want to know," Cartman insisted.
"Well if you must know, I'm an avid reader. My most favorite book is…," I stopped talking because I realized what I was doing. I was fraternizing with the enemy. I noticed Cartman was scooting closer to me on the bench.
This whole time I've been so distracted with our conversation that I forgot to be on my guard. I shouldn't be doing this. There was the possibility that Cartman was exploiting me for personal information right now. It was the sort of thing he would do… To top it off, I was freaked out about how well we were getting along. It all seemed too good to be true.
"Kyle? What is it? What's wrong?" Cartman noticed that I became silent and distant.
"It's nothing. I have to go. Here's your remote control back," I said hurriedly. I was already hopping off the bench and in a rush to get out of there.
"Wait! When can I see you again? Kyle?" Cartman calls after me.
But I was running away too fast. I can't believe what transpired today. My mind was so jumbled that I couldn't make sense out of anything. What happened to Cartman? What was he planning? Did he really have amnesia? So much has changed that it's no wonder I didn't know how to adapt. I was rescued from the river by Cartman. He must have heard my cries for help and came running. However you look at it, I still saw the fatass as my enemy. There are some walls you just can't put down right away.
I'm real glad that I got to do this chapter. But don't worry; Cartman won't turn out to be one of those sappy overly romantic types. That's not his style. Cartman needs to learn how to express his feelings, but he's the type who rather proves it through actions than feelings. The readers will understand it better once I get further into the plot. Thanks for reading!
