"Kenny! It's Karen!"

Kenny narrowed his eyes and stood up from the stool. "What about her? Craig, what's going on?"

"She's Clyde's secret admirer! She's the one who's been sending him flirty little notes all week!"

Kenny rolled his eyes. "That's it? I may hate the guy with the heat of a thousand suns, but I'm not about to tell my little sister who she can and can't have crushes on. I don't want to be that controlling asshole brother."

"All week Clyde has been talking about hooking up with his admirer, and today's note said to meet outside after school. Normally I would trust Clyde not to do anything too stupid, but with this whole dumbass competition and the fact that she's your sister—fuck, I can't believe I'm going to say this—I'm worried that he might take advantage of the situation."

"I can't stop her from liking who she likes, but I sure as hell can stop some dickbag from preying on her interest. I'm going to break his fucking jaw if he lays a hand on her. Where the fuck is he?"

"In the front of the school. The bench near the flagpole, I think it said."

"Thanks, Craig." Kenny gently placed a hand on Craig's shoulder before sprinting off down the hallway.

Craig watched him disappear down the hallway, returning to face forward once he was out of sight. He noticed Tweek looking at him in the doorway, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Competition?" Tweek asked.

Craig slowly backed out of the doorway, his hands desperately grabbing at the strings of his hat. He turned tail and ran away after Kenny, leaving Tweek with an unanswered question.

Clyde took a deep breath before he pushed through the school's main entrance. He tried to keep his smile to a minimum, wanting to remain cool, calm, and collected. Inside, he was feeling a flutter of butterflies in his stomach at the prospect of discovering the identity of his mystery girl.

As the bench came into view, he saw a girl with light brown hair pulled back into two tiny pigtails. She appeared to be wearing a floral print sundress, probably because she was trying to look her best to confess to her crush in person. It was only when Clyde got close enough to the bench for the girl to notice him that he realized it was Karen McCormick. The butterflies flew away, leaving Clyde with a heavy, oddly hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.

She stood up and waved at Clyde as he approached. He could see the bright pink in her cheeks. It was honestly quite endearing.

"Hey, what's up?" he said casually.

He wasn't quite sure how to proceed with this. He had been expecting a fellow senior, perhaps a junior. Hell, maybe even a teacher who just really sucked at poetry. He definitely wasn't expecting a freshman, though. Especially one who was the sister of his arch nemesis.

"Hiya, Clyde! Thank you for coming."

She sat back down and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to take a seat. He accepted her invitation and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible, given how uncomfortable this conversation was going to be.

"I wasn't sure how you were going to feel about my notes," she said.

Karen was looking down at her lap, unable to look at Clyde once he was actually sitting next to her. Clyde thought it was adorable how innocent she seemed. It made him realize that that was probably why the previous day's note had felt so bare. All it had said was I had a dirty dream about you last night. Clyde had thought it was someone messing with him—Kenny, to be exact—but really it was just a girl who was probably feeling embarrassed about having her first sexy dream.

"They made me really happy. It feels good to know someone has interest in you. So...thank you for writing them."

Clyde took his time choosing his words. He had come outside expecting to put the moves on a potential partner, but instead, he was about to turn someone down for the first time. He pursed his lips together in a tight smile.

"I was watching you at practice all week. You were so cool. Even cooler than at last week's game."

Clyde looked over at Karen, who was looking back at him longingly. Affectionately. No one had really looked at him like that since he and Bebe had dated. He honestly missed it. He felt an ache in his chest, knowing he was going to have to break her heart today.

"You did, huh? Well, did you know that I was working so hard for you?"

Karen's eyes became saucers. She grabbed at the fabric around her knees, bunching it up in her fists.

"Really?"

"Really! The notes made me so happy that I wanted to make sure that I was at my best for the person who made me feel so good. I figured you'd be at the game tonight and I wanted to win for you."

Karen smiled and then abruptly threw her arms around Clyde, hugging him tight.

"That makes me really happy!" She nuzzled her cheek against his arm. "Mm, your arms are so strong, Clyde."

He gently patted her on the head. He didn't want to lead her on, but he also didn't want to kill her confidence. He was honestly surprised at just how much confidence she had. He felt that not enough people took the chance on expressing their feelings to others, and he didn't want to see that stripped away from her, especially while she was still young.

She looked up at him with her warm doe eyes and took a deep breath.

"I like you, Clyde. I really, really like you...and I was wondering if you would go out with me? Maybe after the game we could get some ice cream?"

"That sounds like a great first date, and I appreciate how much courage it takes to admit your feelings to someone, Karen, but…"

He took a deep breath as he watched her face crumple, immediately knowing where he was going with this.

"...but I can't give those feelings back to you. It's not that you aren't a lovely, sweet, and talented young woman. You are. Craig had told me about how much promise you have as an artist. And you look beautiful in your dress."

Karen pulled away from Clyde's arm and smoothed her dress with her hands. "Thank you," she said, her voice much smaller than before. "Kenny bought it for me."

Clyde felt the tension in his jaw when Kenny was mentioned, but he set his grudge aside. "You have a great brother."

"I know I do." Karen stared down at her feet. Her face was tense, like her emotional state was halfway between anger and sadness. She slowly exhaled. "So…if I'm so great, then why don't you like me?"

Clyde sighed and slouched down on the bench. That was always the big question when it came to rejection, wasn't it? Why not me? Clyde felt conflicted, as there were a few reasons why he and Karen McCormick would never work. He was silent for a moment before he decided on the one that would close the door on her permanently. He didn't want to give her a sense that maybe something could happen in the future. He didn't want to leave her on the hook like that. She deserved better.

"To be honest?" he began. "Since you're Kenny's little sister—"

"That doesn't matter!" Karen interrupted. "It's not any of Kenny's business who I date!"

A small smile formed on Clyde's face.

"Hearing you say that makes me really happy, but no, that's not quite where I was going. What I was saying was that since you're Kenny's little sister, and I've known him since third grade, I've known you since you were five. Because of that, I don't think I could ever see you as someone I could date. Does that make sense?"

Karen looked down at her feet. The pink strappy sandals she had bought from the thrift store were a bit faded and worn, but still made her feel pretty. She tried to focus on the sandals, as right now she was feeling every intrusive thought that was coming into her head.

"Yeah. I guess that makes sense," she said quietly. She slouched down on the bench. "Rejection sucks ass."

Clyde snorted. "Tell me about it. I've been rejected more times than I can ever remember."

"Really? Even you?" she asked.

"Hell yeah. All the time. I mean, when you put yourself out there a lot, you're going to have a lot of nos. But you're going to get a lot of people who say yes, too. That's why I don't want you to feel defeated over this. I know the first bunch of times I got turned down by someone I really liked, I felt like I should just give up and never confess my feelings. I was scared. But I kept trying, and eventually it became easier to do, and even though the pain of being rejected is still there, it doesn't sting quite as much."

Karen pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

"I know it sounds like bullshit coming from me right now," Clyde continued, "but you're going to find someone someday who will love you back with all their heart. It might not be soon. It might take decades, who knows? But I promise that it'll feel really fucking awesome when it happens. And theirs will be your favorite butt. And you'll forget all about mine and how objectively amazing it is."

Karen's laughter sputtered out of her unintentionally. "It feels weird to laugh while I'm feeling so sad." Her voice started to crack, and Clyde noticed that her eyes were glistening.

"Hey Karen?" he asked.

She nodded, unable to look at him.

"Do you want me to stay longer, or would you like me to go?"

"I...think you should go. I don't want to make you any later for practice, and it'll be too embarrassing if you see me cry."

"Fair enough." He stood up and swung his gear bag over his shoulder. "Take it easy, Karen."

Clyde took off toward the back of the school. Karen buried her head in her knees and let the tears flow.

Kenny stood up from behind the bushes that lined the school. He had heard everything. Thankfully, Karen had been focused on Clyde, and Clyde had been focused on the cracks in the asphalt, so neither of them had noticed when he awkwardly dove into the shrubbery.

He had come outside with the full intention of kicking Clyde's dudebro ass, but the moment he saw Karen's face, his anger melted away. She looked happy. That was a feeling that wasn't found too often in the McCormick house, so it was precious. Kenny never wanted to be the reason that Karen lost her joy.

That being said, Kenny knew that if he had just stood outside the double doors while staring at them across the way, they'd eventually notice and Clyde would have a field day with that. Still, Kenny kinda wanted to know how Clyde was going to react to Karen's confession. She was his sister and Clyde saw Kenny as a rival, so he could potentially use his sister as a target. So Kenny did the first thing he could think of, which was hiding behind the bushes and sneaking up closer in order to better hear their conversation.

He stepped over the neatly pruned bushes and brushed off the dirt and leaves from his clothing. He casually walked up to the bench where Karen sat, crying, and took a seat next to her. For several minutes, they sat in silence, neither saying a word, nor making a move. Eventually Karen lied down on her side, resting her head in her brother's lap. Kenny stroked her hair while she continued to cry.

"How much of that did you see?" she asked.

"Enough," he replied.

Silence fell between them once more.

"You know, I really liked him," Karen said after a moment.

"I know. And I'm gonna bet that you still do, given the circumstance. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to get over someone that quickly. I don't care who you are, ten minutes ain't enough time."

"Yeah. Yeah, I still do. Does that make me stupid?" she asked.

"Nah," Kenny replied. "It just makes you a human with romantic attractions. I'd be more concerned if you were able to shrug the whole thing off already. You know, without feeling anything."

"I probably shouldn't go to the game, huh?"

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Cause I don't want Clyde to possibly see me in the stands and have him thrown off his game. I could tell that he was already weirded out by me and this whole thing. I don't need him to hate me because I made him lose the game."

Kenny couldn't help but chuckle at his sister's reaction.

"First of all, Clyde isn't the only player on the team. If they lose, it's not solely his fault, and if he screws up, they can take him out of the game. Sure he could be pissed about that, but it's part of the game strategy, you know?"

Karen appeared to relax as he spoke.

"Second, I don't think this is going to faze Clyde too much. Not that your confession wasn't important, but he's one of the captains of the team. If he couldn't put his personal problems aside and focus on the game, then he wouldn't be in that position. I'm not a fan of the guy, but I can give credit where it's due."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," said Karen.

"And third, I think that if he does see you in the stands…well, I think that would make him happy. I hear he performed really well during practices this week cause of how happy your notes made him. Seeing you tonight would show him that you still support him as a person, even if he turned you down romantically. And that...that is something you do for someone you care about."

Karen sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. She sniffled and sighed, wishing she had a tissue in her backpack.

"You're right, Kenny," she said. "I'm gonna go. I wouldn't want Tricia and Senpai to have to sit alone, anyway."

"Senpai?" Kenny asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah. Craig. I started calling him Senpai this week, but he hates it. I'm gonna get him to love it by the end of the semester."

"Oh my god. He's never going to hear the end of that from me," Kenny laughed.

Karen smiled. "Thank you, Kenny. I feel a lot better now."

She leaned in for a hug. Kenny reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in tight.

"I feel bad, though. That you stayed here with me for this long. Aren't you really late for band practice?"

Kenny shrugged. "Eh, it's fine. Mr. Bunting and I have a good relationship. I can get away with it this one time."

The score was tied seven to seven at the beginning of halftime. Pueblo was fighting hard and both teams were barely giving up any yardage.

The marching band took to the field with a hearty cheer in an attempt to get the crowd re-energized. It was slow going, as the intensity of the game had emotionally drained the fans, but by the time the drumline started up "Superstition", the crowd was back on their feet and ready for more. As the winds held their final note and the drumline held onto a drumroll, Wendy turned around to face the audience. Her arms stretched out to her side and her body slightly at an angle so that she wasn't directly facing the stands, she proudly presented the band. Raucous applause greeted them in return, and if Kenny wasn't losing his mind, he was pretty sure that he could hear Karen's voice over it, screaming his name at the top of her lungs. He was glad that she was feeling better, or at least that she had a pleasant distraction for a while.

The Park County Bulls ran back onto the field as soon as the band had exited. As a whole, the team looked refreshed and ready to win the game.

Clyde looked out into the crowd as he crossed the field. He was able to spot Karen immediately. It didn't hurt that she was sitting next to Craig. He tended to stick out like a sore thumb at these events, arms crossed and not looking remotely interested. Clyde knew that even though sports didn't interest Craig in the slightest, he was a very supportive friend and would never miss a game. Karen sat to his left, waving her arms frantically in the air just like the previous week. It was almost like everything that happened earlier was just a dream. He pointed up into the stands when he swore he caught her eyes. You can do it, Clyde! she yelled over the din. He smiled, glad that she decided to come to the game anyway. Her passion for the team really was contagious.

Clyde had felt drained at the end of the first half. He had been playing defense most of the night to counteract Pueblo's strengths. His hard work earlier in the week had paid off, as the reason that Pueblo had only scored one touchdown was large in part because of him. He felt somewhat better after halftime, but the game was still taking a toll on his body.

Token beckoned the team over for a brief huddle. The Bulls were receiving at the start of the second half, and Token wanted to reiterate what the coach had discussed in the locker room at halftime. Since Clyde had focused on defense for the entire first half, they figured that the other team wouldn't be expecting him to carry the ball. So on the first play, Stan was going to pass the ball to Clyde, who would then try to make a break for the end zone.

The referee called for the teams to get in starting position. Clyde broke from the huddle with his nerves twisted in a bunch. Normally he thrived on being the linchpin of the team, but right now he had some concerns. This was the team's opportunity to push hard and score quickly. They had one chance to do this before the other team caught on. If he screwed this up, it would be very difficult to capture the win.

Clyde took a deep breath once he was in position. He glanced into the stands to see that Karen was watching with excitement. He'd push through and get this touchdown. For her. She was still here, supporting him, so he wanted to give her something to cheer about.

The referee blew the whistle. The ball was snapped to Stan. Clyde burst forward from his position, managing to dodge Pueblo's front line. Stan pulled back his arm and threw it to Clyde, just like he had hundreds of times before.

Clyde looked over his shoulder and caught the ball. He clutched it to his chest like a precious stone. He looked back toward the end zone and caught a glimpse of Pueblo player number 55 charging toward him from his blind side.

He didn't have time to change direction or leap over the player. Number 55 dove forward and tackled Clyde to the ground. Clyde was tackled on his left hip, and as he fell, his legs bent to the side, causing his right knee to twist unnaturally.

Clyde clutched his knee, pulling it toward his chest and screaming in agony. The referee blew the whistle and the Bulls' coaching team ran onto the field. The athletic trainer did a basic assessment of the damage while Coach McKay talked to Clyde in a calm, soothing voice.

The audience was silent while Clyde lay on the ground. The players on both teams took a knee out of respect. Kenny McCormick bit his lip, torn between the schadenfreude of it all and the fact that Clyde was a strong player, and any injury would greatly affect the team, and the entire school. Thankfully Kenny was able to stay quiet, although a small tickle of laughter had threatened to come out while everyone else was silent.

Once they were sure that nothing was broken and that Clyde could put weight on his left leg, he was carried off the field and into the locker room where the athletic trainer could do a more thorough assessment. The crowd applauded as he left.

The Bulls were able to overcome the loss of their first string tight end and managed to score a field goal with four minutes left. They kept a tight defense on Pueblo to run out the clock, winning the game ten to seven. The crowd roared at the victory like they hadn't witnessed one of the top players be carried off of the field earlier. Kenny stared at the lit windows of the locker room. He couldn't stand Clyde, but even he was feeling some sympathy for him right now. The fans were supposed to adore him, and it looked like no one had stayed to see how he was doing.

Kenny sighed. He owed it to Clyde to check on him, he felt, as a way to repay him for how he handled the situation with Karen earlier. He looked around to make sure no one was around to see him doing something nice for Clyde. When he decided the coast was clear, he went inside.

Kenny was shocked to find the locker room completely empty. At this point in the night, he assumed that there would at least be a few stragglers still in the shower. He wondered if they had booked it out of their because they didn't want to see Clyde hurt, or if it was because it was already beer o'clock. He would have at least guessed that Stan and Token would have stuck around.

Kenny's footsteps echoed throughout the locker room. He came around a row of lockers and saw Clyde sitting alone on a bench. He was looking straight at Kenny. He must have heard him coming. Kenny studied his face. His eyes were wet and puffy, and his cheeks were red.

Clyde narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, McCormick? Did you come in here to try to make this worse than it already is? You wanted to make me feel shittier than I already do?"

Kenny leaned his shoulder against one of the lockers, crossing his arms. "No. I was actually wondering if you were alright."

Clyde looked at him incredulously. "Does it fucking look like I'm alright?! And why do you fucking care?" His chest began to heave as his breaths came faster.

"I have my reasons." There was an uncomfortable silence hanging between them for a moment. The sound of water dripping from the shower echoed in the silence. "It looks like you've been crying."

Clyde bared his teeth, his face gnarled into a grimace. "I wasn't fucking crying!" he yelled. "Because men don't fucking cry!"

He grabbed his helmet that was still sitting next to him on the bench and threw it across the room. It crashed into the row of lockers Kenny was leaning against. The loud bang made Kenny flinch. Clyde's face scrunched up as tears began to fall down his cheeks. His lungs rapidly filled with air as he began to sob.

Kenny stood still. He didn't say a word. Normally he would verbally prod Clyde for his inability to contain his emotions, but now was not the time for that. He wished that there was something that he could say. Something that would sound genuine and help Clyde know that it really was okay that he was crying. He decided that there were no inspirational words that could placate him right now. So he simply let Clyde cry.

Once Clyde seemed to calm down, Kenny took a step forward.

"Can I sit down?" he asked, gesturing toward the bench.

Clyde looked at him suspiciously, but ultimately nodded. Kenny moved closer to the bench, sitting down, but leaving plenty of room between the two of them.

"Do you, uh...do you wanna talk about it? About your injury?"

Clyde tilted his head up and shot daggers at Kenny through his eyelashes. Kenny raised his hands up and quietly laughed.

"Okay, okay. You don't need to."

Clyde's sniffles punctuated the silence. Kenny began to feel restless just sitting there without getting to the reason why he came to check on Clyde in the first place.

"So, uh...thank you for not taking advantage of my sister's crush on you."

Clyde looked up and stared at Kenny. Kenny could feel his eyes on him, but he couldn't get himself to look back at Clyde.

"I heard the whole thing. Craig came to let me know once he figured out Karen was the one who was sending you love notes or something. It doesn't surprise me, actually. She's talked about you a lot the last two weeks. It's been kinda annoying, to be honest."

Kenny chuckled to himself. Clyde laughed through his nose.

"I initially went outside because I was intending to kick your ass. I thought that you were going to try to use her to get a point and to fuck with me."

"Jesus Christ, McCormick, what kind of person do you think I am?!" Clyde said. It was now Kenny's turn to give the incredulous look. "Okay, okay. That does sound like something I'd do."

"Look," Kenny continued, "I don't understand Karen's taste in men, but I appreciate that you took the time to talk her through things."

"Of course," said Clyde. "Karen seems like a great kid, and I'm not an asshole."

Kenny rolled his eyes.

"Hey! I'm not that much of an asshole. It sucks to be rejected. I've been rejected dozens of times, and I never want to treat others the way I was treated."

"Damn, how bad were these rejections?" Kenny asked.

Clyde sighed. "Well, I suppose I should've known that's what I'd get for propositioning a group of college girls when my dad and I were in Florida on vacation two years ago. A fifteen year old boy trying to invite twenty year old girls to a party in his pants is not recommended."

Kenny burst out laughing. He grabbed the edge of the bench to prevent himself from falling over as he leaned back. Clyde smirked, and eventually joined in the laughter.

Clyde sighed and shifted on the bench. He hissed and grimaced when he tried to bend his knee.

"Do they know what's wrong with it?" Kenny asked, nodding to Clyde's leg. He scooted closer to Clyde so they were side by side.

"The athletic trainer thinks it might be an ACL tear. Those are really common, especially with football. If it is and it's bad enough, I'll need surgery and lots of physical therapy...and I won't be able to play for the rest of the season."

His face scrunched up again as tears began to well in his eyes.

"If I'm out for the rest of the season, then I'm royally fucked. If I'm not playing, then no recruiters are going to see me and there goes my chance to be play college ball. I mean," Clyde sniffled, "I could technically go to open try-outs, but that can be a lot harder, and without an invitation to play football that comes with a scholarship...dude, my grades aren't good enough alone to make it into college. I'd end up staying in South Park forever. I'd probably eventually end up taking over Toe Jams from my dad. I love him, but that's not the life I want. Selling fucking shoes."

Kenny nodded silently. He knew the feeling. The worry about being stuck forever in the town he was born in. A town that, despite many improvements over his lifetime, still didn't have many opportunities for people to thrive doing what they loved.

"They told me I need to get an x-ray to get a full assessment of the damage to my knee, and that I should see a sports orthopedist. There's one in Denver that's open on Saturdays, so my dad and I are going up there in the morning."

"That really sucks," said Kenny.

Silence fell between them once again. Kenny wasn't sure what to say to make things better. Clyde looked deep in thought, several emotions swirling around in his head.

"This...feels weird," said Clyde. "You and I, sitting next to each other. Alone. Not trying to kill each other," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so," Kenny replied. "But hell, we used to talk like this all the time back in middle school."

Clyde briefly looked Kenny in the eyes. His brown eyes were full of sadness, and perhaps a little regret. Kenny thought that Clyde wanted to say something, but ultimately he looked away, saying nothing.

"Hello? Clyde?" A new voice rung out through the locker room. It was a girl's voice, and Kenny recognized it instantly.

Karen found the two of them, a fresh box of hot pizza in her hands.

"Karen! Where the hell did you get that pizza?" Kenny smirked.

"I called Shakey's and ordered delivery to the football field. I thought they'd laugh at me, but they actually did it!" Her eyes flitted over to Clyde, then back to Kenny. "I was wondering if Clyde would be willing to do a friend date with some pizza. You know, since the romantic date with ice cream isn't an option. I was thinking a lot during the game, and—if it's okay with you, Clyde—I'd like to get to know you better. A-as a friend only! Promise!"

Clyde smiled. "I've never been one to turn down free pizza."

"Well, this is obviously my cue to get the fuck outta here," Kenny said, standing up and stretching. "I've got work tomorrow. Enjoy the pizza. I'll see you back at home, Karen." He motioned to Clyde. "Will your dad be okay giving her a ride home?"

"Yeah, my dad's good for that. I'll make sure she gets back safely."

"You'd better," said Kenny. "'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna beat your ass."

Kenny began to leave the locker room, but lingered in the doorway for a moment. He could hear Karen already asking Clyde a million questions. He smiled, glad that his sister was making another friend.

He sighed wistfully once he got outside. For a moment back there, it had almost felt like old times. Kenny shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked across the field to the parking lot and back to the present.