Chapter 9:

Author Note: For future reference, I am awful at math. So if none of this makes sense, roll with it!;)

Wendy PoV

"So then if you move the 'x' to the other side of the equation, minus the two you took earlier on, it equals out to 4x." I explain to Stan for the second time. "You got that?"

"…Not really." He frowns, moving his finger over the paper. I can see the rusty cogs in his brain slowly trying to move amongst all the other 'more important' thoughts such as football, sex, video games and pizza. The extent of a teenage boy's mind. I had been with Stan long enough to understand that better than he did.

"Stan!" I whine. "How is it so hard to understand, it's a basic equation! This is ninth grade stuff."

"I just don't understand how the 'y' is now a positive when it was a negative before." He groans.

"Because we reversed the symbols." I empathise, I should be a teacher. "That's the whole point of this method. You change the addition to a subtraction, reverse the letters and then it becomes a positive. Then you can work with the positive numbers to solve the equation, which makes it simpler."

"It doesn't seem very simple." He mutters, throwing his pencil down on the desk. "I suck at math."

"I know you do." I laugh and he rolls his eyes before his face cracks into a smile. It was true, Stan did suck at math. He sucked at quite a few academic subjects actually but was ace at sport. The only sport anyone was better than him in was basketball, which was Kyle's forte. Unless you are including Bridon Gueermo from the year below, who was absolutely amazing at it. I was given the gift of being talented in both academic subjects and physical education, as well as public speaking, which was unfortunate as it resulted in me having to tutor my boyfriend whenever he got stuck on his homework.

"Dinner's ready kids." Sharon calls up the stairs. Finally, an excuse to stop staring at the same question we were on half an hour ago.

"You know, I don't think I am going to bother with this." Stan stands up and I follow him downstairs. "I'll just tell Mr Lambert that I found it too tough."

"Newsflash, Stan didn't do his homework." I nudge him playfully as we sit down at the dinner table. "But you do have to do an exam in this subject Stan."

"Have you not done your homework again Stanley?" Sharon inquires as she dishes up our plates with chicken, buttered noodles and peas.

"Well I am going to get a football scholarship anyway, so my math exam won't matter." He shrugs and receives his meal along with a glare off his mother.

"Confident." I joke, pointing the fork at him before tucking in to the food.

"Ugh, football." Randy groans with his mouth full. "I always dreamed you would come and work with me, you know, at the office. It'd be like a father and son business."

Stan almost chokes on his laughter and I have to put my hand in front of my face to hide a smile. "Work with you?" He chortles. "What so I can drink coffee all day and only be used for work when a resident combusts into thin air?"

"Stanley!" Sharon scolds him. "Your dad works very hard at his job, apologise now."

"Yeah turd." Shelly pipes up. "Apologise."

"Oh yes sorry Shelly, I forgot about your well paid job you have considering you still live with your parents at the age of twenty." Stan mocks, I was used to these arguments they had at the dinner table. Stan was not afraid of Shelly now he was a foot taller than her, so she could no longer beat him up.

"Stan, chill." I soothe, noticing the angry expressions on everyone's faces. "What's got into you?"

"I'm just annoyed that I can never do anything, that's all." He stresses, slamming his cutlery down onto his plate.

"Well maybe you should listen to your girlfriend." Sharon suggests as I feel my phone vibrate. "Perfect role model right there."

"Ugh, why don't you adopt her as your daughter instead then?" He snaps.

"That would be slightly incestuous Stan." Randy grimaces.

"Why does my life suck so much?" Stan whines and I look up at him.

"I wouldn't speak too soon Stan." I warn him, holding up my cell phone. "Bebe texted; Kenny's mom has gone back into hospital."

Cartman PoV

Walking to Kyle's house was probably a bad idea because I was pretty certain I was going to faint any second now. But I had to talk to him, plus I needed the exercise and it allowed me to avoid the hamburgers mom was making for tea. I could just hang around in an alley for a bit and tell her that I had eaten at Kyle's. I break into a jog again when I had caught my breath back, but get tired after about half a minute. This was useless. I was useless; I was a fat lump who couldn't even run for an adequate length of time. Why did my mother have to bring me up like this? I was an embarrassment to myself, to her, to all of South Park.

I knock on Kyle's door weakly before I regret the journey. I am still panting and keeling over, my arm propping myself up by clinging onto the side of the door frame. The door flies open suddenly and I raise my head to see not Kyle, but instead a blonde chick who was insanely beautiful. I pause for a second, double checking the house number. She scans me up and down, waiting for me to respond.

"Kyle, there's a fat kid on the doorstep." She suddenly yells, in a thick Eastern accent. "…He kinda looks like he's dying."

"Ay!" I yell at her, she might be pretty, but she was very rude. Kyle appears behind her and she walks off, giving me a look before leaving.

"Wow Cartman." Kyle begins to laugh at me. "What did you do, run here?"

"Yes." I reply bluntly and he looks taken aback. "Who was that?"

"My um…" He hesitates. "My cousin. Sian."

"She is your cousin?" I inquire, beyond disbelief.

"Yes."

"So you're related?"

"Yes."

"Like, seriously?"

"Yes." Kyle snaps. "What do you want Cartman?"

"Wow…" I chuckle and then remember the reason I am here. "I came to say thank you."

"…What?" Kyle frowns, those words didn't often come out of my mouth.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. You have shown me the way, demonstrated how I am viewed by all society." I recite and his face becomes even more confused. "You were right and I'm going to change."

There was a long silence, this was longer than when Kyle had said something similar to me, on my doorstep after watching 'The Passion of a Jew' back in fourth grade.

"…But, I insulted you." He finally says.

"I know." I nod. "Thank you."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kyle yells. "Why aren't you beating me up?"

"…Because I don't want to beat you up Kyle." I tell him and he reaches out his hand to feel my forehead.

"You have a fever." He concludes and I glare at him.

"No, I don't Kyle." I shout, annoyed. Why did everyone always assume I was an uncaring, fat, racist, sadistic, sexist child? That was only my part time job. "I told you, I ran here. That is why I am all hot and sweaty."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" He stares at me and I nod. "You don't have to do this Cartman, you're fine the way you are. I just got agitated and lashed out, that's all."

"No Kyle." I silence him. "You were right, I told you. I am doing this for myself, to show myself that I can be strong."

"Well, don't do anything stupid." Kyle whispers, as if he actually cared for once. "Promise?"

I cross my fingers behind my back and look him straight in the eye. "Promise."