Chapter Twenty One

Wendy was nervous to find herself walking down the corridors of the school with Bebe chirruping at her side. How had their break gone so quickly? Wendy was on edge expecting that at any moment Heidi or Stan would suddenly appear around the corner in a very dramatic horror movie kind of way of course.

So far Heidi's notorious triple date only involved four people. It being Wendy's responsibility to ask Stan and Cartman. She had a few days to do it in but somehow she couldn't gather up the nerve. Both of them required such different approaches. Now she had left it until the worst possible time in front of the most possible people.

She was half way to her locker when she heard her name called out.

"Hey Wendy wait up!"

She froze in her steps. Oh god here we go.

"Do you want me to stay?" Bebe asked from beside her. The blond had slowed to a stop with her in support of her best friend. "Pretend that we have to get somewhere really fast?"

"No it's okay, go talk to Kyle" Wendy muttered turning her head slightly to see that the redhead was right by his best friend's side as if she even needed to look.

"You sure?" Bebe asked and Wendy nodded quickly before turning to face Stan who was slightly flushed having picked up his pace to catch her.

"Hey" he said his face breaking into a smile. Wendy smiled back awkwardly her eyes darting everywhere but his face. "Where did you go on Saturday night I looked for you everywhere".

"Oh I just was pretty tired" Wendy answered too quickly. Her heart was thudding with trepidation. How much did Stan remember about that night? He certainly wasn't acting like someone who had been rejected. She really wasn't looking forward to starting this all over again.

"I barely got to see you" his face melting in that pathetic way it did when he was with her. Stan was not a soppy or overly emotionally guy except for some reason when he was around her. That look made Wendy feel awful.

She took a deep breath wondering when to start. "Well you're young and single I'm sure there are plenty of ladies who's company you would enjoy".

Wendy was fighting to keep her voice under control. She was vaguely aware that people had stopped in the midst of their daily routines to watch them as if they could sense the drama unfolding. As always no one had anything better to do in South Park.

"I only want to spend time with you" Stan's replied his puppy eyes getting wider. There were a few audible 'awwws' from gushing girls standing around them.

"Stan" Wendy whispered harshly drawing "Please not right now, not here".

"Wendy I just want to talk please" Stan continued.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about" Wendy turned around and almost walked straight into Heidi who was standing there as if expecting her with her arms crossed and the same smirk on her lips.

"Oh I really think you do" she said.

"Heidi can you stay out of this for a minute?" Stan said his face growing annoyed an expression that everyone else around was far more used to seeing than this pathetic groveling.

For a moment Heidi looked offended but her smile was recovered quickly when she realized the bargaining power she now had.

"Just one second" she said getting out her iphone. "I've just got to send something".

Wendy grabbed Heidi's hand in desperation. The iphone clanged against the floor. There was a gasp from their growing audience. Well that was one way to get rid of the evidence Wendy thought with a smile then realized that Heidi had actually taken the incriminating photo on a camera and doubtlessly had made copies.

"Stan doesn't Heidi look pretty today?" she said out of the blue bending down to pick up the brunette's phone deliberately leaving the pair a moment to stare at one another. Heidi battered her eyelashes whilst Stan looked absolutely clueless. It would have been funny if the consequences weren't so dire.

"You should come hang out with us on Friday" Wendy blurted suddenly. Oh very smooth Testaberger very smooth. Heidi shot her a look but it was nothing compared to how Stan was looking at her.

"What do you want fucking space or not? Goddamnit Wendy you're so confusing!"

"I want space until then" Wendy was continuing to say the first thing that came to her head. She took a step away and Stan grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Please Wendy don't do this I'm fucking sorry okay" his grip went limp when she stared back at him.

"We'll talk on Friday" Wendy said. "Just please give me some space". She gave his hand a squeeze to comfort him and quickly walked away through the staring crowds. Heidi was quick to follow.

"What the hell was that?" She hissed in Wendy's ear. "Could you have fucked it up anymore?"

"I can't make him fall for you Heidi" Wendy said softly.

"Yeah well I can definitely make your best friend loathe you in a matter of mere seconds so if you'd excuse me".

Wendy caught Heidi's arm without looking at her. "Look this isn't going to happen in a few seconds. He has to slowly develop an interest in you and that's not going to happen if he knows that you're blackmailing his best friend. You have to be nice and by the end of the week you'll start looking like a better alternative to me at the dinner you can prove it".

Wendy didn't mean a word of it but Heidi looked impressed enough. "Okay then Testaberger the picture is safe but if you try to sabotage me any further you'll now about it". She swept her dark hair off to the side and strode off leaving Wendy on her own.

"What was all that about?" Bebe asked when Wendy finally met her at the lockers. "Are you and Heidi friends again?"

"Just talking about the dinner" Wendy didn't want to call it a triple date seeing as she was unsure exactly which couple was matched up with whom.

"Oh god you're still going ahead with that?" Bebe asked. "I thought you'd have realized it was a pretty bad idea by now".

"No it will be fine, does that mean you didn't ask Kyle?" Wendy whirled around.

Bebe shrugged. "No it's cool I did just this whole thing is really weird Weds, it's like there's something you're not telling me, some evil plot or something".

"Be when I have kept anything from you?" It burned Wendy's throat to ask but Bebe's face seemed lighter as if she was relieved.

"You mean apart from the whole fat boy fetish?" the blonde asked her eyebrow raised her eyes sparkling.

"It is not a fetish" Wendy hissed at her. "It's just him"

"Whatever" Bebe said closing the door of her locker once she had gathered out all her necessary books. "Have you seen him yet?"

"No" Wendy blushed. She hadn't told Bebe about the text that he had sent her either and the fact that she was still unsure what to reply back to it.

"Oh my god you guys are so unorganized" Bebe sighed exasperated.

"Didn't know that this sort of thing ran by a schedule" Wendy said her eyes narrowing.

"Come on we're going to be late for class" Bebe said telling Wendy that she wanted to put an end to their conversation. That girl never cared if she was late for class.

"Okay".

Cartman wasn't in their first class. Wendy wasn't sure whether she should be glad of this or not. On one hand she was still nervous to speak to him and on the other she really badly wanted to see him. Just a glance from him would be able to tell her whether or not he wanted to continue this relationship like thing.

Stan didn't say a word to her the whole class but he kept looking over his shoulder to stare at her. Kyle by his side kept hitting his arm everytime he did and he would eventually look away but it wouldn't' take him very long to turn back again. Wendy tried to pretend that she didn't notice. What was she going to do when Heidi realized that Stan had no interest in her whatsoever. Hopefully she'd be far far away by that stage.

The rest of her day seemed to lack point. It was odd to be drifting through the halls of the school heading along to classes like before the exams and all the associated drama. It was strange not going to student council or trying to keep the girls planning the prom in check. Wendy felt tired. She watched as everyone slowly settled back into school life but she kept looking over her shoulder trying to find Cartman. It seemed that he hadn't even bothered turning up to school today. She couldn't help feeling disappointed that he wasn't here. God she had even been looking forward to detention just to see him.

Strangely enough it was when Wendy didn't expect Cartman that she first ran into him. Or rather he tripped over her. She was fixing her shoelace in the middle of the hall before going to meet with Bebe in the lunch hall when he ran into her. Everyone else was already there the halls were thankfully empty. Still Cartman hadn't even been looking.

"Oh my god watch it arsehole" Wendy cried before she realized it was him.

"Well way to block the entire corridor you fat bitch" Cartman snapped back. Wendy didn't know whether to feel hurt more at the fact that he had just crash landed into her back or hadn't recognized her.

"Oh it's you" he said when their eyes finally met for a brief second.

"Don't sound too thrilled" Wendy snarled. This wasn't the happy reunion that she was expecting. Not that she really knew what she was expecting just that this wasn't it.

"Oh what should I be Wendy? Happy that you've rejected my messages and calls all weekend!"

"It was one text Cartman" Wendy said feeling a little ashamed now that she hadn't replied. She honestly didn't think that it would bother him. She couldn't picture Cartman as a guy who would wait by his phone constantly checking it to see if a girl he liked replied. Maybe she had misjudged him.

"Yeah well it could have a been few texts maybe even a call to see if you wanted to go do something but I guess you're not that interested".

"No Cartman wait" Wendy said unsure of whether he'd listen to her or not. He stopped just at the last moment and turned back to her.

He stood there for a moment waiting for her to speak. Wendy cast a nervous glance around her sure that was someone was going to walk by at any moment.

She stood on her tiptoes to reach up and kiss him. He was surprised by the move but melted into the kiss soon enough. Wendy closed her eyes feeling a warm rush through her as his arms encircled her waist.

"Why didn't you text back?" he whispered once their kiss was over his eyes still closed. Wendy lent up against his shoulder.

"I didn't know what to say" she said honestly.

"Well that works fucking well doesn't it bitch! Have me agonizing just because you didn't know what to say!" Cartman pushed her away and Wendy stumbling back surprised.

She shoved him back annoyed aware that her small frame wouldn't make the tiniest impact on Cartman. It was like an elephant batting away a fly. "Well what did you want a fucking poem or something?"

"Just a reply would have been nice" Cartman growled and Wendy wished that she didn't have a strong urge to kiss him again. "Why are you even still talking to me?"

"Because" Wendy growled through closed teeth. "I wanted to ask you out to dinner on Friday?"

Cartman stopped. "Dinner?" he asked.

"Yes" Wendy said watching the change in expression over his face.

"Hell yeah".

"God you're strange" Wendy sighed.

A/N- Hey all thanks for reading. Who wants to have bets on what Mysterion's real identity is? I totally hope it's Wendy. If it's just Kenny or someone that would be pretty lame.