Short Stories with Tragic Endings
Stan and Kyle
Stan
I'm having trouble believing it. Kyle apologized. Yet, he's still leaving. I couldn't accept his apology because wouldn't that be saying I forgive him? I don't, I want to, but I can't. Eventually I know I'll be able too, just not now.
And to think that yesterday things were so tense, but then I asked him to help me cook and before I know it we're talking like…friends. And he's asking me questions and apologizing and…fuck was this really only yesterday?
"Get up dude," I say entering Kyle's room and flicking on his lights. I watch irritated as he digs himself further under his covers. "Come on," I add impatiently as I walk into his room and nudge him slightly. Kyle groans softly but doesn't emerge from his cave. "Would you stop being a kid about this Kyle?" I snap yanking off his covers and tossing them at the foot of his bed.
"What?" He finally says back crankily, but he still hasn't moved. All he's done is tighten his body in a little ball while he refuses to open his eyes. "I don't work today," he adds.
"We have to get to Zanadaci's, he called. Something about us signing off on the credit cards – get the fuck up Kyle!" I bark when I see him bleary eyed start to reach for his covers. "God, are you always this bad of a morning person?"
"Only when I don wanna get up," he murmurs.
"Dude if you don't get up in one minute I'm tossing your Versace sunglasses out the window."
"Don't you fucking dare you asshole!" He jolts up alarmed, looking ready to attack me.
I hold out his sunglasses to him and he yanks them from me with a frown, plopping them on his disheveled hair. "That was a dirty trick," he growls out to me standing and stretching his body beside me. "What did Zanadaci need to see us about? …hello? Stan? Stan!"
"What?" I jump in surprise to meet his face.
"I said whatdid Zanadaci want to see us about?"
"Hm?" I mutter distractedly, something about Kyle's distracting me but I can't place what…
"Dude what's your deal?" He says getting up and tossing a shirt over his head as he reluctantly gets out of bed. "And stop staring at me like that, you're giving me the fucking creeps," he mutters and it's what shakes me out of my daze.
I turn around, feeling the heat rush to my face. I clear my throat, "hurry up, I want to leave in fifteen minutes," I say before walking out, hearing Kyle complain that he needs at least twenty to fully wake himself up.
Having gone out to get a cup of coffee before I woke Kyle up I sit at the dining table and nurse the venti sized drink. Zanadaci is who woke me.
He had been hesitant on the phone, almost as if he'd be weary that I'd start complaining about Kyle again. Almost funny. Because a few days ago I'd be doing just that, but now…Zanadaci said we had to come in person to his office to sign off on the credit card bills to be sure that everything the bill stated was something we actually bought.
I don't want to go. I'm not looking forward to it at all. It's only a reminder of the seemingly evitable. That Kyle's leaving…in two days.
I didn't sleep a wink last night. I've been trying to think of something, anything I could say or do that would make him change his mind in 48 hours. Instead all I did was get no sleep and a raging headache. Coffee probably isn't helping but I want the bags under my eyes to go away.
When I had to go into Kyle's room this morning to wake him up I stood outside of his door for ten minutes. It's the first time I've had to wake him up for something and I wasn't sure how to go about it given last night, given the past two months…finally after deciding the best thing to prove that I was, at the very least, accepting of his apology I walked in and tried to make it seem like I've always woken him up and he played his part well. Acting like he's always had to resist me.
I rest my forehead against the table.
What am I going to do? Two days? Gimme a fucking break…
"Did you get me one?" Comes Kyle's voice and I snap my head to look at him. He's slipping on his jacket and plopping his sunglasses over his hair absentmindedly.
"One what?"
"Coffee."
I look at my drink, cursing inwardly. That would have been the obvious move to make.
He snorts, "not surprised there," he mutters. "Never mind, let's get something for me on the way."
I nod and stand, "you want to drive or shou-"
"You drive," he cut me off. "I still haven't called my parents about coming home and I need someone to pick me up from the airport, I'm sure my mom will insist on shipping my car again…damn I wish Ike was 16," he says more to himself as we leave, locking up behind us and heading for my car.
"Hm, actually maybe I'll call Frey," Kyle mutters to himself and he holds down a number in cell and it automatically starts dialing a number.
Heading for Mr. Zanadaci's office, I listen to his side of the conversation. I can't help it after all. I'm less than a foot away from him.
"Z!" He says cheerfully before starting to laugh. "Yeah, I need something. But don't worry it wont cost money, unless you count gas…" there's a pause from him. "I'm coming home in two days and I was wondering if you could pick me up? I don't want to have to deal with my mom quite yet." Another long pause. "Yeah I know I wasn't originally going to be back for another two and a half months, but…" Kyle glances over at me. "I'll explain later, but can you pick me up?"
He pauses, "thanks! I'll be coming from gate L4 and my plane should get there at about noon."
There's a long stretch and I see Kyle nodding, "yeah, and dude really thanks. I'll see you in two days then…okay, bye Frey."
"So…your friend can pick you up alright?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah, Frey's great…" Kyle chuckles slightly, but it sounds a little on the overwhelmed side. "I still have to pack everything…and ship everything…ugh, what the hell was I thinking only giving myself a week to leave?"
"I think…you were getting back at me as fast as you could."
Kyle laughs, "yeah, but now I've inconvenienced you. You'll have to take care of returning all the rental furniture yourself, and you'll have to deal with the cleaning of the apartment and, fuck I'm leaving you to do everything!"
I stay silent to this. Of course I know this, but the way he's talking about it…you'd think he was leaving in a few hours.
When we reach Zanadaci's office we're immediately allowed to see him. When we enter he's on the phone with someone but he gestures to the two seats in front of his desk. Kyle takes the left one and I take the right. A few minutes later Zanadaci has ended his phone call and pulls out a file that's marked with our names. He looks through them for a silent moment before sliding over a few statements.
"Is everything marked correctly on the credit bills?" He asks.
Kyle and I lean toward the paper together, and almost automatically flinch away from each other. I sigh and nod for him to look over things first. He does so before letting me have a look.
"Everything looks fine to me," Kyle says and I nod in agreement.
"Good, then if you would both sign the bottom of the paper, here and here," Zanadaci says as he points to the spots. After quickly scanning the contents of the paper Kyle signs, and I glance at him warily before signing afterward.
"Anything else?" Kyle asks.
"Not for two more days, thank you boys for coming in early this morning," the lawyer says nodding to us.
"Sure," I say and stand, watching as Kyle follows suit. Mr. Zanadaci's phone rings and he smiles at us before taking the call and waving at us slightly as we leave his office.
"That didn't take very long," Kyle says as we step back into my car. When I don't turn on the engine he peers over at me. "Should we…get going then?" He asks slowly.
Something to make him stay…I need to think of something.
"Did you…want to go say goodbye to anyone? You're only here for two more days and you should spend tomorrow packing don't you think?" I ask suddenly. Prodding him along to say his goodbye's doesn't seem like the best move to make him stay here in South Park, but it escaped me before I could stop it.
"Oh," Kyle leans into the seat looking out the front window. "I guess you're right." He turns back to me and gives me a small smile. "The girls should be at Cherry Kiss as usual, do you want to head there, and we can have lunch while we're there?"
Starting the engine and heading for the restaurant provides him my answer and the minute we arrive and step inside I realize maybe Kyle had made friends while he was here. He's instantly greeted by a number of customers, all giving me hard looks. He stops by each one to give them a smile and a bit of small talk, but it's the former Raisin Girls that grab a hold of most of his attention.
I've seen the girls around town of course, but I never really got to know them, even after all these years. Bebe has never been fond of them for some reason so I never saw a purpose for getting to know them either.
Kyle is standing beside a blonde and redhead, but he's practically yanked down to join them. He says something I don't hear but he looks over at me and all the girls turn to look at me as well, the disapproval in their eyes is apparent and I'm starting to wonder what Kyle has said about me to them, to everyone, in this restaurant.
The redhead, who had been the one to grab a hold of him, releases Kyle with a small frown and as she says something she looks pointedly back at me. The last of the girls, a black haired one, suddenly bursts out crying and Kyle looks a little panicked, and a little exasperated as he comforts her.
Eventually, each girl gets a tight hug, and a kiss…
Kyle stands and waves to them before heading toward the back. "I'm going to say goodbye to Chef real quick!" He calls out to me and I nod, letting him know I heard him. The moment he disappears into the back, all eyes turn to me and I back away closer toward the door.
There is no way Kyle and I are going to eat here. No way.
The crowd is silent as they eye me up and down, making me feel pretty damn uncomfortable but no one says anything and they immediately go back to talking and chattering amongst themselves when Kyle returns.
"Ready to go?" I ask the second he's close enough to hear me.
"I thought we were going to eat here?"
I peer behind him at all the people who are sneaking looks at us and probably eavesdropping on our conversation, the girls in particular.
"I'd rather not," I mutter and at this Kyle furrows his eyebrows together in confusion before whipping his head around. By the time he has the groups of people have already gone back to acting normal.
"Hm," he mutters. "Maybe you're right. Let's go…" He pauses as I open the door, turning back to everyone in the restaurant, Chef and another guy who emerged from the rear, included.
"I loved working here, thanks everyone…" he says smiling before he walks out of the restaurant ahead of me, leaving me alone inside.
All eyes turn to me and I meet each one, "I don't know how…" I start hesitantly. "But I'm going to get Kyle to stay."
No one looks like they believe me, in fact they all still look like they don't care for me, even if I have known a large portion of them my entire life.
"Good luck Stan," says a low voice and I nod my appreciation at Chef just as I exit the building.
"Where to now?" I ask. "Want to find some place to eat?"
"Nah," he says resolutely. "Now I'm in the mood for goodbye's…can we head to your parents house? I never really thanked them for letting me stay over for Christmas."
"Sure."
Kyle
"You're leaving?" Mrs. Marsh asks me surprised.
I nod.
"I'm not sure if I understand why."
I glance over at Stan for help. I don't want to be the one to tell his mother why I'm leaving and why I believe it's best for Stan and me to cut our losses and for me to return home.
"I'll explain later mom," Stan answers.
"I had wanted to say goodbye and to thank you and Mr. Marsh for letting me stay over for the Christmas holiday," I tell her and Mr. Marsh as I look at them from across the table.
Once we had gotten to Stan's house his mom had pulled us both in before we had said anything and got to fixing a few drinks and sandwiches for us to consume while we sat at their dining table and talked.
"It's not a problem at all Kyle, but I thought if you two wanted Kenny's belongings you had to fulfill this whole living arrangement thing?" Mr. Marsh questions, looking back and forth at me and Stan.
"We do," Stan says harshly and with a hint of finality. Neither of his parents asks anymore questions about my upcoming departure. Instead the conversation shifts to safe territory.
"The Nuggets are doing really well this year Stan," Mr. Marsh pipes up as he takes a bite of his sandwich, chewing loudly.
"Yeah, I've been following," he replies.
"Didn't you used to want to play for the Nuggets Kyle?" Mrs. Marsh asks me and I turn my attention to her, laughing slightly.
"Yeah, back when I was nine."
"Do you still play basketball, maybe at Stanford?"
"Not for the actual team, but I play in intramurals as point guard," I say not completely able to keep the pride out of my voice. I may not play for the team and I may have no hopes at going pro, but it's always nice to know that I've sorta completed an old goal. I'm not short but I'm not basketball tall either and I'm still not black, but I've made up for it by honing what I could do. And what I lack in height I make up for in stealth. It's gotten easy to duck and dodge around the taller players.
"Oh really," she says interested.
"You still play," Stan says as a statement and I nod.
"Do you still like the Nuggets?" Mr. Marsh wonders.
I grin, "Yeah, still my favorite team, I just don't go around saying that to my friends who are fan's of the Lakers."
"Probably a good safety move," he nods approvingly. "Glad to know you're still a Denver fan through and through Kyle."
"Thanks," I beam at him.
"I'll take you to a game sometime," Stan suddenly says. "When you come back and visit." He adds.
I study him closely, "really?" I almost don't believe him. That seems too much like what good friends do, go to a ball game together.
"Yeah, I promise. It'll be fun."
"…okay," I smile at him and the conversation suddenly shifts to another topic.
Before long Stan and I rise to leave, and I say my final goodbye's to the Marsh's getting hugs from the both of them. Just as we open the door to leave we're both startled at seeing Bebe gracing the porch, her hand raised about ready to knock.
"Bebe!" Stan says in surprise, and I watch confused as his face turns cold. "What are you doing here?"
"I came by to visit your parents," she says hesitantly as she glances at me before looking behind us and greeting Mr. and Mrs. Marsh.
Looking at her I'm just now realizing that Stan hasn't gone off to visit her this entire past week. I guess they're fighting about something, but I'm glad we ran into her.
"I don't want to stop you from your visit, but I can at least say goodbye to you," I tell her with a warm smile.
Instead of smiling back she frowns after sneaking a glance at Stan who is looking ahead at nothing, an annoyed glint in his eyes.
"Yes…Stan told me you were leaving. I'm…sorry to see you go."
Stan snorts loudly and suddenly and Bebe whips her head to him. "I am sorry to see him go!"
I have a funny feeling their fight has something to do with me, but I don't ask and she, almost as if to prove Stan wrong, envelopes me in a tight hug. "I will miss you Kyle. You should come back and visit okay?" She says softly and I nod into her blonde curls before pulling away.
"I already have plans too," I tell her honestly when I think of the invite I've already received from Stan. Not that I figured I'd never come back here. Mercedes, Lexus, Porscha, and Chef mean enough to me that I wouldn't turn my back on Colorado for another eleven years.
"Kyle and I need to get going Bebe, he has a lot of packing to do," Stan's harsh voice cuts in and we step away from her. Bebe sighs but gives me a tight smile as she makes her way past us and into the house where the Marsh's are waiting.
"Are you and Bebe fighting?" I ask the obvious question once we're back in his car and on the main road.
"Yeah."
"Oh." I say nothing more and Stan doesn't elaborate, not that he ever does.
"Kyle," he starts suddenly at a red light, turning to face me.
"Yeah?" I ask not being able to keep the blatant hope out of my voice.
Stan darts his blue eyes back ahead, pauses, and let's out a long sigh, "never mind," he mumbles. I jump slightly when he bangs a fist against his steering wheel, but I don't mention anything of it, and neither does he.
"Do you think Craig and Token are around?" I speak up timidly, when we've been driving around for awhile in dead silence.
I haven't spoken with either of them since New Years. No…particular reason. I've just been busy. At the time, work and Stan alone took a lot out of me.
"They're always around," he responds and pulls into a fast food place before backing up and turning around. As I'm about to ask where we're going he pulls into a driveway and I recognize Craig's house. He and Token are even sitting outside of it. Craig is sitting on the railing of the porch and Token is sitting on the steps talking to him. Both look over at the sight and sound of Stan's car entering the driveway. The second we step out of the car, Craig speaks up.
"Well, well, well…if today wasn't already a weird day now I'm seeing Staney with Kyle. Token tell me I've lost my mind."
"Stop being so dramatic," the other boy says clearly on the brink of rolling his eyes. Token stands and looks at us strangely before his eyes rest on me. "How've you been Kyle, haven't seen you since New Years."
I shrug apologetically, "I've been good. You?"
"Same, having to deal with him," he gestures his head pointedly at Craig. "But I'm used to it."
"You act like I'm difficult asshole," Craig replies as he hopes off the railing and approaches the rest of us.
"You are," Token replies to him raising a black eyebrow.
Frowning and deciding to ignore his friend Craig looks over at Stan and me, "so what brings you both here…together?"
I suck in a breath, "I wanted to say goodbye to you guys."
"Goodbye?" The both say puzzled.
"Yeah, I'm…going back home, not tomorrow, but the day after."
"What, why?" Craig asks sounding dismayed at the idea.
"I think its best," I answer.
"And you, you think it's best to be driving him away you fucker?" Craig growls over at Stan who scowls at him.
"He's not driving me away," I cut Craig off. "At least not anymore, it was my idea to leave, but we've sorta…resolved our problems."
"But the agreement from Kenny?" Token questions.
I sigh, "Is going to be broken."
"Wait, slow down," Craig says seriously. "You two," he points at us, "after two months of hell, get along now?" We nod. "You get along," he continues, "but you're leaving anyway?" He asks sounding confused at the idea.
"I think its best," I repeat myself.
"Maybe I am the idiot everyone makes me out to be but I'm confused at why you're leaving if you both get along now," he frowns at the both of us.
"Kyle wants to go back home and that's that," Stan speaks up finally. "Leave it there."
"And you?" Token asks quietly to Stan and we all look at him. He shrugs and says nothing. "Godamnit Stan," he mutters.
"At least we're parting on good terms right?" I ask trying to be cheerful.
"You shouldn't be parting at all you two are like-"
"Craig," Stan interrupts staring at him hard. The brunette sighs but shuts his mouth.
"I wanted to say goodbye," I say once more and look at the two of them. They look more dejected than I would have thought they would be over my leaving. But maybe the look is for Stan and not really for me. I know they worry about him, everyone, it seems, does. "But I'll be back to visit," I assure them and look at Stan, "Stan invited me to a Denver Nuggets game and I'm going to hold him to it, you guys should come with us when we go."
"Yeah," Token nods.
"I guess," Craig replies folding his arms over his chest. "This is adios then Kyle?"
"For now."
Craig gives me a half hearted hug and Token follows suit. "Guess it was good to see you, even if it was only three times in two months," Token says to me as he lets me go. "Keep in contact this time alright?"
"Definitely," I smile at them and turn to Stan noticing that he had been standing to the side most of the time and looking off.
"Ready to go?" He asks suddenly when he catches me staring. I nod, and we head back into his car and back out of Craig's driveway. I wave at them before I've lost sight and Stan turns a corner.
"That's it I suppose," I mutter. "We can go back to the apartment now, unless you have something else to do today?"
"No."
Once home, Stan heads for the kitchen and I fall down on the couch and pull out my phone. I can't avoid the inevitable forever, I have to call my mom and tell her I'm returning home.
Stan
I…there's nothing I can do. I can't think of anything at all that I can do. I even voluntarily took Kyle around South Park yesterday to say his goodbye's. What is this? I was supposed to think of something, even if it was drastic, but…nothing.
For the most part of today Kyle has been out of the apartment. He's been gathering last minute packing supplies and his cell phone has been ringing off the hook with friends and family all wanting to know why he's coming home early. As far as I know he hasn't told anyone exactly why he's returning.
I had offered to make him breakfast this morning but he declined since Mercedes had called him to invite him out. Apparently yesterday's goodbye wasn't enough for her or the other girls and they insisted on seeing him once more before he left.
I've been inside all day, thinking, and coming up with nothing, and now it's nighttime and Kyle is back and he's helping me to fix dinner again.
I could have gotten used to this. The both of us making dinner, talking like the best of friends, laughing, I could do this forever with him.
As soon as dinner is finished the sinking inside of me falls lower and I bite my lip in aggravation as I wash the dishes angrily. I hear the sound of Kyle pushing his chair back and I ditch the plate I was washing to approach him. "Do you…maybe want to go out for dessert or something?"
Kyle looks like he's about to say yes but he stops himself, shaking his head. "I shouldn't. I have to finish packing, I mean I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I still have over half my room to put in boxes."
I rush both my hands through my hair, "do you need any help?"
"…yeah, thanks."
Together we walk into his room which looks like a disaster area, there's stuff all over the place.
"What exactly have you done?" I ask looking around at everything. It doesn't look as if he packed a single thing away.
"I separated everything into piles I want them packed in boxes." He starts to point at the piles and describes how everything in the pile is connected. It actually makes a lot of sense once he explains things to me.
Working side by side in his room we don't talk much. What we're doing just seems so final. Till this very moment I cant think of a single thing I could possibly say or do that could get Kyle to change his mind and not fly home in…I glance at the clock in his room, nine hours. Nine hours. We have to leave to drive him to the airport in nine hours.
"Alright," I say slowly looking around. "Is everything packed?" I ask him softly not facing him as I look out Kyle's mountain view. The one that won't be his for much longer.
"Just about," he responds straightening to his full height as he packs in a few meaningless possessions in a last box. "I've just got tape up a few boxes and then…I think I'm done." I can feel him look over to me I turn slowly to face him.
"Great," I say even though I know my face doesn't relay anything of greatness. "I'll make sure to ship them all to you."
He nods, running a hand through his hair, "thanks."
It was irritating to say the least. Kyle was leaving soon and things barely begun to be resolved between us. It's felt like the last few days of us getting along never really happened and it might as well not have since he's going back to California.
"You should get to bed," he says suddenly to me, interrupting my thoughts. "You've got a full load this week don't you?"
"I do," I tell him thinking of all the homework I need to catch up on since I skipped but, not moving from my position in front of the window.
"Well…goodnight Stan," he says softly, a polite gesture of asking me to leave his room. I do so and he closes the door behind him.
"Night Kyle," I mutter to myself since there's no way he can hear me. With a dejected sigh I make my way to my own bedroom and prepare for bed. Laying down in my queen sized bed I notice for the first time how big it is. What in the hell possessed me to get such a freakishly large bed for one person?
I sigh in annoyance knowing there's nothing I can do about it now, and just try to get some sleep. I'll be getting rid of it soon anyway.
But I can't stop. I can't stop thinking, and I can't stop tossing and turning. And I know these walls are paper thin so Kyle can probably hear me pounding my pillows and constantly rearranging my sheets as I try to get comfortable.
It's impossible. I sit up and look across at my shut door. I wonder if Kyle is still awake. I shouldn't go check, he needs to sleep, and he probably wouldn't want me to bother him…but I just, I can't sleep. Releasing a long sigh I swing my legs over the side of my bed, stand and head for Kyle's room. I wince at the creak his door makes as I slowly open it.
"Kyle?" I whisper out quietly. He turns to face me in the dark, though I can't exactly make out his facial features clearly
"Yeah?" He whispers back, which makes me wonder why we're whispering as we're the only two in the apartment. I clear my throat which doesn't need any clearing, "I haven't woken you up have I?"
"No," He states flatly.
"Oh…good. Hey um…I can't sleep." It takes me awhile to realize that he's waiting for me to continue but I catch on. "I got that huge bed and I'm still not used to sleeping alone anymore…it's unnerving having all that empty space around me…" I stop to rub my arms slightly. "Can I sleep in here with you?"
I can almost see his eyes widen in the dark at my request.
"Kenny and I used to sleep together all the time when we were little," I add on as if that'll help him make his decision. And actually the words 'when we were little' rings in my thoughts but I shake them away and watch as after a long moment he silently pulls back his covers to invite me in.
I climb in beside Kyle after closing his door with a small sigh of relief. I really thought he'd say no. It was an odd question, two grown male's sharing a bed? And when I've comfortably climbed in I realize I probably should have suggested we move to my bed. It's queen sized and Kyle's is only a double.
"Thanks Kyle," I mutter to him releasing a yawn. Now that there's another body beside me my body seems to be recognizing that it is in fact tired and I barely hear him tell me you're welcome before I drift asleep.
The sound of someone muttering quietly to themselves wakes me up when its still the dead of the night. My body's warm and heated and with it always being cold it feels nice. There's a slight bit of warm air being slowly and repeatedly blown on me and after it starts to get a little obnoxious I open my eyes coming face to face with a mop of red hair.
I instantly go rigid before I can think anything more about it. But after looking at his calm sleeping face I relax and take note of what's happened in the few hours that we've been asleep. It looks like we've shifted closer, no doubt due to the fact that it's freezing in here.
I lean away slowly from Kyle to look around his room. The heat must have turned itself off and at some point in the course of us sleeping we kicked off the comforter only leaving his thin sheet as cover. Its no wonder our bodies moved closer for warmth…but for them to entangle the way they have? Because I can feel my legs mixed with another set, and last I checked I didn't grow a few more.
Going slowly so as not to wake him, I shift my body back to its own side of the bed and continue to stare at Kyle. Without thinking I reach out a hand a grab a little bit of his hair watching as it springs back into place when I release it. I think it's official, it's not just wavy now, it's curly. Not tight curls, but looser ones.
I hold my breath when Kyle mutters something and shifts starting to slowly open his eyes. I should not have pulled on his hair like that. He looks over at me drowsily and then he suddenly lets out a yell.
"AHH!"
"AHH!" I yell back and wince in pain after he's pushed me off the bed and onto the floor.
"Oh jeez, shit, sorry Stan!" He says and I see as he leans over the side just in time to see me rub my head slightly. "But you scared me! What were you doing looking at me so closely like that for?!"
I sit up and accept his hand as he helps me up. I sit on the side of his bed and look over at him. "I had only just woken up myself, I didn't mean to startle you," I tell him.
"Oh," rubs his neck slightly. "This bed just isn't made for two people." I nod quietly in agreement before glancing at his clock, and he catches me doing so. "We can probably get a couple more hours of sleep before we have to get up and get going."
My face falls, and I can't help myself. I suddenly grab a hold of him and bury my face into the crook of his neck. He tenses immediately, but I can't blame him, I'd do the same if someone just grabbed a hold of me. I take a deep breath. I don't know if I've ever consciously realized it but he smells like nothing I've smelt before. He smells like him, a mixture of all his expensive shampoo, cologne, and body wash, but it's all very faint since it's been hours since he's used any of it. There's also a natural smell, that's just him, the smell his body creates. It's just Kyle.
"Please don't go," I mutter invading the tense silence that I created by grabbing a hold of him.
He takes such a long time to answer that I wonder if he even heard me.
"…I already have my plane ticket. I already told my mom, my friends. We already told Zanadaci." He finally responds quietly and I sigh, continuing to leave my head where it is.
"But if you go," I start again. "I'll never see you again. I want to see you again." I don't think I can argue with him, if he says he's going to go again, I won't have it in me to fight him on it. "Please don't go," I repeat.
"…okay. I won't go."
I can't help it. I lift my head and push away to stare over at him in disbelief as there was no resistance. Kyle hadn't told me the reasons he couldn't stay to argue with me, they're just simple statements, facts we both knew. He did have a plane ticket to go back to California, he had told his mother and his friends he was coming home early, we did tell Zanadaci that we had agreed to dissolve the agreement early and he had probably filed the papers already.
"You'll stay, really, even though you're unhappy here?" I ask him.
He looks at me closely before pulling me back into him in an embrace. "I'm not unhappy here anymore; I haven't been for the past couple of days."
"What got you stay all of a sudden?"
"It's not sudden. Until now, you've never asked me."
"What?!" I protest and pull away from him again. "Yes I have!"
"Dude, no you haven't. You've said you've wanted me to stay, you've tried to bully me into staying, tried to guilt me into staying, and lately it's seemed like you haven't wanted to be stay at all, but you haven't ever asked me."
I stare at him in silence and try to think over the last week. He has to be full of it. But as I rethink all of our recent conversations I realize I haven't just asked him.
"But it was so simple," I mutter. "Were you not really going to go at all?"
"Of course I was, why would I buy a ticket of I didn't plan on using it? They're non-refundable you know."
"…you were really going to go home?"
"Yeah."
"Even if all I had to do was ask you stay here?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
I instantly get angry, but then just ask quickly it deflates and I find myself confused before I just stop trying to make sense of it. "You're really going to stay here with me?"
"I'm really going to stay here with you."
"Thank you," I say and reach out enveloping him in a hug again. I wonder if he knows the extent to how happy he's made me.
"…sure. I didn't really want to go anyway, I told myself I wanted to go time after time, and that it was for the best if I left but I never truly wanted to leave…I was prepared to, but I didn't want to. Only, Stan?"
"What is it?" I ask pulling back again and going back into my own personal space.
"…do you really want me to stay here, or…do you just want me to stay here because of the agreement?"
"Both," I can't lie and say that I'm not happy we get to complete the agreement, but at least I realize it goes past the agreement.
"…you'd want me here even after that night I slammed you repeatedly into a wall," he asks me, staring.
"Yeah, I respond calmly.
"But…" he stops and it seems like he's going to reach out and touch the back of my head but he stops and lowers his hand back onto his lap. "I could have given you a concussion."
"Yeah, but I'm fine, it was just a bump."
"You should kick me out; you were supposed to kick me out."
"It's not just my place, you live here too. I would never ask you to leave, when have I ever asked you to leave? I might have said I didn't want you here and that I couldn't wait for you to go, but I haven't ever asked you to."
Kyle bites his lip as he looks at me, "I'm still not going to apologize for what I did by the way."
"I didn't think you would. That's okay too, I'll get you back for that, I don't know when, but someday."
He glares at me before sighing, "ah, Stan do you think we can really make this work? You piss me off…so much. Even though we've been getting along the past few days I can't help but think back to all the little things you did to get under my skin."
"The feelings sort of mutual," I agree nodding. "But I don't hate you, and you don't hate me right?" He shakes his head. "So we can do this…as long as you promise not to buy any more black shit."
Kyle snorts, "just promise not to break anything else."
I chuckle lightly and glance at the window, it's twilight out, which means sunset is only a little ways away.
"You're really going to stay?" I ask him once more, hesitantly, almost as if I'll scare him away if I speak in any other tone.
"Yes," he answers exasperated and I nod to him. "Just," he starts. "One more condition."
"…what is it?"
"We have got to a television. I can't stand the constant silence when you're not here. I'm used to loud and rowdy dorm rooms, not quiet apartment complexes."
Stan nods with a tiny smile on his lips, "I'll call a cable company later on today."
"And I'll buy a television."
-
Eventually we went back to sleep, in our separate rooms, in our separate beds. It was a lot easier for me to sleep knowing there wasn't anything to worry about. With the thoughts of Kyle's leaving long gone it was easy to fall back asleep. The second I wake back up again I grab my cell and dial for Kenny's lawyer.
"Mr. Zanadaci?"
"Ah, Stan, what is it that I can do for you?"
"Uhm," I scratch the back of my head. "We know you've already filed the papers and that we're supposed to come in today to sign them off but…Kyle's decided to stay…we've decided to continue riding out the agreement. Is there any way we can like…start over again?"
"Ah! What marvelous news, but no need to start over. I never filed the papers to begin with."
"What?" I ask confused.
"Stan, if there was one thing Kenny and I agreed upon from the beginning about all this was that I would have to trust him. He said that you two would, under no circumstances, not follow through with this agreement. And while, he may not have anticipated this little bump, the point is he knew in the end it'd somehow be fulfilled, so I had you both sign off on nothing more than a made up document. There was nothing legal about it, so in all honesty things are the same as they were two months ago."
"…and the credit cards?"
"Still perfectly activated. Come now Stan, I'm far older than you I've learned a thing or two about you teenage boys, I used to be one at one point in time, and it's that we're fickle. I knew all I had to do was give you both some time with very limited advice. I knew you'd both come around, but really Stan, the day Kyle is to leave? Even I was holding my breath a little bit."
I stare at my cell phone in incredulity before shaking my head. "Well thanks for the confidence Mr. Zanadaci."
"You are very welcome. Do expect me back in a couple of weeks to check on your progress. It would be nice to hear that things are finally going well."
"You and me both, have a good day Mr. Zanadaci."
"You too Stan, do tell Kyle I said hello."
"Will do," I say hanging up the phone.
"Stan!" Kyle knocks on my door. "I thought you had to get to class!"
"Oh shit!" I curse and jump out of bed. Flinging open my bedroom door Kyle is standing there looking amused and I scowl at it. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to beg for your job back from Chef?"
"I won't have to beg for it back, once he finds out I'm staying he'll be more than happy to give it back to me, and for your information I'm already ready to go."
"Then why are you still here?" I ask as I head back for my closet pulling off a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
"I'm hungry," he responds and I turn to face him, and see that he's sitting on my bed. "And you haven't made me breakfast yet, so how can I leave?"
I smile at him and shake my head. "Ever heard of toast?"
End of Part II
-FG
AN: This was especially hard to write because I only had a vague idea of what I could get Stan to do to convince Kyle to stay in South Park in three days, even though Kyle had already made up his mind to go. And to think all he had to do was ask. :) Of course Kyle was going to stay. It DOES say slash in the first chapter you know. I'm not evil :D
And yes, it's the end of Part II! Let's recap shall we? Part I was 13 chapters and was about meeting each other again, Part II was 12 chapters and was about living together, so will Part III be 11 chapters? Who knows, I certainly don't, but I guess you could say it's about…understanding each other/shrugs/ I'm two thirds of the way done, so you know what this part will be all about don't you/wink/ Ahaha, it is SUCH a pleasure to write for all of you and now after 25 chapters of setting things up, we can FINALLY get to the romance.