Chapter 24:

A/N: Quite a few throwbacks in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!

Wendy PoV

The room made me feel sick; big and open-plan with several machines lining it. I was finally here. I had finally plucked up the courage to get this checked out.

"Miss Testaburger?" The doctor asks as I walk into the room. "You're here to inquire about a growth in your breast?"

"...Yes." I whisper and she offers me a seat.

"Talk me through how you came across it." She smiles, warmly.

"I was in the shower." I explain. "After a very normal day. I was just washing myself and I felt a bump. At first I thought I had imagined it but after running my fingers over it a few more times, I could tell it was definitely there. I made an appointment almost immediately but I couldn't bring myself to come... I was so scared of... what it could be."

"Ok well, well done for coming in." She replies. "It was a brave decision, you did the right thing."

"It's not anything serious, is it?" I suddenly blurt out. "...I mean, not at my age."

"It's most likely that it is something minor, but we will have to carry out tests to ensure that is the case." She tells me. "We don't want to take any risks."

Cartman PoV

"Meem?" I call out, hunched over the table in the living room. "MEEM?"

"What's up Hun?" She calls from the kitchen. I felt as if I was dying; it was as if I was being stabbed in the stomach. My head was spinning and felt as if it had split open. I couldn't move, everywhere hurt.

"Come here, now." I yell, barely able to speak.

"Poopsikins, what's the matter?" She runs into the living room and gasps at the sight of me. It probably looked as if I was in labour; pulling a Bebe or something. "I'll call an ambulance."

"What?" I suddenly splutter. "No! No, I don't need an ambulance."

"Honeysuckle, you look in extreme pain." She persists, grabbing the phone.

"No, it's subsiding now." I lie, but I know that if she calls the hospital, they will pick up on that fact that I have barely eaten in weeks. I slowly make my way to the couch, trying to walk as normally as possible and failing.

"I'm not sure sweetie." She coos. "You look very sick and you look slimmer all of a sudden."

Well that shows how observant she was at least...

"Meem, I'm fine honestly." I finalise and she puts the phone down.

"You have lost weight sugar muffin." She continues. "Have you been going poopies more than usual?"

"No mom!" I yell at her. "I told you, it's my new exercise regime. I want to get in shape for prom."

I had this all thought out in preparation for when people asked me. It was true, I had been doing exercise, except I had been starving myself to make it a little easier. Easy. That was a word that never crossed my mind. None of this was easy, none. Either way, the fact that mom was only just noticing my weight loss clearly showed how little she cared for me. She was more tied up with sleeping with everyone in town for the seventh time through or working so that she didn't drive us into poverty like Kenny's family. I suppose I had her to thank for the second one.

"I guess your body isn't used to the sudden movement." She shrugs. "The fat just drops off."

"I'm not fat, I'm big boned." I correct her, defensively, for what seems like the millionth time.

"Oh treacle tart, if you were big boned, you wouldn't be able to lose any weight." She smiles as if it is making the situation any better. "Bones can't shrink."

"I'll shrink your bones." I mutter, watching as she leaves before I can keel over on the couch again in pain. This really wasn't good for me, I could tell. But if mom was starting to notice, it meant other people could too and therefore it was paying off. I just had to keep it up for a few more months, that was what I had to think about, my motivation. Just a little while longer of this torture and all the names and jokes and hate would stop. I could be normal like all of the other students. I wouldn't be labelled for being fat. Or go by the name of 'little piggy' or 'tub of lard' or 'fat-ass'. I smile at the thought, not long now.

Kyle PoV

Another boring weekend where I would have nothing to do and no one to hang out with. I close my notepad after finishing yet another assignment and put it back in my bag. Now that was over and done with, I would be doing fuck-all all day. I could ask Ike to come to the movies with me or something, but I was pretty certain he would be on Skype with his friends doing maths equations. I wonder what Stan is doing? I flip open my laptop and log into Facebook. Stan had only made an account a few years back, after apparently having some 'trauma' with it back in childhood. He had a fear of getting sucked in and apparently had a dream that he was playing Yahtzee with his profile. Now however, he was virtually addicted to it.

I was about to click on Stan's profile before seeing something pop up on newsfeed.

'Stan Marsh changed his relationship status to single'.

What?

Wait what?

I blink at it a few times.

Then refresh the newsfeed.

It was still there, in black and white.

And immediate surge of mixed emotions soared through my body; disbelief, excitement, curiosity, happiness. Surely I was imagining this? Wendy and Stan had been together since... Well, since forever. This was crazy, they had made it through so much, whatever had caused them to split up must have been huge.

Why did this make me so happy? My heart was beating so fast. I felt so cruel; Stan would be in pieces and I was here feeling elated. I could finally have my best friend back. I would no longer be fifth wheeling the two biggest couples in the school. Maybe Kenny and Bebe would team up with Token and Nicole this time. Mind you, the way things were, it didn't seem like Kenny and Bebe were getting along too well either. Perhaps if they split up, Bebe and Wendy would go back to being with the girls and it could be like old times for Kenny, Stan and I. Minus Cartman because who wanted him around? I'd prefer it if it was just me and Stan. That was the way I always liked it. Just the two of us. When we would play games together or go on adventures to destroy Wall Mart or look after each other like the time I got a haemorrhoid and he visited me in hospital every day; saved my life. We could have that again, now that Wendy was out of the picture. Just the two of us.

I pull out my cell and text Stan, a smile appearing on my face.

Stan PoV

"Kenny, get up." I order, holding out my hand to pull him to his feet. Four hours I had been in this shit hole now and he was still lying around on the floor.

"Stan?" I hear Karen's voice as she enters through the kitchen door. I smile at her and then feel my phone vibrate.

'Hey dude, where you at? I saw your Facebook status, just checking you are ok'.

Once Kenny is sloped on the couch, I text Kyle back, letting him know that I was at Kenny's. I hear footsteps in the open doorway almost instantly afterwards, surely he couldn't be here already.

"Ok, would someone mind telling me what the fuck is going on?" Kevin bursts through the entrance.

"Oh nice for you to show up." Kenny slurs, receiving a glare from his brother.

"I've been having a night out on the town." He informs us all.

"Newsflash." Karen rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Shut up you little shit." He grits his teeth and Kenny jumps up to Karen's defence. "I was at the club all night. Picked up a bird and went back to her flat. Fucked her so hard she cried. Was a great night, until I receive a phone call this morning, telling me to get home because I have some little bastards to look after."

"You haven't heard the news then?" Kenny asks him.

"Course I've heard the news." He spits. "Thought it wouldn't reach me? That's the only good part of it. That lying, cheating, alcoholic scumbag is finally lying in a coffin."

"Well probably not." Kenny points out. "Coffin's are expensive, he's still in the morgue. We were meant to go and identify his body today."

"But you're too pissed off your head?" Kevin guesses. "Is that why I had to come back? Because you can't be a responsible guardian?"

"Don't talk to me about responsibility." Kenny hisses. "You're the one who's been at the cat house all night."

"So why's mom banged up then?" Kevin passes his comment by, moving onto the next topic on everyone's minds.

"Why do you think?" Kenny laughs. "For getting the shittest mother in the world award."

At this point another figure appears behind Kevin and we all turn to stare at the newcomer.

"...Where's the door?" Kyle frowns.

"Don't even ask." I tell him.

"What are you doing here?" Kenny questions, maybe more aggressively than he intended.

"Stan told me you were here." He replies. "I came to see if he was ok."

"If he's ok?" Kevin points at me. "What about us?"

"What about you?" Kyle says, his eyes narrowing. "What's going on Ken?"

"Bereavement." Kenny puts bluntly. "And several other issues on top of it."

"Stuart's died." I inform him, since no one else looked like they were going to say it. "Oh and Carol's been arrested."

"And Kenny's drunk... Again." Karen points at him.

"And Kevin's being a twat." Kenny pipes up.

"And I have to be the fucking guardian." Kevin adds, causing the room to fall into silence.

"...Oh." Kyle nods.

"But I broke up with Wendy." I tell him, thinking it would make the situation better... I don't know, maybe shift the pain off Kenny's shoulders. Clearly not.

"Yeah, which we are all devastated about." Kenny groans sarcastically.

"I know, like I said, I saw your Facebook status." Kyle reminds me. "How did it happen?"

"Oh you know what?" Kevin suddenly yells. "What are you two even doing here? If you want to have your little teenage relationship issues discussion, go have it somewhere else. Because this house has much bigger problems right now than the break-up of Romeo and Juliet."

"Well would you look here?" Cartman's voice suddenly sounds from the doorway. "Couldn't this be coverage for Poverty News? ...Kenny, where's your door?"

"DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO COME IN HERE?" Kevin suddenly flips out.

"AND STOP ASKING ABOUT THE FUCKING DOOR!" Kenny adds.

"I just came to ask about the project." Cartman continues, as if nothing phases him. "We agreed we would meet up tonight. There was no one at Stan or Kyle's so I had to resort to coming here... Where I can get my five star treatment I see."

No one speaks whilst Cartman begins to sing 'In The Ghetto' under his breath. Everyone is staring at him, confused or pissed off.

"On the cold and grey Chicago morn, another little baby child is born, in the ghetto." He sings and then breaks into a higher falsetto. "In the ghettooo!"

"Cartman, shut the fuck up." Kenny just states. "You sing that every time you come round my house."

"You should be proud, it's like the McCormick national anthem. Hey, you should play it at your funeral." He suggests, blissfully unaware of how close to the bone his remark was. "And the momma cries. Cause if there's one thing that she doesn't need, it's another little hungry mouth to feed. In the ghetto. In the ghetto."

"Does he ever stop?" Kyle whispers to me.

"Nope." I tell him. "No he does not."