Sorry for taking a while. For Lord Candycane, Nichole's role in chapter 2 was inspired by her role in My Super Best Friend.
There are major spoilers from The Stick of Truth: The Rising Sun as this chapter takes place after that fanfic.
Everyone has weaknesses and inner demons. Take for example, Kathy Freeman, Chris Howard, Ellen Joseph, Tyler Hoffman, Bebe Stevens, Kyle Broflovski, Wendy Testaburger, and Stan Marsh. Eight quotes defined the eight children's turmoils over time. Eight remarks were made that shined light upon them, driving them away from serenity.
"My name means something to me, and I'm not gonna let a bunch of jerks slander it," Kathy said.
"I'm tired of this world and everyone in it, but I'll stand by my brother one last time," Chris said.
"There's no love, no hope, no kindness, that much I've learned, we're only in it for ourselves," Ellen said.
"Screw that jackass, I'm going all in, fists flying, and you idiots aren't gonna stop me!" Tyler said.
"It's all pointless, no matter what we do it comes down to nothing, like ash upon the wind," Bebe said.
"Why is it no matter how hard we try, everything always gets worse, what are we fighting for?!" Kyle said.
"Please don't leave me, I don't know what I'd ever do without you all, I'm sorry, I'll do anything!" Wendy said.
"I don't know what to do, it's impossible to make everyone satisfied, we're all just too selfish," Stan said.
But then came the fateful day where Cartman forced Ray Irvington, Dovahkiin, into betraying all of their friends and peers. Then came the fateful day where they deceived everybody long enough where Cartman's plan nearly brought about certain doom to the world. Then came the fateful day where the eight above in question banded together to look for Cartman out of care for him. Then came the fateful day the eight realized the ugly truth not only about Cartman's grand plan, but about themselves as well.
Then came the fateful night the entire class united to take down Cartman.
Everything was going to change the night they took down Cartman. Sure, he was going to be back in a few weeks, but for better or for worse, nothing could be the same ever again.
It was the last day of school, and the children excitedly rushed out of the school building. Directly across the street was a carnival set up. The front flagpole had a stone bench, and on and around it were seven certain fourth graders - Stan, Kyle, Wendy, Bebe, Tyler, Ellen, and Chris.
"Where's Kathy?" Bebe glanced over inquisitively at Ellen. "Didn't you say she'll be around?"
"She's supposed to be here any minute now…" Ellen simply shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how else she should respond.
From the school's front doors came Kathy running happily. In her right hand were two pieces of photo paper. When she arrived to the rest of the group she came to a sudden halt. Holding the photos stacked on top of one another with both hands, she was grinning heroically.
"What's with you today?" Kyle asked.
"Guys, guys, guys, I did it! I got the photo of the clubs I'm in!" Kathy began to turn the photos around and unstack them so that she held one in each hand.
"Oh, cool, can we see?" Wendy extended out her arms to grab the bottoms of both photos with her two hands.
As Kathy let go of the photos, Wendy pulled them back and the other six children peered over her shoulder to look at them. The photo in Wendy's left hand was the book club, where most of the children were third or fourth graders. The one on the right was the journalism team, which (again) consisted of mostly third and fourth graders. The students in both photos in question, while having little overlap (only Kathy partook in both), weren't in any way related to the other seven nor any of their friends.
"Well...Kathy definitely wasn't kidding when she called them weirdos," Tyler muttered softly.
"They are pretty weird." Kathy folded her arms as she licked her own teeth. "They're like the types of people who stutter a lot while giving off useless trivia, act like socially awkward know-it-alls, or something like that."
"How'd you end up becoming the leader of both groups?" Stan asked.
"Well, you see, what I've come to realize is that socially awkward nerds like these - they don't have great self-confidence. They're used to being shat on for quite a while now."
Bebe couldn't help but chuckle darkly. "So they made you pick up their pieces and fix things up altogether."
"It was definitely a challenge trying to lead two groups at once, especially with little leadership experience early on," Kathy stated bluntly as she relaxed her arms to her sides. "What's even worse, they're awful at communication, way worse than Chris, no offense of course." She winked at Chris.
"Right…" Chris simply scratched the back of his head with his left hand.
"Hey, what matters is that you gave them a chance, and they clearly seem to look up to you," Kyle replied. "And I get it, and get why it was a challenge for you. But it is commendable.
Kathy grinned at Kyle. "Thanks."
"I too am glad you're having fun, but you are, right?" Kathy nodded at Ellen's question. "And I do hope no one gave you trouble over it, yeah?"
"Ah, uh…" Kathy gritted her teeth, cringing. "You see, Ellen, Nelly, Jenny, Tammy, and Monica kinda did."
Ellen frowned. "Oh...them again? I'm sorry, Kathy."
But instead, Kathy chuckled oddly. "But that had less to do with them hating on 'nerds' and my interests, and more to do with them hating on me personally. That might be due to…" She eyed Wendy, Bebe, and Ellen. "You remember when our entire Pleases and Sparkles Club threw all of their list-making stuff into a bonfire, yeah?"
The other girls began to giggle, while the boys just gazed awkwardly at the girls. "Girl talk, of course." Tyler rolled his eyes.
"Well, I am glad you found something you enjoy Kathy," Chris said, and Kathy smiled brightly in response. "And you seem to be happy about it too." Kathy nodded in response.
Wendy looked over at Kathy. She saw how happy the redhead was, and as a result Wendy too was thrilled. Kathy's eyes did not betray her facial expression; for the first time, Kathy was rather one-faced. As Wendy gave back the photos with her left hand, she patted Kathy's head with her right hand. "I'm really glad you're at peace with yourself."
Kathy took the photos. "It took my parents a bit of time, but they just want me to be happy, and not face troubles like they did."
"It is what it is." Stan shrugged his shoulders and the boys separated. Then Stan looked over at Chris. "Hey, heard about what happened to your parents last night Chris. Sorry about that."
Chris frowned grimly as he placed his hands in his pocket. "It's not your fault. Not at all surprising they got jailed for public drinking again. At least they left food ready to cook."
"You cook your own meals?" Kyle asked.
"Not all the time, but sometimes, though I'm no master chef. I mean, ever since I kinda stopped stealing...it's what I had to do more often nowadays. I'm not gonna let Danny or me starve to death, right?"
"That's...really neglectful," Wendy frowned. "I would never want to imagine being ignored and blamed for an accidental pregnancy like that."
Stan gasped in horror "They did WHAT now?!"
"They were both drunk at a party one night when they...well, had me. Then they got kicked out of their homes by their parents when I was just a year old." Chris sighed. "Truth be told, I've never met my grandparents, nor aunts or uncles, nor cousins."
"It's not a fate I'd wish anyone would have," Tyler frowned.
"Par for the course for me, really." Chris glanced away from the group, staring at the street. "I've made some pretty bad decisions in my life. Well, obviously nowhere near as bad as Cartman - he's something else completely. But it kinda shows in my little brother. How he's always scared of others. It's what I get for teaching him wrong, and I wish I could take it all back. But I remember that day last year..."
"I too was there that day," Ellen said. "The day when you were 'exposed' - well turned out it was mostly lies afterwards. But still, I was there that day last year when they came for you...mobbed you at school during recess."
"I think we all were," Bebe reminded. "It's hard to forget what happened...well, actually alot of dramatic shit happens, so really it's not that odd, no offense-"
"Pft, not me," Tyler scoffed. "I was in detention during the 'mobbing' or whatnot, but I also wasn't friends with Chris at that point in time."
"I laughed at your misfortune last year too," Kyle admitted. He then looked over at everyone else. "In fact, we all did, don't lie to yourselves now guys. We laugh because Chris wasn't one of us. We laugh because it wasn't us. And it's not just him. We laughed when we wedgied Butters onto a pole because he never kissed a girl. We laughed when Wendy beat up Cartman."
"Hehe," Wendy began to giggle softly, so Kyle glared at her intensely. "Oh…" She calmed down and sighed. "Okay, that was tasteless of me, I'm sorry."
"Hey." Kathy shifted over to Chris and patted him on his back. "You have us now. You have me. You're in good hands now, the past is the past."
Chris shook his head. "I don't deserve it. It's been quite obvious we've just been using each other for a while. They never cared much for me, not Craig, Clyde, Token, Francis, Lance, Preston - well, really anyone. So why should I care about them, instead of looking out for my own best interests? I'm just a lone wolf, and a number after all. But enough about me. I'm sure you guys aren't here to listen to me complain or try to grab cheap sympathy."
Wendy saw Chris look over to the street. Distracted he seemed, but Wendy could not be fooled, seeing the forlorn mood and the rapid blinking to prevent tears. She moved over to wipe Chris's eyes gently with her left hand. "We've done much to you, but please don't lose your humanity."
Chris sniffled. "Th-thank you all...f-f-f-for being there for me." The other kids smiled back at Chris.
"Speaking of more interesting stuff…" Stan then looked over at Ellen. "Ellen, I didn't think you owned a cat too. I saw you bury one near the base of the hill we'd throw rocks at cars from this morning."
Bebe immediately planted her face into her palms, though she wasn't thinking of Ellen's actions today, she thought of something else entirely. "Oh God, please don't remind me of that time I threw rocks at cars with you guys…" Everyone else just stared at Bebe. "Nothing...just nothing...please continue, Ellen."
"Anyways…" Ellen cleared her throat before continuing. "I don't own a cat. He's a stray. I've been feeding him in secret, though my dad didn't want me to, he said it's against nature and whatnot, and he's right, but I felt bad for it."
"Honestly, I would have fed it too," Stan replied. "I can't watch animals starve like that."
"So what happened to the cat then?" Kathy asked. "How'd he die?"
"Well…" Ellen cringed and groaned. "Stan, I saw your dad run him over this morning - splatter him across the road. Didn't even stop too."
While the other kids groaned in disgust, Stan growled, "Why am I not surprised?"
"It was messy. So I picked him up with a shovel and buried him." Ellen clicked her teeth briefly. "Maybe my dad was right. If I never fed the cat at all, it wouldn't have come to my house this morning, and maybe it wouldn't have been roadkill."
"Honestly I would have taken the cat in myself secretly," Wendy remarked. "I always wanted a pet of my own, cat or dog. I'm not picky."
"You should meet my cat one day Wendy," Kathy grinned. "Maybe you'd like how it is."
"Better yet, maybe both our cats can play with each other," Bebe squealed happily.
Chris still had his attention on Ellen however. "I'm assuming you learned a lesson out of this, Ellen."
"More like reminded, but that is 'always respect nature and the cycle of life and death,' or something like that, yeah," Ellen nodded. "It's one I learned when I go hunting with my uncle and cousins." As those words left her mouth, Stan cringed at Ellen in horror. Ellen noticed this however, so she frowned. "Relax, it's not that bad. It's one thing to kill animals to feed others - and I find nothing wrong with that. It's entirely another to do so out of 'sport' or 'fun' or whatnot. It's why I'm against sportfishing - wasting precious lives while leaving fishhooks in."
Stan's eyes were still twitching a bit, so Kyle placed his right hand on Stan's shoulder. "I know that look, Stan. You remember what happened with that veal fiasco?" When Stan nodded, Kyle continued on. "Ellen's not wrong though, death is a natural part of life."
"In a sense, though I guess I've been projecting my experiences as a hunter into life at school. Survival of the fittest, life and let live, and all that…" Ellen groaned deeply.
"I get it, really," Tyler nodded. "But the past is the past, or so they say. Let's just look towards the future." With that, Ellen smiled gracefully at Tyler.
Wendy found Ellen much harder to read than anyone else. That stoic, yet graceful smile from Ellen was tough for Wendy to crack through and discern the blonde girl's true feelings. But she had a hunch of how to respond. "No matter what happens to you, no matter what people say, we'll always be by your side." She gently patted Ellen's back.
Ellen smiled back at Wendy. "I guess you're right."
Stan then looked over at Tyler. "I saw what you were woodcarving the other day. It looked pretty interesting."
"Oh, you mean this?" Tyler uncurled his left palm, revealing a small rice hat made out of wood that fit neatly on Tyler's palm. "Took me a few days to make this. Seemed simple and neat." The rest of the kids just stared at Tyler in astonishment. "What? I'm not racist. I just like actually making art, such as this and photoshop."
Wendy cringed immediately at the mention of photoshop. "Heh…"
Tyler narrowed his eyes at Wendy. "Yeah, I remember that time. You went after me thinking I was the one photoshopping the girls."
"Sorry about that still…" Wendy scratched the back of her head.
"I've seen some of your work before over the years," Kathy stated. "You do really good work, but you don't show very often. How come?"
"A few reasons," Tyler replied. "Number one, I only feel good sharing it if it's satisfactory in quality, and a very large portion of my art stuff is fairly scuffed since I tend to jump focus very often, having to juggle between other activities. Number two, it's not for show, I could care less about getting approval from others. It's more personal for me, helps me burn time when I'm not playing video games or hanging out with friends."
"I suppose it does have sentimental value," Bebe agreed. "I mean, it is a good focus away from having to deal with siblings."
"Bebe!" Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Really? You gotta bring that up?"
Before Bebe could say anything, Tyler waved his right hand dismissively at Stan. "Don't worry about it. Bebe's right. It is sort of a coping mechanism I guess." Tyler placed the carving back into the pocket of his jacket.
Chris grumbled deeply. "It ain't right at all. Siblings should care for and look out for each other, not go against each other."
"It's not much worse than what Stan goes though," Tyler dismissed. "Though I would be lying if I said it hasn't affected me. It's no excuse for my actions, but I did learn that we make bad and tough choices every day. Funny, I had friends to try to cope with that, for a while I thought they were the best thing to help me escape. I couldn't have seen how they influenced me into being nasty to other people." Tyler licked his lips as the tone of his voice became rather cold. "When I saw it, I called them out, but it was just too late. Anyways, that's enough storytime for today."
"Just like what Heidi did with Cartman…" Kyle nodded sagely at Tyler. "Believe me, I get it. We've all made difficult choices in our lives too, some coming back to bite us in the ass. Besides, it wouldn't be right for us to lecture you - it's not like the rest of us were that much better. Some of the shit we've done, regardless of intentions, had some pretty bad results."
Ellen gently grabbed Tyler's left hand. "We'll always have each other, no matter what."
Wendy could see the fire in Tyler's eyes. But beneath that tough and passionate exterior was the hurt within. Therefore, Wendy gently patted Tyler's right shoulder. "We won't be like they were to you. I promise."
"I know," Tyler replied.
Stan nodded before turning to Bebe. "And on a lighter note, Bebe, I didn't think I'd find you of all people helping out with any charity after school yesterday."
"Wait, what sort of thing were you working on after school yesterday, Bebe?" Ellen asked.
"Donating to the local orphanage here in South Park," Bebe replied. "Apparently they're in need of money, and quite a bit too."
"I saw the people you were with," Chris remembered. "No offense, but they're kinda...uh-"
"Weird?" Tyler finished for Chris. "Nerdy? Lame?"
"You're right, they are weird as fuck, and yet…" Bebe paused, and everyone fell silent for several moments. "Once again, I felt great, as if I contributed something. Even though the people I worked alongside with were weird as fuck - and they definitely were, it was still a great experience."
"I thought your mom was against that sort of thing," Kathy reminded. "Associating with nerds and all."
"Trust me, I used to follow in her footsteps," Bebe reminisced. She brought her hands together and groaned. "I suppose I cared more for the chase. That said, once I was at the top of the social ladder, I felt...empty. Deceived. And I was pissed for a while because I felt all my hard work to look good was for nothing at all."
"I suppose it does make sense," Stan shrugged.
"I had no purpose then," Bebe admitted. "But recently, after all the Stick of Truth stuff, I want to distance myself as far from my past self as possible. So I went and did this."
Kyle put his left arm around Bebe. "I understand what you're going through. I just hope you be careful, don't lose sight of your actions, and don't go too far. I know you want to fix things up, but take it from me, sometimes you gotta know when to step back and not take things too far."
Bebe leaned against Kyle. "I know what you mean. But don't worry. It wasn't that bad, I promise."
"Did your parents tell you to go help out with the charity?" Stan asked.
Bebe shook her head as Kyle and Bebe parted two inches from each other. "Not really, no. My parents were busy yesterday, and I don't think they even noticed the charity at all. But regardless of all that, it does feel satisfying working towards something good."
Wendy inspected Bebe closely. Looking into her eyes, Wendy could see that Bebe was at peace for the first time in a long time. Usually, it was the case of Bebe being mad or overly dramatic about something, even as little as how her hair was today. "I'm honestly thankful how you're becoming. I think you'll be a wonderful woman in the future." She gently ruffled Bebe's hair.
Bebe smiled gently at Wendy. "I appreciate it."
Stan grinned brightly at Bebe as well before turning to Kyle. "When I came by your house this morning, I noticed you and your dad talking again, Kyle."
"I'm amazed too," Kyle muttered softly. "I thought he'd hate me forever."
"I'm assuming it's the whole skankhunt42 fiasco?" Ellen asked with a bit of cold edge in her voice.
Kyle nodded, but then also shook his head. "I have to admit, this will sound really bad, but sometimes I wonder to myself what if I never said anything? What if I never exposed my dad? Don't get me wrong, it was probably better in the long term anyways that everybody knew. Sure, the gender war escalated a bit, but if I had never told anyone about my dad, maybe my dad would...I don't know...be less estranged from me or something?"
Chris folded his arms and spoke sternly, "I think you gave yourself too much credit. Knowing how much the fourth graders here love to stick their noses into businesses they don't belong in, they'd find out eventually."
"And," Tyler added. "Once they would have found out, and they realize you never told anyone about your dad being skankhunt42 and kept it a secret the entire time, well...I trust you're smart enough to figure out the rest, yeah?"
"Don't remind me how vicious our peers can be." Kyle shuddered at the hypothetical aspect of his own peers coming for his head for keeping secrets.
"Hey, on the flip side, you gained the trust of others at school, yeah?!" Kathy squealed excitedly.
Ellen raised an eyebrow at Kathy. "I wouldn't put it that simply. We did shun Kyle for a bit, yeah?"
"Still...it's going back to what I said before." Kyle let out a sigh as his eyes became glued to the ground. "It seems that oftentimes when I do something for the greater good, it can have very bad results. Like when we destroyed all of Cartman's electronics thinking we could win over the girls."
"Well, sometimes we do question your motives honestly," Stan stated bluntly. "Though we are sometimes wrong as well. Like when we assumed your motives when you well...tried to 'steal' away Heidi-"
"Actually…" Kyle cringed, lowering his head even further. "I...kinda did have a crush on Heidi. I mean, I don't now, but I did when I stole her away from Cartman."
The rest of the kids just stared at Kyle in a brief awkward silence. After a moment passed, Bebe finally broke the silence with her thoughts. "I think you truly are compassionate, but sometimes, you just get these big ideas in your head, but fail to break it down and look at the smaller details and consequences. It's clear that you are definitely among the smartest in our fourth grade class, and it shows, but that is what I think, essentially."
"Bebe's right," Stan added. "Look, on your best days, you are easily the one who drives the rest of us. Hell, if it weren't for you around, I'd probably be following Cartman around, and no one really would be there to try to push back against any of his bullshit. So really, I commend you."
Wendy gazed at Kyle closely. There was a fire that flickered unevenly in Kyle's eyes, and she could see the neverending turmoil that continued to persist. Therefore, she briefly hugged Kyle for a few seconds. "The fact that you still care for us...I'm really - really moved, honestly." She then broke apart from him.
Kyle placed his left arm around Bebe. "I'm really glad you guys still have faith in me."
"Indeed." Stan flashed a grin at Kyle before looking over at Wendy and frowning. "Hey, by the way, what happened with that picture you posted on Facebook? I mean, I only heard snippets, but well..."
"I...kinda figured this would be the talk of the day." Wendy signed deeply.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ellen asked. "I-I mean, I really don't want to pry too deeply if it's-"
"It's fine, it's just…" Wendy sighed again before shaking her head. "I'm not trying to make the girls here jealous. You know the boys at this school want me to be their girlfriend or something. And you know how I love to post pictures of me hanging out with Stan, right?" The other seven kids nodded. "So you remember during lunch recess yesterday when Stan was pushing me on the swings, and Bebe took the photo right?" The other seven nodded once more. "So I posted it when I got home, and I don't remember if I did anything to the specific boys who commented, but when I read the post again earlier today, they commented calling me a 'whore' and all that."
Needless to say, Stan was enraged, and rightfully so. "W-what?! Is Clyde being a jealous shithead again?! Who posted that?!"
"Yeah, how can they say that?!" Kathy added. "That's completely crude and bullshit!"
"No, it wasn't Clyde," Wendy replied. "But they were boys who wanted to go out with me." She let out a guttural scoff as she shook her head. "It took me a while to realize it...but maybe this is what I deserve."
"Wendy, don't-"
But Wendy held out her left palm to interrupt Stan. "No, Stan. It is the way it is. The critics are right. Yeah, I am constantly begging for attention. You know the shit I've done."
"You mean constantly pushing politics to appear as the perfect feminine girl, while simultaneously step above all others in terms of desirability?" Bebe spoke coldly.
"Or intentionally try to control people, including Stan, because you want to force everyone else to love you, but you're constantly on the lookout for the one who worships you the most?" Kyle added. "It's why you're constantly trying to pull Stan away from everyone, right?"
Stan glared at the other kids. "You guys, stop it! Wendy isn't-"
"They're right!" That was the moment Wendy broke into tears, sobbing into her hands as she constantly tried to wipe her eyes, but to no avail. "I remember what Ellen said months ago: I d-don't deserve Stan! And she's right! I should have never caved into peer pressure all those many times, nor flirt around either!" The other kids glanced briefly at Ellen, who as a result cringed and looked away to her right towards the street. "Half the kids at this school hate me because they think I'm as bad as Cartman, and the other half only like me because they think I'm nothing more than pretty and perfect! It's like I'm nothing more than either a target sign or a trophy!"
"Great, you guys made her cry!" Stan complained. Kyle and Bebe stared down at the ground, guilty over their words.
Ellen sighed deeply. "I didn't think what I said months ago to Wendy would come back now. I really fucked up during peer advocates."
But Kathy shook her head. "In my honest opinion, I really think you're being too defensive and harsh on Bebe and Kyle, Stan. Maybe they could have used more tact, but Wendy really needs to hear this. She needs our aid and advice."
"Kathy, how can you say that?!" Stan exclaimed. "Can't you see-"
"Stan, shut up!" Tyler interrupted patiently. "The others are right, and Wendy does need to hear this, because I got something to say, and you constantly acting like a white knight isn't going to do her any favors!" The two boys glared at each other intensely for several moments before Stan finally relented, sighing. "I get it, Wendy, it's about control or some shit, but take it from me: in my experience, you want to cut yourself from all those people. Ignore the haters. The more you give in to their demands, the more you'll regret it."
"It all comes crashing down eventually," Chris agreed darkly. "The way I see it, you giving them the time of your day will end with a knife to the back...just like what that one girl did to me last year. Or how Tyler's last gang of bullies turned against him. I know you've seen what I've seen, Wendy."
Stan was stunned. But Wendy stopped wiping her eyes. She let out a harsh, nervous cough. "I'm scared of losing social connections. School is the only place I can get it. No siblings, no pets, nothing." She eyed both Stan and Tyler. "I don't envy either of your home lives. And to everyone, I'm...sorry for being a bitch."
Bebe frowned sorrowfully. "I'm sorry too, for calling you out just now."
"Same here," Kyle added. "I guess in a sense of irony, I was jealous of you trying to have Stan to yourself."
"I…" Stan paused. The words could not formulate in his mouth. This persisted for several moments before all he could let out was a mere cough.
This did not escape the others' notice. Wendy, no longer crying, looked over at Stan. "Is everything alright?"
"It seems that no matter what, all of us can never stop fighting among ourselves. Hell, even the eight of us can't stop." The other seven children looked down in shame. "Everytime we argue, it hurts me deep down. Just reminds me of Shelly, or the many times my mom and dad constantly bitch at each other." There was still dead silence from the other seven. "I want to ask you all this: why? Why do we hurt each other still?"
"I guess we all have our own self-interests," Ellen replied slowly. "Like me: just trying to survive."
"Especially when we're just in it for ourselves," Kathy added. "Or whoever we try to appease."
"It's all a never ending rat race for popularity," Bebe explained. "And eventually it ruins us."
Wendy cringed deeply at Bebe's words. "I know exactly how that feels. And the results don't lie."
"Listen," Stan continued. "I really want to look out for all of us here. But that means we have to be all on the same page. I…" He let out a gulp. "I guess I am sort of like the father figure."
"We will never be all alike, Stan," Tyler grumbled. "Besides, it is all just worthless competition."
"I'd know," Chris added. "Funny, you seven 'cancelled' me in the past. And yet...here I am, by your side."
But Kyle knew the right words. "I know what you truly want. You just want a true family. It's like what you said earlier. Because yours is fucked up. We're all fucked up. But we can still get better." A look of determination came across Kyle's face. "Do you all remember that friday we came back from the North Pole after kicking Cartman's ass? Do you all remember the speech we delivered to the entire school?"
"I remember calling our school 'fucking stupid' because they all thought we were perfect." Stan glanced over at Wendy. "You know how it is. "
"I suppose it makes sense." Wendy then glanced over to Kathy, and soon so did everyone else.
"We came to show honesty about who we were," Kathy stated.
"For the people who put their trust in us," Chris added.
"We'll always reach out to offer salvation, " Ellen proclaimed.
"Even in the face of darkness we won't falter," Tyler interjected.
"To put the needs of others above our own," Bebe spoke.
"And never stray from right, no matter what others say," Kyle hummed.
"As long as we're good people, never fear the fall," Wendy said.
"Because true friends will catch us and help us rise again." Stan smiled brightly. He stood up from the stone bench. "I-I don't deserve you guys."
"It doesn't matter, you're an awesome kid! This is why you're a true leader!" Kathy exclaimed excitedly.
"Hey," Chris nodded once at Stan. "Take it easy, yeah?"
"You're a hero, Stan," Ellen smiled. "Not enough people appreciate you."
"Always live on and live strong." Tyler pointed at Stan casually. "For life is a journey, Stan."
"I knew Wendy made the right choice in you." Bebe lightly patted Stan's left shoulder.
"You're my Super Best Friend...in fact, you're all my Super Best Friends." Kyle and Stan fistbumped each other.
Wendy didn't say anything, but instead she pressed herself against Stan and kissed him on the lips for about two seconds. Stan blushed as the two hugged each other.
Stan then spoke, "Wanna go to the carnival right now?"
"Yeah!" Kathy exclaimed.
"Let's do it!" Bebe added. The other kids nodded in agreement.
The eight children began to walk across the street. Chris and Kathy held hands, with Chris on the right, and so did Tyler and Ellen, with Tyler on the left. Kyle had his left arm around Bebe, while Stan had his right arm around Wendy.
"I remembered a lesson," Stan reminisced. "No matter what gets in your way, always live on and live strong. For life is a journey. The places you go...the deeds you do...the tales whose hero you become...every road is yours to take...so journey forth into this great world you live in...and find an adventure all on your own."
"I kinda wanna start singing." The rest of the kids glanced at Wendy. But paying no mind, she cleared her throat. "'Summer after high school, when we first met, we'd make out in your Mustang to Radiohead, and on my eighteenth birthday, we got matching tattoos...'"
That was when Stan joined in with Wendy as well. "'Used to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof, talk about our future like we had a clue, never planned that one day I'd be losing you...
"'In another life, I would be your girl, we'd keep all our promises, be us against the world, in another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away, the one that got away...'" And from there, the pair kept singing, while the moods of the other six were brightened immensely.
The eight walked with determination to the carnival, confident without a doubt that nothing could dampen their fire.
There will be one more chapter. When it will come I'm unsure. But thank you.