WarknightXL216: Hope you keep reading.
GBond007: It is kind of off she only has one card, since she was a major character for two seasons.
South Down: Thanks.
"So, how the Hell are we doing this?" Cartman asked. He, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny had met up at his house after school.
"Everyone agreed that we'd be playing Phone Destroyer," Kyle reminded them. "Just like before."
"Yeah, but the difference is that we're not friends anymore," Stan stated, a bit harsher than he'd intended. "We agreed that we wouldn't be hanging out with each other now."
"Come on, guys, maybe we can make an exception for Phone Destroyer," Kenny suggested, downhearted. "We're not friends with everyone in school, but they still play the game."
"No, it just wouldn't work," Stan replied, sighing deeply. "Look, we have to decide how we're going to do this or it'll ruin everything."
"Well I'm not getting banned from playing this game," Cartman said angrily, feeling that was where the conversation was headed. "It was my idea!"
"I'm playing, too!" Kyle stated angrily.
"I'm not saying we ban each other from playing!" Stan retorted. "That wouldn't be fair!"
"Well, what do you suggest?" Kyle asked.
The group went silent. After a while, Kenny was the one who spoke up.
"Look, how about this?" He suggested. "We divide ourselves into groups. Stan will lead one group, Kyle another, Cartman a third group. We'll play separately and not step on each other's toes."
The group considered it. "Yeah, that could work," Cartman said, nodding his head. "How will we divide ourselves?"
"We can do themes," Kyle said. "Fantasy is my favorite theme, the sword and sorcery one. I'll lead that group, and anyone who wants to play will join that part of the game."
"I like Adventure," Stan replied. "Cowboys and Indians, that's my jam."
"And I'll do Superheroes," Cartman added. "I'll be Coon." He flashed his non-existent claws.
"What about you, Kenny?" Stan asked. "We're still friends with you. You can join one of our themes."
The three turned to look at Kenny. He exchanged glances with all three of them, weighing his options.
Eventually, however, he said, "I'll do the Sci-Fi thing."
"Oh," All three boys said, a little disappointed he wouldn't be joining one of their groups.
"Well, I guess it's settled then," Cartman said. "We'll each be representatives for one theme. Everyone else will join one theme, and we never have to cross paths with each other. Deal?"
"Deal."
That had been the last time the four would interact with each other as a group.
The memory weighed in on Kenny's mind as he walked down the hallways during lunch. Reaching the cafeteria, he headed towards the table where Kyle was seated, along with Clyde, Token, and Nichole, who Kyle seemed to have chosen as part of his new friend group. Kenny wasn't surprised; they were among the more down-to-earth kids at school.
"Hey, guys," He said as he took his seat next to Kyle. The small group murmured their own greetings before resuming their conversation, mostly regarding the game they were playing.
"So, Kyle, how's your elf army coming along?" Clyde asked, a bit of a smug tone in his voice. "Hope their ready when my dwarf army arrives."
"You won't sound so cocky when you're getting your ass kicked," Kyle retorted confidently. "And for the record, my elves are better than they've ever been."
"That's good to hear," Kenny interjected.
"Yeah, I wish you could come and see, Kenny," Kyle replied, before sullenly adding, "Though I guess you are kind of busy with your own game."
"That's true," Kenny replied, his shoulders slumping.
"You know, you could take a day off to check out Kyle's kingdom," Nichole pointed out. "Who says you have to play the game 24/7?"
Before Kenny could reply, Token muttered, "No, I've learned the hard way it's a bad idea to get involved in more than one game."
Kenny cocked his head, silently noting that Token had a point, causing Kyle to frown. Though truly, that hadn't been the real reason Kenny was reluctant to see Kyle's kingdom. Though the other boys had initially tried to hide it, it hadn't taken long for Kenny to figure out that their "broship" had ended, and that had taken a massive toll on his relationship with the others. Though he still tried to abide by their schedule and make time to hang out with all three of them, it just wasn't as enjoyable as when they were all friends.
Though it was currently Kyle's "shift" with Kenny, the blond couldn't help but notice what the other boys were currently up to. Cartman was sitting with some of the less popular boys, including Scott Malkinson and Nate, barking demands to them about their roles as his "Coonies". Stan, meanwhile, was walking through the cafeteria with a food tray, but stopped to stare at Kyle's table.
Kenny couldn't tell if Stan was staring at him or Kyle. He didn't have long to question it, though, as Nelly abruptly stormed up to him.
"Stan!" She barked, snapping his attention to her. "Come on! We have to discuss how we're gonna construct our stronghold!"
"Uh, sure Nelly," Stan mumbled, following the brunette to her table.
Kenny had no idea why Stan had gravitated to Nelly, of all people. He'd mainly been hanging out with Jimmy and even Wendy, to be expected, but Nelly had come out of nowhere.
Then again, that had hardly been the only unexpected side effect of the boys' breakup.
After lunch, David Rodriguez had been heading to his locker when he was approached by Red McArthur and two of her girl friends, Meagan Ridley and Lannie.
"Hello, David," She said with a grin.
"Yes?" David replied, not quite paying attention to them.
"So, since you were successfully impregnated the other day, we're going to have to show you the ropes working as an alien drone," She said casually, snaking an arm around David's shoulder. "One of my boys will show you to your hive."
"W-What?" David asked, before realizing what she was talking about. "Oh God, not this again!"
"I know you'll make a valuable member of my hive," Red whispered. "You're smart and strong, ideal qualities for protecting my brood and acquiring new hosts for fertilization."
Pushing Red's arm off of him, David turned to face her. "Look, I don't want any part in this game," He stated firmly. "I told Kenny I wouldn't be playing, and the answer's the same now. So you can just forget about it." He turned and stormed off before any of them could respond.
Meagan and Lizzy wore expressions of offense, while Red simply kept smiling. "How dare he talk to you that way!" Meagan raged.
"Want us to follow him and kick his ass?" Lannie asked, stepping forward to do just that.
Red rose her arm, halting her friend. "No need to sully your hands," She whispered, her grin only growing. "I have other ways of persuading him. . ."
After school hours, a pair of boys sneaked back onto school grounds. Taking out spray cans, the two started giggling mischievously as they started graffitiing the walls of the building.
Unbeknownst to the boys, they were being watched. In an alleyway, the Coon emerged, followed closely by a blonde female Coony.
"Alright Annie, this is your first mission," He told the girl. "Since you're new at this, I've selected an easy task for you."
"Um, alright then," Annie replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"When you've gained more experience, you'll take on bigger fish, Professor Chaos and his dastardly minions," The Coon explained. "For now, let me show you the ropes. You see those two delinquents over there?"
Annie eyed the two boys spray painting the school walls. "Yeah," She whispered, gritting her teeth.
"Go," He commanded. "Deliver justice upon them!"
Taking a deep breath, Annie sprang out of the alley and towards the two boys. "Hey, you!" She shouted. "Drop those cans!"
The two boys turned towards her. "Oh shit, it's a Coony!" One of them shouted, alarmed.
"You got that right!" Annie bellowed, flashing her claws. "Graffiti is off limits in this area! If I catch you doing it again, you're gonna get it!"
"Um, okay," One of the boys said, slowly dropping the can.
At that moment, the Coon also emerged. "No, Annie, you're doing it wrong," He criticized. "This is how you do it!"
Lunging towards the two boys, he grabbed the nearest one and hurled him to the ground. "Doing graffiti is a crime!" He shouted, pinning the boy down and twisting his arm behind his back, eliciting a cry of pain. The other boy yelped and bolted off.
"When you break the law, the Coon breaks you!" He shouted, hurling the hapless boy into the wall. He slumped onto the ground, dazed.
The Coon then turned to Annie, whose mouth was gaping open in shock. "Now do as I showed you," He demanded.
Gulping, Annie slowly approached the boy. "This town is under our protection," She said, her voice wavering. "And if you threaten it, you'll have to answer to us!" She capped off her sentence by quickly slashing the boy across the face with her cheeks, leaving small scratches on his cheek.
The boy cried and flew a hand to his bleeding cheek. He looked up at Annie, tears in his eyes, before slowly limping off.
Annie watched him go, her face blank, as the Coon approached her. "That was very nice, Annie," He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You have potential. How do you feel?"
Annie looked down at her claws, tinged with blood. She turned to look at Cartman.
"I feel. . . powerful," She whispered, awed.
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