I swear to all that is holy, South Park has got to be the only place in the WORLD where children actually play near the school after it lets out.
When Butters, Kenny, and I got to the school, we saw several groups of kids hanging out outside of the building. Some of them were just sitting on the ground playing in the snow, while others were chasing each other around in a friendly game of tag. I saw a window close to the ground (right at eye level) that allowed me to look inside without being seen.
"That's the cafeteria." Butters whispered in my ear, "That's where the warden Mr. Mackey imprisons those he captures." His eyes were wide with horror. I resisted the urge to roll my own eyes (soon I'm gonna become immune to the urge and consequently never be able to roll my eyes again) and looked in. The room was large, like most cafeterias, and there were a few kids seated randomly. No one was sitting near each other, probably because they weren't allowed to talk. I looked around and noticed a kid who was dressed differently from the others. He was wearing a dark blue hat with a yellow poofball on top, and a brown scarf and cape. Over his light gray-brown jacket was a belt that was being worn like a sash, which held two light-brown patches. He was looking at his watch, as if waiting for something. Let me guess…
"Craig! Craig, this is detention, m'kay?" a voice bellowed from the front of the room. I looked to see a middle-aged man with a head that looked like it had been blown up like a balloon. He was glaring at the kid who was looking at his watch. Thought so.
"That's the warden, Mr. Mackey." Butters quietly informed me, shuddering. Kenny rolled his eyes at Butters. I went back to spying.
"Stop looking at your watch!" Mr. Mackey was saying/yelling, with Craig totally ignoring him, "You're here for three hours, buddy, m'kay?"
"Whatever." Craig replied, his voice a dull, uninterested monotone. He was still looking at his watch.
"Don't think your friends are gonna bust you out this time, Craig!" Mr. Mackey yelled, crossing his arms angrily and glaring at the rebellious boy. Craig wasn't fazed.
"My name is Felspar. I am a level 6 thief and the humans will soon rescue me from this tower." he said, wearing the exact same blank expression that I always wore. I think Craig and I are gonna get along just fine.
Mr. Mackey, meanwhile, was starting to lose his patience. "No, your name is fucking Craig Tucker and you're in detention, m'kay, so start doing your homework! M'kay, I've got all the doors sealed, and I've got hall monitors working overtime! Nobody's gonna save your ass today, Craig! M'kay?"
"We'll just see about that." I thought, turning back to my companions, who had both lost interest in the conversation and were now discussing something that I could not discern. "That's okay. Let them enjoy their time away from the Wizard. I'm used to working on my own, anyway." I turned back toward the school's entrance. "Sealed doors and hallway monitors? Well, the front door isn't sealed. I can see that from here. Now all I need to figure out is how to deal with the hall monitors." I looked back at Kenny and Butters, who were laughing at whatever they were talking about (something about big boobs and cat piss, I don't even wanna know). "I should probably leave those two out of this. They always have to follow Cartman's rules; they deserve to have some free time. Besides, I doubt Kenny will want to follow me after the Dragonshout incident." I walked up to the doors, preparing myself for whatever was waiting inside. Suddenly, I heard a familiar yell behind me.
"Hey! Douchebag! Wait for us!" I turned to see Kenny and Butters running up to me. I looked at them in confusion as they both stopped to catch their breath. However, my expressions are not that readable (read: not readable AT ALL), so I wasn't surprised when Kenny scolded me for leaving them behind. I looked at Butters, my expression unchanging, expecting him to scold me, too. What he actually said, however, shocked me.
"Why do you look so confused, Douchebag?" he asked, smiling at me, "We're here to help you."
Kenny's expression changed from irritated to incredulous, looking between me and Butters as he uttered a muffled "He looks confused?"
My eyes widened slightly (read: unnoticeably) as I stared at Butters. I then subconsciously glanced back in the direction we came, thinking again about Cartman and the Dragonshout incident. When I turned back to Butters a second later, I was shocked (even more) to find that he had an understanding look on his face.
"Let me guess." he started, placing a hand on his chin as he looked at me, "You thought that Kenny was still mad at you for using Dragonshout on her, and that we wouldn't want to follow you because we always have to follow Eric?" He nodded knowingly as my jaw dropped (just a little). Kenny looked at me with even wider eyes, as if looking for whatever it was that led Butters to that conclusion. Butters just laughed. "Well, that's just silly." he said, patting my back in much the same way he did when he was "healing" me, "I mean, gee whiz, Douchebag, we're your friends. We don't mind following you. We're all in this together."
Kenny nodded in agreement, assuring me that the Dragonshout attack "was the fatass's fault, not mine."
Butters then looked at me seriously with a semi-glare. "And by the way, don't you EVER compare yourself to Eric, Douchebag. You're not nearly as bad as he is."
I looked from Butters to Kenny, who nodded again, adding, "It's nice to follow someone who isn't a total asshole for a change."
I looked at both of them before nodding, hiding a small smile, before turning back toward the school once more. I pushed the front doors open and walked in, with my companions- my friends- by my side.