Posting on the day Part 2 of the Post Covid special comes out, and honestly so excited.
TriceTokushu: Kids sure do be nosy. Especially in the good ol' South Park universe. The boys in Ken's class definitely meant well knowing Kenny better, but the kindergarteners too. At least as we know of. The sixth graders straight up be amused by it.
Theguy547: Glad you like them! Hoping the rest of the story is a nice fit, we have yet to see!
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Blades and wheels skating against the concrete ramps sounded about that afternoon. The local skatepark was in a bustle from some usual kid occupants under perfect skateboarding weather as low music from a speaker mumbled from one crowd of friends amongst the bunch. Some kids were off in favorite corners of ramps they preferred and a few attempting rail slides with their skateboards on the edge of the lot.
Amongst a group of seventh-grade boys from the local middle school, A dirty blond wavy short hair with pale-peach skin in a red button-down was one of them. Occupying the top of a concrete dip as he chatted with the guys with their bikes and boards scattered about. Some doing tricks on the ramp below as they tuned into the conversation if they could get their wheels high enough.
"Yo, Kev. What's up, man?"
Kevin's head turned, greeting a curly dark-haired classmate with light bronze skin who came and gave a bro handshake to him and sat with the others. Kevin's legs dangled off the concrete's edge as he leaned against rested palms behind him.
"Did your parents ever find out about the breakage?" The same classmate, Dylan, asked.
Kevin blew a puff past his lips. "I already had to get my board fixed once," he looked to the one who just sat down. "Next time, I'm fixing it myself."
"You're gonna have to if your dad finds out."
"Yo, shut up," Kevin lightly punched the pale shaggy brown hair kid beside him. "I don't give two shits about how I get it fixed, as long as it does."
One of the boys skating bellow came up the ramp, some of the others backing away for his upcoming arrival as he jumped the ramp's top and kicked down his skateboard end to flip it up and catch his balance in landing. "Dude, hand me the swiss." He gestured to one, handing him a swiss army knife. He kneeled down to adjust the loose wheels of his board.
The concrete jungle they had here was a nice center of it all. At least for these few seventh graders already facing the freshman hardships as the newest in middle school. Weird to have gone from oldest in elementary to this.
"Hey, look," his friend aside him pointed. "It's the lard nose and his friends."
Speaking of said subject, looked like South Park Elementary's newest big dogs were becoming more comfortable showing up here. With some sixth-graders taking over a ramp with their bikes not too far along, Kevin and his friends couldn't help but stare.
"I never realized Jared was that into stunts."
Jared, The shaggy brown-haired kid with the green shirt of his exact face, was just that kid Kevin hated having in earshot. He knew some of those younger pricks when he was still in elementary. Being a middle school freshman he thought they'd be less annoying to deal with since out of their heir.
"We barely have any space now!"
Kevin shifted in his seat. "Whatever, dude."
"Isn't that the same sixth who sucker-punched your brother last year, Kevin?"
The eldest McCormick chose not to roll his eyes. While he knew these sixthies had been jerks on and off to Kenny and some other fourthies, it hadn't been spoken of as much. Least of all had Kenny lately mentioned them being a major problem. Maybe there was just nothing for his brother to mention if it wasn't that big a deal, nor a lot he liked to mention to Kevin right away at first. While Kevin wasn't a master sleuth he was still able to read his brother to a pint. Much like the two could of their little sister.
"You gonna kick his ass?"
The dirty blond pushed at the broken platform of his skateboard. Yellow neon crossed by a black lightning bolt and yellow wheels. The middle board was duct-taped for now before he could figure out a better way to fix it.
"I don't think so.."
Grandpa McCormick's boat. It was that old thing they used to bring up to Jefferson Lake. While grandpa hadn't touched it in years, Kenny recalls helping his dad fix it up again a while back. They'd rent a tow Stuart would borrow from the shop on account of some work hours and hit the road for upstate.
Damn, that was really in his head lately. It was calming to a lot of the nerve in Kenny's stomach any time a symptom crept its ugly head in on him. While he didn't feel like a total baby, when his symptoms were obvious others began to treat him with kids' gloves. Including his friends, which, was kinda off-putting for him if he was being honest to himself. Just this morning when working on a group assignment, Kyle got all cushiony in his ways of insisting Kenny didn't push himself too hard after Kenny mentioned a possible headache. Headache, might he add, from the lack of sleep the night before because of back pain. It's not like he was incapable in the moment. Kenny just let it slide anyway.
Knowing Kevin was gonna be walking home with him that day, Kenny walked from the school's back entrance, coming from working on tomorrow's assignment with the group in after hours. He wandered the parking lot nearly empty of cars and busses since it connected with the street Kevin came along from his school. Kenny clutched his backpack's straps in a nonchalant wait.
The skatepark wasn't the only concrete playground some liked to use for biking. Especially not the group who watched the orange hood pass them against the school wall unknowingly.
"Hey, beggar!"
Kenny stiffened, knowing the source of the call by the special insult. Turning around, he felt smaller in place by the approach of some much taller kids. The worst in their lead no doubt being Jared.
"So what's up with this whole sicko thing?" His snarly voice asked. His meddling was almost as big as that smug look under his bushy brows.
The hooded boy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nothing." He avoided as modestly as possible.
"Nah, but like dude, is it true they brought you back from the dead?"
"I dunno."
"My dad says hicks can survive anything. Cuz' their trash folk come from tornadoes." Jared didn't shut up, throwing a scum glance at the others. "TUH! Tornadoes!"
The others ruffed in laughter as Kenny's ears drummed from the obnoxious volume. "I'm not a hick.." his muffled mouth spoke.
"What's that? Something's covering your craphole!" Keifer roused, the palish one in the skull shirt and blue beanie. More continued laughter ensued.
"I'm not a hick, fuck off!" Went Kenny's impatience. Sometimes he had it, sometimes he didn't.
"Oooooh." The sixth-grade squad monotoned. Some motioned to border near the younger kid as Jared remained upfront, staring down at Kenny that made him feel as if he was continuing to shrink. And yet, no effort could be made to move when it was things like this that made him feel most alone.
The backdoors opened where some other fourth-graders exited uncommonly. Intended to take a short route to the basketball court nearby school grounds as Cartman, Stan and Kyle made haste with Butters, Token, and Craig coming along.
"And now I'm grounded," Craig concluded the conversation. "Just cuz I missed some stupid UPS package."
"Everybody knows that moms are attracted to UPS delivery guys, Craig."
"No one believes that but you, Cartman." Stan dismissed.
"Really? Ask your mom next time-"
"What's going on there?" Token pointed out, the others intrigued by his attention to a part of the parking lot's open space where an orange dot faced a crowd of more intimidating height.
"Oh no, sixth graders." Butters tapped two frightful fists together. "We better get outta here!"
Seeing the orange dot was actually a lone soldier McCormick, it wasn't time to bolt. They could read what was a vulnerable Kenny in the middle of the battlefield against the opposing team.
"Crap.." Stan muttered as they pushed down their nerves in walking over.
"Show us then." Bartles pestered, the boy in an orange and navy striped sweater with skin a warm ivory and hair a lightish brown.
"What?"
"How you came back from the dead! Prove it!"
He paused, blatantly nervous now before the older boys hounded him some more.
"Well c'mon, fourthie! Show us some!"
"Yeah!" More agreed. Others began hollering in agreement before being silenced by the pinchy voice of a redhead.
"Hey!" Kyle barked. "Your ass where your head is?"
Stan quickly caught up. "Yeah dude, seriously, back off."
Kenny retreated just slightly. Okay fine, he needed the backup. But after today's 'soft treatment' it wasn't much to help his ego.
Jared eyed Kyle from his height. "I don't take crapola from a fourth-grader."
"You sure as hell probably did when you WERE a fourth-grader." Kyle protested, crossing his arms. "What makes you so special?"
"McCormick's the special one." Jared gestured to his main target. "e-specially freakish."
Cartman scoffed, eyes rolling high. "Oh, please. A tit-nose is gonna talk about who's freakish?"
"Says you, tubby!" Bartles laughed.
"BIG BONED!"
"We don't need you guys telling us what's freakish when you torment others every day!" Kyle continued with a pointed finger, stepping to Kenny's right. "Let alone knowing anything about what someone has been through!"
"Yeah, that's sick." Stan agreed. "Like mentally sick."
"I'm not the one who's mental," Jared sneered his antagonizing snout to Kenny again, making the hooded boy feel glued to the ground in embaressment. "My dad says survivor patients only think about themselves."
Kenny swallowed against his tough throat. "So?"
"Am I wrong?"
"Yes."
"Tuh! You're out of your ass McCormick!" Jared taunted. "My dad says beggars stay beggars and only think of themselves! Your sicko ass is already depressing and it's gonna make more a bum out of you!"
Kenny didn't fire back. Caught frozen by a stupid insult from 'Jared-the-know-it-all-ass' as the younger boy failed to look anything but bothered. Even if the insult was still stupid.
"Dude, whatever. Just stop." Stan dismissed, encouraging the others along as he grabbed Kenny by the arm to coax him along with them. The boys left with their backs to the laughing sixth graders, not to be bothered.
Cartman played with the thought on his mind. "Maybe the bum thing was kinda accurate.."
"Shut up, Cartman."
Alongside the street connecting to South Park Elementary's backside, Kevin walked with a tired trudge. His last trick on his broken skateboard gave him a few notable bumps and bruises he was prepared to hide from his parents after already taking in that stupid thing to get fixed once. It even got him to think about maybe getting a part-time job suitable for a thirteen-year-old, but his mom would probably protest that she doesn't want it cutting into school. He doubted a minimum wage job for a tween really would, it would just be for his own pocket money.
He dragged his skateboard into a small start, testing out its wheels by its damage to gain a sense of how much its second breakage really made. He surfed gently along the school parking lot's wired fencing and felt a few bumps in the path. Kevin knew it to be more than the uneven concrete below him, also by the board's wiggly middle. He got off before he made the breakage worst and picked it up to hold it by his waist again, adjusting his backpack strap over his opposing shoulder. Freakin' bust, but whatever. The thing had a long life while it lasted and as long as his friends were still skateboarding he always had a reason to return to the park.
Turning into a dead and widespread parking lot, Kevin proceeded to look out for his brother. Spotting him and some of his friends easily by the lack of occupants in the area. They definitely weren't the only ones though when the seventh-grader spotted some kids and their bikes parked not too far off.
Seeing his brother and his friends come from that direction triggered warning signs in Kevin's head he didn't know to expect. He further studied the other kids as Kenny and his friends met with Kevin at the other end.
"Hey, Kevin." Stan spoke, seeing as Kenny wasn't.
The older kid looked beyond their heads. "What'd they want?"
Kenny moved from his friends, grappling his bag's straps in a quick walk past his brother. "C'mon," he muttered, wanting to avoid hauling this out any longer. Kevin watched him in his path like the others before giving Kenny's friends a stare of goodbye and then following.
Stan poked his steak pieces during dinner. The ending of an okay-ish day at school made him wonder if the weekend would show up any faster. He and the boys might fit in some laser tag this Saturday and he couldn't wait at this slow pace. For now though, he ate his dinner in content silence along with his usual family unit of his mother, father, and sister, and his grandfather visiting from the retirement home for the evening.
"How was school?" Randy conversed.
"Horrible," Shelly spat. "Henry barely noticed me even after I left him a note!"
"Did you spit on it?"
"Ew, no dad!"
Randy pierced a piece of steak and lifted it to his mouth. "Good. You have good instincts, honey."
Stan also made a face. "Dad, gross."
"Hey, some idiots think offering a DNA sample is the heart's way of offering the family tree's genetics. I learned that quickly in middle school."
Shelly's brow scrunched. "I don't want to offer our family's genetics to anyone."
"Y'know, as a prank, I turned my spit into edibles for your mom in college."
His wife turned appalled. "Oh, god. Randy-"
"She shoulda known that sooner," Marvin intervened suddenly. Stan was surprised the old man had it in him to show any interest. "Especially from a dumbass of a son of mine."
Randy looked offended. "Why's that, dad?"
"Sharon, you shoulda married one of them rich uptown folk. They're the only ones that get by in this damn state!"
Sharon humored her father-in-law gently. "Now, Marvin. You know that's not true."
"Yeah thanks, dad. I think my wife knows her own regrets well, and I'm not one of them." Randy defended, not so much as Sharon hoped as she gave her husband a side-eye. When the kitchen's home phone rang through the air, she rose from the table as to pass through the kitchen's open entryway from the dining room to momentarily leave the others.
Marvin pointed his fork to Randy. "And now you're passing on your uselessness to Billy."
"Stan," his grandson muttered from beside him.
Sharon's phone call ensued in the back as Randy eyed his father. "I'll keep that in mind when writing your gravestone."
"The hell you will, mister."
"What about you Stan? How was your day?" Randy changed subjects wantingly.
His son shrugged. "Fine, I guess." Aside from whatever that useless drama in the parking lot was during after-school hours. Stan could really, really use a game of laser tag right about now. "We're learning about fraction divisions."
"And how do you do that?"
"Simplifying them."
Now Randy was appalled. "What? How could they just change math?"
Stan groaned internally. For a guy who says his father complains over useless principles, Randy sure didn't mind picking up that habit from the Marsh family line himself.
"I'm a geologist, they should consult a professional if they wanna just change the curriculum."
"You don't teach the fourth grade, dad."
"Can they even do that?"
After hovering in the kitchen for a good while, Sharon poked her head in to the dining room's view. Looking at her son with urgent eyes as she kept the phone's other end on hold. "Stanley? Come here, please."
The latter hopped off his chair and went around to the kitchen's open entryway from the dining table. Upon passing through, his mother held one hand over the phone's speaker as she spoke to her youngest child.
"Yeah?" He asked.
She looked slightly concerned. Not to a huge extent, but still. "Your principal said that some kids from school saw you and your friends argue with some older students."
Stan arched a brow, seeing that as a little unnecessary. Who ratted them out? Who even cared about ratting them out? It wasn't that big of a deal. Just some words to get the older kids to piss off.
"Is that true, Stanley?"
"Well..yeah." He shrugged. "Only 'cuz they were being punks to Kenny."
That caught Sharon's attention especially. "Do his parents know?"
"I dunno."
Sharon uncovered the speaker continuing to talk to the school as Stan presumed her question was over with. He didn't know whether Kenny wanted his parents to know about that since Stan was aware his mom could easily call the McCormicks. Nothing was worth much about the situation but maybe with Kenny being...as he is lately, it might put a spin on things. He hadn't been an entirely different person at school but not the same as the normal Kenny used to be.
Was that worth calling out? Were things were just left unspoken since the hospital? Stan called out the bullshit from the beginning. Making small talk in a bad situation wasn't going to change anything. He just hoped his cynicism wasn't right in case of anything 'bad' at all.
To be continued...
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Btw, if you haven't picked up on it, Jared is that one nameless sixth-grader who's like the leader of the bikers. I'm surprised they haven't named him by this point so we're settling for Jared.