Posting at midnight cuz it's technically Friday :))))
NoseBridgePinch: I'm glad to get Cartman in character, considering I'm also trying to show some endearing moments with him that are genuine which isn't impossible but is hard. Kyle's always coming in rapid-fire with them morals. Kenny's taking a little unnecessary turn to how he's dealing with everything and it may not favour him too much.
Theguy547: Considering what Kenny's been through, the last thing he'd need to do is not take his meds but I'm trynna make it interesting here. Relieved I can pull off the Cartman and Kyle scene, I think they need a little genuineness like they had in the "Kenny Dies" episode.
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Employees went about during lunch hour of the local Olive Garden. Italian-American cuisine served by the minute to mid-week employees off the clock and families there for a special lunch. Lively discussion bounced off the distinctive decor and clean-lined walls as servers in black business-casual pants and button-ups with green waist-aprons traveled about. One waiter with bright red hair tied back and her name tag indicating her current employment cleared off the table of a leaving family, hoisting dirty plates along her carrying arms to bring to the back kitchen.
Carol pushed in on the swinging double doors, entering into the sauce and garlic-smelling domain of the steamy kitchen. Coming to put her dishes down in a giant sink by the current washing employee as she checked the time on the clock above. Seeing that the lucky hand shifted onto the hour of her break, Carol huffed with an exhausted sigh and traveled further to the back. She swiped a pack of cigarettes and a lighter shelved above some packaging right before the back entry as she went outside, lighting a smoke on her way and descending into an emptied back lot near the kitchen dumpsters. Carol leaned against the wall right of the back door, puffing another blow as another waiter followed out. A woman aged a little older than her with a peach-pointed face and high cheekbones, blond puff bangs and pony, coming around to join her.
"Snag me one?" She asked in a southern tone similar to Carol's. Tucking her lit cig in her mouth, she pulled out another from the pack to hand it over to Mabel along with the lighter. Her co-worker walked around to her side as she lit her own.
"If them folk keep complainin' that their breadsticks are too dense, I'm gon' tell em' what." Mabel joked, smoking away the stress of a recent family table giving her nothing but hell for the past shift.
"Hear that.." Carol agreed. Some people could be super friendly when walking through the restaurant doors, then others just never gave the employees the time of day. Thank god the management here was all for looking out for their employees, or Carol would be looking over her shoulder constantly. "Don' worry about closin' Friday, I'll take it."
"Aw, don' make me feel shitty, Carol." Mabel feigned a puppy-dog look, making her co-woker snicker. "I'd rather take it, go home to your kids!"
"Don't'chu worry, I'm fine." Carol hovered her cigarette before her mouth. "My babies are built like their father and me. Trust me, I could use the extra hours."
"Aright. Suit yourself, homegirl." Mabel tapped her on the shoulder, leaning back onto the wall. "Y'know, mah hubby an' I are thinkin' a Memphis trip."
"Ooh, girl!" Carol squeaked with a puff exiting from her mouth. "Can we share a bus seat?"
The ladies laughed, and Mabel couldn't help but let her big genuine heart she was known for shine through. "One day I'd love to take you and Stuart and the kids somewhere. Ya'll make my home feel warmer."
"Aw, Mabel." The red-head admired. "One day. We have some settlin' to take care of right 'bout now. Maybe later on though."
"Doll, you just remember to compliment yourself once an' a while." Mabel stuck her cig between her lips. "An' give Stuart some sugar for me."
Carol hummed contently. The silver linings in waiting tables were often the things that reminded her how every penny she made went into the best she could do. Stuart had been struggling on and off for years so it was no wonder Carol tried to make a home out of working here. All in all with her own dose increase let alone Kenny's, she was willing to find the moments of serenity and take her mind off the bills busting her ass and mental draining weighing down on her.
The fourth graders indulged in their art projects in Mrs. Streibel's room. Draped in smocks as they used three-inch-long newspaper strips and white glue for paper mache projects around each table with a maximum of four per group. Of course, the regular four were found center-room with their own sculpting project as the teacher circled around and stopped at every table to take a look at the students' creativity.
Kenny wiped a hand full of glue against his smock, focusing on his project of attempting to shape his paper mache the way he wanted to. At the same time though, he came to realize working with paper drenched in thick glue was not an easy task.
"I hate this smell," Kyle's features pinched at the air toxic with glue-smell. "So gross."
"Not that bad.." Kenny disagreed. He may have been one for on occasional paint-sniff, so what was a little glue to him. The project itself was actually a pretty nice distraction from his descending rainclouds over his head lately. He placed a newspaper strip precisely over another to shape it better, looking at it from a satisfying perspective.
"Dude, yours is kinda stupid." Cartman pointed out. Kenny immediately scowled.
"Yeah, well, mine's not a total piece of shit."
Stan snickered to himself. "I vouch for Kenny's."
"Remember guys, don't layer it too much or it'll start to concave when it dries." The teacher announced over the class buzz.
Butters's smile dropped from a table over, looking at his model of a duck layered over and over with newspaper to his thought of perfection. He tapped his nervous fists together out of habit as Token and Craig eyed his work in wonder. "Heh, oopsies."
Stan looked over to a table where Wendy and some of the girls were going along fine with their projects. "Man, why are girls so good at this."
"'Cuz they pick easy stuff," Cartman slathered a layer of newspaper over his work. "At least mine will be cool."
"Ha, yeah." Kyle chuckled, wiping his hands free of glue. "Kenny, can you pass me the bin?"
Kenny turned to the bin of extra newspaper strips just near their table closest to him. Leaving his paper mache for now, he wiped his hands on a paper towel and tossed it to the tabletop to go retrieve the bin. Coming to its front, he bent far down to reach it.
When his upper back felt as though it had been stabbed, he cried out in frailing to the floor.
The teacher and students' looked up, startled at Kenny's scream and fall as the bin came knocking over along with him, scattering newspaper bits everywhere. Kenny attempted to hold his upper back in frantic movements of easing the pain that still burned and stiffened in a surprise jump on him. He huffed out frantically to pass it when a hand came to hold his arm for support.
"Whoa, dude easy." Stan comforted. He and the other two strayed from the table at Kenny's cry of pain as the rest of the class still stared at the boy on his knees. Mrs. Streibel had come around to make sure there wasn't any more of an emergency.
"Are you alright, Kenny?"
He hadn't felt as many jabs of pain since the medication lessened it, and he thought maybe this was the effect of his own decision to man-handle his pills. It was his turn to take back control of his body as he furrowed his brow through the pain. "I'm fine.." he trembled, sweat gleaming his brow.
Kyle looked back and forth. "Mrs. Streibel? I think he might need some air."
"Alright, there's nothing to look at. Back to it." The art teacher encouraged the other fourth-graders. Kenny got to his feet with Stan's assistance as he slowly made his way to the class exit. The three accompanied him as he ripped off his smock in trying to ease the jabs to his upper muscles.
"..ow...ow.." Kenny couldn't help but mumble once in the hallway. He gritted his teeth.
"What's up? Do you need water?"
He shook his head. "No, just a painkiller and stretch.." realizing that not only Stan but even Cartman had one of his arms supported now, Kenny felt like a fool. He took both arms away from them to their confusion as he attempted to walk. "You guys can go back."
That was hard to believe. One step forward for Kenny caused him more back pain that Kyle had to practically catch him from his front. "Dude, if it helps, one of us will stay and the others can go back."
Kenny held Kyle's shoulder for support. "No, I can do it myself." He grunted.
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Your locker is just over there, c'mon."
"Stop it!" Kenny whined, as expected by the others. It was a shame that they could actually foretell his frustration building daily by this point. But, Stan sensed that leaving Kenny with just one of them was better than nothing in the least.
"It's fine, okay? C'mon, Cartman." He encouraged, said friend reading the awkwardness with a big side-eye and following. With the other two remaining, Kyle continued to aid Kenny with an arm despite his friend's total detest to it. He attempted to walk faster and Kyle attempted to keep up while attached to him to the point where he was much more a burden than an aid to Kenny.
"Kenny! Kenny, slow down!"
He slowed because ultimately his pain was still evident. He winced just slightly and followed it with a dry cough as the walk did help to ease it, as well Kyle's supporting arm to lean on. He just disliked this whole 'human crutch' thing going on.
"Y'know, you don't have to act. It's not like we don't know what's up."
Kenny could really go without one of Kyle's little speeches right now. The thought of a pain killer and some water and a needed stretch was only on his mind, and he didn't need to assure anyone in the process as much as no one needed to assure him over something he already knew. He tried to mutter a cough under his breath.
"Like, I know it's different but we're not bothered by it. Sorry if Cartman is pissed once and a while, you know how he is. We're not gonna be like your parents or something stupid, but like, I just want you to know-"
"Can we just get to my locker."
Kenny's side-eye was cold and Kyle was kinda frightened how malice it was for someone like him. He didn't think Kenny would want to make a big deal out of it but Kenny also otherwise never gave his friends many signs for help. Not until he was doubled over in pain or coughing a lung out. Were there supposed to be signs? Were they supposed to wait until the worst conclusion again? Because Kyle didn't want to do that.
He kept his mouth shut for now, presuming Kenny wanted to bury the situation and just get where he wanted to be. Kyle continued to support him in his walk. Kenny's pain definitely came first over his or anyone's pride, and Kyle just hoped Kenny knew that too.
Karen and her friend Tricia Tucker spent the majority of their recess on the swings. Occupied in their own little world of conversation as playtime soon neared an end, but the day remained excellent. They got to fingerprint in class, Karen even got to make a special piece for her parents to put on the fridge later. Honestly, what wasn't good about today?
She was about to find out when three little boys from her first-grade class made their way to the swingset's front. A usual trio of ones known as Thomas, Liam, and Oliver who walked up to the two girls in what seemed pretty intentional.
The girls slowed in their swinging as they approached. When they just stood in observance, Tricia spoke aloud. "You can have second turn."
"You're not allowed to be on the swings." Liam, the center of the trio, pointed loudly at Karen.
The dirty blond girl with magenta hairbows remained seated, confusion making her head tilt. "Why?"
"Cuz you have cooties."
The six-year-old frowned. Some boys were gonna say she had cooties!? "I do not!" She stuck her tongue out in defense.
"Yeah, you do."
"Nuh-uh!" Karen defied. Her swing came to a gentle halt and she crossed her arms. The boys remained adamant even when Karen stuck out a pouting lip.
"Your brother has cooties," Thomas pointed directly at her. "So you do, too."
Karen continued to pout, stubbornness hurting her brow. "No he does not!"
"Yuh-huh!" Oliver complained. "He has bad cooties and you're spreading them all over here!"
"You can't play on any of the playground," Liam mentioned. "So you have to get off the swings forever."
Karen threw her fists down. "No, I don't! No, I don't!"
"Yeah, cuz your brother makes you a sickie!"
"No he does n-not!" Frustrated tears built in Karen's eyes, her pouting lip starting to tremble.
"You're being mean!" Tricia accused, herself jumping off the swing to confront them. It was then that the dismissal bell rang in the switch of recess, in which the youngest grades occupying the schoolyard were to go back inside so middle grades could have their turn of recess. Karen jumped off and quickly ran.
That pain killer really went to waste. Kenny's back still hurt like hell and he'd been hiding a cough throughout the rest of class because of it. As he shuffled outside with other classmates for recess, he looked ahead as to keep his head forward for a non-crazy recess. Maybe score a seat on the merry-go-round if he was lucky and just take it easy.
Not yet, he was shocked when a familiar little girl pushed her way through an exiting kindergarten class to come bordering against Kenny in frantic distress. Jabbering on incoherent excuses as Kenny and a bunch of the boys remained bewildered.
"Karen?"
"They-they-they did it again.." Karen muffled against Kenny's coat. He coaxed himself to remove one hand from his back to hold his sister, wincing at the movement as he felt his anger built. He opened fuming eyes with a furrowed brow. Whoever decided to mess with Karen today of all days sure was a genius to pick Kenny's worst of them.
"Who?"
Karen pointed behind her without looking, but Kenny could spot the few pipsqueak boys from a mile end. Nothing he wasn't afraid of based on their puny size.
"Fucking-" Kenny's immediately pushed away from his sister and stormed off. Catching his friends' and many others' attention in the process. The kid in the parka made no hesitance in marching up to the younger kids he knew to be the culprits that were attempting to leave the courtyard. But, they were immediately stopped by a big fourth-grader standing in their way with eyes that looked like they could kill peeking through the hood.
They froze as he opened his big mouth.
"You have any idea what's going on!? I don't need you stupid assholes making it worst for Karen, too! I've got no fucking patience left and there's no way I'm wasting it on some shitturds who don't know anything!"
Big eyes looked up at the screaming older kid as others surrounded them. Craig pushed through to stand near his younger sister Tricia and a distressed Karen to get an up-close look like the rest.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked Stan. The raven-haired boy could barely respond over the yells terminating from the center of chaos.
"You think it's funny being smart!? No one likes it when you start saying shitty stuff you don't know! Don't tell her what she should fucking know about me! You think you're a fucking expert on me!?"
Frightened little boys remained wordless.
"Do you!?" He bellowed, causing them to flinch backward.
"Kenny, calm down, they're first graders!" Kyle tried reasoning. Others remained clueless and shocked as Kenny continued on in a babble of anger that seemed to stray away from just defending Karen. His sister covered her ears in panic, hating the yelling coming her brother's way by Kyle's notice. "Kenny, stop!"
"Are all first graders just born dumb!?" Kenny ranted.
"Yeah! Dumb first graders!" Butters agreed randomly without any insight.
Stan shot a look. "Butters, shut up."
Whatever the hell was going on, Cartman didn't like it cutting into his recess time. "Dude, would you stop acting like one of those jerkoff sixth-graders!?"
Kenny solidified. Still hovering over tear-brimmed first graders as he looked back at Cartman still pissed and Kyle and Stan standing warily. Not to mention the entirety of the recess population fixated on Kenny's antics in shock.
Principal Victoria pushed through some bystanders from the courtyard's entry. "Kenny McCormick, my office!"
He backed away from the younger victims, scowling her way.
"Now!"
Kenny followed the principal with an attitude in his walk. Leaving three baffled friends and a distraught sister behind in the remnants of his rage.
"Kenny, what in god's name were you thinkin'?"
Kenny remained mid-living room with his hands tucked firmly in his pockets. Brooding to the floor in protest to his mother's scolding as she paced back and forth in her demands. Being sent home early was bad enough. To hear what kind of smartass comments he had to say to some first graders was another. Kenny looked at Carol with a ridiculed look. As if she and Stuart weren't dirty-mouthers themselves. All the while his mom was still oblivious to the cough Kenny used all his inner muscles to hide against his lower chin. And speaking of inner muscles...
"What excuse d'you think you get for talkin' to younger kids like that? We didn' raise ya with that shit!"
His chest muscles felt tight under his coat, he was almost tempted to take it off and let them breathe. He continued to mutter a cough to his chest, attempting to swallow it down and just endure his mother's scolding so he could go lay in his bed afterward.
"How'd you like it if one of your lil' friends talked to Karen like that?!"
"They were bothering Karen!" Kenny defended, pinching his eyes closed tightly from another stiffening of pain crawling over his shoulder blades. Christ, it's like that antibiotic went right through him and nothing else.
"There are better ways to-! Stuart, what're you doin'!?" Carol's distraction whipped behind her to her husband in the kitchen way's view, Stuart casually lighting a cigar to being to the back porch as he looked at the others.
"What?" He asked.
"Now!?"
"Well, I figured you're busy!"
Carol's anger against Stuart escalated, purely because of already being angry with Kenny, though it hardly mattered. Kenny huffed, bringing his hands to his neck muscles as the stiffening pain descended. He felt if he so much moved his head a bone was sure to just implode. His chest rumbled with a cough and he felt very familiar to the time of his disease being its worst at the beginning.
What had he ever done to deal with this...
Carol turned back as to continue dealing with her disobedient child, strikingly put off by the levels of paleness his face had dropped to. There was a gone look in his eyes as he swayed and kept firm hands struggling to grip his neck muscles. He breathed in what looked like a distraction from pain.
"Kenny?"
Like a cycle repeated, he dropped to the floor in a thump. Carol screamed and ringed her arms around her son from above in panic. "Stuart!"
To be continued...
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Btw, I know PC Principal replaced Principal Victoria in recent seasons, but I'm also going along with the "Kenny Dies" plot when she was still principal. But, I'm also referencing episodes beyond that so, lol.