Chap.11
Hey guys, hope you are all doing well. I'm really proud how the last few chapters have come out and I think that's in part to the fact that I made outlines for them. I do these outlines every five chapters so I can sit back and think and try to plot points so I can get the plot to where it needs to be. So, It maybe a little while before I start the chapter after I finish this one. I had to do a bit of head canon in this chapter as we don't really know anything about Carol McCormick's past or even her maiden name so I ended up making a lot of her younger days up. This is a fan fic after all so ya. Don't take anything I say as set in stone unless otherwise confirmed from an official South Park source. Anywhale, hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's gonna be a juicy one.
Kenny observed the entryway door as his mother began to open it. He noticed how only one of the two lights barely worked and how the concrete below the door was cracked and uneven. It was the same door he had known for most of his life. But unlike the other times he had seen it, it just made him feel disgusted. Similar to him and his siblings, they were broken all because of their parents' pride and not wanting to accept who they were.
Carol entered with her two children and they all noticed Stuart sitting in his signature chair. He was sipping on a beer.
Karen and Kenny also noticed a bruise around his chin. After not noticing any bruises on their mother's face, they could guess who had won tonight's fight.
"Told ya you find them."Stuart said
Carol then let go of Karen.
"Alright you, get to bed." told her daughter
Karen walked to her bed with Kenny following behind her. Even though his mother hadn't told him to go to sleep, he couldn't stomach his parents presence enough to be told to you.
"Not you Kenny...We need to talk."Carol said
Kenny stopped and turned around to look at his mom. He had never really had to have a 'talk' with his mother before. The 'talks' were normally up to his father and Stuart McCormick wasn't exactly the best at giving those.
Even though he was upset with her, Kenny's curiosity peaked. He just hoped that she was better at these talks than his father. He also hoped that this talk didn't lead to a deeper divide.
Out of concern for her brother, Karen approached Kenny and gave him a hug.
"Good night Kenny...I love you."
Kenny then smiled to himself. Carol thought this was nice too. But she didn't exactly express it. She had always admired how her son had taken care of his own little sister. But then again, she was the reason Kenny had to take care of Karen.
"Love you too Kare."
Karen then let go of Kenny and walked towards her room. Kenny then made eye contact with his mother and noticed how she was leaning against the wall. She seemed non threatening enough so Kenny decided to start off.
"So...what is it ma?"Kenny asked
"Was that the same girl you brought over and left with a week or two ago?"Carol responded.
"Ya, it was."
"Did you know she was related to Thomas Turner?"
"Not really, I mean I knew of him but that's it. Why does it matter?"
"It matters because he was gonna help me make our lives better…"
Kenny looked at his mother with surprise.
"Ummmm alright…how so if you don't mind me asking ?"Kenny said
Carol McCormick was now sober enough to keep her head straight so her emotions wouldn't get the better of her. As well as she should be able to recollect memories with little error.
"Me and Thomas used to be friends. I don't just mean casual friends but really close friends. Especially when we were kids. Like you, I was the poor kid. But I was the new kid to South Park and wasn't exactly the best at making friends but somehow I was able to make friends with him. Maybe it was because we both came from a similar situation where our parents were separated. His being a bit well off than mine but still broken all the same. We grew close over our situations and could really seek solis in each other. He even helped me acquire that jacket you are wearing right now when I was your age."
Kenny looked down at his jacket. It did seem old and used but it was still in pretty good shape. He had always assumed that they got it at some thrift shop. But the jacket wasn't the only surprising thing to him. It was the fact that his mother was actually opening up on a very personal level about her childhood. She had never spoken on it before. And the fact that it featured Heidi's father no less was also pretty surprising. Kenny continued to listen to his mother.
"As the years continued, we eventually met new people and we grew apart. We began to connect in the last year of high school again but he went into the military and I married your father. But somehow, as fate would have it, we met again. We were both parents with a young family trying to find work. I was just on my normal part time thing and Thomas was getting out of the military. so we both ended up working at the same restaurant. Him as a chef and I as a waitress. Thomas was always talked about opening his own restaurant. And with a loan and his own persistence, he did. He also hired me. But then…"
Carol paused. Kenny could tell this was the beginning to the end of this story.
"But then what?"Kenny asked
"Do you remember when Karen was younger? How she was really sick?"Carol asked
"Of course. I was so scared."
"Well, I had only been working for Thomas for about a month when Karen got real sick. I didn't have another way to get the money to help her. Even the money Thomas offered wasn't enough. I had no choice to steal from the restaurant. I was caught in the act and Thomas warned me if I did It again, that he would have no choice but to get rid of me. He said we just needed time to think of a way to get the money for Karen. But I-I
"You didn't think you had that time…"Kenny added
"Yes...and I stole from the restaurant. It wasn't even enough to help Karen. Thank god she pulled through on her own. But Thomas had told me that he knew what I had done. I just skipped the whole meeting process and never went back to work. I couldn't even look at him. That's why I was upset when I saw you two with him."Carol finished
"I think I understand now."Kenny said
"Ya know, it was him that used to tell me that I wasn't trailer trash. I always knew I was but he told me otherwise. And after all those years, I let him down and ended proving to him that I was…"Carol said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"And it's this pain Kenny...this pain of disappointment. It's what hurts and what I never want for you and your brother and sister."Carol followed with tears coming down her cheeks.
This was real. Kenny couldn't believe this. He never knew his mother was capable of breaking down like this. Kenny decided there was only one thing he could do after all these years of hardship that unfolded in his life.
"Okay mom, I promise. I promise I won't disappoint anyone anymore. I promise that I'll prove that our family is more than white trash."Kenny responded with a genuine look of determination in his eye.
Carol looked at her son with surprise.
"Thank you Kenny." responded
"Ooo my god*sob*this is all so sad."Stuart chimed in
At first, Kenny thought his father was being sarcastic. But after a quick look, his dad actually had tears going
his cheeks. Kenny was confused but not surprised. As stated before, was an unpredictable drunk.
Carol simply rolled her eyes and dried her tears.
"Well I got school tomorrow, so I'll see you guys." Kenny said
"Alright then…..goodnight Kenny."Carol said
"Night."Stuart said
Kenny then turned away and towards his room. After all that Kenny had a much better image of his mother. Of course he was disappointed that she had stolen from despite their friendship. And Kenny was still wasn't ready for the whole I love you shtick. But this situation conveyed his mother in a very human light. That she was human just like him. And now Kenny could learn from those mistakes and apply them to his own relationships like his friends. It was also progress to a better relationship with his parents.
As Kenny made his way to his room, he heard a sniveling sound. He peeked into his sisters room to see her clenching her blanket and crying. She must still be traumatized from the events that played out earlier tonight. Kenny decided that his guise as a big brother wouldn't be enough. He would need the help from Mysterion.
Kenny entered his and put on his vigilante alias as fast as he could. And to ensure that Karen believed that Kenny and Mysterion were different people, he grabbed his trademark jacket and stuffed it with his shirt and pants he had been wearing. He then put this clothing burrito under his blanket and turned it towards his wall.
He exited through his window and made his way to his sisters. He peered through the window and saw his brother sleeping.
Kevin was notorious for snoring and that often led to Karen having to sleep in Kenny's room. Unfortunately, that probably wasn't that kept Karen awake in and in tears
Kenny quickly and silently opened the window. Her own crying along with her brother's slight snore camouflage any sounds Kenny was making.
After entering, Kenny slowly approached his sister's bed. He made sure not to scare by slowly coming towards her in a non threatening manner. After noticing his presence, Karen quickly turned towards Mysterion.
"Guardian angel!"karen states in an excited voice.
"SssShhhh""Kenny replies with a one finger over his mouth. He didn't want Kevin to wake up. Knowing him,Kenny presumed that his brother may think he's breaking in and would call his dad. And that could lead to a cluster fuck of problems.
"Oooo sorry, Guardian angel."replied with a whisper.
Kenny then smiled and gave his sister an ok symbol.
"So Karen, how are you doing?"
His sister's expression turned to a frown and she bag an to tear up.
"I'm not doing that great. My parents keep getting into fights and my brother keeps getting hurt because of it. If I had just stayed here, he wouldn't have gotten yelled at and thrown down by my mom. I just hope he's okay now. I would check on him but I'm scared to see if they did anything to him."Karen said with tears starting to go down her cheeks.
Kenny had seen enough of his sisters tears for one day. Crying is perfectly healthy but Karen's was the last person he ever wanted to see crying. He also knew she had already been crying.
"Karen, don't worry. Your brother is fine. I made sure of it."Mysterion said
"Really?"Karen replied
"Yes, come take a look."
Karen got out of her bed as Kenny slightly opened the door. Karen walked over to see her brother's room across the room and there he was. Karen began to smile. Kenny's little decoy had proven to be useful.
Karen toward Kenny.
"Thank you guardian angel."Karen said
Karen proceeded to hug Kenny. But unlike their previous hug that day, it was a bit more wholesome and Karen's woes weren't the focus of it. That is why Kenny truly adopted the mysterion guise for his sister. Although Karen trusted Kenny with most anything, there are certain things she didn't tell him in order to keep him from worrying. There are some things that you just can't tell your big brother. But you can't lie to your guardian angel.
"Alright Karen, I think you may need you rest."
Karen looked up towards mysterians face.
"Okay."
Kenny tucked his sister in and was ready to leave.
"Guardian angel?"
Kenny looks back towards Kenny. He was hoping to god that she wasn't trying to pull the same stunt as Heidi always did.
"Yes Karen?"Kenny responded
"Can you stay with me?"Karen asked
Karen had been through a lot more than the average child today. A lot of which had unfolded in the last few hours. Kenny figured it would be best if someone was there to genuinely make sure she was able to sleep
"Alright. Just for a little while."Kenny replied
"Thank you guardian angel."
"No problem kid."
Kenny walked to the side of Karen's mattress and sat up against the wall. He then grabbed his sister's hand to comfort her. Karen simply smiled and closed her eyes. Kenny smiled knowing his sister was gonna be alright. He would always make sure of it.
After what he had guessed had been around ten minutes, Kenny was sitting beside a sleeping Karen. He took his hand away from hers and replaced it with a doll he found sitting next to her mattress. After making sure she was asleep,Kenny made his way to the window.
As Kenny began to open the window he heard the voice of someone he didn't expect.
"So Kenny, how long you gonna keep up this charade for?"Kevin said
Kenny should have guessed that his brother was awake based on the fact that he had stopped snoring once he had entered the room.
"As long as I can. For Karen's sake."Kenny said
"She'll figure it out eventually. And when she does, she won't be strong enough to take it. And who's fault will that be?" Kevin states
"Is that so?"
"It is...she needs to learn how to be tough like us. Nothing else matters than our own strength. We don't need anybody because nobody wants us. She'll also learn that as well. And when she does she won't be tough enough to take it like the rest of us."
Kenny was a bit disappointed in his brother. He was beginning to sound like their father and mother.
"Well Karen isn't gonna be like us. She's gonna be something more. Something incredible. And I'm gonna make sure of it." Kenny replies
"Well aren't you special Kenny."Kevin states
"Guess I am."
Kenny proceeds to open the window.
"And next time you'd like to talk, I'd prefer a nice 'how was your day'"Kenny states
And with that Kenny leaps out the window and shuts it. He then makes his way towards downtown.
Kennny and Kevin only came eye to eye on a few things. The first being that playboys are a way of life. The second is that they will do whatever it takes to make Karen a genuine member of society unlike their parents. But they disagree on how to go about doing that. Since he was never coddled, Kenny felt like it was important to make Karen feel special and give her help in any aspect of her life. Whereas Kevin feels like she needs to be ready to take care of herself if the situation called for it. It had worked out for him so he thought it would work for her. Kenny understood and respected this but Kenny believes that this is the mindset his parents hold. And any resemblance to them was toxic to Kenny.
As Kenny made his way around neighborhoods and streets, he couldn't help but keep thinking that his relationship with his brother should be better. He hardly ever saw him due to their conflicting schedules. And when they did see each other, they always just seemed to but heads. But both boys are stubborn in their own way so it's always bound to happen. Although it wasn't as bad as his relationship with his parents, Kenny should really try to have some kind consensus with his brother.
As Kenny was scaling and jumping from rooftop to rooftop(undoubtedly waking people up.),a thought popped in his head.
"I should check on Heidi."
Although nothing super traumatizing had happened to her during his mother's little episode, Kenny still wanted to check in on her. Most people weren't used to that kind of behavior. And the thought of her being bothered was kind of bothering Kenny. Kenny didn't understand why but it did. It also made a good distraction from whatever the hell was going on with his family at the moment.
Kenny made his way towards his house, arriving at the cornflower front of the house. He had guessed her room was upstairs. And if it was anything like the rest of the houses in South Park, the master bedroom would be towards the back so her rooms window should be towards the front.
Kenny peaked into the window that was in between the smaller window. There she was. Peacefully sleeping.
This brought a smile to Kenny's face as he saw her. Knowing that she was comfortable and okay made Kenny feel….feel a certain happiness.
"Jesus, I'm being such a creep."Kenny thought to himself
He then scaled down the house and began to make his way towards downtown. Kenny thought to himself as he traversed the mountain town.
"She's just a friend right? And a friend that I haven't had for that long. So why would I have a reason to like her? Sure she's nice. She's funny. She's interesting. And she's very pretty. And she always seems to be there for me when I need her to be."
Kenny cut his thoughts off. Even he could see his own denial.
"It wouldn't matter anyway. I know Kyle said he was cool, but there are so many factors. First of all, why would she even consider me more than a friend...she has seen how much baggage I have first hand. And that's not counting when I die. She needs someone that is at least semi normal. Especially since her most recent relationship was with Eric Cartman. Speaking of which, I wouldn't even know what to do about him."
Kenny thought
Kenny wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something happened to Heidi. Cartman was dangerous. His kind of danger is even tough for the likes of mysterion.
Regardless, Kenny had other things to focus on at the moment. Like how the hell he was gonna scale the police station when they had taken out the fire escape. Only South Park Kenny thought to himself.
Unbeknownst to Kenny, his little visit had not gone unnoticed by a particular brunette girl. He wasn't the quietest and that had caught the attention of Heidi Turner. She didn't want to throw him off by being awake. So she pretended to be asleep.
After he had left, Heidi began to think to herself.
"Myst, I don't know who you are. But I will find out. That way, I can show you how grateful I really am."
And that's the end of another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. It was a long one that was mainly meant to help build the world a little. I said I would expand on my idea for a spin off in the prior chapter on this outro, so basically I was gonna write a 8 chapter spin off about Carol and Thomas and their friendship as kids. I really wish I could draw because I could imagine what they would like. Carol being a cross between red and Karen, and boasting the orange parka. And I could also see Thomas having his own unique design. Let me know what you think in the section down below. I probably wouldn't begin writing that fic until I finish this one and that won't be for a while. But it will give me a new project to do after this one. And hopefully I will really refine my writing by then so it can be the best it can be. I also thought about putting my story(and any future stories) on watt pad so I could add some visual aids with images from fan artists. I would credit them of course. I just always found it easier to read stuff when I had a visual aid to back it up. Btw, I'm imaging this entire fic playing out in the OG South Park art style, so that's why I don't get very vivid with the characters' features. I'm pretty tired as I'm writing this so that kind of explains my random thought process. Anywhale, hope you all enjoyed it and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Hope you all consider critiquing and reviewing down below and hope you all have a nice day(or night based on where you live.