Howdy! How's everyone doing? Yay! Ninth chapter! I'm stoked I got this far. Don't stop reading, the ending is getting closer. I already have this whole thing planned out. It's just a matter of writing it down. Now, don't get worried, but I have a slight case of Writer's Block and it's making it very hard to put my ideas down on paper. Haha, we'll see how that turns out. Anyways, do go on.

Can you forgive me again?

-Stan's POV-

The door swung open, startling Kenny and I as we both jumped back. Kyle's Mom stood there, red in the face with an angry snare on her face.

Not even acknowledging us, she turned around and snapped into the room, "Kyle, I want you OUT of that mood by the time I get back with your Father!"

She stomped down the hallway, ignoring us. Kenny and I looked at each other. He shrugged and I grinned.

Stepping into the room, we were greeted by a red-faced Kyle. Keeping his arms crossed, he followed us into the room with his eyes.

"Well, good morning, Sunshine." Kenny commented.

"Shut up, Dude!" He looked over at me and turned away, obviously still mad. How could he still be mad after all that had happened?

Kenny snubbed his bad mood and sat down into a chair by the bed. He swung his feet on the covers of Kyle's bed and smiled smugly. "How are you feeling?"

Kyle huffed angrily. "I'd be better if I was out of this fucking hell hole. Why am I here, anyways? Oh yeah, I remember," He said, putting a finger up to his chin like he was thinking thoughtfully. " 'Cause Stan can't keep his goddamn mouth shut!"

I stared at him, dumbfounded. Why was he being so malicious? This wasn't the Kyle I grew up with. But, I defended myself anyways.

"Hey, back off, Dude! I didn't put you in here. It's not my fault you passed out from your own stupid mistake!"

He closed his mouth, still looking at me.

"Fuck, I just came here to see how you were. Kenny and I blew off school. You could be a little more gracious."

Kyle looked ashamed.

"Oh, Stan. I'm sorry. I know this isn't your fault. I hate fighting with you. You have stuck by me, even when I was being a total asshole. I'm really sorry." He looked close to tears.

I took a seat on the edge of his bed. "It's okay, Kyle. I'm sorry, too. I understand how hard this is for you."

He smiled. "Thanks for coming, you guys. I missed you. I even miss Fatass … well, kind of."

Kenny laughs and his eyes twinkle charismatically.

"So, what's life like here?"

Kyle rolls his eyes, annoyed. "It's horrible! They won't give me ANY privacy. I can't even have a bathroom in my room because they think I'll go shove a finger down my throat."

I nod, suddenly remembering his fight with his Mom. "What happened with you and your Mom?"

"Oh, God, Dude. She won't get off my back. The minute I wake up, she's on my case about how stupid I am. I snapped at her and told her to leave me the hell alone."

Kenny is balancing a pencil he pulled from his pocket on the bridge of his nose. "Atta boy!"

Kyle smiles. "Madison called and said she'd come and visit after school today."

I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. I remember the night I held his hand while he slept.

"When do you start therapy?" I say, quickly changing the subject.

Kyle looks surprised. "How'd you know all this?"

"Well, first off, your Mom told him and second of all, this cute Nurse downstairs keeps flirting with him and she thinks that he's your Brother." Kenny answers for me.

Kyle snorts with laughter. "My brother?! Haha! We don't look anything alike."

I grin. "I know. But I wanted to see you."

He looks at me thoughtfully, cocking his head. He looks so cute, I want to confess my feelings right there.

"Thanks, Dude. I wanted to see you, too."

Kenny gives me a small wink, like he knows what's going on inside my head. He gets up with a small grunt. He really does smoke too much. It's hard for him to even get up.

"Well, guys. I need to leak. Plus, I'm going to go get some food from the vending machine, maybe hook up with that Nurse that wants Stan. I'll be back."

He walks out the door, whistling an unrecognizable tune on his way. I hear him get shut up by a Nurse.

I suddenly feel naked, being so alone with Kyle.

He clears his throat, disturbing the uncomfortable silence filling the room. I can feel him looking at me, trying to see inside my soul. I can picture his green eyes, staring me down. His red hair setting them off even more and making them look more startling than they really are.

"Stan."

I look up. "Hm?"

"I really am sorry. I really do feel bad about all those things I said to you. You didn't ignore my problems." He sighs, frustrated. "I was just so …mad. I needed someone to take it out on. It wasn't right of me and I'm sorry."

Now this is more like the Kyle I know and love.

"It's okay, Man. I'd do the same thing probably. I would never abandon you though."

He nods, looking down at his bed sheets as if they are the most interesting things in the world.

"I know, Stan … and I'm going to stop this. All of this bullshit."

I smile. Without thinking, I take his hand. He looks shocked, but he doesn't pull away. We are inches away from kissing. Closer, closer …

"Hey, guys. That ho Nurse shut me down." Kenny comes back into the room, cradling an assortment of junk food.

I pull away from Kyle and drop his hand. He looks away and hides his hand under the bed sheet.

Kenny looks at us, his eyes darting from me to Kyle. He sighs and plops down into the chair once again.

"Geez, is it only me who gets the awkward silence when I enter a room?"

We don't answer.

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"What the hell happened with you and Kyle when I left?"

Kenny and I are walking down the front stairs at the entrance of the hospital. It's gotten colder out and I shiver, not so much from the cold, but from remembering the incident that had occurred just an hour ago.

"Nothing happened."

Kenny eyes me. "Don't bullshit me, Stan. Guilt was written all over your innocent faces."

I shove him, this time, not so gently. "Well, nothing happened, Kenny. Sorry to disappoint your perverted mind."

He holds up his hand in fake defense, as if to block my words from hitting him. "Hey! You said it, not me. I never once mentioned anything perverted."

Goddamn Kenny. I feel his elbow in my side. Annoyed, I look up.

"What?"

He leans over and whispers close to me. I can see his breath cling to the air. "Isn't that Madison?"

I look over to where his eyes are and sure enough, I see Madison walking towards us.

"Goddammit …"

"Yoo-hoo! Stanley! Kenny!"

I hate the way she calls me Stanley. My parents and a few teachers were the only ones who ever got away with it.

Kenny waves but I ignore her.

She walks up to us, flicking her long blond hair out of her face. Madison was pretty. There was no denying that. If she wasn't such a slut …

"I'm going to see Kyle. Is he awake?"

Kenny nods. I know for a fact that anything with breasts and cares enough to talk to him his top of Kenny's list.

"He was when we left."

She smiles and then turns to me. "How are you, Stanley?"

I force a smile. "Great. How are you?"

She pouts. "I've been better. I hate to know Kyle's in the hospital with something I can't fix."

You could be a big help by leaving him alone and sparing him the fakeness of your presence.

"Kyle will pull through."

She nods and smiles. She reaches out, touches my shoulder slightly and gives me a wink.

"Stay out of trouble, Stanley," she purrs. "Bye, Kenny."

Now, what just happened there? The little whore …

Kenny is grinning at me like an idiot.

Annoyed, I snap, "what?!"

He shakes his head, still with that same silly grin on his face.

"I just find it funny how the girls fall all over you."

I shove him into a snowdrift and duck from him as he chases me all the way back home, chucking the occasional snowball. It felt good to laugh again.

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Well, no big cliffie. I got a lot of homework but I thought I'd write out this Chapter. It's not my best but I promise you AMAZING chapters to come. Hugs and Kisses.

-J