Author's Note: Thanks to those who read and, especially, to those who reviewed. I love you guys!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"And he dumped you?"

The shy, blonde boy looked down. His eyes were sad. "He said it had something to do with us."

Ms. Newcomb looked at the blonde boy sitting across from her as she blinked repeatedly. Of course it had something to do with the two of you, she thought.

"Kenny said that Cartman was up to something and it involved us?"

"Cartman?" Ms. Newcomb asked. "Eric Cartman?"

Butters nodded his head as he took one of the candies in the small jar she had on her desk.

"So he's protecting you?"

Butters looked down into his lap as he played with the candy wrapper he had just unwrapped. He shrugged and then slowly he nodded. "I-I guess he was," he said.

Ms. Newcomb nodded. Kenny McCormick was among one of the last kids–no, scratch that- he was the very last kid in this high school she'd expect to have same sex tendencies or whatever. She didn't even know what to think of it! He just seemed to be so driven toward the opposite sex whenever she had seen him in the halls. But it was obvious that this boy in her office had cared much for him and apparently still did. And if what he was saying was true, then Mr. McCormick cared for him just as much for he had gone out of his way to protect him from. . .Her thoughts stopped.

"Did you say Eric Cartman?"

Butters looked at her again and nodded. "B-but Cartman was nice enough to give me advice about Kenny, s-so I think that maybe K-Kenny was. . ."

"Lying?" Ms. Newcomb asked.

Butters nodded slowly and sadly.

"So the Cartman thing was just an excuse?"

Butters shrugged.

"Why would he make up something like that?"

Butters shrugged again.

Maybe he was afraid, she thought. He's young and knowing that he's "different"--really different--than other people could scare him. She frowned a little as Butters continued to play with the candy wrapper in his hands. She wondered what the little guy was thinking.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I don't know where to hide you," Stan said as he searched the halls. "There aren't any good hiding places here."

"I don't care where," Kenny responded. "I just can't stay in the halls."

"You know," Stan began as he turned to his panicked friend. "Everyone is in class right now. Except for us and give or take a few other students who're skipping."

Kenny paused as he stared at Stan. He was right. There was no need to run now. He sighed to himself and leaned against the closest wall. He unzipped his coat and rewarded himself a much needed breather. It had gotten really hot and he needed some fresh air.

Stan was immediately greeted with the words, "Henry's Salty Nuts!" and a peanut waving a small sack of peanuts in one hand with a smile on it's face and a hat on it's head. Stan broke into a small frown, but it soon turned upside down as he read the rest of Kenny's shirt. "Taste my nuts!" rested above the peanuts head in a semi circle. "A tasty snack in my sack!" was also on the shirt.

"Nice shirt," Stan commented.

"Huh?" Kenny looked down at his smiling peanut and smiled back at Stan when he looked up. "Hell, yeah," he said. "It's my favorite one."

Stan's smile widened. "Isn't this-" he pointed to a phrase on his shirt. "-what you said to that freshmen two months ago when you flashed her?"

Kenny had come to school one day on a dare wearing nothing but a long trench coat. He had seen a cute freshman walk by and decided why not? He jumped in front of her, opening up his coat for all to see, and shouted exactly what he had on his shirt.

" 'Grab a sack today!' " Kenny quoted, holding open his coat the same way he had done so for the freshman who was now mentally scared according to the whole school. Kenny had been suspended from school for two weeks and the remaining week or so of that month he had spent in in-school suspension and then detention after school. Apparently, though, it still had not been enough punishment in the eyes of the principal who's daughter just happened to be the same freshman who Kenny had flashed. Ms. Newcomb, Kenny's guidance councilor, though had been the one who had convinced the principal that Kenny had had more than enough of his share of punishment. But now the principal kept his eye on him and unfortunately Stan and Kyle too. And Cartman as well, but no one really cared.

He and Stan both laughed as they reminisced of that day.

"I laughed for weeks after you did that," Stan replied, finally calming himself down.

Kenny slid down the wall and sat down beside the lockers as his laughing slowly came to an end. Stan sat beside him and then for a while neither one of them spoke. The silence fell heavy on them, but it hadn't been unbearable or even the slightest bit uncomfortable. It was just there.

"This'll probably sound different and out of character, but. . ."

Stan turned to him, waiting for what he had to say.

"Am I-"

"Fat?" Stan asked. "You know, Wendy asks me that all the time and I don't usually answer her and she gets pissed. But when I do answer she still gets pissed no matter what I tell her. And-"

"No!" Kenny replied. He laughed again. "Why the hell would ask such a stupid question?"

"Sorry," Stan said. "It's like a reflex, I guess. When a question begins with the words, 'Am I', I always think 'fat'." He shrugged.

"I was going to say different. Am I different?" Kenny asked.

Kenny looked genuine, but Stan thought that he was kidding around. It wasn't often that Kenny ever talked about something serious, anyway. "Yeah, you are!" Stan replied. But Kenny's sad face made him rephrase his last statement. "Uh, yeah, but in a good way," he added quickly.

"In a good way?" Kenny asked. "There's a good way and a bad way to be different?"

Stan stared at him. He didn't know whether or laugh and slap him on the shoulder for playing a good joke or to tell him to just cut the crap. But Kenny's sincere and curious face made Stan rethink his actions. Though, now he didn't know if he should be scared or not. "Uh, well. . ." He was at a loss for words. He scratched his head and he tried to grasp this whole thing. "I. . .I guess so. Well. . .yeah. You could be. . .different in a bad way by being part of the crowd, you know. Going with a group that acts just the opposite of you and becoming someone you're not. And you could be different in a good way by being unlike the crowd and being someone that you are. By not hiding anything about yourself like you would in a certain crowd of people because of fear or whatever. Does that make sense?"

Kenny only stared at his friend, unsure of what to say and unsure if he believed any of it, but he had made a mental note of it all. "Yeah," he said. "Makes sense."

They sat in silence together again, though this time neither one wanted to break the peace that lingered between them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cartman sat in the tech room making what he knew would be the ultimate end to Kenny McCormick and then after Kenny was completely humiliated he could move on back to making Kyle's life a living hell. This opportunity, though, he could not pass up. Kyle would just have to wait.

"So what is it you're working on, Eric," Mr. Clive, the technology teacher asked from behind him.

Cartman quickly covered up his "project" and turned to the teacher with a smile. "It's a surprise," he said.

Mr. Clive looked at him suspiciously, but Cartman grinned that devilish grin of his, trying to make it appear as if he were innocent. The glint in his eye was visible and though the man caught it, he could not guess just how bad this "project" was. "Can I see this 'surprise'?" he asked as he began to move forward. "Maybe I could help you or give you some suggestion so it-"

"No!" Cartman exclaimed as he stood.

Mr. Clive stopped. He looked at Cartman.

"I could do it myself," Cartman replied.

"Okay," Mr. Clive said as he took a step back. "But call me if you need some help."

Cartman sat back down in his chair. "I won't be needing your help," he said confidently. "I could do this on my own, but in do time, it will be revealed." He looked at the teacher with that glint in his eye and that grin plastered on his face. "In do time."

The technology teacher hadn't known this particular student for a very long time, but he could sense something very wrong as Cartman sat there in that chair looking at him the way that he was. There was just something deceitful about that boy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kyle sat in class, watching the clock. He wondered where Stan was. He glanced at the seat across from him. He hadn't come to class and apparently, neither had Kenny. Kyle's eyes moved to the seat beside him to Kenny's empty seat. He sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. Was Stan skipping without him? And was Kenny with him? He scowled at both empty seats before looking away. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Stan and Kyle always skipped together. No matter what class and yeah, most of the time Kenny was with them too, but Kyle was never left out.

He looked up and watched as the teacher wrote some crap on the board. He yawned as he stretched out his arms. It was only 15 minutes into the period and already he was getting sleepy. He buried his head in the crook of his elbow and hoped that Stan would come soon or then he'd die of boredom. And if not Stan, then Kenny. He needed someone to talk to and he didn't know just how much more of Bebe's story he could take. She kept going on about her just normal get together with a "friend" last night that had ended up with both of them "experimenting." This mysterious person, she would not name. It kept people in suspense, so she told him. It pissed him off a little because it had reminded him that he had no "mysterious someone". Or did he?

"Come on, Stan," he whispered. "Hurry up."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I leave you there and I will update again, hopefully, either this Saturday or next Monday, so be on the look out!

Jess