AN: This was going to be more happy ending-ish, but the more I write the more that might not happen. Happy endings are great, but things don't always turn out that way and I want this story to be a slice of life. Here's a bit of the pendulum coming into play.
Watch the Pendulum Swing
Kyle and I walk back to my house in comfortable conversation. We don't talk about what went down at the pond and we don't talk about where we're headed or why we're headed there. Its nice to be with Kyle, just the two of us. I've been getting so close with Stan, I'd almost forgotten why I chose both of them as friends in the beginning.
Even so, I cant shake the thought that I've made things worse, far worse than they were before. I think I've created a bigger wedge between Stan and Kyle. I can already see Kyle would give up his own happiness just to have the slightest relationship with Stan, but Stan... I don't think he's the same. He wants his happiness and I cant think badly of him for wanting it. I just wonder what would make him happy.
Something happened there at Starks Pond between the three of us, and I cant forget the feeling of uneasiness that passed through me when we all took a drink due to that last statement. Not to mention what Kyle said to me when Stan was gone. That he's attracted to me.
"Kenny?"
I'm snapped out of my thoughts and brought back to reality. I look at Kyle, "yeah?"
"Are you attracted to Stan? I mean, you probably are but I meant-"
I cut him off, "I know what you mean."
"And?"
"And, I hadn't really thought about it."
"It isnt something you ought to have to think about."
"Look, Kyle I know you're head over heels, but it doesn't work that way for me. I'm not sure okay? I mean there were times when he... well, there were times when maybe I thought I kinda felt something but, it could have just been my natural sex drive at work you know?"
He nods, and thinks a moment before saying anything, "it wasn't intentional, Kenny."
"What wasn't?"
"Kinda leaving you out. Being so heavily involved with each other that you were excluded some of the time."
Yeah I know...
I sigh, "don't worry about it Kyle."
We're finally at my house and I stop to look at it. Broken parts from god knows what are on the browned dead lawn, windows are smashed, tiles are hanging from the exterior walls and the roof. This is home. From the outside it seems like there isnt much activity going on in the inside, but I can hear voices being wafted out from the opened window.
Kyle gives me a small smile and we head to the front door. I don't normally knock the door on my own house, but I no longer feel like its my house. I knock softly and the slight talking that was going on indoors is cut off as someone turns the knob and opens the door.
My mom stands there looking rather solemn but her eyes light slightly when she sees me.
"Kenny! Come in, where've you been? I've been worried."
She ushers me inside and nearly closes the door when I stop her and point out that Kyle is with me. She gives Kyle a strange look but lets him in and he steps in slowly and looks around as I do. The house looks pretty much the same except that Mr. and Mrs. Marsh are sitting on our broken couch, rather uncomfortably I might add.
I look at the Marsh's who give me kind smiles, I return the look. We've done this before. My focus returns to my mother.
"Where's da-"
"Gone," she stops me. "I kicked him out."
I couldn't help it, I didn't want to crush my mother but, its ridiculous. I release a loud snort of disbelief. She glares at me while everyone else looks at me in wonder.
"I'm tired of that tired old lie Mom. You didn't kick him out, at least not for good, he'll be back."
And why? Because, and I love you mom, but you're weak.
Are you different? You kept a horrible secret, you were too weak to say anything to anyone.
I watch my mother bite her lip and advert her eye's to the Marsh's. A flag goes off in my head.
"What's going on? Why are the Marsh's here anyway?" I ask.
"Kenny... Randy and Sharon came over because apparently you told your friend Stan some things and they came over to discuss it with me. Kenny, I, your father, he's a good man. He really is."
A moan escapes my lips. "Mom..." my voice is soft.
"He is Kenny! He just... he's just confused about some things, and even though we fight, we still love each other and I have to be a good wife. He didn't used to be like this."
"Mom!"
"Kenny McCormick do not interrupt me, when I'm talking!"
I shut my mouth.
"Like I was sayin', I have to be a good wife and stand by husband, but... before I'm a wife I'm a mom, and Kenny you have to believe me when I said I had no idea what he was doin' to you."
I nod numbly.
"So, while your father is gettin' better, and while your father and I work things out, you're gonna be staying with the Marsh's. Is that okay with you?"
"What about Kevin?" I ask.
"He's goin' to a friends too."
"And you," I almost choke on my words, "you're going to stay with him?"
"He cant get better by himself. When he's better we can all be together again right?"
I say nothing and make no gesture. I don't want to be together again, not as long as he's part of that group.
"Now then, you go pack your stuff and then the Marsh's and your friend Kyle there can help you move into their spare bedroom."
Still not saying anything I start to head to my bedroom, well aware that Kyle isnt behind me. I'm stopped at my bedrooms entrance by my mom who had followed me. I turn to look at her.
"Don't stay with him." That's all I can manage to get out.
"I gotta, Ken, I love him, you understand that, don't you?"
I don't think I do.
I'm taller than my mom so it must be awkward for her to reach up and hug me. The hug is so tight. Out of the corner of my eye I see Kyle peeking around the hallway.
"This is the best I can do for you Kenny," she whispers to me in our hug. I nod against her shoulder, and let her go. She gives me a wide forced smile and sighs, "you've gotten so big. I wonder when you grew up."
With that she turns away and the talking between her and the Marsh's resume. I look at Kyle who has been studying me, I know he feels he's interrupted on a family affair and he cant think of what to say, so I say something first.
"Well, help me pack then?"
The packing is unnecessarily slow, especially since I haven't got many things. Since we aren't talking I put in some music and we pack to a constant repeat of Aqueous Transmission. When we finally finish, we head back out to the tension filled living room. I pack all my bags in the Marsh's car but refuse their offer to drive to the house. I think I'd rather walk and Kyle agrees.
For some reason, I don't give my mother another goodbye. There isnt anything left to say and we don't normally hug, so It'd be too weird to do it twice in one day.
On the way to Stans, the same tension is between Kyle and I. Its like we haven't got anything to say to each other that wouldn't somehow depress the other. Kyle seems to feel the same way as well. But I'm tired of silence, and seriousness and life in general. I want to be carefree for awhile and just as we turn the corner to where Stan's house is I heft up some of the fresh snow, pack it hard and chuck it in Kyle's direction.
It hits him right in the back and he turns to face me, slightly appalled that I would do something so random and childish, but that look quickly fades and turns into a real live grin. Which is a facial emotion I haven't see him display in weeks.
He laughs, and picks up some of the snow near him, a much larger amount and looks at me as he throws the snowball in the air and catches it. Then with his dominant arm he throws it as hard as he can in my direction. I forgot how good Kyle's aim is. Even though I had attempted to dodge it he still got it right in the middle of my stomach.
I cave in and hold my stomach a bit, "shit, I think there was a rock in that." I mutter.
Kyle approaches me, with a worried expression on his face but before he can ask if I'm okay, I chuck another hidden snowball at him. After that, it's a bit of an all out war. We're sliding and falling on the street, all while continuing to throw snowballs at each other.
It's the most fun I've had in days. We finally call it truce when one of my stray horribly aimed snowballs pegs him in the eye.
I walk over to him laughing the whole way as he tries to get the snow out of his eye.
"Stop laughing!" He says as he laughs, "it isnt funny. This really hurts. There was dirt in that one."
"Here, let me see," I say as I calm my laughter down. Kyle stops rubbing his eye and lets me take a look. I pry open his eye with one of my hands and glance into it. I've always thought Kyle was attractive and being so close to his green eyes only confirms his good looks.
As carefully as I can, I pick out some stray pieces of grass.
"That's as best as I can do, you're going to have to wash it out at Stans, there's still lots of dirt in your eye."
"Great, thanks a lot."
"Hey, where were your great dodging reflexes?"
"Hard to dodge when there's a giant ball of ice headed straight for my head, it's a deer in headlights scenario."
"Whatever, you just cant dodge," I look around at our surroundings. We're two houses from Stan's and from here I can see him outside on his front porch. Leaning against the door frame with his arms and legs crossed as he talks to Wendy who's standing at the door talking to him. I look around, Cartman is nowhere in sight.
Kyle stands beside me, one eye closed tight shut, I cough to keep from laughing at the sight. "Is that Stan and Wendy?" He asks me.
"Yeah."
"What's she doing there?"
I stare at him when I hear the venom in his voice, but I shrug, though I have my ideas. Maybe I had heard that sigh of yearning earlier at the pond from her. After staring for so long we both witness as Stan shakes his head and as Wendy bursts into tears. I watch as Stan gives an obvious sigh of exasperation but he abandons his earlier disposition and tries and give her a hug but she pushes away and runs off, in our direction.
She slows down when she see's the both of us. Her tears are still free flowing and it doesn't look like she can talk but she manages. "This is your fault," she hisses before retching in another wave of tears and continues to run off toward her house.
Kyle and I look at each other. "Was that aimed at you or me?" I ask him and he shrugs indifferently. He doesn't care, and frankly, neither do I.
When I turn my head back to Stan, I see him already looking at both Kyle and I. I wonder how we look. Both somewhat damp and covered in snow, with Kyle's eye clamped shut while he leans a bit on me, continuing to rub his eye.
I smack his hand away, "stop rubbing your eye."
"Well, it really fucking hurts now!"
"Then come on, Stan's waiting for us anyway."
Kyle looks up with his only good eye and nods.
AN: Yeah, wanted to get that out of the way before I started school. Leaving tomorrow for university and I'm in a pissy mood because of certain idiotic governments who wont give me my fucking money to buy my fucking textbooks just because I'll be a freshman!
Deep breath. Please read and review! Oh, and just because I started the other SP story, doesn't mean I'm at a block with this one. I'm not, I still have plenty of ideas till the end of this, which originally I thought would be this chapter but I decided to add more. Now I don't know how long it'll be.
Faery Goddyss :)
