Chapter 5
Welcome Home, Outcast

Tweek didn't know what to think as Brent Hanniman dragged him forcefully to an empty corridor on first floor. Tweek had lost his books long ago and he was now stumbling over his own feet as Brent cursed incessantly and shoved him around.

Tweek fell back hard into the cement wall, chipping with old yellow paint. Tweek didn't have time to react before a fist collided with his face. He bent over and spit out a mouthful of blood. His inner cheek was flowing a steady flow of blood.

"W-what I do?" Tweek screamed as he tried to block another hit from the boy twice his size.

"You were harassing my girlfriend… no one touches her but me…" He grabbed Tweek's shoulders, bent him over and kneed him in the gut. Tweek keeled over and vomited up his lunch from this afternoon.

Tweek shook on the floor, coughing and spitting out the remains of his lunch and blood. He wiped his mouth and sat back from the partially digested food on the floor. Brent rammed his foot into his stomach another two times.

Tweek shook with anger, fear and pain. He laid on the cold ground feeling to sore to even move from the footsteps moving closer.

"I have…no idea what you're talking- arg… about." Tweek whimpered in a near silent voice. His face was tender and so was his stomach. He gave quick jerks of his body, feeling more shaken up than normal.

"He grabbed Tweek's untidy shirt and pulled him up, shoving him hard against the wall once more. He let out a forced sigh as his back collided with the stone wall.

Brent Held Tweek in place with one hand and stuck his face with his other fist. Tweek's head flew to the side and he cried out in pain. His left eye already felt like it was swelling and bruising and the first blows already damaged his lips.

"Are you going to leave her alone?"

"Who?" Tweek shouted in a high pitched, worried voice.

He received another collision to the side of his face and he spit out more blood. "Natalie" he shouted.

"I never… arg… I never touched her…" Tweek pleaded, his legs feeling numb. Brent was now the only one holding him up, painfully too.

"And you'll be good to remember that, cause next time you do…I'll kill you…" He gave Tweek one last shove into the wall and he fell into a frazzled heap on the floor.

The bruised blonde gave out muffled cry and wiped his mouth. His head was pounding and his entire body ached. He didn't know why he just got the shit kicked out of him. He hadn't talked to Natalie for days and all of a sudden he gets accused for harassing her. Unless this was some sick joke of hers for getting back at him.

I'm never alone
I'm alone all the time
Are you at one? Do you lie?
I live in a wheel
Where everyone steals
And when we rise; it's like strawberry fields
I treated you bad
You bruise my face
Couldn't love you more
You've got a beautiful taste

Tweek collected himself and stood. He started walking to second floor where his books currently resided; he knew that it was going to be painfully climbing the stairs.

"Tweek?" He gave a scream and stumbled over himself, falling down on the staircase. The footsteps behind him traveled up the stairs and stopped beside him.

"Are you alright?" It was Stan. He hardly looked concerned, however he helped him up anyway.

"I'm fine…" Tweek shouted, feeling anxious as if Brent was going to pop out of anywhere.

"I didn't think he'd beat you up that bad…" Stan said, looking Tweek up and down for the damage.

"Yeah, well… wait…what?" Tweek froze.

"Listen Tweek… you have to understand that we can't be together. I know that you may think you like me, but you don't"

"What--- are you talking about?" His eye twitched and he held onto the railing for support.

"I told Brent that you were harassing Natalie…she's to stupid to denying anything even if he asks; but like I said, you can't like me. I had to do something to show you that."

"What make you think I- arg- like you?" Tweek gripped the railing tighter.

"It's obvious Tweek. Kenny told me everything…" Tweek mentally kicked himself in the balls and made a note to kill Kenny.

"This was just an experiment Tweek. You know… don't touch the electric fence because you'll get electrocuted."

"What?" he shouted in confusion. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Tweek, listen to me… focus."

"Arg…"

"The more you like me means the more you get beat up. I have a lot of connections being on the football team Tweek." Stan was serious. "I can't have you crushing on me." He gave a slight sardonic smile and tapped Tweek on the shoulder.

"I don't know if I like you!" Tweek said, and at the moment, he really didn't.

"We'll see…" Stan told him and then waved, leaving Tweek standing alone in the empty stairwell.

Tweek was frustrated, angry and sore. He couldn't believe Kenny would be a backstabbing asshole. Tweek was hardly ever angry, he was always too worried about other things then getting angry, but right now things couldn't possible get any worse.

I-I-I-I

Three days ago Tweek made the mistake of talking to one of Stan's best friends, Kenny. It was more of an accident than anything. Tweek was waiting at the bus loading quite alone as usual when Kenny happened to walk by carrying an armload of books.

It was very unusual to see Kenny with so many book and Tweek watched in wonder as he tried to juggle two big binders and three heavy textbooks. Apparently he wasn't able to as books went falling into the ground. They landed in a pile in the snow.

"Fuck!" Kenny shouted as he bent over to collect his things. Tweek looked around anxiously to see if anyone was going to help and he decided he should, because he was alleged to believe that he would do the same for him.

Tweek grabbed the sociology and biology textbook from the powdery blanket and wasn't quick enough to grab the math text.

"Thanks, man" Kenny said, and organized the books he had been carrying in a better fashion than before.

"Why all the books?"

"I have a lot of studying to do… If I don't pass the rest of my tests in these classes, I'll fail…each and everyone of them."

Tweek closed his eyes and thought. "I took sociology last semester. I can help you… I passed with an 87… believe it or not… it's all the caffeine… kept me awake to study for a long- arg- time…" Tweek finished. Kenny looked at him skeptically.

"Sure" He smiled. "We can study tonight at my place, I have a test tomorrow in soc, I'll drive." Kenny walked passed Tweek and the bus-loading zone to where the students were allowed to park their vehicles.

Tweek was surprised that Kenny, out of all people, would have a vehicle to take to school. Tweek only got the car on Friday's and weekends, and on the odd weed-day. Tweek looked around to see if anyone noticed him following. He wasn't sure to what extent that would have done, but he walked with his head slightly higher.

Kenny's vehicle was a very beat up truck. There were many things on it that were duct taped together and the paint was so chipped, layered and rusted that it was hard to be sure of what color it was.

Kenny opened the passenger side first, threw his stuff into the middle seat and then went to the driver's side. Tweek walked cautiously to the opened truck door and looked inside. It was relatively cleaned. There were a few empty beer bottles on the floor and Tweek hesitated.

"There my dad's." Kenny said sadly, noticing the look on Tweek's face.

"Oh…" he didn't know what else to say. He climbed into the beast and it hissed and growled as it started, giving a long shrieking sound before it actually ran. The entire truck shook and Tweek hastily put his seat belt on as they started to drive out of the parking lot.

"Sorry 'bout the mess." Kenny apologized as he checked to see if anyone was coming before pulling out.

"It's ok…"Tweek answered quickly.

"I'll take you home tonight after we study ok?'

"I'm sure I can walk… I don't want to be a trouble…" Tweek said and his eye twitched slightly. He watched as the scenery around him became more and more desolate and dead until they finally reached the part of town that Kenny lived on.

It was widely known that Kenny was poor, and he accepted that facet, however when someone brought it up, he usually kicked their ass.

"It's no problem, I'll drive you" it was settled and Kenny didn't say another word.

"Thanks…" Tweek said sincerely. The truck pulled into the McCormick driveway and Tweek jumped out of the truck, grabbing a few of Kenny's books to aid him.

Kenny walked casually to his from door, where he could almost open it without turning the handle.

"You didn't see that…" he told him comically and Tweek flashed him a nervous smile. Not entirely sure of what he was meaning.

"We'll study in my room… are you alright with that…or do you need to be in an open space?"

Tweek shook his head. "The room is fine" he didn't even want to know what

"Good let's get started…" Kenny said unabashedly.

Tweek nodded and the two spent until 7 pm working on the founding fathers, what they stood for, sociology, anthropology, psychology and the seven different types of sociology. Tweek was very tired and Kenny seemed to understand most of it. Tweek felt that he was going to do fine on the test.

"Hey Kenny?" Tweek started. Kenny was tidying up his notebook and was piling it in the corner by his door.

"What?"

"Do you still see Stan?"

"See? As in hang out?" Tweek nodded, feeling slightly stupid at his question.

"Sometimes… yeah. Why?" he implored curiously.

"Well… I was just uh- wonderi- wondering if… arg…" Tweek started to go into fits of shaking and he was once again relentlessly tugging on his shirt.

"Is he mad at you? Did you piss him off? Do you need me to talk to him for you?"

"I was just – this is way too much pressure," he said characteristically.

"You want to join the team?"

"Arg…no…"

"Spit it out Tweek…"

"He did me a favor…" Instantly Kenny's face lit up. He automatically thought the worst of people. However, as correct as Kenny's first thoughts were, it wasn't the right favor.

Tweek flushed. "Not like that" He screamed.

"No?" Kenny sat backwards on a half broken kitchen chair that had been dragged to his room as an extra seat. Neither of them actually sat on while studying. "Let me see," Kenny said and grabbed Tweek's chin and forced his face to direct parallel to his own, however, Tweek looked towards the floor. "Not looking me in the eyes, um…blushing like mad," he released his face, "and your fidgeting much more than normal…so by those conclusions I'd say it was a pretty BIG favor…"

"He got me a date with Natalie and I never said thanks…even though it didn't go too well…but he keeps avoiding me."

"You're lying…" Kenny said looking down on him. Both of Tweek's eyes twitched and he gave a small cry. Kenny's composure turned back to realized as he told him, "Well I don't care. I just know Stan, and I know when he's fooled around with someone. You know how many girls come running to me and Kyle because Stan is "avoiding" them?"

"No…"

"It was rhetorical…"

"Oh…" Tweek shuddered and lowered his head to the floor.

"So do you like him?" Tweek shrugged at the questions.

"I thought there was only straight and gay… but I- arg- may feel attracted to Stan…but I still feel attracted to girls…"

"You're bisexual… so am I, and so is Stan. We like to think of it as "best of both worlds" because it really is" Kenny told him offhandedly.

"Of course you'd know…" Tweek said.

Kenny looked offended and his eyes narrowed slight; Tweek just gave a small squeak of fear. "I may be perverted, but I'm not a sex fiend or a slut… sorta…." Kenny sighed. "Despite popular belief, I do not go around and bang every body I find. Besides, their just jealous cause they're all still virgins."

Tweek nodded solemnly and looked out the window.

"Have you ever felt butterflies?" Tweek asked suddenly and shrilly, his whole body shaking.

"Yeah, dude." Kenny answered, whether he was being truthful or not, Tweek couldn't conclude.

"Well, I used to only get them when I looked at Natalie, but she's a total bitch now and I hate her… but Stan asked me if I still felt the butterflies for him…"

Kenny looked perplexed. He wasn't sure why Tweek even trusted him with any of this. Kenny simply deduced that it was because he really needed to talk to someone. Kenny gave him a look that could only mean, "well?".

"I guess I do…sorta…" he gave a small jolt of the body and a small shriek. "What should I do?"

"Drop it…" Kenny answered truthfully causing Tweek to frown slightly. When he looked back up at Kenny he was pushing his unkempt hair out of his eyes. Tweek just stared at the boy sitting in front of him. He looked deep in thought as if rephrasing was in order.

Tweek suddenly felt the urge to kiss Kenny. He didn't know why, the boy was doing nothing o provoke him. He wasn't saying anything to make him think that Kenny would want to kiss him, but he just wanted to do it.

Mentally Tweek thought that if he focused himself on Kenny he could better forget about Stan. He sat up on his knees and placed his lips onto Kenny's, which was quite surprised.

"Hey…" Kenny said worriedly, pushing Tweek back off him. "This is not the- you aren't in the right state of mind to be making these kinds of decisions…"

Tweek wasn't sure of what to do. He stood and grabbed his bag. "Sorry…" he whispered believing that there was nothing else to say.

"Wait, wha? I'll just grab my keys"

"I'll walk… I need the exercise…." Kenny glanced at Tweek's small frame and scoffed at the fact that he really didn't need the exercise. Tweek scurried out of the room and then the house.

Kenny hardly followed him, he thought it was better for him to cool down and get over Stan in his own way; whatever that may be.

I-I

Okay…. Should I totally continue with this? Oh yeah and if someone of you are confused… that Kenny part was a flashback, if some of you missed the "3 days ago" bit…anyway PLEASE, PLEASE review… it would mean a lot… I need feedback and or other…BMB