So, the beauty of the song I chose for this fan fiction, You Don't Know Me, as you'll see, is that it could easily apply to either Cartman or Kyle in this story. So you could easily imagine either of them singing it. I was thinking of Kyle when I picked this song, but it could easily apply to Cartman as well. Just something I randomly thought of.
Also, I barely know what's going to happen in this chapter. I used to have a timeline, but I kind of abandoned it because I moved so much stuff around.
"I'll scream at you louder! L-l-l-louder!"
Chapter Twelve – Why'd You Have to Go and Make Things so Complicated?
A flurry of emotions were raging war inside Kyle's mind as Cartman kissed him. Shock, confusion, denial, anxiety and maybe even fear swirled around inside of him. He could do nothing but stand there completely frozen as Cartman continued to kiss him.
Cartman, on the other hand, could feel the excitement inside himself growing. He had forgotten how great kissing Kyle was. His pulse was racing and he could feel his heart doing cartwheels in his chest. He was surprised that Kyle hadn't shoved him away yet, but he was sure the reason he hadn't was out of pure shock. He wanted to keep kissing him, because he didn't want to know what would happen the moment he stopped.
Eventually though, he grew concerned that Kyle hadn't moved a single muscle and he pulled away to look down at him. Kyle was staring back at him with absolute shock in his eyes, and it was as if he had been turned to stone.
"K-Kyle?" Cartman said hesitantly. "Are you ok?"
His friend didn't speak for a long moment. Then he blinked and he averted his gaze to the ground. His voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke.
"I don't… know," he replied. "I just… don't know. I don't know how to feel… about any of this… I can't… comprehend… that… one of my best friends is in love with me…"
Cartman felt his heart skip a beat at the fact that Kyle considered him one of his best friends, but he also couldn't help but feel despair over what he had said. Did Kyle hate him now? Was he never going to want to see him again?
"I always thought that if any of my friends grew a crush on me, it would be Butters because he's weird," Kyle muttered. "But you…?" Cartman flinched and he quickly released him.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I never wanted you to know. But I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I don't think I ever stopped loving you after it was revealed that that crazy doctor was manipulating me. She might have been crazy and fake, but my love for you was always real."
"My god," Kyle breathed. Then his legs gave out and he sank down to his knees, unable to support himself anymore. Alarmed, Cartman quickly crouched down next to him.
"Kyle, I'm so sorry," he said quickly. Kyle looked up at him.
"Eric, you have nothing to apologize for," he said softly. "You don't have to apologize for being in love with me. Love isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a complete shock, and I have no idea how to feel about any of this, but I don't hate you."
Cartman felt like he could leap for joy. Kyle didn't hate him! At least he had that!
"I… I'm glad," he said. "I don't know how I would be able to live with myself if you never wanted to look at me again. I didn't want this to destroy our friendship."
Kyle let out a long sigh, looking at the ground again. They were both silent for a long moment, completely lost in their own thoughts. Then Kyle spoke again.
"So… you really did all of this… you worked so hard to improve yourself… for me?"
Cartman smiled gently at him before leaning forward and pressing his forehead against his.
"I would do anything for you," he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. Kyle's breath hitched and he didn't speak, looking away from him.
"We should probably get back to the RV," he said in a soft voice. "Someone might wake up and notice that we're gone." Cartman sighed.
"Yeah, you're right," he replied. He stood and stretched before offering his hand to Kyle, who hesitantly took it and pulled himself to his feet. Cartman felt the urge to lean forward and kiss him again, but he managed to hold himself back. He had already freaked Kyle out once that night. He didn't want to do it again and risk alienating him.
Their walk back to the RV was silent, and Cartman was grateful that Kyle allowed him to press against his side as they walked. Out of the corner of his eye, Cartman thought he saw a bush rustle suddenly, but he told himself that it was nothing. It wasn't until they were right outside the RV before Cartman put a hand on Kyle's shoulder.
"Just so you know, I don't want my love for you to change anything between us," he told him. "I'm perfectly fine with just being friends, if that's what you want. I just want things to stay normal between us." Kyle gave him a sad look.
"I don't think things can ever be normal between us," he said gently. "Ever again."
Then he turned and climbed back into the RV, leaving Cartman to stare sadly after him.
Neither Kyle nor Cartman could successfully hide how dead tired they were the next morning. Stan figured they were still resentful of the fact that they had to share a bed, and Kenny wondered if they had been paranoid about them pulling a prank on each other. Wendy was pretty sure they were both still worried about Angela.
"I know what will wake us up!" Randy said in a chipper voice while Cartman fell asleep in his eggs and everyone else looked perfectly awake. "A hike!"
Stan, Kyle and Cartman all groaned at the idea, while Butters was practically leaping for joy. Craig looked just as unenthused as ever, and Wendy said she liked the idea.
"I don't know, dad," Stan said. "The last time you led us on a hike, we got lost for three weeks until we ran into those strange cave people and they made Kenny the King of the Yetis and we were forced to eat nothing but fish we had to catch with our mouths until help finally arrived. And then there was a big battle between the cave people and the forest rangers."
Randy shuddered at the memory. "I can still taste the scales," he muttered. Then he brightened and said "But, since the trail is actually marked this time, we won't have any problems this time around!"
"Come on, it will be good for all of us," Gerald added.
"Just because I've been losing weight and have been trying to better myself doesn't mean I want to do things that are 'good' for me," Cartman growled under his breath.
"Can we at least finish our breakfast?" Stan asked. Randy rolled his eyes.
"I guess!" He replied as if it was a great inconvenience.
It took them longer than Randy would have liked to finish breakfast. It didn't help that Kyle and Cartman would constantly drift off, almost falling asleep until someone snapped them back into it.
Wendy, Tweek and Butters had used that time to make lunches for their hike, and it wasn't too long after that when they finally set off. It was immediately clear that they were all going to keep different paces while they walked. Butters kept stopping to take pictures, but he was practically running. Randy and Gerald were marching ahead of the others, not slowing down in the slightest, and Tweek was dragging Craig along at a far faster pace than Craig was used to. Kyle and Cartman, of course, lagged way behind, still tired from being up all night. Stan, Kenny and Wendy made sure to walk extra slowly so they could keep up.
"Dude, what's with you?" Stan asked Kyle in a low voice as he fell in step beside him. "Did you get any sleep last night?" His best friend sighed.
"Not really," he admitted. "I just had… a lot on my mind last night." Stan gave him a concerned look.
"Did seeing Angela again really bother you that much?" He asked him. It was barely noticeable, but Stan swore he heard Kyle's breath hitch and his eyes widen before he looked away.
"Maybe," Kyle said eventually.
Was there something Kyle wasn't telling him? Did it have to do with Cartman as well? He tried to recall everything Angela could have done to the two of them. Of course, he would never know what happened when he wasn't there, but as far as he knew, she never did anything horrible to Cartman. Maybe it didn't have to do with Angela at all. Was he over thinking this?
Well, there was really only one way to know.
"So, what was on your mind that kept you from sleeping?" He asked.
Kyle immediately froze in place, forcing Stan to stop and double back. The red head had a faraway look in his wide eyes, and his skin had gone pale. He didn't blink or look at Stan, almost as if he had been turned into a statue. Stan thought about waving a hand in front of his face, but then Kyle abruptly turned his gaze to the side, and he continued to walk again.
"Just… stuff," Kyle said when Stan caught up to him. "What we'll be doing during the summer, the places we'll go… the places we've already been. Stuff."
Ok, he was definitely hiding something. For some reason, there was something Kyle didn't want Stan to know. He thought they told each other everything… right? The only question now was whether or not Stan wanted to call him out on his bullshit.
"Well, if something happened," Stan started, putting his hands behind his head. "Something bad or worrisome. Or anything to do with Angela… you would tell me, right?"
Kyle glanced at him. "Of course I would tell you if Angela tried anything," he replied. "The last time I kept my mouth shut about her, she made up that bull crap about me. You'd be the first person I'd go to if she tried anything. Hopefully we won't see her again and we won't have to worry about it though." Stan blinked at him.
"What if the problem didn't have anything to do with her?" He asked him. Kyle's eyes widened with surprise, but before he could speak, Wendy and Butters suddenly stopped in front of them and he and Stan nearly ran into them.
"What? What's wrong, Wendy?" Stan asked, giving her a confused look.
"I just realized," Wendy said, turning to them. "What happened to Eric?"
Stan opened his mouth to say that he was right here, but then he realized that Cartman was nowhere to be seen. They looked around, baffled.
"I swear he was here a moment ago," Butters muttered, scratching his head. They called his name over and over as they searched around them. Then they doubled back, retracing their steps until they suddenly found him standing in the middle of the road, fast asleep.
"Seriously?" Stan sighed. "He fell asleep right in the middle of walking? Who does that?"
Cartman was partially slumped over with his head on his chest, letting out the occasional snore. It took several pokes in the arm and face, coupled with a few times of shouting his name to finally wake him up.
"Where am I? What happened?" Cartman asked, looking around.
"Dude, how much sleep have you not been getting?" Kenny said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You fell asleep standing up and everything." Cartman blinked at him. He couldn't tell them that he hadn't slept since Vegas, because then he would have to explain why he hadn't slept since Vegas.
"Oh, you know," he muttered. "Guess I'm just not used to sleeping in a camper yet."
Kyle was giving him a look and he tried not to squirm under his gaze. Would Kyle tell the others what he had said last night? What if he did tell them? Cartman didn't know if he could take having to spend the entire summer with his friends knowing his secret. He knew they would make fun of him for it.
But Kyle remained silent, wrapping his arms around himself in contemplation. After a moment, he turned to the others.
"We should probably get going before our dads leave us stranded," he said in a low voice.
"Oh yeah, good idea," Wendy agreed, looking around as if she had just realized how far behind they were.
They all started off again, this time at a faster pace. Kenny kept pace with Cartman to make sure that he didn't fall asleep again. Stan had a firm grip on Butters' arm to make sure that he didn't stop every twenty seconds to take yet another picture of a tree.
"They're all the same, Butters," Stan growled, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but this tree's trunk is especially thick," Butters argued, trying to take a picture of it as Stan dragged him along.
"Why did you invite Butters again?" Cartman muttered to Kenny.
"I didn't invite Butters," Kenny replied, looking at him with shock. "I thought you did."
"Gross! Why would I want to invite Butters?" Cartman asked. "I can't stand the thought of being stuck with him for an entire summer!"
"Good point."
They went on in silence, and Cartman couldn't help but stare anxiously over to where Kyle was walking with Wendy. He had noticed that Kyle hadn't made eye contact with him all morning. Was he more upset about his confession than he had let on? Was he going to tell the others what Cartman had said and he was just waiting for the perfect moment to best humiliate him?
Hey guys! Check this out! Cartman says he's in love with me! Can you believe it?
Ew! He actually thinks he has emotions?
I know right?
I'm so sorry! It must be awful knowing he has a crush on you!
He kissed me too! It was so nasty!
Oh so gross! Why'd ya have to tell us that?
EW!
Yeah, he actually thinks that I'll like him if he's nice or something.
What a dumbass!
Yes, that is exactly how the conversation would go. He didn't know if he could stand the humiliation. He longed to ask Kyle how he felt and beg him not to tell anyone what had happened, but he didn't know if he could get Kyle alone again.
"Cartman?" Kenny suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts. He shook his head before turning to look at him.
"What?" He replied.
"I was just asking you what you thought of Yosemite so far," Kenny said in a way that told him he had been zoning out for a while.
"Oh! Um, it's fine," Cartman replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still waiting to see that famous geyser that's always erupting or whatever though."
"Old Faithful?" Wendy clarified, turning to look at him. "That's in Yellowstone Park."
"Then what are we doing here?" Cartman questioned.
Wendy opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Butters pointing up the path and shouting "There they are!" They all looked to where he was pointing and saw Randy, Gerald, Craig and Tweek waiting for them near a clearing up ahead. As they got closer, they could see that it was another camping ground with a few more trailers and RVs scattered about.
"There you are," Randy said when they got within earshot. "We were wondering where you all were. I was starting to worry."
"We were… sightseeing," Stan replied awkwardly.
"We thought this would be a good spot to rest and have lunch," Gerald said.
There was indeed a few picnic benches facing a fantastic view of the mountainous region surrounding them. They picked one of them and the group nearly collapsed into the seats, glad to be able to finally rest their feet.
As Randy started passing out sandwiches and water bottles from his backpack, Craig turned in his seat to gaze at the different campers. Then he turned back towards the group.
"You know that obnoxiously pink camper that I mentioned a while back near the start of our trip?" He asked Stan and the others.
"Barely," Stan replied.
"Well, it's right over there," Craig said, pointing.
They followed his finger to see the camper that he was referring to and Stan wondered why they hadn't noticed it before. It was a bright, neon pink, with clouds, hearts and wings painted on it. The moment they gazed upon it, Stan felt like it was familiar in some way. He had definitely never seen it before (he would remember a thing that obnoxious looking!), but he felt like if the owner of that camper revealed themselves, he wouldn't be surprised by who it was. He wondered if his friends felt the same.
"Craig, you didn't mention just how pink it was!" Kenny hissed, shielding his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure I did," Craig said nonchalantly.
"Who would be crazy enough to own a camper that crazy looking?" Wendy asked.
Kyle opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by movement out of the corner of his eye. Someone was walking out of the clearing and into the forest. It was someone he knew he recognized, if only barely. That same person had been at the Grand Canyon gift shop, he was sure. But he had only had a fleeting glance then as well.
A shiver went down his spine. He knew that person who owned that camper. The others did as well. And he knew that seeing her in a place like this wasn't a good sign. He hoped that if he didn't tell the others, it would amount to nothing. Because the last time they had seen her, she had nearly torn the four friends apart.
I'm going to end this chapter here. It's getting kind of long, I didn't know how to end it and I wanted to get another chapter. What a roller-coaster of emotions though, huh?
You'll have to forgive my lateness with this. I moved in with my best friend, I'm organizing to go to a writer's conference in February, and I participated in a drawing challenge in October which took up a lot of my free time. And I've been working on my novel as well. Hopefully this chapter was satisfying for you all.
Anyway, who did Kyle see? Is this really the last we'll see of Angela? And what exactly are Kyle's feelings towards Cartman? Well, you'll have to wait to find out! Til next time!