By animeninjaNIPPON
Well, the real-life love triangle of mine is getting more and more complex and heart-wrenching...which means this fanfiction is going to get more and more exciting! OK, that's just a bit of an apology for the prolonged update...
When I came back into consciousness (or more specifically, existence), I found myself on Eric's couch. That was weird - I hadn't died since I left South Park, unless I was somehow dying in my sleep and didn't know it. I just shrugged it off and started watching TV.
He was sitting on the couch next to me, eating a bag of Cheesy Poofs. All of a sudden, I felt pangs of hunger hit my abdomen and work their way up. I reached for the bag, and he responded by snatching it out of my reach and grumbling, "Get your own Cheesy Poofs!" I narrowed my eyes but retreated, my wandering mind shifting onto another thought: just why was I here, anyway?
That was yet another question I already knew the answer to.
Stan Marsh - we'd been friends for years, more or less, but at the same time, we were disconnected. Maybe it was because I was dead half the time or because I was often stuck trying to deal with and make the most of my fucked up family, but somehow I felt really distant from Stan growing up...and it didn't help that our group sort of split up back in middle school. Though definitely not popular, Stan was certainly well-known throughout the school district, since his name came up a lot in casual conversation:
"Stan Marsh? Yeah, I went out with him..."
"...And then when we went to Stark's Pond, Stan's shoe fell off into the water and we had to chase it..."
"...so I saw Stan the other day..."
And other shit like that. It seemed like everyone had some kind of elite connection to him, or some weird-ass thing. And now it was my turn to get connected.
The doorbell rang. "MOOOOM!" Eric yelled. "Get the door!" I shifted in my seat and he continued digging into his bag of Cheesy Poofs. When nobody responded to the doorbell, the door opened on its own five minutes later.
"Hey, Cartman."
I turned my head, and I no longer felt hungry. Fuck, if anything, I was ready to throw up - that is, if I didn't pass out first. It was like some new kind of death.
So, there he was - Stanley Marsh. That potential quasi-boyfriend I was going to be seeing. For the first time for as long as I can remember, he wasn't wearing that hat of his - and I guess his hair had gotten wind-tousled as a result. Heh...I liked that. He was definitely taller, too...and I'd say he was cute. But there was something else that drew him to me...what, I don't know. It was sort of ethereal.
Stan noticed me, in my dirty parka, glancing around nervously. He addressed Eric while pointing to me. "Is that Kenny?"
"Yeah, it's me," I squeaked. I didn't really blame him for asking about me indirectly - given the reason we were here, things did seem pretty awkward. "Hi."
"Hi..." He smiled somewhat hesitantly, then we both glanced over at Eric.
"Whaddaya looking at me for?" he demanded.
Stan's eyes narrowed. "This was your idea!"
"Yeah, I know..." Suddenly, his face brightened with realization of authority, like he understood he was in control of the situation and it could make or break his "career." He got up off the couch. "You two - sit," he ordered, pointing at me and Stan.
I was already sitting down, and Stan made himself comfortable in the spot Eric had previously occupied. Before anything else could progress, Eric's mom popped into the room.
"Eric, sweetie," she cooed, " can I get you and your little friends anything?"
"Not now, Mom!" he yelled, and I shifted uncomfortably. Due to the way things were in my house while growing up, I couldn't stand it when people raised their voices.
"OK, honey." She left us three in silence.
Eric rubbed his hands together as he prepared for the next step in getting me next to Stan. "OK Kenny - tell Stan about yourself."
Where the fuck was he going with this? "Uh, I dunno..." I glanced nervously over at Stan for a brief moment, then back over to Eric.
Eric rolled his eyes. "Don't you know anything about matchmaking? You're supposed to talk to each other about your interests first. Then you go out on a date." He paused, and at that inconvenient moment his mom came back into the room.
"Oh Stanley, I just heard that you're engaged. Congratulations."
The three of us guys stared blankly at each other, blinking occasionally, in dead silence for a long time. All the while I felt this overwhelming crushing feeling in my chest, like I was about to implode (wouldn't be the first time). I could feel my face getting hot, and I knew I was turning red. Thank God my hood was hiding most of my face.
"Well..." Eric coughed. "That was unexpected..."
End of part two
