A/N: HEY IM SO SORRY I UPDATED THIS CHAPTER TO THE WRONG STORY SO THIS CHAPTER WAS MISSING UNTIL TODAY THATS MY BAD PLS FORGIVE ME

The next day Kenny had no choice but to drag himself to school. He hoped today would go good, easy, and unproblematic.

When he got to school he searched for Craig, he found him making out in his car with Clyde. He knocked on the window and slid into the back seat. "Have I got news for you." They didn't look too happy he'd broken up their make-out sesh.

Craig raised an eyebrow.

"Me and Wendy are dating."

"What? No fucking way." Craig sounded so monotone. Kenny couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was excited.

Clyde squealed though, and Kenny grinned at that. "Dude no way! Your first girlfriend. How does it feel?" Clyde asked excitedly, he turned around to face Kenny. "That's so cool dude. Maybe we can all go on a double date sometime."

"As if Wendy would want to hang out with us," Craig retorted, he turned back to Kenny and smiled. "I'm happy for you, dude. So tell us, how did it all go down? Did she ask you out?"

Kenny laughed, "Surprisingly no. I asked her out." He started explaining the day before to them. He had to backtrack and explain the whole story of Bebe, the hickey, and the PCP to Clyde.

When Kenny was done they were both staring at him. "What? Do you think I made a mistake? I was watching her get mad at me and I just felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like if she left my heart might break."

"Are you kidding me? You didn't make a mistake. I've been rooting for you two this whole time." Craig grinned. Kenny couldn't remember the last time he sat him showing so much emotion. He must've actually been happy for him.

"Yeah, you two were destined to be together." Clyde chimed in, "You literally let her take your jacket."

"I know." Kenny smiled, "I didn't want to let her get away." He felt happy and relieved. He'd already been texting Wendy all morning. She seemed to be happy too.

"I am worried though. I don't think Wendy fully trusts me. I think she thinks I really slept with Bebe and was just using her. I feel like I have to prove something to her, I just don't know how to convey that I really want her and no one else, you know? I've never been here before." He shook his head and looked at his friends.

"Well, we know you're sincere with your feelings. And fuck that whore Bebe, why is Wendy even friends with her." Craig lowered his voice as if someone was listening in, "Just between us last week I walked into the bathroom and saw her sucking Kevin Stoley's dick."

Kenny just laughed, "She's sucking his dick? Kevin used to be such a nerd."

"Yeah, but he really had a glow up between middle and high school." Clyde pointed out, "He is a cutie- not as cute as you though, Craig." He punctuated his thoughts with a kiss on Craig's lips.

"Yeah well, Bebe's not bad for sleeping around. She'd bad for lying. She told Wendy me and her fucked, and if she didn't, I wouldn't even be in this mess." Kenny slumped back in the seat.

"Hey, just look at it this way: If it wasn't for her you might've never asked Wendy out." Craig chuckled, "And Wendy agreed to go out with you right? I think she might already be thinking that you're really in it, for real you know." He sounded so reassuring. Kenny wanted to believe him, but part of him still felt like he was fucking something up.

"I feel like I have a destructive nature about me, I feel really happy right now, but I can't help but wonder when it will all come crashing to an end." He shook his head. He felt tired of feeling this way already, "But hey, since I've basically been laid off from my job since my parents got arrested I'll have a lot more free time to spend with Wendy."

"There you go Kenny, always finding the bright side." Clyde sounded like he was teasing him, Kenny just laughed and shook his head. The first bell rang and Craig pulled out a joint.

"Anyways now that everyone's inside you wanna chill here and smoke with us before heading to first period?" He asked, offering the joint to Kenny first.

"Hell yeah dude." Kenny took the lighter from him. He thought of how he told Kevin he'd start going to school, he shrugged it off. He was going to school today, he would just be a little bit late.

•••

At lunch, Wendy waited by her locker for Kenny. Since he was finally at school they could finally go get lunch together. Wendy felt happy that she and Kenny were dating now, it made her feel like he really was falling for her.

She'd spent the morning gushing about it to Red, she felt like a kid again. The only other person she'd been in a serious relationship with was Stan. She hoped Kenny would be different.

She had had some reservations though. She didn't know if it was all for show. Kenny seemed so sincere when he was talking to her. Maybe Bebe really was messing with her head. Wendy had made the painful decision to avoid Bebe for a while, at least until she figured out what was going on with her.

Kenny walked up to her with a big smile on his face. "Hey, are you ready to go to lunch?" He asked. He jingled his keys in his hand.

"Yeah, let's go." She smiled as she followed him outside and to his truck. It was a nice day, the sun was shining.

"Where did you want to go?" He asked as they got into his truck.

"Something fast, maybe McDonald's, or Wendy's." Wendy smiled at him. She was just happy to be getting out of the lunchroom. The thought of having to sit somewhere where Bebe was made her queasy.

"Let's go to Wendy's it's right down the street." Kenny turned on his radio, Judas Priest was still playing.

"Do you ever think of changing your music?" Wendy asked, giggling.

"Honestly, no. I don't have any other CDs." He chucked, "Beside's what's better than Judas Priest anyways."

"I guess you're right." She smiled at him.

They went through Wendy's drive-thru and Kenny insisted that he pay, even though Wendy tried to. She guessed he was trying to be considerate.

They drove back to the school and ate in the parking lot. They watched the other students walk in and out of the building.

"Thanks for getting lunch with me. I've been trying to get you to go for a while now." Wendy laughed lightly.

Kenny grinned, "Yeah sorry about that. I'm gonna be at school from now on though. Kevin told me if I don't then I'll probably get placed in a group home."

"A group home? Doesn't that worry you?" She questioned, thinking about all the days he'd previously missed.

"Nah, it wouldn't be the first time I was placed in foster care. My parents always get us back anyway." He chuckled, "Once when I went into a group home I got moved to a school filled with kids poorer than me. It was kind of nice to not be the poor kid for once."

"Yeah, and not having Cartman around to bully you all the time," Wendy added, taking another bite of her hamburger.

"Yeah, Cartman's not that bad. It's part of his charm to be an asshole. Once you get to know him he can be sweet- occasionally."

"Yeah..." Wendy laughed, "I know. I kissed him once in fourth grade. I guess when he wasn't acting like a complete slob, he was kind of okay."

"You kissed Cartman? No way." Kenny laughed as well. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"Well, it was a while ago. Remember when they changed the South Park flag?"

Kenny nodded, "That racist old thing."

"We worked together and we kind of bonded, I don't know. It was kind of weird. We both love double stuffed Oreos and that was enough for my ten-year-old self to kiss him." She covered her face, "Oh god, after though I felt so embarrassed. I went home and brushed my teeth for an hour straight."

Kenny burst out laughing, "Yeah, I'd want to do that if I kissed Cartman too."

Wendy shrugged, "Live and learn, I guess." She smiled at Kenny.

"So what I'm hearing is the way to your heart is double stuffed Oreos?" He questioned her.

"Yeah, something like that. I guess I've kind of been crushing on weird guys my whole life." She let out a sigh.

"Who else have you been crushing on your whole life besides Stan, really?" Kenny poked her, "Oh, and also me I guess."

She turned to him. "Well I liked Gregory, remember that freak." She raised a pinky in the air and did the best impression of him she could, "I attended Yardale and had a 4.0 grade point average."

Kenny just laughed, "Who the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know, the blonde guy, transfer student. He was all political, Stan was jealous." She raised an eyebrow, how could Kenny not remember him. She thought Gregory left a memory of him etched into everyone in South Park's mind.

Kenny just stared at her blankly, he looked confused.

"It's kind of blurry but like I remember it was right around the time that Asses of Fire came out. And Kyle's mom was going crazy, starting that big group." She laughed, "Those freaks. Is it weird I can't remember how that all went down?"

"Oh! I was... away that week." Kenny mumbled, "I do know how it ended though."

"How did it end?" She asked.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"I sacrificed myself to Satan so everyone could go back to living a normal life."

Wendy started to laugh, Kenny just had a straight face though. "That's comedy gold. You know Kenny, you are pretty funny."

Kenny just smiled and shook his head, "Well, I'm not joking."

She laughed, "Sure you aren't." She winked, pretending to play along with him.

Kenny just put his arm around her and pulled her close. "You know, in elementary school, I never really thought about you." She said.

"Yeah, I don't remember ever talking to you. To me, you were just Stan's girlfriend or Stan's crush depending on the time of year."

"I guess I have been with Stan basically forever." Wendy sighed, "I feel like I wasted a lot of time with him, but now it's time for a fresh start." She smiled up at him, kissing his cheek softly. "A new start with you, I'm feeling happier already."

"Me too." Kenny replied, "I never thought you'd end up with me. Ever. I didn't think I ever stood a chance."

"Why not? You're so sweet and kind and caring-"

"And poor, and bad at school, and a stoner." Kenny cut her off.

"Don't get too down on yourself, we already established that I fall for people who seem unlikely." She shook her head.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. The pair got out of the car and walked towards the school. "Oh Kenny, for the record: I never thought it would be you either. But I'm so happy we met. That night on New Years', you really helped me break out of my shell." She pushed open the doors for the pair.

"I'm glad I could help." He smiled at her and pulled his hood up over his head. Wendy felt kind of honored that he hung out around her with it down.

Wendy walked to her locker to grab her books for her next period. Kenny followed her quietly, she noticed people were looking at the pair. Wendy herself did have to admit that they were an odd pair, but no one could kill the fluttery feeling she had in her heart for him.

She grabbed her books and turned to face Kenny. "Do you work tomorrow?" She asked him, the weekend was coming up. Tomorrow was Saturday, she hoped he didn't work.

"No, I'm taking a little break from work. I'm all yours." He grinned.

"Can we go ice skating?" She asked excitedly, it was one of her favorite things. "It's supposed to be clear and sunny tomorrow, it'll be the perfect day."

"Yeah, I've never been ice skating." He replied, "What if I fall?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there to pick you back up." She smiled and pulled her books to her chest. In the hall behind Kenny, she saw Bebe. She was staring right at them, Wendy and her made eye contact, she narrowed her eyes.

She saw Kenny start to turn but reached up and put her hand on his cheek, kissing him. When they were done kissing Bebe was nowhere to be seen. Wendy hoped she got the message. "Talk to you later Kenny." She smiled and turned down the hallway to her next class.

•••

After school Kenny went home, but only because Kevin had told him too. Child protective services were coming to do an inspection today. He prepped Karen and him, mostly him, on being on their best behavior when they came to look at the house.

Kenny wished he was at Craig's house smoking weed. That's usually what he did on a Friday night.

The inspection was long and boring, just as Kenny thought it would be. The agent looked through every room marking notes on the clipboard. She looked in the backyard and seemed to be checking it the most intensely. Kenny figured she probably knew about the meth lab that's stood there just a week prior.

After they were done with the initial inspection she started interviewing them. She started with Karen, probably because she was the youngest.

Kenny and Kevin sat on the couch in silence as Karen was interviewed in the kitchen.

"Hey, I know I've been kind of hard on you the last few days-" Kevin started, but Kenny didn't want him to finish.

"Oh, trying to make amends with me right before I could end your whole career with this child protective service agent?" He sneered, softly. His voice was only above a whisper. Despite his cruel words, he didn't want someone to overhear. The only thing keeping him from saying it louder was Karen. He didn't want her to end up anywhere near a foster home.

Kevin just sat back quietly on the couch. Kenny just turned away from him and stared out the back door. He wondered if Kevin hated him as much as he hated him.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Kevin said softly, he must've caught on that they could've been being listened to.

"I was doing just fine before you came here." Kenny crossed his arms and sunk into the couch.

"Goddammit Kenny," Kevin whispered harshly, "I don't want you to turn out like me. Don't you get it?"

"I wasn't gonna turn out like you," Kenny replied. He believed it too. He wanted nothing more than to be different than him. Different than his parents. He always thought he and Karen would be the ones to break the cycle.

"That's what I thought too." For once Kevin sounded sincere. "I thought that I would never be like mom and dad, but here we are. We all make mistakes and we don't see it coming. I've changed, I wish you could see that. I'm hard on you because I don't want to watch you turn out like me."

Kenny didn't reply. He didn't want to reply. He thought about his shattered bong on the floor. He thought of Kevin's rude demeanor when talking to him. He never noticed him talking to Karen like that, then again if he didn't see him talking to Karen like that he would've beaten his ass.

Maybe Kevin was telling the truth, but it still didn't change much for Kenny. He still saw his brother as someone who was out to get him. He saw him as the guy who snapped his back in a fight when they were kids and killed him. Though, Kenny had been gotten killed by tons of people. He didn't hold grudges against any of them.

The child protective service agent came out and asked Kenny to come into the kitchen. He glanced at Kevin one more time. It looked like he was pleading with him to do good with his eyes. Kenny looked away as he followed the agent into the kitchen.

He sat down on a chair and the agent sat across from him. She was a heavyset woman with her hair pulled up tightly in a bun. She held a clipboard and twiddled a pen in her hand. Kenny could tell she was nothing but business.

"So Kenny, let's get right into it." She started, glancing down at her notes. "Where were you on the night of your parents' arrest?"

"I was with my girlfriend." He answered truthfully, "When I came home no one was home."

"So where did you go after that?" She asked.

"I went to a friend's house." He answered again.

"Well, I do have to tell you that you should never pull a stunt like that again. The only reason we're out here today was because of you and how you ran away. You were classified as a runaway for days, you know? Not showing up to school and basically disappearing off the face of the earth. We were sent here to evaluate the situation further and make sure you're not going to run off again."

Kenny stared at her blankly. He had no idea he was classified as a runaway, even for a short period of time. He suddenly felt guilty. He was jeopardizing him and Karen getting to stay at home.

"Do I need to explain how serious this situation is Mr. McCormick?" She questioned, looking over her glasses.

Kenny had to keep himself from shuttering at begging called that. It made him think of his dad. "No ma'am." He answered looking at the floor.

"I see you've been missing school again, even when you were returned to the custody of your brother. Is that correct?"

"Yes but, I started going again." Kenny replied softly, "I started to realize how serious this all is."

"Yes, well it is quite serious. If your brother can't get you to go to school you and your sister will be moved to a group home and will be monitored a lot closer. It usually is in the child's best interest to stay at home, but not all cases are the same. If your brother can't watch you I'll have no choice but to send you to a group home." She continued.

Kenny just nodded his head.

"Now that we're done with that we need to get on to more general questions. Do you feel your bother is doing an adequate job as you and your sister's parental guardian?" She asked him.

"Yeah," he answered, "He's doing good." He said weakly. He hoped he didn't sound too inauthentic.

The woman jotted down some notes and continued on down her clipboard of questions. They were all very general.

Do you feel safe at home? Does your household have enough food to support all its members? Does your house have sufficient central heating and air?

Kenny answered the questions the way he assumed that they should be answered. Most of them weren't lies. She asked him about his mental health too, asking if he was skipping school because he was depressed or having thoughts of suicide.

Kenny answered no. He wanted the interview to be over.

Once she got to the end of her list she clicked her pen a few times. "Well Mr. McCormick, everything looks good here. Just make sure you're attending school and maybe I won't have to come back out here again."

"Will do." Kenny stood up and exited the room, letting out a sigh of relief. They called in Kevin to interview next and now he and Karen sat on the couch in silence.

"Kenny," Karen whispered, "Do you think we'll get sent to a group home?"

Kenny shook his head, "Nah, we're staying here." He reassured her, smiling.

"God, I hope so. I don't know if I can ever go back to another group home." Karen sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Me either," Kenny admitted. They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, when did you and Wendy start dating?" Karen asked him softly, "I thought you didn't believe in love or some bullshit."

Kenny chuckled, "We made it official moments before I made hot chocolate with you actually."

"So what? Are your opinions on love and relationships changing now?" She asked him in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, I guess so. Wendy makes me feel so happy."

"Ohhh, Kenny's in love." Karen teased him. He just shook his head and smiled. "I'm glad it's Wendy though. She's so sweet, and she dresses so cutely. Do you think she'd give me fashion tips?" Karen asked him.

"I bet she would." He smiled, "She is really sweet. We're going ice skating tomorrow."

"Ohh, that'll be so fun." Karen was giddy, Kenny wished he could be that excited.

"I'm kind of scared." He admitted.

Kenny had been ice skating for a long time. The last time he went it ended terribly, as expected. He really didn't want to die and ruin their date. There were so many ways to die at a skating rink though. Falling and splitting your head open, the ice cracking open and pulling him under, someone crashing into him. He shuttered. Ice skates were sharp, he could already feel himself getting impaled by one of the blades.

"Don't be scared. Why are you even scared in the first place? It'll be fun." Karen insisted, "You'll get to hold her hand!"

Kenny smiled, "Yeah, that'll definitely be the best part."

The kitchen door opened and Kevin and the agent appeared in the doorway. Kevin looked happy so Kenny was hoping for some good news.

"Well, it looks like everything checks out here." She looked down at her clipboard. "The minors will get to stay here, granted everything is continuously upheld. Standard visits for these situations happen every three months. I'll see you again in may, but after that, the parents will be released and if they're deemed fit I would be talking to you again." She said to Kevin.

Karen was grinning ear to ear. Kenny felt happy too, though he wouldn't admit it. Kevin walked the agent to the door and thanked her for coming out today. After he closed the door everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"We get to stay!" Karen jumped off the couch happily. "Thanks for coming here to watch us, Kevin." She ran over to him and gave him a hug.

"It's not a problem," Kevin answered. Kenny rolled his eyes. "We just have to make sure everything goes smooth sailing from here on out." He looked at Kenny.

"I gave you a good report." Kenny stood up and stretched, "Stop being such a tight ass." He walked past the pair and went into his room. Now that that was over he planned to go to Craig's house. This Friday night could still be saved.

He pulled on his boots and grabbed his keys, "Hey, I'm going to Craig's." He told them.

"Can you take me with you? I want to see Ruby." Karen said happily, "She told me I could come over today if I wanted."

"Yeah, if Kevin is okay with being alone." Kenny looked at him, he was only half-joking.

"Go see your friends, we all need a break for each other now and then," Kevin replied. Kenny rolled his eyes.

Kenny and Karen headed out the door to his truck. The drive down the street to Craig's house and knocked on the door. Ruby answered, grinning widely as she and Karen ran off to her room to do whatever middle school girls did.

Kenny headed downstairs where he found Craig, Clyde, and Token on the couch with Billy Madison playing on the TV. The room reeked like weed.

"Hey hey hey, look who it is. The man himself, Kenny." Token said, laughing. Obviously stoned. Kenny plopped down next to them, he needed some catching up to do.

"Pass that bong over here." He said to Clyde. They passed it down the row until it got to him.

"I heard you and Wendy made it official," Token said, grinning. "You'll have to come on a double date with me and Nichole sometime."

Kenny started to light the bong, "Yeah sounds like fun." He took a hit. Instantly all his worries from the day faded away.

"Kenny and Wendy are definitely going on a double date with me and Craig before he goes on a double date with you, Token." Clyde chimed in.

Kenny laughed as he started to light up again. "We can go on a triple date."

"We could except for Nichole doesn't like us," Craig added.

"She does like you. She just thinks you guys are a bit weird." Token started to explain. Kenny laughed as he hit the bong again. It was the beginning of another great night in Craig's basement.