"Wake up, Stan."
"Just a minute," Stan groaned. "I'm tired..."
"We can't wait. You need to get up."
Recognising the urgency in his tone, Stan slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
His eyesight sharpened, and the face of the blurry figure standing next to him became clearer. A young man with brown hair and brown eyes, already dressed. His dorm mate, Edward Williamson - also known as Ed.
"You have ten minutes," Ed said. "I'll wait at the door." He left.
"Thanks, man." Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Stan Marsh pulled on his usual clothes - a brown button-up shirt with a red collar and blue pants. He walked into the washroom.
Soon after, feeling refreshed, Stan joined Ed and they filed out, joining the long stream of students coming out of their rooms at Carman Hall.
It was a cool, clear morning on a school day at one of the most prestigious learning institutes in the country - Columbia University, New York.
Stan was a long way from Colorado.
As he walked down the hallway, he couldn't stop thinking about his past. Just the previous year, he had graduated from high school in South Park with distinction, getting great results in many subjects. The results were good enough to get him into most universities. After some consideration, he chose Columbia, for various reasons.
For one, he liked New York and had some relatives there that could help him out. Secondly, he had checked the syllabus and it covered what he wanted to do, which was a degree in biology, his best subject. He was not lacking in finances, either - he had some loans, but his parents helped cover the school fees, especially his father Randy. His family kept in touch with him and contacted him regularly. Except his sister Shelly, who left for Denver and cut off all contact.
There was a fourth reason, too. He didn't want to admit it, but it was the most important reason.
"Are you still asleep or something?" Ed asked, walking up beside him.
"No, just thinking." The voice snapped Stan out of his reverie. He changed his thoughts, to the activities of the day ahead. It was going to be long and stressful, but he knew it was worth it. He needed a degree.
Half the day later, feeling tired from sitting too long, and hungry, Stan walked out of his last lecture.
He knew that university life would be stressful, but he never expected it to be so difficult.The content was not too hard to grasp, by his standards, but it was incredibly heavy and could only be learned by rote, though there were experiments and investigations. Stan knew full well that he had to do independent reading to follow the lectures, which meant a lot of revision and review. Besides, there were some papers to write and submit...
Ed, his classmate, walked up alongside him. The pair made small talk, mainly focusing on the day's events.
It was a coincidence that the pair had ended up together. Being new to the school, Stan had to settle for a shared room in a dorm frequently used by first year students; Carman Hall, a comfortable place with a relaxing atmosphere.
Ed had liked him from the first day and was the first person to befriend him. He even showed him around the campus grounds and answered his questions. As time went on, Stan learned more about him. He was studious and hardworking, always meeting his deadlines. He hoped to get a doctorate degree, for a job in research and development. Stan wished he could be more like his friend; for now, his own future was less certain.
Ed also shared a little about his past. His home town was in Albany, the state capital. His brother had graduated from the campus, and used to take him to visit the school. In response, Stan told him about his past life in Colorado and the shenanigans with his friends. Kyle, Cartman and Kenny. The last of them he had seen was Kyle, who had seen him off at the airport. That felt like ages ago.
"So, any plans for today?" Ed asked.
"Kind of. I'm going out with a friend. We're eating together."
Ed chuckled and glanced at him slyly. "Say hello to your... friend for me. I've got some work to catch up on, see you later. Enjoy yourself."
Stan nudged his arm jokingly. After a quick goodbye, the pair set off in different directions.
Stan had wanted to walk over to his friend's block to wait for her, but it wasn't necessary. It only took a few steps before he found her, walking alone in a throng of people. A young woman, the same height as himself, dressed in a purple shirt and yellow pants, just like he remembered her in high school. Wendy Testaburger.
As he locked eyes with her, he felt a sudden rush of joy and happiness, which he had known ever since he met Wendy about a decade ago. That reminded him of his lectures. Doing things that one found enjoyable, caused dopamine to be released in the brain. It functioned as a hormone and neurotransmitter, that stimulated feelings of happiness. In other words, his thoughts and emotions were just chemicals mixing around in his head. And yet, this felt very real.
Then Wendy was in front of him, smiling, and leaned into his arms. After a quick hug, she kissed him briefly before pulling away.
"You look great today," Stan remarked.
Wendy laughed. "Thanks, Stan. What's new?"
As they walked along, holding hands, Stan started talking animatedly, telling her about his day. About his friends, professors, and anything else he could think of; including his coursework, although he doubted she could understand much of it.
In exchange, Wendy told him about her own experiences. She was taking a course in social sciences, which she had been interested in since high school. She was happy; she had a good relationship with her professors, and had already made some good friends. To Stan, the content sounded rather abstract and complex, who had never liked the subject much.
"Where should we eat?" Stan asked suddenly, changing the topic. "I was thinking of JJ's place. That's always open."
"You'll end up like Cartman if you eat there too much. Follow me. I know where to go..."
Some time later, the pair were seated opposite each other, at a table in John Jay dining hall, digging into their meals. It was a huge place, bustling with activity; and with too many options to choose from. There was even kosher food for Jewish students, which Kyle would have liked. Wendy chose a salad, while Stan, to avoid any complaints, grabbed one too.
As they ate in silence, Stan's mind drifted back on the long, complicated relationship between them. They had both been born and grew up in the town of South Park, and had first met in elementary school. Ever since the first few days of their friendship, he had had a small crush on her, which grew into an on-and-off romantic relationship. They sometimes had arguments and broke up for a few weeks to months, but somehow he would always make up with her. Only in the past two years, did their bond get much more personal and exclusive.
Ever since they became friends, Stan had always been surprised by how mature she was, for her age. Since her youth, Wendy had always been strongly liberal, and a vocal feminist. She had been doing public speaking on major issues ever since she was ten. Back then, it felt that she was an adult in a teenager's body. Stan sometimes felt that this affected their relationship, as she was too mature for him. Or perhaps, he was too immature and irresponsible to be with her...
"Stan," said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Yes?"
"I just wondered... did you ever stay in touch with any of your old friends?" Wendy asked.
Stan was mildly surprised, that she had been thinking of the past as well. A strange coincidence.
"Kyle, I guess. I was always his close friend, and we still are. He's at the other side of the country now. And Kenny, who studies just over at the next state, but he rarely contacts me. As for everyone else, I don't know much. I lost contact with most of them."
"And Cartman?"
Stan laughed bitterly. "Well, you know he dropped out of school. I visited him a few times, but I can't fix him. No one can. I don't care what happens to him anymore... Anyway, how about your friends? Where did they end up?"
"I only keep in contact with Bebe Stevens. She's doing college back in Colorado. And there's Heidi, but she was never close to me. At Princeton University."
"I'm not surprised," Stan said, as he emptied the bowl. "Well, goodbye Wendy. I need to go." He slung his bag over his shoulder and stood up, grabbing the bowl.
"Bye, Stan."