Chapter One
"Welcome Cows, to the 5th game of the year. Before we start the kickoff we'd like to give a special thanks to our fire department and precinct 12 for being out here tonight. Round of applause for them."
The large crowd broke into thunderous sound as everyone gleefully clapped and a few loud whistles broke out. The police and firefighters waved back politely, more than happy to be there. Their palettes firing with the sweet taste of barbecued delights and chilled soda served to them as gratitude. They got to enjoy a game, free food and experience a task not many firemen get to.
Tonight was another game against Middleton. They were ahead in standings all thanks to the persistence and skill of their quarterback. Stan did however, have one barrier facing him and it was the reason the fire department and police department attended every game.
"Middleton Tigers get ready for the kickoff. The Tigers recently had to replace Burke Trapps after the last game with the Cows. We all remember that thrilling game," the announcer said and again the crowd cheered.
"Starting his first away game is Matthew Gregory and he's getting ready to send the ball towards the Cows," on the field an average height teen with sandy brown hair and boyish face sent the ball across the field. An excited atmosphere took off as the ball landed into Kenny's hands and the team made their way towards the other side.
South Park High had to put in a lot of time and money in maintaining its football field. When Stan came to the field his freshmen year, there had been an uproar of upset parents. Concern sprouted from their mouths when Stan had his first incident. Several saw Stan's oddity as an unfair advantage for the Cows, but Stan and his coach assured the district that Stan's powers in no way helped him play and could be argued was a hindrance rather.
In the past, it had been rare for the stands to be filled with spectators and on the occasion there was, it was to cheer on the rival team. However, that changed when Stan Marsh became the school's quarterback and now chants of Go Cows rang with a booming roar.
"Looks like THE McCormick is taking a knee. Good kick from Gregory," the announcer said.
Stan got up from the bench and turned around to give a small smile at someone before slipping on his helmet. The crowd applauded excitedly, as he made his way towards the others on the field.
"And here he is, our favorite quarterback," the announcer spoke, as play resumed. "Marsh has had only two interceptions since he became South Park's quarterback, and Token Black catches the pass."
Stan watched Token rush down the field before being tackled at the 27th. The crowd applauded and Stan took his position behind Clyde.
"Marsh scans the field and it looks like Black is open again, but oh no, Marsh hands the ball off to Tweek Tweak and he's off," the announcer said. "He's tackled at the 32nd."
The game continued and soon the Cows were 15 yards away from the end-zone. Stan took a moment to feel satisfied the game was going in their favor and his powers hadn't influenced it one bit.
"Holy cow! Marsh makes an incredible throw and is it…YES! Tweak catches it in the end zone," the crowd erupted into cheers, flags and banners waving as the scoreboard flashed 6-0. Kenny made the kick and the 6 changed to a 7.
Gathering his breath, Stan plopped down at the bench and watched as the defensive team made their way onto the field. He turned around, catching Kyle's eye who was sitting in the stands next to his girlfriend, Bebe. Kyle gave him a thumbs up and Stan snorted, smiling back at his best friend. Sometimes it sucked that Kyle had left the team but with all advanced classes, basketball, and college prep courses, Stan understood. He turned his attention back to the game.
The Tiger's quarterback made a pass and it was caught by someone named Fletcher. Stan watched as Fletcher barely made it towards their own side when Cartman tackled him hard to the ground. Stan's heart leapt as the ball slipped from his hands, flying into the air.
"Stotch catches the ball and makes his way down the field," the announcer said as everyone cheered, "he's tackled at the 5. The ball is turned over to the Cows."
Stan ran back to the field. He looked over to see Cartman taunting the Tiger's quarterback, his face sneering and make rude gestures.
"Cartman!" Stan yelled, but it was too late, as the whistle blew.
"Oh, looks like the Cows will be getting a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct."
The crowd booed and jeered as the team re-positioned at the 20 yard instead.
"Nice going, assface," Wendell snapped at Cartman.
"Fuck off," Cartman retorted.
"We were right there," Clyde said, "why'd you have to go and do that, Cartman?"
"Enough," Stan firmly said. "Let's just play."
The game resumed and after awhile, the board read 21-7. Middleton had finally scored. The Cows had managed to avoid any more penalties, a rare accomplishment.
"The Cows do get an extra penalty if an interception is prevented due to a sudden gust of wind," the announcer explained. "During his first year, Marsh would occasionally use his wind powers to send the opposing side away from the ball. The Cows agreed doing that would result in a 20 yard penalty."
Stan ran towards the 25 after Kenny took a knee from Gregory's kick. He got behind Clyde once more. He called out a few words and the ball swooped back, landing perfectly into his hands. Quickly, he ran back, watching as his teammates fought against the opposing side. Each one trying to protect him and deep down probably trying to protect their opponent from the possibility of Stan's ailment.
"Marsh throws the ball to Black at the 30, but it's caught by a Middleton player at the 40," the crowd groaned and cursed.
"Fuck!" Stan hissed under his breath, watching as the player made his way into the end zone and the board flashed a new score.
The whistle blew, signaling intermission and the teams quickly left the field. Stan could feel a few hands slapping him on the back, reassuring him. He looked over to see Kyle and Bebe making their way through the crowd.
"Hey," Kyle greeted.
"Great game," Bebe said smiling.
Stan raised a brow, frowning and Kyle laughed, shaking his head. "Dude, you guys are still up and it was the first interception in how long?"
"True," Stan admitted bitterly.
"Great job," Chris Donnely, the Cows fullback, said joining the trio. His blonde hair was plastered to his head, beads of sweat dripping down.
"Thanks D-Bag," Stan said and Chris frowned at his unfortunate nickname.
"Way to go Stan," Cartman whined, angrily smashing a paper cup and tossing to the ground. "We could have easily defeated them but now we have to worry about them coming back. Did you forget Middleton actually has a good team and not just a freak?"
"Shut up fat ass!" Kyle yelled, clenching his fists and raising them slightly, ready to strike.
"No asked for you to be here, Kahl," Cartman sneered, turning his anger to the redhead instead. "Go back to the stands where your precious ass is protected."
"Where's Craig?" Stan asked suddenly, just now noticing the absence of the taller boy.
"He had to go and pick up Tricia from band practice, but he'll be back," Bebe explained while Cartman and Kyle still glared at each other. She pulled on Kyle's sleeve. "Come on Ky, lets go back. The game's about to start again."
And sure enough the whistle blew and the crowd cheered again. Taking a deep breath, Stan made his way back onto the field.
"Don't fuck this up," Cartman warned, as the team began positioning themselves. Stan rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry, Eric," Butters yelled from the other side. "Stan's got this!"
The nerves hit when he crouched down. He could hear the sound of his name echoing all around and he could have sworn even some Middleton folks were cheering him on. He was sure some had come just to see the freak show and really could care less about the game. However, playing the game the best to his mortal ability was all he could hope for.
He called out and the ball landed into his hands. He scanned the field searching for an open player.
"Marsh looks for an open player. Not many choices it seems, but… I don't believe this! Marsh once again makes another incredible throw all the way down the field towards Tweek Tweak," the announcer yelled excitedly and the crowd went wild. Both Stan and Tweek's name echoing throughout the cold air. "And Tweak catches it!"
Stan cheered with everyone, Tweak barely had to run to make yet another touchdown for the Cows.
"That good enough for you Cartman?" Stan asked and the scoreboard flashed 28-14 after another successful kick by THE McCormick.
Middleton's offensive team and Cows defensive team were back on the field. Stan took a seat at the bench and watched the game.
The Tigers struggled to make it through the Cow's defensive unit. Stan owed a lot of his fame to his team's incredible defensive talent. As much as he hated to admit it, Cartman was a great player to have on the team. He managed to tackle many of the players with the ball.
After the third attempt, the Middleton quarterback finally decided to pass to a different player and they were able to slip past Trent Boyett and into the end-zone. Thankfully, the kicker missed the kick and the score became 28-20.
"What an incredible game so far tonight. The score is awfully close and so far nothing out of the unusual has happened. Marsh gets into position and he has the ball. He's looking—he hands the ball off to Tweek. Who—," the announcer's words faltered off, confused by what was happening on the field. No one could blame him.
"This is too much pressure!" Tweek exclaimed, his hazel eyes bulging and whole body shaking. Before anyone had time to say anything, he tossed the ball into the air and ran off the field.
"Wendell catches the ball and is tackled at the 40 line," the announcer said still sounding baffled. "Well that certainly was unexpected. It looks like the Cows lost a player and will have to put in someone else."
Helmet way too big for his head and jersey slipping off his shoulders, Scott Malkinson entered the game. There was a quiet groan from a few of the players on the team. Stan wasn't among them.
"Ready to play guys!" Scott said.
"I am going to rip Tweek limb by limb for this," Cartman muttered under his breath.
"Come on guys," Stan called and they got back into position.
"It looks like the Cows have replaced their running back with Scott Malkinson. For the few of you who don't know this, Scott has diabetes, but we are being told his current blood sugar is 160 and he's good to play!" the announcer said. The crowd politely clapped. The score board suddenly flashed, displaying Scott's current blood sugar.
A few minutes later the Cows were at the 5 yard with one down left.
"Looks like Marsh is gonna throw the ball to Black. No, he passes to the other side of the end zone to Malkinson, who was left uncovered and it's caught! Cows 34-20!"
"I did it guys," Scott happily called as the team gathered around him, cheering. "I gotta go test my blood sugar."
Middleton was barely able to score their next touchdown, but with the score at 35-27 the Cows were in trouble of falling behind and losing.
Back on the field, in the 4th quarter, Stan took a calming breath. The desperate calls of his teammates and the crowd blended orders and cheers. He ignored it all. He could make out Scott frantically running towards him, arms waving in the air and screaming his name. Stan lifted the ball ready to send it at the blonde, until he noticed a Middleton player in the corner of his eye. He bit his lip. Throwing the ball to Scott would invite an interception.
"Marsh is looking for someone to pass the ball to. Doesn't look there's an opening," the announcer said.
Taking in the scene before him, Stan knew he was right. His teammates were either flattened to the ground or struggling in a strength battle. Scott had already been slammed down, leaving no one open.
"Staaaaaaaan! Come on!" he could hear his father screaming with distraught and desperation.
Making up his mind and also because a particularly large Middleton player was running at him, Stan took off.
As if the world had been put on mute, Stan could barely make out the crowd as Stan twisted and turned his body to dodge the oncoming players. His lungs expanded, taking in the hard and bitter air slapping him across the face. His fingers digging into the ball, snug under his armpit. It felt like the ground beneath him was trembling, the field suddenly becoming uneven. Stan paid it no attention. His sight was set only on the yellow goal posts.
Finally the sound picked up again and Stan could hear the crowd going crazy as the announcer said "Cows win! 30-27!"
"Huh? 30?" Stan said confused. He spun around and his shoulders slumped. The entire field was torn apart. Great chunks were missing and the goal post he had run past had been shattered to dust. Most of the players had already abandoned the field but a few were laying spread eagle on the ground, including his own teammates.
"For those of you confused by the score," the announcer spoke. "Cows lose 5 points anytime Stan uses his powers to score and once again, let's thank our fire department and precinct 12 for being here to clean up this mess."
The atmosphere at Shakey's was happy to say the least. No one cared that the Cows had lost 10 points in the final score. They were just thrilled to have won another game this season.
"That pass you made to Donnely in the 3rd was incredible," Kyle said, handing off a few orders of fries and taking a seat next to Bebe.
"Thanks Ky. I'm just glad someone was able to see it," he said as his eyes slid off to the man next to him.
"The entire school and town saw it," Craig said dully, taking a fry off Stan's tray.
"Not everyone," Stan muttered, frowning.
"I'm sorry I decided to be a responsible big brother and miss one game," Craig said, faking a sigh.
"You know I'm not upset you picked up Tricia," Stan grumbled. "You had plenty of time to come back, though."
Craig responded by giving Stan a quick kiss on the cheek and snatching a few more fries off his tray. "You know you could have gotten your own when Kyle asked?" Stan said and Craig shrugged.
"We got the championship in the bag," Kenny announced and plopped down next to Craig, causing him and Stan to scoot over. He reached over and took a sip from Craig's soda.
"There's a seat right there," Craig scowled pointing at an empty chair, "And get your own damn drink."
"See, it's annoying when people take your food," Stan said.
"No, I just don't want to swap spit with him," Craig countered, moving his drink away from Kenny's reach.
"Speaking of that, where's Damien?" Stan asked.
Kenny shrugged. "Something probably went down in Hell. I tried summoning him outside, but no answer. I'm sure he'll come around soon."
The night continued with different team mates coming up and congratulating Stan on yet another victory. He exchanged conversations with a few, even getting into a slight debate with Donnely about statistics. Eventually, after awhile, Damien arrived, taking a seat next to Bebe and Kyle who barely realized the newcomer as they were viciously lip-locked.
In that moment, Stan was content with the world. The chatter around him playing like a comforting song. He happily rested his head on Craig's shoulder, inhaling his cheap cologne. He looked up at the light fixtures, not wanting to stare ahead at Kyle and Bebe.
As he began counting the tiles above and Craig continued to steal fries from his plate, he decided instances like these were better than any victory on the field.
A/N: This chapter was a bitch. I don't play or watch football and I actually printed out a picture of a football field and had stickers for each player so I could see how the game would go. I owe my editor/friend a lot of all his help and football knowledge.