Hello! Yes, I'm still alive and I'm so sorry for taking so long to update again! I sort of ended up not knowing where to take the story and decided to take a break from it, plus various life circumstances left me little time to actually work on it. Anyway, thanks again to everyone who's been following for your support!
-A Week Later-
Kenny stepped off the bus and proceeded to make his way into the school, going ahead of Kyle and Cartman. He desperately needed a break from those two, who had been bickering since the bus stop. In fact, they had done nothing but argue that whole week. Ever since the Cartman Burger fallout, the red-headed boy had been nothing but a grouch, even when fatass wasn't in the vicinity. The young Jew was just utterly bitter and becoming more of a cynical asshole. Cartman, to nobody's shock, was still the manipulative, self-centered piece of shit he always was—that would never change. Kenny, meanwhile, felt like he had faded into the background as they fought. The other two never stopped to consider how the poorer boy might have felt about their constant arguing; he was totally invisible to them.
This whole situation was just depressing. Stan was no longer with them, his absence having a clear effect on Kyle, no matter how much he denied it; and with him no longer around to keep them grounded, Kyle and Cartman's fighting had become more frequent and obnoxious than before, and it just made Kenny feel all the more lonely. Their group was falling apart, and Kenny absolutely hated it.
But throughout the week, as Kenny tried to tune out his friend's fighting, he had silently been keeping an eye on Stan. In contrast to the other three, whose week had been rather unpleasant, Stan seemed to be slowly improving, at least on the surface. After spending weeks in depressing solitude, he was now primarily hanging out with Butters and, surprisingly, Craig and his group. Kenny even noticed the occasional smile from the raven-haired boy, meaning he enjoyed being in their company. He was still a far cry from the fun, happy boy that Kenny knew, as he was still rather quiet and melancholy, but at least he wasn't alone anymore.
Kenny had been wanting to make amends with Stan, but was unsure of how to go about it. He dreaded the thought of Stan reacting angrily to him, but he also understood why he might do so. Despite having also gotten sick of Stan's cynicism, the blonde couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for how they ended up treating the other boy. Like when they all lied to Stan and said they had gotten a case of the flu in order to avoid him, only to end up running into him. He still remembers the hurt on the other boy's face. Then after they had cast him out and his family broke apart and moved away, none of them had bothered to so much as ask if he was okay. Kenny tried to rationalize it just like Kyle did, but in the past week, after Kyle and Cartman had their falling out and Stan made new friends did the blonde realize just how wrong their approach had been, how wrong they'd been to cut him off. It was one thing when Stan was just being a cynical jerk, but after he fell into that depression, one of them should have stepped up to the plate. Stan was their best friend who was going through a very hard time and they had been more concerned about having fun than trying to see him through it. Even if he repeated his usual "everything was shit" mantra, one of them should have let him know that, despite their problems with his attitude, he was still their friend.
Now he wasn't, and Kenny knew it was driving Kyle insane. Cartman had done so much worse, and yet they were still "friends" with him. Why should Stan have been the one to have been cast out? He was the voice of reason who kept everyone together. Stan was always there for them when it was inconvenient for him, but when he fell into a bad place and needed help, they abandoned him. Kenny came to understand just how integral the dark-haired boy was to their group, and now that he was gone, they had all become miserable. He couldn't take it anymore, and decided that today, he would try and talk with Stan. Even if he didn't want to be friends anymore, Kenny at the very least wanted to be on good terms with him, and he was going to try and bring Kyle along. What Kyle was doing wasn't good for himself, and Kenny knew he had to talk some sense into him.
After roaming the hall for a couple minutes, he found Kyle at his locker, Cartman thankfully gone, though he could tell the young Jew was still angry. Unphased, the poorer boy approached.
"Kyle." The redhead turned around, an annoyed expression still on his face from earlier.
"I'm gonna talk to Stan today."
The other boy's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. Before he could object, Kenny continued, "Look, Kyle, I hate hearing you and fatass argue all the time. You've done nothing but fight with him all week, and even when he isn't around, you still have a pissy attitude, and it's making it harder to be around you."
Kyle's expression swiftly dropped from irritated to guilty.
"You told Stan that we all needed to make a left turn, that he had to go his own way and that we needed to do the same. But so far, he's been the only one to actually do it. You've been stuck in this rut with Cartman, and I feel like I've faded into the background. Ever since we cut him off, we haven't been the same…you haven't been the same. You're so angry and bitter now, and I hate it. I hate seeing you like this, Kyle. It isn't doing you any good."
Kyle's gaze dropped to the floor. He never meant to put Kenny on the backburner, but the blonde was right about the fact that he was too preoccupied with fighting Cartman, that he was too busy being mad all the time. So much for moving on with a positive attitude.
"And as much as you don't want to admit it, I understand why you're so mad now. It's because he isn't with us anymore, because you pushed him away for Cartman and it blew up in your face. But remember, I ditched him too. None of us were there for him when he hit rock bottom. I know that he became hard to be around, but it was wrong for us to just shun him all that time. We're all kind of at fault here and if we're really gonna move on from this, then we have to talk to him. I'd really like to be his friend again. So, like I said, I'm gonna try and talk to him today, and I'd like you to come with me. What do you say?"
Kyle couldn't possibly debunk anything Kenny had just said. Out of the four of them, Kenny was by far the best of the lot. He was the most clear-headed of them all, probably because his harsh home life forced him to mature that much faster.
Unfortunately, despite knowing that everything the blonde said was true, something was still holding Kyle back. He was silent for a few moments before saying, "You're right, Kenny. You're absolutely right, and I'm sorry for ever making you feel left out. But I…I just…"
Kyle clenched his fist, unable to finish his sentence, his gaze still at the floor. He shook his head.
"I can't."
"Kyle, please…" the other boy pleaded softly. Kyle shook his head again.
"It isn't that I don't want to, Kenny. It's that I can't…"
Kyle couldn't even look Kenny in the face.
"I think I…just need some more time…"
Kenny simply stared at the redhead, a sad look of pleading still on his face, until he finally relented. He nodded and walked away as Kyle remained in his spot, unmoving.
Damn it. God fucking damn it!
That bile in his chest was coming back. Annoyed and ashamed, he turned and made his way to class, too lost in his thoughts to pay attention. Upon turning a corner, he crashed into another student, dropping his books. The redhead blew up right there.
"Fucking watch where you're going, dick!", he yelled at the student without thinking. He instantly came back to his senses once he saw who it was, and it made his blood turn cold.
Standing before him was none other than Stan Marsh.
The two stared at one another in awkward silence; the raven-haired boy looked nervous and hurt from other's words, while Kyle was overcome with a certain dread. He had just literally run into the very person he wanted to avoid. What was about to happen? Was Stan going to snap back at him?
"I'm sorry," Stan said quietly before rushing past his old friend. Kyle swiftly turned around to try and stop him, but the words couldn't come out and he could only watch as Stan hurried off. It was the first interaction the two had since Kyle rejected his former friend's drunken attempt at reconciliation, and it couldn't have been any more uncomfortable. The bile and anger he was feeling earlier was now gone and all he could feel now was shame.
-School Cafeteria-
The cafeteria was bustling with activity and once he got his food, Butters looked around to find his new companion. He saw that, once again, Stan was sitting alone at a table in the corner of the lunch room, facing the wall. Butters took his seat across from Stan and for a moment, noticed that distant look in his eyes, the one he had whenever he was lost in his thoughts. The other boy snapped out of it upon noticing the blonde, and gave a small smile, his eyes lighting up just a little.
"Hey, Stan! You doin' okay?", Butters asked. Stan chose not to bring up his earlier run-in with Kyle.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. What about you, Butters?"
The sweet boy grinned, "Oh, I'm just swell! My parents just had their anniversary and we went to Bennigan's to celebrate. You ever been to Bennigan's Stan?"
"No."
"Oh, shucks! I need to take you sometime, 'cause I think you'll really like it there! They got the best mozzarella sticks, let me tell you…", as Butters spoke, Stan couldn't help but absorb the shining positivity radiating from the other boy. The blonde was infectious in the best possible way, and Stan was grateful to be in his company.
"And you Stan? Was your weekend okay?"
"Yeah. On Saturday, mom took me to see a therapist. He seems okay, kinda weird though. Some old German guy: Dr. Herzog, I think was his name? Weird, but still nice."
"Well, that's great, Stan! If he can help, then you'll be out of this funk in no time!"
Stan wanted to believe…
"Yeah…I really hope so. I think I'm getting better, but sometimes I still feel like everything's just…", he stopped, feeling he'd be a broken record at this point. He saw that Butters was still listening though, still somehow untouched by the depressing taint that drove off Kyle. Stan felt encouraged by the blonde's optimism, but he also felt a pang of guilt creeping its way in. While Butters was able to talk about going out and having a good time with his parents, all Stan felt that all he could talk about was his personal problems. He loved being touched by the positive aura, but he still couldn't help but worry that he might end up draining it.
"Butters?"
The other boy raised an eyebrow,
"I'm…I'm not…bumming you out, am I?"
Butters looked incredulous.
"What? No way, Stan! I like hanging out with you!"
"It's just…I love how happy you always are, how you always find something nice to talk about…but I never have much to say except when it comes to my problems…"
Butters knew where this was going. Despite all the reassurances he gave Stan, that he wouldn't drag him down to his depressing level, the ravenette was still plagued with worry.
"I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've given me a chance when the other guys left me. But, I don't—maybe it's all just anxieties in my head, but I don't want my negativity to rub off on you. I don't want you to think that you have to give up your happiness just for me. So…if you ever think I'm too much of a downer, then you don't—"
"Hold on, mister!", Butters said firmly, surprising Stan. "The only way you can bum me out is by sayin' such bad things about yourself! You think you're gonna get any better talkin' like that?"
Stan could only stare at the other boy before giving a little sheepish smile and saying, "No…you're right Butters. Sorry…"
"Plus, you've been doing great, Stan! You've been hanging out with me and Craig and those guys and even if you don't say a whole lot, we're all glad you're tryin' to get better. Just knowing that you're tryin' makes me happy."
He could feel the worry and doubt subsiding. How was Butters so good at this?
"Hey, dudes," a voice said. The two boys turned to see it was Craig and his entourage.
"Hey, fellas!", greeted Butters, while Stan simply smiled and nodded. The boys took their seats, Stan, Craig, Tweek and Token on one side, Butters, Clyde, and Jimmy on the other. Clyde seemed enthusiastic about something.
"Stan! Butters! You're not gonna believe this! But Cartman put a spaghetti-filled glitter bomb in the art teacher's desk! Hahahaha! That was the funniest shit ever!"
Token then said, "That shithead's never going to learn, is he?" Stan knew more than anyone…except maybe Kyle.
When Craig invited Stan to be a part of his group, he felt a tad awkward at first, since Stan and his old friends were more or less friendly rivals with them, and the fact that Kyle had told them to avoid him when he was wallowing in misery. But, to his surprise, they were very welcoming and though they always knew him as being one of the confident and popular type of kids, they understood he was going through some tough shit in his life and never tried to ask him anything too personal; and he, in turn, didn't want to make the same mistake he did with his old friends and kept his cynicism to a minimum.
"Say, di-did you guys hear th-the news?", asked Jimmy.
Craig rolled his eyes, knowing where this was going. Though he dreamed of being a comedian, the stuttering boy always told the corniest dad jokes which only occasionally got a laugh out of him. Sometimes Craig laughed at just how bad they were. Then again, he felt that was intentional on Jimmy's part.
"The president got p-p-put into the hospital!"
"Really!?", cried Butters. Craig shook his head as Clyde snickered in anticipation.
"Yeah, bec-c-cause, apparently, he can't s-s-stop Pootin!"
A brief silence at the table before a quiet snort and giggle caught everyone's attention. It was Stan trying to suppress a laugh. He covered his mouth and blushed, knowing the joke was so fucking corny, but he couldn't help himself. It brought a smile to everyone's face and even they started to laugh. Jimmy eagerly continued.
"Y-yeah, and also, di-did you hear about th-the cows that ran into the we-we-weed field? I g-g-guess you might say that th-th-the pot was calling the ca-ca-cattle back."
Stan giggled again and it had an effect on everyone, even Craig was starting to give in.
"Wow, what a ter-r-r-rific audience! Who else has got one? S-S-Stan needs all the l-l-laughs he can get!"
Stan wanted to beg them to stop but he couldn't. He knew these jokes were so bad, but he was just too giddy! Token then gave his,
"You know what the number zero says to the number eight? It says 'Wow! That belt looks good on you!'"
"Pppfffhmhmhmhmhm!" Stan still had his hands over his mouth. He knew they were trying to get a belly laugh out of him and they wouldn't stop until it happened. It was then that Butters chimed in with,
"Hey, Stan, you know why a nose can't be twelve inches long?"
Stan shook his head.
"Because then it would be a foot!"
"Ppppffhahahahahahahaha!" Stan's laughter brought the same out of everyone else, even the normally stoic Craig decided to join in.
"Why do girls wear makeup? Because they're ugly and they stink!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!" The whole group was in a fit of laughter, not even because of the jokes but because seeing Stan happy and laughing again brought a kind of joy out of everyone.
"You got one Tweek?", asked Clyde. The anxious blonde's eyes widened at that.
"Huh!? I-I-I can't come with a joke on the fly! I don't have a sense of humor, man! Gah! Too much pressure!" The twitchy blond felt a hand on his shoulder and saw it was Craig, trying to reassure him. "It's alright, Tweek, you got this," he said. Tweek relaxed and pondered for a moment before…
"Oh! Um, uh, Cartman! He-he's on a seafood diet!" Silence and some raised eyebrows from the others. Tweek grew panicky again. "Eh! You know! He just sees food and eats it!"
A brief silence again before everyone at the table burst out laughing.
-After School-
Kenny just couldn't believe his luck. Not only did he not get the chance to talk with Stan at all, but he unwittingly ended up being in proximity to one of Cartman's stupid shenanigans and ended up in after-school detention for it. He was totally innocent, but the stupid teacher didn't even let him defend himself! It wasn't his fault that fatass put a spaghetti-filled glitter bomb in the bitch's desk! Of course, it probably didn't help that he laughed his ass off at her misfortune, but so did everyone else! Why was he singled out for detention with fatass!?
It didn't matter. Now, the impoverished blonde was walking home alone, annoyed at his situation. He missed the bus, couldn't get in touch with his parents and didn't get to talk to Stan. Kenny supposed there was always tomorrow. With all his rotten luck, he wished he had something to get high with. Sure, he had a glue stick in his book bag, but that wouldn't be enough.
A sound caught Kenny's attention, coming from some bushes nearby. He took a peek through and saw two cats staring each other down, making low growls. Two male cats. Kenny grinned, for he had found just what he needed.
Not far off, Stan was walking with Butters back to the blonde's house. He knew Stan had trouble with math and was more than willing to help him out with his homework. When they finished and hung out for a bit, the ravenette offered to walk him back home. Stan really did enjoy Butters' company.
"Thanks again for all your help, Butters," said Stan, "it really does mean a lot to me."
Butters grinned and brought an arm around Stan's shoulder. "Like I said, that's what buddies are for, right? We just—," he stopped upon hearing some strange noises in the nearby brush, "Hey, you hear that right? It sounds like…"
"Like someone's laughing…and cheering?"
"Woohooo! Oooh, yeah! Hahahahaa! Yeah, give 'em to me! Yeah! Wooohoooo!"
"I know that voice!", exclaimed Butters. The boy went off into the woods, Stan tailing behind him. "Butters, wait! I'm not so sure we should be—", but the blonde was going on ahead. Stan could only follow. It wasn't long before Butters found the source of the strange noises.
"I knew it was you!"
Stan walked up behind him and was surprised to see a familiar face sitting under a tree.
"Kenny?"
Stan saw he had his hood down, exposing his messy golden locks. Kenny had a look of absolute euphoria on his face, a massive smile, his eyes glazed and looking everywhere and his hands sticking out in in grabbing motions. There was also a distinct scent emanating from him and a yellow substance on his face.
"Oh, hamburgers, Kenny!", said Butters, "Don't tell me you've been cheesing again!?"
Stan remembered when Kenny first got himself high on male cat piss, cheesing as it was called, and how he had the absolute time of his life, going on and on about "big beautiful titties". Butters was now shaking Kenny, trying in vain to bring him back to reality.
"Come on, Kenny! Snap out of it! The boobs aren't real, gosh darn it! Kenny! Kenny!"
It was no use. Kenny was tripping balls like never before.
"Oooh, oooh yeah. Oh, I-I, oh! Oh, my god! It's my girl Marjorine! How you doing, sweetness!"
"Darn it, Kenny! I'm not Marjorine, I'm Butters! I'm your good friend from South Park, Colorado, not the Princess of Nipplopolis!"
Stan didn't even want to know…
"Stan, help me! If I can't get him out of it, maybe you can snap some sense back into him!"
What!?, he thought. What could Stan possibly do? Kenny was totally out of it, not to mention he and Stan hadn't spoken for weeks, after he had gotten fed up with Stan just like Kyle. Still, Stan knew he couldn't just do nothing when the boy was this helpless.
"Um…okay…", he relented and knelt down next to his old friend.
"Kenny?" The blonde turned to Stan and his eyes widened in excitement.
"Oh! Marjorine, baby! You brought a friend, and she's got some tig ol' biddies on her! Woohoo! I've always wanted to do a threesome!"
"What! No! No! Kenny! It's me, Stan! Remember? Stan Marsh? Your…your friend?" He honestly wasn't so sure about that. Did Kenny still think of him as a friend? Probably not…
"Oh, shit! I needed a couple of hotties to keep me company! I've had the worst luck lately! My buddies Kyle and Cartman hate each other's guts! And I didn't even get to talk to Stan today!"
Hearing that made Stan stop. Kenny wanted to talk to him?
"Stan was one of my best buds ever! Then his life went to shit and we dumped him! I know he probably hates me now, but I wanted to try and make up! I miss him so much! I miss my boy, Stan! I want him to be my friend again!"
He honestly couldn't tell how much of it was real and how much of it was just drugged up rambling, but Stan couldn't help but be moved. He and Kenny hadn't spoken for weeks, he thought Kenny hated him, but he wanted to talk, to be his friend.
"Kenny…"
The blonde turned to the dark-haired boy, his ecstatic expression now an upset one, tears running down his face.
"Am I shitty friend, babe? I mean, Stan was so good to me all these years and I left him! He hates me doesn't he!?"
"No! No, he doesn't…", reassured Stan. Whatever had gone on between them, despite the fact Kenny abandoned him too, Stan just couldn't bring himself to be mad at him. Stan knew he wasn't blameless in how he got to where he was and Kenny already had so much shit going in his own life, his poverty and druggie parents; but, if he truly wanted to give Stan another chance, then he was more than willing to take it.
"You're one of his best friends, Kenny, and…he thinks you're a genuinely good guy. I know he'll want to make everything right with you and…he'd really to talk too."
Kenny seemed to calm down a bit, still looking into Stan's eyes. Was he coming back to his senses?
"Yeah…yeah, I think you're right. Man, you really know how to make a guy feel better! Let's have some fun!"
Suddenly, Kenny brought his face into Stan's chest.
"BRPBRPBRPBRPBRPBRPBRPBRPBRP!"
Stan's face went red as a tomato. Kenny had just motorboated him!
"Oooh, it's like marshmallows…", he said as everything went dark and he passed out on Stan.
I've got some ideas as to where to go now, but I by no means can guarantee it'll actually happen anytime soon! Once again, thanks to everyone whose kept up so far!
