I'd like to thank the people who take the time to read this story. It might not be the greatest but I know there are some Cartman fan girls out there (even if we are considered weird) So thank you if you return to read the new chapters and I really hope you enjoy this story.
~~~ 2 week time skip ~~~
Saskia would work Monday through Thursday after school at Tweek's coffee shop. She got along surprisingly well with Craig and Tweek. The brunette male would flip her off now and then but she did the same to him. He would smirk at her and she'd stick her tongue out at him and everything was ok. Whenever the blond boy started to freak out over too much pressure or anything else, Saskia always found a way to calm him. Her gentle nature always seemed to quell his fears.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were Saskia's days off and she'd usually spend after school and early morning's hanging with the goths, training or jogging with Zack and their black husky. The rest of the day she'd either be at Cartman's house, much to Zack's displeasure, or studying for an exam. The boy and girl were getting along famously. So much so, there were rumors that he and Saskia were secretly dating but of course that was untrue.
Saskia had become an honorary member of the goths. Every since she gave them her small token of appreciation of coffee and cigarettes, courtesy of her brother, the girl had become fast friends with the dark clique. Cartman, Kyle and Kenny were a little weary of this new found friendship at first but Stan put in a good word for the goths. Unknown previously to his friends, Stan actually spent some time with the them on the weekends. It wasn't very often but often enough to consider them friends and not acquaintances.
~~~ Wednesday Morning ~~~
Saskia was debating on whether or not to tell Stan about Wendy. She had always been a very good observer. Not inclined to participate at parties or other social activities, the brunette always opted to sit back and watch. That probably was a huge factor in why she hardly had any friends. Saskia observed how happy Stan seemed to be with his girlfriend. Or was it a facade? According to the medical records, he was prone to depression and Wendy was his trigger. With that being said, Stan was her friend now. And as such, shouldn't friends look out for each other?
But Saskia was hesitant. It was not her place to divulge information like that. However, on the other hand, Stan could, and probably was, having thoughts of sleeping with his girlfriend. If that was the case, the boy would most definitely catch the STD from her. Perhaps it was better for him find out from her than the alternative.
With a heavy sigh, the green-eyed girl decided not to say anything. Instead she walked up to her locker and grabbed her books. If she opened her mouth, it would only come back to bite her in the ass, as most things do. So she would just let things be for now.
Cartman had kept the promise he made to himself. He got revenge on Wendy for Saskia. The reason why he had taken so long was because he wanted to lure her into a false sense of security. Wendy knew Cartman and Saskia were close friends. She was probably expecting him to make a move a day or two after the basketball incident but when nothing came, she figured she was in the clear. She had no idea how wrong she was.
The boy had drenched the girl's lockers in sewer water and baked his famous cupcakes with dog turds in them, and of course laxatives. He arrived to school very early and with a few water bottles filled with sewer water, proceeded to drench the three girl's lockers, and books, with the foul liquid. When they were to open their lockers, the sewer water would hopefully spill on them, if it didn't leak out first. But that was of no concern to the boy, for the disgusting substance coated the inside of their lockers and books and that stench would never come out.
Arriving to class early, the boy placed a beautifully decorated cupcake on Wendy, Bebe and Red's desk. Each cupcake held a note that read 'for the most beautiful girl in school.' With a mischievous grin, Cartman exited the school and sat in his car a few minutes so no one would notice he had done the deed.
A few minutes before class started, Cartman walked in and casually sat next to his green-eyed beauty. She was running her fingers through her hair and when he took a good look at her, it seemed she was about to cry.
"What the fuck's wrong with you?" He asked but not unkindly. Saskia knew those were his mannerisms and didn't mind it.
"I don't know how she did it but I know it was that bitch Wendy who put gum in my hair." Saskia could feel a lump in her throat from forcing her tears away. She wouldn't cry in front of Cartman because she knew he'd pick on her for it. Besides, she wouldn't give Wendy the satisfaction of knowing she'd gotten to her. Yes unfortunately, Saskia had first period History with that demon spawn. Thankfully though, Cartman and Kenny usually kept her distracted enough to not notice her.
Cartman ripped some notebook paper and then took a piece of her hair gently between his thumb and forefinger and the paper. With a slight tug, he successfully removed most of the gum onto the paper. "Ugh..." He shook his hand and the disgusting piece of gum fell to the floor. "Looks like you'll have to cut that piece of hair off Sas." The girl cast her gaze down to the floor with sadness that did not go unnoticed by the large boy. "Hey." Catching her attention, he gave her a playful smirk. "Don't worry about it, Wendy will get what's coming to her. I promise."
Saskia went wide-eyed and let out a small, cute gasp. "Eric! What did you do?!"
The boy simply scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle. He didn't want Saskia to be angry with him, but there was no way in hell he would take back what he was about to do to Wendy and her pack of bitches. Especially not now. What the girl whispered next surprised him though.
"Why didn't you invite me to your shenanigans?" She pouted.
"Can't let little miss innocent get detention. Now shut up and enjoy the show." His smirk changed from sly to mischievous and Saskia obliged to his demand. As her three tormentors entered the class, she heard Craig shout something out that caused her to stifle a giggle.
"What the fuck is that smell?! Ugh it smells like... like shit! Oh my god it's Wendy, Bebe and Red!" The chullo hat wearing boy pointed to the girls as he covered his nose and mouth with his free hand.
"Oh geez! I think I'm gonna, Ack! T-throw up!" Tweek leaned over his desk and attempted to hold back his vomit.
Saskia was really working hard to hold back the fit of giggles that threatened to explode from her. She looked over at Cartman who only shrugged his shoulders and feigned innocence.
"Shut up Craig!" Wendy shrieked. "Someone poured sewer water in our lockers! Our books are drenched!"
"Oh is that why you have a shit stain on your shirt?" Craig's nasally voice infuriated the tall brunette. As she walked past him to her seat behind the boy, Wendy slapped him upside the head to which the boy replied, "Bitch!" and flipped her off.
"Well at least my Stanly left me a yummy snack and a cute note." She smiled.
"Well I must have a secret admirer." Red was already half way through her cupcake as Wendy took a bite of hers.
Finishing up her cupcake, Bebe smiled. "That was delicious! And I know who gave me mine." She blew a kiss towards Clyde, who only gave her a look of confusion but he wouldn't correct her if it meant he got a kiss out of it.
"Alright, alright class settle down!" Mr. Garrisson was about to write something on the black board when the stench hit him. "What the fuck is that smell?!" Everyone pointed to the three girls and the teacher gave them all a glare. "You three need to change clothes right now or get the fuck outta my class!"
"But Mr. Garris-"
"Now Wendy!" He cut her off. The three girls angerly stood from their desks and walked out.
"Finally, I can breathe again." Craig took in a deep breath and Saskia finally laughed.
"Just wait 'till lunch Sas." Cartman's sly grin gave the girl goosebumps. His eyes held a glint of mischief that scared but intrigued her. He excited the girl and terrified her all the same but she couldn't deny she loved it.
The day passed uneventfully and soon it was lunch. The cafeteria was crowded with ravenous teenagers pushing and shoving in the lunch line, all trying to be the first to get the good food before they ran out. In the middle of said line were Wendy, Bebe and Red. Neither of them would admit that there was an evil rumbling in their stomachs. It began not too long ago but they were far too deep in the lunch line to get out. There were at least a dozen people behind and in front of them. They were absolutely screwed.
Right in front of them was Craig and Clyde. Both boys started rough housing by pushing and shoving each other only to accidentally knock into Token. The boy, obviously irritated with his two friends, shoved them back, causing them to accidentally fall onto the three girls.
Wendy managed to get Craig off her and Bebe reluctantly pushed Clyde off. This was not the ideal time for the brown haired boy to be on top of her. "Ugh I can't take it anymore!" Wendy yelled.
"I'm gonna blow!" Bebe cried.
"Oh god!" Red held onto her stomach in a feeble attempt to sooth the evil bubbling.
Cartman had brought everyone in their group, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Zack, Saskia and himself, In-N-Out burgers and fries for lunch. (If you haven't had In-N-Out you're missin' out!) They were already sitting at their usual table when, in an instant, it happened. At that moment, Cartman directed Saskia's attention towards the girls in line and that's when she saw it. Or rather, smelled it.
"Did you just shit yourselves?" Criag's nasally voice was the only thing audible in this awkward moment of silence.
Wendy was mortified but she did not reply. She was more preocupied with keeping the second helping of crap from bursting out her backside. Try as she might, the girl could not keep the onslaught of acid-like diarrhea from escaping her. The same could be said for Bebe and Red, as the girls cries of mortification were drowned out by the laughter and appalled gasps from the other teens. Craig's group, as well as some other boys, quickly moved away from them, creating an escape route for the three bitches to run out of the lunch line.
"Aww fuck! I think Wendy shit on my new shoes!" A random voice was heard yelling, which only caused louder eruptions of laughter to be heard.
"Cartman!" A very pissed off Stan was now standing over the large boy. "You'd better not have had anything to do with this!" The athletic boy took hold of Cartman's shirt collar and pulled him out of his chair.
"So what if I did?" The brunette held a smug look on his face that only pissed off Stan more.
"I'm going to kick your fucking ass!" That's when Saskia saw Stan's fist collide with Cartman's face. The boy stumbled back but did not fall.
He wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and quickly delivered a punch to Stan's gut, effectively knocking the air out of him but only temporarily.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The chanting was only edging the boys on.
Saskia could do nothing but watch in horror as her two friends were trying to kill each other. By the looks of it, both boys were at a standstill. Stan, the slimmer, more agile of the two, delivered fast, multiple punches while Cartman, the bigger and slower one, dished out very powerful hits that easily could knock you out. However, it seemed Cartman was deliberately trying to avoid hitting Stan anywhere near his face and head, opting to instead knock the air out of his lungs, which in turn, slowed Stan down significantly.
The girl had enough of this. They were going to kill each other over something stupid and she couldn't let this continue. When she stood up from her seat, Zack placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "Don't get involved Sas." But the girl ignored him.
At that moment, Stan had punched Cartman on the side of the head dazing him for a second. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Saskia had jumped between the two boys just as Stan had pulled his fist back in an attempt to punch Cartman straight in the face again. Instead, loud gasps were heard as everyone realized Stan had accidentally punched Saskia.
The girl fell to the floor as she let out a grunt in pain and held up her hand to stop her nose from bleeding. Cartman was on his knees on the floor checking to make sure she was ok. Zack was quick to his feet and in a split second, had Stan pinned to a nearby wall.
"You punched my sister!" Zack was furious and took hold of the other boy's throat with one hand. "You son of a bitch!"
"I- I'm s-sorry man!" Stan tried to reason with the tall rocker but he wouldn't hear it. Right when the Mohawk kid was going to punch Stan's face in, Kyle interjected. The red head somehow managed to pull the rocker off his best friend.
"Stop this shit right now! You need to look after Saskia not start another fight!" Kyle tried to reason.
Kenny took off and a minute later returned with an ice pack. He bent down and handed it to the girl. "You ok?" She only nodded her head and gratefully took the ice pack.
Placing the cool ice on her face, Saskia gave Cartman and Kenny a weak smile. "I've had worse." She tried laughing it off but then winced in pain.
"We're going home now Saskia. Grab your shit." Her brother loomed over her with brows furrowed in anger. Zack held a hand to her and helped his sister up. Cartman was going to protest but the rocker beat him to it. "Don't even think about it! You should be feeling just as guilty as that shit head," Zack pointed towards Stan, "If it wasn't for you and Stan, Saskia wouldn't have gotten hit. Stay the fuck away from my sister! If I ever see you or Stan anywhere near her I'll fucking gut you!"
Cartman wasn't about to put up with that shit. Saskia's brother or not, nobody talked to him like that. But Kenny placed a hand on the large boy's chest and shook his head 'no.'
"Tch, whatever." Cartman pushed his way past everyone and started walking towards the boys bathroom, to try and clean up before his next class. The crowed finally started to disband when Mr. Mackey showed up. He made sure everyone was ok and asked the girl if she needed to see the nurse. She politely decline and Zack assured the counselor he would take her home.
"Don't worry sas, I'll talk to tweek's parents and tell them you can't come to work today due to getting your ass kicked."
"You're too sweet Craig. Thank you." she flipped him off and he smirked at her, also flipping her off. "Oh! Can you grab my homework and class work too please?" The boy nodded and she thanked him again.
As the two siblings made their way to Zack's car, he pulled out a pack of smokes and his black and sliver lighter. Taking a cigarette from the pack, he placed the 'cancer stick' in his mouth and lit it. He took a long drag and held the smoke in for a few seconds before releasing the toxic gasses into the air.
"Ugh, you know I hate it when you smoke." Saskia was walking next to her brother with one hand covering her mouth and nose and the other covering her eye.
"You don't seem to mind it when you hang out with the goths." He retorted without looking at her.
"Hmph." She knew he was right and didn't have a comeback.
With a heavy sigh Zack stopped in his tracks and gave his sister a stern look. Her large green eyes, or rather eye, glanced up at him. He was so much taller than her, standing at 6'3 and she at 5'4, Saskia looked like a little girl who was about to be scolded by her parent. "If you don't manage to hide that from mom, she's gonna kill you."
"Nothing she hasn't done before." She stated as a matter of factually.
Zack wrapped his free arm around her shoulders as they walked around the parking lot looking for his car. "Don't say that Sas... you know how much I hate it when you talk like that." Finally arriving at his vehicle, he unlocked the car and the two hoped in. She meerly grunted as a response to his statement.
~~~ Thursday morning ~~~
Zack didn't know about this until the morning of the following day. He didn't know of the beating that had occurred the night before. He had gone to work a few hours after dropping Saskia off home. The girl was alone for about 2-3 hours before their mother got home from work. But by that time, Zack had already left.
He was feeling guilty because not only did his sister receive a black eye from Stan, but now had gotten bruises and scratches from their mother. He was angry with himself for not being able to protect her. Not from Stan, their mother, his father and those girls Saskia told him were bulling her. He was a fuck up. He couldn't do shit for her even though he promised to take her away from here. Away from all this. He promised to give her a better life. Somewhere she could always smile and never worry about whether or not she'd get beat for the most frivolous of things.
He felt like a huge failure. The rocker promised himself he'd make it up to her somehow. He didn't know exactly when but he definitely would. Once Saskia had gotten into his car, he immediately started apologizing. His hands were clenched tightly on the black, leather steering wheel. His heart pounded in his chest due to fear. Fear that his sister would scream that she hated him for not protecting her. Though, deep down he knew she wouldn't do that. Saskia was far too kind to react that way.
Sure enough, the girl simply asked him to stop and said everything was ok. "I'm alive aren't I? Don't worry about it. Besides, even if you were there, it's not like you could've hit mom or something to make her stop." She chuckled. "It looks worse than it really is."
"You look like someone tried to murder you. Your teachers will ask questions." Zack started the car and drove off.
"Don't worry I'll make up an excuse." It was raining today and Saskia was looking out the window. The rain always made her feel at peace. The music it created when hitting the ground soothed her. The smell of the wet earth always calmed her nerves.
"Alright."
~~~ 5th period ~~~
Saskia was in the nurse's bathroom, reapplying some make-up to her wounds. No matter how hard she tried to hide her black eye, her mother had found out. In a rage, and assuming the girl had started a fight with someone, Saskia's mother beat her.
The girl would never fight back against her. Even though she had once, and only once, screamed at her how much she hated her, Saskia would never raise a hand to her. The same could be said about Zack. Both their father's had abandoned them and their mother, though violent, never did.
Saskia wanted to run away from home but could never bring herself to leave her brother. After everything they've been through together, the girl couldn't function without him. In fact, she'd never even had a boyfriend because they had to go through Zack first. It was a little frustrating but she trusted him. He wouldn't let anyone near her that he felt wouldn't, or couldn't, treat his sister with the high standards he had set.
The girl didn't care about being beat anymore. In fact, she came to expect it. She knew she wouldn't be able to completely hide the black eye and so mentally prepared herself for the beating, she knew would be awaiting her. Whatever, it was over and it was a new day. Saskia had bigger things to worry about anyway. Like hiding these bruises and black eye, lest child protective services be called.
The rest of the day, and week for that matter, went on without incident. Sure her friends would ask her what happened since she came to school more beat up than when she left, but she assured them she was fine and dismissed all their questions. Cartman was the most skeptical. He knew she was hiding something and he was going to find out what. With that being said however, he decided to make her laugh rather then to bombard her with more questions. He supposed that was better than badgering her about what happened.
~~~ Saturday morning ~~~
Damn what an ass!' Kenny thought. He was staring at a girl that was looking out onto Starks Pond. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a simple red T-shirt. The girl started rummaging through her purse and brought out some bread. Her dog was barking at the geese and ducks that were approaching but she silenced him. It was a black husky the blond noted. She had dropped a piece of bread and bent down to pick it up. That's when he saw it. Her bug, plump, dazzling rear. Her hips swayed slightly back and forth and Kenny could feel his pants tighting a little.
Just as he was going to make his way to her, she turned around, pulling her dog with her. 'Oh... my... god...' It was Saskia. SASKIA! Kenny's jaw dropped to the floor. That was one of the sweetest asses he'd ever seen and it belonged to Zack's sister... Saskia... the girl that Cartman obviously had a huge crush on... CARTMAN'S GIRL! But wait! She technically wasn't Cartman's girl... and as for Zack... well he and Zack were pretty good friends so... maybe he'd let the blond date her?...
But what was he thinking?! Saskia was such a plain girl! Sure she's cooler than all the other chicks Kenny knew. Like how she liked to play video games, didn't dress like a slut, didnt care about what people thought about her, especially when it came to her friendship with Cartman. She loved animals, she was pretty good at fighting and was so down to earth she was basically one of the guys but with boobs and a really, really nice ass.
Aww shit... Kenny Mccormick had a crush on the shy girl. He had a crush on Saskia. She had made her way over to him and waved hello. "Hey Kenny! What are you doing out here so early?" It was 7:15 a.m on a Saturday. Kenny would normally be asleep right now.
"Ah well um you know..." He was blond scratched the back of his head in an attempt to distract himself. "My dad went out drinking last night and didn't come home. I just came back from Skeeter's bar looking for him."
"Oh, well did you find him? If not me and Loki here can help you look." Her smile made his heart melt.
"Nah I found him - wait... Loki?" Kenny bent down to pet the Husky.
"Oh be careful! He doesn't like strangers!" Normally, her dog would growl and try to nip at the unsuspecting person trying to pet him but not this time. The dog cautiously sniffed Kenny's hand and then proceeded to lick it affectionately. "Wow... he's never done that before... I guess he took a liking to you."
Standing back up the blond chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say I have a way with animals. So what's with the name?"
"Oh, well he's very mischievous and I really like Norse Mythology so..."
"You're such a nerd." He laughed and she blushed.
"Ah, whatever! Anyway I'll see ya later, I gotta meet Eric at his house."
"Yeah, see ya later." Kenny was a little disappointing in watching her go. She always spent her free time with Cartman. And now that he realized how much he liked her, it made him jealous. However, the blond figured he could charm her the next time he ran into her, whether it be in school or not. In fact, Kenny predicted that cute, petite sweetheart would be dating him by the end of next week. Though unfortunately for him, that was not the case.
~~~ 3 weeks later ~~~
Cartman was bothered by Saskia's and Kenny's new, rather odd, friendship. Everyday for the past three weeks, Saskia had been bringing Kenny home made lunch. At first, everyone thought it was just her being sweet but then noticed she would only bring him lunch. She never brought anything for Cartman, Kyle or Stan. And on some occasions, Saskia brought the blond enough food for a week. Well that irritated the large male greatly. Especially since he finally came to the realization that he really liked Saskia.
Cartman finally admitted to himself he had fallen for the sweet, quiet and timid girl. Saskia wasn't like all the other girls in South Park. She was caring, kind and particularly sweet to him. Whenever she came over his house, Saskia was always polite with his mother and helped around the house. Saskia would come to his defense whenever Kyle, Kenny, Stan or Zack would talk bad about him. No one's ever done that before. But he was unsure if she was just being her kind self or if she liked him back.
The brunette eventually convinced himself she was just being nice and nothing more. He couldn't afford to fall for this girl, though he already had. He needed to distance himself from her because, just like his mother, all women were whores and she would just end up hurting him. But part of himself told him otherwise. Part of himself believed this to be a lie and told him to give her a chance. Saskia was unlike any other girls here so maybe... just maybe she'd actually love him. She was his polar opposite but dam it if he didn't like her. So all of this time and extra care she had been giving Kenny was really pissing him off.
With that being said, Cartman decided to confront Saskia about the situation.
The day was particularly chilly. It was a Friday and everyone was exiting the school in a hurry to start their weekend. Cartman stood by his car awaiting the short female. His mind clouded with thoughts on how he would ask Saskia the question. Did she like Kenny?...
Just then, said girl appeared. Her smile was quickly hidden by her scarf in an attempt to warm herself. Cartman opened the door for her and she giggled.
"Well, aren't you being the gentleman?"
"Yeah, yeah." He shut her door and quickly made his way to the driver's seat. His hands were on the steering wheel but he hadn't turned on the car.
"Eric, is everything alright?" The boy took a quick glance at her. Saskia's eyes held concern just as he thought they would. There was an awkward silence before she spoke again. "You don't have to take me to practice today, we can just hang out at your house if you want..." Again awkward silence. "Uh... Maybe I should just walk home..." She was about to open the door when Cartman took hold of her wrist.
"Do you have a thing for Kenny or what?" He bluntly asked. Cartman didn't mean to make it sound so harsh but the words just spilled from his lips.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Do you like Kenny? Are you two dating or something?" He felt his heart race and his palms begin to get sweaty. Dammit why didn't she just answer him and get it over with?
Saskia laughed as she shifted in her seat and placed her seat belt on. That surprised him and he turned to look at her. "No. Why do you ask?" Her response was so casual and uncaring.
"Well it's just... your brother wanted me to find out since you and he have become so chummy lately. Not that I care." He scoffed hoping it would throw her off his trail.
"If that were true, Zack would have asked me himself. Now tell me. Why do you ask?" That threw him off guard. Of course her brother would be very direct with her! And why would Zack ask Cartman, of all people, to do him a favor like that?! God he was so stupid!
And that's when Cartman did something unthinkable. He actually confided hidden feelings to someone. "Are you... are you replacing me with him?..." He couldn't believe he just said that. Now she probably thought he was stupid or weird or a fucking pussy! Shit, he should've just made something up! Fuck!
Saskia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Eric." He turned away from the girl, refusing to look at her in fear that if he did, he'd confess something else he really didn't want to. "Eric, look at me." Her tone was firm and he reluctantly gave in. That's when he took her in. He never really stared at Saskia like this before. Never noticed how pretty she truly was. Her beautiful long, raven, curly locks contrasted magnificently with her forest green eyes. Her cheeks were a little rosy, probably trying to heat up from the unrelenting chill outside, and her caramel skin was flawless. His heart beat furiously in his chest and these five seconds seemed to last an eternity before the girl tore him from his thoughts of her.
"Eric, I'd never replace you. I don't know if this means much but... You're my best friend. No one could ever take your place." The smile on her pink, plump lips was only a band aid to the wound she had unknowingly given him. 'You're my best friend.' That hurt him but did not throw away his spirits on possibly becoming something more.
He remained silent. Unable to say 'thank you' or anything else really. He wasn't sure how to deal with this unpleasant and awkward situation. Thank God Saskia felt the need to explain why she was bringing Kenny the lunches, or was it perhaps, she too felt the uneasiness in the car and wanted to change the subject?
"Did... did you know how poor Kenny is?..." Saskia suddenly asked without looking at him. She felt a strong pain in her heart just thinking about the blond's home situation.
"Psh, yeah everyone knows how poor Kenny is. He's been that way since I've known him." His tone was uncaring and seemingly unfazed with what had transpired earlier. He wanted to throw her off his trail again.
"Well that's why I'm doing it." Saskia clasped her hands and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I want to help him... I found out he hardly has any food and never realized how thin he truly was until that day he came in with his burnt hand. Since then, I've been wanting to help him but I figured maybe I'd embarrass him if I stopped by his house with a box of food. He always puts up a strong front to everyone but I've seen his bruises... I've seen him sleep during class and I'm worried. I want to show him he can trust me and that I'm more than happy to help him but I just didn't know how to go on about it. And then it hit me. I could bring him lunch since he rarely eats anything when in school. He always stuffs the school food in his backpack and I assume he takes it home. So I thought I could gain his trust with kindness and -"
"Food?" He finished the sentence for her. "So you're luring Kenny with food?" He smirked at her all the while finally beginning to start the car. Saskia slowly sank down into her seat.
Her cheeks were flushed pink and she bit her thumb nail. A nervous habit. "No! It's not like that! You're making it seem like I'm some sort of weird person lurer..."
Cartman began to laugh loudly. "Person lurer?..." The girl sank into her seat more but said nothing. "I swear there's no one cuter than you."
"Oh shut up Eric!" She shrieked. Saskia hated when he teased her.
"You know if Kenny finds out you're trying to help him, he'll get pissed." Eric's face was serious and his laughter stopped.
"Why?" Saskia couldn't think of any reasons why Kenny would be so opposed to someone helping him. He obviously needed it so why would he turn it down?
With a heavy sigh, Cartman continued. "He'll feel like you're pitying him. And that's something he absolutely hates. Trust me when I tell you this Sas, but it's better to just leave things be."
But Saskia couldn't let things be. She wanted to help Kenny. She needed to help him. The girl couldn't allow him to go hungry and abused, not if she could help it. Sure their friendship started rocky but now they were close. Kenny would invite her to arcades, would watch anime with her and sometimes even invited her to lunch when he could. Though Saskia politely refused all this, mainly because she didn't want him spending what little money he had on her, she was always grateful and always invited him out to eat on her payday.
No. Saskia was determined to show Kenny there is someone who cares about him. Someone who wanted to see him smile. A genuine smile and not that forced half-hearten one he seemed to always give. So she decided to just be up front with him. She would speak with him the first chance she got and see if there was anything she could do for him.
Saskia and Cartman had spent the rest of the day together. In the boy's words, the green eyed girl had been 'bitching' about going to the aquarium all damn week, so he surprised her by taking her there. The look of happiness on her face when he pulled up to the aquarium's parking lot was indescribable. She was like a kid in a candy store. Her eyes widened in excitement and her smile was from ear to ear.
"Oh Eric!" She squealed. "Wow! I'm so happy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged the boy, preventing him from removing his seat belt. He wouldn't tell her to let go though. He was enjoying her warm embrace too much. The close contact allowed the boy to take in her scent. She smelled like apples and cinnamon. Her hug made his stomach do back flips and twist uncontrollably. His heart banged against his rib cage to where it was almost painful. But even with all that, this hug made him feel an extreme sense of happiness. More so than when one of his schemes actually works and he makes a profit. However, much to his displeasure, the girl ended the hug just as quickly as she started it. And even though it lasted a measly 10 seconds, it was the best 10 seconds of his life.
"Oh, here!" She started rummaging through her purse but then suddenly sighed. "Aww shit... um..."
Cartman gave her a quizzical glance. She sheepishly handed him some money and spoke, "I'm sorry, I'm five bucks short for the entrance ticket... mind if you spot me?" Saskia was blushing and Cartman noticed her moving her left foot back and forth in a nervous habit.
The boy quickly got out of his car without a word and walked up to the passenger side. Opening the door for her, he said, "Don't be a fucking dumb ass Sas. I'm treating you." His face seemed to hold no emotion except irritation.
"Well you don't have to be so rude about it." The girl snapped back but hopped out of the car anyway. Out of nowhere, Saskia grabbed his wrist and started a brisk walk towards the aquarium's entrance.
"Damn Saskia! Slow down! The aquarium won't go anywhere!" But he wouldn't admit he loved the contact. Her hand was soft, smooth and warm. It made him blush but thankfully, the girl was too preoccupied with reaching the entrance to notice.
Reaching the ticket booth, Saskia eagerly greeted the woman inside the booth behind the thick glass. "Hello miss and Welcome to South Park's aquarium! I don't know if you were aware but we're having a discount for couples today! It's a two for one deal!"
"Oh that's great!" Saskia smiled. "My boyfriend here, brought me to the aquarium for my birthday!" The girl gave Cartman a small, quick hug.
Cartman smirked, realizing what his crush was doing. With some new found courage, he gave the raven haired girl a quick peck on the cheek. "Two tickets please. One for me and one for my beautiful lady here."
"Oh you two are so cute together! And for your birthday miss, here's a ticket for a free ice cream Sunday!" The woman took Cartman's money and handed them their tickets. The girl was strawberry red from Cartman's kiss but pushed it aside and thinking nothing of it, other than it was just Cartman putting on a performance.
The day went on swimmingly. Saskia got to feed a few fish and touch small stingrays. he felt the cold embrace of a sea urchin on her finger and saw magnificent Great White Sharks swimming about. There were clown fish and piranhas, one of Cartman's favorite fish go figure, fish that glow in the dark, sea slugs, electric eels and many many more animals to see.
Saskia would go from one exhibit to the next with just as much enthusiasm as she had when she first arrived. The poor boy almost couldn't keep up. She would take hold of his hand and pull him towards the next sea creature that caught her eye and he never hesitated once. If anything, the boy's face was hurting a bit from all the smiling he was doing. This girl was a drug that he would gladly take in every second. An infectious disease that had taken hold of his mind and body but he dare not find the cure. Cartman was happy. For once in his miserable life, he was actually, genuinely happy.
His heart skipped a beat every time she smiled at him. His breath would hitch in his throat whenever she'd giggle at a cute sea creature. His face would heat up each and every time she'd hold his hand. His stomach did back flips whenever she called out to him. He couldn't deny he had a huge crush on her. The boy would dare not call it love, for such a thing was foreign to him and he was unsure of how it actually felt. All he knew for a fact, was that she only smiled and giggled that way for him and him alone. And he'd make sure it stayed that way.
~~~~ Monday morning ~~~~
Zack had left early this morning to finish a book report. He had asked Saskia first if she'd be ok with walking to school alone.
"I'll be fine, just go." She replied a little irritated. His over protectiveness was overwhelming sometimes.
"Fine, but I'll drive you to work today ok?" She nodded and her brother gave her a quick kiss on the forehead after ruffling her hair.
"Geez I'm not five anymore Zack!" She yelled after him as she watched him run out the door. With an exasperated sigh, Saskia quickly put on her black Metallica T-Shirt with some simple skinny blue jeans. She grabbed her red sneakers and put on her cute Japanese black and white long coat that Zack got her for her birthday last year. It's hoodie had little doggy ears that accentuated her cute natrual features. Out of all the gifts her brother gave her, this coat and a necklace he gave her, were her favorite.
Pulling the hoodie up, Saskia grabbed her backpack and started heading out the door. Unknown to her, Kenny was walking up the street at that very moment. He noticed the girl's hoodie and a smile crept up his lips. 'Typical Saskia...' he thought. But at the very moment he was going to catch up to her, the girl's mother yelled out to her.
Saskia turned, just in time for her mother to pull her hoodie off and drag the girl by her curly, raven locks, back into the house. Saskia had winced in pain and took hold of her mother's hands but did not try to pry her fingers off her hair. With a quick slam of the door, Kenny quickly jogged up to her house and tried to look through a window. Through a small crack in between some curtains, the blond could see Saskia's mother savagely beat her. She was dragging her around the living room by her curly locks and would slap her.
Kenny balled his hand's into fists debating on whether or not he should break the door down and stop this. Whatever the girl did to piss off her mother, he was sure it wasn't severe enough to gain this kind of violent reaction. But at the moment Kenny thought 'Fuck it,' and was about to break in, her mother finally let go of her. Throughout the whole ordeal, the blond was unable to make out what was said between the two, but at that point he didn't really care.
The door to Saskia's home suddenly flung wide open and the girl stood there with tears staining her face. Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were puffy. The girls raven locks were a mess, but she gently tried to fix it. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat and slammed the door behind her. She ignored Kenny as she tried to quicken her pace to the school.
"Sas! Saskia! Wait!" The blond called out to her. He jogged for a second to catch up to her. She did not reply to him but simply pulled up her hoodie and attempted to hide her face from him.
"No, fuck that." His voice was stern. Kenny stood in front of her now and every time she tried to walk around him or away from him, he would stop her. Saskia hesitated for a moment to catch her breath because she had been forcing her tears away. But at that very moment, the blond took hold of her face with a gentle hand. He forced her to look at him, something Saskia did not like one bit.
She was angry at the sudden touch but then her heart quickened at Kenny's sudden boldness. He had pulled her hoodie down and with his free hand, had brushed away some hair from her face. Some tears found their way out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks onto Kenny's hand.
He turned the girls face to her right side and examined her. He gently used his thumb of his free hand to wipe away some tears. "What the hell was all that about?" He finally spoke again and let go of her face. Saskia refused to look at him and instead cast her gaze to the stone sidewalk. "Well? I can stay out here all day, I don't care."
With a sigh, the girl finally met his gaze. His icy blue eyes were glaring in anger. She knew he wasn't angry with her but rather angry she wasn't explaining herself. "It's nothing. My mom kicked my ass and I'm sorry you had to see that. That's it." She finally managed to push her way through Kenny and continued her quick pace to the school.
Kenny matched her speed and took hold of her arm. "Why are you so reluctant to tell me what happened? I just want to help you Saskia." His voice was gentle but stern.
"It's not... it's not your problem Kenny." She whispered.
"C'mon Sas, you can tell me. We're friends right? I worry about my friends when they're hurt and you're obviously huritng right now. Just let me help you."
"How about you let me help you?" Her sudden question confused the boy.
"What do you mean? I don't need help."
"Right. And the fact that you're basically starving isn't an issue ?" Her sudden accusation took him off guard. He remained silent but his eyes went wide. "I... I was concerned for you when I saw you at the nurses office for the first time. I read your file and I know a little about your home situation... I know you need food and help... so why don't you let me worry for you?"
Kenny was went wide in disbelief. "You were snooping around in my private records? Like a fucking stalker and you're asking to help me? What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He was defensive. The only people that knew the true extent of Kenny's situation were Stan, Kyle and Cartman. Everyone knew he was poor but no one knew of the abuse he suffered at home except them. And now the girl he was trying to get with knew all about it. He felt like vulnerable and he absolutely hated that.
"But... Kenny I just want-"
"What the fuck's your problem, seriously?!" His intense glare bore a hole in the girls heart. Kenny's sky blue eyes seemed so dark at this moment and it frightened her. She didn't understand why he was reacting this way. Why wouldn't he just let her help him?... "You have fucking pity for me? Huh?" He approached her with a sneer. "You feel sorry for me Saskia? Is that it? Did Cartman put you up to this shit?!"
"No Kenny it's not like, that I just-"
"Is that the reason why you've been nice to me lately? Why you've been making lunches for me? Well guess what? I don't need or want your charity! Stay the fuck away from me Saskia! Stop stalking me and mind your own fucking business! I won't bother with your shitty mom and don't bother me about mine." The blond pulled his hoodie over his head and proceeded to walk away.
"Well what about you?!" It was Saskia's turn to yell now. She wasn't about to let him get away with talking to her like that when all she tried to do was help him. "When you saw my mother beating the shit outta me , why'd you try to help me?! Why were you nice to me then?! Was it because you felt sorry for me? Sorry for my situation or some bullshit? So why wont you let me help you?!" She grit her teeth in an attempt to calm down.
Kenny hesitated for a split second but quickly recovered. He didn't bother looking back or replying. He simply walked away leaving the girl with a broken heart. She swallowed her saliva, feeling the large lump in her throat that was rather painful. "Be that way then." She whispered to herself. Perhaps he was projecting his anger and frustration of his home situation, or embarrassment that she knew about it, onto her but he had no right to talk to her that way.
Saskia decided to let it go. Perhaps by the end of the day he would come to his senses and apologize. Or maybe she'd try to apologize to him at some point. Whatever the case may be, the girl decided it was best to avoid the blond for the remainder of the day, lest he yell at her again. Clutching her backpack strap, the raven haired girl continued her long miserable walk to school. Unknown to her, this would be the last time, for a long time, she'd speak with the blond.