A/N- New chapter! Let me know what you guys think, this one was fun to write!

My class before lunch got let out early, so I wander slowly through the hallways, waiting for the painfully long fifteen minutes before I get to eat. I absentmindedly wonder how much longer I can last without food. I am wasting away, starving to death.

Lost in my overdramatic thoughts, I barely notice before I round the corner into a serious sounding conversation. I decide quickly that I should break my habit of eavesdropping, seeing as this is the second day in a row, but I stand quietly just around the corner anyway because I can't resist the curiosity.

"Hey, I'm serious," a monotone voice says softly, sounding urgent. "I know what it's like, and you can't do this to him. Maybe you should just stay away from him."

"Hey, how about you back off and mind your own business?" a defensive voice replies. "This has nothing to do with you."

"I know it's not my business, Ken. Come on," the other voice replies with a humorless chuckle. "I'm just telling you what I think. We're friends, remember?"

"Yeah?" Kenny replies. "Well, you're acting more like a jealous ex right now."

"That's not fair and you know it," the other voice answers sharply. I'm pretty sure it's Craig, unless Kenny has some other ex boyfriend that I don't know about.

"Really? Telling me to stay away from people, that's not jealous ex material?" Kenny replies and I can hear his voice getting cold, like it did with me when I asked about his disappearances.

"Look, he doesn't even know if he's gay. Imagine if his first experience with a guy is with someone who disappears and doesn't call and storms off when he tries to talk to him. Kenny, you're not thinking about what that could do, how it could hurt him."

I'm pretty certain at this point that they're talking about me. My face starts getting hot and I can feel my heartbeat in my fingertips. I start feeling nauseous, too, and I'm no longer sure how much I want to have lunch.

"Back off, I mean it," Kenny replies, his voice getting low and I can hear the warning. I assume Craig can hear it, too, but I don't know if he cares.

"You know I'm right," he replies quietly. "He doesn't deserve this and you know it."

"I'm really not interested in talking about this," Kenny answers. I'm almost surprised by how much anger is in his voice.

"Wow, Kenny McCormick doesn't want to talk about something important," Craig replies sarcastically. "So what else is new?"

"When I want your opinions, I'll ask," Kenny says, his voice cold. His tone said that it was the end of the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Craig answers, seeming to give up. "Mess up that poor guy's life, whatever, see if I care." He let out a long sigh. "You haven't changed at all."

Then I hear him walk down the hallway, followed by a clatter against the lockers, as though Kenny punched them. Maybe he did. I take a deep breath and put on a neutral expression- hoping I can even pull that off. Then I round the corner casually, as though I hadn't heard a thing.

Kenny is leaning against the lockers, head facing the ceiling and eyes closed. At the sound of footsteps, his head snaps to the side. His eyes brighten and he smiles, but after all that, I can't imagine it's genuine. Though I really can't tell. "Hey, Ky. Shouldn't you be in class?"

I smile back and walk over to him. "My class got let out early. Shouldn't you be in class?"

He shakes his head adamantly then cocks his head to the side. "Well, I suppose that all depends on your definition of the word 'should.'" He grins, eyes warm and happy. "I've been told 'should' and 'want to' are two different things, but I have yet to accept that."

"Yeah, so I've heard," I laugh. I'm starting to doubt that I heard the argument between him and Craig right, because he seems so fine now. Not the least bit fazed.

"You on your way to lunch?" he says in a different tone, softer somehow.

I just nod in response because I don't know how to respond to his almost sweet tone.

"Well, let me escort you, love," Kenny replies, giving me a small smile and linking his arm with mine. My heart flutters for a moment and I am no longer convinced that Craig is wrong about me.

Maybe I am in love with Kenny. I want to just dismiss the thought, but I can't. It sticks in the back of my mind like glue, like the image of a car crash. And almost as unpleasant.

I can't think about it anymore. I can't. I pull my arm away from Kenny, pretending to scratch the back of my neck. I notice that he looks a little taken aback, so I smile and look at him. "What do you think they're serving for lunch?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets and shrugs. "Don't know," he says, flashing me a grin. "Definitely something awful. Want to get lunch off campus?"

I laugh a little. "I've already been dragged away from school once today."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "Ky, darling, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but that means you skipped a class."

I raise my eyebrows back at him, trying to match his expression and tone. "Really, now? You know my schedule that well?"

Kenny broke their eye contact, staring straight ahead and his cheeks reddening a little. "Well, I just assumed you didn't have a free period."

"Yeah, well," I reply, chuckling a bit. "You'd assume correctly. Stan literally dragged me out of the building this morning."

"Stan having some more girl problems?" Kenny asks.

"No," I say, but then I tilt my head. "Well, yes. Always. But that's not why we skipped out this morning."

"Oh? Then why'd you skip?" he asks, glancing over at me.

I hesitate, realizing I'm not sure what to say. "Well... We needed coffee. Low caffeine morning. Gotta stay chipper."

"Right," he chuckles, nudging my arm. "Feeding your addictions. Very healthy."

"Caffeine is good for the soul," I reply. Then I shoot him a playful glare. "You're one to talk, with your nicotine."

"I could quit if I wanted," he says with a shrug.

"You liar," I laugh. "Well, I couldn't. And I also would never want to. Coffee is magical."

"Magic that makes you jittery," he adds with a grin.

I glance around, realizing I hadn't been paying attention to where we were going. We aren't heading to the cafeteria at all. I look over at Kenny suspiciously. "Ken. Why are we heading toward the parking lot?"

He grinned at me, blue eyes sparkling. "You skipped today, but I haven't. Let's go have some fun!"