So now I've come across my fifteenth chapter. It's very exciting.

I decided to post this on October 5th, 2006. DUDE! The new South Park Episode is SO GREAT. I loved it, especially Butters. But I won't spoil anything yet.

I'm also going to say that this is roughly the halfway point of the story. Hooray! And of course, there's no turning back now. I have to finish this... or else five different people will somehow murder me.

TEN REVIEWS! WOW. I'm sorry, but... I'll probably disappoint you this chapter... the end is poorly written... to the extreme.

I hope I don't disappoint anyone with this chapter. So, without further ado, here is my next chapter. Credits go to Savage Garden, Three Days Grace,

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument...
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands...
I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality...
I believe forgiveness is the key to your happiness...
I believe in love surviving death into eternity...
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side...
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye...

"Until you say goodbye," Stan mumbled. He was sitting at his desk, head buried in his arms, and an MP3 stuck in his ear. He had stayed in this position for quite some time, either ignoring everyone around him or honestly not hearing people calling for him. He didn't want to be disturbed; he only wanted to think... keep on thinking until everything was crystal clear in his own head. No stipulations. No if's, or sudden realizations. He wanted to spend time trying to sort out his feelings, his life. Screw anything else.

The more current matter on his mind was Clyde. It had only been that day - that afternoon - that Clyde asked Stan for help, and it was that very same day that he had told Stan his feelings for him. It had happened extremely quickly, and Stan was still trying to figure out for himself why he had accepted. At the time, he had not wanted to hurt two different people, and in order to avoid the situation he accepted Clyde's offer. But what impression did that leave? Kyle would just think that Stan was desperate, or uncaring, if he was to ever get Kyle back. So then did he really love Clyde? Stan wasn't sure. He barely talked to the boy until that day, and even when the four had walked home from school in the ankle-high snow it was very clear that his relationship was a one-sided affair. It was clear that Clyde loved Stan. But whether Stan could return those feelings relied completely on Stan.

Stan thought about Kenny, who was probably spending time with Kyle right now, something he definitely wasn't doing with Clyde. He still wondered if Kenny truly loved Kyle, especially since Kenny had taken no previous interest in the boy before the rare occurrence. He thought about how his bond with Ike had grown stronger, and that maybe he had used Ike to get closer to Kyle. It was a likely probability, but not likely. After all, Kenny kept mentioning of Stan's inability to hide his love for Kyle, as he had said. Yet as he thought about this Ms. Sagisak's words replayed over and over in his head. Maybe Kenny really had used the situation to express his own feelings. Maybe he had continuously asked Stan about the matter to make sure that his future moves would not conflict with Stan's current emotions. This was an even more likely probability, but it wasn't too big of an issue for Stan to keep thinking about it.

Of course, Kyle plagued Stan's head the most. He had been the reason the whole affair had begun, that one fateful afternoon when he had approached the group after a round of skating. From there it had gone downhill, beginning with his own assumptions, continuing with the questioning of friendship, and crashing horrifically with his parents' realization. Stan wondered how that was going, and if his parents were okay with Kyle now that the intial shock had passed. Furthermore, what would they think of Kyle when they realized that Kenny was his new boyfriend?

As I Hate Everything About You began to play on his MP3 player his mind shifted gears. What about Cartman? He hadn't heard from him in ages, and Stan was beginning to wonder what was going on with their old friend. Hopefully he didn't have some magnificent plan up his sleeve, magnificent in the design of evil. Stan feared Cartman; Adolf Hitler had been his childhood hero, and Hitler had discriminated both Jews and homosexuals during the Holocaust. It was because of Cartman that their friendship had broken slightly, or at least Stan saw it that way. Cartman had been the first to turn on Kyle, he had beaten up Kyle, and he challenged Kyle about his sexuality. That was enough evidence for Stan.

He banged his head on the desk surface several times in his frustration. Where was he going to go from there? Would he play along with Clyde, or would he try making this relationship work? And what about Kyle? Now that he was out of his grasp, would he try to take him away from Kenny while hurting Clyde? Things seemed to highly be against him, and Stan didn't like it one bit.

A ring of the telephone perked his interest. He let it ring, positive that someone else would answer it. Stan almost never answered the phone, though if it was for him he didn't mind talking. Most of his friends contacted him by his computer, and so a phone call for him was a rare occurence. Of course, when his mother had said it was Clyde on the phone Stan slapped himself on the forehead; Stan hadn't talked to Clyde outside of school before, and so naturally he wouldn't have his messenger information.

"Hey."

"Hey dude" Stan replied. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing much," was his reply, "You?"

"Same. How'd you get my phone number anyways?" Stan was returned with a long list of names. Apparently, Wendy had told Bebe once, and she had passed the information to Tweek. Why Tweek Stan didn't know, and so when Clyde asked Butters if he knew Stan's phone number Butters transferred him over to Tweek. It was a weird chain, Stan had to admit.

"Kenny invited us to the movies," Clyde told him after he had recited the chain. This had caught Stan's attention, but it wasn't visible to Clyde. "He said it'd be some sort of a double date. Me and you with him and Kyle. Are you up for it?" On a normal circumstance Stan would have said yes. But something seemed odd here, almost fishy. Why would Kenny suggest such a thing?

"They don't want they're privacy?"

"Apparently not," said Clyde. "So do you want me to tell them we're in?" Stan nodded slowly, and then, after realizing that Clyde couldn't see his nod, he muttered a weak 'yeah' into the phone. "My mom's gonna pick you up at seven. I have to call Kenny back, so I'll talk to you later." Within two seconds after Clyde had finished speaking he heard the dial tone, which meant that no one was present on the other side. Stan shut his MP3 off and let out a frustrated sigh.

Fate really wasn't going to give him a break any time soon.

- - - - - - - - - -

Stan eyed himself in the mirror as he held out several outfits in front of him. It wasn't something he was accustomed to doing, and it was something that he would even consider girly. Never had Stan Marsh ever cared about what shirt he wore, but then again he had never gone on a date. And even if he was going on a double date he still wanted to dress nicely, no matter who he was doing it for.

He shook his head in disagreement as he returned a light green polo shirt back to his closet. He had realized how much clothing mattered in a date, and in the past he had always criticized anyone else who had done it. He remembered when Bebe had come up to him a few years ago asking for his guidance in clothing. Stan had dismissed her saying he was no expert at the matter, and referred her to Wendy.

Oddly enough her date had been with Clyde. It was kind of odd how recent events were playing out. Clyde once going out with Bebe, Kyle once liking Rebecca, Kenny once looking at craploads of Playboy, and Stan barfing over Wendy... maybe it was just a phase... maybe the four would all go back to their heterosexual ways.

Stan had finally decided upon a blue polo shirt, and he topped it off (or bottomed) with a pair of jeans. He stared at himself in front of the mirror for a few seconds, and when in his mind he declared himself decent he proceeded into the bathroom to brush his teeth. It was now 6:55, and Clyde's mother was bound to come any second. Stan wondered if Clyde's mother knew the purpose behind their outing, or if she was just as ignorant in the matter as his own mother.

Speaking of his mother... was it a good idea to tell her? Stan wasn't even sure if his relationship with Clyde was based on anything true... how he had been willing to play things out. So would telling his mother be a good idea? As Stan spat toothpaste out of his mouth he thought of it again, and finally decided that he would tell his mother later once things got more serious.

He heard the doorbell ring downstairs, and as he wiped his mouth with a face towel he heard his mother get the door. He was then blessed with a large amount of high pitched greetings, and Stan supposed that Ms. Donovan and his mother hadn't seen each other in a while. Stan tiptoed his way down the stairs and hastily put on his jacket.

"...I haven't see you in forever, Sharon!" Mrs. Donovan was saying, confirming Stan's assumption. Stan reached the bottom step and made his way to the door. As he put on his shoes Clyde's mother caught sight of him. "Oh hello darling. Clyde's in the car."

"It's such a good thing that the boys are all going out to watch a movie," said Stan's mother, and he silently chuckled at her naivety. He put a toque on his head and stuff his hands in his pocket, making the short walk to Clyde's mother's car. He saw Clyde from the passenger window, and waved a hello as he climbed into the back.

"She has no clue?" asked Stan, and Clyde affirmed his statement. A silence filled the car for some time, and only their breathing could be heard. As Clyde's mother was returning from her chat Stan broke the silence. "So what movie are we watching?"

"I dunno," said Clyde. "Kenny said he'd surprise all of us." Stan nodded slightly as his mother entered the car. Within seconds the engine started, which meant that the heater turned on. As the car began rolling away from Stan's house he silently thanked Prometheus for the gift of fire, even though the heat wasn't exactly coming from a flame.

The voyage to the movie theater hadn't been a long one. Once the car had parked in front of their only theater the two boys gave their thanks to Clyde's mother, watching her drive away into the horizon. Then the two began walking around the theater's entrance, looking for any signs of Kenny or Kyle. Stan hesitated for some time, but after considering the matter for a good few seconds he founds Clyde's hand and entwined his fingers with his own. He felt Clyde lean onto him, and the two remained leaning against a nearby wall.

It was a good fifteen minutes later when the two had decided to show up. Stan was slightly angry with them, having had to stand against a wall in the cold just to wait for them. Of course Clyde's presence had warmed him, but it still didn't quite beat indoor heating. Mrs. Broflovski had driven the kids there, and she didn't look too pleased. Stan wondered if she knew about Kyle and Kenny.

"You have fun now," she told Kyle in a bitter tone. As Stan and Clyde approached the car she added to Stan, "Watch out for my buhbie, Stan," and she gave an evil glare at Kenny.

"We'll have fun," said Kenny in a low voice, winking at Kyle's mother. He and Kyle turned away to walk towards the ticket counter, and as Mrs. Broflovski had said her infamous "Wha-wha-what?" Stan and Clyde decided to follow suit.

The movie hadn't been very much of a date movie. Even though Stan really wanted to watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Goblet in the Chamber of Azkaban" he was distracted by Kyle and Kenny to his right. He felt Clyde hold on to his left hand throughout the movie, and Stan was sure that Clyde knew Stan was glancing at the boy to his right more than to him. Stan felt slightly bad, but he argued that Clyde needed to understand that he still liked Kyle in some small manner.

...but then why was he dating Clyde? Oh yeah, because Stan didn't want to hurt two people.

Stan tried his best to watch the movie, but somehow Daniel Radcliff flying on an obviously fake flying broomstick didn't interest him. He felt Kyle shift beside him, and soon after felt Kenny's gloved hand brush on his jacket. He could feel himself heating up, and only stared at the screen harder.

But why was he merely watching their game, Stan had thought. Why not join in the game himself? Stan smiled at this idea, but he wasn't sure why he liked it. He turned to Clyde, who was still holding on to his left hand, and leaned into the brown haired boy. Clyde looked surprised at Stan's new actions, but he allowed Stan to lay his head on his shoulder.

It was time to overtake Kyle in the game of life.

He could feel the stares of others on him, just like the ones that Kyle probably felt as well. He nudged Clyde in the side, and after jerking his head slightly Clyde responded by wrapping an arm around the boy. Down below Stan nudged Kyle's feet, catching the boy's attention.

"I really care for you," Stan muttered, a sly smirk developing on his face; the dark theater hid his expression. He felt Clyde shudder, though he wasn't sure why, and remained on his shoulder. It wasn't until he was tapped rather harshly on the shoulder that he shot his head back upwards. "What the-?"

Kenny was playing his game. Stan felt a stabbing feeling when he found the blonde trapping the other boy against the chair, and the sight alone made him shudder. He didn't even bother registering the audiences cruel remarks, or even the whistling and the cheers. He muttered something in Clyde's ear, and then he stomped immediately out of the theater house.

Perhaps he hadn't won the game after all.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ugh! HORRIBLE chapter! I'm trying to move through their temporary relationships as quickly as possible. Of course, I'm failing. Review please!

Uhm, I was doing okay in the beginning, but I don't know where all that went...