"Why are you here?" Kyle persisted, not so much resisting being dragged along through the snow but more or less faintly fussing. That's all he would ask, too, 'Why are you here?' And also, "What's going on?"

Cartman didn't answer either, just trudged on getting the inside of his sneakers wet with packed snow and the inside of his head pained with silent rage. By the time they had arrived at his house, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to be there.

What he really wanted was a dark closet or maybe a quiet, empty classroom. Going home just wasn't part of his image for this. So the second he got to the door, he turned around, twisting Kyle along with him.

"What's going on?" Kyle asked again, trying to will Cartman to let go of his wrist. "What's going on?" Of course no answers would come, but at this point Eric was about to explode with who-knows what kind of frustration. He could feel the tumor crawling into his hip.

So he stopped (making Kyle, who was struggling to keep up, bump right into him) and grabbed Kyle by the shoulders. For a moment, he just looked at Kyle, who was still looking confused and irritated. And somehow, in a round-about way, a little embarrassed.

He leaned down, real slow, and Kyle would have flinched away if Eric wasn't squeezing his shoulders so tight. Or maybe if he hadn't looked so serious. Or maybe if Kyle hadn't spent most of his afternoon laying in his bed, crying.

Looking though his dorsal stream thought his red, puffy eyes, thought his old, cracked glasses, maybe Kyle wasn't at his brightest and a little bit distracted when he thought Cartman- Eric Cartman, was about to kiss him. And maybe he wasn't worthy of being an AP Honors Student when he decided that wouldn't be a bad thing.

But Eric didn't kiss him. He just leaned down and looked Kyle straight in the eyes. And while Kyle was waiting for something, Cartman pinched his collar bone hard enough to make his squirm away.

"Ow."

"See?"

"What?"

"That's how easy it is."

Kyle peeked up at Eric thought his curly hair and gave him a look. "Why are you here?" He asked for the hundredth time.

And for the hundredth time Cartman didn't answer. He just said, "I like it when you cry."

Kyle gave him another look, 'Well, duh'.

And "You have to wear your glasses." In a more explanatory way.

And then Cartman turned back around and pulled Kyle along again, toward the school.