I never thought I'd be thinking this, but it's happened: Stan is no longer a part of my life and I couldn't be more relieved. We were inseparable, super best friends if you will, for the longest time. I couldn't imagine a life without him in it. I often thought about how even when we would become old men, we'd always have each other's backs.
Who would have thought turning 10 years old would dramatically change his personality? Ever since his birthday party at Whistlin' Willy's, he's been nothing more than a cynical asshole. At first, I believed him when he said the doctor's diagnosis of him was bogus. Now, I can see that it was indeed legitimate.
When his interest in tween wave music did a complete 180 overnight, I became a little concerned. That concern went up a little bit after he complained about the Xbox game I was playing with Cartman and Kenny. After a trip to the ice cream parlor went sour too, I just gave up on trying to help him. I can't hang out with someone who only focuses on the negative side of everything, even if that person is my best friend.
That trip to see the new X-Men movie was the last chance and also the last straw. After Stan complained about each and every trailer shown, the rest of us knew that if we stayed, there was no way in Hell we were going to be able to enjoy the film without him pointing out how shitty every last detail was. We were done with him. Finished.
Even as I did my best to break the news to him as gently as possible, I think he started to see me as shit too. Normally, he would have said something to keep the argument going, but not this time. He just walked away defeated with his head dropped down. I hated to do it, but nothing you've ever done with a friend in the past matters if he doesn't see the good in anything and lets you know about it.
I heard through the grapevine not long after that Stan's parents split up. They sold off their house and each parent went in a different direction. No one knows where his dad went, but I know his mom took him and his sister with her. The family minus the dad couldn't have gone far because Stan is still in our class, but he talks to practically no one anymore.
While I've lost a best friend, I've gained a true friend though. Ever since we met, I never knew why I hung with Cartman as he always ripped on me, usually for being Jewish. While we've become close on several occasions, we've never really gotten along because of his ignorance and hate of various groups of people as well as his love of all things him. Stan's newfound cynicism however actually made me find comfort in the times when it was just me and him.
As awful a person Cartman is, he has never brought the whole group down. When he spews hate speech, he has always intended to get a rise out of me. That was never Stan's aim as he doesn't actually hate anyone. These days, he just tells everyone that everything is shitty and that has a more negative effect on the people around him than any anti-Semitic statements are capable of.
I guess Cartman and I took solace in the fact that we no longer had anyone around to make our activities less enjoyable. With Stan out of the picture, there was a lot more peace and quiet. We liked what we were doing together and thus, we started to genuinely like each other. I honestly thought the Israelis and Palestinians would resolve their differences once and for all before that happened, but when circumstances change, anything becomes possible.
Would I like to be best friends with Stan again? Absolutely. If wishes upon stars actually came true, I would definitely make one for Stan to go back to the person he was. However, I'm smart enough to know that the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio isn't going to magically appear to make that wish come true, so Stan is going to have to make himself realize once more that the world is not complete and utter shit that deserves to be pointed out.
Until that day comes, I'm okay with hanging out with just Cartman, Kenny and even Butters. My life is good and I'm thankful for the way everything is right now. As long as it stays that way, I have no complaints. I just want to enjoy myself.