Chapter 6: The sleepover
The town was slowly starting to rebuild. The school was up and so were many of the houses. Those of us who had insurance were fine and well on the way to continuing life as it had been before. However, not everyone had that privilege. As soon as I got out of hospital I found out that many of my friends' and their family's had nowhere to stay. Our house was rebuilt with more rooms than before and so we were able to accommodate them all. We even had 5 bathrooms in this ginormous house.
A lot of my female friends had come to stay with their families. The Testaburgers (Wendy's family) stayed in the lounge room with the Stevenses's (Bebe's family). Many assorted others came and went through our house, staying there some of the time and different places otherwise. Some people from my class even slept in our personal rooms if there wasn't enough space anywhere else. It was like we were a hotel.
I was surprised when the Stotches came up to our door asking if they could stay. I thought they were one of the richer family's. Apparently they were but they refused to buy insurance because they were convinced they would never need it. The mother was very friendly and always helped with the cleaning and the cooking (which had to be done in large batches because of all the people staying). The father was a different matter. Mr Stotch was always getting up people for anything. Poor Butters was always getting grounded.
The McCormick's were staying in one of our larger rooms and were constantly up making noise. His sister Karen is a cutie and his older brother Kevin is nice enough. Kenny's parents however, were always fighting and getting drunk. My mother has talked to them numerous times about getting a job but they can't seem to stay employed for longer than a few days at a time. My mother has a very short fuse with them and the only thing keeping her form turning them out would be that I insisted that Kenny stayed and Kenny wouldn't have stayed without his family with him.
I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. The moon crept through the cracks in my blinds and litter's its light all over my room. It would have been past midnight. I couldn't sleep because Kenny's parents were going at it again. The whole house hold groaned in unison. My mother would draw the line at some point and it would be soon if this continued on. I shoved two of my pillows over my ears. It didn't help. I got up and tiptoed over Pip (a girl in my chemistry class), Nichole (Token's girlfriend) and Red who were all sleeping soundly on the ground. I didn't know how they could sleep through this racket. I snuck over to the bathroom on the other side of the hallway to brush my teeth, my hair, anything that would distract me. I was about to go inside when I saw Butters creeping along the hallway too. "Hey Butters. You couldn't sleep either?" I whispered.
Butters came closer and said, "Nah. Kenny's parents are too loud. I'm creeping along though because if my dad find's out I'm grounded!" What a sweet boy. He was my age but he acted years younger, it was cute.
"I can't wait until their house is built again. At least some of the noise will be muffled by our closed windows." I grinned at my little pun; muffled because it was Kenny's family and Kenny always has his hood on.
"Don't c-count on it happening to soon. Kenny's family's the poorest here. They can barely afford to eat without Kenny's being the sole money maker. I always f-feel sorry for Kenny to be honest. He's a great friend and all and he doesn't deserve this life." Butter's and I sit down in the hallway with our backs against the wall. I thought about what Butters said. Kenny doesn't deserve this life, not at all. If reincarnation was real, I hoped Kenny would get the life his hardships here earned him. A selfish part of me still wanted Kenny to stay with me though and never leave.
"I remember when Kenny was younger. He was much cheerier than he was now. Ever since he had to start working all the time his grades started dropping and he hasn't been the same. He's not as happy as he used to be." I nodded at Butters recollection. "Kenny used to be really p-perverted actually," Butters grinned.
"Really?" I couldn't imagine him being like that now. He was too serious all the time.
"Yeah. It was really funny. I think it stopped though when he was 14 or 15. In fact that was when most of the humour s-stopped. It was almost like something had died in h-him." Or maybe he died one too many times. "Sometimes I miss the old Kenny. Sometimes I prefer this one. I accept him for who he is though. Don't be telling him that, Cassie. He might think I'm a softie or something." I promised Butters I wouldn't. The yelling had stopped and I hugged Butters goodnight. I couldn't believe Kenny used to be so different. I always imagined him as this serious kid who had the world on his shoulders and barely enough strength to hold it up. I had seen Kenny's rare humour though, I guess I was lucky.
I woke to the sounds of a busy household. People were rushing around, cleaning and organising things. I had slept in late; it was 3pm. Downstairs I saw Butter's helping his mum to prepare food which they put into neat little bowls. "What's the special occasion?" I asked.
"Oh, the boys have decided to have a little sleepover. You girls are having one of your own too," Butters mum smiled.
"Yeah. We've bagsed downstairs and the TV," Butters grinned. I had no idea of any sleepover. I guess they must have decided today. I met up with Red and Nichole who were discussing the order of events to happen at night.
"Ok. So all of the girls are invited?" Red said.
"Check." Nichole ticked a box on a paper in her hand.
"All the food is ready?"
"Check."
"And we're sleeping upstairs in your room right?" Red turned to me.
"Yeah, that's fine." I wasn't given any warning about this but I guess it was ok.
"Good. Everyone will be arriving soon," Nichole grinned. I knew she just wanted to see her boyfriend, Token. They had been going out since 4th grade. That's so cute. The doorbell rang and I went to answer it.
Soon everybody had arrived and the girls and guys separated. It was getting dark and everybody was getting excited.
"The first order of business is to create a list. It's been forever since we have done that," Bebe announced.
"Don't you remember what happened last time we did that? Kyle was going to set the school on fire!" Wendy protested. That surprised me. It was so unlike Kyle to do that. I wondered what was on the list to provoke him so.
"So this time we have to make sure NO BOYS see it." All the girls clapped at the idea.
"This isn't going to be an ordinary list though. I thought we should play Fuck, Marry, Kill," Bebe smiled. Everyone lit up at that idea.
"Do me first!" I cried.
"Ok. Ummmmm… Kenny, Kyle, Stan," Wendy said. That was a hard one.
"This definitely will never be spoken about outside this room?"
"Of course," Bebe assured me.
"Fine. Marry Kenny, Fuck Kyle, Kill Stan," I said after some thought.
"Really, Kenny? But he's so poor!" Nichole said surprised.
"It doesn't matter to me. I could support us. And Kenny's a hard worker. I don't think he'll be poor forever," I clarified.
"I would rather fuck Stan than Kyle," Wendy said. We all laughed. Wendy used to date Stan so that was an obvious answer.
"Nah. I agree with Cassie," Petrisha confirmed.
"My turn!" Bebe said.
"Jimmy," Red said.
"Timmy," I laughed.
"And Cartman!" Petrisha gaffed. She'd been hanging out with us since she started dating Kyle. We all pulled a face when Petrisha said Cartman.
"Kill Cartman! Duh." Bebe rolled her eyes. We all giggled in agreement. "Marry Jimmy and fuck Timmy." We looked at each other and nodded.
We heard a creak and we all fell silent. I slowly got up and snuck to the door. I peered through the crack and saw Butters listing to us. The rest of the boys were up against the other wall and were all covering their mouths to keep from laughing. Poor Butters was always made to do their dirty work. I mouthed to the girls that the boys were listening to us. And Bebe punched a fist into the palm of her other hand. I nodded, understanding what she meant. I grinned.
I let out a long moan. The other girls began to join in. Soon it sounded like we were having a massive orgy. I peeked outside and all the boys were wide eyed and straining to not miss out on even one sound. I opened the door wide and they all jumped back, their faces now showing obvious guilt. I leaned against the doorframe in a seductive way and breathed, "hey boys." They all ran down the hallway as fast as they could, high fiving each other. All us girls cracked up laughing and couldn't stop for ages. The only reason we stopped was because the parents called for us to come down. We were still catching each other's eyes and snickering some more when we were downstairs. Mum had ordered pizzas for us and we all sat around the lounge room eating them. The Testaburgers and the Stevensens agreed to let us use that arena and let the boys stay there because we offered them my younger brother Luke's bedroom which was even bigger than the lounge. Luke would be staying at his friend's house. Kaline, my stupid older sister would be visiting my mum later tonight. She moved a few months ago to go to Uni elsewhere.
I shoved a piece of pizza straight into my mouth (a very attractive look) and winked at Kenny who turned red. All the boys were embarrassed by being caught. After dinner we all sat around in the lounge and watched a movie. My mum (who was an early riser) went to bed and left us be. All the other parents were either out (escaping the noise we would make) or in bed as well. For once, Kenny's parents were soundless.
Half way through the movie Stan whispered, "You really rate Kyle and Kenny over me?" I jumped. He started me; I mean the movie was an R rated one and a horror movie. People sneaking up to me is going to scare me, not that I'm usually so jumpy.
"It was only a choice of 3 and I couldn't sit around for hours deciding," I assured Stan which seemed to make his relax a little. Half way through the movie, everything went black. "Shit. The power's out," Bebe groaned. We sat in pitch blackness trying not to scream at every little noise. That movie had really freaked me out. I imagined cannibals lurking around trying to reach me to eat my face. A hand brushed me and I yelped.
"Seriously people? Are we 4 years old, do we need to scream?" Cartman sniffed.
"Something or someone touched me you asswipe," I snarled.
"It was just a movie. Don't be such a scaredy cat, Cassie."
"Fuck off. I bet you were way more scared than me."
"Was not!" Cartman said defensively. A second later I heard a squeal coming from his direction.
"Seriously C-Cartman! You are too s-scared. It was j-just me!" Jimmy laughed.
"Hah!" I was very satisfied.
"It wasn't me, it was… Kyle! Stupid Jew trying to frame me," Cartman lied.
"Shut up you douche bag. I'm nowhere near you," Kyle said from the other side of the room. We were all thrown into a heated debate about who was scared and who wasn't. I gave up and flopped against the beanbag and laughed at the argument rather than joined it. I felt somebody start to plait my hair wordlessly. I assumed it was Bebe or something.
"This argument is so stupid but I don't want it to stop at the same time," I giggled.
"You were the one who started it with your little yelp." That voice did not belong to a girl.
"Kenny?" I asked, confused.
"No, it's Wendy," Kenny said sarcastically, lowering his voice even more.
"So you're now a pro at hair styling?"
"I used to do my little sisters. There was nothing better to do anyway." That was unusual for a guy to voluntarily play with a girl's hair. When he was done I slowly let myself off the beanbag and sat next to Kenny. The argument was still in full swing. I placed my head on Kenny's shoulder and grinned.
"Stop!" Bebe shouted. "This is the world's stupidest argument and I cannot believe we have been reduced to this. This is a sleepover not a debate."
"I agree, let's do some sleepover things!" I said, popping an M&M into my mouth. There were a few groans from assholes such as Cartman who thought they were winning the argument but in reality they were not.
We soon gathered into a circle with assorted foods in the middle. A game of truth or dare begun. "Cassie, truth or dare?" Cartman smiled evilly. My eyes had grown used to the dark and I could see right through his attempt at sounding casual. I reached forward to grab a handful of gummy bears and slowly put one into my mouth, making it look like I was thinking.
"Dare," I would play this my way.
"Put as many of those gummy bears into your mouth as possible." I knew Cartman was trying to humiliate me.
"Fine." I grabbed another handful and started to pop them into my mouth. He didn't say I couldn't swallow so that's exactly what I did. I managed to get the entire bowl into my mouth. I love gummy bears.
"That's cheating! You can't swallow!" Cartman's statement caused a lot of laughter from the others.
"Be mature guys," I said in a mocking tone. "And it's not cheating. You said how many I can fit in my mouth. I managed to fit a whole bowlful."
"Only 'cause you swallowed!"
"You never said not to swallow," I grinned. He huffed in defeat. What a dick biscuit.
"My turn then," I said. "Kenny, truth or dare." I grinned at him.
Kenny reached forward, grabbing a bowl full of chips. He was trying to imitate me. "I chose truth." Everyone in the circle oohed.
"Who do you like?" Everyone fell silent in anticipation.
"I bet it's that girl who works down at the flower shop," Bebe whispered to me. She was talking about Ali of course. She got terrible grades and couldn't get into Uni. Kenny deserved better than somebody who didn't try at all.
"Well." Kenny clears his throat. "She's a girl at school…" All us girl's were leaning forward with fingers crossed. Kenny was an absolute hottie. Every girl has liked him at some point. "She's pretty and smart and knows my deepest secret."
"Tell us already!" Kyle rolled his eyes.
"This is my answer. I like this girl who is all those things I described." Everybody groans in unison at Kenny's answer.
"Dude, that's not a real answer!" Stan complains and we all agree.
"Whatever Stan. It's my go now." Kenny pulled his hood tighter around his head, muffling his voice more. "Wendy, who do you think are the top 3 hottest guys in the grade?"
"No this again," Kyle muttered, referring to the 4th grade incident.
Wendy turned deep red before answering. "Craig and Clyde," Wendy's face was burning up. Craig and Clyde high fived and let out some grunts of appreciation.
"Who's the third one?" Kenny pressed.
"You," Wendy giggled. I desperately hoped that Wendy didn't have a thing for Kenny and that she just thought he was hot. But a flicker of doubt lit the ever waiting candle inside of me. Kenny had pulled his hood tight enough so nothing could be seen of his face to cover up how much he was blushing. Kyle leant over and punched him in the arm before saying, "Nice! Get in there!" I felt hurt by the whole situation but my happy mask remained unbroken by the opposite from which I felt inside.
The lights flashed on above us and we were all momentarily blinded by the sudden light. The power was back on. Our analogue clock showed that it was nearing quarter past one. We all got changed into our pyjamas and decided to all hang out in the lounge room. Everybody formed into separate groups. I joined onto Kyle's group which consisted of Kenny, Cartman, Stan, Clyde and Butters. I munched on a bowl of chocolates with the others as we talked. I saw Clyde pull out a bottle of something.
"Clyde, is that alcohol?" I shot him a look of disapproval.
"Shhhh, not so loud. The others will want some," Clyde winked at me. I rolled my eyes.
"Put it away. We're not getting drunk," I hissed. Clyde laughed and took a swing of beer. Before I knew it, everyone had their hands on a bottle except me. I refused but I enjoyed watching the others make fools of themselves. Craig got a hold of a camera and was snapping away at the others. These better not get out onto the internet or I was dead. The bottles would have to be cleaned up long before our parents wake. I guessed that was up to me (as the only sober person) to do.
"So Kyle, tell me this," Stan asked with his words heavily slurred. "How come you won't tell me your secret? You said you were hiding something but you couldn't tell anyone. That's not very friendly."
"Hush Stan. Now everyone knows," Kyle giggled. He was obviously a happy drunk.
"Tell me right now you faggot!" Stan was an angry drunk, or a dominant one. I couldn't tell.
"Later, Stan." Stan roared at Kyle response which made Kyle end up in a fit of laughter.
"Tell us the secret, Kyle. Don't be an asshole," Kenny grinned.
"Fine, but only because it involves you."
"A secret about me? How intriguing. I love you Stan, you're my mate but you shouldn't keep secrets from me." Kenny loosened his hood so his words were no longer muffled.
"Well, I heard you and the Dark Avenger talking in the hospital!" Shit. Kyle would blow everything. "And I heard that you know who the Dark Avenger is!"
"Nice story Kyle. Hahaha. What an imagination you have. Let's step outside for some fresh air," I laugh nervously.
"Not until I finish my story, Cassie!" Kyle whines.
"We are going now," I growl. I grab both Kenny and Kyle and drag them outside. Kenny loses his balance on the front porch and stumbles into the cold snow. I slap Kyle to try and regain some of his sobriety. "Seriously dude! How did you find out?"
"I listened against the door. Why can't the others know? It's such a great story," Kyle snickered.
"This is highly secret. They cannot know. If you tell anyone I will never talk to you again, ever because I will not be able to stay here anymore! Do you understand?" I didn't want to be called a freak again or be known by everyone for my powers.
"But you have such awesome powers. So much better than Mysterion. Why do you have to go be a party pooper?" Kyle whinged.
"Leave Mysterion out of this! He's a great hero. He was here long before the Dark Avenger. I don't want to be mean though. I love the Dark Avenger. She's saved me heaps of times. She's gonna help me be eternally happy." Kenny was a lovey drunk it seemed, not always a good thing.
"Why do you get the Dark Avenger? She's hot!"
"I'm right here guys," I say.
"The Dark Avenger is way hotter than you, Cassie," Kyle laughs.
"Wait, didn't you say before that you knew…" I questioned.
"I know you're the Dark Avenger. She's still hotter than you." Kenny agreed and I sighed. I pushed both of them into the snow before heading back inside. They followed behind me a few seconds later, dripping snow into the house. It was 4am when everybody fell asleep. I collected all the bottles and put them into the trashcan outside. Thank goodness trash day was tomorrow. I got the camera out of Clyde's sleeping hands and deleted all the photos were a can of beer was is it. A yawn escaped me as I snuggled down into my sleeping bag in the middle of the room.