I had a bunch of excuses piled up, and some are pretty personal, but I've decided no one's gonna want to really hear or listen to them. I take forever to update this story, and that's as simple as that. The only main reason I'll give is because, honest to God, this story is the most difficult to write out of all my stories. Frankly, it's so much easier for me to sit down and say to myself stuff like, "…Meh, I'll do 'Positive and Negative' today, and I'll work on 'Insane' on… yeah, I'll have time to do it on Saturday." Or "OH, OH, I just got a shitload of inspiration for 'BLACK VS WHITE'/'Positive and Negative'. 'Insane' will have to wait, because I need to write this all down." Yeah, that's usually how I think most of the time. But I've had enough. I was watching It's Kind of a Funny Story, and since that film is one that's set in a psychiatric ward, my mind kept nagging me about this story; I ended up switching off the TV and ripping out my laptop, writing this.
Another thing; I understand if you're pissed at me, because I get extremely frustrated with stories that I read that aren't updated. But to be honest, I'm not going to feel like typing for this story if someone tells me to 'hurry the fuck up' or something like that. I'm sensitive, busy, and already have my hands full with school. I don't spend all my time typing on here, and when I do, it's much simpler to just do one of my other stories, that aren't as hard to do. If you were one of those blessed people who asked me nicely to try and get this up as soon as possible, you made me want to write this about x10 more.
Last thing: I am never in my right mind going to discontinue this. I have the ending well planned out in my head; I even know the last line. There is going to be one more, maybe two more chapters, depends on how long all the scenes are, and an epilogue (I sort of regret not putting up a prologue, but I just couldn't think of one at the time). So yeah, stop worrying if you think I'm gonna give up on this, because I'm not. My latest story is my favorite right now (I consider the romance and my writing having improved), and I try to concentrate on that one the most, but this one is still cherished more than anything. If this was plagiarized or erased, I wouldn't be able to write it all again, no matter how hard I tried.
So yeah, finally here it is…
I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. Cartman has lost the key, literally the key to getting me out of here. Dude, that's just not cool! "Cartman, you actually lost them?" Stan asks in disbelief, his hands dropping to his sides. We all slump as Cartman dejectedly nods, shamed.
"Well shit." I say simply, having pretty much given up altogether.
"…You must've just dropped them. I'm sure they're still somewhere in the building." Butters says optimistically, patting Cartman's shoulder to reassure him. Kenny's head snaps up to give him the dirtiest look I've ever seen.
"And what? One of us is gonna search the entire fucking building, while the rest of us freeze to death out here?!" He snaps angrily. Butters looks away, not answering. Kenny immediately looks regretful, but still stands his ground. God, no need to shout.
"Come on, don't fight," I tell them, disappointed that Kenny's acting the most childish out of all of us. I make an attempt to cheer everyone up, though I just want to collapse and cry my eyes out, "I'm sure the keys are very close-by. Someone just… just needs to go and find them, ok? It's not a big deal; let's just all calm down." We all stare at the ground as snow slowly blows onto us, trapped in an awkward silence while we wait for someone to volunteer.
"…Oh whatever, I'll go," Craig eventually says, shrugging dejectedly. "I know my way around that place, so I won't get lost. Plus, Tweek is my responsibility, and I got us into this stupid mess. I'd better go find them."
"No, I can go. I'm-
"You've done enough, Cartman!" Stan says coldly, giving him a grim look. Cartman sticks his tongue out. Craig shakes his head at their stupidity, and begins to hurry back towards the building. I watch him go, appalled. What if he gets caught now? We're all absolutely done for if that happens. Done for, I tell you.
"This is just bullshit…" Kenny murmurs quietly, tugging on the door in misery and nearly slipping on the wet gravel.
"…" We all watch in silence as it opens without any delay. I narrow my eyes, trying not to look pissed off. Kenny stares at the open door for a while, still holding onto the handle. Token coughs, Butters and I shuffle uncomfortably, and Kyle opens his mouth to probably say something like 'Well you're a fucking idiot', but changes his mind and slowly shuts it again, his lips forming into a thin line. Stan hangs his head up, before sighing and thankfully proceeding to chase Craig. I hope he hasn't gone inside yet.
"Well thank fucking God there was some shit head that forgot to lock the car," Clyde eventually remarks, smirking and kicking the thin layer of snow at his feet that's formed in the previous few minutes. Cartman just looks speechless (for once). "We'd better just hot wire it and get the hell out of here."
"Won't the owner wonder where the keys are?" I ask slyly, not wanting to ruin everything just as it's been patched up. Kenny shakes his head, too humiliated to explain to me. Kyle shoots him an inquiring look, briefly making eye contact with the blond, before nodding and explaining for him.
"Kenny's dad will think he lost them, and blame himself. He loses stuff easily when he's…" Kyle hesitates, "When he's been drinking." I don't say anything, and turn to watch silently as Stan and Craig come sprinting back. Craig looks dumbfounded as he sees the open door, and Kenny beginning to climb in and hot wire it.
"Seriously?" He looks like he's lost hope in humanity, "Who was the one who forgot to lock it?"
"Probably me." Stan folds his arms and shrugs his shoulders, "I was the one who took the keys out, since I was driving."
"Yeah, and you made another smart move by giving them to an idiot like Cartman," Kenny mutters, concentrating hard on which wires to connect. Cartman storms forward and kicks him in the nuts. "Fuck!" Kenny tries to sit up immediately, and we all cringe at the deafening thump as he bangs his head. I exhale quietly as he shoots out of the car and just about attacks Cartman. "You asshole!"
"No, you're the asshole! Being such a damn prick to everyone tonight!" They begin to swipe at each other, actually being serious with their fight.
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Stan and Kyle shriek and grab Cartman by either side of his shoulders, beginning the process of yelling things like 'Are you crazy?' and 'What the hell are you thinking?' at him. Meanwhile, Butters grabs Kenny by the arm and tries to calm him down, saying that Cartman doesn't mean it and stuff. God, this is all such a waste of time. Token, Craig, and Clyde watch the five, unamused. They come to a conclusion to start getting in the car, because we're all starting to feel our feet go numb. Craig grabs me by the sleeve and forces me into the back as well. We wait in silence for about five minutes, before I lose my temper and ram on the roof.
"Hey! You were all fussing about getting the hell out of here, and now that we can, you guys are getting into p-pointless fights!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Come on, let's damn go, you idiots!" They all stand there for a few seconds, before scrambling into the car as if they're escaping hot lava. Butters squeezes into the back with us, since there definitely isn't enough room in the front for five. Craig shoves Clyde and Token to the floor, glaring. He doesn't want me to be uncomfortable, I guess. I glance either side of me at Butters and Craig, feeling awkward sitting in a car with people. I've never been in one of these things with anyone other than my dad and Mr Tucker. Oh wait, I must have been with my mom, but I don't recall it. At the front, since Stan isn't tall enough by about a foot, even with the seat pushed forward, Kenny has to work the gas and brake, while Stan steers. Kyle has been pushed by Cartman down to the floor on the other side, while Cartman resides in has apparent throne, the passenger seat. Everyone looks slightly afraid for their lives.
"Ok, it's finally running," Kenny declares, sighing in relief. He accidentally leans on the gas pedal and the car jolts forward all of a sudden. I squeak and clutch Craig's hand in fright. Butters nearly tumbles forward onto Token, who shouts 'Whoa!' at the sudden movement. Clyde and Craig just yelp in surprise. I peek over to the front, trembling slightly. Kyle and Cartman are shaking their heads at each other knowingly, their lips pursed in irritation.
"Jesus Kenny…" Stan decides to shut up and not make a bigger deal of it than it is. A little freaking mistake. "Whatever, just press on it again. Slower." Kenny does as he's told and pushes on the gas slowly, making the car move at a suitable speed. Stan quickly puts it into reverse and peers over his seat.
"Stan, I don't know why you bother. It's not like you're going to be able to see anything with this storm." Kyle says, smiling in disbelief.
"Shut up, Kyle. You always need to look back no matter what." Stan says, trying to concentrate. Kyle's smirk vanishes, much to Cartman's amusement.
I exhale as we finally get out of the parking lot and onto the road. "…There's a lot of ice, so we might slip off the road a few times." Stan sees my expression in the rear view mirror, and laughs shakily, "Don't worry, it'll be like pulling over; really fast pulling over." Gee, thanks Stan. That makes me feel so much better. "Besides, Tweek, you're in the middle. If we were in a crash, you'd be the least hurt." Everyone gawps at Stan, before looking away.
Cartman taps his knee lightly, already bored. Kyle begins doing it too, and then Stan, and then even Kenny. It soon escalates into some kind of drumming session, with Kyle and Kenny thumping on the floor, Cartman banging on the dashboard, and Stan honking on the damn horn. Butters begins humming to the somewhat continuous beat, but the other three just shake their heads. Craig eventually loses his temper and yells, "OH MY GOD! SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!" They all immediately stop, having had their fun ruined. "You're all so annoying. It never stops!"
They all pop their heads over/behind the seats and stick their tongues out at Craig rudely. I blink, before glancing at Butters. He smiles at me genuinely, and I immediately know this isn't unusual.
Suddenly seeing a figure on the road, I absolutely flip out.
"LOOK OUT! FUCK!" I scream, leaning forward and trying to reach the wheel, scaring Stan.
"Jesus!" He sees and immediately swerves to the other side of the road, making us all shriek. "The hell was that? Someone hurry and check out the skylight!" Token sighs, standing up and peeking outside.
"…What in the world?" He exclaims, "Hey, hey, pull over! Someone's out there!" He tells Stan. Kenny slams on the brake suddenly, making us all lurch forward. It nearly knocks the wind out of me. Craig slowly puts his hand on Cartman's seat, pushing himself away from it.
"Fucking fuck. Not again." He mutters, clutching his bleeding nose.
"Someone just freaking go out and see what it is." Kenny says tiredly. Craig and I exchange looks, before both getting out.
I begin shivering immediately, "God, it's so cold…" We hurry over to where we've already driven on the road, nearly slipping like a million times. I stop in my tracks when I see Ruby standing there dumbly. Craig keeps walking, having not noticed her.
"Ruby, what the fuck, and I mean what the fuck, are you doing all the way out here?" I question her, unable to comprehend this.
"Huh? Tweek? Where's Ruby? What?" Craig turns around, trying to see what I'm seeing. "I think you're getting sick again. There's nothing there."
I ignore him and keep speaking to her. I don't care what she is right now – I'm suspecting she's somehow time-traveling like earlier or something – but I want to know what the heck she's doing. "Why are you here?"
"Ah… sorry, sorry. Ruby didn't mean to scare everyone. She's… I'm the Ruby from three weeks ago. She… I wanted to see if Tweek- you managed to escape. Truly sorry!" She gives me a farewell wave and vanishes with the wind, leaving me gaping with an open mouth.
"Tweek? Tweek, what the hell are you doing? Come on, there's nothing here. You've gotten so sick now," Craig guides me back to the car by the sleeve, worried that I might die or something. I wish he didn't treat me like some kind of gem. It's flattering, but at the same time, it pisses me off. It's like Marlin with Nemo in freaking 'Finding Nemo'.
"So what was it?" Clyde asks as we pile back inside the car. Craig shoots me a look, so I decide not to say anything.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing."
"Huh? I could have sworn someone was there," Token protests, baffled.
"Well you were seeing things, so shut up." Craig says indifferently, motioning for Stan and Kenny to start driving again. I glare at him for not listening to reason.
Stan was nearly caught with the uniform on by his mom. His sister ratted him out loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, but he must've somehow been able to change into his pajamas fast enough to make it look like she was lying. Even though he's been gone for over 24 hours, I'm sure he should be able to play it off he was just at someone else's house.
Kenny, Craig, and I are the only ones left now. Kenny's barely tall enough to drive by himself, but he has to stretch out a lot, and I have a suspicion we aren't exactly driving very straight. As soon as the car stops, Craig immediately gives him a nod in thanks and drags me out with him. I don't have much time to take in the completely normal scenery of the neighbourhood. I haven't seen such a thing in a while.
He puts a finger to his lips at the back door, silently telling me to be quite. I nod tiredly. It's about six in the morning. Maybe a little earlier. He opens the back door; we both wince as it screeches. "Craig!?" We hear his mom shout from upstairs.
"Stay here." Craig whispers, sitting me down outside. He goes in, ready to bravely face his mother.
"Craig! It is you! Where were you, young man? Your father called, and he said you'd disappeared with Tweek. Where is he?"
"Tweek's back at the hospital. Call and check if you don't believe me." I exhale. Thank God we thought of using Pip as a fake.
"Where's your father? And Ruby? How on Earth did you get home?"
"…I hitch hiked. They're probably still on their way."
"Why the hell didn't you just wait and go with them?"
"'Cause." Nice explanation, Craig. 'Cause.
"…You're in trouble, young man. First you get kicked out of school, and now this!"
"Can I just go to bed? I'm tired." After a short silence, I hear a sigh, footsteps, and the slamming of a door. Craig pops out of the back door; I open my mouth to scream from the shock, but he quickly covers my mouth. "Shh, shh, shhh!" He releases me soon enough. "Come on, you need some medicine."
"What? No I don't!" I hiss as we go inside.
"Tweek, don't fuck with me. You were freaking hallucinating out there."
"Dude, I'm not sick. And Token saw it as well!"
"Yeah well, Token's a bullshitter." Craig says, switching the light on and fumbling in a little cabinet.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for medicine. You have the biggest cold in the history of colds,"
"What are you, a doctor? I'm fine!" I snap a little too loudly.
"SHH!" I reluctantly shut my mouth, folding my arms and leaning against the counter. I scowl at the little package of pills, as Craig fills a glass of water. He sets it down and fumbles with the package, trying to get some out. Holding out two, he gives me the glass of water. "Go one, take the pills as well."
"I'm thirsty, not sick," I inform him, drinking like half of the glass just to spite him. I think we're just both being moody because we're tired. "So stop trying to make me take them."
"Come on, don't be a baby," Craig tries to make me take them again. An image of my father doing the same thing flashes through my mind, and my eyes widen. I slowly place the glass down on the counter next to me, horrified. Craig watches in surprise as I grab the package and throw it to the floor, stomping on it in a moment of fear. And thus, crushing all the pills inside. I pick up the crumpled package, huffing, and put it back on the counter, hoping Craig gets my message. He does. Sighing, he throws the pills in his hand and the package in the garbage, having no other use for them.
"…I'm so sorry, Tweek." He says, for once sounding completely sincere. I refuse to make eye contact, still mortified, "If you're sick later, then we'll think of something else, okay?" I nod, licking my dry lips. I'm so fucking scared, I can't even find the words. We've only been here for like three minutes and we're already fighting. What if it's all down hill from here? What if-
"Well come on," Craig says, smiling and gesturing upstairs. "You're tired, right? You can sleep, if you want. I'll lock the door, so no one will walk in, ok?" Ok, there's no way that's happening. Craig is too kind for that.
"Uh, yeah. Alright." Craig takes my hand and leads me upstairs. I notice him quivering slightly. "You okay, Craig?"
"I'm fine. I just can't believe I'm taking you into my room." Well, way to put it bluntly. He practically shoves me in, before quickly locking the door. "Safe!" He exclaims, throwing his arms up. I glance around shyly, worried that we're somehow being watched.
"Won't your mom hear?"
"My room is basically sound proof. It was built with extra-thick walls for some reason. Don't worry."
"Oh… then, H-HELL YEAH I'M SAFE!" I laugh gleefully, this being the first time I've joyfully yelled out loud. Usually it's just because I'm upset. I think for a few seconds. "…But what are we going to do, Craig?"
"You can… you can stay here with me, alright? This'll work for now; I'm sure of it," Craig says, sounding like he's trying to convince himself more than me. "E-Even if it takes until you're an adult, Tweek, I'll hide you. Maybe not always in my room, but I'll hide you somewhere. I'll never, ever let you go back to one of those places. It isn't right," He states, sitting on his bed stiffly. I watch him, in pain from seeing him in such crisis. "It isn't right." He repeats.
"Craig," He glances at me, sniffing slightly. "We… I don't care if we're kids, or teenagers, or we're adults – I'm not going to pretend it's as if you can hide me forever. Frankly, we'll be lucky if this lasts even a month. But I don't care. This is more freedom than I could have ever wished for. And to be honest, I don't know if I'm going to be okay on the outside anyhow. It's hard enough for adults that are institutionalized; imagine for a kid like me."
"But Tweek you're norma-
"I'm unstable. I'm not insane, though I might've been a little when I was smaller, but still, even now, I'm unstable. I could have a breakdown, a panic attack, or a freak out from anxiety any second in this place. I'm not accustomed to it. But again," I smile reassuringly, "I don't give a damn. I must… enjoy it as long as possible. As long as I can handle it all."
"Fuck." I wake up to Craig cursing to himself. I sit up, dazed.
"What's wrong?" I whisper, and he shoots around, startled that I'm awake.
"My dad and Ruby have come home." We freeze as we hear footsteps slamming on the stairs. "Shit, Tweek, hide!" I shoot out of bed, tripping on the duvet and toppling over. Craig bends down and helps to pull me up he ends up tripping and we're both then tangled in the blanket. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Craig kicks it away from his feet and hoists me up by the waist, searching for a good hiding place. Mr Tucker starts knocking on the door.
"Craig," We exchange glances, freaked out, "Craig Tucker, I need to have a word with you."
"Uh… go away, dad. I wanna sleep more." Craig says, and I stare at him. He shrugs, unable to have thought of anything more convincing. His dad tries to open the door, but obviously fails.
"Open the door." He orders, trying not to sound angry. Craig ignores him and continues looking around for a hiding place, "CRAIG, OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"
"Dad, leave me alone! God!" Craig says, checking for space under the bed, but to no avail, I'd be seen if I hid under there.
"Craig, if you don't open this door right now, then you can kiss Stripe goodbye! The neighbor's daughter is very fond of him, I tell you." Craig's mouth drops open; he shoves me beside the door way and unlocks the door. My confused face is just about squashed by that fucking block of wood. It takes all my strength to keep my mouth shut tight enough as to not make a sound. I can it's also pretty damn hard for Craig not glance at me every two seconds.
"What do you want?" Craig demands, pretending to look unfazed.
"Where's Tweek?" He raises an eyebrow. "Craig, I know you escaped with him. Where the hell is he?"
"I didn't escape with anyone."
"Don't lie to me. Where is he? There's no way you left him there."
"…Well I did. Call the place. They'll say he's there, locked in a padded cell. Go on, do it. Or do you want me to?" Mr Tucker doesn't say anything, but I guess he finally believes Craig, 'cause he walks out of the door not long after. Craig shuts the door, and I blink at him. "Was it that suspicious?"
"Well, h-he didn't say anything, so he's probably not going to search your room or anything."
"Mhm. Well, he was up all night, so no doubt, he's gonna be sleeping the rest of the day. It's uh," Craig glances at his alarm clock, "It's twelve now. You still tired? Do you want to sleep some more?"
"No, I should be fine. Didn't you sleep at all?" I don't recall Craig being next to me when I fell asleep.
"I read some comics for about an hour, then slept next to you a little, but only for a couple of hours."
"Aren't you tired?"
"I'll live. Do you want to take a shower?"
"…Huh?"
"…Is this alright?" I ask, pausing. Craig stares at me clutching the hem of my shirt. He said we have to shower while being in the bathroom at the same time, because if Craig is seen outside while I'm in the bathroom… well, we're fucked.
"Uh, yeah sure. Why the heck wouldn't it be?" He asks apathetically.
"'Cause, uh, when you saw me shirtless at that meeting on the roof…" Craig's expression immediately changes. He looks like he wants to go crawl in a hole and die.
"That… was a fucking misunderstanding. And Kenny was being this huge prick, going 'HAHA! He has a nosebleed!' I'm sorry to disappoint you Tweek, but it wasn't because of you. I'd friggin' tripped earlier, right onto my face, and the blood decided to start gushing out of my nose right at that moment. Where the hell do you think," He moves some hair out of the way and shows me his forehead properly, "This bruise came from?" I shrug.
"Fucking Kenny, ramming into people's business. I would I was smart enough to ram into his business for once."
"Ah, yeah," I silently take off my shirt, "You aren't looking, right?"
"Grow up; we're both boys."
"Yes, both boys that are attracted to each other!"
"I'm not looking, ok? Jesus…" I narrow my eyes at Craig, whose dejectedly studying the bruise on his forehead in the mirror. I practically leap into the shower and quickly pull the curtain closed, suspicious. "Tweek, for God's sake," I hear Craig mutter, "You-
"Craig!? Are you talking to someone in there?" Craig bolts over to me, opening the curtain and glancing at the door anxiously.
"What do you want, mom? I'm in the shower!" He yells, snatching the bar of soap from me and dropping it. "Ah, mom! You made me drop the soap!"
"It sounded like you were talking to someone." His mom says, still sounding skeptical.
"Haven't you heard of people talking to themselves? God, mom." Craig glances at me, wincing at my glare. This is like an invasion of my personal fucking bubble.
"Young man, I'm coming in." Craig's mouth drops open, and he quickly beckons me to make room for him. He quickly tugs off his hat and chucks it next to my discarded clothes. Pretending to peek his head behind the curtain for modesty, he glowers at her. I stand completely still, covering my own mouth tightly. "Since when would you do things like that? Craig, ever since you've come back from that godforsaken nut house, you've been so damn suspicious. Your father thinks you're hiding Tweek, and now I'm beginning to think so too!"
"Well I'm not." Craig declares, narrowing his eyes. There's a long silence - all that's heard is the water running – before Craig's mom finally scoffs and walks out, obviously not truly believing his lie.
As soon as I hear the door shut, I begin to shriek and shove Craig away. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry!"
"Gawd, don't you know how it feels for someone like me to have someone barge in while I'm showering!?" I shriek, beyond pissed.
"What the hell was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know – but not that!" Craig holds his hands up like 'oh, back away, we got a badass here' and turns around. I glare at him through the mirror, but he ignores me. I sigh, spinning around and trying to finish this blessed shower; I slip on the goddamn soap. "AH! FUCK!"
"Whoa! Are you ok?" Thank God I grabbed the curtain and it came down with me, and is covering my very visible ass. I lift my head out of the shallow amount of water, glaring venomously.
"No. No, I'm not." I answer, standing up, "T-TURN AROUND! AND CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Craig turns around again, shaking from the irritation. After successfully reattaching the curtain, I pick up the vexatious soap, glaring at it. "Asshole." I mutter to it, not caring if Craig thinks I'm talking about him.
When I eventually finish and begin fumbling with a new set of clothes, Craig finally glances at me. "You can go and talk to Ruby while you're waiting, if you want." I pull a shirt over my head and gawp at him.
"But what if-
"My mom is busy making lunch for her, so she won't bother any of us. And if you do hear her coming, there's a lot of things in Ruby's room to hide behind, so you shouldn't worry." Craig waits until I'm finished brushing my teeth, before practically chucking me out of the room. He thinks I called him an asshole, that's why. I slump, actually feeling sort of guilty. Maybe I should tell him that in reality I was insulting a bar of soap… maybe not. I facepalm at myself, before cautiously stalking into Ruby's room. I gape at the scenery. Well… she loves pink. And stuffed toys. Dear God, how she must love stuffed toys. I approach her bed, where's she's currently resting. I've never really seen her like this. She looks really sick. Man, she must have really used up all she had these last few days. I hope she'll be okay…
"Tweek?" She blinks at me, half-asleep.
"Uh, yeah, it's me." I kneel next to her bed, being at a better height to talk to her.
"So Tweek managed to escape?" She asks weakly, and I nod.
"Mm… it's a great feeling, to be free like this." Ruby doesn't say anything, obviously not able to relate to such a thing. She has a small coughing fit, and clutches my hand for some support. I console her, and she rests back down onto her pillows, closing her eyes.
"Ruby?"
"Mm?"
"I ran into you on the road earlier. Your past self. Why were you there?"
"…That Ruby told you. Wanted to see… if Tweek had escaped."
"But you barely knew me then. You'd just met me… was it when we were sitting on the couch, and you just drifted off? I saw you I that daze… is that what you were doing?" She gives me a small nod.
"Ruby liked Tweek. Wanted to see his fate. Went to wrong time…"
"Where were you meant to go? How long? A week later? A month? A year?"
"A secret." I sigh, the curiosity biting at me. How long am I going to have to wait for all this? I don't want to think things aren't going to get better until a while to come. What happens between now and then? What happens?
"Hey, Ruby…?" I shut up when I realize she's gone to sleep, unable to have lasted long talking to me. I hear yelling downstairs, and someone coming up. I practically dive behind a large stuffed bear, terrified.
"Tweek, it's just me." Craig says, smirking at how fast I bolted. "I have to go and buy some medicine for Ruby now, since my mom 'misplaced' it." He informs me, motioning stomping on the floor. I flush, remembering my embarrassing acts earlier. God, I could have just freaking thrown them away, couldn't I? "And well, you're going to have to come, ok? Maybe you can visit your mom while you're at it." I blink at the suggestion. Me?
"Wouldn't you want to come?"
"Well, not this time. I think it's probably your business, Tweek. I can come back and give Ruby some of the medication while you're busy. Don't worry; you won't get caught there. Hardly anyone visits, since it's a small town."
"If that's ok with you."
"Yeah, uh, are you hungry?" He asks dumbly. I smile at such a random question.
"No, not really. I… I think you were right about me catching a cold. I'm starting to not feel that good."
"…Well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Craig puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs, motioning for us to leave the room. I guess he wants Ruby to have some peace. "My mom's in the kitchen, so we have to go through the front door. Here," He gives me a green hoodie, "Put this on, and keep the hood on while we're in public places." I obey, pulling it over my head. He grabs my arm and pulls me downstairs, glancing around.
"Wait here." He tells me, venturing out of the front door. I nod silently, leaning back on the wall and indeed waiting. I hear his mom dropping something in the kitchen – she curses – and exhale. "Tweek, coast is clear. Come on!" Craig hisses from outside.
"Uh, right!" I come out quickly, spotting him walking his bike out of the garage, and hurry over. "I thought we were walking…" I comment quietly, staring at Craig's apparent mode of transport. Is he kidding? I don't know how to ride!
"Tweek, you don't have to ride it by yourself," Craig snickers, somehow reading my mind, "I'm riding it."
"What, and I run by? I don't know about you, but I think that looks damn suspic-
"You're going at the back, retard," Craig shakes my shoulder jokingly, "I'll ride it, but you've gotta sit at the back and hold on tight. It's either that or you use my old big wheel." I roll my eyes and proceed to get on. I hate it when Craig treats me like the biggest dumbass in the world – which I am. I just don't like to be reminded…
I observe him counting money in his wallet, shuffling around. He finally finishes, shutting the piece of leather and pocketing it. "Are you sure about this?" I inquire, eyeing the large contraption.
"More than I've ever been. Come on, Tweek. As if I'd let anything happen to you."
"Say the person who barely reacted at all when I fell in the shower."
"Hey, don't start. Hurry and get on, before my mom wonders what the hell I'm doing."
"Uh, we're here now, man." Craig finally tells me. It's been an eternity of me clinging to him like some kind of monkey and shutting my eyes so that I don't have to watch how fast we move. I'm not used to traveling like this; so damn fast. At least in a car it's nice and secure. On these fuckers you could fall any second. "Was it that bad?" I nod, hopping off shakily and whimpering. Craig quickly locks the thing, before taking a step towards me and pulling up my hood. I notice his fingers linger ever-so-slightly, and wonder if Craig really wants to be more alone with me. We stand there in silence for a few seconds, but Craig soon breaks it by going, "Let's just do this. You want to come in, or wait outside?"
"Erm, I'll come." Craig nods, holding the door open for me. I scowl at the floor; tiles. White ones. Craig hurries over to a section with many different kinds of pills, scanning for the correct ones. He scoops up a pack, reading the contents.
"I think this is the right one. Both you and Ruby can take it, and they're really small." Craig sees my face, and quickly adds, "B-But you don't have to. We can just think of something else." As we walk to the counter, I think hard. If Craig's going through this trouble of worrying for me, I could at least try, right? Yeah…
"I'll take them." I state as the cashier is calculating the money. Craig turns to me, taken aback.
"What?"
"I'll try to take some pills. I, um, I know you're worried, so just to make you feel better…"
"Well don't force yourself," He tells me, handing the money to the cashier without taking his eyes off of me. "Pressuring you wouldn't be good."
"No, it's my choice. Let me try." Craig shrugs, taking his change and the pack from the counter and waving his regards to the employee. I'm far too shy. As we walk out of the door, Craig scoffs.
"You need to eat something first."
"Huh? But I'm not hungry!"
"Come on, I'm hungry now anyway. You can just try to eat something, ok? You don't have to finish." Craig mutters, pulling me by the sleeve towards a traffic light. I sigh, having no choice but to do as he wishes. We silently wait to cross as a mother and a little girl, about three, come by to wait as well. I notice the girl doesn't speak at all, and neither does the mother. That's weird. I don't ever recall silent moments with my dad when I was young. He was always so chatty, as was my mom.
…then the worst happens.
The girl sees a toy store across the street, and is intrigued by a large teddy bear on display, pointing to it excitedly. Before her mom can stop her, she tugs her hand away from her mother's and begins to run across the street. She must feel the vibrations from the sound of the truck honking at her, because she stops smack-bang in the middle of the damn road. She stares at the fast approaching truck, about five times her height, and her eyes widen in fright. I quickly glance at Craig, who's staring in astonishment, and come to an immediate decision. As fast as lightning, I shoot forward to the girl, grab her around the waist, and quickly pull her back just in time. We smash at the side of the road, me half on the sidewalk. I sit up, in a daze, not hearing a voice in the background. I blink a few times, registering what's going on, and look at Craig.
"Jesus fucking Christ! That was insane! What were you thinking!? Are you okay!? Answer me!"
"Shut up, Craig, I'm fucking fine!" I snap at him furiously, recovered. The girl is the one he should be worrying about!
"Are you hurt?" I ask the girl gently, ready to give her a huge lecture. She stares at me blankly, having burst into tears a few seconds ago. Oh… now I see. I point to my ears and shake my head questioningly, and she nods. I was right – she's deaf.
'Are you alright?' I gesture to her, and she nods. 'Are you injured?' She shakes her head no, breathing heavily. Her mother recovers from the shock and helps her up, weeping. The mom looks absolutely stricken, speechless, and doesn't say anything to the girl. Just holds her in an embrace. She let's go after a few seconds, preparing to give her a talking-to. Craig and I watch as she says nothing. I guess it's hard to tell off your child that's just nearly died. If I wasn't here, then she'd be splattered on the road. Seeing that the mother isn't going to say anything, I stand up quickly, grab the girl by the shoulder, and turn her around to face me. I glower at her still sniffling face, not caring that my hood has fallen off.
"Stop your crying," I tell her coldly, using sign language and words at the same time. "You scared us all a lot. Say 'sorry' to your mommy," I point at her mom angrily, "Because you made her very sad."
'I'm sorry.' The girl soon signs to her mom. The mom smiles shakily and forgives her. Craig pulls me up as they share their mother-daughter moment, still pissed.
"Tweek, I'm glad you saved her, but my God, you scared the crap out of me!" He scolds, shaking me. "I thought for a second that… that you were…"
"That I was trying to kill myself again." I finish for him icily, pulling my hood back on and storming away. It's the best thing to do; if the news get a hold of me or something, then I can kiss this freedom goodbye.
"Tweek, wait a minute!" Craig quickly catches up and grabs my arm to stop me. I give him a look. "A-Alright, I know it was dumb of me to think that, but it was sudden! I'm fucking sorry, alright?"
"Mmm." I pull my arm away and continue walking, still annoyed that he would think that. Craig continues giving me excuses as we trudge down the sidewalk.
"Tweek, you tried to kill yourself with safety scissors. That's desperate to die, isn't it? So you shouldn't really blame me for thinking that."
"That was ages ago! And I was just trying to cut myself – not to die!"
"Yeah right. Don't lie to me." Craig looks appalled, and I pause for a second. Why did I try to slash my wrist like that? I didn't really think about why; I just did it. I mean, now that I really think about it, I don't believe I actually wanted to die. I just wanted… I just felt…
"I'm not lying." I tell him quietly.
"What? Are we being serious, Tweek? Come on, why the hell would you want to-
"Because I felt totally worthless, alright?!" I blow my lid, fuming at him for not somehow magically understanding me. Craig stares, puzzled. "I remember now, I remember it all! I thought there was something wrong with me because you didn't instantly like me the way I liked you. I thought that no one liked me. I just hated myself for those few minutes, alright? You fucking get it now, you perfect, typical, town boy!?" I glower at his shocked expression, sickened by the fact that I needed to explain this to him.
"Tweek… I'm sorry I don't get how you feel. We're just a little different, ok? Calm down." Craig reassures me, patting me on the back as a sign of comfort. "I think you need some time to think. Why don't you go buy some flowers," He points to a flower shop down the street, "And visit your mom? I'll go home and tend to Ruby. I'll take my time, so you can talk to her all you want. I'll come find you, ok? And then we can get something to eat. Ok?" The way his words soothe me makes it feel as if he's the only one in the world that cares. The only one that bothers.
"I really love you…" I whisper under my breath, staring at the ground, paralyzed.
"Huh?"
"…Nothing. Where's the cemetery?"
"Go to the end of the road, take a right, and then a left." He gives me some money, "For the flowers. Just ask the cashier for anything. They'll know what to give you. Alright?"
"Alright."
"Be careful." Craig gives me one last pat and begins to stride away. My eyes widen when I hear him murmur, "…Likewise." I'd rather not get my hopes up about what he means.
The bell dings as I open the door to the flower shop, making me flinch. I glance around at all the beautiful flowers, not seeing any people around. I stop moving, mesmerized by a bunch of colourful flowers resting in a pretty glass vase. I'm not a chick, but even I know they're one of the best bouquets of flowers you'll ever see. I look around more, noticing similar looking ones, but different colours.
"Can I help you?" I shriek, spinning around and nearly knocking the masterpiece over.
"I'm sorry! You scared m-
I stop talking when I see who it is. That nice Sylvia lady, from the hospital. What the hell is she doing here? She recognizes my faces and covers her mouth.
"Tweek Tweak?"
"… Mhm…" I look away, not sure how to feel.
"I'm so shocked… you actually escaped? There's a fake back at the mental institute?"
"Yeah. Why are you here?" She laughs at the way I ask her, as if she would never belong in such a place.
"My mom owns the shop. She makes me work here a lot."
"But you already have a job!" I exclaim, bewildered. "Aren't you tired? You were up there last night."
"Nah, I slept when I came home for a few hours. Besides, this job isn't tiring or anything."
"…How old are you?" She smiles at the unusual question.
"I'm twenty-three. Do I look that old?"
"No, I've just never really taken in how young you really are… I need some flowers." She tilts her head in curiosity, smiling.
"Oh? For whom?"
"Um, my mom." Sylvia's smile falters slightly. "I'm visiting her grave for the first time, and Crai- I thought it would be good to bring her some."
"Oh yes, you have that nice mom of yours, of course. Um… this one would be good." She points to a small bouquet, that doesn't look too extravagant or expensive.
"Ok, but… not white."
"Haha, alright. How about this one?" She points to a bunch that are different shades of purple, and I instantly nod.
"They're good. Uh, how much do they cos-
"Free of charge." I gawp at the young woman, surprised.
"No, I-
"No, Tweek. I'd feel bad for making you pay for these. Consider these my gift, okay? Tell your mother they're a very special present." I take the flowers, still unsure. Sylvia ushers me along.
"Go on, it's fine. Come back soon, alright? Don't get caught, or else I'll miss such lovely company, alright?"
"Yeah, sure."
I leave the shop, puzzled. That was weird. I take my time following Craig's directions, not wanting to get lost. Upon finding the location, I search around for my mom's grave, quickly finding it. Placing the flowers down, I take a step back and pull off my hood, wanting to at least seem earnest.
"Mom… it's been such a long time. You won't believe the things that have happened to me. I have so any things to tell you, mom. You see, I…