It wasn't as if he was ashamed. He was used to the way things were, and after all, things in South Park never changed. He had accepted that a long time ago. But sometimes, when he was feeling particularly helpless, he would fantasize about living a different life; a life where he could afford to go out with his friends once in a while. This fantasy life didn't involve getting called a "poor boy" or "broke son of a bitch," nor did it involve being hungry most of the time.

But Kenny wasn't ashamed. South Park was just like that. He had a role to play, a role that he couldn't escape from. He was expected to play it, and so he did. No one broke character. No one bent the rules. Everyone played their part. There were no exceptions.

Until now.

Kyle Broflovski had not only broken the rules, he was starting to rewrite them. Kenny knew this the moment he laid eyes on his friend that September morning. Kenny may be broke, but he wasn't stupid.

"Huh? Stan, wait!"

Kenny studied Kyle as he stood there, looking helpless. Kyle slowly sat down, staring off after his best friend.

"Mph mhhmhm hmphhm hm. Hmm mphmm hmmphm."

Kyle didn't respond right away, but eventually turned back in his seat. "I hope so. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Mph hmmhm hhrm."

Kyle's cheeks turned pink again. "No. He's not."

"I don't know, he DID look like he was going to puke his guts out a second ago. I was surprised he didn't this morning."

"That doesn't mean anything! Maybe… maybe he's not feeling well."

"Hm mphm hmm hmm hhrm mphmpm."

"It's not denial, Kenny, it's… well, logical."

"He's totally gay for you."

"No he isn't!" Kyle growled. "He's just not used to me dressing like this yet. He'll get over it."

"So why are you dressing like that now, Fag?"

Kyle shot a glare across the table. "Because. I'm sick of this stupid town, and how no one ever changes."

Kenny stared at Kyle as he continued to bicker with Cartman. Kenny wasn't ashamed of who he was, but in this moment, Kenny allowed himself to hope that he could someday change too.

-.-.-.-.-.

In the next couple of days, Kyle continued to come to school without his old attire. In fact, every day he changed his outfit completely. He was still the talk of the school, and Kenny figured that this wouldn't change for a while. Stan was still acting strange around his best friend, and Kyle seemed to be affected by that. However, it didn't seem to change the red-head's decision at all. Kenny didn't treat Kyle any differently than before. Cartman as well seemed to act as he always did, but Kenny knew that even though they both weren't making a big deal out of it, it had definitely affected them as well.

It was Thursday. They had been in school for four whole days now, and finally Kenny was able to spend some one-on-one time with Kyle. They had wandered around the school building, wandering aimlessly together after their classes ended. Kenny was dying to talk to Kyle about his summer experience and his transformation.

"So anything exciting happen this summer?"

"Mmh mrmhr. Mhm mm hmm."

"Died? How many times?"

"Hm mmhrrm."

"Huh… well, let me know the exact days later… I'll put it in the book."

Over the years, Kenny and Kyle had always been friends. In elementary school, Kyle and Stan usually paired off, leaving Kenny to hang out more with Cartman. However, Kyle and Kenny started hanging out even more during middle school. The turning point had been when Kenny became depressed, once again, about the others not remembering his deaths. It had been an extremely hard time for Kenny, for he always felt estranged from his friends because of his curse. He had started killing himself on purpose, and it got to the point where he was doing it almost every day. Kyle had been the one to notice that he was acting strange, and approached him. Kenny had screamed at Kyle, having a sickening familiar conversation with him about his inability to die and how no one could remember. Kenny had these conversations multiple times with his friends, but for some reason, this particular outburst made Kyle do something different. He grabbed a notebook, and told Kenny that he would write down every time that Kenny died. Kenny was quite sure that Kyle thought he was nuts and was just humoring him, so Kenny made Kyle promise once more that he would record it before blowing his brains out with his favorite 9 mm Browning.

Kyle had kept his promise, and although he didn't remember the incident, he had a record of actually seeing it. Kyle had shared his revelation with the others, and from then on, Kenny felt that his friends finally understood the loneliness that Kenny had felt all those years. Out of all of his friends, Kyle was the most diligent about recording Kenny's deaths. He had even written on a piece of paper "Did Kenny die today?" and hung it in his room, so that he would see it daily and remember to write about it in his book.

Kenny snorted. "Hmm hm hrmm mhmhmm hmm."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I can't rely on the others to record it. Besides, even if I wasn't there, I still want to know about it."

"Hmm."

"Don't mention it. So… anywhere you wanna go?"

Kenny shrugged.

"Ha, yeah… there really isn't much to do in this town anyway…" Kyle kicked at a rock that was on the ground, and watched it hit the school wall.

"Mhmhm?" he asked softly, leaning against the side of the building.

"Yeah? What's up, Ken?"

Kyle was completely at ease with himself, also choosing to lean against the wall. Kenny was enraptured. Kyle wasn't much different than he was before, but something about Kyle had changed enough to make Kenny notice. It was something deeper than his appearance. Before Kyle left, he had been more quiet than usual, and didn't seem to be himself. Now, Kyle was much more like the Kyle he grew up with; vibrate, passionate, and compassionate. He represented something that Kenny wanted to be, something that couldn't be found in anyone else in South Park.

"Hmmhm mhhhm hrm hrmmhm mhhm?" he questioned, glancing at the other boy from underneath his protective hood.

Kyle blinked, looking over at his friend. His vibrant curls danced softly in the breeze.

"Well…" he pondered, his emerald eyes leaving Kenny and looking out into the distance. "I wasn't happy with things. I mean, day in and day out, things didn't change. I was feeling lost and helpless… like, I was stuck. Every day, I would go through the motions. It was as if I wasn't even living. But when I went to that camp, I suddenly felt liberated. I felt as if things didn't have to be the way they were. Even though this is South Park, and even though no one ever changes, I felt like I could. And something in me snapped. I mean, for the longest time I just went with the flow. But that's not me. I couldn't just be beaten down just because the others expect me to act or think or dress in a certain way. I guess, in a way, I'm fighting back. The kids I met while I was there were independent, and could think for themselves. They didn't wear the same outfit every day. They didn't always follow the same routine. I realized while I was there that I didn't want my life to be what my parents expected it should be. I don't want to become a lawyer like my dad. I don't want to necessarily live here my entire life. I don't want anyone else telling me what to do or how to do it. I'm done. I made a decision while I was there that I wouldn't let that happen again."

Both boys stood in silence; Kyle, lost in deep thought, and Kenny, lost for words. He was mesmerized.

"Hrm mmph hm," he stated softly after a long moment, his words almost lost in the breeze.

"Huh? Envy?" Kyle laughed lightly. "Why?"

"Hmmhm. Mmmph hmmhm mm hmhmmhm hrm mmph hmph hmmhm mrhm."

Kyle studied him thoughtfully as Kenny blushed underneath his hood. It felt as if Kyle's words completely echoed what Kenny was going through. He felt a closer connection to Kyle than he ever had in the past.

Kyle smiled gently. "Well… let's change that."

"Hmmhm mmhm hm?"

"Let's change that," he repeated. "If you're unhappy, then do something about it."

"Mmmhm mmphm hm."

"Just because you come from a poor family doesn't mean things can't change! Fuck this town, Ken. You're worth more than how much money you have, and if they can't see that, then their fucking blind. Take off your hood."

Kenny stared wide-eyed at Kyle. "Hmm?"

"Yes, now."

Kenny wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't taken off his hood in public for a long time. It had protected him, and made him more confident around his friends. When he was younger, it was due to being ashamed of being known as the "poor kid." Also, he was naturally a shy child, and the hood seemed to give him the confidence to speak his mind. Although he wouldn't call himself ashamed of his situation anymore, the hood continued to give him a sense of security that nothing else had.

Kyle seemed to notice his hesitation, and he smiled encouragingly. "It was hard for me at first too. While I was at camp, all the kids asked me why I continued to wear my hat. I couldn't really explain to them properly why I was so attached to it. They thought it was so strange that I wore the same thing every day. But I soon came to realize that the hat and outfit didn't define who I was. I stopped wearing it after a couple of weeks. It was the hardest thing for me to stop wearing. When I came back to South Park, it was difficult to leave the house without it, even though I hadn't worn it for a couple of months. Yet I realized that the hat wasn't protecting me from anything. It's just a hat."

Kyle's smile was caring and understanding. Kenny was nervous. Could things change for him? Dare he even hope? He slowly reached up, pulling down his hood. It wasn't often that he went without his hood up. In fact, it felt strange to have it down. As the wind hit his face and made his hair tickle his cheeks, Kenny felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep breath, relishing this new sense of overwhelming freedom.

"See? It's not that bad, is it?" Kyle asked, grinning happily at his friend.

"I-I guess not." His voice sounded strange, almost foreign.

Kyle laughed. "It's good to hear your voice, dude."

Kenny chuckled nervously. "Thanks."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny continued to wear his hood over the weekend, but when he hung out with Kyle on Sunday afternoon, he shyly slipped his hood off. Kyle didn't make a big deal about it, and continued to treat him the same as he always had. Kenny was thankful.

"So I went on an interview yesterday," Kyle mentioned casually. They were in Kyle's room, chatting idly. Kyle leaned back on his hands, flashing a grin at Kenny.

"Really?" His voice still sounded foreign to him, but he was starting to get used to it.

"Yeah. It was at the video store. I'm really hoping they'll hire me. My parents would have an aneurism if they knew I was going to be working while going to school. They are always concerned about my grades."

"Do you think it went well?"

"Yeah, I think so. He said that he was going to call me in a couple days to let me know. I'm the first kid ever to try to get a job while in high school in a while, so I'm not sure if he'll be willing to hire me or not. But I really want the extra money, and… well…" He grinned. "I supposed I especially want to do it because no one else does it. But it's not like that's the only reason."

"Do you still plan to go to college?"

"I DO want to go. But it would be nice to have some money saved up for that. I'll quit if my grades suddenly drop. But I'd only be working a few hours per week, and I'll still be putting time aside to study and do homework. I'm sure my grades may not be as good while I'm working, but that's ok. I don't think I'm going to a private university anymore, so… I don't need perfect grades."

"Wow."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I guess my priorities have changed."

"You've definitely changed a lot. But… I think it's a good thing."

Kyle snorted. "Stan doesn't think so."

"He'll come around eventually. He just needs to get used to the idea that you haven't really changed, deep down inside. You've just changed your appearance and future plans, is all."

"I hope he does. I don't want to lose his friendship because of this."

"You won't."

Kyle smiled appreciatively at his friend. "Dude, you rock. Thanks."

Kenny laughed nervously. "Thanks. But seriously, I think…" He felt shy, even though he had known Kyle for most of his life. Damn that hood. It was hard to continue, but he forced himself to. "I think it's awesome. That… you've been taking charge and… well, doing what you want to do. I wish I could do the same."

"You can," he stated, matter-of-factly.

Kenny shook his head. "No… no I can't. I mean… even now I don't feel… confident."

"Why? Because you don't have your hood on?"

"Yeah… I mean, with you, it's ok, but with the others? I've just worn it for so long… I guess the real reason is that because my family is so poor, I usually look so… grungy. I don't want the others to see further proof of how pathetic my family life is." He let out a bitter chuckle. "How sad is that?"

Kyle seemed to contemplate his words for a moment. "Well," he said carefully, "Why don't you come to my house every night and take a shower? Seriously, my parents won't mind."

"I-I couldn't…"

"Yeah, you could. It's easy. No one cares. It's fine."

Kenny was shocked. "O-ok, I guess. As long as your family doesn't mind…"

"Trust me, they won't. Also, you can do your laundry here. I know that sometimes they shut off the water at your house, and it costs a lot to go to the Laundromat."

"Kyle, I-… you don't need to do all this, it's ok…"

"No, Kenny, I would love it if you did. I don't think it's fair that you have to hide your appearance all the time."

Kenny laughed. "Yeah, I guess… I wish I could be more like you, Kyle. The thought of having more than one outfit to my name is… well… unimaginable."

"If you had different outfits, would you wear them?"

"I would if I could. It doesn't look that hard, and for once I wouldn't be hiding all the time. But it's not like that's pos-"

Kyle grinned, cutting him off. "Great! Let's go to the mall."

"What are we doing there?" Kenny asked.

"I'm getting you some new clothes - ones that you can change every day." Kyle pushed up from the bed.

"W-wait, Kyle… you don't have to do that."

Kyle looked back at him. "I know I don't. Come on." Kyle opened the door, leading the way downstairs.

Kenny stared after his friend, shocked. Although he had understood the significance of Kyle's wardrobe change, Kenny couldn't have possibly predicted that he, too, would be offered the chance to redefine himself. This was the moment that Kenny had been wishing for his entire life. He had always wanted the chance to show South Park that he wasn't just the poor kid down the street; that he wasn't necessarily going to grow up to become his father. His chest felt tight with barely controlled joy. He never could have thought clothes shopping would make him feel like his life would never be the same again. But Kenny knew that changing his appearance was a bold, almost political statement to the citizens of South Park. He was sick and tired of being who they defined him to be. For the first time in a long while, he felt ashamed. It wasn't because he was poor, but because he had simply done what was expected of him. From now on, he would be the teenager that he always wanted to be. He would finally be Kenny, and no one else could tell him otherwise.

He jogged after Kyle. Today was the first day of the rest of his life. There was no turning back now. He would never be ashamed of himself again.

-.-.-.-.-.

When Kenny walked up to the bus stop, he was nervous. The others were already there. He walked behind Cartman, taking his place between him and Stan. Kyle wasn't in his usual spot, but was instead leaning against the pedestrian sign. He flashed a grin at Kenny.

"Hey, Ken."

"Ken?" Stan questioned, glancing at Kyle. "Since when do you call him 'Ken'?"

Kenny took a deep breath.

"Morning."