"I mean, I'm sure you still look at some girls and think they're attractive, but that doesn't change the fact that you LOVE Wendy. So this shouldn't be any different."

Stan Marsh was at a loss for words. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have not realized this before?

He gaped at his friend, stunned for a moment as Kyle's words sunk in. Of course. Why did it matter if he was attracted to Kyle? Well, it mattered… but somehow what Kyle said made him feel a little better.

"Kyle?" he somehow managed to say.

"What?" Kyle blinked at him. "Are you ok?"

Unexpectedly, Stan threw himself at Kyle. Kyle gasped at the sudden movement. Stan clung onto Kyle for dear life, not caring for the sick feeling in his stomach but dutifully ignoring it.

"You're my best friend – how could I put that in jeopardy…? I'm so sorry, Kyle!"

"So… no more weirdness?"

"No more weirdness… I'm so, so, so sorry…"

Kyle chuckled a bit, hugging Stan back. "It's ok, Stan. As long as we're back to normal, I can forgive it all."

"You're the best."

Kyle smiled. "Sometimes."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan felt like a new person. He no longer cared that he was a little bit attracted to Kyle. Ok, that wasn't completely true. But, he knew that he didn't want to dump Wendy and chose Kyle, so he knew that his attraction was just a temporary crush. Now, he could focus on the problem at hand, and he realized that it was worse than he originally thought.

He had been so preoccupied with his own problems that he didn't realize how bad the school had become. The next day, he noticed bullying all over the school. He also started paying attention to what his new 'friends' were saying, and it didn't sound good.

"We seriously need to do something about this problem," one of them muttered angrily. "Those posers are starting to really get on my nerves. We need to show them we aren't joking!"

Stan pursed his lips. "But what can we do?" he asked.

"I don't, but it has to be something big. Otherwise, they'll just continue to do it."

Stan didn't like where this was going.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan bit his lip. It wasn't often that he found himself at this door when he was just by himself. Usually, if any of them were hanging out with Cartman, it would be with the whole group. He nervously knocked on the door, glancing around to make sure he wasn't being seen by anyone from school.

When the door opened, he was met with Cartman's scowling face.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"Come on Cartman. If anyone sees me here, my cover will be blown."

"So?"

"That would really tick Kyle off."

He expected Cartman to make a smart-ass remark along the lines of 'good,' but instead Cartman's scowl deepened.

"Fine," he said after a moment. "But don't touch anything."

Stan rolled his eyes and stepped into the entrance way. He closed the door quietly behind him, and looked at Cartman.

"So… I came here to apologize."

Cartman crossed his arms across his chest.

"I mean…" Stan continued. "I've been acting like a douche lately."

"Understatement of the fucking year, Marsh."

He bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Cartman. For being such a jerk. Plus, I'm really sorry about killing Kenny."

"If he doesn't come back within the next week, you're going to be joining him," Cartman growled angrily.

Stan blinked. "What makes you think that he won't come back? He's come back all the times before. Have you seen the size of Kyle's book?"

"True," Cartman agreed, "But that doesn't mean he'll come back this time. Especially with all the changes that have been happening. It could have screwed something up or something."

"Maybe," Stan conceded. "But I really think he'll come back. I mean, this is Kenny we're talking about."

"You better hope he does."

Stan swallowed. He usually wasn't scared of Cartman, but something about the situation made Stan rather uneasy.

"So, I… Kyle and I made up."

"I heard."

"You did?"

"He told me, dumbass."

"Oh." Stan paused. "So you guys really are getting along, huh?"

Cartman raised his eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"Hell no. It's just weird, is all. You guys hated each other for so long."

"Did we?"

"You know you did."

Cartman shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad that you're getting along," Stan added.

"Look, Stan. I'm only going to say this once, so you better pay attention. I'm super pissed that you killed Kenny, but I'm also angry that you fucked with Kyle. Right now, you're on my shit list. If you do anything else to fuck any of my friends over, including me, I'll fucking kill you. The only reason I haven't done so is because you're Kyle's best friend. So watch yourself, Marsh. If you hurt Kyle again, I swear to god you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Stan stared at Cartman, not really believing what he was saying. Since when did he and Kyle get so close? Only a few weeks ago, Cartman would have been rejoicing in the fact that Stan and Kyle had been fighting.

He was really confused.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So I saw you campaigning today."

"Yeah. I saw you too. It sucks that we can't talk at school anymore."

"Definitely. But… it's for the best, I think. Seriously, Dave and Seth are super pissed, and it sounds like they want to do something drastic."

"Like what?"

"I don't know yet, but knowing them, it can't be good." Stan chewed on his lower lip, pulling Wendy closer. They were lying on top of her bed. He had gone over to her house after his creepy visit with Cartman, and he was happy to find that she was home. He was also ecstatic that her parents weren't home either, and wouldn't be for some time. Stan relished these moments, when he had Wendy completely to himself; he felt more relaxed when they weren't sneaking around.

Wendy sighed happily. She apparently felt more relaxed as well, judging from how intense it had been.

"So…" he started again, wanting to change the subject, "I have something I kind of want to talk to you about, but… it's hard for me."

Wendy was quiet for a moment. "Ok," she said softly. "Take all the time you need."

He cleared his throat. "So, you know how I told you that Kyle and I made up yesterday?"

"Yeah?"

"Well… we kind of talked about something. And… I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but you've always told me that I should be honest with you and everything… and judging how bad my situation with Kyle got after NOT talking with him, I figured I should try something different this time."

Wendy remained silent, obviously patiently waiting for Stan to continue. And he did.

"Um… I told you why I was fighting with Kyle and everyone, but there was something else that was bothering me. I didn't tell you, because I couldn't… come to terms with it myself."

"That's ok… you're telling me now," she softly encouraged, cuddling closer. Stan knew that she must be eating this up. She always complained that Stan didn't talk about his feelings enough.

"I-I don't want you to get upset, because you're the love of my life, Wendy. I don't want anyone else other than you. But… I was upset with Kyle because I was… upset with myself. You see… I…. fuck…. Um…. This is hard for me…"

Wendy frowned, pulling away slightly. She sat up on her elbow, studying Stan's face, which only made him more nervous.

Why had he decided to tell her this again?

He continued to stutter, unable to choke out the words. As every moment passed, his courage and determination seemed to drop.

"Stan," she said softly, laying her hand on his bare chest. "Just spit it out already."

"I'm a little attracted to Kyle."

He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at her face. She must be disappointed, especially judging from the shocked silence that stretched between them. Oh god, why the fuck did he tell her?

"Um… ok. Is it serious?"

What?

He cracked open an eye. "Huh?"

"Is it serious?" she repeated again.

"I… well… I mean, I feel SICK around him, but… besides that. It's not like I want to sleep with him! Or… or start dating him or anything. That would be… really weird."

She pursed her lips, studying his face. "Well, as long as you aren't going to suddenly jump him or anything… I guess…. Well, this is going to take some time for me to digest this, but I suppose it's not that bad. It's not like you can help it."

"God I love you so much." He wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm so sorry, Wendy. You're obviously the hottest person in the world, and I love you so much. I could never leave you. My weird crush on Kyle isn't serious at all. I've always known that. It was just so scary at first. I never thought of myself as gay, and I've never looked at another guy before. To be honest, I'm not even sure WHY I thought he was attractive in the first place. I'm so sorry…"

She laughed lightly. "Stan, it's ok. I understand. Kyle suddenly got a lot more attractive since coming back from camp, so it's understandable. Besides, I don't expect you to never think someone else is attractive again, just because you're dating me. The important thing to me is that you love me, and I'm the only one you want to be with. That… makes me really happy."

He smiled, thankful for the millionth time that his girlfriend was so awesome. "Wendy?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I know this is probably not the right time to be asking this, but… Once we go through college and everything… well…. I'm not going to ask right now. But… I would love it if you would marry me some day. I can't imagine my life without you in it. And… I know that you'd say that we're still in high school, and we can't make such promises yet, but… I just love you so much, so I hope that when I actually ask you properly, you'll say yes."

She sniffed, gripping onto his arms tightly. "S-Stan… that is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"S-sweet."

"Stan… you're right. I can't promise something like that now, but… but right now? The way I feel is… I love you too, and I can't imagine ever saying no if you asked me that question. So I look forward to it… when you ask me."

Stan wasn't one for poetry, or romance really. But he had to admit to himself – he felt pretty amazing at that moment. In fact, he would arguably say that it was the happiest he had ever been in his entire life.

-.-.-.-.-.

He had already determined that after one full day, he must have been blind to not see how crazy his temporary friends had been. Going into his second day on the job, however, Stan was even more aware of the danger his true friends were in.

"I seriously have a beef with that Broflovski kid," Seth grumbled angrily, setting his tray down on the lunch table.

Stan blinked, reminding himself that he couldn't stand up for his friend while he was with this crowd. "What happened?"

"I know he used to be, like, your best friend and all, but I seriously can't imagine you two hanging out. He's such a gay fucktard. I just saw him arguing with someone about the merits of expressing who you truly are or some bullshit. I mean, seriously. Those assholes aren't expressing who they are – they're pretending to be someone they aren't."

"Yeah, I totally agree," Stan lied quickly. "I mean, yeah. Kyle and I used to be friends, but this whole incident changed things."

"And what's with Wendy?" Seth continued. "Now she's playing for the other side too? Is that why you dumped her?"

"Yeah…" He swallowed. "I mean, she's not really on THEIR side per se… but she is definitely promoting staying true to the self."

"If everyone started pretending to be someone they weren't, then all hell would break loose. Hell, what the fuck am I even saying? This IS hell. Pretty soon, those idiots are going to go on some sort of psychotic rampage. We have to do something."

"It's just a matter of figuring out what," Dave grumbled.

"Do you think it's overkill if we trapped them in the school and burned them alive?"

"Um, yeah. That's a little extreme," Dave laughed. "You crazy fuck."

"Yeah, I know. But we have to think of something, and fast. The whole town is divided, and things are really tense. We have to show these idiots what they are doing to our town. They're destroying everything!"

Stan merely nodded, listening to them bicker back and forth while others in their group added their own little insights. Luckily, no plan was forming yet, but Stan was pretty sure that would change soon. After all, they were right. Something had to happen, and soon.

He just wasn't necessarily on their side.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan bit his lip. They had all decided to meet at Kyle's place on Saturday morning in order to update each other on recent events. They went down to Kyle's basement so they wouldn't be disturbed. Stan and Wendy were sitting together, with Kyle and Cartman across from them. Cartman kept glaring at Stan, which made the raven-haired boy a bit nervous to say the least.

"They haven't really decided on what to do yet," Stan announced, trying to ignore Cartman's stare. "One guy suggested trapping them and burning down the school, but luckily the others weren't for it."

"Well that's encouraging," Kyle muttered.

"Yeah. I'll let you guys know when I know something new."

"Ok. Well, my group is talking about doing a demonstration sometime soon, to promote what they are doing to the rest of South Park," Kyle said. "But they aren't really that unified. So I'm not sure how long this demonstration is going to take to plan, and it doesn't sound like it's going to be violent. But I'm sure that if the other group catches wind of it, all hell could break loose. Wendy, what do you have to report?"

"Well," Wendy began, "First of all, I talked with the school principal, and a ton of kids have been sent down there due to bullying and fighting. They aren't able to catch all of the students who are doing this. Just yesterday, I guess there were 8 kids alone who were sent to the nurse's office, and three of them were sent home because they were so upset or hurt. It's starting to look a bit dangerous. Second, my campaigns are met with a lot of hostility. I mean, I'm basically saying that both groups are wrong. However, I've had a few people talk to me privately about wanting to support me. They agree that this whole thing is stupid, and that people should just be themselves. However, I think some students are worried about associating with me, because then they will be targeted by both groups."

"Hm," Kyle thought, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "That's not good. I guess we should have thought of that."

"It's ok. I'm going to keep fighting. There must be some brave people in the student body."

"Cartman? Want to tell the others how things have been going for you?"

Cartman cleared his throat. "Well, I talked with the mayor about the issues, and she updated me on some disturbing things. The adults are starting to really separate, and ten people have already been arrested for fighting. She is also being bothered by both groups to support them. She, of course, refuses, so things are looking a bit hostile. She doesn't want me to start speaking out against anyone, because she thinks that it's dangerous for a kid to get involved. So, she's not going to be much help to me."

The four of them sat in silence for a bit, processing what their friends had reported and quietly trying to figure out their next move. After some time, Kyle finally sighed.

"Well, I guess all we can do is keep trying. Maybe Cartman can figure out another way to appeal to the masses without the mayor's help. Wendy, you can keep protesting – if things start to look too dangerous, though, we'll call if off. I don't want you to get hurt. As for Stan and me, we'll continue to monitor."

"Sounds good," Stan agreed. "But seriously, you guys… don't you think things are starting to get a bit dangerous?"

"Unfortunately, it's the risk we have to take," Kyle said darkly, looking at him from across the table. "This is getting out of hand, and we need to stop it somehow. If we don't, then no one will."

Stan nodded. Kyle spoke the truth, but he still couldn't help but feel apprehensive about their future. He knew, however, that all of them were feeling the same way. It made him feel a bit better knowing that his friends and he were in this together, no matter what would happen.

-.-.-.-.-.

Author's Note: I want to extend my greatest and most sincere thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and will continue to do so. I seriously can't express the words to describe how I feel about your kind words and encouragements. I also want to take the time to apologize to you all right now, as I have not been able to respond to most of your reviews and comments. My life has been a bit crazy as of late, and I usually only have time to upload the latest chapter before attending to other matters. But I want you all to know that your words are cherished, and that I love every single one of your reviews. Thank you so much for the support and dedication you have all shown me. I promise to try to answer and thank you each personally, but in case I can't do that in a timely manner, I hope that this short thank you will suffice. I can't even count the many times that a review put a huge smile on my face, and seriously made me feel like a million dollars. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope that you continue to enjoy this fic, and that I don't let you all down!