"This is getting out of hand, and we need to stop it somehow. If we don't, then no one will."
Cartman pursed his lips. He didn't like the situation one bit. Although he didn't care as much about the danger Stan and Wendy were putting themselves in, he couldn't help but worry a bit about their safety. However, he was most concerned about Kyle. He was walking around that school with a big target on his back. He had been the one who started this trend, and Cartman could sense the resentment for it within the hallways of South Park High. It didn't help that the whole school knew Kyle's sexual orientation, which also caused some tension between both groups at school. Cartman was aware of the danger that all of them were in, but he also understood that there was nothing left to do.
They all did.
-.-.-.-.-.
He didn't really pay attention to the random movie Kyle had put in. But by the glazed look on Kyle's face, neither was he.
"This movie is lame," Cartman finally announced.
"Huh?" Kyle blinked, raising his head from where it had been resting on his arms. He was sitting with his knees tucked close to his chest, his arms folded on top loosely. "Yeah, I guess I'm not really paying attention to it."
Cartman sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He could see Kyle studying him out of the corner of his eye.
"So… what do you want to do instead?" Kyle asked.
"I don't know. I can't stop fucking thinking about the whole stupid situation in this town."
"Yeah, I can't either."
"You know, this whole situation has reminded me why this town is so fucked up."
"How so?"
"I mean, our whole lives, this town has been trying to self destruct. Think about how many times this place has almost been destroyed."
"But somehow, it has always survived."
"But there is no guarantee that it will survive THIS time."
"True," Kyle agreed, "But I have faith that we'll figure out something. I mean, shit… half the time it was OUR fault that the town got in danger."
"I guess one could argue that it was our fault THIS time, too."
Kyle snorted. "It's only my fault, Cartman."
Cartman paused. Shit, that wasn't the right thing to say. "I don't think it was your fault, Kyle."
"I do. And so does the whole school, and most likely the whole town for that matter."
Cartman scowled, glaring down at his legs that were stretched out before him.
"It's ok, though. I couldn't have foreseen any of this. Besides, it wasn't as if I did this on purpose. I'm going to try not to blame myself for this. However, I DO acknowledge that none of this would have happened if I didn't do what I did. So… I don't know." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I really don't fucking know how I feel about it, I guess."
Cartman didn't really know how to comfort Kyle. He had spent his entire life making fun of the red-head, and hadn't ever tried to make him feel better. It was definitely a new experience to say the least.
He reached over and patted Kyle's arm awkwardly. Kyle blinked at him, confused at first. But then, a look of realization lit on his face, and he burst into laughter.
"Are you trying to comfort me?" he asked in between bouts of laughter.
"Shut up you stupid Jew! I don't know what to do to make you feel better!" His face felt hot.
Kyle continued to laugh. "Seriously Cartman, that's just awesome."
Cartman growled in irritation.
"No, seriously," Kyle repeated, calming down his laughter. "Thanks, dude. I appreciate it."
"Whatever."
"Really." Kyle scooted closer to him on the floor, his arm brushing up against his. "I really do. Thanks."
He glanced grumpily over at Kyle, but Kyle only smiled at him. He finally sighed. "Whatever," he repeated.
Kyle chuckled before falling silent again. Cartman frowned, seeing something out of the corner of his eye. "I think someone is going to come in."
Kyle groaned, glancing over. He quickly jumped to his feet just before the door swung open. "Hello," he greeted. "Get up, Fatass," he hissed.
"I'm a paying customer. I can do whatever I want."
He could see Kyle roll his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Cartman huffed, glancing at the customer. It was Mr. Stotch. Luckily, he didn't really engage them in conversation and instead disappeared among the aisles. Cartman slowly got to his feet.
Kyle pursed his lips, his eyes drifting where Mr. Stotch disappeared. He put his elbow on the counter, his chin in his hand.
"Bet you five bucks he rents porn," Cartman muttered softly, a smirk playing on his lips.
Kyle's sharp eyes found his. "Five bucks? You're on. There is no way he'd be willing to rent porn when we're here."
"Wanna raise it to ten bucks?"
"You really want to lose ten bucks?"
"You're just scared that I'll win."
"There is no way you'd win this one. Ten bucks it is."
Both boys fell silent as they listened to Mr. Stotch rustle around.
An idea popped into Cartman's head. "Wanna raise the stakes higher?"
"You're that confident that he'll rent porn? There is no way. I mean, shit… no one rents porn when I'm working… except Mr. Garrison."
"I'm beyond confident."
"No way."
"How about if I'm right, you suck my balls?"
"Cartman, we aren't going there again."
"Why not? You're into that."
Kyle sighed. "Shit, you are SO obsessed with that."
"Not really."
Kyle snorted. "Yes, you are. You haven't wanted to let it go since that happened."
"Well, you kind of owe me."
"I owe you nothing."
"Well, then… how about a hand job?"
"Shit Cartman…" Kyle's cheeks turned pink. "We haven't even gotten to second base yet… hell, I don't even know what we are… and suddenly you want to bet a hand job?"
"Um… yes?"
Kyle shook his head. "There is no way he'll rent porn."
"Then bet me."
"…. Fine. The winner receives a hand job from the loser."
"Sweet. Get your hand ready, Kyle, because I'm winning this."
"No. You aren't."
"Oh, Kyle… when will you admit that I'm always right and you're always a Jew?"
"Shut up. I totally got this."
Both boys fell silent as they tracked Mr. Stotch's progress through the store. Cartman liked these moments with Kyle the best.
-.-.-.-.-.
Cartman stood with his hands in his pockets as he whistled Monday morning. Stan kept giving him strange looks.
"Dude… what has gotten into you?"
"Nothing," he sang.
"Morning," Kyle said grumpily, giving Cartman a warning look.
"Why, hello Kahl. My, what a beautiful day it is."
Stan frowned.
"Don't start, Fatass."
"But Kahl, I'm only being nice."
"Don't. Start."
"What happened?" Stan asked, glancing between them.
"Nothing," Kyle quickly answered.
"You know, Kahl, I'm waiting to collect my winnings on our last bet."
"Drop it."
"Oh, Kyle," Stan groaned. "Why do you always make bets with him? What did you bet this time?"
"Nothing," Kyle repeated.
"But Kaaahl…"
"I said drop it, Fatass!"
Stan glanced from one to the other.
"Kyle and I made a bet on Saturday night while he was working… Mr. Stotch came in, and I betted that he would rent porn. Kyle said there was no way that he would rent porn with both of us standing there."
"And… he actually bought porn? With both of you there?"
"Yep! But I knew he would. Because I'm awesome."
"So what did you bet?"
Cartman grinned. "You really want to know?"
Stan paused, glancing at Kyle and then back again. "Actually… no. No I don't."
"I can't believe that pervert," Kyle muttered between clenched teeth.
"And not only did he rent ONE movie, but he rented TWO. I think I should collect double for that, don't you agree Stan?"
"Don't pull me into this," Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes you two are so predictable."
"Sometimes," Cartman echoed, glancing at Kyle, who glanced back. "But sometimes we can do something completely unexpected."
Stan frowned. "Do I want to know?"
"Probably not."
"Then I won't ask."
Cartman grinned over at Kyle, and Kyle just merely shook his head. But Cartman could see a faint smile on his lips.
-.-.-.-.-.
But according to Cartman, all good things come to an end. This was just how the world worked. He could feel the tension in the air the moment he stepped onto the bus that morning. Something was amiss. He kept his eyes open, but nothing came of it all day. But he knew that something was going to happen. Cartman was always good at knowing when trouble was around, mostly because he would always be in the center of it. But this time it would be less welcome.
He also kept an eye open for his friends. Kyle seemed to be fine all day, at least the few brief times he saw him passing in the hallways. At lunch, he seemed at ease too, sitting with his new group. Stan seemed alright as well. Wendy was acting normal, but he could tell that the open campaigning was taking a toll on her, since she was sitting all alone at lunch time, and she looked more tired today than most days. However, nothing seemed amiss.
Cartman knew better, however. The tension in the air was unmistakable. Someone or something was going to strike. He just didn't know when, or where.
It finally became clear to him after school. He hadn't taken much time at his locker, since he rarely took any books or homework home with him. He shoved everything in his locker, including his backpack. It took a few tries to jam the door shut, but he managed somehow after the third attempt. He saw Butters approach, one of the only students who really still talked with him.
"Hey Eric!"
"Hey loser. What's up?"
"Well, nothing much, really…" He poked his fingers together, a habit he hadn't lost over the years. "So… are you still friends with Kyle?"
"Why?"
"Well… I'm kind of worried for him."
Cartman quirked an eyebrow.
"I heard some guys talking today about what a fag he is and stuff… and they said something about taking him down."
Cartman paused. He knew it couldn't have been the guys from before, because he had taken care of that. Of course, he would deny it if anyone asked if he knew where they were. "Did they say when?"
"No… but I'd keep a close eye on him. I think they were planning to do something soon. They seemed really mad."
Cartman shoved the doors open as they both stepped outside together. "Could you maybe tell me something a bit more useful?"
"Well… I just saw them five minutes ago. They shoved me in my locker, so I would have come to you sooner… But luckily, Bebe let me out."
Cartman frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but then he heard a familiar shout. His head jerked in the direction of the sound, immediately locating the source.
"Ah, fuck," he hissed, taking off in the direction of Kyle's voice. He heard Butters following him. He knew he wouldn't be much help, but he appreciated the gesture. His chest felt tight and he felt a bit panicked. He told himself to keep his cool, but with every step, he knew that would be hard. He could feel his rage build quickly, his vision narrowing.
He turned the corner and saw Kyle. It was then that he lost control. A group of guys Cartman had never talked to before were ganging up on the thin redhead, and Kyle certainly could stand no chance. There were six of them in total, and they had cornered Kyle against the wall. Kyle was certainly putting up a fight; he kicked, punched, and yelled obscenities, struggling to gain the upper hand.
No one touched his Jew.
"HEY!" Cartman screamed, his blood boiling. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!"
He wasn't really sure what happened next. He was never sure when the rage took over like this.
All he knew was that he was pissed. He thought that Kyle might have called his name. At some point, Kyle dropped from sight. Cartman was there. He wasn't sure who he punched, or how hard. It all happened so quickly and yet it took a lifetime. Finally, the boys scattered. Cartman half followed them, screaming at them. They were all he could see. He wasn't even sure what he yelled, but most likely it wasn't nice. He would fucking kill those sons of bitches. He'd tear their heads off for touching…
"Eric!" Butters yelled, catching his attention. He turned.
Butters was at Kyle's side, trying to help him up. Kyle was clutching at his head, his jaw clenched in pain. Cartman's heart froze.
So much blood.
He ran over, probably faster than he had ever run before. He roughly grabbed Kyle's arms, holding him up. There was a lot of shouting and confusion. He couldn't understand. What was happening?
Kyle grabbed onto his shoulder and dug his fingers in, hard. Cartman paused.
"Cartman," he said steadily, his voice sounding distant and far away.
Cartman could feel his rage subsiding enough for him to clearly see what was happening.
"Cartman," Kyle repeated. "You need to calm down. Butters… call 911."
Cartman didn't look, but he could hear Butters fumble for his cell and quickly dial. He attempted to take a few deep breaths, but he couldn't stop panting.
"Cartman… Cartman… it's ok… I'm… I'm ok. I'm just bleeding a lot, and we need to … we need to try to stop it…"
"What happened?" Cartman heard himself asking. So much blood.
"Cartman… calm. Calm down. I need you to snap out of it."
Cartman blinked a few times. His rage had subsided, but panic had replaced it. "Oh my god… oh my fucking god…"
"Cartman … I need to sit…"
Cartman helped Kyle back down to the ground. He was finally able to see what had happened. One of them must have cracked Kyle's head against the side of the school building, because there was a large smear of blood there. Kyle was shaking… or was that himself?
He couldn't tell.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck…" he heard himself whimper, fumbling with his jacket. "Fuck fuck fuck…" He took it off and tried to use it to stop the blood. Kyle winced from the contact, his normally bright emerald eyes dulled.
He held him close, and refused to let go. He would never let him go. He ignored the sounds around him, not recognizing them for what they were. Finally, someone tugged on his shoulder, and he was forced away from Kyle. "Eric! They need to see him…" Flashing lights. Blood. God he looked so pale. White uniforms. Panic. Terror. He felt so lost and confused, and he wasn't even sure how he ended up at the hospital. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. All he could do was wait.