Stan sighed as he slid his black Verizon cell phone shut and made his way for the front door of the apartment. He was dressed in a tight black t-shirt with a stark white skull and crossbones on the front and black skinny jeans, eyeliner was heavy around his eyes, nearly making him look like a raccoon. His nails were painted jet black and his black hair was unkempt. As he was walking out of the door, passing by where Christine - a tall woman with wavy blonde hair who was still in the black button up shirt and black slacks she wore to work - was sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette, he dug into his pocket and pulled out some black lipstick.
"Going to go meet up with Marie or your friends?" Christine asked as she turned from the TV, which was playing a rerun of 1,000 Ways to Die, to face him. She took in his appearance and nodded. "Okay, you're going to go see Marie."
He stopped and looked over at her with the lipstick still in his hand. "She's mad that I saw some friends that I haven't seen for years instead of going to hang out with her. I just…don't feel like Raven after seeing them, but I agreed to meet her."
"Well, don't forget your hobo gloves," she pointed out as she took a drag off of her cigarette.
Stan sighed and ran back to his room. He grabbed his black fingerless leather gloves and then walked back to the door. "I won't be out too late. Marie probably won't want to hang out very long if I'm not completely Raven by the time I get there."
"Alright. I'll stay up until midnight, but after that, just don't wake me up, okay?"
"Okay." With that, he walked out of the apartment and out to his rust red 1990 Ford Taurus. When he started the car up, he pulled the mirror down and applied his lipstick. It was the kind that would stay on until he washed it off, but he didn't really care. Marie had bought it for him against his will; he didn't think he needed it, but she insisted he did, so he wore it around her just to humor her.
He flipped his headlights on and pulled out of the parking lot of the apartments. It had only been three hours since Kyle and Clyde left to go back to South Park, and Stan couldn't get Kyle off of his mind. He thought it was because it had been so long since he'd seen his best friend, but he kept finding himself getting jealous over Kyle being with Clyde. Stan gripped the wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. Why was Kyle with him? Clyde had always been a jerk, and Kyle never seemed like him even as a friend, so why…?
He sighed heavily as his attitude went from happy to have seen his friend, to a deep depression for reasons he couldn't figure out. As the depression that transformed him into his gothic Raven persona fell over him, he pulled into the driveway of Marie's parents' house. Her parents weren't home and wouldn't be for the next few days, they were in Florida on a business trip. It was the perfect opportunity for Marie and Raven to hook up.
As soon as he cut the power to the engine, the front door opened to a pale girl with long black hair wearing a lacey soft black dress. She leaned against the doorframe with her gloves arms crossed over her c-cup chest. Raven skulked up to her with his hands shoved in his pockets.
He glanced up from where he was staring at the ground to take in his girlfriend's face, done up with heavy black eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. He could smell the smoke from her menthol cigarettes and knew that he was going to bum one off of her as soon as they were inside.
Before Marie let him in though, she asked him, "What gave you the idea to completely ditch on me?"
He shrugged. "What's it to you? Now, move aside," he pushed past her and walked down the hall to her room with her following, "I need a smoke."
"Ass," she muttered as she plopped down in the black beanbag seat next to her bed covered with a Nightmare Before Christmas comforter set.
Raven grabbed her Pall Mall menthols and lit one up as he laid down on Marie's bed. He stared up at the ceiling, black that was tinted purple from the black light she used. Marie crawled up onto the bed next to him and reached for the button of his pants as his cell phone vibrated in his front pocket.
"That better not have been your cell phone," she said threateningly.
"It wasn't my cock, if that's what you were hoping for," Raven said as he reached into his pocket for his phone. He slid his cell phone up and saw that he had a text from someone the wasn't registered in his phone. He clicked "read" so that he could find out if it was something from Facebook or Twitter.
Hey Stan, it's Kyle. I pulled your number off of your phone when you went to the bathroom and left it on the table. Anyway, what's up?
Stan smiled wide and snapped into a sitting position. He handed Marie the cigarette Raven had been smoking and quickly typed a response.
Hey Kyle. I'm just hanging out with Marie. What about you?
"What the hell are you doing?" Marie demanded as he hit "send."
"I'm texting Kyle back," he said with a shrug.
She took a long drag off of the cigarette and then pointed at the door. "Just go. You're not Raven tonight, so I don't want you here."
"Okay, fine with me." Stan hopped off the bed and began walking for the door. He knew she wasn't going to follow him out, she never did that, even when we was Raven the entire time.
He hit the button to read what Kyle had sent him as he climbed into his car and wiped the lipstick off.
Nothing, just hanging out with Butters and Kenny. Dude, you'll never believe this, but Kenny has been seeing Butters on the side! He doesn't want to be with Cartman, but he hasn't left him to protect Butters from his wrath. Oh, by the way, if you get a text from Clyde asking where I am, tell him I got stuck at Butters' house since it's snowing pretty heavy here. His cell phone sucks and doesn't get good service out by the apartment.
Stan chuckled. Kenny loves Butters now, and so the plot of the life he could've had thickens.
Wow, I would've never guessed that. Butters just never seemed like Kenny's type, you know…? And, okay, I'll tell Clyde if he asks. Hey, just how long have you two been seeing each other anyway?
He pulled out of the driveway as he hit the "send" button and suddenly regretted asking. Stan knew that if Kyle and Clyde had been in a long-standing relationship then his jealousy would've been pointless. After a certain point, two people just realize they love each other - he of course didn't really know how that felt seeing as Marie and Raven's relationship was strictly physical - and know that they always want to be together. He could only hope that their relationship hadn't hit that point yet.
His cell phone buzzed as he was driving, but he was too afraid to look at it, so he waited a few minutes, when he pulled into his parking space in front of the apartment, before grabbed his phone and looked at Kyle's answer.
Nearly five years now. Actually, he proposed to me last month and I accepted. We're going to be married this upcoming July, a month after we graduate. Isn't that great? J
Stan felt his heart sink in his chest, though he couldn't figure out why. He knew that some part of him hated that Kyle and Clyde were dating, but now that he knew they were engaged, he hated it even more. He suddenly felt the need to get Kyle alone and just…
"Whoa!" Stan shook his head and slapped himself, bringing him back from his thoughts. "I'm not gay, what am I thinking? I should be happy for them." With that in mind he text back:
Yeah, that is great! J July, huh? Better than this time of year, I guess, especially with the snow. Lol. If you want any help with planning, I'll be glad to help you.
He hit "send" and climbed out of his car. He calmly walked back into the apartment, finding Christine still sitting on the couch watching 1,000 Ways to Die. He hadn't been gone long, maybe twenty minutes.
"You were gone long," she said sarcastically, not taking her eyes off of the screen.
"Yeah," he said as he walked into the bathroom and washed the make up off, and changed into a baggy white t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. "Marie didn't want me around since I wasn't Raven." He plopped down on the couch next to Christine.
"I see." She looked over at him as he got back up and grabbed his buzzing phone off of the end table next to the door. "Who're you texting? Travis?" Travis was an old friend of Stan's that moved out to California a year ago, he occasionally text Stan if he got bored.
"No, it's Kyle." He hit the "read" button.
Really? Man, that'd be great, I need help desperately! Kenny offered, but every time he tries to help, Cartman buts in. Wendy also offered to help…but I really don't want her help, she's kind of a bitch now. I'm planning on going up there tomorrow anyway, and if Cartman asks, Kenny and Butters are too, so we can talk about it then. Oh yeah, sorry about just surprising you by saying I'll be there tomorrow, but I'll be there around noon.
Stan smiled and text back that that was fine, and they'd have fun before he said that he was going to go to sleep. He hit "send" and waited for Kyle's response as he watched more of 1,000 Ways to Die with Christine.
"Kyle, huh?" She chuckled.
"What?" He looked over at her, knowing she was going to accuse him of something, but not entirely sure what this time.
"Should I not be here?" She winked innocently. "Maybe give you two some 'quality time?'"
"No!" He turned bright red. "What would make you think that?"
She laughed. "You're so easy to irritate! Just like when you were a kid!"
"That's not funny," he said through ground teeth. He hated it when Christine irritated him, she always did so in a way that turned out being truth. She teased him about Marie, and they were…well, they were having sex, she even teased him about his friend Travis, and he had gay thoughts about him up until he moved. Everything she teased him about usually came true in some way.
He stood up and grabbed his phone as he made his way to his room. "I'm going to sleep."
"Goodnight," she said as she turned her attention back to the TV.
Stan shut his door and, without even bothering to turn on the light, plopped down on his twin-sized bed. He was asleep within minutes.