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Disclaimer: South Park is sadly not mine
Affliction
Chapter 2
Stan
I cringe as I place more antiseptic on the deep gash on my forearm. I got the gash from trying to shield myself from what I now know is a whip. I don't know where Shelley got it, and I don't want to know. After she beat me up, she left the house, much to my relief. It took a while for me to pull myself up the basement stairs and to my room.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I put down the antiseptic at last. I take the medical cloth from the first aid kit and wrap myself up. As I do so, I stare at myself in the mirror.
My body is black and blue from all of Shelley's kicks and punches. More than half of my body is wrapped up with the medical cloth to stop the bleeding from her whip and various other cuts. Since I can't reach my back, I couldn't put on any antiseptic so I just guessed and wrapped myself up. Luckily my arm is just sprained so I don't have to worry about going to the hospital. I just have to be careful using it.
As carefully as I can, I pull on my black jeans and black shirt. I've decided to wear black from now on, because it'll be the easiest to hide the blood that might show up. If anybody asks about it, I'll just say I'm depressed over losing Wendy again (which is totally not true). And as much as I hate to think about it, maybe Kyle will stop hanging out with me, which will make him safer. I glance at my watch. 8:15. Just a few more touches and I'll be ready. If I hurry I can maybe just 10 minutes late to school. Luckily my homeroom teacher never takes attendance.
After cleaning all the cuts on my face, I grab my mother's cover up. I know it sounds totally messed up and gay, but it's the only way I can think of to hide the heavy bruises and cuts on my face. Once I'm done with my face, it's time to add the final touches: my black Rockies baseball cap and sunglasses.
I stare at myself one last time. I don't look great, but at least I don't look obvious. Hopefully nobody will notice my broken nose. It's the only thing I can't hide. I grab my backpack, stumble out of my house, and start the painful walk to school.
KSK
Kyle
"And that's how you prove that this is an acute triangle," my AP Geometry Mrs. Kelly drones on.
I roll my eyes. This class is so boring. And pointless. When in the hell am I going to have to prove that something is a triangle in real life? It's just lame. I tune out my boring math teacher. My thoughts turn to my best friend, Stan Marsh. I can't help but be worried about him. He didn't show up at the bus stop this morning. He never misses school, unless he's really sick. I really hope he's okay. I care about him more than anything in the world.
The bell rings, making me sigh in relief. Lunch time at last. I'll get to hang out with my best friends, Kenny and Butters. We finally were able to kick Cartman out of the group in 7th grade, thank God. It's made my life a hell lot easier. I rub my head. My brain needs a rest from all those AP classes. I grab my books and enter the hallway, my mind full. It felt so weird sitting by myself on the bus today. The spot beside me was almost always occupied. I decide to stop by Stan's place after school just to make sure he's okay.
I stop dead in my tracks. Standing by my locker, rummaging through his own is my best friend. Right off the bat I notice something isn't right. Stan is wearing all black with a black baseball cap over his messy hair. My heart thuds in my chest. I hope he's not joining the Goth kids again. I hurry over to him. "Stan!"
He glances up at me. I notice he's wearing dark shades. He's never worn them before. He grins at me. "Hey dude."
My eyes widen. It's obvious that Stan's nose is broken. Shelley must've hit him again. "Why are you wearing black again?" I ask.
He sighs. "Wendy dumped me the other day," he says in a hoarse voice. I stare at him suspiciously. His sounds more like he's having a hard time breathing, not suffering from a break up.
Now is not the time to investigate his strange behavior. I decide to play along for now. I place my hand on his shoulder. "Sorry dude," I say sympathetically. "You'll just have to forget about her. She's a slut anyway."
Stan nods mutely. "What happened to your nose?" I ask.
He touches it gingerly. "I ran into a door."
I shake my head. "You should be more careful."
Stan breaks the small silence between us. "Sorry I didn't meet you. I accidentally overslept."
He stumbles over his last sentence, but I let it slide. I still find the fact that he's wearing sunglasses indoors odd, but I don't want to press the issue right now. I'm just so glad that he's here. I smile at him. "No problem, dude. Ready for lunch?"
He nods and we head towards the cafeteria. Nervousness bubbles inside me. Stan's never lied to me before, and I know he's lying to me right now. Something is up.
SKS
It's the end of the day and Stan and I just got off the bus. During the rest of the day, my worry for my best friend started to increase. Stan didn't say a word during lunch. I tried everything I could think of him to talk, even trying to get into an argument, but no luck. He refused to look at anyone, and had a hard time eating his lunch.
We start walking to our houses in silence. I'm trying to think of what to say to him. The silence between us is really starting to get to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I glance at my best friend.
Stan is walking beside me. His face is full of pain and fear. I watch in concern as he clutches his chest tightly. "Are you okay?" I ask.
He turns his attention to me and forces a smile on his face. "I'm fine. My asthma's just been acting up a lot lately. Don't worry, Kyle."
I wouldn't worry if you weren't acting so strange I think to myself. I grab him by the shoulder to make him stop walking and face me. Agony forms on his face, making me step back slightly. What the hell is wrong with him? I want to ask him to tell me the truth about what's going on, but I can't. I'm afraid to know. I swallow the lump in my throat. "You want to go to my house and play video games?" I ask, even though I'd be staying up all night getting all the homework done for my AP classes. I don't care. As long as I get to spend time with my best friend.
Stan gives me an almost sad smile. "Sorry, but I've got a lot of homework."
"Oh. Okay," I say in disappointment. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Later."
We go our separate ways. My heart is pounding hard against my chest. Something isn't right. He's definitely hiding something.
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