Chapter 10:

Stan PoV

I was trying to walk as slowly as possible to my math classroom, but when you are holding hands with a straight-A student who usually gets to her classes ten minutes early, it is tough. Of course, she was not in my class, she was in the set next door with Kyle, also known as the smart people's classroom. Bebe was in the middle set with the majority of her cheerleader friends and I was in the lower set with Kenny and unfortunately Cartman. Kenny was actually pretty good at math, but because he was poor, they seem to automatically stick him in the lower sets. Stereotypical, but I wasn't complaining. It was the same for Edward Petuski (more commonly known by his nickname DogPoo) and Douglas, I didn't know why he was poor, but he clearly was. He had not been in homeroom however today, which I was sure was a result of his mom being back in hospital. Without sounding completely selfish, this was irritating as it meant I would have to spend my lesson with Cartman, as I rarely spoke to the rest of the people in our set; Tammy and a few of the dumb girls out of her group, Timmy, Clyde, who never turned up, and two of the Raisins girls who had been kicked out of their jobs once the business had been taken over by more mature staff. There were some other boys in the class who were generally loners and rarely co-operated with Mr Lambert.

"Right okay, I'll see you later." Wendy kisses me quickly on the cheek. "Unless you get murdered about the homework issue."

She is gone before I can say anything back. "Ok, cool, that's fine." I mutter as I watch her skip off into her classroom and starts talking excitedly to Craig. Why was Craig even in top set math? He was in bottom set English because he could only use one tone of voice. I decide to stop being so bitter and enter my classroom, sitting myself down next to Cartman, with an empty seat the other side which would usually be Kenny's. Clyde was also missing from next to Cartman, but that was nothing new, so we were sat alone on the back row of the classroom. Great.

"Hi Cartman." I unpack my things, he was staring off into space. "Nice choice of… music to overlay the announcements this morning."

"Oh you liked it?" He suddenly perks up at the sound of my sarcastic expression. "Yeah it is death metal Friday."

"Right…" I mutter. I was not about to get into a conversation with him about why. "It's also chip Friday." I nudge him and see a flicker of hurt flash across his face. That was weird, lunch was Cartman's favourite part of Friday's, alongside the KFC his mom buys him for dinner. Basically anything food based…

"Can't wait…" He mumbles, sarcastically.

"You're not still doing this healthy eating thing are you?" I say as the thought pops into my head.

"Yes. I'm on a very strict diet." He informs me and I raise my eyebrows as his stomach rumbles.

"Really?" I begin to laugh. "I made a bet with Token. He said you wouldn't last a day, we put ten dollars on it. I thought I'd lose that for sure."

"Wow, thanks for your motivation Stan." Cartman says, sarcastically.

"Ok class, sit down and shut up." Mr Lambert bellows as he enters the classroom. Directing his words at Portia, a Raisins girl who was sat on the desk with her feet in her friend Lexus' lap. As she proceeds to sit down after rolling her eyes, Terrance Mephesto throws a paper aeroplane at DogPoo's head and receives a withered glare in return.

"How did we get here Cartman?" I sigh, putting my head in my hands. It only took Kenny being absent to make me realise what it feels like to be hanging out with the rejects. The only people in this room who were even slightly popular, were Portia and Lexus, who hung out with a few other Raisins girls outside at recess, smoking and giving blow jobs to the junior's for cheap cash.

"Register." Lambert calls out, sitting down at his computer. "When I say your name say yes or no for if you are here and another yes or no for if you have done your homework." Oh shit, he did remember then. "Eric Cartman."

"No, yes." He holds up his homework and everyone laughs at his wit.

"Dude, you did your homework?" I begin to panic, looking at his ink stained sheet of equations.

"Marsh, shut it." Lambert snaps and I slide down my chair. "Lexus Clark?"

"Yeah, yeah." She drones.

"Clyde Donovan?" There is silence and he scans the room for any unlikely sign of Clyde. "Douglas Hemmings?"

"Yes, yes." He speaks up.

"Portia Indigo?" Oh crap, it was getting closer to me. I watch as both Portia and Kal hold up their sheets of homework after their names are called.

"Stan Marsh?" He says my name bitterly, as if it is a sour sweet.

"…No." I murmur.

"No you're not here or no you haven't done your homework?" Well what did he think? Was he just trying to rub it in?

"I wish I wasn't here." I mutter.

"What was that?" He shouts.

"No I have not done my homework." I admit and everyone stares at me.

"You're in shit Stan." Cartman hisses.

"Why?" Lambert questions.

"Well I tried to do it, I got Wendy to help me, but it's too hard." I tell him and he rolls his eyes.

"Detention, tonight." He confirms. "Terrance Mephesto?"

"I can't do detention tonight, I have a football match." I pipe up, bravely and I hear Cartman sniggering under his breath next to me.

"I don't care about football Stanley." He spits. "Tell you what, you can stay here until you have done the homework, that way you will be here all night."

"Well can't I do it over lunch instead?" I try to negotiate but he shoots me a death stare.

"Principal's office, now." He yells. What? I had to go to the principal for that? I decide it is probably not best to question him further and so I rise from my seat slowly and do the walk of shame until I am out of the door. Why was I being punished for being dumb? I had tried to do the homework, hadn't I? I hated Mr Lambert. I hated him with a passion.

"Hi Stan." I hear Kenny's voice and look up angrily. "What are you doing? We're supposed to be in math."

"I got sent to the principal's office for not doing my homework." I growl.

"Well I didn't do my homework." Kenny shrugs. "Am I going to get kicked out too?"

"Nah, you have an excuse." I tell him and then mentally slap myself. "…Which I am deeply sorry about by the way."

"It's cool. I'm used to it." He says cheerily. He was Mr Lambert's favourite student, no way would he be sent to the principal's office. "I'd better go, good luck."

"Thanks man, see you later." I smile and fist bump him before we pass each other. Wendy was going to be so disappointed in me. I knew she was secretly angry at me this morning because she had told me to finish the homework after she left last night. Of course, I hadn't, but I had been forced to put the shelves up in Shelley's room and then take the dog for a walk. By the time I was home the game was on TV and then I had to have a shower… Ok, so it sounds lame, but I did need some time to chill out. Everyone was just jumping at my throat all the time, I guess I didn't anticipate senior year to bring this much pressure. I reach Principal Victoria's office and knock on the door reluctantly. It was not the same principal from Elementary school, but it was her daughter.

"Yes?" I hear her voice from inside and could tell she was already in a bad mood.

"Mr Lambert told me to come and see you because I didn't do my homework." I mumble as I enter the room.

"Just for that reason?" She looks up from her paper work, circles under her eyes.

"Well… I also said I couldn't do detention because I have a match after school. But it's really unfair, I told him that and then he said 'well then you can do the whole sheet of homework, then you will be here all night'." I imitate. "So I tried to ask if I could do it at lunch instead but he just sent me here. He doesn't understand how important this match is to me. I have to go, I am the star quarterback, and they need me. I'll go and get back up from coach right now."

"Stan, calm down." She orders as I begin to leave, flustered after my long speech. "You can go to the match."

"What?" My face breaks into a relieved smile. "Really?"

"Yes." She nods and points to the chair. I hesitate before sitting down on it, I was in no rush to get back to class. "But I am concerned about your grades Stan. They have been declining since sophomore year. You used to be very bright in Elementary school, top of the class my mother says."

"That's not true, Kyle and Wendy were top of the class." I defend myself and a thought crosses my mind. "Wait, you all talk about me?"

"We talk about all the students." She chuckles, eating a chocolate out of a nearby box and offering me one. "I think you have a lot of potential, I really do. But I think you let things get on top of you easily; football, Wendy, your friends. I don't think I am allowed to pass these judgements but it is clear you are a member of the 'in crowd'. All of that is impacting on your studies somewhere."

I take a second to process this. I was actually a little bit freaked out at how much she knew about my life. I had been in here many times over my high school years but it was like she was a councillor not a principal. "Well, those are the things that matter most to me." I say quietly. "You know, when I am playing football or hanging out with my friends or girlfriend, I feel happy. There is so much pressure put on me in lessons and at home, it drains me. All I want to do is get a football scholarship. I don't see why I need to learn about 'sedimentary rocks' or work out 'x minus y'. I don't need that. I hate it."

"That's how a lot of people feel." She empathises. "But at the end of the day Stan, this is what you have been working your whole life for. You're so close to the end and yes, I know there is a likely possibility of you getting a scholarship, you have the talent for it. But you can never be sure, it's not a very safe profession to be in and you always need something to fall back on. Just in case."

"Mmm." I mumble and look up. I officially had new found respect for her now.

"So you'll try your best?" She prompts and I nod. "Promise?"

I cross my fingers behind my back and look her straight in the eye. "Promise."