Chapter 34:
I would like to apologise for the lack of updates. I have been busy as hell and haven't had time to get my head around anything. Plus, when I have found any time to write, writers block has taken over. This chapter may be a bit rubbish so forgive me for that, I didn't know what direction to take this in.
Kyle PoV
As Bebe was busy entertaining Cartman on the morning announcements instead of turning up to homeroom, I was stuck sat alone at the back of the classroom.
My main concern was that Stan clearly had no intention of joining me and instead was spending this time with his new friends. He didn't look particularly happy about it; his head was bent and he was carving something into the table with a compass. Maybe it was my name... No shut up Kyle.
I could try and push him out of my head as much as possible, but as hard as I tried, the harder it became. I couldn't stop thinking about him. When I wake up in the morning, he is first person to enter my head all the way through to when I go to bed at night. I had also begun having continuous dreams about him, which worried me even more.
Everything I did was to try and impress him, though he hardly ever noticed me. I had been neglected. My hope that breaking up with Wendy would bring him back to me was fading. But no matter how much he pushed me away, it just made me... Want him more. As a friend I mean... Of course.
I was putting it down to an obsession. Something that would pass over time... I had felt this way about video games before... Playing them morning until night and then having them stick in my head. Except I wasn't playing with Stan... Unfortunately.
Luckily my thoughts are now interrupted by Cartman's highly irritating voice that booms out over the classroom.
"Students of South Park high." He speaks in a serious tone. "If you could please turn your attention to the big screen."
The projector begins to show a picture of Cartman's face, where he sits doing the announcements. Oh fucking hell, not this shit again. This was exactly what he did in fourth grade when he told everyone Wendy wanted to kill Smurfs.
"These are the morning announcements and I am Eric Cartman." The words I had heard countless times echoed over the room. "Today we have a special guest with us; Bebe Stevens. The used-to-be princess of South Park high who is now... A little bit different. Bebe, what has changed?"
"Nothing." She mutters.
"Well evidently your weight has changed." He chuckles, he was loving this. "Why might that be?"
"Because I've started eating fat boys like you for breakfast." She spits but this just cracks him up.
"Is that because they have begun to reject you since you became the size of a house?" He sniggers and then diverts the subject. "I would like to ask you about your relationship with Kenny McCormick."
"What about it?" She folds her arms defensively over her body.
"Well I think even a blind man could see that you've both been a bit... Distanced lately." Cartman proposes. "It's my job to keep the students up to date with who's on the market."
"Well Kenny's not on the market, so you can take him off the list." She retorts.
"Right so he's not getting it on with Heidi Turner then?" He asks quizzically.
"No." She replies, abruptly.
"Or Wendy Testaburger?"
"NO!" She raises her voice at the mention of Wendy's name.
"Well they seem to be spending a lot of time together." Cartman jeers. I turn my head to look at Kenny who is sat awkwardly next to Wendy, Heidi twirling her hair around her finger, trying to catch his eye.
"Well unlike some people I'm not a protective girlfriend who says he can't spend time with other people." She spits. "Like Wendy."
I see Wendy suddenly look up at the screen, which she hasn't been even the slightest bit interested in up until this point.
"What do you mean by that?" Cartman inquires, desperate to twist the knife in further.
"Well if her boyfriend... Sorry 'ex' boyfriend even talks to another girl and shit goes down." She laughs.
"Language." Cartman scolds.
"You bitch." Wendy mutters and Kenny puts his hand on her shoulder protectively.
"Well she did find him sleeping with her 'ex' best friend." Cartman points out.
"'Ex' second best friend." She prompts him. "And unlike some people we don't just jump into bed with the first person who comes along."
"Was that directed at anyone in particular?" Cartman asks, deluded in the fact that she was actually on about him.
"Oh no... Course not." She gives another wicked laugh. "Not the guy who gives his V card to the school prostitutes."
"Oi!" Portia pipes up.
"He's got a point." Lexus shrugs, not even caring that they were currently publicly bitching about her.
"You're one to talk." He scoffs. "Who did you climb into bed with when you were what? Twelve?"
"Don't talk about that." Bebe mutters.
"Clyde Donovan." Cartman whispers the name, teasing her with it. "You hypocrite."
I notice Clyde looking shiftily at the screen.
"You know nothing about that." Bebe shakes her head at him. "So shut it."
"Eric, that's enough now, lessons should be starting." I hear Principal Victoria call from off screen.
"Thing is Bebe. I know everything." He smirks.
"Eric, you've got five seconds to wrap it up." She yells again as Cartman turns to the camera.
"You see, what Bebe Stevens isn't telling any of you..." He pauses, looking at her worried expression. "Is that she's actually-"
The room is instantly plunged into darkness, computer screens switching off with a click, as Cartman's voice disappears.
"Waaaah!" Butters squeals. "Apocalypse."
"Butters it's a fucking blackout." Craig mutters.
"Actually what?" Lola yells, which is the question playing on everyone's minds, because for once, we were actually interested in the morning announcements.
Stan PoV
"So Stan, how was school today?" Mom asks as she places down the steamed vegetables to go with our chicken.
"Alright." I mutter, loading a few vegetables onto my plate and then stirring them round my plate with a fork.
"Just alright?" Dad asks, his mouth full of food. "That's all we ever get from you nowadays. Not that we ever see you, you're stuck in your room."
"Yeah so I can avoid stupid questions like that." I spit.
"How's football going?" Mom continues, thinking maybe this would brighten my mood. But it didn't. Nothing did.
"Alright." I repeat, causing me to receive rolled eyes from Shelley.
"Can you at least try to be sociable Stanley?" Mom sighs and then tries again. "How are you exams going?"
"Oh exams are going brilliantly." I smile and speak in the most sarcastic voice possible. "Yeah, peak of my life this, never been happier. I feel so lucky to have been given this gift of being a senior in high school. Thank you so much mom and dad for bringing me into this beautiful world."
"Enough." Dad stops me, dropping his cutlery down onto his plate forcefully. Luckily I was saved the lecture by the doorbell which rings out, interrupting the awkward silence that was resting upon our shoulders. My eyes follow dad as he rises from his chair and goes to open the door. I can hear a mumbled voice, it sounds like a female, around my age.
Oh my God it was Wendy. Shit. I wasn't ready to see her. Wasn't ready to hear her apologies and then kiss her and lie with her all night, the smell of her hair being my pillow.
"Stan there's a girl here for you." Dad calls.
Jesus he could address her by her name. I smooth down my jeans as best as possible, brush my hair to the side and paint a smile on my face. Ok, I could do this. If I could just talk to her. Maybe we could sort things out.
"I didn't know you were-" I am stopped when I see the face standing at my door. It wasn't Wendy, it wasn't Wendy at all. I feel my heart drop in my chest but try my best to keep the smile on my face, adamant to deny who I was actually hoping to see. "Emily... Hi?"
"Hi." She waves, what the hell was she doing here? She stands awkwardly for a few seconds and I was very aware that my family were sitting about two meters away, listening in, with only the open door to cover us.
"Did you... Want something or?" I prompt and her face suddenly snaps back to reality.
"Oh yeah..." She nods. "Have you heard from Douglas?"
"Douglas? No." I frown. "Why?"
"He won't pick up his phone." She wrings her hands, anxiously. "It just goes straight to voicemail."
"Maybe it's run out of charge?" I suggest.
"No... It's weird... He wasn't right at school today." She sighs, looking down at her shoes.
"Well have you checked his house?" I advise and observe as she doesn't raise her head.
"I um... I don't know where he lives." She bites her lip.
"Don't know where she lives?" I give a slight laugh. "I thought you two were really close."
"He's really secretive about that stuff." She shakes her head.
"It's South Park... It's not really New York City." I scoff. "It's hardly gotta be difficult to find your one of your best friend's houses."
"Well... I was gonna go look for him." She finally looks up. "Only... I was wondering if you'd come with me?"
I glance backwards to where my family were eating in silence, trying to eavesdrop on my conversation. Anything was better than being in this shit hole.
"I'm going out." I yell before slamming the door behind me.
"Thank you." Emily smiles at me, and we head on down the garden path.
Three Hours Later
"Look, it's almost midnight now." I check my watch, my hands freezing cold. "I'm sure he'll be at his house, wherever that is."
"I suppose..." Emily mumbles, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her coat. Yet we were still pacing round Stark's pond, trying to think of anywhere else he could possible live. Having lived here for seventeen years, I knew over three quarters of the residents and their houses. I had spent my childhood trick or treating or offering to shovel the snow off people's drives so I could put a face to a house. However, I could not work out where Douglas lived. Not once had I called at a house that happened to be his. "Well at least we tried."
"You look freezing." I tell her. "I'll walk you home, come on."
I try to pull her arm gently but she's glued to the spot. For a second I wonder maybe she has actually frozen.
"Stan?" She whispers and I turn my head in the direction she was looking. I can faintly make out the outline of a boy in the darkness, face turned towards the pond, lying stiff on a bench. "Douglas?" She raises her voice, running over to him. "Doug?" Shaking him harshly he sits up suddenly, eyes wide with fear. "What the hell are you doing?" Emily slaps him lightly and then pulls him into a tight hug.
I can't help but feel like a third wheel. I could tell from the second I saw her at the door that she was worried sick about Douglas. I hadn't known either of them too long, so me standing here staring at them felt a bit out of place.
"Forgive me for interrupting..." I cough, approaching them awkwardly. "But... What are you doing here Douglas?"
"It's a long story..." He sighs, burying his head in his hands once Emily had finally let go. "Well actually it's not that long... Just... Complicated."
"What is it?" Emily meets his eyes supportively.
"...I'm an orphan." He says so quietly I almost don't hear him. In fact I hope that I haven't. "...My mom died when I was six."
"What?" Emily gasps. I instantly feel a surge of guilt for being such a depressive prick over the past few weeks. Loving family, head of the football team, beautiful girlfriend, great friends... Then there was Douglas who keeps his head up no matter what. He had been giving me support for what I was going through.
"I've missed my curfew at the orphanage..." He sighs. "So... I came here to sleep."
"The orphanage?" Emily frowns.
"It's in Denver." He tells her, tears brimming in his eyes. "I never wanted to tell anyone... Because well... It's embarrassing."
I exchange a look with Emily before she wraps him back into a hug.
"You can stay with me tonight." I offer and he smiles at me appreciatively before resting his head back on Emily's shoulder.
Credit to RatherOddRanger for some of the ideas in this chapter.