Kyle has been blowing him on and off all semester since he failed intro to psych, and Eric wants to keep it that way. The first time he apologizes, he has that explicit purpose in mind.
"What was that?"
"I said…" Cartman puckers his lips and screws his eyes shut. "I'm sorry."
"Oh. Okay." The tension drains from Kyle's face like a deflated red balloon. "Apology accepted, I guess."
"Really? So you're not gonna…" Cartman sniffles dramatically. "Break up with meeeeee?"
"Over the hair in the bathroom sink?" Kyle falters, one hand braced on the headboard. "Are we going out?"