Standing amidst the mandatory rack of sunglasses found inside every last convenience store in America, located just next to an aisle populated with beef jerky and various snacks and candies, Hunter put on a pair with silvery rims and over-sized lenses. Leaning back razor-close to the shelf lined with various packs and flavors of gum, Kenny couldn't help but laugh out as the other teen struck a rather diva-ish pose.

"How do these look, darling?" He had no idea what his friend was aiming for with one hand on his hip and the other out in space, but the fake accent sounded more like a bad Transylvanian vampire.

"Like we should hide the stakes and the microphone." Chuckling, he took the glasses off the other's kisser unceremoniously, and instead of putting them back on the rack for the next jokester to try on, put them on his own mug. "These are more me."

Crossing her arms over her chest as she scrutinized the look, Hunter cocked her head to the side as she played along. "You got me there - those will be the only pair of shades that ever look good on you. But then what can I wear to the Playa's Ball?"

Half tempted to make some crack about what all the whores wear, Kenny simply grabbed a pair of sleek shield sunglasses from near the top row, and with only a small moment of consideration, put them on Hunter. While they were only joking about his pair, the other boy really did look good in the dark single frame. To demonstrate this, the boy with the blue eyes pointed to a small mirror in the corner of the store. Though slightly disproportionate, what Hunter saw wasn't too bad.

"So?" Returning to his normal speaking voice, Hunter waited with bated breath as Kenny nodded solemnly. Grinning like a human Cheshire at winning his approval, she slipped the goggles over her head. "Then they are sold! Thanks, I was actually looking to buy a new pair, since mine got broken in the move. I'll-" She had been about to say something along the lines of treasuring them until her next move, but just seemed... Well, it felt like now wasn't the time to say things like that.

Perhaps it was merely the look on her face that gave it away, but Kenny seemed to know what she had been about to say. "I didn't take you for the sentimental type." There was a kind of hardness in his voice that he didn't fully understand. "But I'm not surprised to see that you're planning on bailing already." In the end, Hunter really was just another client after all...

Bailing... Yeah, from his perspective it made sense to say that, but from where she was sitting, defecting wasn't an option, because her father and brother would always need her around in some capacity. "I wish I could leave sometimes... but they need me - they're the only ones though." Exhaling dejectedly, she went on to say, "It might not seem like it, but there was a time when I would try - really try - to make friends, but somehow I always found a way to fuck it up... Say the wrong thing to the wrong person too many times, fall for my friends' brothers, fall for my friends..." Hunter looked back outside the Plexiglas, right at their companions. "Look at me, I'm such a mess that I have to buy my friends." Twisting away from the outside, she regarded Kenny wistfully. "I got kind of used to it, but I really don't want to screw up this time... But I know that it's inevitable that I will somehow."

Wanting to leave it all behind was something that Kenny understood quite well, and as for distancing himself to keep from hurting worse, well, it was something that he could easily relate to. Having to support his family almost single-handedly, living every day in a state of fear and pain, Kenny had to admit that he and Hunter were a lot alike. And maybe Kyle was right, that he needed more than just a fuck... Or maybe he was wrong, and that was exactly what he needed...

Walking with Hunter down the snack aisle, Kenny peered sideways at the other teen, continuing the conversation. "In a perfect world, things would be fair."

"In a perfect world," Once more adverting her gaze for fear of what looking at him would do to her, she picked out items at random for Stan and Kyle, grabbing a blue cotton candy Baby Bottle Pop for herself, along with a couple banana Laffey Taffey, "This wouldn't be so hard, and I could just be honest."

He had the feeling she didn't mean with her sweet selection. In fact, he knew exactly what she meant. "The world doesn't have to be perfect for you to be honest."

"Yes it does, if I want to avoid suffering." For a moment she looked in danger of dropping the goodies in her arms. "In a perfect world, rejection wouldn't exist."

Taking a second to envision that world that Hunter described, Kenny decided that he liked the sound of never being rejected, for anything. "Everyone fuckin' holding hands in the never-ending circle jerk-"

"You could just say what was on your mind-"

"Have as many numbers as you wanted-"

"Never have a shortage of friends-"

Going through the list of what that perfect world without rejection could entail, they both reached the final item together. "I could belong."

It was strange hearing that a boy that had had the same group of friends for his entire life say that he wanted to belong. Sure, Kyle and Stan had each other, and Cartman was just an asshole, but there had to be someone that Kenny could have said was there for him when he really needed it. If not Kyle at the very least, that guy Craig seemed to be a really good friend...

As if reading her mind, Kenny found himself sharing more than he might have intended, assuming that he had had some kind of foresight. "Kyle and Stan are two of the raddest guys I know, but they have each other, and Craig has his own problems." It was a fact that most of what bonded them was loneliness. Loneliness, and drugs. Lots and lots of mind-altering, body numbing drugs. "What, you think you're the only one in the town that's suffering?"

Of course she didn't think that. "No, I just find it kind of scary that we're so much alike."

"Hunter..."

Gazing intently into a frozen sea of stormy waters, Kenny's words died almost as soon as they left his mouth, because at that very moment, they were being hailed by Kyle for taking too long. Striding into the store and up their aisle, the red head really didn't give Hunter the time to fathom a guess at what Kenny had been about to say to her. "You two have time for foreplay later! Stan's got the gas already."

With Kyle's help, they got what they had came in for: four one-liter sodas, four bottles of water, ten mini bags of Cheesy Poofs, a box of Snacky S'mores, and an armful of random candy. Paying for the provisions and glasses herself, Hunter and the two boys made their way back into the parking lot, where Stan was already waiting in the passenger's seat.

Handing him the stuff through the open window, Kyle couldn't help but to call attention to the fact that his best friend was now in the passenger seat. "Um, Stan, weren't one of the Wonder Twins supposed to sit up front with you?"

All shades of melancholy, the pessimist replied glumly, "Wendy called. I didn't answer the phone. I should have answered the phone..."

Great, just fucking peachy. Well, hopefully the food would keep them occupied for the rest of the trip... "Just try to behave yourselves, alright?"

"Huh?" Now that they weren't on the clock, Hunter was musing over what Kenny had wanted to say to her in the store, so she was only able to put in a half-assed attempt at sass. "Oh, right dad."

Rolling his eyes, Kyle took Stan's place at the wheel so the other boy was free to mope. Better to let him dwell than have him driving and suddenly get the urge to do them all in. Getting back in the SUV, Kenny and Hunter took their supplies from Stan and placed them in the middle seat so that they were both closer to the doors than each other. But even still, that didn't stop them from shooting glances back and forth.

"Someone hand me a water back there." At a particularly slow patch of traffic, Kyle reached out for what he had requested.

Simultaneously grabbing for the same bottle, their hands brushed, and some of the things they've been feeling since that night started to well back up, just hovering below the surface, drifting alongside the wave of newer feelings that were just starting to develop. Blushing profusely, Hunter hastily withdrew her hand, allowing for Kenny to hand Kyle the bottle. Catching her eye, Kenny flashed a small smile.

For whatever it was worth, Kenny was really starting to like this new guy, and he could already tell that when the time came for his friend to leave, it would be a rather sad day. But for the time that they did have, they should probably make the most of it...

Yep, Hunter has grey eyes. Again, part of this chapter went through a couple different forms, but I'm pretty happy with this ending. More excited for the next chapter, but whatever.

I do not own South Park, that's all on Matt and Trey, but I do own Hunter and Avery!