As he was walking through his front door, Kyle received a text message from a number he didn't recognize, but he quickly realized there was only one person who could've sent it.

Hey sorry about all that. I was just trying to mess with Cartman. Congrats on being out of the closet dude!

Kyle considered not replying but his curiosity got the better of him.

I thought you couldn't afford a phone.

Not a smart phone, but I can text and call who I need to.

Kyle typed out an angry message asking why Kenny hadn't given him and Stan his number, but ended up deleting it instead of sending it. It was useless. Kenny was just the kind of guy who knew everything about other people's lives, but no one knew anything meaningful about him.

Next time don't involve me in your and Cartman's bullshit.

No guarantees. Cartman has a weak spot for you and I may have to use it against him in the future.

Kyle felt exasperated. He couldn't think of a good enough response. He finally gave up, but just a few minutes later Kenny was calling him.

He picked up. "What is it, Kenny?"

"The party is at Bebe's house at 10pm. Just swing by with Cartman after the dance."

"Not interested."

"Come on, Kyle. I said I was sorry. Don't be a little bitch."

"Fuck you, Kenny! I'm not a bitch and I'm not a fucking pawn you can use whenever you want to piss off Cartman!"

"His reaction was pretty funny though, huh?" Kyle didn't respond. "Look bro, Stan told me everything." Fucking Stan. Couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it. "If you want to get this out of your system the party is the perfect place to do it."

"I'll consider it," he replied after a little bit.

"Cool." Kenny hung up.

Later that evening, Kyle was struggling to pick out an outfit. Every piece of clothing he owned made him look like an uptight nerd. He cursed his mom for only buying him clothes that accentuated the fact he was an honor student. He finally settled on a green button up shirt and a pair of jeans, but he was still unsatisfied. He looked like he was going to the grocery store, not a party. Kyle groaned. Weren't gay men supposed to be naturally talented at dressing themselves? Maybe that was just a myth started by crab people.

Forty minutes after the dance was scheduled to start, Stan knocked on his front door. Kyle's mom answered.

"Well Stan, you're looking very handsome." The only evidence of Mrs. Broflovski's age was a streak of gray in her hair and the extra wrinkles in the corners of her smile.

"Thanks Shelia."

"Now Stan, I don't approve of underage drinking, except for religious purposes, but especially not in your case. I expect you'll be a responsible driver tonight."

Kyle heard her as he was coming down the stairs. "Mom, Stan's always very responsible. You don't need to lecture him."

"I know he is! I just worry, and for good reason. So many reckless kids getting into accidents on the news. And their poor families!"

Stan clapped his friend on back in greeting and smiled politely at Mrs. Broflovski. "We promise we'll be safe."

Kyle nodded. "I'll be back later and I'll call to check in if the plan changes."

"Alright, bubbe. Make good decisions."

Kyle gave his mom a quick kiss on the cheek and walked towards the driveway.

"Are you okay, dude?" Stan asked as he started the engine. "You look tense."

Kyle felt tense. "I'm having second thoughts about this whole night." Stan shot him a concerned look. He reached down and pulled a flask from his pants pocket.

"Drink this."

"That's a terrible idea. My mom would go bat-shit Barbra Streisand on me if I came home drunk."

"Then tell her you're sleeping at my house tonight and fucking drink this."

Kyle grumbled as he unscrewed the cap. "This is fucking peer pressure. I hope you know how illegal it is to even have this in the car. Smells fucking terrible–"

"Just shut up and drink!"

"Here's to getting arrested," Kyle said sarcastically before plugging his nose and pouring the flask into his mouth. He swallowed and then gagged. He quickly handed the flask back to Stan, who rolled his eyes before pulling out of the driveway.

"You are such a fucking square, dude."

Kyle sighed. "Don't I fucking know it."

"No. No. I don't want to hear any of that depressed, insecure bullshit. We're having fun tonight. That was my special confidence cocktail and it's gonna help you have a real fucking good time."

"I just don't even know why I'm going out tonight."

"You're going out to hang with me and my girl." The car was silent for a beat. "And maybe play a little tonsil hockey with Eric Cartman."

"Tonsil hockey?"

"You know. Swap some spit? Suck some face?"

"Sick dude!"

"See if he's down for a little tongue wrastling?"

"You mean wrestling?"

"No, it's wrastling, Kyle. Wraaastling." Stan was fighting to keep a straight face, but he couldn't hold it and they both cracked up laughing. "Real talk though. I know you're the king of overthinking things, but try to let your brain off the hook for tonight. Just remember, I got your back."

"Thanks bro." Kyle said. He turned to look out the window. While they drove he felt the fuzzy warmth of the alcohol begin to cloud his thoughts. It felt nice to be forced to let go of his worries for a while.

The dance was decently crowed by the time Stan and Kyle arrived at Token's mansion. They found Wendy and the other members of the Women's Equality Club sitting out front taking tickets.

"Hey babe," Stan said, giving his girlfriend a quick kiss. "Keeping warm out here?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help earlier. I couldn't have gotten everything set up without you and Token."

"Yeah, my pleasure." Stan smiled proudly, but Kyle suspected the only reason Stan had been so willing to help out after school was keep Wendy and Token from being alone together.

"Is Cartman here yet?" Kyle blurted out without thinking.

"Uh, not sure. I haven't seen him." Wendy looked wary. "With any luck he won't show up at all."

Kyle laughed a little too loudly. "Haha! So fucking true!" Stan began to quickly usher Kyle inside.

"Anyway! Come find us when your shift is done, babe."

"Sure." She eyed Kyle suspiciously. "Stay out of trouble."

As they walked into Token's house, Kyle saw all the furniture had been stored away somewhere and the main floor had been transformed into a giant dance floor decked out with streamers, balloons, and flashing colored lights. Kyle recognized the song they were playing from the top 40s list. A few groups of people were dancing, but the majority of them were just standing around awkwardly. Kyle bobbed his head to the beat, not so subtly scanning the room in search of the person he was both eager and afraid to see.

"Any sign of Cartman?" Stan asked, yelling so Kyle could hear him over the music.

"I don't see him," Kyle shouted back. "Hey, is there anything left in that flask?"

Stan handed it to him discreetly. "It's all yours, but drink it somewhere you won't be seen. I don't want to get in trouble with Wendy."

Kyle nodded and walked further into the house. Maybe he could find a bathroom or a broom closet to duck into. As he poked his head into the kitchen he was startled to see Cartman and Butters standing near the punch bowl. Kyle's heart dropped into his stomach. He immediately turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Then he heard Butters call out to him.

"Hey Kyle!"

Kyle walked faster. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a staircase. There had to be a bathroom on the second floor. He was right, and Kyle thanked God it was unoccupied. He was not in the right state of mind to confront Cartman yet. He needed to take a moment to gather his wits, and by gather his wits he meant chug the rest of Stan's flask.

As he gagged back the last of the confidence cocktail, Cartman suddenly walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Kyle had forgot to lock the door.

Fuck.

"Can you fucking wait a second?" Kyle choked out, his throat still burning from the alcohol.

Cartman shrugged. "I didn't trust you to not keep avoiding me."

"Ok, well I won't. Now please leave."

Cartman didn't leave. Instead he took a casual sip of his punch. "This dance kind of sucks."

Kyle glared. "What part of 'please leave' don't you fucking understand?"

"I'm just saying, I'm not super fucking excited to go back out there!" Cartman said defensively. "You look good by the way. Did you style your hair?"

"You're so fucking weird!" Kyle said irritably. He felt the color rising to his cheeks despite his efforts to remain stoic. He hated how easily an interaction with Cartman could break his composure. "Why are you still in this goddamn bathroom?"

"I don't know. So I don't have to shake it off with T-Swift?"

Kyle frowned. The alcohol was starting to make him feel empowered, and he didn't feel like beating around the bush anymore. "Or you could stop being a pussy and just admit you want to be near me."

"Oh. Well… Yeah." Cartman looked to the side. Kyle felt oddly disappointed. He had been hoping for a more argumentative response. For second time that day Kyle noticed how tired Cartman seemed. He wasn't the kind of person who often found himself at a loss for words, and frankly Kyle found his inarticulacy disturbing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. ...No." Cartman groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The truth is, I feel like I'm going insane with how badly I want you." He lifted his eyes to meet Kyle's, and Kyle felt his heart speed up. After everything that had happened he hadn't been able to hold eye contact with Cartman for more than a couple seconds, but now, like a magnet, he couldn't look away. He was looking directly at Cartman for the first time that night, and Kyle was a little taken aback. The intensity of Cartman's eyes was punctuated by dark, sunken circles. His brown hair was sticking up messily, making him look both distressed and seductive. He was wearing fitted, dark jeans paired with a black t-shirt that stretched attractively around his surprisingly defined arms. Or maybe not surprising considering how that day at the basketball court he had lifted Kyle into the air with ease. Now Kyle couldn't stop himself from picturing those arms wrapping tightly around him. The room suddenly felt too warm.

Oh fuck. Maybe I shouldn't have finished that flask.

Cartman was the first one to break eye contact. "Sorry. I haven't been sleeping much. I'll leave you alone." He quickly downed the last of his punch and turned to leave.

"I want to be near you too," Kyle said, feeling a little raw. Cartman froze and looked back at Kyle quizzically. Kyle shifted to the side uncomfortably. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Cartman turned around to face him. "And go where?"

"Bebe's house. Kenny finally told me where the other party was." Kyle pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's gonna start pretty soon. We can leave right now."

"Didn't you just get here?"

"Oh fuck, you're right!" Kyle exclaimed with exaggerated sarcasm. "We can't leave until they play my favorite T-Swift song!"

Cartman smirked and crossed his arms. "…Ok let's go."

"Cool. Let me just find Stan and let him know we're leaving." Kyle started walking toward the door, but a wave of lightheadedness hit him and he stumbled. Cartman caught him by the shoulders. Kyle sucked in a deep breath, suddenly hyperaware of every inch of skin Cartman was touching. He felt a little dizzy, and he suspected it was only partially from the alcohol.

"You got it?" Cartman asked quietly. Kyle swallowed thickly, and brought an arm up to the counter to steady himself.

"Uh, yeah. I'm good." Slowly Kyle straightened up to a secure standing position, but Cartman still didn't release him. Kyle looked at him to say he could let go, but when he saw the proximity of their faces his mind went blank. Cartman's mouth was only inches away from his own. His lips looked so smooth. Without thinking Kyle reached up a hand to the side of Cartman's face and began to pull him closer. Cartman's eyes slid shut and he pressed his forehead against Kyle's. Kyle was just mustering up the courage to close the last small distance between them when he heard someone pounding loudly on the bathroom door.

"Um, are you almost done in there?" came an annoyed voice from outside. Kyle snapped back to reality. Shit. They'd been taking up the bathroom this whole time. He immediately pulled away from Cartman and flung open the door. There stood Clyde and Token.

"Hey guys…" Kyle said awkwardly. He couldn't tell, but he really hoped he wasn't slurring his words.

"Jesus, Kyle, took you long enough," Token said angrily. Then he saw the other boy standing next to him. "Oh, hey Cartman…"

"What the hell? Were you two doing drugs in there or something?" Clyde asked, maybe a little too curiously.

"Fuck off, Clyde," Cartman snapped. He began walking towards the staircase. Kyle quickly followed.

"There no drugs allowed at this party!" Token yelled after them.

"No duh. That's why we're fucking leaving!" Cartman shouted back.

"Fuck you guys!" Kyle heard Clyde yell as he and Cartman hurried down the stairs. Butters was waiting for them at the bottom.

"Did you guys just say you were leaving?" Butters looked worried.

"That's right, Butters." Cartman said, comfortingly patting the blonde on the shoulder. "You see there's another much cooler party about to start so we're ditching this shitty one. I would tell you where it is, but it's very secret and exclusive. You understand."

"Aw hamburgers. It's even more secret and exclusive than Bebe's party?"

Cartman's face fell. "You got invited? By who?"

"Kenny told me about it last week."

Kyle couldn't hold back his snicker at Cartman's furious expression. Butters took it as a warning sign.

"Well maybe I'll see you fellows later then," Butters said and hurried off in the direction of the kitchen. Cartman was visibly trying to calm himself down.

"I'm going to fucking kill that ghetto piece of shit."

"Um, I'm going to go find Stan. I'll be right back." Kyle was relieved to get away from Cartman. He wasn't sure what Cartman might do in his murderous state of mind. He wasn't sure what he might do in his aroused one.

He spotted Stan in the middle of a crowd of bouncing high school girls, all singing along to the obnoxiously upbeat pop song that was playing. Wendy was beside Stan, singing the loudest and the most off key. When Stan saw Kyle he waved and Wendy ran over and gave him a big hug.

"Oh my god, Kyle!" she squealed. "Where have you been? Come dance with us!"

"Sorry, Wendy!" Kyle shouted back, straining to be heard over the music. "I'm actually leaving! I just need to let Stan know cause I'm staying at his place tonight!"

As Stan walked up to the two of them, and Wendy made an exaggerated pouty face. "Stan," she whined, "Kyle's being super lame and leaving!"

Stan looked surprised. "Really? You're taking off?" he asked, obviously a little disappointed. Kyle nodded and leaned in so he was talking into Stan's ear.

"Cartman and I are going to a party with Kenny. No offense, but I don't think I'm going to get much action if I stay here."

"Fucking tell me about it. Where's this party? If I brought Wendy you think I could get in on that action?"

"I'll have to check with Cartman to see if he's okay with a foursome." Kyle laughed as Stan grimaced and vigorously shook his head.

Wendy was looking anxiously back and forth between them. "What's going on?" she yelled.

"Nothing important!" Kyle assured her. "Thanks for inviting me tonight! Looks like everyone's having a really great time!"

She beamed and nodded. "I'm so glad you made it!" It was really easy to make Wendy happy.

As she started to walk away, Kyle pulled out the empty flask and handed it back to Stan. He was about to thank Stan, but just then he heard Annie Knitts scream across the dance floor.

"Holy shit! Is that a flask?"

Wendy spun around, and Stan glared angrily at Kyle. The redhead mouthed, "Sorry," and quickly ran off to find Cartman. On the flip side, it was really easy to make Wendy mad.