Hey, guys! Long time no see! First of all, a thousand apologies for keeping you waiting; life has been so sucky lately. But I sat myself down, and as I had the rest of the story plotted out, I completed it. So now, I will be updating every week.
Chapter 13
Staring intently at the screen in front of them, Kyle and Stan furiously pressed the buttons on their console. Kyle had his tongue sticking out in concentration, and Stan was leaning so far forward, he was an inch away from falling off the sofa, but he was far too engrossed to do anything about it.
It was a Saturday afternoon, his first Saturday "off" in a long time, and Kyle was making the most of it. The two ten-year-olds had been playing video games all day, and that night, they were going to watch a movie while eating pizza. Kyle was even going to sleep over that night, so maybe they would watch two movies, or perhaps even three. It wasn't as if they both had to get up early the next morning.
He was still clueless as to why his mother had allowed him to go to Stan's, given her stance that she didn't want him to get rusty, but he wasn't about to complain. He had heard his mother talking to someone who sounded a lot like Tony on the phone the other night, and so he figured that he was the one behind it all. Kyle fought the urge to roll his eyes; Sheila wouldn't listen to him, but Tony's word was gospel, apparently.
"Dude, there he is, get him, get him, get him!" Kyle, not able to free up his hands, nodded vigorously at the character they were hunting. He subconsciously sat up straighter, making sure his head was up, not even realising he was doing it, as it had become muscle memory for him now. He knew he looked terrible, but knowing that Stan would never judge him for not wearing makeup was a relief, but what about everyone he saw on the way there? He shook his head slightly and tried to focus on the game.
"Oh, thanks, dude." Pressing a few buttons, Stan launched an attack.
"Nice, you just sliced his head off!" Kyle instantly got his head back in the game and manoeuvred his character as CGI blood splattered everywhere, and the henchmen began to arrive.
"Thanks. I'm so good at this game now," Stan bragged.
"Yeah, but you still got a long way to go before you reach my level," said Kyle, grinning.
Stan had to admit it was true; Kyle must have made some kind of deal with the devil to be as skilled as he was at this game. Stan still had him beat on "Death of a Million Zombies" but they were about equal on their other games, except this one. Stan felt his phone vibrate, and pulled it one-handed out of his pocket, setting on his knee and answering it without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Hello? Oh, hey, Craig. Oh, dude, I know, it was crazy!" Still engrossed in the game, Stan's eyes lit up, and he quickly placed the phone on the arm of the sofa. "I can't believe it happened! It was totally awesome!"
Kyle glanced over at Stan, not having a clue what he was talking about. "He's still grounded? I'm not surprised; dude went totally crazy!"
Kyle continued playing while he listened to the conversation. From what he could gather from the slightly garbled voice of Craig, this thing seemed to be all anyone at school could talk about. Except to him, apparently.
"What was that?" he said as soon as Stan had hung up.
"What? Oh, that's right, you weren't there. Well, Clyde and Kevin got into a huge fight last Friday."
"Clyde and Kevin? Why?" Kyle couldn't remember the two of them ever interacting before.
"I don't know," Stan shrugged. "Craig said it was because Clyde made fun of "Star Wars", but Jason's saying Kevin started the whole thing by tripping Clyde in the hall or something, I don't know. They then got into a fight right there in the hall, and it was awesome. Clyde got a bloody nose, and he gave Kevin a purple nurple, and they both just beat the crap out of each other, and they're both covered in bruises!" said Stan in one breath. "They both got grounded, but Kevin's gonna be grounded for longer 'cause he punched Clyde right in the face."
"Thanks for telling me(!)" Kyle felt slightly put out. Of course, he hadn't been there on that Friday, and Stan, sensing his friend was really upset, paused the game.
"Sorry, dude, I really thought you knew. Everyone was talking about it, so I thought you'd heard about it."
"I just thought you'd at least tell me. No one else told me; I didn't know what everyone was talking about." He couldn't help but feel annoyed; this was just yet another thing he was ostracized for. Most of the kids in his class had distanced themselves from him, except when they were hurling insults and laughing at him, so Kyle wasn't surprised that none of them had told him about the fight. But he had thought that Stan would have. Stan always told him everything.
"Sorry," said Stan yet again. "It was just a fight, anyway. There are fights at school all the time."
"Yeah, but – You know what? Forget it. Let's just play." Kyle didn't want to ruin the weekend. Before Stan could respond, Kyle unpaused the game, and the two continued playing. He squinted slightly as he felt a headache approaching. Resting his console on his knees, he used one hand to press the buttons, and the other one to press down in between his eyebrows. Thankfully, it soon went away, and he resumed playing with gusto.
Neither of them mentioned the fight again. Kyle was soon able to put it out of his mind, and he and Stan had a great afternoon kicking each others butts at their favourite video games, with Kyle winning overall by a slim margin. They played well into the evening, stopping only to grab the pizza they ordered, before they continued playing, using one hand to blindly shove pizza slices into their mouths. They laughed, they shouted, they gasped, they raged, and they all around had a great time.
It was the best time Kyle had had in ages, and he couldn't help but grin as he climbed into his sleeping bag that night.
~ X ~
Come Monday, however, he wasn't feeling half as good. Mr Garrison was droning on and on about the homoerotic subtexts in "SpongeBob SquarePants" and why it was important, a few of the girls were whispering, their heads together, and a lot of the other kids were messing around, and surprise surprise, he had another headache. He know knew that these constant head- and stomach aches were a sign of stress, and once he had learned that, he was honestly surprised that those were the only symptoms of stress he was showing.
For the most part, a lot of the other kids had been ignoring him of late, and, while Kyle couldn't be happier about that, he had a feeling that they would have all forgotten about everything were it not for Cartman. Cartman wouldn't let it go, that meant a lot of the others wouldn't let it go, and though Kyle was trying to not let it get to him, it clearly wasn't working, as a lot of the kids still teased him.
Holding back a sigh, he pressed his fingers to his forehead, unaware that Cartman was watching.
"That's not gonna make your nose smaller," he said loudly, causing most of the kids to laugh.
Kyle only closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he didn't have the energy to punch Cartman. In just a few hours, the school day would be over, he told himself. Just a few hours before he would get to do the fun activity of practising his routines over and over again (!) Kyle didn't know what he enjoyed more, the teasing at school, or the pressure from his mother (!) They were both obviously so much fun to experience.
~ X ~
For the next two months, his life was a frantic blur; it was pageant after pageant; travelling to state after state, and costume change after costume change.
Despite Sheila's 'stage mom' reputation, he was still booked to do photo shoots from time to time. They ranged from clothing to technology products, to food items, and more.
To say Kyle was frazzled would be an understatement; at points, he had no idea where he was, or what he was doing. The jet lag, the lights, the cameras, remembering where to look and when to turn, having to stand just right with his hands and feet in the correct places, keeping his head up high, but not too high, making eye contact... it was a lot to remember, and he was finding it a lot harder than he usually did.
Kyle found himself standing in front of some steps. There was a curtain in front of him, and since he hardly spent his time anywhere else, he deduced that he was at yet another pageant. He could hear music playing all around him, and he could also hear people cheering.
"Kyle... Kyle!"
A sharp nudge on his shoulder jolted Kyle back to reality, and he shook his head slightly. His mother was standing next to him, and she was adjusting his clothes. Kyle looked down at his outfit, but he couldn't seem to recognise it. It was one of his pageant costumes, that was for sure, but he didn't know what it was.
"Mom!" He looked around wildly for Sheila, for she had started walking away. "What routine am I doing?"
"Casual Wear," she said, giving him an odd look, as though she thought he was doing this on purpose.
Kyle nodded as she walked away, feeling a little out of sorts. But he had no time to dwell on it, for his name was called, and he stepped up onto the stage.
He was incredibly grateful to have Jake and Brianna at almost every competition he went to; aside from his mother and Tony, he felt they were the only constants in his life.
~ X ~
"Well done, Kyle!" Brianna squealed, running up to him once he stepped off the stage after yet another pageant. Kyle, once again, wasn't too sure where he was, only that he was somewhere in the South.
"Thanks." He briefly struggled to keep hold of his trophy, and his money, along with trying to keep his crown from falling off as she flung her arms around him. "Good luck up there," he said, placing the trophy on the ground.
"Aw, thanks!" She beamed at him. "I think my group are getting ready to line up now, but I wanted to stay and watch you, so I'll see you later."
Barely giving Kyle enough time to answer, she was running toward the stage, and Kyle smiled at her.
Kyle picked his trophy up and walked to the back of the room, where Sheila and Tony were.
"Personality Supreme – well done," Sheila told him. Kyle only nodded, and grudgingly handed over his $500 prize money. He took off his crown and sash and placed them on an empty chair, before taking a seat, and watching the rest of the ceremony.
Brianna won several awards in her age group – Most Beautiful, Prettiest Smile, Outfit of Choice, and Photogenic – and later, she was crowned Mini Supreme. After leaving the stage to hearty hugs and congratulations from her parents, she spotted Kyle and made her way over to him.
"Well done," he smiled as she sat down next to him.
"Thanks!" She took off her crown and held it up in front of her. "I've never won this one before. I love this crown! Isn't it pretty?" She held it up in front of his face.
"Yeah, it is."
"I think so, too. Come sit with me!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to her chair, where they proceeded to watch the rest of the ceremony together.
~ X ~
Stepping into their hotel room a few weeks later, Kyle immediately made his way over to his bed, where his hat was lying. He picked it up, and jammed it on, and sat down on the bed, removing his makeup. One day of competition down, one day to go. It had been a good day; he'd competed in Casual Wear, Talent, and Western Wear, and tomorrow was Beauty, Swim Wear, and crowning. He'd done very well, according to Sheila, and she had been really pleased with him.
"Bubbe, I'm just going out for a few minutes, okay? Are you gonna be okay here with Tony?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," said Kyle, still removing the makeup. "Where are you going?"
"Just out. I'll be back soon. I'll be back in time to sort out your clothes for tomorrow."
Kyle slumped a little after the door closed, and Tony noticed the mood he was in.
"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting on the opposite bed.
"Just feel a little.. sad," Kyle said. "I don't know if you remember, but today's my birthday."
"Oh, that's right!" Tony covered his mouth. "I'm so sorry, Kyle! I've got you something, but everything has been so hectic lately, that I must have left it at home. I'm sorry, Kyle."
"That's okay," Kyle sighed. Leaning back against the pillows. "I guess.. I just thought Mom would do something, you know? I mean, this morning she made me pancakes and birthday cake Babka – she makes it every year, but apart from that, she hasn't even acknowledged it."
"Well, maybe she's planning something for when you get home," Tony suggested, offering the boy a smile, which Kyle did not return.
"Yeah, maybe." Kyle drew his knees up to his chest. "I just wish I could see my friends. Properly see them; it's not the same over FaceTime." Stan had messaged him that morning, making Kyle promise to meet up when he got back, so they could celebrate together, and knowing that he had that to look forward to was the only thing keeping him going.
Tony didn't reply, but he leaned over and gave Kyle a comforting nudge to the shoulder, and they both sat there in silence until Sheila returned less than ten minutes later, a large bag hanging from her elbow.
"Hi," she smiled, closing the door behind her.
"Hey, Ma." Kyle was unable to pretend to be anything but miserable. "Where did you go?"
"I had to go to the local store to get some supplies. Some sequins fell off your costume."
"Oh," was all Kyle said. Too upset to speak, he picked up the remote, and turned on the TV. Flipping through the small amount of channels, he stopped on a programme about monster trucks. It was the most interesting thing on, so he began to watch it, until a knock at the door caused him to look up. "Who's that?" he asked.
"I don't know. Why don't you answer it, bubbe?"
Shooting her a look, Kyle slid off the bed, and made his way over to the door. With each step, he dared to let his hopes up just a little bit and think that it might be Stan. When he opened the door, his jaw dropped. It wasn't Stan, instead it was Jake and Brianna, along with their parents. His face broke into a big grin as they loudly and heartily wished him a happy birthday, and he stepped aside and let them into the room.
"How did you know?" he asked, but turning around, he had his answer; there, on the table, was a small pile of brightly wrapped gifts. "Mom!" he cried.
"Of course, bubbe!" she beamed, letting off a party popper, and Kyle grinned as the coloured paper streamed down from the ceiling.
Tony put some music on, as Kyle his friends stood in a little group while the adults let off some more party poppers, and blew up some balloons. That was when Kyle realised where his mother had gone.
Jake and Brianna put on the little cardboard party hats Sheila had offered them, and after a small moments hesitation, Kyle removed his ushanka, and put on a party hat, as well.
"So, how does it feel to be eleven?" asked Jake, as Tony quickly excused himself.
"You know, it feels like only yesterday I was ten," Kyle joked and they laughed, as balloons were thrown onto the floor.
"You're a grown up now," Brianna teased, gently patting his arm.
"It's all downhill now!" said Jake, and they all laughed again.
Tony came back into the room, also carrying a bag.
"Come over here!" he called, walking over to the table where Sheila, Morgan, and Kirsty, Jake's mum. He reached into the bag, and began putting cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, sandwiches, and chips. "Dig in!" he cried, presenting paper plates, as Sheila poured some drinks.
"But.. I thought you didn't know," said Kyle, wondering how he could have possibly bought all this in the short amount of time he was gone.
"Of course I knew!" Tony grinned. Then, he bent down to Kyle's level. "Your mom was planning this, and she made me promise not to tell."
"Oh. You really got me," said Kyle, picking up a plate.
There weren't really many places to sit, so the kids sat on one bed, while the adults sat around the little table. The music continued to play, the laughter rang freely, and Kyle, Jake, and Brianna had a lot of fun throwing popcorn kernels at each other, and trying to catch them in their mouths.
While Kyle was distracted, Sheila pulled out the last items from her bag; a birthday cake, and some candles. As quietly as she could, she removed it from its box, and placed it on the table. It was a simple Victoria Sponge, topped with piped frosting around the edges, and covered in sprinkles. She placed eleven candles onto the cake, and lit them.
"Kyle, bubbe?"
When Kyle turned round, his jaw dropped again, and he and his friends stood up and gathered around the cake. He could only smile as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He never imagined this was how the day would end, and he couldn't find the words to express himself. "Make a wish!" Sheila said after the song had ended, and Kyle looked down at his cake. He thought for a moment, and then closed his eyes, blew out the candles, and everyone cheered and clapped.
"So, what did you wish for?" asked Brianna, as Sheila began cutting the cake.
"I can't tell you that; it won't come true," Kyle told her.
"You're not gonna give us a hint?" said Jake, and Kyle grinned and shook his head.
"I don't wanna jinx it."
"Oh, come on!" Jake stood in front of Kyle. "Just a tiny hint?"
"Well, okay. It's something I've always wanted, ever since I was little." Yes, that was vague enough that it could still happen, Kyle decided.
"Aw, that's it?"
"You asked for a hint," Kyle laughed as they went to collect their cake.
Once the cake had been eaten, the kids again gathered around the table. Like practically every other person in the world, Kyle always felt so awkward whenever people watched him opening presents, and would much prefer to open them alone. But he was the type of kid who appreciated every gift he got, and picked up the first parcel.
He was very pleased with his haul: Terrance and Phillip posable action figures, video games, a little robot that asked you questions and would spray you with water if you got the answer wrong, some walkie-talkies, and a glass orb mounted on a square wooden base that had a 3D galaxy floating in the centre.
Tony gave him a box of brain teaser puzzles, because he knew how Kyle liked to keep his brain active, and Jake gave him a meme based card game that Kyle couldn't wait to play. Perhaps they would play it together tomorrow before crowning.
Brianna's gift to him was a snow globe. It was light blue with gold filigree, and inside was a doe and her fawn standing in front of a snow-topped fir tree.
"It lights up," she told him, pressing a button on the bottom, causing the glow to be engulfed in a warm white light.
"Wow," he said, as she placed it on the table with his other gifts. "Thanks a lot, everybody. I love all my presents." Considering that Jake and Brianna had only found out that day that it was his birthday, Kyle was impressed at the gifts they'd managed to find in such a short amount of time. He was touched, because it showed they were real friends.
He didn't have much time to dwell on these thoughts, however, for Jake and Brianna roped him into a balloon fight, and once again, the room was filled with happy shrieks of laughter as they gently swatted each other. Even though Kyle hadn't participated in a balloon fight for a few years now, he came out as the undisputed champion of that fight. He'd managed to get at least three balloons in each hand; Jake and Brianna didn't stand a chance.
He hadn't had such a good time for ages, and he didn't want the party to stop, but, as with everything, all good things in life must come to an end.
"See you tomorrow!" said Brianna at the door, giving him one last hug.
"See you," Kyle replied.
"Hope you had a good day," said Jake, both he and Brianna laden down with party bags and balloons.
"I had a great time," Kyle beamed. "Thanks again for coming over."
"We had to celebrate!" said Jake. "Well, bye!"
"Bye! Thanks again!" Kyle called, and they waved at him as they walked down the hallway with their parents.
Kyle went to sleep that night with a big smile on his face, happier than he had been for a long time.
~ X ~
Kyle was at yet another contest, again, only having a vague idea of which State he was in. He, Sheila, and Tony were all in the ballroom waiting for his age group to line up when a strange hush came over the room. Confused, he looked around for the source of all this, and saw only a little girl about his age walking into the room with what could only be described as an entourage. For someone so young, she walked through the hall like she owned it, head high, not making eye contact with anyone, her parents and pageant team hurrying along behind her.
"She's back?"
"She's here?"
"I didn't know she was competing in this one!"
Frantic whispers arose like dozens of tiny fire hoses from all around him, and Kyle was surprised to see that his mother was a part of it, and even more surprised to see the horrified look on her face.
"What? What is it?" he asked, and Sheila grabbed his arm.
"It's Serenity Day!" she hissed, her frantic gaze following Serenity.
"Yeah, so?" Kyle pulled his arm out of her grip, wondering why an extra contestant was such a big deal.
"You clearly don't understand," she told him, sitting down next to him. "She is the best contestant, and the only reason you've never competed against her is because she had to take a hiatus because she was winning every pageant she entered. If I had known she was coming back, I wouldn't have come here; you can't hope to win against her!"
Kyle remained silent, not sure he was liking his mother have so little faith in him. If that was the case, then why did she insist on entering him in seemingly every single competition she came across?
"He'll be fine!" said Tony brightly before Kyle could say anything. "Kyle will do great, like he always does."
That seemed to calm Sheila slightly, and she smiled a little bit.
"You're right. Besides, to be the best, he's gotta compete against the best, right?"
"Right," Tony grinned.
Tracey, the mother of Serenity, took a seat in the front row, not caring if someone was already sitting there, and casually observed the other competitors. She could see everyone staring at her and her daughter, and she allowed a smug smile to cross her face. It felt good to be back. As she scanned the room, she mentally ticked off each contestant that she recognised, which was pretty much all of them, knowing that none of them were a threat. That Ultimate Grand Supreme was Serenity's, no doubt about it.
A flash of colour caught her eye, and she saw a red-haired boy in the far corner, talking to another boy.
"Who's the new kid?" she asked, the person sitting next to her, not bothering to even look at them.
"Who?" The woman turned her head to where Tracey was pointing. "Oh, that's Kyle; you want to watch out for him. He's very good."
"Really?" Tracey sarcastically raised an eyebrow as she observed Kyle. He was an attractive kid, to be sure, but there was no way he was good enough to beat her precious Serenity.
"Really; at the start of the season, he won Overall Beauty Supreme."
Tracey couldn't help but gasp; that was Serenity's title; three years in a row she had won that.
"Well, it looks like we have some competition." She rose from her chair, and made her way over to Sheila. "Hi!" she beamed, sticking out her hand. "I'm Tracey. I'm afraid I don't recognise you; new to the pageant scene?"
Sheila, to her credit, looked calm and collected as she shook Tracey's hand.
"Hi, I'm Sheila. We've been doing this for about a year and a half now."
"Oh, so you're still quite new to the circuit! I understand your son is is pretty good competition?"
Sheila did not miss the hint of sarcasm in Tracey's voice, and although it was very tempting to go all "Jersey" on her, it would be best to be mature, and rise above it. She didn't want to be removed from the ballroom, or the competition.
"Well, we try," she said, smiling a little too widely. Tracey glanced over at Kyle again, disdain clearly written all over her face.
"Yes, I suppose you are trying, aren't you? Bless. Well, we've all got to start somewhere, haven't we? Good luck out there(!)" Giving the fakest smile one could ever give, she flounced back to her seat.
"Can you believe that?" Sheila turned to Tony, her eyes blazing. "How dare she!"
"She's threatened," Tony told her. "Otherwise she wouldn't have done that. She's trying to make you feel insecure."
Honestly, hearing that made Sheila feel really good. If people thought her son was a threat, then she was obviously doing something right. She chanced a look over at Tracey, who was knelt down to Serenity's level, and was speaking intently. Although Sheila had only just met the woman, she could swear Tracey looked a little flustered. She turned to Kyle, who was still talking to Jake, blissfully unaware.
"Bubbe, it's time to get serious," she told him, and Kyle stepped away from his friend. "You've got to do better than you've ever done before; give it 200%, okay?"
"Sure," said Kyle casually, his mind at home with his new video game. Sheila grabbed his shoulders and made him look at her.
"I'm serious, Kyle! This is really important!"
"Okay!" Kyle wriggled out of her grip, and went to line up before she could say anything else.
At the end of the weekend, Kyle ended up winning his second National Photogenic Supreme, while Serenity came second in the entire competition and won Grand Supreme. Sheila took that as a personal victory; okay, Kyle didn't win the pageant, but neither did Serenity. That ought to show Tracey.
~ X ~
"Mom, I've been thinking a lot about this. I know you've put a lot of effort into this, and I know you've worked very hard. I have, too, but you've worked really hard. This... might not be what you want to hear, but... I have to be honest here; I don't want to do pageants any more." Kyle tried to look sympathetic. The film-maker was coming next week, and this was Kyle's last resort. "We had a good run; it's been what, eighteen months? That's pretty good. And I've won some pretty big prizes and crowns. The truth is, Ma; I never wanted to compete, and I can't do it any more. I've found the whole thing to be very stressful. I know I never won the Ultimate Grand Supreme, but let's face it, I never would have. I hope you understand." Kyle looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, breathing deeply. "I can do this," he muttered. "I can do this."
A determined look on his face, Kyle headed downstairs, where his mother was, his courage faltering with every step. He had almost reached the kitchen, when the doorbell rang, and he raced to answer it, desperate to put off the talk he needed to have with his mother. He opened the door to find Cartman standing there. "Cartman?"
"Hey, Kahl."
That was how Kyle knew he was up to something; Cartman was calling him by his name; not "Princess," or "Miss America." He was trying to get on Kyle's good side.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted to talk to you."
"Why?" Kyle's eyes narrowed.
"Well, Kahl, it..." Cartman sighed and lowered his voice. "It's about your mom, and, well, everyone in town, really."
Kyle didn't answer, though he looked confused. "Can we talk?"
"... Fine," Kyle stepped aside, and allowed Cartman to enter, and they both went up to his room. "What is it? What about my mom?"
"Well, Kahl, I'm sure you've noticed that your mom has been a little preoccupied lately," Cartman made himself very comfortable on Kyle's bed, and gave him a knowing stare. Kyle's fists clenched. "You two have been spending a lot of time together, haven't you?"
"Yeah, so what?" said Kyle defensively. "So we spend a lot of time together, big deal!"
"Now, now, calm down, Kahl. I'm just making a statement. Now, it's no secret that your mom is really into the whole pageant scene, isn't she?"
Kyle was shocked when Cartman's face remained stoic, not even a twinkle of laughter in his eyes.
"Yeah," he said slowly.
"And she's also big on the protests; I think we're all aware of that," said Cartman, and Kyle had to roll his eyes. He didn't need to be constantly reminded of that. "But I've noticed that she appears to be more invested in the pageants these days."
"Yeah, well, not for long," said Kyle shortly.
"Why, whatever do you mean, Kahl?" Cartman asked innocently, as if he didn't know exactly what Kyle meant.
"What I mean is, I'm telling her I'm quitting. I don't want to do it any more."
"Now, look, Kahl, I can understand why you might think that's a good idea, but let me tell you why it isn't. I'm gonna be honest with you here. Everyone in town has benefited from this."
"What?"
"Because your mom's so busy with you, she isn't protesting, which has been great for everyone else. If you quit, things will just go back to the way they were."
"But I can't do it any more," Kyle admitted. "It's all too much."
Cartman didn't need to care about Kyle to know that the competitions were taking their toll on him. Kyle now had a constant strained look around his eyes, and he was snappier than usual. He was being sent to the nurse every other day because of his headaches, and the shadows under his eyes made it clear he wasn't sleeping too well. But Eric Cartman wasn't known to care about things like that, especially when there could be something in it for him, and in this case, there was. He knew that Kyle would soon crack from the pressure, and he wasn't about to let that happen.
"Kahl, believe me, I understand what you're saying," he soothed, looking concerned. "But the thing is, if you quit, everyone will be upset. They'll be upset with you," he added, smirking internally at Kyle's guilty look. "Look, with your mom doing all this, no one in town is panicking, worrying she's gonna protest and get them shut down. For the first time in a very, very long time, the good people of this little mountain town are able to breathe. You've done that, Kahl. You've brought life back into this place. Because your mom hasn't been interfering, the whole town has improved. Isn't that amazing?"
"I suppose," Kyle slowly agreed.
"It is amazing, and by doing these pageants, you're helping everybody in town."
"Why do you care?"
"Hey, that bi – I mean, your mom's protests affected everyone; do I need to remind you of World War 3?" he asked, and Kyle ducked his head in shame. Maybe if his mother had gotten the idea about pageants earlier, she wouldn't have freaked out so bad about the whole Terrence and Phillip thing. Maybe they wouldn't have gone to war with Canada, Terrence and Phillip wouldn't have been shot, and Satan wouldn't have risen. Even though it had all turned okay in the end, maybe he, Kyle, could have prevented the whole thing. That made him feel terrible, like his insides had twisted up.
Cartman could see that Kyle was reacting just the way he wanted, and so he quickly continued, "I don't know about you, but I don't think I could live with myself knowing that I had the chance to make everyone happy and peaceful, and selfishly throwing it all away. I think the guilt would eat me alive, and I'd never have a moments peace for as long as I lived. Can you imagine living like that every day, Kahl?"
"No," the boy muttered, his head still down.
"I mean, you have the chance to do something great here; you, and you alone, have the chance to single-handedly provide happiness for everyone in town. But," Cartman heaved a sigh, "you said you wanted to quit, so I guess that won't be happening."
"Well..." Kyle swallowed hard, "I guess I could carry on for a while."
"No, no, you wanted to quit, remember? I suppose you have to put your own wants ahead of everyone else's needs. That's okay; I get it." He heaved another sigh. "I guess we get to look forward to your mom marching through the streets with her picket signs again, maybe burning buildings. That'll be fun." He arranged his face into a dejected look. "Gosh, all those poor innocent citizens being targeted for silly reasons. But, hey, no more pageants. That's good, right?"
"No!" Kyle insisted, his voice slightly shrill. "I won't let that happen. I'm going to continue competing!"
"Are you sure, Kahl?" Cartman looked the very image of a worried friend. "I can see how much this is affecting you; it might be easier for you to quit."
"No one ever said life was easy," said Kyle determinedly. "I can't be selfish any more; it's time I started thinking of other people."
"Well, if that's what you really wanna do," Cartman looked unsure, though he was bouncing with delight inside. "I guess you know yourself best." He got up off the bed, and headed towards the door.
"Hey, Cartman?"
He turned to see Kyle smiling faintly. "Thanks."
"Hey, you're the one basically sacrificing yourself for the whole town. Thank you, Kahl."
"Um," Kyle hesitated. If he was going to start putting other people ahead of himself, then perhaps he should start now. "Do you wanna stay for dinner? We're having gefilte fish."
"No, thanks; I'd rather die. Well, see ya, Kahl!" Cartman skipped merrily out of the room, leaving Kyle stunned.
As soon as he was out of the house, Cartman allowed an evil smile to cross his face. He knew that Kyle guilt complex wouldn't allow him to quit the pageants. Now Cartman was free to do whatever he wished without the Biggest Bitch in the Whole Wide World bearing down on him and spoiling his fun.
Kyle took another deep breath as he headed back downstairs. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and sighed heavily. Great. Now there truly was no way out for him; he was doomed to participate in these ridiculous contests for the rest of his life. But what choice did he have? The one thing he wanted more than anything was to quit, but the only person it would benefit was him. That knowledge, the knowledge that everyone would hate him and he would be an outcast yet again, was motivation enough for him to keep going. Kyle would rather himself be miserable than everyone else in town.
~ X ~
Done! So what did you think? I'd love to know!