Mended Hearts.
Part XXIV.
A couple of days had passed since the encounter Wendy had with both Melissa and Patricia.
Even though she had been attempting to convince herself that Melissa's words hadn't gotten into her head, those same words still continued to gnaw at the teenage girl's thoughts – and while she truly did believe Stan and had zero reasons to doubt whatever was his side of the story, she couldn't really wrap her head around why she had been kind of doubtful about the whole situation.
And as Friday and the Spring dance drew nearer, the more Wendy found herself feeling a bit more tense and distant than usual from Stan, despite them being practically attached at the hip after getting back together and spending as much time together as they possibly could. She had been unable to fully enjoy their moments together without Melissa's words somehow looming over her head and having a negative impact on her overall mood.
While his girlfriend had been trying her best to pretend like everything was just peachy, Stan eventually noticed that and sensed something was off with Wendy's behavior, as well as that she just hadn't been her usual cheery self for the past couple of days now.
They had made plans to hang out at his place after school, but the teenage boy decided to put those plans on an indefinite hold until he found out what exactly had been bothering his girlfriend, wanting to get to the bottom of it and do whatever he could to make her feel better.
''Wends, what's wrong?'', Stan spoke up as he and Wendy walked over to his car that was parked in the school parking lot, a tinge of concern noticeable in his voice.
Wendy sighed as her eyes met Stan's, hesitating for a moment and being unsure of whether she should bring up the lingering issue or just keep on tiptoeing around it (like she had been doing so far). Considering the fact how much she had been trying to pretend like everything was okay and how in return that had been eating her on the inside, she came to realize that it would probably be for the best to simply admit what had been bugging her.
The ravenette finally decided to speak up. ''Uhm, nothing really. I've just had some stuff on my mind.''
Stan appeared worried as he listened to her, his brow furrowed with concern and his blue eyes full of tenderness. He looked at Wendy expectantly, sensing her still-present hesitance. ''You've been acting kinda' different for the past couple of days. Are you really sure it's nothing?''
Knowing that she couldn't easily weasel her way out of this conversation, Wendy then took a deep breath and proceeded to explain what had been going through her mind lately. ''A couple of days ago, I actually ended up running into Melissa and Patricia in the girls' restroom.'', she began, watching Stan's facial expression change into a more worried one now.
The mere mention of Melissa's name was enough to put Stan on edge, since he remembered all too well all the drama and toxicity she had managed to put him through over the course of their nearly two-year long relationship.
''Melissa?'', Stan asked, getting visibly more tense. ''Did she say or do something to you?''
''Not really.'', Wendy replied, looking over to the side for a moment. ''She and Patricia, who also happened to be in the restroom right when I walked in, just kept on acting incredibly fake towards me and pretending like we are all best friends or something like that.'', she revealed, but not before sighing and trying to find the right words for what she was about to say next.
''I mean, she did try to upset me by saying complete and utter bullshit about you.'', she added and looked down at her feet, playing with the end of her hair nervously, which Stan deemed as the first sign of her being nervous to tell him what had transpired between her and Melissa.
Stan raised an eyebrow, hoping to hear more of what had happened and what had been said that day, but also hoping Wendy would be honest with him just like she had always been, even if it meant hearing something he probably wouldn't like.
''Like what?''
Wendy hesitated for a moment, before replying. ''Nothing special, I mean…'', she trailed off, trying to find the suitable words to explain what Melissa had revealed to her.
''Wends…'', Stan said in a slightly pleading tone, placing both hands on Wendy's shoulders and locking his eyes with hers. ''Please be honest with me, okay? Melissa can't seem to tell the truth even if her life depends on it.''
''Well, she bragged about how you guys did a lot of things together in your relationship.'', the raven haired beauty started. ''And by things, I mean intimate, even though you two apparently never went all the way.''
Stan frowned a bit at what Wendy had just told him. ''Well yes, that's true, but I've told you already that you were my first one, and that I'm glad it was you and not her.'', he responded with a small smile, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks as he tried his best to maintain eye contact with his girlfriend.
''You know, I really wanted to rub it in her face that we've had sex not once, but twice already, but I didn't want her to know that and do God-knows-what with that information.'', Wendy's cheeks blushed a faint shade of red too, with her feeling a bit more at ease now that she had told Stan about Melissa spewing out nothing else but lies and utter nonsense.
The dark haired boy nodded his head in response, understanding her point. ''And you did a good thing.''
''But…'', Wendy paused, a lump starting to form in her throat over what she was about to say next. "She also mentioned some other things…"
Stan could easily sense that Wendy wasn't being one hundred percent transparent with him, as if she had been reluctant to tell him the full backstory of hers and Melissa's awkward encounter that happened on Monday.
''Like what?'', he asked, waiting on a knife's edge for the noirette to respond.
Wendy bit down on her bottom lip nervously. ''Well, she mentioned that she was in a drunk state when you two wanted to have sex and that you tried to force yourself onto her, even though she couldn't really consent to it."
Stan immediately fell silent upon hearing Wendy's words, his face visibly blanched. His heart sank, and something quite uncomfortable started bubbling in the pits of his stomach.
He was quiet for several seconds, trying his hardest to keep himself calm and composed as he stared off to the side, thinking over everything Wendy had just told him. When he eventually turned back to look at her, his face dropped into a disappointed frown and his stomach turned a bit as he thought about the memories of that night at Clyde's – how Melissa had gotten drunk to the point to the where she had suggested to him they should have sex and how adamant she had been about the whole thing (despite not being the in the clearest state of mind whatsoever), and him not wanting to do anything with her because of her drunkenness.
''Oh…'', the youngest Marsh replied, his voice barely above a whisper and sounding a bit shaky as he fought hard not to let any hint of anger or disappointment slip through his lips, knowing that such reactions wouldn't help things at all. ''Wendy, you can't possibly believe her, right?'', he then asked, almost sounding defeated.
Seeing his reaction, Wendy's eyes widened slightly, revealing her inner turmoil. Her heart started to beat rapidly against her chest as she suddenly began to feel guilty over bringing up Melissa's confession in the first place. ''Uhm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up anyway…'', she started rambling, but not before she noticed Stan rolling his eyes at her and becoming slightly more annoyed now. ''I don't trust her, okay? However, there are always two sides to each story, but I do trust your side of the story.''
Stan's frown returned as he continued to listen to whatever Wendy had to say, but instead of arguing it out with her, he decided to get straight to the point. ''It doesn't seem like it though.''
''I'm just stating the facts.'', Wendy replied flatly.
''Well, it does genuinely hurt knowing you would even doubt my honesty, because now you've experienced first hand what kind of a person Melissa truly is. I had to deal with that for almost two years, and I'm glad I don't have to anymore.''
Wendy sighed softly and looked away from Stan again, clearly uncomfortable with his answer and not liking the way the situation between them had been unfolding, although she knew her boyfriend now had every reason to take a step back from her and their relationship. As the weight of the situation dawned upon her, her gaze softened and she let out a faint sigh. ''Okay, if you say so.''
''If I say so?'', Stan repeated with a healthy dose of cynicism in his voice. ''Let's just go home, okay?''
Without saying a word and simply shrugging her shoulders in defeat, Wendy then followed Stan to his car and hopped inside it, making herself comfortable in the passenger seat and buckling her seat belt. She glanced over at Stan, who seemed to have calmed himself down now, but she could tell he was still upset about everything that had happened between them.
After getting himself situated in the car, Stan closed the door behind him and placed the key in ignition. He pulled the car out of the parking lot and began driving towards downtown South Park, merely looking away from Wendy to stare outside the windshield and not wanting to even think about the matter for too long, whilst she simply leaned her elbow on the window frame beside her and rested her cheek against the palm of her right hand.
The car ride from school was noticeably tense, with neither of the two teenagers wanting to speak and with them both instead allowing the sounds of music to fill the tiny space of Stan's car.
Not a lot of words had been spoken throughout the car ride, with Stan only looking out of the corner of his eye whenever he caught a glimpse of Wendy. As much as he would've normally loved to sit and chit-chat with her while he drove them around town, it appeared that there was just no need for that today, since he felt as though he had enough stress to last him literal weeks.
Wendy, despite being silent for most of the ride, was left surprised after Stan took a sudden left turn into her street and eventually stopped his car by the kerb near the Testaburger family driveway. It took her a few seconds to process what Stan had just done and the fact that he had just remained silent after doing so, before she finally spoke up.
''Why did you stop at my place?'', she asked in a slightly incredulous voice. ''I thought we were going over to your place to hang out.''
''Look Wends…'', Stan broke the silence, turning towards Wendy and looking directly at her. ''I know this might come off across as a bit harsh, but I just wanna' be alone for some time and clear my mind, okay?''
Wendy blinked in surprise for a few moments, letting Stan's words sink in and slowly nodding her head in understanding. ''Alright Stan, I understand.'', she said quietly as she stared down at her lap, before glancing up and interlocking her eyes with Stan.
''It's okay, we'll get through this eventually.'', Stan answered with a blank expression. ''See you at the dance.''
''Yeah, I'll see you too.'', Wendy muttered before looking away, reaching for the passenger door handle and tossing her school bag over her shoulder. She glanced over at Stan, whose facial expression could've been best described as a poker face, as he patiently waited for her to get out of his car and go on with her day.
Wendy then silently got out of Stan's car and closed the passenger door behind her, before simply watching him drive off and leaving her all upset and confused now. And as she stood in the driveway and watched Stan's car disappear down the street, she couldn't help but wonder why she felt so hurt by his reaction, even though she knew he had absolutely every right to feel that way.
Suddenly, going to the dance tomorrow night didn't seem all that exciting to her anymore.
It was Friday now, the day of the Spring dance.
The whole school had been abuzz with excitement, with classes being shortened in order to allow everyone to have enough time to prepare themselves for the dance tonight and look their absolute best. The atmosphere had also been very lively, with people talking enthusiastically amongst themselves and chatting loudly, laughing and generally looking forward to having a good time at tonight's main event.
Of course, Wendy hadn't forgotten about the dance at all, as she and her girl friends had been eagerly discussing their plans as well, with their planned outfits, hairstyles, makeup and respective dates being the main topics of conversation. She had also been pleasantly surprised when her best friend had suggested the two of them have lunch together and catch up, since it had honestly been a hot minute since they last did so.
Bebe was easily the one who looked more forward to the dance in comparison to Wendy, with blonde girl happily bouncing in her seat whilst eating her lunch, her emerald green eyes shining as she talked animatedly about what she was about to wear to the dance and how she would probably get Clyde to wear something matching etc.
Wendy, on the flip side, didn't really seem to be that into listening to whatever her friend had been sharing with her; however, she nevertheless tried her hardest to be attentive and to keep being invested, despite her mind being far, far away from those things and focused on something completely different.
The memory of what had occurred between her and Stan yesterday still made her stomach twist and turn unpleasantly, causing her to feel uneasy about the whole situation. She tried her best to push those negative thoughts away, thinking that everything would eventually be fine and that she would find a way to make amends with her boyfriend – after all, the two of them had promised to each other that they would talk this out once they both felt ready.
Wendy still occasionally cast glances over at Stan's usual lunch table, where he was sitting with his friends. Even from afar, she could see the smile plastered on his face and could hear the laughs coming from him and the others, but irregardless of those distractions, she couldn't help but notice the sadness lingering in his eyes.
Even though he had been giving Wendy the cold shoulder, Stan noticed her glances anyway. When their eyes met, he offered her a small wave in return, but still kept his expression guarded. And while it felt good knowing their relationship hadn't faced any major problems (yet), it definitely didn't help to break the tension that had unfortunately settled between them.
It was becoming increasingly more difficult for both Stan and Wendy to ignore it, and neither of them were sure whether they should resolve the issue now, or go to the dance tonight and wait for the ideal opportunity to come in order to talk things out and hopefully move past this whole unnecessary drama.
Bebe, meanwhile, seemed to have picked up on what was happening between her friends, and while it wasn't like she knew all the ins and outs of the situation, she couldn't help but start to feel worried about them. She glanced over firstly at Wendy, and then over to Stan, wondering what the hell had happened between the newly reunited couple in such a short span of time that had caused their dynamic to shift so suddenly.
The curly blonde then nudged Wendy gently to get her attention, and when she finally turned towards her, Bebe gave her a supportive smile.
''Hey Wends, why are you being a debbie downer?'', Bebe inquired with a hint of concern in her voice. ''What's wrong? Did something happen between you and Stan?''
Wendy sighed softly, and glanced over at Stan again, feeling disappointed over the fact that he hadn't met her gaze this time around. ''No, everything's just fine.'', she answered, pretending like she hadn't been bothered by everything that had happened between her and Stan yesterday.
However, and much to the noirette's dismay, it didn't take Bebe that long to put two and two together, so she decided to prod further, her skepticism evident. ''Are you really sure nothing is wrong between you two?''
Wendy fell silent, her gaze dropping to her hands that were folded on the lunch table. ''Trust me.''
Bebe could easily tell when her best friend wasn't being completely honest with her, which wasn't that big of a surprise considering the fact they had been best friends pretty much ever since kindergarten and had known each other all too well.
''Well, you two have been practically attached at the hip these past few days.'', she stated matter of factly. ''So, what happened?''
''It's nothing, really.'', Wendy replied, though her voice carried a hint of uncertainty.
The tone of her voice was clearly not convincing enough, especially since she had also given a quick glance at Stan during her statement to Bebe. And as Bebe continued to stare intently at her, waiting for an answer, the teenage girl felt a lump form in her throat, which she swallowed nervously and cleared her throat as discreetly as possible.
''Okay, fine, in case you really wanna' know what happened…'', Wendy began. ''I ran into Melissa and Patricia the other day, and Melissa said some crazy shit about her and Stan.''
''She did what?'', Bebe questioned, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
''Well, she told me that she and Stan almost had sex at Clyde's party a few months ago, even though she was quite drunk and wasn't aware of what they were about to do, and that Stan apparently didn't give two shits about her being drunk and wanted to have sex with her anyway.''
''Okay, wow, that's pretty serious stuff.'', the blonde girl could hardly believe what she had just heard, although she was certain that there had been rumors about that circulating around the entire school a few months back.
Wendy nodded in agreement. ''I know, right?''
Bebe was even more shocked now. ''Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with her? Does she even realize the gravity of her accusations – making Stan out to be such a huge asshole and someone who doesn't care about anything else other than getting some pussy in return, even if it meant doing it with someone who isn't in the right state of mind and therefore can't consent?''
''I'm sure she made all that up just to upset me, because I know Stan would never even think about doing such gross things to someone.'', the raven haired beauty stated. ''He was so, so sweet and gentle with me the first time we had sex and made sure I was really comfortable with everything we were doing, so I just can't imagine him acting any other way.''
''Well, I personally think she's just petty and jealous because you and Stan got back together so quickly, and have been happier than ever.'', Bebe replied. ''Well, if we exclude this entire mess, of course.''
Wendy let out a frustrated sigh. ''Is it too late to say that now?''
''Why do you think so?''
''I mean, it was incredibly shitty of me to even doubt Stan's side of the story in the first place.'', Wendy admitted. ''I obviously hurt him quite a lot by doing so.''
''Look, that wasn't the best thing for you to do, but what's also bad is that you allowed Melissa's lies to get inside your head and make you not think straight, okay?'', Bebe pointed out. ''Stan probably went through a lot of shit when he dated Melissa, so I'm not surprised he got hurt by you believing Melissa's words over his, even if her words were nothing else but pure lies. You definitely should've done better in that situation.''
''Yeah yeah, I know, but what am I even supposed to say to him now?''
Bebe gave her best friend a sympathetic look. ''Well, the obvious thing would be to apologize to Stan in a proper way and admit you were wrong for doubting him in the first place. I'm pretty sure Stan will forgive you eventually, even if he isn't ready to talk just yet.''
''Yeah, you're right, but I'm not sure how to do it or when to do it. I've been thinking about approaching him at the dance tonight and then apologizing to him there…'', Wendy replied, casting her gaze downwards again.
''Just don't be nervous, okay?'', the other teenage girl added, putting an arm around Wendy's shoulder reassuringly. ''I'm sure you guys we'll be able to sort this whole mess out, because you clearly love each other and won't allow your relationship to go to shit just because of a pathological liar like Melissa.''
Wendy smiled weakly at Bebe. ''Thanks girl, I really needed that.''
Bebe simply smiled back. ''Yay, that's the spirit Wendy!'', she exclaimed cheerfully. ''Just focus on sorting things out with Stan, so that you two can put all this drama behind you and have a great time tonight.''
And as soon as her best friend had finished talking, Wendy glanced once more over at the table where Stan was sitting, with him seemingly too indulged in whatever conversation he was having with Kyle to notice her looking at him again.
While she was glad she had been given some pointers on how to approach Stan at the dance tonight and hopefully clear the air between them, Wendy just wished things could go back to normal – however, she also knew that they would, because they just had to and because she wasn't ready to lose Stan ever again.
If she were to be completely honest, Wendy didn't feel particularly excited about going to the Spring dance, but she chose to go anyway – mostly for the sake of having a good time with her girl friends and at least somewhat forgetting about the argument she had had with her boyfriend the day prior.
The raven haired girl was currently sitting at her vanity desk, putting the finishing touches to her look for tonight and feeling really satisfied with the way everything went for her in that department.
She wore a stunning, floor-length red dress with thin straps and fitted waistline. The skirt of the dress had a daring slit that exposed her left leg, adding a touch of allure to her look. Her shoes were a pair of gold high-heeled sandals, and she topped off the entire look with a charm bracelet Stan had given her all those years ago and a gold clutch bag to complete her ensemble of the night. Her raven black hair flowed gracefully down her back and was curled up, and the makeup she wore on her face only enhanced her natural beauty.
A soft knock on the door shook Wendy out of her slight trance, causing her to glance over to the bedroom door and smile upon seeing her mother Vanessa enter inside her room.
The older raven haired woman had a warm smile on her face, her eyes gleaming with pride. She stood next to Wendy's bed and gazed fondly at her daughter. ''You look absolutely stunning, cariña.'', she commented as she walked over to Wendy and placed a kiss on her forehead, her voice gushy and filled with genuine admiration.
''Thank you so much mom.'', Wendy responded with a small chuckle, offering a grateful smile to her mom, despite not being able to fully shake off her unease, as the weight of the recent encounter with Melissa still lingered in her mind.
Vanessa, being perceptive as always, could see that her only child wasn't as excited about the dance as she probably should've been, which caused her expression to grow slightly more concerned and her motherly intuition to kick right in. ''Mija, what's wrong?'', she asked as she took a seat on Wendy's bed.
The dark haired girl sighed before responding. ''It's nothing too major, mom. There's no need for worry.'', she insisted, although Vanessa didn't look particularly convinced regarding that – with Wendy knowing that her mother had always been pretty good at reading her emotions and her intuition rarely proved to be wrong.
''Oh honey, please.'', Vanessa said softly, placing a comforting hand on top of Wendy's, searching for any kind of hint of something that might've been bothering her daughter, since she noticed that her usually bright demeanor had now been replaced by a more subdued one.
Wendy thought about not telling her mother the real reason why she had been feeling a certain way, simply wanting to tell her that everything was just alright and letting her know that there wasn't anything she should worry about, but decided against it eventually. ''To be completely honest, I'm not really looking forward to the dance, mostly because Stan will be there and the two of us got into an argument over something yesterday, so it's not like we've exactly been on the greatest of terms.''
''Oh sweetie, what happened between you two? Didn't you guys get back together not even a week ago?''
''Well, it's about something Stan's ex-girlfriend said to me the other day, and even though I didn't fully fall for her manipulative tactics and lies, she still managed to upset me and get under my skin unfortunately.'', Wendy explained, her stomach knotting up with slight discomfort over what she was about to say next. ''And I didn't initially take Stan's side in a situation where I definitely should've, and he got hurt and upset over the fact that I would even doubt him telling the truth.''
Vanessa let out a long sigh and looked directly at Wendy's face. ''And have you guys talked about it? Maybe you'll be able to work things out if you both explain things properly.''
''No, we haven't yet.'', Wendy confirmed. ''But, I'll try to find him at the dance and go somewhere we can be alone and hopefully talk things out in peace.''
''That sounds like a very good idea.'', Vanessa replied, smiling at her daughter. ''I'm sure you two will figure this problem out and make up, so just give it some time.''
''Well, I really hope so.''
They shared a brief moment of silence until Vanessa decided that it was probably the time for Wendy to leave her room and go to the dance. ''Sweetie, I just want to make sure that you're doing alright, okay? I hope you and Stan will talk things out and make things right again.'', she reached out and gently cupped Wendy's cheek. ''And just remember honey, you should never let the words of someone like that girl get to you, because you and Stan are stronger than that. You are allowed to argue with each other sometimes, but don't let that stop you from trying to improve your relationship. You two are both incredible young people who deserve to be happy, so don't let anyone take that away from you; let alone a jealous, immature ex-girlfriend who can't stand the fact Stan is back together with someone who is so much better and healthier for him.''
Wendy smiled gratefully and nodded in agreement. ''Thanks mom, I really appreciate your advice. I promise I'll do what I think is best and try to fix things with Stan.''
Vanessa smiled approvingly, before pulling her into another hug and pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. She caressed her cheek for a moment more, before standing up and walking towards the door. ''Okay then, sweetie.''
''Now, hurry along, because you don't wanna' be late for the dance, do you?'', she continued further and teased with a wink.
Wendy laughed lightly and rolled her eyes, giving her mother a playful shove before making her way over towards her desk and grabbing her gold clutch bag, putting it on her shoulder while also giving her makeup and hair one quick final fix.
''Of course not.'', she grinned right back.
It was around eight PM when Wendy arrived at the school building, right after her parents had dropped her off after doing several rounds of obligatory photo taking and selfies back at their place.
She had promised to both Vanessa and Sean that she would send them a message once the dance would come to its end, with hopes of not getting too drunk in the process and hopefully crashing over at either Bebe's or Red's place (or maybe even at Stan's, in case they managed to patch things up).
Entering inside the school gym, Wendy immediately scanned the sea of students in order to find her girl friends and the table they were sitting at, her lips wiggling into a grin as she noticed Heidi waving at her and gesturing to her to come and join their friends at the table.
The atmosphere in South Park High School's gymnasium had already been great, to say the least.
Befitting the whole Spring dance theme, the gym had undergone a stunning transformation, with every corner thoughtfully designed and adorned with various floral decorations and streamers that draped across the ceiling, and large, colorful balloons hung up above. The dance floor was set aside, bathed in soft, romantic glow, while a stage had also been up, featuring both a DJ booth and an accompanying DJ table. There was even a large food table set up near the entrance to the dance floor, complete with all sorts of different appetizers, salads and desserts.
Wendy, in the meantime, had made her way over to the table where her friends were sitting, finding a seat right in between Bebe and Red.
After greeting her girl friends and their respective dates, she was glad to see that everyone at their table seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely and laughing and just having a really great time so far. She eventually glanced over her shoulder to check on the dance floor in front of her, which had already gotten pretty packed with couples and some groups of friends who were dancing around enthusiastically.
However, as Wendy was trying to observe the dancefloor, she couldn't help but notice a very familiar pair of blue eyes staring right into her direction, causing her heart to speed up ever so slightly. A faint blush formed on her cheeks and she quickly turned her attention back to her friends, although she did secretly hope this would be enough to entice her boyfriend to walk up to her and strike up a conversation – with her still occasionally casting glances across the room, her eyes inevitably drawn to Stan.
Stan, who had remained seated with his friends during the entire silent exchange across the room, gave Wendy a small wave and smile in return when their eyes met.
He looked particularly handsome tonight, although he chose a more simple outfit of the night – wearing a white dress shirt underneath a black suit jacket that matched a pair of dress pants he wore, black dress shoes and a white bowtie to put the whole look together; his usually messy raven hair was now neatly combed down, although there were a few stray strands of hair anyway.
Even though Stan looked extremely nice and attractive, his facial expression still remained rather neutral and blank – but he still couldn't help himself but be captivated by the sight of Wendy in a stunning red dress that just screamed grace and elegance, and he felt his breath simply being taken away.
When Wendy had returned the wave he had sent in her direction, Stan knew that she must've looked at him before, judging by how quickly she had averted her gaze and tried her hardest to hide her blushing face afterwards. He couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself, knowing that he probably hadn't been the only one who found her beautiful tonight, and he couldn't help but admire just how gorgeous his girlfriend looked.
The very brief interaction between himself and Wendy was enough to give Stan some courage and confidence, so he stood up with a small exhale, getting up from his seat and start walking towards his ravenette counterpart, who was currently standing near one of the punch tables and was ready to pour herself some of that sweet, citrusy goodness.
Stan quickly made his way through the crowd towards Wendy, his heart booming in his chest with each step he took. As he approached her, his eyes remained fixed on the vision of his girlfriend in a stunning red dress, and the mere sight of her began to fill him with nothing else but warmth and longing.
When he got close enough to Wendy, Stan stopped a couple of feet away from her and gazed into those chocolatey brown eyes of hers he loved so goddamn much, giving her a small, but sweet smile.
''Hey.'', Stan greeted, taking a step closer towards Wendy and now standing right opposite of her.
''Hi.'', Wendy greeted right back, a small blush forming on her face as her eyes locked on Stan's approaching figure, feeling her heart skip a beat.
''Enjoying the party?'', the teenage boy asked, though he still sounded a bit more reserved, but his eyes sparkled with excitement, while Wendy returned the gesture and giggled slightly.
''I mean, what's there not to enjoy?'', she replied with a wink. ''But yeah, everything really is good.''
Both Stan and Wendy then looked at each other for a few moments and enjoyed the peaceful silence that was now lingering between them, but not before Stan cleared his throat to speak.
''You look really nice.'', he said.
''Thank you, and you're not too shabby either.'', Wendy complimented back, still maintaining a guarded posture and unsure whether she should be the one to take the next step, or simply wait for Stan to take the lead instead.
Wendy wanted to reach out for Stan, to take his hand and drag him out to somewhere they could be completely alone and talk about what had happened between them yesterday, but she instead gazed into his eyes and smiled shyly, waiting for him to say something first.
And luckily for her, she didn't have to wait that long for her wish to be granted.
''Wends…'', Stan began, reaching out to take Wendy's hand in his and interlock their fingers together. ''About what happened yesterday, we can talk about it if you want to.''
''Yeah, I would very much love to.'', Wendy replied, allowing her boyfriend to intertwine their hands.
''I know I've been acting like a total asshole towards you since yesterday and only responding to your texts with a stupid thumbs up emoji, and I can understand that you probably think that I still don't want to speak to you for some – ''
''Stan.'', Wendy simply cut him off. ''It's okay, I understand it…''
''Are you sure?'', Stan inquired, sounding a bit hesitant. ''You know I want to apologize.''
''I do know that, but it's fine, really.'', the younger of the two teenagers reassured her boyfriend. ''I shouldn't have doubted you in the first place, you know? There's always two sides of the story, so it kinda' made me want to know Melissa's side too, but given the fact she's a fucking pathological liar and wasn't afraid to accuse you of doing something very disturbing which you obviously would never, ever even attempt to do, I should've trusted you from the very beginning.''
''That makes sense.'', Stan muttered quietly, letting out a deep sigh of relief. ''I mean, there's really no reason to even trust Melissa after all the horrible shit she put me through; all the lies, cheating on me not once but twice, and then somehow trying to make me the big bad guy in all of this, when in fact she herself was one all along.''
A small, weak grin appeared on Wendy's face after Stan had said those words. ''Well, I'm glad we're both on the same page, but I do understand if you still want space and think everything through again.''
Stan shook his head in slight disbelief over what he was hearing, before glancing downwards. ''No, I think we're past that stage now.'', he told Wendy, lifting his head up in order for his eyes to meet hers. ''I promise that everything we'll be alright. We can talk more about it later, if you want to?''
Wendy nodded slowly. ''Yeah, fine by me.'', she murmured, feeling a bit disappointed over the fact that Stan had still been reluctant to do anything else with her tonight other than hold hands, although she knew he had every reason not to act all lovey-dovey around her.
Her face dropped into a frown as Stan silently let go of her hand and turned around on the spot, watching him as he walked towards the gymnasium entrance and eventually went outside. She then walked back towards the table her friends were sitting at, feeling suddenly dejected about how her last interaction with Stan had gone.
Wendy really hoped they would be able to move past all of the drama that had already given a blow to their rekindled relationship, and that things would eventually end up falling where they rightfully belong – because they just had to, and because they simply would.
Melissa sat in her seat, taking a sip out of her punch and carefully observing the entire situation that had unfolded between Stan and Wendy.
At first, it had felt really good knowing that she had been able to stir shit up in Stan and Wendy's re-blossomed relationship and put at least a temporary strain on it, but watching them now reconcile so soon didn't sit particularly well with her. Despite hoping her false accusations would drive a more permanent wedge between the raven haired duo, it appeared that the couple was working through their issues – which was very, very much to her dismay.
She let out a frustrating sigh, jumping slightly out of her seat as she felt someone patting her on the shoulder comfortingly, only for her to turn to the side and see David giving her a sympathetic look, as he completely understood the way his brunette friend had been feeling towards her ex-boyfriend.
While he had been in pretty much the same boat as Melissa a few months ago, he had eventually come to realize that what he had attempted to do to Wendy was just horrible and could've easily ended up with him facing much bigger repercussions. However, he had been able to be mature enough about the whole situation and apologize properly to his ex-girlfriend about the whole situation, and to the best of his ability, move on and not try to cause unnecessary drama like Melissa had attempted to after Stan broke up with her for the final time.
''What's wrong now, Mel?'', David asked.
''I can't fucking believe my eyes.'', the brunette mumbled under her breath with narrowed eyes, setting her punch cup down on the table. ''Why did she have to ruin everything?''
''Wendy?'', the teenage boy questioned, but not before Melissa rolled her eyes in response and pretty much gave him an answer to his ridiculous question right away. ''I highly doubt she ruined everything for you, and more specifically, ruined your relationship with Stan.'', he then added, earning himself a raised eyebrow from the girl sitting beside him.
''Well, duh!'', she let out an exasperated sigh.
David chuckled softly. ''I'm sorry Mel, but I think you're being a little dramatic.''
''Am I?'', Melissa rolled her eyes.
''Look, I get it that you're still upset over Stan breaking up with you, but maybe you should just accept the fact that he moved on and is happier with someone else, even if it is with his elementary school girlfriend?'', the teenage boy explained calmly. ''Maybe stop assuming that he has any feelings for you and let him go, instead of wasting your time on coming up with shitty plans to ruin Stan and Wendy's relationship and making yourself look like a fool for no reason? I know you're better than that, and I'm sure you deep down know that as well.''
Melissa fell silent, although she did know that David was at least correct about her wrongly assuming that her ex-boyfriend still had any feelings for her.
''I know.'', she admitted reluctantly, running her fingers through her perfectly straightened locks as she thought about what David had said to her. ''But, I guess I just haven't accepted the fact that the guy I love so much has been in love with someone else all along, and now looks much happier with her than he probably ever was with me.''
David nodded his head in understanding, feeling glad that his good friend was seemingly becoming aware of her own delusions and the lengths she had been willing to go to in order to ruin someone else's relationship, which in turn caused her to feel only more spiteful and angry.
''I'm glad you're at least willing to accept the fact that you and Stan are done for good and try to move on this time around.'', he told her in the most comforting voice he could manage.
''Thanks for understanding.'', Melissa replied with a smile, but not before glancing over at the punch table area and noticing that Stan was now walking away from Wendy and was making his way out of the school gym.
''Do you think I should go talk to Stan and apologize for what I've done?'', she asked. ''I mean, I'm not sure he'll be that convinced, but I think it's worth giving it a shot and using it as an opportunity to at least bury the hatchet between us?''
''Sure, why not?'', David shrugged his shoulders in response, giving Melissa a thumbs-up as a sign of encouragement.
Feeling encouraged and determined to take a first step in her journey of moving on from Stan for good, Melissa then stood up from her seat and fixed her outfit, before taking a deep breath and walking outside the school gymnasium as well.
She then spotted her ex-boyfriend standing with his back against the wall, typing something on his phone and clearly not focused on the world around him. The sight of him made her slightly nervous, and she was unsure whether or not to approach him since she was fairly certain he would ignore her or politely tell her to leave him alone.
Nevertheless, after a few seconds of hesitating over whether or not she should start talking to her ex, Melissa decided to give it a try. She walked closer to where Stan was standing, and cleared her throat before speaking up.
''Hey Stan.''
The boy in question quickly glanced up from his phone screen upon hearing his name being called by his ex-girlfriend, causing him to raise his eyebrow and tilt his head slightly to the side. He was quite surprised to see Melissa having the audacity to speak to him after her failed attempt at ruining his relationship with Wendy – but then again, it wasn't such a huge shocker that Melissa would pretend like she hadn't done anything wrong and would simply go along with her day.
''Hi Melissa.'', Stan greeted her, sounding a bit more guarded and cautious now. ''What do you want?''
''Can we talk? Just for a minute?'', Melissa asked, raising her eyebrows nervously.
''About what?'', the quarterback asked, clearly not being too keen on having any conversation with her whatsoever.
''Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry.'', she began. ''For everything.''
Stan remained quiet for a few seconds, staring at Melissa, who looked back at him and bit her lower lip anxiously as she waited for his reply. ''Everything?''
''Yes, for everything – for all the lies, all the times I cheated on you, for all the hurt I caused you and for treating you like total shit, even though you didn't deserve it at all.'', the brunette went on, trying hard to keep her composure despite how nervous she had felt. ''I'm sorry.'', she continued, lowering her gaze to the floor and unable to bring herself to meet Stan's eyes after saying all that.
Once again, Stan remained silent for another couple of seconds, before he sighed and nodded his head in acknowledgement. He definitely did look a bit less cold and a little less annoyed than before.
''Well, if you truly mean all those things you just said, then I forgive you.'', the raven haired teen replied.
''Yes, of course I do.'', Melissa responded. ''What I did a few days ago was out of pure jealousy and because I couldn't accept the fact we are done for good.''
''Really?''
''Yeah really, and I honestly don't expect anything else to happen anymore, considering the fact we are over now and that you had every reason to break up with me, and that I haven't accepted it that easily, but I'm willing to work on it.''
''I'm happy you finally came to terms with everything you did and just how much it hurt me. I do accept your apology, but that doesn't mean things between us will ever go back to how they used to.'', Stan pointed out.
''I know, and I can understand that.'', Melissa said with a small nod of her head. ''I just wanted to make sure you know that, and also that I hope we can be on at least cordial terms, but I'll understand if you don't want to.'', she finished quietly while staring down at the ground.
''Yeah, and I'm okay with that.'', her ex-boyfriend affirmed.
After a few moments of peaceful silence, Melissa spoke up again.
''So, you really love Wendy, don't you?'', she began. ''Even after all those years you two weren't together?''
Stan sighed, thinking about Wendy for a second, before answering. ''Yeah, I do.'', he admitted with a smile. ''It took me a while to realize that though.''
''I can tell.'', Melissa said, a small smile forming on her lips. ''She's one lucky girl for sure.''
''Well, to be completely honest, I loved you a lot too, I truly did, but things are over between us now.'', the teenage boy shrugged his shoulders. ''And no girl could ever be Wendy, because there's always been a part of me that loved her, even after she moved out of South Park in sixth grade.''
''That's understandable.'', Melissa agreed. ''I'm glad you're being honest with me.''
''I mean, you at least deserve to hear the real truth. We did date for quite a while, afterall.'', Stan told her with a small chuckle, before walking past Melissa and giving her a kind smile, looking over his shoulder. ''I hope someday you'll find someone right for you.''
Wiping the slate clean between Melissa and him had been something Stan definitely didn't have on his itinerary for tonight, since his main priority was to make amends with Wendy and move on from all that drama – however, it felt good knowing that he had at least sorted things out with his ex-girlfriend and left their toxic relationship in the past where it rightfully belonged to.
Walking away from Melissa and making a beeline for the school gym again, Stan felt a rush of excitement course through his entire body, making him feel determined to find Wendy as soon as possible and finally have a heartfelt one-on-one conversation with her.
However, his entire plan came to a screeching halt as he saw Wendy standing right outside the gym door, with her arms folded across her chest and her looking visibly upset – with Stan taking that as a clear sign that she must've definitely seen the entire conversation he had had with Melissa, which only made things between them inadvertently worse, on top of him already not acting the most affectionate towards his girlfriend tonight.
The look of disappointment sitting on Wendy's face and how easy it was for her to simply walk past him, was more than enough for Stan to realize that fixing things with Wendy wasn't exactly going to be a walk in the park.
Oh boy, don't you all just love it when I actually get my shit together and post a new chapter in a reasonable amount of time, do you?
Anyways, I really loved writing this chapter! I wanted to give the whole Stan-Melissa-Wendy conflict the closure it really deserves and finally close that arc of the story, so I hope I did it enough justice (let's be honest, even a bitchy character like Melissa deserves to have a somewhat happy ending).
Do you think Stan and Wendy will be able to sort out all of their relationship drama, or will their relationship unfortunately become more ruined in the process? Let me know in the comments down below!