Mended Hearts.
Part IX.
It was Saturday now, and much to Stan's delight, his upcoming birthday party was also set to be held on that very same evening.
His parents had already traveled to Colorado Springs for the annual Cannabis Cultivators Expo on early Friday morning, thus leaving their son all on his own that weekend and allowing him to throw a kick-ass party for his seventeenth birthday.
Food and snacks, as well as juices and other mixing liquids, got bought and were now sitting pretty on a designated table in the Marsh family living room, while Kenny's older brother Kevin had been in charge of getting all the booze the rowdy group of teenagers would need to get absolutely shit-faced – since the oldest McCormick was now twenty-one years old and didn't need to have a fake ID to buy alcohol anymore; plus, he was unemployed and just couldn't resist getting some additional money for his liquor-buying services and an extra jar of Tegridy Farms weed as a tip.
The preparations for Stan's seventeenth birthday party had been in full swing ever since the homecoming football game afterparty that took place last week, and the teenage boy had never been more excited for his birthday as he was now, mostly because life had been treating him rather well recently – he had been getting good grades as per usual, football season was going reasonably well and he had gotten his relationship with Melissa hopefully back on track now.
And since he was now seventeen, and one step closer towards becoming a somewhat of a level-headed young adult, it hadn't been that uncommon for Stan to start thinking about what life had in store for him post–high school – predominantly when it came to college and keeping in touch with people who were the most important to him.
When it came to his college plans, Stan knew that getting a full football scholarship was his top priority, since he had always been athletic and well-versed in numerous sports – but football, compared to other sports he would usually play, just gave him the ability to truly show off the most out of his talent for sports. Unsurprisingly, all of that made him one of the most important factors in turning South Park Cows into such a force to be reckoned with when it came to high school football in Park County. It also amped up the dark haired teenager's reputation as one of the most promising and sought after high school football players in the state of Colorado, which in return could possibly make him in contention for getting a scholarship for the college of his dreams, UCLA.
The state of his friendships and relationships post-high school was also sometimes at the forefront of Stan's mind, especially when it came to what the future had in store for him and his girlfriend, and whether their relationship could possibly avoid the unfortunate outcome that came with attending different colleges. While Stan loved Melissa with all his heart, he sometimes just wasn't sure if their relationship was meant to last after high school, especially with the constant cycle of quarreling and making up they had been going through again over the past couple of months or so.
Having his ex-girlfriend suddenly back in his life after what had been a long period of her absence from South Park, definitely had had at least some impact on Stan's relationship with Melissa – subsequently fuelling the latter's already existing tendency to get jealous very easily and resulting in the two of them getting into more than just one fight about the idea of Stan being friends with Wendy.
That was exact same reason why the teenage boy felt like inviting his ex-girlfriend to his birthday party was sort of a double-edge sword – on one hand, he thought it wouldn't be fair not to invite someone whom he had known for such a long time and was on good terms with, but he also didn't want to piss off his girlfriend and get into yet another really pointless argument.
However, ever since the fight they had after leaving the Tweek Bros. coffee shop, Stan had become much better at not allowing the emotions to get the best of him when it came to arguing with Melissa, firmly standing his ground on more than one occasion and giving the brunette girl a clear message: he wasn't going to fall for her victim-like behavior anymore and wasn't going to waste his time by arguing with her over the pettiest little things.
Stan just wanted to make sure that everyone at his birthday party would have a good time and use it as an opportunity to relax, drink a little bit and fleetingly forget about the yet another hectic school week that was just around the corner.
And speaking of having a good time and using it as an opportunity to relax, Wendy decided to stick to those thoughts one hundred percent and was currently sipping on what must've been her second cup of Clyde's infamous jungle juice that night. She was sitting on the couch beside Nichole, who had found herself in the company of her friend after her boyfriend Tolkien and his gang went to play beer pong with the birthday boy, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman.
Truth to be told, the raven haired girl hadn't really expected Stan to invite her to his birthday party, but given the fact that he did just that and that his girlfriend seemed to have finally stopped with her jealous outbursts over frankly nothing, Wendy presumed that her confrontation with Melissa at the homecoming game afterparty last week had actually had some effect. She was pleasantly surprised when her ex-boyfriend invited her to the party, so she couldn't really turn him down and make some lame excuse for not being able to come.
''So, you and David.'', Nichole smirked as she snapped the noirette out of her thoughts.
''What about me and David?'', Wendy raised an eyebrow as she took a swig of her jungle juice.
''Well, a little birdie told me that he asked you out.''
''I mean, it's not like he directly told me that he wants to go on a date, but he sort of hinted at it and I just went along with everything. He brought it up later again, and I told him that I would actually love to. That's pretty much where we've been at.''
''So, do you like him?'', the brunette asked, twirling a box braid around her fingertip.
''Yeah, I actually do.'', Wendy admitted with a gentle smile. ''I mean, he's kind, really smart, has a lot of the same interests as I do, and was actually super polite to my parents when he dropped me off home on Tuesday.''
''Is that why you blew us off to hang out after school?''
''Aw, come on Nic! Don't be mad at me.''
''Just kidding, it's okay.'', Nichole grinned, not really being aware of what she was about to say next. ''We're all really happy for you. I mean, you're finally interested in someone else other than Stan.''
Immediately falling silent as came to realize what she had just blurted out and averting her gaze away from her friend, the teenage girl received an unimpressed look from Wendy, who clearly wasn't too pleased with her friend's choice of words.
''What's that supposed to mean?'', the ravenette asked in a hushed tone, before glancing around to make sure that no-one else was listening to their conversation. ''You think I'm not able to have feelings for someone else, even after I broke up with Stan almost six years ago?''
''Wends, I obviously don't think that.'', Nichole replied, shaking her head in disbelief. ''Look, I'm sorry. I've clearly drunk too much already and keep on spewing out complete nonsense. I shouldn't have brought him up anyway.''
Noticing the remorseful look her friend had on her face, Wendy felt herself softening and giving Nichole a comforting smile. ''It's okay. I just don't want the wrong people to hear our conversation and then start twisting our words and spread bullshit around school. I especially don't want David to hear any of it, okay?''
''I know, I know…'', Nichole said. ''But my point still stands – we're all happy for you, if he makes you happy. And, if he hurts you in any way, shape or form, we're gonna' make his life a living nightmare and he's gonna' regret ever hurting you.''
''Ditto.''
''Have you guys discussed about going on a date together?''
''You've already asked me that.'', Wendy rolled her eyes teasingly. ''But yeah, he has brought it up a couple of times already, but we just have to talk about when we will go on a date and where. It will most likely be next weekend or the weekend after.''
The two girls then continued with their chatter, occasionally sipping on their drinks and then getting some more, up until Wendy decided that it was the perfect time to go bathroom and clear her mind from the two cups of sugary, alcoholic concoction she had drunk so far.
''I'm gonna' go to the bathroom and then get one more drink. You want one?'', the dark haired girl asked Nichole, who simply nodded her head 'no' as a response.
Shrugging her shoulders and noticing that her friend was in the company of her boyfriend Tolkien again, Wendy then started walking in the direction of the downstairs bathroom and was hoping that it wasn't occupied, but considering the fact that there were twenty or so people now roaming through Stan's house and doing their own things, the ravenette quickly came to terms that she would most likely have to go to the upstairs bathroom instead.
Walking up to the bathroom door, Wendy knocked on it a couple of times, before a nasally voice shouted from the bathroom. She immediately recognized the male voice belonging to Craig, presuming that he had most likely locked himself inside to have some alone time with his boyfriend, since she hadn't been able to find Tweek anywhere in the house – and it definitely wasn't uncommon for the two teenage boys to lock themselves inside the bathroom or a guest bedroom to have some privacy and enjoy all the perks that came with it.
''Dude, occupied!''
''Okay Craig, gotcha'!''
Giggling quietly to herself, Wendy then turned around on the spot and started heading towards the second floor bathroom in hopes of finding it completely empty, since she just wasn't sure for how much longer she would be able to hold everything in and go without peeing.
Although this was only the second time she had been in Stan's house since moving back, she could still vividly remember the layout of his house. And as she made her way upstairs, her brown eyes were following the Marsh family pictures that were hung on the wall, reminiscing her of all the times she had been inside her ex-boyfriend's house before and all the moments they had created and gone through together; but it also made her heart flutter in surprise and spread an odd feeling of warmth inside her.
But before she could reach for the bathroom door handle and take a step inside, Wendy didn't even notice a female figure present in the shadows and walking really slowly towards the staircase. The teenage girl could see someone with brunette locks and a tight-fitting black dress making their way towards her, but she couldn't really see who it exactly was – up until the unknown girl bumped straight into Wendy and revealed herself.
''Oh, sorry.'', the raven haired girl said as she extended her hand out to the other girl on the floor and helped her stand up. Raising a curious eyebrow, it didn't take Wendy that long to realize that it was none other than Melissa who had bumped into her. She groaned inwardly, but decided to help out the drunk girl and make her a bit more sober instead.
''Heeeey Wendy…'', Melissa slurred Wendy's name with a tipsy smile as she clung onto the other teenage girl for support. Apart from being intoxicated, she clearly had trouble with maintaining her balance and the ability to walk properly, but had no problems with recognizing Wendy relatively easily.
Although she really couldn't help herself but feel sorry for her apparent love rival, Wendy was at least glad that the brunette decided not to wear any high-heeled shoes, because otherwise she would've definitely fallen on the floor face first or tumbled down the stairs in quite a drunken fashion.
''Hey.'', Wendy smiled sheepishly, trying to shake off the sudden awkwardness. ''Are you okay?''
''I-I'm juuuust fiiiine!'', Melissa replied with a slight hiccup. ''Y-you know, I'm r-really s-sorry for the way I've been acting towards y-you.''
''I s-should've listened to you iiiin the f-first place anyway! I k-know Stanny loves me and t-that you t-two are just friends. Sorry.'', she continued further, leaving Wendy completely stunned and seemingly without any words to say.
''I really don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so.'', the dark haired girl snickered. ''Well, he does love you. I can tell it, and everyone can tell it.''
''Yeeeeah…'', Melissa replied. ''C-can you help me get downstairs?''
Simply nodding her head in response, Wendy wrapped one arm around the other girl's waist and carefully started walking down the stairs alongside Melissa, who relied on her boyfriend's ex for support and balance. The two girls eventually made their way downstairs, with Melissa regaining enough strength to pull Wendy into a quick hug, before turning around on the spot and happily skipping away towards the couch where Stan was sitting.
''What the fuck did just happen?'', Bebe asked suddenly as she appeared right beside her best friend, with a curious expression on her face and being aware of the fact that Wendy had just walked downstairs with Melissa.
''Bebe, even I can't wrap my head around what the fuck just happened.'', Wendy admitted with a chuckle. ''I guess alcohol can even make people like Melissa more tolerable and not like a total asshole?''
''What just happened? Fill me in!''
''Well, I was just trying to get to the bathroom upstairs, and saw Melissa walking straight into my direction. I could tell she was fairly tipsy, but I didn't do anything about it until she greeted me.'', the noirette said. ''And she pretty much apologized for acting like a total bitch towards me and that she really had no reason to be jealous. I then helped her with getting downstairs all safe and sound.''
''That's it?'', Bebe responded in a somewhat disappointed tone.
''Yeah, that's it, and I'm honestly glad that I didn't have to talk with her all that much.'', Wendy replied as she turned her head in the direction of the living room, noticing that Melissa was now sitting on Stan's lap and was caught up in a rather heated lip-lock with him. She let out a faint sigh, before shaking her head in disbelief at the frankly stupid thought of getting jealous over her ex-boyfriend kissing another girl. ''I'll take her apology as a sign that the whole shitshow between us is finally over.''
Although she wasn't really willing to admit it, and was more than ready to convince herself that alcohol was just clouding her mind and making her think that way, Wendy knew deep down inside her that her ex-boyfriend could do so much better than Melissa.
But at the moment, keeping that opinion to herself for the sake of hers and Stan's friendship, instead of inadvertently ruining it and causing yet another drift in Stan and Melissa's relationship, seemed like a much more viable option to Wendy – no matter how much she actually wanted to tell Stan the truth and what she really thought about his current relationship.
Bebe Stevens has added Wendy Testaburger to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Red Tucker to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Heidi Turner to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Nichole Daniels to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Annie Nelson to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Clyde Donovan to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Tolkien Black to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Jimmy Valmer to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Tweek Tweak to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Craig Tucker to the group
Craig Tucker has left the group
Bebe Stevens has added Craig Tucker to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Kenny McCormick to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Stan Marsh to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Kyle Broflovski to the group
Bebe Stevens has added Butters Stotch to the group
Bebe Stevens changed the name of the group to Halloween 🎃👻💅
Bebe: hey guys, there's gonna be a Halloween party at my house this Saturday, so you all better start working on your costume ideas!
Clyde: WOO YEAH BABY, THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR 🔥🔥
Bebe: who says you're invited?
Clyde: you added me?
Bebe: by accident!
Bebe Stevens has removed Clyde Donovan from the group
Tolkien Black has added Clyde Donovan to the group
Clyde: thanks man
Tolkien: 👍
Heidi: what about eric?
Bebe: whoops, sorry about that heids
Bebe Stevens has added Eric Cartman to the group
Kyle: do we have to bring food?
Bebe: noo, you guys don't need to worry about food or drinks. everything is covered, so you just need to come in a costume and that's it :)
Kenny: can we just come in our underwear? that can also count as one 😏😏
Bebe: for fucks sake Kenny, you can't.. everyone HAS to wear a costume
Wendy: what time?
Red: 7:30 pm, right?
Bebe: yeah, on Saturday at my place! see you guys
Wendy sighed as she re-read the most recent messages from the Halloween party group chat her best friend had created earlier in the week, before getting up from her desk chair and grabbing the remaining things she would need to complete her Halloween costume.
The raven haired girl didn't really have a super intricate Halloween costume design for this year, so she decided to come up with something simpler this time around and not fuss too much about her costume choice.
Wendy was wearing a simple thigh-length halter neck black dress with tutu skirt that was decorated in sequins and sparkles all over it, as well as a pair of black fishnet stockings underneath the dress skirt. She wore black fingerless gloves with sequin trims around her wrists, as well as a pair of ankle boots with sharp, pointed heels on her feet. She finished off her costume with a wide-brimmed witch hat and a black broom with lacy details. She also wore a bit more makeup than usual, and had her long raven locks styled into simple waves.
Truth to be told, she didn't really feel like going to what would be her third party weekend in a row, mostly because she had never been that much of a party girl to begin with and would rather spend her weekends at home reading a good book or two – but since her best friend was hosting the Halloween party tonight, Wendy thought she could make an exception this time around and feel a bit more upbeat about going to the party.
Bebe's parents had traveled out of state on Wednesday, and probably wouldn't be back up until late Sunday evening, so the blonde teenage girl had all the time in the world to organize one heck of a Halloween party that weekend. Her friends had gladly helped her out by setting up the decorations, getting all the food and drinks needed for the party, as well as busting out an old karaoke machine from the Stevens' family basement – all in all, the entire party organizing process had gone on relatively smoothly, with the party being ready to start at around seven thirty PM that evening.
The party hostess had decided to dress like Regina George from Mean Girls for this year's Halloween party. Her costume consisted of a bright pink cardigan, a white tank top with the words 'a little bit dramatic' written on it, black mini skirt and a pair of cute black high heels. She also wore a necklace with the letter 'B' to finish off the entire costume, with her usually curly hair now completely flat-ironed and makeup done to match the whole pink aesthetic she was going for.
Some of Bebe and Wendy's classmates had decided to come in matching costumes, mainly the classmates who were already in relationships with each other – Tweek and Craig looked absolutely adorable in their matching astronaut costumes, while the newly proclaimed couple of Kenny and Butters got dressed up as Mysterion and Professor Chaos respectively. Red and Kevin got dressed up in the iconic denim outfits of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, while Tolkien and Nichole looked dashing in their matching costumes that were inspired by the Roaring Twenties era.
The vast majority of evening had then gone on to be very fun and lively, and Wendy had a lot of fun partying with her friends, though at times she did feel a bit weird to be on her own after her friends had left somewhere with their significant others, including Bebe, who had apparently decided to give Clyde another chance after what had been almost four years of them not being together.
The dark haired girl was mostly occupying herself by texting David or chatting with her friends when they weren't with their boyfriends or girlfriends, meanwhile the entire gang of teenagers was getting tipsier and tipsier with each drink they had taken and were lifting everyone's spirits up as the night progressed.
After texting with David back and forth for the past twenty minutes or so, Wendy was again joined by Bebe on the couch, who had just returned from the kitchen pantry and stocking the table up with more snacks and candy for everyone to enjoy. ''Jeez, remind me not to host a party for quite some time. This has been frankly exhausting, and I just wanna' drink some booze instead of running from point A to point B all evening long – and in four inch heels!''
''Well, what did you expect? You're the party hostess after all.''
''Yeah, true that.'', Bebe admitted. ''Clyde has also been keeping me busy for a little bit.''
The ravenette's eyes widened in surprise as she gave her best friend a gentle slap on the shoulder. ''What? You and Clyde again?''
''Yeah…'', the blonde teenager said with a dreamy look in her eyes. ''I decided to give him another chance. I mean, he's really matured since we last dated and actually puts in a lot of effort to become a better person. I appreciate what he's been doing lately, and I can't deny that my feelings for him have kinda' returned.''
''Good to know. I mean, if you guys can make it work the second time around, then more power to you, I guess.'', Wendy said. ''By the way, how did you feel when Kenny ended your friends with benefits thing? You didn't seem to be that upset about it.''
''I wasn't upset at all, actually. You know, neither of us thought that our relationship, or whatever the hell we were having, was anything serious to begin with. We were just friends with benefits, and that's it. I knew that Kenny was gonna' move onto someone else eventually, and I was fine with it.'', Bebe chuckled. ''I just didn't think he would pick Butters out of all the people. No offense to the guy, obviously, but he just doesn't strike me as Kenny's type.''
''Actually, I think he's had a thing for Butters for quite some time.'', the dark haired girl said as she glanced over in the direction of the love seat in which the two teenage boys had nestled themselves in, with Butters sitting on Kenny's lap and the latter maintaining a firm, but protective grip on the smaller boy's waist. ''I don't know why it took him that long to make a move, though.''
''Neither do I, but they match each other so perfectly.''
''I think Kenny has a thing for blondes – first you, and now Butters. Who's next, Tweek?''
''Does Kenny have a death wish or something? I think Craig would beat him to a pulp without any hesitation.'', Bebe replied, noticing that her best friend was looking in the direction of Stan and Melissa, who were wearing their matching costumes and dancing rather seductively with each other on the dancefloor that was nothing else but a larger empty spot in the middle of the living room.
''Whatcha' looking at? Stan and Melissa?''
Rolling her eyes annoyingly and taking another sip of her beer, Wendy let out a snicker. ''Hmph, as if I give two shits about their relationship.''
''You don't seem to be that unbothered.''
''Well, how would you feel about your friend being in a relationship with someone who clearly wasn't the best person to be with, and you want to tell them that they could do so much better? And you don't want to jeopardize your friendship with that person just because you're afraid that your opinion about their relationship would have some negative impact? Yeah, that's what I'm thinking at the moment.'', the ravenette admitted with another roll of her eyes, looking away from the sight of her ex-boyfriend being so closely intertwined with Melissa and not wanting further to have those thoughts at the very forefront of her mind.
After doing another keg stand, Kyle felt like he seriously needed some fresh air. His Viking costume was already making him feel a bit stuffy, and the combination of alcohol and flushed cheeks seemed to have made everything just a little bit more unbearable for him.
Giving his wild auburn locks a quick tousle and shoving it all underneath the shiny metallic helmet he wore on his head, the teenage boy then walked out of the now fairly packed living room and started searching for the nearest bathroom. He walked around the corner and made a beeline straight for the bathroom, but not before his attention suddenly got caught by the sounds of someone crying in the nearby closet.
The closet doors were slightly ajar and the light wasn't turned on, but the Jewish teen could clearly notice a female figure sitting in the darkness and sobbing quietly to herself. He then reached for the door knob and flicked the light switch on, revealing that it was his frenemy's girlfriend who was crying inside the closet.
''Heidi?'', Kyle asked as the girl in question lifted her head up, and he felt his own heart splitting in two at the sight of Heidi – she was sitting on the closet floor with her head tucked between her knees and had mascara streaks running down her face from crying.
''Oh, it's you.'', Heidi replied in relief as she wiped away some of the tears. ''I was already starting to think that it was Eric…''
''Cartman?'', the auburn-haired boy quizzed. ''Are you crying because of him?''
The teenage girl simply nodded her head in response, as Kyle sat down on the floor beside her and gave her a worrisome look. ''Why that doesn't surprise me?''
A pang of sadness stung harshly within Kyle, as this hadn't been the first time he had stumbled upon his crush crying because of the fat tub of lard called Eric Cartman – what usually annoyed him even more about those situations, was the fact that Heidi would still go back to Cartman each and every time after they had a fight, no matter how much of a douchebag he had been to her in the four years of their on-and-off relationship.
And even though he hadn't been ready to admit it for what had been years at this point, Kyle's feelings for Heidi had never really gone away, and it genuinely broke his heart to see her not being her usual cheery self just because Cartman decided to act like a total asswipe to his girlfriend of nearly four years. The Jewish teen knew very well that Heidi was more than capable of dumping the fatass once and for all – afterall, she had done it once already and managed to get her life under control again.
''What happened?''
''Well, Eric got super mad at me because it took me a little longer than expected to get ready.''
''That's something really stupid to get pissed off about.''
''Right?'', Heidi sniffled as she wiped off some of the mascara bits that crumbled onto her under eye area. ''He knows it always takes me a bit longer to get ready, but this time I just couldn't get my face makeup to look good and spend good ten minutes trying to fix it.''
''Anyway, we then left my house and started driving towards here, but started arguing as soon as we came here, and then went our separate ways once the party started. However, we then started arguing again as he came up to me and basically dragged me outside of Bebe's house to talk, but I didn't want to and ended up telling him we're over.'', the teenage girl explained. ''But you know him, he then started wailing like a little kid and told me he was gonna' kill himself if I don't take him back. I just ignored him and ran towards here to cry in peace.''
''Oh, I'm sorry to hear that you guys broke up.'', Kyle responded.
''It's fine.'', she replied. ''I've been wanting to break up for the longest time, but I just couldn't find the ideal moment to do it. So, when the perfect opportunity came, I broke up with him and came here to be alone. I really don't wanna' come face-to-face with him and make myself even more upset than I already am.''
''No worries, you can come outside.'', the teenage boy said. ''Bebe kicked him out not even an hour ago and told him to get the fuck out of her house, because otherwise she was gonna' ask Wendy to gladly kick his ass again. He thought she was probably joking, but Wendy then came and threatened Cartman with her own words. He then left and hasn't been seen since.''
''Good.'', Heidi smiled. ''I gotta' thank the girls for kicking him out.''
The two teenagers sat in peaceful silence for a few more seconds, before Heidi got up from the floor and reached for the closet door knob. She then looked over her shoulders and gave Kyle a sweet smile.
''Hey Kyle?''
''Yeah?''
''Thanks for comforting me.''
''Anytime Heids.'', Kyle replied, getting up on his feet and wrapping his arms around the brunette girl. He pulled her into a comforting hug, not wanting to break away from her just yet.
Maybe there will finally be a chance for me and her? Who knows.
So, Stan and Wendy might be friendly with each other and all that jazz, but I think it's becoming a bit more obvious that they both still feel something for each other. Will those odd feelings go away, or will something make them reignite, we shall see.
Speaking of other ships, Heiman is now a thing of the past! I've never liked them to begin with (especially after everything that happened in season twenty one, ew), so I was mostly using it as a way to sneak just a little bit of Kydi into this story and show my love for that particular ship. You can totally expect more Kydi in the upcoming chapters, as their burgeoning relationship will definitely get more spotlight. Even though Stendy is the main focus of this fanfic, I still want to show my love for some other South Park ships I love (mainly Creek, Bunny and Kydi).
The group chat portion of this chapter was bitch and a half to format, especially because FFN doesn't show all the emojis properly, so I had to copy-paste some of them in order to fix the problem and make the chapter look semi-decent at least.
Also, I hope updates won't be so sporadic in the upcoming months, since I've started working at a new job and have a pretty important exam week coming up next month! However, I still plan on sticking to my initial plan of posting at least two chapters per month. :)