Mended Hearts.
Part XI.
''Mom, only Kyle and Kenny know exactly what happened between me and Melissa during that final weekend of spring break. The rest, not so much.''
''Okay, so tell me now.'', Sharon said as she sat closer to Stan and wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortingly, gently stroking his raven black locks in an attempt to help him gather his thoughts and tell what had been bugging him in his relationship recently. ''I know it's probably complicated, but I will listen to you anyway.''
''Hm, where do I even begin with it?'', Stan let out a faint groan as he buried his face into his mother's shoulder, knowing full well that she would unfortunately have to be subjected to hearing about yet another one of his ongoing relationship problems with Melissa – but on the flip side, he was also glad that Sharon was willing to hear him out and potentially give him some useful advice on what to do and how to handle everything without getting more anxious and insecure than he already had been about the whole goddamned thing.
A pang of jealousy stung harshly within him as he suddenly remembered scrolling through Melissa's Facebook Messenger inbox, with the doubts about her not having a lot of guys again sliding into her DMs proven more than just correct.
Stan let out a sad sigh as he ran one hand down his face, feeling extremely dejected about the whole situation and the fact that Melissa had sort of started going back to her old ways and doing her very best to hide it from him.
He really didn't want to go through the same shitshow him and Melissa had gone through over the spring break and really didn't want to invade her privacy any more by scrolling through her messages in order to see whether she had possibly overstepped the boundaries of just being friendly with someone through the text.
However, the memories and flashbacks of everything leading up to that frankly horrible final weekend of spring break simply made it quite hard for Stan to resist those very same urges again.
•
Spring breaks in South Park had always been one of those periods in the school year that a lot of students looked forward to, since it meant getting some time off school and not having to deal with everything stressful that came with it, but that same time off school would also inevitably pass in a blink of an eye and come to its unfortunate end rather too soon.
For the sixteen year old Stan Marsh, his plans for the spring break had already been made several weeks in advance, although his absolute dingbat of a father had insisted that his son could really use the time off school doing something more productive and actually help when it came to family's weed business for once – despite Stan making it abundantly clear that he didn't want to partake in any of it and just wanted to spend his spring break with his friends and girlfriend instead.
And to rub salt even further into Randy's wound, Stan had been more than quick to give his father a polite decline and admit that he clearly had way better things to do than work almost twelve hour shifts on a farm, in not so good conditions and for what was a pretty crappy wage, despite the Marsh family's patriarch threatening to take away Stan's car if he didn't abide to his father's decision – but with the teenage boy having absolutely none of it, he decided to make the most out of his spring break and spend as much time as he possibly could with his friends and girlfriend of nearly four months.
With the spring break end just around the corner, Stan could honestly admit that he indeed had quite a bit of fun over the course of those two weeks he was on a break – making frequent road trips from South Park to Denver with his friends, often attending parties whenever their friends' parents were out of town and subsequently getting drunk as skunks, as well as going on cute little dates with Melissa almost every single day.
Although he absolutely loved spending time with his girlfriend, Stan just wasn't sure how to feel after she had told him about the two of them attending one of her friend's epic parties on Friday, and he felt even more inclined to tell her 'no' after she had dragged him to come shopping with her for the party they would attend on the weekend – well, most likely attend.
''Do I really have to go to this party with you?'', Stan hung his head back with a groan as he walked alongside the brunette teenage girl through the South Park Plaza and towards the main entrance of the town's biggest shopping center. ''I really don't feel like going, you know?''
Since Melissa was from Breckenridge, which was good thirty minutes away from South Park and even further away from her boyfriend's place, Stan just wasn't sure if he really wanted to drive that far and go to a party attended by people who he had never met in his life before – although he had never been the kind of guy to be shy when meeting new people and had always found it relatively easy to socialize with them.
The dark haired teenager's reasons for not wanting to go to the party were quite actually easy to explain and hopefully to understand, but he just wasn't sure if Melissa would be able to understand him and not throw a temper tantrum about him potentially not going to the party with her.
''But Stan…'', Melissa said in a slightly pleading tone, interlocking both hands with Stan's and kissing him gently on the lips. ''You've promised me that you will go!''
''But I don't know anyone there.'', Stan tried to reason with the girl as they pulled away from each other and started walking towards his car once they were outside the shopping mall. ''Like, anyone.''
''Well, who says you can't get to meet some new people?''
''These are your friends from elementary school – people you've known for literal years and with who you've grown up with.''
Snorting cynically at Stan's words and shaking her head in disbelief, Melissa crossed her arms over her chest. ''Well, you don't see me ever complaining when we go to parties with people from your elementary school.''
Looking at her for a few quiet seconds, Stan then sighed in defeat as he simply had to admit that Melissa might've had a good point this time around and that arguing with her would lead to absolutely nowhere. ''Okay, I guess you have a point. We can go to the party tomorrow.''
''Great! I'm sure my friends will be glad to have you with us.'', Melissa responded cheerfully as the two of them sat inside her boyfriend's car. ''I will text them later.''
Mumbling a quiet 'uh-huh' as a response, Stan roared the car engine to life and slowly drove out of the parking lot. Once he made sure that he was good to go, he made a sharp left turn and started driving back towards the podunk mountain town.
The two teenagers then sat in peaceful silence for a few minutes, with Stan turning up the radio and playing some of his favorite rock music, while Melissa was busy with responding to the text messages she had gotten earlier in the day.
''So, at what time does the party start?'', Stan suddenly asked.
''Eight PM.'', Melissa responded.
''Good.'', the teenage boy replied. ''Should I come and pick you up?''
''Nah, mom will drop me off at Patricia's house.'', the brunette confirmed with a shrug of her shoulders and an apologetic smile. ''I'll send you her address and we can meet up there. Is that okay with you?''
''Yeah, it is.'', Stan confirmed. ''I just hope it won't take me an hour to get there, though.''
Once the Friday evening had rolled around, Stan knew that it was probably way too late to say 'no' to his girlfriend and stay home instead of going to the party with her to Breckenridge, but decided to think more positively about what was to come later that evening and that he could indeed have lots of fun partying with Melissa's friends.
If he were to be one hundred percent honest, he really didn't feel like going to this stupid party, but since his girlfriend had been insisting so much on him going and meeting all of her childhood friends, Stan just couldn't force himself to blow her off for the evening.
Dressed in a simple t-white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, the raven haired quarterback made his way downstairs to his family's living room, only to find it completely empty and with no signs of his parents anywhere in the house – although he knew very well that chances of his father getting high as fuck in the barn with Towelie were quite big.
Glancing over at the clock that was hung on the wall and noticing that he had a little over forty-five minutes left to get to the party on time, Stan grabbed his jacket, wallet and car keys and then walked out of his house. Making a direct beeline for his car that was parked close by, he pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans and saw that Melissa had sent him a pinned location with her friend's home address.
He smiled to himself and sent a quick 'thank you' text message to his girlfriend, before unlocking his car and starting to drive towards Summit County.
A half an hour car ride to Breckenridge had been rather quiet, although the sounds of rock music blasting through the windows of Stan's car helped the teenage boy get a little more pumped for the party and the fact that he would get to spend even more time with his beloved.
Once his navigation signaled that he was fairly close to his destination, Stan kept on looking through his car window to see whether he could find an easy parking spot and that he wouldn't have to walk all that much to get to the house in question.
Stan's eyes widened at the sight of a large two-story house where the party was being hosted, as he had to double-check that he indeed was at the right place, but the sounds of loud music blasting from the luxurious mountain property and dozens of cars parked near its driveway indicated that he indeed was at the right place – as he thought he wasn't going to have that difficult of a time pinpointing it, considering the fact that it was most likely the only house in the neighborhood where the party was being held.
Climbing out of his car and locking it behind him, Stan shoved his hands inside his jacket pockets and started to make his way towards the enormous house. And once he was there, he knocked on the door a couple of times and hoped that at least someone would answer the door quickly.
And much to his delight, a raven haired girl opened the door almost immediately, for whom Stan presumed was definitely the party hostess and his girlfriend's childhood best friend, Patricia.
Her overall appearance immediately reminded him of a certain someone, but he shook those thoughts out of his head right away and flashed a kind smile to the girl standing opposite of him.
''Welcome to the party!'', the still unnamed party hostess said with a big grin.
''Heh yeah, thanks.''
''You must be Stan! Mel's been telling me quite a lot about you!'', the noirette revealed, before extending her hand out to Stan and politely shaking hands with him. ''I'm Patricia, but feel free to call me Pat.''
''Well, that's me.'', Stan said, feeling surprised over the fact that his girlfriend's friend had managed to recognize him that quickly. He reciprocated the handshake, feeling glad that the party had started on a relatively positive note. ''It's nice to meet you.''
''Likewise!'', Patricia said as she gestured for Stan to come inside her house, eventually shutting the door behind them and gesturing to him to follow her towards the living room. ''I'm pretty sure I've seen Mel roaming around here somewhere, but we can go and find her. I know she's been waiting for you.''
''Well, it took me some time to get here.'', Stan explained. ''The road from South Park to here is really shitty.''
''Yeah, I get it.'', the dark haired girl laughed with a gentle chuckle, clearly being more invested in finding Stan's girlfriend than listening to his driving problems. She then spotted Melissa sitting on one of the cushy couches in the living room, talking to one of their mutual friends and sipping on her drink. Offering her friend a wave, it didn't take that long for Patricia to move aside and make space for Melissa to practically launch herself at Stan – hugging and kissing him almost immediately.
Patricia then politely excused herself and left the two love birds on their own for the first time that evening.
''Hey baby.'', Melissa said as she buried her face into the crook of Stan's neck, flinging both arms around his torso and pulling him closer towards her. The heels she was wearing made it somewhat easier for her to hug her boyfriend, but not so much for the stability and comfort she had been looking for – and especially not after she had already drunk a little bit. ''You look gorgeous.''
Pulling her into a quick kiss, Stan grinned against Melissa's gorgeous brunette locks and tightened his own grip on her waist. ''So do you.''
After settling themselves onto the nearest empty couch, Stan decided to make himself the very first drink of the night, but was beaten to it by Melissa, who grabbed another drink for herself and a cold beer for her boyfriend.
They exchanged devious smirks, before the teenage girl nested herself in Stan's lap and pulled him into a rather steamy exchange, wrapping both arms around his neck. They alternated between taking swigs of their drinks and making out, before they eventually pulled away from each other and went their separate ways for a few minutes.
Stan found himself pleasantly surprised when a bunch of guys from Melissa's elementary school had asked him to join them in a game of beer pong and whatever else drinking game they would get to play later, getting to know them a bit better and making small talk as the evening had progressed.
And as much as he was having fun with a bunch of new people, Stan had failed to notice that his girlfriend had disappeared yet again somewhere in the house, although she would occasionally pop up with a new drink for the dark haired teenage boy and pull him into another kiss or two.
However, nothing had managed to sour Stan's mood after suddenly catching the glimpse of Melissa talking to some random guy whom he had never even seen, and felt a pang of jealousy hit him the more he studied the brunette talking to the unknown guy.
Stan knew very well that he had the tendency to get jealous, but watching his girlfriend being way too comfortable with some other guy only made his jealousy skyrocket and force him to keep a closer eye on the brunette.
He just hoped that Melissa would remember the fact that she had a long-time boyfriend, and would eventually come back to him and let them simply have a good time.
Stan groaned inwardly as he found yet another room in Patricia's enormous house empty, with still no signs of his girlfriend who had marched off somewhere without him, and leaving him to be completely on his own at a party full of people with whom he had never even spoken to.
''Where the fuck is she?'', the raven haired teen mumbled to himself as he knocked on the door of yet another room and curiously peeked his head inside, only to find this room to be empty as well.
For the past twenty minutes or so, Stan had been sitting in the spacious living room and had been waiting for his girlfriend to join him again, but when he came to terms that she most likely wasn't going to come for some time, he decided to take matters into his own hands and look for her.
After the first two attempts at looking for her turned out to be fruitless, Stan's curiosity suddenly got piqued as he heard some hushed voices coming from the second floor balcony that had a sliding glass door leading to it – and he could easily register two voices, one belonging to a female and the other one belonging to a male, but he couldn't figure it out if one of those voices possibly belonged to Melissa.
Shrugging his shoulders, Stan walked up to the glass door and slid it open, in hopes of potentially finding Melissa there or at least getting some information from other people about where she was.
But what Stan definitely didn't expect to happen, was his heart shattering into a million little pieces at what he had just walked in on.
His girlfriend was currently busy with making out with the same guy with who she had talked to mere twenty minutes ago and presumably left with, and was so wrapped up in the makeout session that she had failed to heard the sound of door opening and her boyfriend walking in on the whole gut-wrenching scene – he just couldn't believe what was happening, and for a pretty damn good reason.
It had only been several weeks after Melissa admitted to being friends with benefits with some random guy who played on the school's basketball team alongside Kyle and Tolkien, and now Stan had found her entangled with some other random guy.
''Mel?''
''S-stan?'', Melissa said as she immediately pulled away from the guy who she had kissed prior, eyes widened in pure horror as the realization of what she had done dawned upon her rather quickly. ''This isn't what it looks like, I swear.''
''He's your boyfriend?'', the random guy asked as his face visibly blanched at the sight of Stan getting angrier and angrier over the whole fucked up situation. He got up as fast as he possibly could and rushed past the taller teenager, who didn't even bother acknowledging him and directed all his attention to Melissa instead.
''Well, now she doesn't have one.'', Stan announced flatly as the random guy finally disappeared inside Patricia's house and left the soon-to-be exes all on their own.
''Stan!''
Pacing back and forth in an attempt to gather his thoughts and fight the urge not to completely lose his cool, Stan directed a death glare towards his girlfriend, who couldn't even bother to look him straight in the eye and flat out admit her mistake.
''Do you realize what you've done?'', Stan said as he folded his arms across his chest, doing his very best to remain calm and collected in such a difficult situation. ''You fucking cheated on me with some random guy!''
''W-well, he's not exactly random.''
''What?''
''He's my ex.'', Melissa revealed. ''Caleb and I dated in eighth grade for a little bit.''
''Great.''
''Stan, I know it's not.''
''I don't think I need to tell you that I'm being sarcastic. I'm sure you can figure it out on your own.'', Stan spat. ''Do you realize that this is the second time that something crappy between us has happened? I mean, you admitted to being friends with benefits with that guy Kyle plays with on the basketball team, but I eventually got over it just because that happened way before we even started dating. This, however, is not okay at all and I can't believe you cheated on me!''
''I was drunk and didn't know what I was even doing.'', she said in hopes of mellowing Stan's heart and hopefully fixing the mess she had caused in the first place, as tears began to form in her green eyes and threatened to spill out at any given moment. ''I'm so, so fucking sorry.''
''Can you forgive me?''
''No.''
''W-hat? But why?''
''Really?'', snorting cynically to himself, Stan couldn't believe what his now ex-girlfriend was asking him. ''That's your question?''
''But – ''
''No 'buts'! I don't wanna' hear whatever lame ass excuse you have up your sleeve, because I frankly don't give a crap about it!''
Feeling sick of everything, Stan grabbed the car keys from his pocket and walked through the porch door and towards the front door of the house as fast as he possibly could. He ignored the sounds of Melissa calling out for him, but managed to summon just enough strength to yell out a sentence that would lead to him making a drastic difference in his life.
For better or for the worse.
''It's over!''
Well, it only took me two weeks to post a new update, so I guess I'm sort of getting back on track with posting new chapters in due time and actually not being a lazy bum about it! I will be even happier if I manage to squeeze another chapter out by the end of the month, but it's more realistic that it will be up in two weeks' time instead. :)
Given that this is only a flashback chapter, I decided not go above the 3.5 – 4k words threshold. It is a bit of a shorter chapter, but it's meant to explain why Melissa is a big piece of work – and now you know exactly why!
I thought it would be pretty silly not to explain everything that led up to the first time Stan broke up with Melissa and why, but I really didn't want to spend too much time writing on how they got back together, since it isn't really all that important (I briefly touched upon it in chapter four anyway).
Next chapter is going to mark the halfway point of this fanfic, which makes me super excited over what's about to come in the story and how things between Stan and Wendy will change, so definitely stay tuned for that!