Mended Hearts.
Part XVIII.
A couple of weeks had passed after Stan's very, very messy break up with Melissa and everything that had happened with his raven haired counterpart after had given him a ride home from Clyde's party.
Despite feeling like utter shit for the first few days and barely finding the energy to roll himself out of bed and do basic everyday tasks, the teenage boy had eventually decided to get his shit together for real and had been doing his very best to fall back into that very same day to day routine.
And as the days had been passing by, Stan had found himself slowly but surely returning to his usual self. He went to school, regularly attended his football practices, did his homework, and even hung out more with his friends on the weekends.
Football, music, video games – basically anything that could help him not to think about the events of Clyde's party and everything that had happened at it and afterwards, had been more than just welcome in his books.
And with him following that particular train of thought, Stan was sort of glad that today's football practice had been cancelled for seemingly unknown reasons, so he had been gladly taking advantage of whatever free time he had left after school by spending time in his bedroom and strumming his beloved guitar – with that being just one of many ways for him to escape the negative thoughts that had been plaguing his mind ever since ending his relationship with Melissa.
He was also surprised that he hadn't felt nearly as sad about their breakup as he initially thought he would've, which he took as a positive sign and hopefully a first step in moving on from her for good.
A particular song from Dean Lewis perfectly encapsulated how he had felt after the entire shitshow with his now ex-girlfriend.
"And my friend said
I know you love her, but it's over, mate
It doesn't matter, put the phone away
It's never easy to walk away, let her go
It'll be alright"
As the hours of yet another long day passed by, Stan had found himself getting lost in the music he was playing, not realizing that it had already been getting dark outside and that it was nearly seven PM now. He sighed heavily, realizing that he had been engrossed in his favorite activity for quite a while and that he had spent most of his day cooped up in his room.
Grabbing his phone from the nightstand and checking the time, the teenage boy decided to take a break and grab a quick snack from the kitchen, feeling his stomach grumble loudly in response.
But just as he was about to open his bedroom door and make his way down the stairs, he stopped in his tracks as he heard a faint knock on the door.
Stan furrowed his eyebrow, wondering who the heck could be visiting him at this hour.
All of that caused him to divert his gaze towards the bedroom door and the tall figure that had suddenly appeared behind it, but also not taking him that long to guess who was visiting him as the neon green ushanka hat came into his line of sight.
"Hey dude.", Kyle said as he took a step inside his best friend's bedroom, with a small smile tugging on his lips upon noticing that Stan was in a noticeably more chipper mood today.
"Hey Kyle.", Stan replied, reciprocating the small smile the ginger haired teen standing in the doorway had on his own face.
"I just wanted to check up on you since you haven't really been responding to any of our texts today.", the Jewish teen stated, closing the door behind him and shoving his hands inside the pockets of his trademark orange jacket. "You okay?"
"Well, I've seen better days, but it's not like I'm gonna' turn into a cynical asshole again, you know."
"Yeah, don't remind me about that.", Kyle chuckled at the not so fond memories of his super best friend acting like a total cynical asswipe when they were kids, which had been quite a distant memory now. ''So, are you feeling better after everything that happened at Clyde's party?''
Stan nodded his head in confirmation. "I've been okay. A little sad obviously, but that's totally expected when you break up with someone who you were dating for almost two years.''
''So, have you heard from Melissa since then?''
''Nope, she's been ghosting me ever since.'', the dark haired teen confirmed. ''Speaks volumes about her personality though.''
''Not gonna' lie, given everything she's done to you so far, I'm not shocked that she's been ghosting you.''
''Well, I just wish she'd been honest with me from the start. I mean, if she had come to me and admitted to cheating on me again, then I guess I could have handled everything better and not gotten myself so fucking drunk that night.'', Stan sighed.
"Yeah, it's always better to be honest and upfront about these things instead of sneaking around behind someone's back. " Kyle agreed. "But hey, at least you found out now and not later when things could have been even worse."
"True," Stan nodded. "And honestly, I think I'm starting to move on. It's been a wake-up call for me to focus on myself and whatever makes me happy."
"But dude, why did you even bother staying with her? If you had that gut feeling she was cheating on you again, why didn't you just break up with her right away instead of making sure she didn't get away with her bullshit for the second time?"
"Because I actually thought things might get fixed on their own this time around, I don't know.''
"Well, I seriously doubt she will be too sad about you dumping her, considering the fact that she had no problem cheating on you with the same person twice."
"And right behind my back."
"And not to mention texting other guys behind your back.", Kyle added, pausing for a brief moment and thinking about another potential reason why Stan's relationship with Melissa had gone down the crapper, although it was much more obvious that her frankly horrible behavior towards him had been a much bigger contributing factor to their relationship's downfall. "Does it have anything to do with Wendy?"
Stan raised an eyebrow at Kyle's question. ''What do you mean?''
''It's not like Melissa has ever been happy about you and Wendy being on good terms, even though you guys broke up ages ago.'', Kyle explained. ''Also, I'm gonna' be completely honest and even go as far as to say that you haven't exactly been all that unbothered with her dating some other guy, even if that other guy happened to be a total jackass like David."
''You're kinda' right about both things, but I don't think my friendship with Wendy will ever be the same.'', Stan admitted, suddenly looking more upset.
''What makes you think that?'', Kyle asked, surprised over his closest friend's choice of words. ''Did something happen between you two?''
''I tried to kiss Wendy after she dropped me home from Clyde's party.''
''You tried doing what?!''
''I tried to kiss her when I was super drunk, and I think that's why she's been keeping her distance from me and hasn't been willing to communicate as much as she usually does with me.'', Stan clarified. ''I think I fucked up Kyle…''
''Well, what did she do?''
''Nothing happened in the end because she stopped me and instead helped me get ready for bed. She left very quickly after that.''
''She did a good thing, because you were drunk and not aware of what you were trying to do, so she didn't want to take advantage of you in such a state.''
''I guess it is a good thing when you put it that way.'', Stan agreed. ''But can I also tell you something? I've already said this exact same thing to Kenny, but I don't want anyone else other than him and you knowing what am I about to tell you, okay?''
''Sure dude, no problem.'', Kyle replied. ''What is it?''
''I've been thinking about Wendy ever since that whole mess between her and David.'', Stan admitted, getting up from his bed and running a hand down the side of his face. He started walking around his room as a way to help him collect the scattered thoughts inside his head. ''I know that it probably doesn't seem that way, but I actually care about Wendy more than I like people to think.''
"And I know that's probably very shitty of me because that started happening when I was still with Melissa."
"Okay, does it really matter that you've been thinking about Wendy, when in reality you were planning to break up with Melissa anyway?''
''Well, what she did to me was awful, and she's obviously hurt me quite a lot, but I haven't been thinking about that as much as I've been thinking about Wendy. Also, me attempting to kiss her didn't help at all, so I've been thinking about her even more now.'', Stan groaned into his hands as he sat down on his bed again.
''So, is it possible you still like Wendy after all this time?'', Kyle quizzed.
''I don't know, maybe?'', the raven haired boy mumbled. ''But maybe it's also just a moment of weakness, and that could explain why I've been thinking about her. You know, not being happy in my old relationship and then thinking about my ex who also happened to be in a crappy relationship?''
''Possibly.'', Kyle shrugged his shoulders before pausing. ''Hey, Stan, can I tell you something?"
"Yeah, sure."
''Guess what I've noticed?'', the auburn haired teen began. ''You genuinely seem to be happier whenever you talk with Wendy, or do simple things like wave back at her when she does it first.''
''I do?''
''Yes, you do.'', Kyle confirmed. ''And with Melissa, I noticed that you looked unhappy and disinterested. Even bored sometimes.''
He continued even further. ''And I'll be completely honest and admit it – while your relationship with Wendy when we were younger was just so crappy, and the whole on-and-off thing was getting on everyone's nerves, I do think now that both of you are older and hopefully much more mature, maybe you can learn from your past mistakes and have a better relationship if she hopefully feels the same way?''
''I know, I know…'', Stan responded. ''But dude, it's just that I really don't know what to do now.''
Kyle nodded in understanding, taking in his friend's words – he could tell that Stan had been struggling to come to terms with his obviously rekindled feelings for Wendy and the guilt he most likely felt for thinking about her while he was still in a relationship with Melissa.
"Look, Stan…", Kyle began. "I'm not going to pretend like I know what you're going through, but I think it's important that you take some time to figure out what you really want. Maybe you need to give yourself some time to heal from your breakup, and then maybe start thinking about what you're gonna' do about your feelings for Wendy?"
Stan nodded slowly, still lost in his own confusing thoughts. "Yeah, you're probably right. I just don't want to overthink any of this shit anymore."
"I get it.", Kyle reassured him. "But you can't really control how other people feel. All you can do is be honest with yourself and with your feelings for Wendy. If you do decide that you want to pursue something with her, you should talk to her about it."
''I'll talk to her then, I guess.'', Stan said, shrugging his shoulders. ''It just hope it'll be worth giving it a shot.''
''You really have nothing to lose.''
"I know.", the ravenette agreed, smiling at his friend and feeling a bit lighter due to his encouraging words. "Thanks Kyle, you're always here for me."
"Of course, dude," Kyle smiled in return, patting the younger of the two teenagers on his back. "That's what super best friends are for, right?"
On the other end of South Park, the afternoon shift in Tweek Bros' coffee shop had been slowly but surely coming to its end now, much to the delight of best friend duo consisting of Tweek Tweak and Wendy Testaburger.
Although they had been cleaning up the place for the past thirty minutes, they had been much more interested in catching up and having quite a bit of fun whilst attempting to do their job at the same time.
"So, can you tell me what happened between you and Stan that night?", Tweek said as he placed more dishes into the almost full dishwasher, swiftly shutting it with his knee and wiping his hands clean against the apron. "Well, since you've only given me crumbs.''
The blonde ball of anxiety, just like Bebe, had also noticed that something had been off between Stan and Wendy ever since that party at Clyde's – which had been pretty weird, given the faint smiles and friendly waves they would usually send in each other's way and the fact they had been growing closer for the first time in years.
"Tweeks, haven't I told you enough about this?", Wendy groaned as she finished washing the last of the dessert plates and utensils, placing them onto the dish rack to dry. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"Gah, not enough for my liking, girlfriend.", Tweek admitted, causing his best female friend to roll her eyes at him. "You two were still on good terms just two weeks ago, and now you seem to be ignoring him most of the time. What the heck happened?"
''Nothing special, really.''
Noticing that her best friend now had one eyebrow raised in pure curiosity, Wendy realized that Tweek simply wasn't going to let her get away with not telling him what had exactly happened between her and Stan that night she came to pick him up from the party.
''Okay, what happened between you two?''
Taking a deep breath, Wendy just wasn't sure where to begin. ''So, Stan got super drunk after dumping Melissa and finding out that she had cheated on him! He then called and sounded super drunk, so I got worried about him and told him I would come and pick him up, because he insisted on walking all the way back to the weed farm. When I got there, Bebe said the reason why Stan had gotten so drunk was because he and Melissa got into a pretty nasty argument and she confessed about cheating on him again.''
''Then I drove him back home and helped him get inside the house and tried to get him ready for bed, since he was so drunk and clearly couldn't do it all on his own.''
"Oh well, hngh, that's not too bad. You did a reasonable thing and something that any normal person would do.", Tweek concluded.
"Well, if only that was the only thing that happened.", Wendy replied, sighing and looking down at her feet for a few moments.
"What do you mean? D-did something else happen between you and Stan?", the blonde boy asked, his meadow green eyes suddenly lit up in excitement over the fact that something might have developed between his best friend and her ex-boyfriend.
"Yeah, sort of."
"Well, spill it!"
''Stan tried kissing me, but I just couldn't let him do that in such a state and instead allowed him to kiss me on the cheek.'', Wendy revealed. ''He was drunk out of his mind and wasn't aware of what he was trying to do. Heat of the moment thing, I guess.?'', she continued. ''I even hesitated about letting him kiss me on the cheek.''
''Seriously?''
''Yeah, seriously!'''
"Wends, do you realize what this means?"
"It means jackshit, if we're being completely honest.", Wendy said dismissively. "And besides, Stan and I are just friends."
"Ever heard of the phrase 'a drunk mind speaks a sober heart'?", Tweek said, trying to lift the ravenette's spirits up just a little bit, even if those spirits were seemingly hypothetical. ''I mean, why are you still trying to deny that there's one teeny tiny bit of you still attracted to him? Come on, you at least have to admit it!''
"Well, you are kinda' right.", Wendy said in an almost dreamy tone, her mind momentarily wandering off to thoughts about her ex-boyfriend.
Kind, smart, athletic and really fucking funny. And goddammit, who could forget those thick dark locks, smoldering blue eyes, well defined muscles and one hell of an adorable smile?
Wendy sighed as her mind immediately cycled back to the day she had received a two-for-one punch to her guts – finding out about all the shit her then boyfriend David had been talking about her and just how horrible she had felt and looked after her mother had told her the devastating news about her father having a car accident.
Never in a million years she would've thought that Stan would be one person to go after her and offer her his maximum support, even though they could only label themselves as 'exes who ended up good friends' – but the way he had held her and had comforted her that day after she had broken down in tears in front of him, were more than enough to make Wendy rethink if she had truly been over Stan all this time.
And to further solidify those thoughts, when Stan had tried kissing her, she had barely managed to convince herself out of acting upon her desires and kissing him as well – because if he had been sober at that moment, she would've one hundred percent allowed her newly (well, at least at that time unbeknownst to her) rekindled feelings to get the best of her and kiss her ex-boyfriend.
She hated to admit the fact that her best friend was actually correct about her still being attracted to Stan, but the teenage girl just wasn't sure if it was something temporary, or had she actually been in denial about not having feelings for him all this time?
"But still, even if I do feel something for him, nothing will change between us. I think the situation has already been messy enough, so no need to complicate things even further.", Wendy concluded, snapping herself out of thoughts about her ex-boyfriend. "I guess I was so worried about crossing that line of being 'only friends', that I panicked at the last minute and didn't even attempt to kiss him. Plus, he was drunk, so in good conscience I just couldn't allow myself to take advantage of him.''
Tweek nodded in understanding, respecting Wendy's decision to not complicate things further with Stan. "I get it, girl. It's your life and your choice. Just know that I'm here for you no matter what happens."
Wendy smiled at her best friend, grateful for his understanding and support. "Thanks, Tweek. You're the best!"
As they finished cleaning up the kitchen and waited for Tweek's dad to come and lock the place for the night, Wendy couldn't help but think about Stan and the complicated feelings she had for him.
She knew that she needed to sort out her emotions before anything else could happen between them, but she really didn't know where to begin.
For now, all she could do was try to push her feelings aside and focus on other things in her life. But deep down, she knew that her feelings for Stan weren't going to go away anytime soon.
A couple of days later, Wendy had her Advanced Placement Chemistry class with one of her closest friends, Heidi Turner.
The raven haired girl walked into the classroom and took a seat next to Heidi, who was already flipping through her notebook and looking intently at the notes she had taken during last week's lecture.
"Hey!", Wendy said cheerfully, greeting her friend and taking a seat in her usual spot.
"Hey girl.", Heidi replied, although still not looking up from her notes.
"What's up?", the noirette asked as she pulled out her pencil case, textbook and notebook from her bag, shifting slightly to the side and getting a better look at her friend's notes. Wendy then flipped open her own notebook, trying to compare the notes she had taken with the ones Heidi had taken and to potentially get some better understanding of the course material.
''I'm just trying to memorize stuff for that exam we'll have next week.", Heidi said, still going over her notes and shaking her head as she reached one part she had deemed to be particularly difficult to understand. ''Mrs. Campbell surely loves messing with us, doesn't she? I won't be surprised if she comes up with different exam questions than the ones she's been hinting she will put in.''
''Well, I remember her doing just that for the last couple of quizzes we had.", Wendy pondered as she rolled her eyes. ''It seems like it probably won't be any different this time around.''
''I hope it's worth going over the notes as many times as I've so far. I really want to do well on this exam and not allow my grades to slip up even the tiniest bit, just because I decided to let a little loose recently and go to some parties, you know?''
''Too much partying?'', Wendy teased.
"Sort of.'', Heidi nodded in agreement. ''I went to Clyde's party only because of Kyle and because we hadn't seen each other all that much during that week. I think he'll probably invite me to come with him to another party.''
''Another party will be thrown?''
Heidi simply hummed in confirmation.
Since the teenagers of South Park High School liked to party at any given opportunity (and especially if someone's parents happened to be out of town that weekend, it usually meant taking full advantage of it and organizing one hell of a party), it hadn't been at all that surprising to see them talking about potentially throwing yet another party.
"So, where?", Wendy asked, finding herself suddenly more interested in talking about parties than discussing the AP Chemistry course material with her friend.
''Well, Craig planned on throwing a karaoke party at his place this weekend, since his parents are finally going on that trip to Peru, but it won't happen.''
''Why? What happened?''
''Well, his sister actually managed to convince their parents to allow her to organize a pajama party with her classmates the very same weekend Craig planned to host the party. So, the whole plan for the karaoke night was seemingly ruined, up until Tolkien suggested that the party could be organized at his place instead, but in Craig's name.'', Heidi explained.
''It does make sense to move the party to his place, since his house is the largest one.'', Wendy pointed out.
"Duh, obviously! And not to mention that his parents just renovated the basement in their house and it's completely packed with the latest tech, including an awesome karaoke machine!", Heidi replied before pausing. ''But, that's not all!''
''Since Tolkien's family is loaded, their house is actually pretty spacious and is able to accommodate a lot of people. So, he then decided to invite Kyle and the rest of the guys to the party, as well as myself and Bebe.'', she continued.
''Oh, so you and Bebe are also going?''
''Well yeah, but only because Clyde and Kyle both brought up that it would be pretty unfair that they couldn't bring their girlfriends as well. I think it's because Eric started protesting about everyone bringing their girlfriends to the party or something.''
''Okay, that's good and all, but I have a feeling you're not telling me all of this for no particular reason.'', Wendy said. ''I feel like you're trying to get me to come as well.''
''Well yeah, because I already asked Tolkien if you and Red can tag along as well.''
''Seriously?''
''Wends, you've been through a lot recently, so I thought that this might be a good opportunity for you to forget about those negative things for at least a bit.'', Heidi replied. ''Look, free booze and food, a karaoke machine, and being surrounded by people you love and who care about you quite a lot – I think that should help clear your mind out of all those negative things you've been going through.
''I get your point and everything, but I'll probably have to talk to my mom and see what she thinks about it though.''
''I'm pretty sure she'll tell you the exact same thing.''
''Okay, I still don't think it would be okay for me to go to that party and have my mom worry about me as well. I know my dad's been getting better, but my mom has still been super worried about him, so I don't want to now cause even more unnecessary stress for her.''
''Just wanted to let you know about this party. That's all.'', Heidi smiled at her longtime friend. ''It's perfectly fine if you decide to skip it.''
Smiling back at her friend and allowing herself to think about the conversation they just had, Wendy suddenly remembered that Heidi had mentioned her boyfriend and his group of friends attending the party, which obviously meant that a particular person she had been trying to avoid would also be there.
''Is Stan coming as well?'', Wendy asked, causing Heidi to look up from her textbook and a playful smirk to form in the corner of her mouth.
''Wait.'', Heidi began in a surprised tone. ''I thought you said you didn't care about Stan?''
''Well, it's not like I don't care about him, it's just that I really don't wanna' be around him for some time.'', the dark haired girl explained. ''I'm just asking out of common courtesy, okay? It's not like I'm dying to see him after what happened between us.", she continued. ''And I'm pretty sure Bebe has already told you and the girls about it.''
Heidi nodded sympathetically, understanding her friend's complexities of love and relationships through her very own. "Well, she did, but here's my take on it: it's okay to have mixed feelings about everything that's happened; however, I still think you should you go to this party regardless of Stan being there or not.''
She paused and took a sip of water from her hydro flask before continuing. "Just take some time to figure out your own feelings before jumping into anything. I'm sure a simple conversation with him could help you guys get back on the same page.''
"I don't know how that could help us, but okay."
The brunette teenage girl chuckled. "Gosh, you two can be so complicated when it comes to your relationship. Always have and probably always will be.", she stated. ''Okay, so you both ended your relationships at around the same time. Then, Stan tried to kiss you when you dropped him home and were very hesitant about not returning the favor.''
''It's not as easy as you make it seem.'', Wendy retorted. ''But yeah, my feelings for him have sort of returned, but I'm still not sure if I feel that way because of the whole almost-kissing incident or because I fooled myself into thinking that I've been over him this entire time."
Heidi listened patiently, wanting to offer her own words of encouragement to her friend.
But before she would even get to give some advice to Wendy, the rest of their class filed in, with their teacher also getting inside the classroom and starting today's lesson.
Wendy and Heidi both took notes diligently, focusing on the material and trying to commit it to memory. They didn't talk much during the class, but their occasional glances and nods of encouragement were enough to keep each other motivated, with both girls wanting to resume their conversation once the class got over.
And as the class ended and they packed up their things, Heidi turned to Wendy and said. "Hey, do you want to go get some lunch with me? It's been a while since we last hung out together."
"Sure," Wendy said, smiling. "That sounds great."
After a pleasant lunch break she had with Heidi, Wendy was now on her way back to her locker to grab some things before heading to the library to study during the free block she would get to have next.
While she had received a lot of useful advice from Heidi, Wendy still wasn't sure how to approach the whole situation with Stan, mostly because she was sure she would have to eventually stop ignoring him and talk with him about everything that had happened between them that night after she had dropped him off.
But little did she know that she would get an opportunity to have that particular conversation with Stan way before she could even take matters into her own hands and be the one to bring up that subject first – all thanks to her ex-boyfriend and the fact that he had mustered up the courage first and was ready to finally sort out the messy situation that had transpired between them.
While she had her back completely turned to him and didn't even notice him approaching, Stan took in a deep breath before tapping Wendy on the shoulder in order to get her attention, with her eventually turning around to face him and a look of surprise etched onto her face.
"Hey.", Stan greeted her.
"Oh, hi Stan.", Wendy replied awkwardly, hugging her textbooks and binder a little bit closer to her chest.
Stan could definitely sense the uneasiness radiating from Wendy's body as she stood in front of him, and it made him feel a bit more guilty for what he had done. While he couldn't remember much from the night of Clyde's party, he knew he had acted like an idiot around Wendy, and it had made things awkward between them ever since.
"So, uhm...", he said softly, trying to break the silence. ''I know we haven't talked for almost week and a half, and I totally get it why, but I've wanted to talk to you about it anyway.''
"Oh, okay.", she replied, her eyes avoiding his own. ''That's good to know.''
''I know things have been awkward between us since that night, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what I tried to do. I was drunk and didn't really know what I was doing."
Wendy turned to look at him. "It's okay, Stan. I know you didn't mean to do anything bad. If anything, I'm the one who should've done more to prevent that from even happening.''
"I still feel bad about it, though.", he admitted.
"It's fine, really. I'm over it.", she said, although the unease in her voice gave her away.
There was a moment of silence between them before Stan spoke up again. "So, are you going to Tolkien's party on Friday?"
"I don't know yet.", Wendy replied, shrugging. "Heidi invited me, but I'm not really in the mood for a party."
Stan nodded in understanding. "I get it. It's been a rough couple of weeks for you."
Wendy was taken aback by his empathy, as it was the first time in a couple of weeks that they had actually had a normal conversation, and it felt really, really good. "How about you?" she asked, wanting to return the favor. "How are you doing after your breakup with Melissa?"
Stan's face fell slightly at the mention of Melissa's name, but he quickly recovered. "I'm doing better than I thought I would be. It sucks, but life goes on, you know?"
Wendy nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as their conversation came to an end.
Maybe things weren't as awkward between them as she thought they were? Maybe that little almost kissing incident hadn't put a big dent in their friendship afterall?
As she walked away from Stan and told him about having to get to the library on time, Wendy couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope in her heart.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for her and Stan to be something more than friends again?
But for now, she was content with just being on good terms with him. It was a start, and that was all that mattered.
Come Friday night, the karaoke party at Tolkien Black's house had been in full swing now, and as the night wore on, the karaoke party inevitably got even more raucous.
The booze was flowing freely, and people were taking turns at the mic, belting out their favorite tunes. Some were surprisingly good, while others were comically bad, but everyone was simply having a good time and couldn't really give less fucks about someone being horribly out of tune.
In one corner of the room, a group of friends had set up a beer pong table and were engaged in an intense match. They cheered and jeered with every shot, their competitive spirits fueled by the alcohol.
Meanwhile, in another part of the room, a group of friends had even formed a makeshift choir, singing along to classic rock and pop hits. They swayed and harmonized, their voices blending together in a surprisingly beautiful way.
It was truly a night to remember, full of laughter, dancing, singing, and good times with friends.
But of course, no one could also forget about another big staple of any party – drinking games and an occasional juicy round of seven minutes in heaven, or the game of truth or dare, or maybe a combination of both in this case?
With almost everyone being excited for the upcoming game of seven minutes in heaven and maybe a complimentary dare they would have to take if they choose it over spilling something juicy, the willing participants each wrote their name on a piece of paper and tossed them into a jar, eventually drawing out names to determine with whom each person would be paired up.
Wendy nervously bit down on her bottom lip as she drew her own piece of paper from the jar, her mouth going dry and her heart skipping several beats as she saw that she had drawn out none other than Stan's name – causing her to divert her gaze towards him and lock her eyes with his own, noticing that he wasn't faring any better and that he was looking visibly nervous as well (probably due to drawing her name out?).
As the game progressed and more pairs took their turns, Stan and Wendy could feel themselves getting progressively more nervous, with both of them trying their best to have as much composure as both of them could have at the moment.
They tried to distract themselves by listening to their friends and making small talk with them, but their minds just kept coming back to the fact that they would soon be alone together in a dark room, with only a light switch to light their way.
Finally, their turn arrived, and they walked towards the door of the dark room with shaky steps. They made their way into the closet and the door closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.
For a few moments, they just stood there, listening to the sound of their own breathing and the beating of their hearts. Wendy could feel the heat emanating from Stan's body as he stood close to her, and she could smell the scent of his cologne mingling with the musty air of the room.
Then, she felt his hand on her arm, and he spoke softly. "Are you okay?"
Wendy nodded, secretly grateful for the sound of his voice in the darkness. "Yeah." she whispered back. "Are you?"
"Yeah.'', he replied, and Wendy could hear the smile in his voice. "Honestly, I'm kinda' glad it's you in here with me."
Both teenagers fell silent and stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Wendy spoke up.
"Hey, Stan.'', she began, turning towards him. ''I just wanted to apologize for what happened with Melissa. I feel terrible about it."
"It's okay, Wendy. You really don't have to apologize for anything.", Stan replied before pausing, with his face dropping into a confused frown. "Besides, what are you sorry for?"
''For coming between you and Melissa?"
"What? Why are you apologizing for something that isn't even your fault?"
"I don't know? Because I feel guilty about ruining a long-term relationship you had with someone else?"
''You don't have to apologize for anything.", Stan replied. "Besides, I was the one who broke up with her."
Wendy felt a sense of relief wash over her as Stan clarified the situation. She had been carrying around a sense of guilt about what had happened with Melissa for weeks, and it was a relief to know that she didn't actually have anything to apologize for.
"I'm sorry for assuming it was my fault.", Wendy said, feeling a little embarrassed.
"It's okay.", Stan said with a smile. "I can understand why you might have thought that, but really, it was my decision to end things with Melissa. It had nothing to do with you."
Wendy smiled back at Stan, feeling grateful for his understanding.
"Thanks, Stan.", she said. "I appreciate you being so understanding."
"Of course." he replied with a grin. "I'm just glad we could clear that up."
A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed, before Stan spoke up this time around.
''Hey Wends?'', he began. ''Do you maybe want to play truth or dare?''
''Uhm, I guess?'', Wendy replied.
''Okay then, truth or dare?''
''Truth.''
''If I had been sober after you dropped me home from Clyde's party, and knowing that I had broken up with Melissa way before that, would you have kissed me?''
Wendy felt a sudden surge of nervousness as Stan asked her the question, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that the answer could change everything between them, and she hesitated for a moment before replying.
"I don't know.", she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn't have. It's hard to say."
Stan looked at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers for any sign of deception. His heart was pounding as he heard Wendy's answer. He had been wondering about it for a while now, ever since the night of Clyde's party, and he couldn't help but feel like the answer could change everything between them.
''How about we raise the stakes then?'', Wendy had found herself saying something that had been on her mind ever since getting inside the closet with her ex-boyfriend. ''How about a dare now?''
Stan raised an eyebrow in surprise at Wendy's words, curious as to what she had in mind. "What do you mean?", he asked, intrigued.
Wendy took a deep breath, feeling a surge of courage and determination flow through her. "I mean, let's make this interesting. Let's shake things up a bit.", she said, looking him straight in the eye.
Stan was intrigued by the idea, wondering what kind of dare she had in mind. "Okay, I'm listening.", he said, his interest piqued.
Wendy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I dare you to...kiss me again.", she said, looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
As Stan took a step forward, Wendy felt her heart skip a beat, wondering what he was going to do. She looked up at him again, her eyes full of anticipation and excitement.
Stan reached out and took her hand in his, his eyes locking with hers as he drew her closer to him. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers, and she knew that she wanted to be closer to him.
"Wends...", the teenage boy mumbled against the juncture of her neck and shoulder, his hot breath fanning against her skin and causing prickly goosebumps to form all over it. Moving some of the loose strands of raven black hair away from her face, he felt tempted to explore even more of her delicate features.
"Yeah?", Wendy replied, cocking her head to the side and giving her ex-boyfriend an opportunity to proceed with his loving ministrations on her skin.
"Are you sure wanna' go ahead with that dare?", he asked huskily, grazing his lips against the side of her neck.
"Yeah, I want to."
The sensation of Stan's lips on Wendy's skin sent shivers down her spine. She knew that the dare was risky, but she also felt a sense of excitement at the thought of doing something daring with him.
"Okay, then let's do it.", Stan said, pulling away from her neck and looking into her eyes.
Wendy felt a surge of nervousness as she met his gaze. She knew that this could change everything between them, but she also felt like it was worth the risk. She wanted to see where this could go, and she knew that Stan must've felt the same way.
Taking an eager step forward, Stan wrapped one arm around Wendy's waist and pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips boldly against hers and pouring all of his rekindled feelings for the raven haired girl into what he hoped wouldn't be their only kiss of the night.
Wendy felt a rush of heat as his kiss deepened, his tongue slipping past her lips. She responded eagerly, her own tongue meeting his. She felt herself being gently pressed up against the closet door, wrapping both of her own arms against Stan's neck and deepening their kiss.
Feeling encouraged, she snuck her tongue inside his mouth this time around.
Stan responded with equal enthusiasm, exploring every inch of Wendy's mouth with his tongue. Pleasantly surprised by a step his ex-girlfriend had made, he stooped down just a little bit and effortlessly placed both hands on the back of Wendy's thighs and lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist, pinning her further against the door.
He couldn't believe this was happening, that they were finally kissing after so long.
Wendy, though thoroughly enjoying the makeout session she had found herself indulged in alongside her ex-boyfriend, was also stuck between two completely different thoughts – one was telling her to pull away and forget about any of this even happening, while the other one was telling her to screw everything and simply melt into the heart-racing exchange.
'Aww, to hell with it!'
However, as Stan bit down eagerly on her bottom lip and felt eager to go further with their passionate exchange, the realization of what exactly they were doing dawned upon Wendy and caused her to freeze in place.
Wendy suddenly pulled away, gasping for air and placing a hand over her mouth as she looked at Stan with wide eyes. "Stan, we can't do this.", she said, her voice trembling. She wiggled herself out of Stan's grasp and gently shoved him away from her.
"We shouldn't be kissing like this, and this doesn't really feel right! I mean, it hasn't even been a month since you broke up with Melissa.''
Stan looked at her for a moment, his own breathing heavy as he tried to process her words. He knew that she was right, but he couldn't help the surge of disappointment that he felt at the thought of having to stop. "I know.", he finally replied, his voice hoarse. "I just couldn't help myself."
Wendy hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. She knew that they had just shared a passionate kiss, but she also knew that it hadn't been that long since he ended a long-term relationship, so it sort of didn't feel right kissing someone who most likely still had some feelings for their other ex-girlfriend.
''But, it's not like our relationship was meant to last any longer. I wanted to break up with her for a while, actu – '', Stan admitted, before being cut off by Wendy.
"I know, but still.", she replied, the tone of her voice coming off as a bit more snappish than she had intended to.
The two of them stood there in silence for a moment, the air between them thick with tension.
''We'll talk later, if you want to.'', Wendy murmured, breezing past Stan in order to reach for the doorknob and get the heck out of the closet. She could feel big, fat tears starting to prick at the corners of her eyes, but also coming to a certain revelation.
She was scared.
Scared of falling in love with Stan all over again.
Stan watched as Wendy left the closet, feeling a mixture of confusion, frustration, and disappointment.
He knew he had messed up by kissing her, especially so soon after his breakup with Melissa, but he also couldn't help but wonder if he had just ruined any chances he had with Wendy.
The quarterback took a deep breath and tried to compose himself before stepping out of the closet to join the rest of the group, with his mind being full of varying thoughts and emotions.
While he tried to put on a brave face as he rejoined the group, he couldn't help but feel like he had permanently fucked up things with Wendy, and that there was absolutely no way they could ever go back to square one with each other. He also saw his ex-girlfriend across the room, talking with her friends and laughing, but she clearly looked distant and preoccupied.
Although he felt incredibly shitty over what had just happened, Stan knew that he had to push those negative thoughts aside and focus on having a good time with his friends.
He hoped that maybe, just maybe, he and Wendy could talk things out later and figure out where they stood with each other.
Maybe.
Before getting on with this chapter, I just have to address one huge elephant in the room: the most recent South Park episode and the fact STENDY HAS FINALLY MADE A COMEBACK!
You have no idea how happy I was when this episode dropped, because I had actually started to lose hope that we would ever see Stan and Wendy interacting in the show again. I really enjoyed this episode and it gave me a good laugh, making it hands down my favorite South Park episode to come out in a while (right up there with "The Big Fix" and "Cupid Ye").
And speaking of this chapter, it was a pain in my ass to write! However, once I got over my writer's block and sat down to write this chapter, I guess inspiration kicked in very quickly and I just kept on adding more and more things to it – so no wonder it ended up being nearly 8k words long (officially making it the longest chapter so far, and the longest thing I've ever written!).
So, now that Stan and Wendy's feelings for each other are finally out in the open, how do you think it will affect their friendship: will they be able to ever go back to just being friends, or will they try to do something about their feelings?
The next two chapters are probably my favorite ones I've written so far, and I'll try to put them up as soon as possible!