Author's Note:

Important:

Like I said in the previous chapter, I cannot state the trigger warnings but know there are some serious issues discussed in this chapter. If you would like to not read and wait for the next chapter then that is fine, I understand. If you're squeamish I advise waiting. This is probably the one story I would want to tell out of all of them from this huge ass story... because this is a one-hundred percent true story. And it is not for the faint of heart. And if you have been through anything, don't be afraid to talk to someone; anyone.

This is your final warning, if you are easily bothered and are faint of heart or have various do not read this chapter.

I asked permission to use this because it effects the person I care the most about. So between the two of us, we want to thank you for giving this story a chance to be heard... because he never had a chance to talk about it. No one would listen; people laughed. No one cared.

I'm so sorry. Your story isn't unimportant, your suffering has made you stronger than you know and I love you all the same and even more for it.

Chapter title from "Sleepwalking" by Bring Me The Horizon

Chapter Twenty-Three:

For Those Who Need a True Story Part II- Time Stood Still

"Harder! Harder, you fucking bitch, oh fuck, just like that..."

"You want more?"

"Fuck yes! Fuck me..."

"Shut your fucking mouth and take it."

Kyle moaned crudely as Stan bit the flesh of his ass before he resumed his deep, furious thrusting. He gripped the arm rest of the couch and hung his head over the edge as he ground himself down into the cushion.

"Don't fucking stop, fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuuuck..." Kyle keened biting down on the arm rest as Stan slapped his ass. Their skin smacked against each other beautifully and Kyle felt his lover's cock throb within him. He clenched his muscles and heard Stan let out a guttural groan as he plowed into his ass.

"You fucking cockslut," Stan growled, biting his ear gently. "Oh God, baby..."

Stan heard his phone ring from his discarded pants pocket. It was the third call and it temporarily brought him out of his bliss as he contemplated the situation. However, Kyle clenched his muscles once more and he cried out as he spilled his seed into Kyle. The redhead moaned and shuddered violently under him as his furious strokes coaxed him to a toe-curling orgasm.

They gasped and Stan placed kisses along Kyle's shoulder as they attempted to compose themselves. The taller boy turned over and smiled lovingly into Stan's eyes as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Am I really a cockslut?"

"You're my cockslut and I fucking love it. I fucking love-" Kyle's house phone rang and Stan shook his head. "Jesus, our phones have been going off for fucking hours."

"Nah," Kyle breathed lazily as he kissed Stan's neck and trailed his finger through the white streaks of jizz on his stomach. He placed his finger on Stan's lip and laughed as he licked it sensually. The answering machine beeped and silence filled the air. "See? Telemarket-"

"Ike? Ky-Kyle? It's Karen..." he heard a sob on the answering machine and threw Stan off of him as he ran to look for the landline phone. "I-I tried calling before and it's a mess... I didn't know who else to c-c-call-" Ike came running down the stairs and took the phone. He flipped off his naked brother and ran into the kitchen.

"What's up?" he heard his brother ask. Silence filled the air and Stan quickly dressed himself. He threw Kyle his clothes and he barely had time to hop into his skinny jeans before Ike ran in looking sick. "We need to do something."

"What happened?" Kyle asked as he squirmed into his t-shirt.

"Long story short, Butters' dad found out they were dating and Kenny and Butters broke up." Stan hissed lowly, "no, wait. Kenny and Kevin got high and went to Denver and she got a call from Kevin saying he doesn't know where Kenny went. And she got a call from him... and something happened... she heard screaming and... not a good screaming."

"The fuck? Shit... fucking shit..." Stan said, grabbing his car keys and running out of Kyle's house. Ike followed his brother and Kyle stopped him as they approached the car.

"Go to Karen, she needs you."

"But-"

"Isaac! Karen needs you. Go to her. Bring her here or Stark's Pond. I-I'll call you." Kyle hugged him tightly for a second then jumped into Stan's car. They peeled out of the driveway and Kyle slammed his fist on the door.

"What do you think..." Stan trailed off, "do you think he's okay?" Kyle grabbed Stan's phone from his pocket and flipped through their missed calls. One from Butters, three from Karen, one from Kenny. The latest was Karen. He didn't know who to call first, so he dialed Kenny on his phone and Butters on Stan's.

Kenny's went to an automated voice message and he cursed as he hung up the phone. However, on the third ring someone answered Butters'.

"Stan, I'm g-g-grounded," he heard him whimper.

"Oh," Kyle said, "well I have a question about chemistry. My phone died."

"Put it on speaker!" He heard Stephen Stotch yell. He shook his head and Stan looked ready to kill.

"S-sorry dad. I only got a c-couple minutes, K-Kyle."

"Well this question is beyond my ken," he said, using his vocabulary in hopes to hint to Butters. He heard him clear his throat.

"O-okay?"

"I can't remember... what the unit of frequency is." There was a moment of silence on the phone, and Kyle felt Butters knew exactly what he was saying. And maybe understood more of what happened to Kenny than they did.

"T-that's Hertz, Kyle. You should k-know that." He sounded as if he were choking back a sob. There was a sniffle and a shaky breath, and right now Kyle wanted to hug him.

"Oh, wow, yeah, I remember now. Thanks for helping my ken, it's Hertz." He put emphasis on the two words and heard Butters whimper.

"How bad is it... t-that you... d-don't remember?" He quickly added the second half of his question when he heard his father stand up and start to walk over to him.

"I don't really know the answer to that question. I'll talk to you soon."

"B-b-b-bye." he hung up and set Stan's phone on the console. Kyle looked to his boyfriend and wiped his eyes.

"I fucking hate his dad," Kyle murmured. Stan rubbed his shoulders and drove faster than he'd normally be comfortable with. He picked up his phone and called Kenny once more. It rang and went to the message again and he groaned in annoyance. "We don't even know where he is!"

"Well, his phone's on, right?" Kyle nodded, "do you have Tracking Pro?"

"Fucking genius!" Kyle said, quickly scrolling through his phone and turning on the app. He called Ike on Stan's phone and waited for his brother to answer as his phone loaded the application.

"All she knows is he and Kevin went to Denver and she got a call from Kevin saying he didn't know where Kenny was, and a call from Kenny with like... serious shit going on."

"Does she know where they went?" Kyle said, stomach clenching in disgust.

"No, but Ruby's over too trying to calm her down because I'm trying to figure this shit out. I'm gonna ask mom if Karen can stay the night... maybe Ruby too. Do I tell her about Kenny?"

"Yes, as much as he'll hate me for it." Kyle knew that wasn't true but he'd definitely be upset about being outted to who he considered his second family. "Tell Karen everything's going to be okay, we're gonna get Kenny and he'll be fine." He heard her sobbing from the other line and he grimaced. "I love you, Ike."

"Love you too, bye." His brother hung up and Kyle ran a hand through his hair.

The drive to Denver was silent except for Kyle's nervous breathing and Stan's fingers tapping on the steering wheel. He felt Stan grab his hand and he squeezed tightly. It didn't make sense how a man could be so cruel, to ruin his son's happiness. And he didn't know why Kenny was being so fucking stupid.

He doubted Kenny and Butters were actually broken up; it had probably been an act. Everything had been so good today, this week, for them. It was almost like karma came to kick them in the ass.

After nearly two hours they arrived in Denver. Stan had to use the restroom but that was the least of his concern and Kyle was looking antsy as he tried to track Kenny's GPS.

"Shit, it's Colfax." Kyle said, shaking his head, "it looks like 14th Avenue. He can't be back there, Stan, you know what it was like..."

Stan drove to Exit 278. He tapped his fingers nervously; he hated this area but at least it wasn't Five Points. He kept right on the fork and continued driving; it was beginning to sleet so he had to slow down. His nervousness grew as they approached Quebec Street. He kept his eyes forward and tried ignored the people on the street he knew were prostitutes and junkies. He didn't have to assume; this area was full of them. Of course this is where Kenny would end up.

"Park here," Kyle said as they approached 14th Avenue. Stan did so, and made sure he locked his car before walking close, but not too close, to Kyle. The rise of anxiety caused his stomach to churn and he tried to hold back the feeling of nausea. "I hope he's okay... why the fuck would he be around here? He..." he trailed off, looking down a dark alley. His eyes met with Stan's and he pointed to the GPS on his phone. They were standing where Kenny was.

"Mother fucker," Stan whispered, holding Kyle's arm as they slowly walked into the alley. A homeless man watched them and laughed with manic eyes as he blew into his hands. Kyle shrank closer to Stan and he shined his phone in front of him.

"K-Kenny?" Kyle called, looking all around. He grimaced when seeing no one. He scowled when seeing they had passed him. Kyle looked around for a discarded phone but found none. His GPS blinked and he looked up from the ground. He swore his heart stopped.

He met eyes with Stan and felt dread course through his veins as he stood up in front of a dumpster.

"H-he wouldn't..." he trailed off, opening the lid. He covered his hand as he screamed and scrambled back in horror. Stan held him tight and pressed a kiss to his head. His heart pounded violently in his chest as tears burned his eyes. He gazed down into the dumpster; amidst the trash and the rotten food he set frantic eyes on Kenny. He cringed and shivered in a curled ball, naked, and covered in blood as the lid opened and exposed him.

"N-no! G-g-get away f-from me!" He let out a wail of agony as he fell on his back, trying to crawl backwards away from Stan and Kyle.

"Kenny, it's okay..." the raven-haired boy coaxed with a voice of uncertainty as he reached out to him. He yelped in surprise as Kenny punched him square in the nose. Blood leaked from his nostrils and he watched as Kenny jumped out of the dumpster and ran to the back of the alley on shaky legs, trying to cover himself and scratch at his skin at the same time. "Wait!"

"Don't fucking t-touch me!" he heard Kenny sob in a broken voice. Kyle looked down at the fallen snow and saw bloody footprints. He fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. A miserable, weak whine sounded from the flinching boy as Kyle approached him. His hands covered most of his face."P-please...?!" he begged, eyes dilated more than either of them had ever seen on a human. He looked feral.

"Kenny, it's Kyle, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help you... c'mon," He outstretched his hand and Kenny pulled his legs up to his chest as he turned his face to the asphalt. Kyle put a hand on his injured knee and he heard Kenny moan in pain as he slowly pulled down his legs. Kyle turned his head and blinked back tears as he watched Kenny spread his legs for him. There was so much blood ... he didn't know where it was coming from. "N-no, not that, you're going home."

"NO!" Kenny bellowed, leaning up on his elbows, body still spread for Kyle or whoever he imagined. "Not home, don't take me there... I don't have a home, I don't have anything, you can't take me to nothing..." Stan wiped his nose and felt himself barely choke down his vomit. "J-just make it feel good, huh, Ky? I-I'll be quiet. I-I won't tell... promise. Just make me feel good. It hurts, oh God, it hurts..." Kyle rubbed at his eyes and Stan lifted Kenny in his arms. He took off his jacket and wrapped it over his knobby shoulders. Kenny sobbed in the crook of his arm and Stan could see his face was battered; blood crusted over a swollen eye, there was a cut over his lip, and splatters of dried blood covered his face and had matted his hair. "Just make me feel good..."

"You're not going home, you're going to Kyle's house, okay? It's Stan and Kyle... we're not going to touch you, we're not going to hurt you. Just tell us what happened. Why... why are you bleeding?"

"S-Stan," Kyle gasped as his stomach heaved, then turned around and threw up. He clutched Kenny's faded, bloody jeans in his hands and vomited until everything he had eaten during the day was now in disgusting chunks in the alley. Kyle burped a little, then grimaced and wiped his mouth. Stan rubbed his back and Kenny looked at them with feral eyes. "Stan, it's... it's really bad."

"Well there's blood on his face but-"

"No, he's bleeding from... between his legs..." Stan grimaced as he felt the nausea churn uneasily in his stomach upon hearing his realization. Kenny fell on weak legs and screamed in pain. His blood-curdling shriek echoed off the walls and he curled up in a ball as he dug his nails in his skin. "K-Kenny, do you remember anything that happened?" he asked gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. Stan carefully lifted him and heard him whisper the same two words over and over, but he couldn't understand what they were. Kenny whimpered and curled up in Stan's arms. "Kenny?"

"I just got h-high... I needed to focus, needed to forget, I just..." Kenny whimpered in a strained voice, "and I wanted to get fucked." Kyle closed his eyes and leaned against the wall for a moment. The blonde's bloody hand stroked Stan's face and stained his skin and hair with his blood. "And... I remember just... so fast... there was... I don't... three guys? Three guys. Yeah. A-and..." an agonizing wail was muffled against Stan's shoulders, who fought back tears as he rubbed his back. Kyle held up his phone, showing Stan he was recording.

"Kenny, we're your best friends... you can tell us anything."

"I didn't care at first 'cause I was high... and Lee broke up with me and I figured this was what I was m-meant to be all along, just lowlife... whore..." Stan's hand adjusted on Kenny's back and he felt the taller boy kick. His sudden movements caused him to seize with pain, and Kyle watched his entire face freeze.

He couldn't go to his house. He had to go to the hospital; something was terribly wrong.

"B-but then they started choking me... and one of them made me...drink his piss and then after they... they all fucked me...two at a time I think, I remember choking and my nose burned... everything was hot and I was on fire... there was so much... I-I heard... a b-bottle break... and they laughed... and there was screaming, it was so loud... I just wanted it to stop... but it was me, I was screaming and I didn't even know it... and I couldn't stop, I couldn't do anything, I..."

"N-no..." Kyle trailed off, looking at Kenny's naked legs. Biting his lip he caught a glimpse of the back of his thigh in the streetlight; glass was sticking out of his skin.

Fuck.

"A-and... they were so evil. They sounded like... like Cthulhu. Not Satan... he's nice. But... they were evil. T-two of them... they... I think they held my legs back? I don't remember, Kyle, I don't... I'm sorry... and then I just felt like... my insides were going through a grinder. Over... and over again... j-j-just let me die..."

Stan's hands trembled as he held Kenny tightly, protectively, and Kyle opened the car door. He sat down in the back and Stan carefully helped him lay down. He looked up at Kyle with distant eyes and broke out in uncontrollable sobs once more. His hair was matted with sweat and blood and other things Kyle didn't want to think about. He kissed Kenny's forehead and stroked his hair from his face.

He looked like faded innocence. Tarnished and ruined but bright and beautiful.

"Make it stop..." he whimpered weakly against him as Stan quickly drove out of the area. Kyle looked at him as he held him close.

"Make what?"

"I'm so hot... there's bugs in my skin and I can't stop... it hurts, Ky, it hurts so bad..." Kyle wiped his eyes and held Kenny's hand as he laid on him.

"Can I... can I look down there to make sure there wasn't external damage?" he knew it was pointless to ask; if they had done what Kenny said he probably didn't want to look, anyway. Kenny shook his head and closed his legs, shrieking as he did so. "It's okay, it's okay, Kenny... shh. Stan, we need to go to the hospital."

"No, no, no, I don't... insurance... it fucking hurts... m-mom... I want my mom."

"Fuck, don't worry about anything. Just calm down, you're safe... she... she's with you. I promise." He whispered. Stan sniffled in the front seat and adjusted the mirror to look at his boyfriend and best friend. It made him sick to see Kenny so...

Kyle dialed his mom first. He couldn't stop himself from crying as he waited for her to pick up.

"Bubbeleh, where are you? What's going on?" Her concerned tone was music to his ears and he couldn't control the whimper that tore from his throat.

"Mommy..." he sobbed, and he heard her hush him comfortingly, "I don't know what to do. We got a call from Karen and-and we went to Denver and Kenny... they raped him, mom. We gotta get him to the hospital but he doesn't have insurance b-but... it's really bad."

"Oh, baby... oh that poor boy, I don't- Gerald!" he heard his mother cry, "We're leaving right away. If what you say is true he needs medical attention now. Take him to a hospital, now!"

"W-we are..."

"I love you, Bubbeh." she said, Kyle sniffled and kept a protective arm on Kenny.

"I love you too," he replied, hanging up the phone. Stan turned on 17th Avenue and sped through the streets to 19th. He hesitated to call Butters but knew it wouldn't be smart; he didn't want him to get in trouble.

As soon as they pulled up to the hospital, Stan ran in to get help. Kyle held Kenny, who trembled and jerked violently in his arms. His breaths were shudders and hitched gasps, and he was clammy.

"Don't let them take me..." he whispered, gripping Kyle's wrists too hard. He kept silent and nodded.

"You're gonna be okay, dude, I'll be there the whole time. You just need to get looked at and make sure you're okay."

"That was Lee's..." Kenny whispered as tears flooded down his baby-blue eyes. Kyle looked at him curiously, "it was Lee's alone. I just wanted to be innocent. I didn't wanna know. But I had to know I had to grow up... I just wanted to be like you." Kyle felt his throat tighten. "Lee was the only one to have the last of... I was innocent... I saved it for him. A-and they... I just wanted my innocence to die happy, Ky. I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to be just like you..."

"Oh, Kenny..." he moaned woefully, kissing his forehead again as he rocked him slowly. The nurses approached and quickly opened the door. Kenny screamed. Kyle got out of the car and sobbed against Stan as Kenny struggled.

"Ky, please?! Stan, help!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Kyle shook his head and Stan hugged him tightly as he watched them sedate Kenny. They laid him on a stretcher and wheeled him in to the emergency room.

"We called the authorities. They want to hear any information you have." Stan nodded and held Kyle in his arms as they slowly walked inside.

They waited until the police arrived and they went into a private room. Stan was extremely nervous and Kyle was shaken by what Kenny had said. He couldn't get over it. Any of it. They way he looked and sounded. That wasn't Kenny in there that was... he shook his head.

Maybe it was Kenny.

"Does your friend have a history of drug use?" The officer asked, Stan and Kyle looked at each other and slowly nodded. They didn't want to lie but they didn't want Kenny in trouble.

"Only pot... a-and not a lot," Stan said. The police chief nodded and took notes.

"So he never used amphetamines?" Kyle shook his head.

"Never, he hated them. He never wanted to get into that stuff because of his parents."

"His parents?"

"They made... make... meth. His dad does, now, anyway." The officer nodded again and looked at the two boys.

"What about prostitution? Did you know that Kenneth had been hired as a prostitute?" They both glanced at each other and nodded.

"We, we found him one night. His dad... his dad said he or his sister had to do it so Kenny did. We told him to stop and he did. He hasn't done it since. He did it to protect his sister." Kyle felt like he was trying to soften the words, but it was the truth.

"Right..." the officer trailed off in a doubtful tone, "do you have any idea what happened tonight? Do you know if, perhaps your friend is lying and just got in too deep...?"

"No!" Kyle snapped, Stan held his hand and he sighed, "no, I know Kenny. He's like... my brother. I have a recording. He told us what happened." Kyle played back the recording he had made as they walked to the car and watched as the officer rubbed his chin and looked to Kyle.

"Can I take this as evidence?" Kyle looked taken aback.

"My phone?" The policeman laughed a little and shook his head.

"The recording, that tells us a lot of information, some of it pretty graphic, that we'd have to ask him. And judging by his current state that's not gonna do real well with him." Kyle forwarded the recording in a text.

"How is he?" Stan asked eagerly, finally finding the courage to speak up. The brown haired man sighed heavily and looked at the two boys with sad eyes.

"I can't tell you that, the doctor will be in shortly. If you two find out any more information let us know. We'll be talking to his sister when she arrives. Thank you for your cooperation and honesty."

Stan and Kyle went back to the waiting room, looking shell-shocked and trying their best not to cry. Kyle rested his head on Stan's lap as they waited for news. They looked up as Kyle's parents came in the doors, with Ike holding Karen under his arm as she cried against him. Stan blinked as a tall dark haired boy followed behind, looking furious, and ran up to the receptionists desk.

"Where's my brother?" Kevin McCormick barked, "tell me they didn't arrest him." His voice sounded pleading, urgent. Stan hated it. The receptionist look scared at the towering figure as she shook her head. "Where is he?!"

"Kenneth McCormick? He-he's..." she flipped through papers, "he's in the O.R. right now. He suffered severe hemorrhaging and tearing and they're doing blood tests to find out if he's contracted any diseases, sir."

"They fucking raped him?!" Kevin shouted, Karen ran up to her brother and pulled him back as he shook as his blood boiled and fury surged through his veins, "they fucking raped my baby brother?!"

Kyle felt tears slip out of his eyes at the desperation and raging fury emanating from Kevin. He had never seen him so protective, so caring. No one in his family had ever gone out of their way to make sure Kenny was okay. He shook his head and felt Ike hug him tightly.

"Oh, Bubbeh," Sheila Broflovski cooed as she ran to Kyle. He rested her head on her bosom and cried against her as she patted his back. Gerald was pacing in the back, trying to keep a calm mind as he assessed the situation.

The police came up to Kevin and he looked ready to kill yet they calmed him down and said it was only to find out about what happened. He quietly followed them without looking back; he held Karen's hand as she trailed anxiously behind him.

"Mom, it's a mess... he... he cried on me. He was covered in blood and he said... they... why did they do that to him, mom?" He asked, sounding like a young child. Stan stood in the back, biting the skin on his thumb and looking ready to cry and run. Sheila caught his eye and opened her right arm to him. He let out a choked sob and found solace in her arms as he cried in her shoulder.

"Oh, my boys... that poor Kenny, it's always been such a sad situation. My poor boys," she herself was crying as she petted their hair and kissed their foreheads. "You're both so brave, going all this way for your friend. I'm so proud. So, so proud. I know I may not always seem it, and I know I haven't been completely accepting of your relationship, but I am so proud of you. You're both good boys." Stan sniffled and cried harder against her; he hadn't been hugged by his mother or father since he was ten years old. He hadn't realized he missed such motherly affection.

"W-what's gonna happen to him?" Stan blubbered, wiping his eyes and sniffling as he finally pulled away from her. Sheila sighed heavily and looked to Gerald, who stepped forward.

"There will be an investigation to find the assailants and hopefully they'll be caught. His father is being questioned... but as far as we know he had nothing to do with this. I can talk to him again tomorrow..."

"And... and will Kenny be okay?" Kyle asked weakly, Sheila looked uncertain as she nodded.

"Kenny's a very strong boy, he'll be okay." She assured her son as she ran a hand through his red tendrils. "Your father and I have decided that Kenny and Karen will be staying with us, at least for awhile. Is that okay, Kyle?" He nodded and looked to Ike, who looked scared and lonely. "We can discuss arrangements later, but they both need a good, stable home for right now."

Kenny's doctor walked out with her clipboard and a somber face. Stan ran up to her and opened his mouth to speak yet he couldn't find words. She turned to Mr. and Mrs. Broflovski.

"Are you Mr. McCormick's parents?" She asked, Gerald shook his head.

"We are family friends, currently the McCormicks are under my family's care; we're their guardians without the legalities." Kyle liked the sound of that. The doctor nodded and read through the papers. She glanced warily at Stan and Kyle, sighed, and turned to Gerald.

"There was severe trauma to his rectum as well as hemorrhaging, severe tearing, and bruising. He required stitches and we'll be checking regularly for bleeding. There was no organ damage, he's very lucky. However, he was given methamphetamine which makes the blood tests difficult. We may be able to detect sexually transmitted diseases early. He'll be groggy when he wakes up andhe'll be suffering from withdrawals for at least three days. Although it could be up to fourteen. He'll be staying here at least two days and if he needs in-patient treatment that may be an option."

"But he's never used meth before, he shouldn't have the withdrawal..." The doctor smiled sadly at Stan and shook her head.

"Meth is a one time and you're hooked drug, he's going to want it. And based on his records he has been prescribed with Ritalin since he was eight years old, which is an amphetamine itself. The effects are different, but... he'll have withdrawal nonetheless. Given his family history it may not be wise to have him return home until he can cope with the withdrawal."

"W-what's it gonna do to him?" Kyle asked.

"He'll feel overheated and suffer from mild insomnia. He will also be lethargic and possibly feel dehydrated. There will be mood swings. He'll probably feel depressed and edgy and he'll need support, for this as well as what he went through tonight." Stan and Kyle nodded; the black-haired boy squeezed his boyfriend's hand. They all would need support. "He's in recovery now but you may visit him in a half an hour. He might not be awake but if he is don't startle him. We're going to have a psychologist and trauma therapist speak to him tomorrow." She said, gave a smile, and let them be.

Karen and Kevin spoke with his doctor across the room when they emerged from speaking with the police. Karen was practically hiding against Kevin as they listened to what she had to say. She led them down the hall; they were the first to visit, understandably so.

They all waited quietly, unsure of what to say. Time seemed to slow down and the air was thick with tension. Kevin walked out, looking paler than when Kyle had last seen him, and his eyes looked tinged with red. He had been crying. Seeing him like that made Kyle feel sick; that wasn't the Kevin McCormick he knew.

He approached the Broflovskis and smiled weakly.

"Thank you, for bringin' Karen," He said quietly, voice a little shaky as he shook Gerald's hand. "And thank you for takin' 'em in. I'm sorry for any inconvenience. I-I'm so sorry..." He sounded so mature, so... beat down. Kyle's parents shook their heads and Sheila wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Stan excused himself as he watched Kevin fall apart in her arms. Kyle closed his eyes and covered his ears as he heard his pained sobs.

Kevin was a shell. Kevin didn't have emotions. He was an asshole. Yet he was a horrible sobbing mess because this was the first time he had been hugged since he was a toddler and deep down he knew this was all his fault, even though no one would ever know.

He had told the cops he had given him his ADHD medicine, as they usually did whenever Kenny was questioned. That passed through okay. He said he wasn't aware of Kenny taking anything else other than that and they both went to a party. He had lost track of his brother, but knew Kenny was against using meth and there wasn't any at the party they went to as far as he knew.

So sometime between getting to the party and his brother getting raped, Kenny had either shot up or had been injected with meth. That's what he told the police, that is. Kenny wasn't going to go down for this, and a sick part of him was thankful his brother would be too fucked up to change his story.

But this was something he would carry with him the rest of his life. Just like he had years ago, he failed Kenny once again. He had never been able to protect him from everything... or anything. Kenny had always looked up to him, for some stupid reason, and whenever Kevin saw that old costume in the closet he knew that a piece of him had stuck with Kenny all along. But still here he was failing at protecting him, at being there, at being his big brother.

He always failed him.

"You are always welcome to stay with us too, Kevin," Gerald said, patting his back as he wiped his eyes and coughed a little. He shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm real proud of you kids, I know you've been through a lot and... I'm really sorry about how things turned out. Your dad... he just... he got lost somewhere down the line. But he can be found again..." Kevin scoffed and coughed harder into his sleeve.

"I'm not sure 'bout that," He pointed down the hall, "because this life he led... this is his fault. He... he ruined my baby brother." His words were bitter as he spat them with as much self-hatred as he could. He had ruined him. He was the one behind this, not their father. But it was easy to switch the blame because if it weren't for Stuart McCormick than he wouldn't be here. He figured the world would be better off.

Sheila and Gerald remained silent as Kevin walked out without saying another word.

Stan was on his way to return to his post next to Kyle when a nurse stopped him.

"Do you want to go in and see your friend?" She asked. A big part of him said, no, he didn't want to because he didn't want to see Kenny like that, but he nodded. He ran to grab Kyle and found him texting on his phone.

"Butters texted me from this online app. I haven't told him how bad, he knows Kenny was hurt. He said the police are over at Kenny's now." Kyle said in a shaky voice. Stan took his hand and lead him to the nurse, who directed them to Kenny's room. He read the name on the door K. McCormick and swore he had seen that before; he shook this feeling off as the nurse opened the door.

"Kenny, you have some more visitors," the young nurse said sweetly. Karen looked up with bloodshot eyes and smiled sadly at the two.

"He just closed his eyes." she told them, "Ken?" She whispered, brushing his blood-crusted hair with a wet wash cloth. He whimpered and flinched against her touch and opened his left eye. The right was swollen shut; the black and blue had crept across almost all of the right side of his face.

"Kyle... Stan?" he asked quietly. Stan had never heard him sound so broken. He looked as if he had been stripped to his core and those eyes; he had never seen such sad eyes. "Hey."

"Hey, dude," the black haired teen said, shaking as he sat on the chair across from him. Kyle sat on his lap and reached for Kenny's hand. He pulled away and shifted closer to Karen. "How're you feeling?" He asked gently, smiling softly at him though it took all of his strength to lift the muscles.

"Not..." he murmured in a weak, slurred voice. "Kar-" he breathed, face distorting in pain. She barely lifted a bowl before he heaved. Kyle looked to Stan with tears in his eyes and shook his head. He squeezed his side and held his hands on his hips.

"It's okay, just let it out, it's gonna help you..." Kenny's shoulders wracked with sobs as he threw up in the bowl. She held back his hair and kissed his head. He breathed heavily and slowly laid back on the pillow, totally worn out. Karen flushed the contents down the toilet, wrote in a tablet, and handed him a glass of water. "It's the drugs... they want him to drink lots of water, starting now so withdrawals aren't so bad. It shouldn't be, considering it was his first time." Karen explained, looking scared as Kenny twitched slightly.

As Kyle watched his friend, he had the sinking feeling that this was, in fact, not his first time. At least with the Ritalin. They had all stopped taking it years ago and Kenny was so incredibly focused; if anyone in his family suffered from ADHD it was Kevin.

"Is Butters coming?" Kenny asked, voice soft. Kyle scrolled through his text. Stan shook his head.

"Not tonight, dude."

"Good..." This shocked them and tears fell from Kenny's eyes as he stared up at the ceiling, "he c-can't see me like..." Kyle opened the unread message from Butters.

From: Butters
Received: 10:56 PM

What happened? Don't hide it from me.

To: Butters
Sent: 10:57PM

I don't know if I should say. But... he was raped. There's more to it but he can tell you. I'm so sorry.

Kyle set down his phone and couldn't help but watch as Kenny scratched at his arms as if he had something on them... or in them. Karen took his hands and he fought her off yet the sedatives made him sluggish so he ended up giving up.

"See you like what?" Stan asked, Kyle shot him a look but Stan wanted Kenny to open up to them rather than a stupid psychologist.

"Messed up. Raw. My nurse told my asshole was practically shreds. Said I'm... lucky to be alive."

"You are," Kenny scoffed and closed his eyes as tears trickled down his cheeks, over his bruised lips.

"That was his. It wasn't just so he didn't feel alone losing his virginity. I didn't want anyone else to have that. But he threw me away so maybe... I gave it away too. Maybe this was all my fault. I was high after all. Why didn't he fight? Why didn't I fight? It's only fair the last shred of innocence I had gets torn to shreds, right?" he laughed softly and moaned in pain, "I'm a real sucker for preserving the youth. Ask Karen, she hates it."

Stan glanced to Kyle who looked upset, not angry, not sad. He watched Kenny's fist curl and Karen put her hand on his.

"Don't get angry, it's gonna be okay," she said, "remember when we were little and mom and dad were high on the rock? We remember what we used to do?" Kyle felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment as Kenny nodded sluggishly.

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?" Karen sang the Janis Joplin song softly as she caressed Kenny's left arm, careful to avoid the needle-sized hole in his forearm.

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?" Kenny mumbled more than sang. But the tone was sad and as Kyle and Stan listened they couldn't help but think that they related more to the song than they wanted to accept.

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?
I'm counting on you, Lord, please don't let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?" Kyle's phone vibrated and he was afraid to read the text. He opened it however, and felt a sharp pang of dread.

From: Butters
Received: 11:03 PM

No.

That single lettered text was enough to make Kyle start to cry.

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends-" Kenny stopped singing and turned to look at him, breaking the almost-happy moment between brother and sister. Kenny shook on the spot.

"I'm sorry," Kenny whimpered, watching as Stan held Kyle tightly, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... God, fuck... I hate this. I hate... I hate me. Can you fix it? You guys can fix it. It's a good thing Lee doesn't wanna s-see me, I'd just hurt him too. I'd just-" Karen pushed the button on his IV and in a few moments he fell asleep. She wiped her eyes and looked at the two boys, who looked terrified.

"He's not crazy, he's high. He'll be better."

"Karen, they broke him." Stan said, looking at his friend, who looked the most normal since they had first entered the room. She gasped in a sob as she nodded.

"Kevin couldn't even look at him... it's like he could feel it. He's not Kenny... or well, the Kenny we know." Kyle brushed a hand through his hair and squeezed his hand. They would help him. They'd bring Kenny back. "I just can't piece him back together... I can't, and I thought I could... w-why? Why him? I just... "

They both hugged her tight; and for the first time that night she was able to break from holding the shattered pieces of her brothers and her life.