Author's Note: Woohoo~ We finally get some more Craig encounters :3 Enjoy and please R&R!
Disclaimer: I do not own South Park or any of the references made in this series.
(Kenny's POV)
My body fucking huuuuuuuuuuurts. Was the first thought Kenny had on his mind, as he pulled up to the function. Token's house was near the center of South Park's downtown area, but it was fully gated and on high security. Its' gates were a shiny golden color and were adorned with vines that wrapped themselves lovingly against every pole. Even though the vines and leaves were of a natural substance, they intermingled with the metallic human-made poles that protected Token's house. Lovely. Admittedly, not much had changed since the last time Kenny had seen Token's house - even though the last time he visually saw it was during high school prom (when the boys grouped together and Token let them ride in his limousine, good times).
Kenny smiled at yet another nostalgic thought, but winced when he felt the muscles in his head tense up and stung from being kicked around. Ugh, maybe I shouldn't have come here.
"Oh. Em. Gee. Kenny, is that you!?" He heard a squeal ring out from behind him, and soon after he got attacked from behind with a huge hug. It was Butters - and following suit behind him were Clyde, Bebe, Kevin, and Red. Kenny turned around to meet eyes with him, but was met with a look of horror. "Oh god, Kenny! What happened to your face?! Are you okay?"
Kenny tried to smile, but his face hurt like hell. He winced slightly in pain at seeing the cheerful young man, jokingly responding, "Yea, I just got a gift from my daddy."
Butters bit his lip and turned to the others, who also had worried looks on their faces - all except Bebe. She was texting almost apathetically on her phone. Figures. "H-hey guys, I'm gonna take Kenny inside. Don't worry about us, enjoy yourselves at the party…!"
He put his arm around Kenny's shoulder to support him, and the group headed inside. Kenny didn't want the highschool reunion to be about him, but he also didn't mind that his friends were trying to take care of him. They were just trying to help, is all. As a nurse, he really shouldn't be here, he should really be in urgent care having someone check out his head to see if he was okay. But the only place that had urgent care here was at Hell's Pass Hospital, and goddamned if they were going to do anything but treat him. If anything, their malpractice would cause an early death.
Stan and Kyle were the first at the door to greet Kenny, but also had horrified looks on their faces. Kyle ran up to Kenny, thanking Butters for helping him in. "Thanks Butters, for helping Kenny inside. Can you grab him an ice pack from the freezer? The kitchen is around the corner, near the back of the house."
Butters nodded and promptly left the area, giving Kenny some space. Kyle put his arms on either side of Kenny's arms and looked him hard in the face, Kenny groaning in response, "Hey guys…I'm not a little old disabled grandma or anything. You guys really don't have to get your panties in a bunch…." Kyle raised an eyebrow. "...but thank you."
Kyle bit his lip and led Kenny over to a small bench at the porch entrance. Stan sheepishly followed him, one of his hands in his pockets and 'fruit punch' in the other. Kyle sat him down, his arm not leaving Kenny's side. "Did your dad do this to you?"
They all knew the answer more than anyone else. Kenny looked away from their piercing stares, muttering, "Of course he did, he's a piece of shit dad who can't keep his drinking and anger management problems under control."
"...I'm sorry Kenny, but this has gone way too far. Your dad could have really killed you this time," What they didn't know was that his dad had killed him previous times before, but no one actually remembered. No one did. "We need to go to the police. I'm sick and tired of his shit."
Kyle started to take out his phone from his pocket, but Kenny lifted up a hand to stop him from dialing the police. "No, Kyle…we've been over this before. It's fine. Really. My dad's always been like this, as far as I can remember."
Stan waved Kenny's arms away. "No, Kenny. Kyle's right," Kenny looked up to meet Stan's eyes. "We should get the police involved. I know South Park police is incompetent as fuck, but I know some buddies back at the police academy who could raise your case to the higher-ups."
Kenny felt his stomach churn at the thought. He really did want to have justice, knowing his dad would never change. Kyle interrupted Kenny's thoughts, "He's been doing this to you your whole life. You've literally only been gone for 3 years - and the moment you come back, he does this to you? Talk about being ungrateful, what do you think your sister is going through?"
Stan sloshed his cup around before taking a drink, his face darkening. "Think about it Kenny. Kyle's right. And now you got me - as a connection. I think you should really take advantage of this situation."
Stan was never this cold and scary before, he looked almost emotionless. The situation was serious. Kenny heavily sighed and was about to respond when footsteps started heading into his direction. Butters came back with a full pack of ice and Token was by his side. "H-hey guys…! I brought a bag of ice, and Token has some pain killers and a first aid kit. Not sure if you need anything in there besides the ice, but we just wanna help ya Kenny."
Kyle took the bag of ice and wrapped it into a towel Butters was also carrying, then gently put it against Kenny's cheek and head. Kenny could feel his eyes burn and sting slightly, knowing that his friends were just looking out for him and trying to make sure that he was okay. He welcomed them, but also, things were just too complicated. If Kenny was going to rat his dad out to the police, they were probably going to take his mom as an accomplice (due to negligence and feigned ignorance). His sister was still in high school, and she wouldn't have anyone to take care of her here. There wasn't really anyone else that he trusted in South Park that he could trust Karen's life with. If he could, he would buy a house just for him and Karen to live in, with no one else in it.
He felt a sob rise within his throat until he took some painkillers from Token's hand and the glass of water it came with. He glugged it down hurriedly to shove the sob back down from wherever the fuck it came from. Fuck it. He didn't want to feel anything right now. He wiped some remaining water from the corners of his lips away with the sleeve of his dress shirt. "Thanks guys, but I want to be left alone. I'll treat my own wounds, it's just a bunch of bruises anyways."
Token shrugged and turned to leave the room, leaving Butters, Stan, and Kyle behind. Kyle withdrew his hand from Kenny's side and looked up towards Stan and Butters. He was very insistent on getting justice for Kenny, but it would have to wait for now. "Alright, just text me or Stan if you need anything, okay?"
Kenny nodded silently and the other three walked into the house, closing the front door behind them. He sat on the bench of Token's porch alone, the light breeze gently kissing Kenny's skin. The sun was beginning to set now, which created a haunting dandelion glow against the buildings in his peripheral vision. He pondered the idea of turning his dad into the police - he hated the idea of creating more family friction, especially if he was going to send his own father to jail. On the off chance his dad got a short sentence and got out of jail, he would dedicate his life to going on a manhunt for Kenny.
Growlllllllllllllllll. Kenny's stomach gurgled and he realized it's been about 6 hours since he last had food. His face wasn't hurting as much anymore because the painkillers had started to kick in, but that being said, he hadn't eaten anything. I guess I should head in and get some food, Kenny thought, and reached to his side to gather all of Token's belongings.
Token's parties are never short of amazing since his parents are so rich and are able to afford a bunch of unnecessary shit. Everyone was mingling in different areas: the living room, kitchen, and basement of Token's house were full of familiar and new faces. Kenny made his way downstairs to the basement, which had been converted into a light sports and gaming room. In the middle area of the basement was a mini theater where people were playing Super Smash Brothers against each other. There were some cheerful hurrahs going around the room as Pit was launched across the screen and exploded into violent, warm-colored triangles.
Kenny smirked slightly as he saw Stan whooping and beating his chest like King Kong, a defeated Clyde sitting next to him with his head hung low. He wasn't really in the mood to play video games, but he enjoyed seeing his own friends enjoying the party, even if he wasn't as much. Token walked up to his side and nudged him lightly, a smile on his face. "I'll take that, Kenny. Did you want to get some drinks and play SSB with everyone?"
He handed over the items he was given earlier and shifted uneasily, "Thanks for the hospitality, Token. I think I'm mostly just hungry right now. But I'm glad that they're enjoying the party even though I walked in like this."
Token took the items gently from Kenny and smiled, "That's because your friends really care about you and just want you to be okay. Don't take it too hard. That's just their way of showing that they care, even if they do it kinda aggressively." He shrugged his shoulders. "...You kinda remind me of someone."
"...Huh?" Kenny was taken off guard. "What do you mean?"
Token laughed light heartedly, "Nothing, nothing. Come, follow me. I'll show you where all the food is."
Kenny followed Token into another side of the basement that was partitioned off with a wall, showcasing a bar and snack area. He felt a little more at ease knowing that he didn't completely ruin his friend's night by worrying about him. He'd catch up with them later, after he ate.
Token gestured to a long row of tables lined up together, which looked like that of a buffet service. Kenny's mouth dropped and started to water as he scanned the tables of food. The expression made Token laugh again, this time much heartier than the last. "Well, dig in, Kenny. You can eat as much as you'd like, and if you want to take some to-go, I have some containers in the kitchen."
"Dang Token…this is bussin' for real for real," Kenny murmured under his breath, but Token had already gotten pulled away by another one of his friends. As Kenny was picking up a plate for himself and getting ready to get a scoop of everything he saw, he heard a familiar nasal voice rumble from behind the buffet-looking service.
"...Damn, you look like shit."
It was none other than Craig, standing behind the rows of tables. Except this time, he wasn't wearing a movie theater uniform, he was wearing a chef uniform and had his arms crossed tightly against his chest.
"Oh, and who are you cosplaying as this time? Gordon Ramsay?" Kenny joked sarcastically, chuckling at the sight of Craig dressed up in yet another uniform. Instead of being mad about their last encounter, he was actually amused by seeing Craig the wallflower wearing something outside of his usual gray and black clothing. Craig's eyebrow twitched slightly, but his face remained expressionless.
"Fuck off. Token asked me to help out and told me I'd get paid for it."
"So…you're getting paid to stand there and do nothing?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds boring," Kenny laughed and started to shovel food on his plate, and thought twice. He didn't really want to interfere in his friends' fun, especially dampening the mood with how he looked physically. He pondered before hesitantly asking, "Can I stand with you?"
"Stand next to me and I'll spit in your fucking food."
"What if I wanted you to spit in my food?"
Craig sighed heavily before putting one of his hands on his face, dragging it down. He clearly did not want to continue this conversation any further. It seemed like he was irritated about something and Kenny's presence made him even more agitated. Despite all that, he muttered out a short, "...Fine."
"So you want to spit in my food?" Kenny flashed a big shit-eating grin, a little bit happy that he was able to win this short back-and-forth ramble. The brunette didn't respond, but instead whipped out his phone to look at Twitter memes. He stood next to the other man, who was much taller than him, starting to pick at his food slowly. Kenny watched the rest of the party pass by him, seeing other people come in and out of the buffet area to grab a bite and drink before heading into the theater room to watch some more games. Everyone was drinking, mingling, catching up, and generally just having a good time with each other, except for Kenny and Craig - the wallflowers.
It was a long silence while Kenny shoveled food into his mouth, none of them talking amongst each other. But a curious question kept biting at Kenny, so much so that after he disposed of his plates and utensils, he came right back to the empty spot next to Craig. The other was still scrolling through his Twitter feed, his face still unchanging as ever.
"So…why are you still here in South Park?" Kenny mused aloud, unsure if the other had heard him or was choosing to ignore him.
Craig sighed heavily before clicking off his phone and putting it back into his pocket, "Are we playing 20 questions now?"
"Just curious," Kenny was still standing against the wall, but he was alternating between being on his tippy toes and flat on his feet. "You were always one of the smarter ones. Even when we did the fruit fly experiment back in high school - you were one of the few people that got a 100 every single time on your tests."
"Hmm," Craig murmured lightly, which made Kenny turn to look at him. He acknowledged that he was smart, since he didn't refute Kenny's statement - but there was a tinge of sadness in his words. "I dunno. I just liked studying. Found out I was good at it so I kept doing it."
"But didn't that make you want to do more and get out of South Park? This place is a shithole, if you can't already tell."
"Never felt like leaving it."
"Why not?"
"I just need enough money to get by and do whatever the hell I want."
Kenny thought about it. Craig is so boring that he just wanted to make enough to get by, and do whatever the hell he wanted with the rest of it. He didn't want to move out, make more money, or travel the world. He just wanted to stay here, in this boring, small (developing, at least) mountain town. In his own way, he just wanted to be comfortable enough to live life on his own terms.
"Hmm, guess I'm on my 3rd question now," Kenny grabbed a beer can and nodded it over to Craig's direction. "Want one?"
"Kenny McCormick is trying to get me sloshed on the job," Craig had the slightest smirk on his face and took the beer from Kenny. He took a couple of sips from the can and looked over at Kenny, noticing that he wasn't opening one as well. "You're not drinking."
"Nah…" Kenny looked down to the ground almost in shame, shuffling his feet around. "...I've been sober for 3 years now."
"Hmm." Craig mentally contemplated pushing further, but based on Kenny's reaction, he knew that it wasn't a good time to push his buttons. "Wanna smoke?"
"Sorry man, you're really tugging my balls here but…I quit that too." As tempting as it was, Kenny knew he shouldn't do it. He promised himself, and someone close to him that he wouldn't go near any of that ever again. But damn, he was tempted.
There was a short silence before Kenny's phone started to vibrate in his pocket and he took it out to look at the caller ID. His mom was calling him…but why? She doesn't usually call unless it's really important. Kenny looked over at Craig, who only shrugged and took his phone out again to look at Twitter memes. I guess that was code for: I'm done talking for now.
With his phone still vibrating, he decided to take the call outside in Token's backyard so he could have some more privacy. Token's backyard had a large swimming pool and a gazebo tucked behind a large garden of flowers. You could technically call his backyard a park because it was that huge. Kenny swiped right to accept the call and his phone against his ear, "Hey mom, what's up?"
"Hey Kinny, you didn't tell me you were gonna come back an' visit for spring break." Carol tried to sound chipper, but despite her efforts she still sounded a bit winded on the other end of line. She was probably still at McDonald's, inside the freezer trying to take a call.
Kenny hesitated before responding, "Dad gave you an earful, didn't he?"
"You're damn right he did," She sounded shifty in her responses, like she was trying to dodge the real reason why she was calling. "He was throwin' shit and breaking glass on the other end. What a damn retard. He's the reason why we don't have any proper plates to ever eat on…even when I'm tryin' so damn hard to fix what he breaks."
Kenny sighed and took a couple of laps around the swimming pool, one of his hands in his pockets. "Yeah…I was trying to avoid him so we could avoid all of that stupid shit. You know the real reason why I'm back here anyway."
Carol was silent for a moment on the other end of line. "Is Karen with ya'?"
"Nah, she's probably at a track meet right now. I'm out at a party tonight with the boys."
Kenny heard Carol sigh quietly on the other end. Whatever she was trying to say, she was desperately trying to hold it back. "Look, Kenny?"
"Hmm."
Carol sharply exhaled before responding, "I know I haven't been tha' best mom in the past… But right now, I've been tryin' to make ends meet with your dad and your sister. Hell knows wherever the heck Kevin went. I haven't seen im' since before you left for uni." She paused for a second, and it sounded like someone went into the freezer but ultimately left because Carol was trying to keep herself from breaking out into tears. "Look…the point is, I'm sorry that we haven't been the best to the both of ya'. I'm tryin' to do better for your sister Karen."
Kenny stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath, gazing upwards to see the night sky reveal itself. He looked at all the little stars in the sky, taking in the fact that each one was so miniscule - on a greater scale, all of those stars he was looking at were probably dead by now. Just like all the different versions of Kenny that have died long ago. Ghosts of the past. He bit his lip before quietly responding, "I know, mom. I know you're trying your best for me and Karen. That's what I'm trying to do for myself too."
He could hear Carol stifle a sob on the phone. "I know I never got to tell you, because things ended badly the last time you were here…but, I'm proud of you, son. I'm sure your dad is too, he just doesn't want to admit it. He became even more depressed after you left."
I'm sure that's just a white lie to help me feel better. Kenny thought to himself, remembering that his dad was in such a drunk craze - that he thought he was stealing from him. He's been so fucked up on all of the alcohol he drinks and the drugs he consumes that his brain is slowly rotting the fuck away. There was no saving him now. Kenny didn't even want to face him, now that he realized that his dad had gotten even worse after he returned home.
"...Sure." He felt a little bit uncomfortable that his mom was saying all of these things to him now. Kenny was sure that she was feeling emotional, even after not seeing her son after all these years. She would text him on his phone and he would have short responses like, 'Hey, I'm busy but you can talk to me later'. But now that her son was in closer proximity, she felt a maternal need to reach out to him again emotionally. He quickly changed the subject before he started to get even more uncomfortable, asking, "Are you still at work?"
Carol's breath hitched in her throat, but she responded, "Yeah, I get off around 12am. They're makin' me close the damn place everyday. Well…whatever brings the money in. I'll sneak a salad out and some other stuff for Karen too."
Kenny felt a little smile tug at the ends of his mouth. At least his mom was making the effort to take care of Karen somehow. He wasn't sure how much on the daily Karen talked to their parents while he wasn't here - but, he appreciated that they still had somewhat of a connection nonetheless. "Alright, I'm gonna go now. Bye, mom."
"Bye, son. I love you."
Kenny felt uncomfortable saying the words back to his mom, so he quickly said his goodbyes and hung up the phone. The tension in their conversation was killing him. He ran his hands through his hair and flopped onto a nearby pool chair, his hands weakly falling at his sides. Every time he talked to his mom, he felt a bit stressed out. Back then, his mom was still high on drugs and drank every once in a while (less than his dad did), so things were shitty. Now, she drinks a bit less and assumes responsibility a little bit more because Kenny had left the house but…it still wasn't enough. She and Karen were still living with their piece of shit of a dad, of a father. He made everything and everyone else around him miserable, all because he got the 'short end of the stick in life'.
Why couldn't he just be grateful for what he had?
Kenny closed his eyes and listened to the wind slowly pushing the water around in the pool, creating a calming effect. For a few moments, he let the breath in his chest carry his mind away. He had the sudden urge to check on his sister, who he surprisingly hadn't gotten a text from all day.
(Kenny's Phone)
Kenny: Hey Karen, are you at track meet rn?
He put his phone down and rolled over to his side, wincing at the sudden onset pain in his chest and head. The pain killers were starting to wear off. Admittedly, Kenny didn't want to go home tonight. Not after facing his father. Not after having some emotional connection with his mom. He felt awkward, out of place, that he didn't belong.
Maybe I'll just rent a hotel for the rest of spring break while I'm here. Or go back early. Kenny thought, clutching his phone in his hand. I don't want to bother the others for their whole spring break with my troubles and shit. Ugh.
A small lighter illuminated its way into the night, waking Kenny up from his thoughts. He looked over to see a tall brunette leaning against the wall of Token's house, lighting up a cigarette.
It was Craig.
Ah, they were having a lot of encounters tonight, weren't they?
Kenny cursed himself for feeling so emotional and so down. He felt vulnerable, weak, exposed to everyone. And he hated feeling like that. If he could just be cheerful Kenny, and sew his mouth so that it was permanently curled up into a smile, he would do just that. But he had to mask his emotions. Then, people would pity him and try their best to make sure everything was okay.
He then sat up from the pool chair and tucked his phone back into his pocket. Damn, I should just go for the night. I'm tired as fuck, He thought to himself before getting up and heading back inside Token's house.
"You look like you need a smoke." Craig met eyes with the other, playing around with the sparkwheel of the lighter.
"Fuck off, I'm not in the mood to talk." Kenny snapped and tried to push past him, clearly trying to mask his emotions. He just wanted to go to a hotel, wash up, and go to sleep.
"Here, asshole," Craig held out a small plastic bag that he took out of his apron and pushed it lightly towards Kenny's chest.
"What's this?" Kenny took the bag and looked up at the other inquisitively.
"It's painkillers and medicine from Token's first aid kit," Craig held his cig in his fingers and turned his head away to blow out a puff of smoke. "Token's worried about you. He doesn't use any of the first aid stuff he has so might as well give it to someone who needs it."
Kenny peered at the inside contents of the bag briefly. "Well…thanks."
"Don't mention it. You look like shit." Craig took another puff of his cigarette and blew it away from Kenny's direction.
"I said thanks, don't rub it in fucktard," Kenny felt his face get warm, but tried to shake off his embarrassment. Wait, why was he embarrassed? "I'm gonna go for the night, so if anyone asks, I'm gonna go stay at a hotel somewhere."
"Why would anyone ask me? Just message your friends, dude."
Kenny had a pang of guilt shoot through his chest. Craig was right. But right now, he just wasn't in the mood to talk to Stan, Kyle, or Butters right now. They were just going to morph into overprotective mom mode and parade around the place with justice seething through their teeth.
"Whatever." Kenny responded lamely, and turned to leave. All he wanted to do was just sleep this damn lingering headache off for the night and decompress from the day's contents. And that was what he did.