As the following school day arrives, Craig had all but almost forgot about the issue with Clyde, until he sees him that morning. He still didn't feel like talking to him about what happened the previous day, so in an attempt to avoid that conversation, if only for a little bit, and as childish as it it, he quickly avoids him by ducking behind some people and heading into his first class.
When he enters it, his gaze is drawn right to Kenny's seat with a small beat, but when he sees it vacant his expression falls into a small frown. He ignores the small tinge of disappointment he feels and takes his usual seat.
He then goes back to concerning himself about Clyde, and for the most part he's is able to avoid him in one of the shared morning classes with him, by mainly not looking at him at all, and switching his cellphone off so he can't be texted. At one point during it, he pretends to be asleep until he hears the bell ring and promptly takes off running out of the class before Clyde can even approach him. Eventually lunch comes along and he stands by his locker putting his things away. He catches sight of Clyde and his group of friends talking, before Clyde looks over at him. He sees him start to walk over and sighs, knowing what's coming and being unable to avoid it again.
As he shuts his locker, he hears a sudden voice from behind him.
"Can I talk to you?"
It catches him so off guard that he nearly jumps and lets out a small scream. When he looks over, he finds Kenny now standing there.
"Jesus Christ," Craig says placing a hand on his chest, "where the hell did you come from? I didn't see, or even hear you walk up."
"Can we talk?" Kenny asks again.
Craig gives a somewhat curious look at that. This was the first time Kenny had approached him and wanted to talk to him, and he couldn't help but wonder why. As Craig glances back over at Clyde, he sees his eyes narrow at him a bit as he looks between the two of them. Then he sees his other friends look at him and give mixed expressions of confusion and curiousness.
"Sure, uh, let's head somewhere else first," Craig tells him, heading off and Kenny follows.
He knew doing this would raise even more questions, not just with Clyde, but all of his friends now. Which was just a thrilling idea for him to think about, being bombarded with them all later. He sighs and starts to think that maybe he should've turned down Kenny's request, but his curiosity is too strong and he figures it must be something important for Kenny to have come to him.
As they walk outside the school building, Craig gets a text. He looks at it briefly and sees it's from Clyde, before he decides to ignore it for the time being, until he's talked with Kenny.
"Okay, so what is it?" Craig asks, putting his phone away.
"It's about yesterday," Kenny replies.
"What about it?"
"I thought about what you said."
"What I said?" Craig asks not really knowing exactly which part he meant.
"Tonight."
"Huh?"
"Meet me tonight by Stark's Pond..."
"What—why? I don't understand," Craig says confused.
"You will," Kenny tells him, before he heads off.
"Wait—that doesn't help!" Craig says.
He thinks about following after him to ask more about what he means, but something tells him not to. So he decides to spend the rest of lunch on his own afterwards, not really wanting to talk to his friends about seeing him walk off with Kenny. Eventually, lunch ends and he heads to his afternoon class. He's half expecting his friends to bother him in class about it, but they don't, surprisingly, and just leave him alone. And for a while, he thinks he's in the clear, at least that is until school ends.
"Hey man, can we go somewhere and talk with you?" Token asks, approaching him at his locker.
"...Sure" Craig replies a bit hesitantly, and looks around at his friends standing near him.
He takes out his bag and shuts his locker.
"Good," Clyde says, crossing his arms.
Craig half frowns as he heads off with them.
They decide to head to Jimmy's house and talk. The walk there ends up being long and awkward as Craig could sense all the questions just radiating off of them. And the moment they get inside Jimmy's house, he's proven right as Tweek and Clyde start to bombard him with them.
"Dude, what the hell?!" Clyde asks.
"Craig—wh-why did you go with Kenny at lunch?" Tweek asks.
"Why didn't you answer my texts man?" Clyde asks annoyed.
"Is Kenny threatening you or something?!" Tweek asks.
"Guys, guys, hold on a second. I'm sure we're all curious as to why Craig was talking to him. But let's not overbear him with all these questions," Token says calmly.
"Some of us more than others," Clyde mutters to himself, earning a corked brow from Token.
"Why d-d-don't we all take a s-seat fellas?" Jimmy suggests.
Craig makes his way over to the couch in the living room with a sigh and takes a seat next to one of the armrests. Jimmy takes a seat next to him, while Token sits in the armchair and Clyde and Tweek stay standing in front of him.
A very long, uncomfortable pause follows then for Craig, as everyone waits on him to speak.
"So uh, Craig," Token says, speaking up and clearing his throat, "is there anything you'd like to share?"
"Not really," he deadpans.
"Really dude?" Clyde scoffs.
"I am sure that whatever it is," Token says, looking at Clyde, "Craig will tell us when he's ready."
There's a pause from everyone as they continue to stare at him. Craig let's out a groan as he runs a hand down his face at it.
"Guys look, it's nothing," he finally says, giving in, "me and him just started talking one day, and we sort of just became friends I guess? I don't know," he sighs.
"Mhmm, 'friends'," Clyde says, trying, but failing at not squinting his eyes in a glare at Craig.
"Yes. Friends." Craig reinstates looking back at him.
"Who just happen to make out," Clyde mutters under his breath.
"Huh?" Token says confused.
Craig instantly glares at him.
"Like I said, we're just friends, and sometimes we hangout. There's nothing more to it." Craig tells them and Clyde looks off elsewhere.
"Well, as long as you aren't in any s-serious tr-trouble or anything like that w-with him. Then I-I don't see the problem with it," Jimmy says.
"Y-yeah," Tweek agrees, "We were all just worried that he might be forcing you to do something for him."
"Yeah, exactly," Token nods, "we were just concerned, especially with you know..."
"The rumors surrounding him at school and stuff," Tweek adds.
"I know," Craig says.
He was well aware of the rumors about Kenny at school and how he just seemed so strange that people had to come up with things for him because of it. Although, Craig would never tell anyone just how strange he truly was.
"Look guys, I'm sorry that I may have worried you all. But I promise that everything is fine." Craig tells them.
"Alright," Token says and gets up," That's all we wanted to know. As long as you're not in any trouble." he adds, and heads into the kitchen. "You got any snacks Jimmy?"
"Oh yeah, s-sure I do!" Jimmy replies, getting up and following him into it.
Craig looks at Clyde, who's still looking away and Tweek must sense the forming tense air between them, because he follows right after the other two as well.
"Dude, what the hell is your problem?!" Craig says as soon as their alone.
"My problem?! What the hell is yours?!" Clyde says, now looking at him. "You ignore me in class, don't reply to my texts, avoid me when you see me. Like—what the actual fuck?!" he throws his hands up in the air. "If you don't want me to talk about your secret romance or whatever with Kenny, just tell me and don't fucking ignore me!" he says, his voice raising a bit more than what Craig is comfortable with.
"Can you keep it down a bit?!" Craig hisses. "And like I just said, we are friends okay? Nothing more than that."
"Well you two certainly seemed mighty friendly when he had you pushed up against that wall," Clyde says sarcastically.
Craig's face burns as the image replays in his mind.
"You know what—fine, don't believe me, I don't care! I'm not going to sit here and have you throwing around all these allegations, that aren't true, if this is how you're going to react to it!"
"Do whatever you want," Clyde mutters to him, "Why don't you just skip class again tomorrow as well, so that you can get another freebie in the alleyway again with him."
The burning intensifies on Craig's face, and his glare evolves into a full on scowl.
"For fucks sake—that wasn't a—you know what? Nevermind—I'm done now. I'm leaving. Come and talk to me when you stop being so petty and acting like a goddman child."
"Pfff, I'm the child?" Clyde scoffs, crossing his arms.
"You're acting like one," Craig states and stands up.
"Whatever," Clyde says and walks away, heading to the kitchen to join the others.
Craig let's out an annoyed huff and turns to leave.
"Craig? Where are you going?" Token asks, spotting him go.
"Home." is all Craig says, before slamming the front door behind himself.
Craig tries to cool down before he heads home for a while. Once he's calmed down, and night starts to fall, he heads back out to go meet Kenny. His parents ask where he's going before he leaves, and he tells them, just for a walk, which they seem to buy luckily.
While thinking of what time he should be there by, he realizes that Kenny never gave him a specific timeframe, only that it was tonight. Which wasn't very helpful. And not having any way to contact him, he just hopes that things will work out when he gets there somehow.
As he walks to the destination, he finds his thoughts starting to race on what Kenny's reasoning could be for wanting to meet at night like this. He also finds that any lingering negative emotions he had while talking to Clyde, are now gone and instead replaced by a growing mixed sense of apprehension and nervousness. While walking down one of the forest paths leading to the pond, he starts to wonder where exactly he was going to meet him. Would it be along the side of the pond? Or closer to the forest around it? However, as he comes into the clearing that the body of water lay, he gets his answer.
Standing almost directly in his current path, is a tall figure. As he gets closer, the faint tinge of orange appears more visible, from the dark surrounding shadows. As soon as he sees it, he knows it's Kenny. Getting closer also reveals to him, that Kenny is facing away from him, and is instead overlooking the water.
"Kenny...?" Craig asks as he gets closer to him.
He waits for a reply for a few seconds as he stops some feet away from him. When he thinks that one isn't coming, he goes to speak again, but he doesn't get the chance.
"Do you really believe that I'm not dangerous?" Kenny asks, now speaking up.
"Yes," Craig replies.
"Can you say that I'm not, with absolute certainty?"
Craig's mouth opens, but he stalls as an image from that rainy night shots through his mind. There were still things he didn't know of Kenny, despite the time he had been around him thus far. Things that he felt could be quite disturbing to know. Still though, that doesn't frighten him enough to stay away. Even though others most certainly would.
"Can I say that you're not with absolute certainty?" Craig repeats the question, "No, I can't. But I don't think you're bad."
"Why?" Kenny asks after a brief pause.
"I..." Craig looks off, and plays with a dime that he finds in his pocket, between his fingers. "I don't know. I just kind of get this feeling that you aren't," his hand closes around it, "like when I talk to you, or am around you, I just don't get the sense that you're bad."
As Craig waits for a reply, he unconsciously, bites the inside of his cheek in thought. Part of him feels like his reason as to why is probably very dumb, although true, it probably sounded dumb to say. And the more he starts to think about it, the more he starts to wish he would've said something else instead, as these long pauses were starting to make him feel a bit anxious for some reason. Almost as if he were being judge on them.
"And what if you're wrong? What if I turn out to be bad?" Kenny asks, his tone almost distant.
"Well I'd hope you're not," Craig says, with an awkward laugh, "it would suck if you were."
"Why's that?"
"Because I like you—well uh—talking to you I mean. I like talking to you." Craig replies, quickly correcting himself. "Uh—by the way, why did you want to meet here anyways?" he tries to change the topic, so that his previous sentence won't linger for long.
"I don't want anyone to see..."
"See what?" Craig asks confused.
"Something tells me, part of you already knows what it is." Kenny replies, "After all, you've seen them twice already."
Craig's hand clenches harder around the dime in his pocket, as his body tenses at those words. Indeed, Craig had a very strong feeling now of what he meant.
"Show me," Craig tells him.
There's another pause as Kenny continues standing still, before he eventually tilts down his head a bit and starts to turn towards him. When Kenny faces him, Craig doesn't see what he was expecting to right away, as Kenny's head was facing downwards, away from him still, his face darkened out by the shadow of his hood.
"Show me," Craig repeats. "Open them, and show me."
Craig's heart rate quickens as Kenny lifts up his head and slowly opens his eyes to reveal a pair of bright glowing blue orbs emerge from the darkness of his hood. Craig's heartbeat quickens more when they look directly at him.
"Does it scare you?" Kenny asks.
Craig takes in a slow shallow breath, not once looking away from those striking eyes.
"No," he replies.
He takes a couple steps towards him, to inspect them, and can see the small slit pupils in his eyes more clearly now. They weren't black like how normal pupils were, they were much brighter than that. The edges around them seemed to glow with a very fine line of white light, along with other much smaller white light that almost made it seem as if the irises of his eyes were glimmering. Similar to that like a galaxy with bright blue behind all its millions of stars. They weren't terrifying at all now that he got a proper look at them. No, in fact they seemed quite...
"Beautiful," Craig thinks the last part aloud. Kenny's eyes seem to widen a bit at that, and Craig quickly looks away at the feel of his face burning. That wasn't something he meant to say out loud. "I'm uh, a bit surprised that you're showing me this. I kind of thought this might be something that shouldn't be mentioned at all. So I can't help but wonder why?" Craig asks, and glances back at him. "Is it because you trust me or something?"
"Yes, I think so..." Kenny replies.
"You think?" Craig repeats.
"When you first saw them, you didn't scream or run off, and the same thing happened the second time you saw them as well." Kenny says, "I found it very strange that you never mentioned it or seemed to tell anyone about it either. When the few others that did happen to see, took off running from me."
"Others? There are others who've seen?" Craig asks surprised.
"Were others," Kenny replies, "you were the only one who didn't tell." A faint cold chill runs through Craig at that, and he swallows probably harder than he should. "I can't have anyone telling, it wouldn't be good..." Kenny says.
"Then why are you sharing this with me?"
"I feel there's something about you," Kenny replies and steps closer to Craig. "Although maybe that's because of..."
"O-of what?" Craig asks, as Kenny leans in closer to his space.
"...It's nothing," Kenny replies and moves back from him.
Craig gives a confused look but pushes away the feeling in order to ask what's really on his mind, and has been ever since that day in gym class.
"So what exactly are you?"
"What am I?" Kenny repeats.
"Yeah. Are you a human? Or a demon? Or something else?" Craig asks.
"It's a bit complex."
"How so?"
Kenny turns to look back at the pond.
"Depending on how you look at it, I guess I could be one or the other, or both, or something entirely different."
"What?" Craig asks confused, and stands next to him.
"If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure myself, just what exactly I am."
"How can you not know?"
"Like I said before, it's complex," Kenny tells him and looks at the night sky. "There are certain details, that I don't think need sharing with, or that I shouldn't share. At least for now."
"So you can't tell me then?" Craig asks.
"No, not now."
"Then when?"
"Later, after a few personal things are taken care of."
Craig's brow furrows as he tries to figure out what he means by that.
"Why can't you tell me now?"
"If I tell you now, you will be put in even more danger than you are already."
"Wait—what do you mean I'm in danger? What are you talking about?" Craig asks, an uneasy feeling forming in his stomach. And he's made vaguely aware of how sweaty his hand now was around the small dime in his palm.
"There's a reason why I'm here Craig. In this town. And if you want to be around me, you should be warned that something bad could happen to you as a result of it. Which is why the less you know for now, the better," Kenny tells him, and turns to head off. "At least until you come to your own choice, and I finish up with my personal business."
"Where are you going?" Craig asks.
"To get to work. I'll see you later," Kenny replies.
Craig watches as he slowly fades into the dark forest line, leaving him in an even more confused state of mind.
Just what the hell is going on?