Lilah was not gonna get the chance for a ride so often. If he could stand at a rinky bus stop for years, so could she. Cartman was lucky Kevin let him borrow one of the shop's trucks on occasion, mainly for business, but for further errands when he needed. For Lilah's first official day at South Park Elementary Plus, getting a ride was a good benefit. She'd barely said any more than twenty words to her dad since coming here, and he was lucky if she looked his way without shaking like a little mouse.
Driving the rinky pick-up now with the girl in passenger, Cartman pulled off of Main street to the route of the school he remembered from all those years of bus rides. "I don't know what city kids are like, but smalltown kids are rough and tumble. Like to fight to display dominance to new kids."
Lilah would applaud him for that stupid warning if she didn't think it would get her in trouble.
"Well, boys do. I dunno what girls do in that sense."
She shuffled in her seat. "Girls are mean, too.."
Didn't have to tell him twice. Some bitches he rialled up in his life definitely hit him where it hurts. Her mother for one.
"So, what are you gonna do at school? Volleyball, cheerleading?"
"Do they have a marching band?"
He sneered in disgust. "The fuck-? What type of girl your age likes marching band?"
"I like the trombone."
Great. He leaves her alone for a few years and she becomes a dork right under his nose. He knows Sasha wouldn't have tolerated that. Poor kid. As the vast courtyard of the school's front began to pull up and Lilah started to pay attention to where she'd spend the next year of her life suffering, Cartman sighed.
"It's not that bad a place...probably better than when I was there."
She didn't respond. As per usual.
"They said just find the principal's office." He said, unlocking the door for her.
She looked at the wide school before her and the kids in their cliques walking up. Some gave foreign glances at the pick-up truck that wasn't usually there upon their arrival as Lilah tried hiding in her seat. "Yeah.."
Cartman tapped the wheel. "Give em' hell for me."
On days when Kyle wasn't expected early, he'd give his kids a ride to school with him. Though recently he started to make a promise to Adam that he wouldn't walk through the front doors at the same time as them. His father, now staring at his eldest through the rearview, thought it might've been on account of other kids teasing Adam for it. The kid never insisted he had problems with other children but he was no quiet boy any less than Kyle was at his age.
As Kyle pulled up to faculty parking at the back of the school, Kyle searched for his designated spot amongst the early arrivals. Ella chatted on about an arts and crafts story from her class as Adam pretended to listen with an arm slumped against the window. Their father pulled into his spot as he turned to get Ella to unbuckle her own seatbelt.
"Let's go, bugs. Time for a good day."
"I'll have a good day!" His daughter insisted, trying to get the buckle undone without his help.
Her father smiled. Ella was still six and a daddy's girl through and through. Something of which Kyle hoped didn't have a worse effect on Adam becoming more shut off as the dark years approached. Kyle only imagined when Ella reached that age Heidi would go through the same thing.
Adam grabbed his backpack, seeing as his dad and sister were waiting on an agreement from him. "Oh..yeah, same."
The Brofvloski trio piled out as Ella waited on her father and Adam already started walking towards the courtyard to get a head start. Ella reached for Kyle's lone hand and he offered as he figured there was no harm in bringing his daughter through the back entryway students were discouraged from using. If she wanted the privilege and Adam wanted to be disassociated, why not.
As Kyle refilled one of the coffee pots in the faculty lounge he conversed with the shop class teacher Kip Drordy. The few faculty there mainly being teachers who didn't have immediate classes in the morning or were stealing a coffee quickly before having to go deal with a bunch of tired and rowdy Monday morning kids.
"Yeah, my brother is up in Toronto, but he's thinking about moving to Quebec."
"Why? What's in Quebec?" Kip asked as the coffee began to pour.
"I dunno, lower cost of living. Yet he makes more than me and lives alone."
Their boss and greying principal a few years their senior entered then, getting greetings from some nearby faculty. PC had no issue entering a room and making a point nearly doing so. Kyle felt almost sorry for the newer, younger teachers who were still fearful in PC's shadow. Almost sorry. Kyle dealt with PC since he was nine, those who were still afraid of him had to learn to fend for themselves.
"Gentlemen," he approached both.
Kip grabbed a mug and filled it quickly. "PC. I'll see you both."
He scurried off quickly and Kyle huffed. Dot down Drordy as one of them.
PC leaned against the sugar as Kyle laid down mugs for both of them to fill. "Gonna need you to escort the new student to your son's class. CPS brought her to town only yesterday so she's probably a little shaken."
"That's today?" Kyle asked, filling PC's first. "I would've met her earlier to show her the school. She doesn't need to be overwhelmed by the students."
"Think Adam will show her some graciousness? Or is he rigid like you?"
Kyle tried not to roll his eyes, handing PC his mug black the way he liked. "Not rigid but I'd recommend just letting her welcome buddy take the ropes. Remi said she's happy to do it."
"Fine, then."
"She's from Denver?"
"Yeah. It kind of all came down quickly," PC handed over the newly transferred student record. Kyle put down his mug to take it. "The father isn't stable but he's their best shot at her avoiding the system."
Kyle listened before his gaze fell to the tab labeled with the blatant L. Cartman in bulk black. His eyes grew two times his size.
What had to happen for that to be arranged?
The counselor looked to his boss who bore his reaction with a shitty laugh behind his mug. "Thought you might get a kick of that."
Kyle was in too deep for his own good for something like this. He didn't even know the kid, let alone that Cartman was capable at all to take custody. "What happened with the mom..?"
"They won't say. If this girl needs help, that's for you to find out."
"Aaaand, twist."
Cartman followed Kevin McCormick's instructions in the shop though felt a little childish being taught the ropes. Even now, being taught how to use a lathe break on a car's rotor felt like was in audition for a better paid gig. He needed it more now than he did days prior.
"That's when we go test to see if there's any change in the vibrations."
Cartman let go of the machine attached to the wheel of the car, looking at the vehicle on it's lift. "Check the tire pressure?"
"You got it." Kevin wiped his hands free of tool grime. Cartman grabbed the gauge and went back to the wheel.
"I'd rather this than getting underneath, again."
"Back problems?"
"Oil dripping in my eyes problems."
Kevin cringed through a laugh. "Sorry, that was a fluke. The guy didn't mention anything about a leakage."
Cartman didn't laugh, just playing with the gauge as he watched the needle find its number. "Hilarious."
His boss died down. "Lighten up, man. You're gonna see a lot more of the rest of us."
Maybe being the scum that some of these rich clowns liked to run their oily cars over was just not Cartman's ideal. And if Kevin enjoyed it, Cartman could only imagine how he dealt with his equally rich brother.
"Your brother is making millions combining dark matter with breast implants."
"Hey, I chose this life, asshat. And he chose his." Kevin remarked. He got pretty tired of people comparing him to Kenny when it wasn't as deep as made out to be. No one compared them to Karen cuz she was the only sister in the equation. But, they loved comparing the brothers of the once down-in-the-dirt McCormick family that somehow found success.
Cartman had a habit of pushing buttons still. "You chose running an auto shop, huh? Cool, bro."
"I got a business, and a wife and kids, man." Kevin set aside his lug wrench. "Your lucky my brother has sympathy for you, or I barely would've considered you for this."
Cartman knew he'd better stop running his mouth. This job was basically his apprenticeship for a better paid position while he was lucky to be getting a paycheque while learning the ropes at all.
Still, when he couldn't wash the nagging world away with booze, poking at others before they could poke at him was the second-best medicine.
Lilah struggled for the third time getting ber combination right as some bystanding girls giggled. Based on her experience, out of complete mockery. The front desk had given Lilah her new locker number and clear order to come back to the front office when she had her first period books to meet with the councillor. If being the obvious new kid in a town that felt like a bad fit to her wasn't enough, being given a grand entrance to her new class on the councillor's hip would.
The girl finally opened the locker door with a stumble and more giggles enthused. She looked their way and they diverted their glances to pretend it wasn't her they were making a joke out of. As she threw her bag in and took her pencil box and book, she shut her locker again to go get this morning over with.
As Kyle came to the front office connecting to his own, he spiraled wondering what to expect of this kid. Kyle couldn't remember the last time he quarreled with Cartman but he remembers their last meeting being awkward. When Cartman was at his lowest on the street and avoided a helping hand from Heidi in shame. Kyle usually was there by Heidi's side despite how agonizing it was seeing Cartman the way he was for years. Still, pity didn't allow Kyle to so easily trust the fatso around his wife based on their grand history. Not for old feelings per se, Heidi was far beyond that, but for rehashing trauma neither three of the adults wanted to revisit.
He sighed, figuring he was waiting on nothing as he turned the corner to start off on a good note. Seeing the girl wait patiently by his office door with a book hugged tightly.
"Lilah?"
She looked up behind brown curtains parted over both cheeks and Kyle stiffened.
Crap. The kid looked just like him.
Definitely not the version of Cartman when he was a kid. A plus for Kyle. But the face was so his. Maybe a little mix of the mother, but Kyle never met her. Now that he really looked at her, she actually was the spitting image of Liane Cartman.
"Hi Lilah," Kyle started off with a usual smile in his long-time practice with kids. "I'm Mr. Brofvloski, the school's guidance counselor."
"Hello.." she greeted nicely though barely at an audible level. Certainly unexpected for Kyle coming from a kid with the Cartman gene.
"Welcome to our school," Kyle encouraged her down the hall. "My office is right where you were standing by when you need, but I'll show you to your main classroom now. Your welcome buddy Remi will show you around and where to find everything."
She nodded to show she was listening as Kyle offered her a schedule.
"You still have to pick an elective. Same with clubs, you can pick up to two. If it's band or theatre though you might only be able to do the one because of tight scheduling."
He went on and while Lilah was listening she felt bad she couldn't show more enthusiasm. She loved band and her studies at her last school despite the low budget. It was something she could put her energy and focus into with little else to do.
"You'll have to schedule for counseling appointments if you need, but I take small walk-ins on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
Let's hope to god he never did so he wouldn't have to hear how Cartman's new shot at parenting was going.
Lilah looked up from another pamphlet of scheduling info he gave to her. "Thank you.."
Kyle noticed her hesistance. He didn't know what the kid had gone through and he was afraid knowing wouldn't be a good idea.
"I know this is all overwhelming, but Remi will help you out," Kyle said, bending a bit to her level to be genuine. "And I'm here if you have any questions at all."
"Thank you.."
Welp. She at least was polite somehow. Kyle turned to knock on the classroom door to end a meeting much more awkward for him than for her.
Adam tried to keep focus with how distracted he'd been lately. Listening to the fourth-grade teacher with the light curly brown-hair ponytail, her back turned in her baby blue mini skirt and yellow button down set and kitten heels. Ms. Heather Williams talked aloud about the math problems on the chalkboard as Adam followed along with Liam poking his side every other minute with his lead pencil in a long reach from his seat.
"Quit it," Adam hissed quietly.
"I'm bored."
"Then do your fucking work."
The teacher turned on a quick heel, tossing her curls in the process. "Liam, Adam, Is there a problem?"
"No, miss." Adam obeyed.
She turned back to her lesson though with an attenful eye over her shoulder.
"Keep talking to me so her hair flicks, again." Liam whispered with a happy ogle at Ms. Williams. Adam clucked in disgust and total exhaustion over his best friend's long term crush on their teacher.
"Gross, dude."
"What?"
There was a knock, as Ms. Williams expected, as she paused to go answer where Mr. Brofvloski and the newest fourth-grade addition waited. The counselor leaving the girl in the teacher's hands after a short greeting. Kyle knew hanging around Adam's class longer than his son preferred would cause an upset quarrel over dinner later.
"Welcome to our class, Lilah. We'll get you sorted in a seat and Remi will be your welcome buddy later."
Lilah shyly waved back at the happy grin and wave one Remi Tucker-Tweak offered. A raven-haired pale-skin girl of Korean decent in her usual baby blue cardigan sweater and pink underlayer with blue jeans and a matching pink barette in her hair.
"Whoa, new meat?" Liam added, adjusting his shortened hair with a swoop of his hand. "I should've stole my dad's deodorant."
"Quit being desperate, asswipe." Adam insisted, looking up from his carefully sorted notes to the new kid.
"We have a new student everyone," Ms. Williams introduced the little girl holding her notebook to her chest like it was bullet-proof. "And I know all of you will be very welcoming to Lilah Cartman."
She looked away from the staring eyes, including the curiouse ones of the Brofvloski boy.
To be continued...