"It's my favourite time of the year!"
Heather's students waited on her to further emphasize what that was as she started up the holographic projector.
"I wanted to show you some examples from past years," Heather explained. "We should be enough to split into groups of four for research presentations."
The class collectively groaned, including Adam. He may have not minded the project itself but he always preferred to work alone. Especially considering his best friend did not exactly have the same wok ethic nor love for work like Adam. Gotta still love Liam though.
"Before I share, I wanna get the most difficult part out of the way," their teacher waved a hand. "You've got five minutes to make a group before I pick for you."
The students frenzied on that note, unlike Lilah who solidified in her seat. She'd rather be assigned anyway.
The sharp poke on her shoulder she'd gotten used to being Remi made her turn. "Hey! Team up?"
Lilah offered a small smile, getting a little more used to it. "With Lillian and Willa?"
"Nah, they already have a group planned. I've got a better idea!"
Lilah let herself be dragged by an urgent Remi as per usual. Only this time to meet with Adam and his best friend Lilah hadn't properly met.
"Hey, guys! Need two more?"
Liam wasn't gonna protest to having three smart kids in his group. "Works for me."
"Same." Adam didn't protest.
They seemed to be close already and Remi could tell Lilah noticed. "They're not so bad to work with. You'll adjust to them."
"Adjust to us?" Liam ridiculed. "Says the squabbler."
Lilah thought she could hide her giggly smile, but Adam too grinned as they locked stares. The group were friends but it was very cousin-like based on their parents' friendships. Lilah wondered if her father had played his cards right if she could've been part of a group like this since the beginning.
With the teacher wrapping things up, the groups sat together as Ms. Williams continued.
"We have some great powerpoint examples from past years, but this project is about your vocal presentation and understanding of research."
Adam took notes as Lilah simply listened.
"And especially how you communicate and divide with your team," Heather began passing out the outlines. "You can pick a subject from these examples or talk to me if you have a similar idea."
Remi barely looked at the paper that landed on her desk before jumping to conclusions. "Let's do the invention and influence of reality TV."
With the idea so random, Adam immediately shot it down. "It has to be a social or cultural history subject."
"Reality TV is a social history subject," Remi defended with a huff. "It's literaly the epitome of pop culture."
Liam had no protests, lazily tossing the outline he barely read aside. "I'm down."
It was two against one so far, and Adam looked to his final batter.
Lilah simply shrugged. "It would stand out better."
"I hate all of you."
"Would a nine-year-old girl like a pig wrangling show?"
Kevin was taken off guard by the stupid question. "Trynna be a dad there, Cartman?"
Working on a busted engine, the man tried to think of something he did around these parts as a kid he could show Lilah. Nothing came to mind he thought was entirely a great idea considering as a kid he was willing to go lengths to get anything he wanted. Cartman knew by now Lilah didn't have the same stomach for that stuff.
"Forget it," Cartman dismissed. He'd hate to look desperate. "I'd rather buy her a damn doll."
"As I live and breathe!"
Both Cartman and Kevin looked up at the call entering the garage, seeing a familiar man not that far off in similar size to Cartman approach. But with a much darker head of brown hair and a beige-brown Hawaiin button down with hibiscuses and pineapple detail.
"Motherfucker," Cartman greeted in a laugh with a bit more familiarity than to others. "What're you doing here? Seeing how a car works?"
Clyde chuckled snarkly. "Seeing your lazy ass work, more like."
Him and Clyde had been close in high school. Not to mention Clyde never treated Cartman differently when he went through homelessness and addiction. It was refreshing.
"So. New life with the kid?"
While some things were refreshing, the reminder was getting old. "Wouldn't call it that."
"Can I give you some advice?"
Cartman took a dirtied cloth to rub his hands free of motor oil. "Is that what you came here for, asshole?"
"And I'll buy you a coffee if you want."
Well, if there was one time he'd take a bribe. "Better be that fancy shit." Cartman tossed his rag as he followed Clyde to his car.
"When I got divorce and agreed to take the boys half the time, their mom has gotta hear from you more often. She'd freak if two days went by without an update."
Cartman would understand if Sasha was at all a sane parent. Not that he was any better.
"My ex isn't like yours."
Clyde opened the driver's door. "Huh. Then good luck."
The mechanic rolled his eyes, begrudgingly getting into the car.
Lilah's few weeks spent so far at South Park Elementary Plus weren't horrible, but that was more than a bare minimum she expected. Coming home to her father had become routine, but beyond quiet dinners together there wasn't anything she found remotely appealing about her sperm donor. And maybe that was good. Maybe a quiet and brooding dad was better than a screeching mother.
And yet these kids being relatively nice to her made her wonder. Wonder why they weren't giving up the act, wondering when the prank would come in. Remi was more than done with her welcome buddy duties and that redhead Broflovski came to Lilah first and hadn't strayed far. Even Liam wasn't that bad.
Maybe it wasn't a ruse.
As she piled in her final period books to her locker, she kept in mind that a shell still kept her safe. Just cuz a small handful of kids maybe liked her, Lilah still knew whispers of being the ratchet CPS kid strayed these halls. Especially as it became more widely known who her living situation was with.
Some kids chose to see her this way. Some kids' parents told them to stay away from Eric Cartman's kid. And some couldn't get enough of seeing how it humiliated Lilah like the sixth graders who approached her at her locker.
A homeroom textbook was slapped out of her hands and the clatter hushed nearby students. She looked up at the two boys that had her cornered from each side.
Just when she spoke too soon.
With the sudden scene quickly going on display, Liam nudged Adam to get him to look up from his phone and down the hall.
"You ever gonna give it up?" The taller kid asked, a blonde sixth grader Dylan Lanskin.
Lilah kneeled down to retrieve her book before it was slapped down again. Harder this time causing students to gasp from the rough handle.
"We're talking to you fourthie!" A shorter but equally pale Asher White intimidated.
With a second hit, Adam and Liam startlingly ushered towards the girl.
"I said, are you ever gonna give it up!"
Lilah left the book where it was, worried about touching it or even putting a toe out of line. "Give what-?"
"Acting all innocent when everyone knows you come from pure evil."
Adam and Liam stopped at the gathered circle's edge.
"Yeah, we all know who your family is," Dylan spat.
She tried to move and the sudden shove of her body against the locker caused Adam to leap forward.
"Leave before you make our lives hell like your drunk-bum dad!"
She shielded herself from the fist that came down before it was stopped by smaller but firm arms stepping in front of her.
"Hey!" Adam swung the older kid's arm back. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Asher stepped to his friend's aid and had the smaller redhead pinned by a rough handle on his shirt. Lifiting him from the ground below.
"What're you gonna do about it, Broflovski? Go tell on us to your daddy?"
Seeing Adam get wrapped into this made the case all the worse for Lilah.
"Stop it!" The girl tried before being grabbed by behind by Dylan. Adam attempted to wriggle himself free before his spazzing foot knocked Asher clean in the gut.
"Fuck 'em up, Adam!" Liam unhelpfully yelled.
All other kids found confidence from their previous fear and began chanting for a brawl. As two fourth graders who were hardly known for throwing fists started to fight like it was for their lives.
Lilah could've snuck away by the time she escaped Dylan's grip, but went into harm's way of helping Adam when he was targeted by both boys for his kick. She dove down with no real plan but to grab hold of Asher's ankles in a tackled hug.
"Get off you dumb girl!" Asher struggled, getting a wave of laughs targeted at his humiliation. Lilah held on tightly to prevent him from helping Dylan who went after Adam.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Adam did just that as Dylan's attempt at grabbing the redhead was met with swing of his uncoordinated fists.
"What the living hell?!"
A woosh of silence washed over the enthusiastic students as PC cut his way through the circle, coming to find the center of attention. A very determined but scared Lilah grappled a frozen Asher by the ankles, and Adam grabbed Dylan's shirt as the sixth-grader had him lifed halfway in the air. The kids let go of each other as quickly as PC scowled.
Adam looked to Lilah across the line, seeing her heart pound in her eyes staring back.
A perfectly quiet afternoon together and Kyle wondered if Heidi was thinking the same thing. He always desired to know what was going on in her head.
Cutting her work a little early to match with his schedule, she caught up on her current book at her end of the couch. Both feet were propped up attached to bent knees as she sat against the arm couch. Their tea cooled on the coffee table as Kyle looked up at his phone at her.
Both her flats were on her feet, both were directly on the couch cushion. That always drove Kyle crazy. The way here eyes flicked up briefly from her book, Heidi reminded him she knew it drove him crazy.
His wife pretended not to notice Kyle switching to the middle cushion to be closer. They could be good parents and wait like this for their kids to get home. Or they could take advantage.
When she felt Kyle's fingertips trail up her leg, Heidi vouched for the latter.
Her husband kept his eyes on his phone on purpose, though she saw that stupid smirk underneath his beard. It had been a minute since they took advantage of being alone, and Heidi closed her book to indicate there was no more time to waste. Kyle shoved his phone in his pocket as he met her eyes.
Heidi's legs dipped off couch one at a time to get up as she teased him tugging on her shirt. He wanted to rip off that stupidly cute oversized sweater and find what was underneath.
"I don't want tea." She simply said, making her way to the staircase.
As Kyle got up to trail behind her, watching his wife's fingers play with her sweater's hem, his voice lowered; "What do you want?"
In one swoop over her head the sweater was left at the bottom of the stairs as she ascended. Her husband began to follow. Coming up the stairs behind her as she tugged on the usual band that kept her floppy ponytail in one place, unlooping it as long ashy brown locks fell mesmerizingly over her bra's back before Kyle's eyes.
"Cheeky.." Kyle called as both his wife's feet left their mesh flats one by one on opposing steps. Her hands grazed her back to find her bra's clip.
"Hardly.." she responded, squeezing the clasps together to unhook the back. Bringing both straps forward with a slight hunch of her shoulders and the bra suddenly dangled by her side in a hand. Dropping it on the top step as she disappeared around the corner. Her husband still on her tail with a pleased grin.
His wife disappeared momentarily even if he knew where to find her. Coming to lean against the doorframe of their bedroom to observe her. Heidi sat at their bed's edge with long ashy brown hair fallen disheveled over her bare chest. She had practically a Greek goddess beauty Kyle had fell deeply for since he could remember.
Heidi looked up at him as Kyle approached, letting a quiet breath loose when his hand sculpted her outer thigh and his weight pushed them both back to crawl atop of her. Seeking out her lips with his own.
His phone buzzed in his pocket but Kyle's intoxication for his wife hardly had him caring as he removed his orange jacket. Keeping Heidi close in his clutches as he didn't plan to let her go soon.
Kyle brought her up into his lap suddenly, squeaking a yelp out of her as they continued with heavy kisses. Before a text followed quickly after the ringing ended.
"Christ.." Kyle muttered as he pulled away from his wife's lips. Fishing for his phone to look at the missed calls from Heather and the text saying she immediately needed a cover for detention.
"You're joking.." Heidi begged breathlessly.
Kyle grinned, kissing her once more with a choppy breath. "We'll come back to this later."
. . .
Kyle came down the hallway to the school library in a calmly quick manner. Knowing Heather had a sudden family emergency to get to and couldn't leave the kids unattended despite their punishment.
As the councillor approached his co-worker in blue outside the library doors, Heather sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Kyle."
"It's no trouble. Give your mother my best."
Troubled by her mother's sudden rush to the hospital, Heather slipped her coat on.
"I will. I know we have a rule not to put you as monitor if your child has detention-"
"What?"
Heather blinked. "Oh. Shoot. I missed that part."
Kyle couldn't belive it, peering over her shoulder at the library window.
"Sorry, I had no one to call to cover-"
"It's fine. Really." Kyle assured, going past her. "Happens to the best of us."
He still almost didn't believe Heather but Kyle had no time to have her explain as she rushed on her way. The councillor pushed in on the library doors.
Adam didn't get in fights.
His son sat a row behind two sixth graders and beside the Cartman girl. It immediately didn't sit well with Kyle. And it certainly didn't sit well with Adam by the way he avoided his father's stern gaze.
To be continued...