Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun glares through the curtains hung above my window, and although it bothers me, I know that there is nothing that I can do to fix it at the moment. They’ve barely been hanging onto the pole plastered into the wall above, and the more time they’ve been left to cling on, the less efficient they have become.

I’ve been meaning to get new ones, with the fabric present adorned with childish designs on account of my having owned them since before I moved here, but I never got around to it. Life gets busy, and I don’t have much time to focus on these smaller things.

Until now, it seems.

I turn my head on my pillow to face the wall opposite my window, and I stare at the dancing shadows; it almost seems like they’re putting on a show for me. Maybe they know what day it is and, just like me, are trying to find a way to distract themselves.

My already mild interest in the limited things to do in my bedroom fades as I focus back on my thoughts. Regrettably, I allow myself to fall deeper into my mind with a frown as I dwell on why I’ve chosen to spend a perfectly good summer day - nearing the end of our break from school, no less - wasting away in my home.

It all comes back down to the same person and what happened to them, which admittedly prompts me to do the same thing every year. While I don’t exactly enjoy sitting around and mourning them, I find it to be the only thing I can bring myself to do when I remember them. Even now, they’ve found a way to stay in my mind without the unintentional reminders from my mother.

Speaking of, I sit up slowly to check my phone for the time; my mother said she would be out until later tonight, and I’ve got the house to myself until then. She always stays out late whenever this day rolls around each year, and I realized early on it was because she wanted to give me space to feel how I need to.

Although she respects that I need the day to consider the past, she has a very warped understanding as to why that is. I’ve never had it in me to tell her, and it would pain me to even try bringing it up now - she's believed in a lie for years, and I feel it’s too late to burden her with the truth.

Besides, it works out better for me that I get to think about what I’ve done on my own; I don’t have to feel any worse when it’s just me.

I’m pulled from my exhausted daze as a ding sounds on my phone, and I hum as I unlock it to check what I’ve gotten a notification from. I feel a smile tug at the corners of my lips as I spot the familiar curly, pink hair I see on a daily basis appear in my texts again, signaling that my friend is messaging me.

I check the stream to see that they’ve asked me whether I’m done brooding yet followed by a request to come outside, and I let out a chuckle at the blunt messages. They’ve always had a straightforward approach to interacting with people - if they choose to acknowledge anyone at all, that is. One look at the rest of their profile picture - 3D glasses shielding their amused gaze, and a shaky grin flashed at the camera - and anyone would know they are actually just a big goofball.

I type back a response and hop off the side of my bed as it sends, with my decision being to get off my ass and actually go outside to spend time with my best friend. They know about how hard this day is for me, although they don’t know why, but they choose to respect that I need time to myself anyway.

Until the afternoon, that is.

They always come to get me out of the house so I don’t lose myself in my own emotions, and although I was resistant when they started doing it a few years ago, I ultimately decided that it was a nice gesture.

Changing into a random t-shirt and jeans, I throw on my hoodie to prepare for the weather; Summer doesn’t exactly mean much when the place you live is cold all year round. I rush down the stairs to get my shoes on by the last step, and I shove my phone into my pocket before I open the door.

With their back facing me, and their attention clearly on something else, I take the opportunity to hug them from behind with an honest sigh of relief.

“I’m glad you came to get me out, Dovahkiin,” I say with a growing smile as they look at me over the shoulder of their taller frame. “I really appreciate you taking me on a walk like this every year.”

They nod, and although they aren’t expressing it, I can feel that they’re happy I’ve decided to join them as I have in the past. I can sense the lingering fear they were feeling before, most likely from thinking I was going to decline, dissipate as I close the door behind me.

“Same place as usual, yeah?”

They nod again, and I follow their lead off of my doorstep and onto the ground which, thankfully, is not covered with too much snow. We start down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of the tree that has been our destination for years.

I’ve always enjoyed the spot, with the shade from the tree being something like a shield not only against the sun, but the other kids in town as well. It’s located in a relatively public place, but just enough out of sight so you can watch the world around you without it looking back. That, and it’s near Stark Pond, which is arguably the nicest area in town.

Dovahkiin nudges me with their arm as we enter the busier part of town, and I make an effort to move closer to them to avoid separation as people walk by us. I catch sight of a few familiar faces that I’ve gone to school with over the years going about their business, and I let out a sigh over the idea of going back to school with them again.

I know most of the people in this town, having moved here in the fifth grade, and I can honestly say that they’ve matured over time. That isn’t to say that any of them are the best people to look up to or admire; this is still South Park, after all.

I look to the figure beside me once again, and a smile pulls at my lips as I notice them staring blankly at the students they recognize. They can’t tell I’m looking at them as they consider the people around them with a bored expression, and I look away again to note my own observations.

While Dovahkiin is as focused as always, I notice an overall sense of restlessness coming from many of the people we pass by; most likely from the knowledge that school will be starting up again soon. I feel my eyebrows dip inwards as I purse my lips in annoyance.

With my seemingly ‘gifted’ ability to know what other people are feeling at any given time - whether I want to or not - I’m constantly struck by the emotions of those around me. It tends to be more trouble than it’s worth, with an extension of the power being a part of the reason why I’m so upset today.

With the constant barrage of people’s emotional states flooding my mind, I find myself to be exhausted more often than not. This, along with my general apprehension when it comes to actually speaking with anyone at school, has made me a bit of an outcast in my social life.

Although the person walking next to me isn’t exactly the talkative sort, they’re still almost the complete opposite of me with their reputation. In the time that I’ve known them, I’ve seen how well they seem to get along with everyone at school; they’ve somehow garnered the respect of almost every student there. That isn’t to say they enjoy the attention by any means, as I often sense a feeling of discomfort and vexation from them whenever most students start to talk to them.

Dovahkiin pulls me from my thoughts with a nudge of their elbow, and I look up to them with a questioning stare. They nod their head in the direction behind us, and I turn to notice a familiar figure heading straight for us with a smile growing on their face.

“Hey, fellas!”

“Hi, Leopold.”

The blonde stops his run towards us with a wheeze and, along with the exhaustion radiating off of him, I can tell that he must have run for a while to catch up to us. I offer a weak smile in response to his efforts, surprised that he ran to find us.

“Where did you run from…?” I ask, genuinely curious as to why he even made the effort to find us.

“Well, my parents said I could come out today, but only after I finished my chores. So I tried to get that done fast since I saw Dovahkiin walking towards your house, and I wanted to hang out with you guys,” the boy explains, quickly losing his breath again from how fast he’s talking.

He opens his mouth to speak again, but I hold up a hand as a sign for him to stop.

“Catch your breath, Leo,” I laugh awkwardly, and he nods his head as I continue. “I take it you just finished and ran from your house to meet up with us?”

“I’ve actually been uh, been running around town tryin’ to find you two,” he admits, his hands lifting as he rubs his knuckles together - a nervous habit he’s had since he was a child.

“I’m sorry you spent so much time looking,” I offer weakly. “At least you managed to find us, though! You wouldn’t have been able to after we got to Stark’s Pond.”

“Oh! I love Stark’s Pond!” he muses, his signature grin appearing on his face.

I can’t help but let out a small laugh at his reaction - the joy and excitement around him are contagious, whether he’s expressing it or I’m sensing it. A part of me feels saddened by the fact that I’m no longer going to have the opportunity to sit silently under the tree with Dovahkiin, but I can’t just tell Leopold to leave; he’s too sweet to deny, and he put in all that effort just to find us.

“I’m sure you’ll like where we’re headed, then,” I enthuse. “I doubt you’ve seen it before, but Dovahkiin and I tend to go there on occasion. It’s really peaceful.”

The blonde cheerfully walks between my silent friend and I, and he makes an attempt to grab our hands. I can sense the amusement from Dovahkiin as they accept the offer, and I feel a smile on my face as I do the same.

Leopold is one of, if not the kindest person in South Park; although, there’s not much competition. I met him through Dovahkiin soon after the two of us became friends. I was familiar with the boy from a few prior encounters, but he was much nicer than I initially thought.

Apparently, he and Dovahkiin met through some game - which I’ve only come to know as “The Stick of Truth” - that all of the boys were playing back in fourth grade. I never got the chance to bear witness to the nonsense, but the two of them became pretty close after that.

While I’m not the closest with him - on account of Dovahkiin essentially being my only close friend - I do still spend time with him, and I consider him to be, at the very least, someone I enjoy being around.

We stop walking for a moment as one of my companions focuses on something across the street, and I grow confused. My eyes follow Leopold’s to see a familiar group of boys gathered around the outside of Lolly’s Candy Factory.

I sense fear start to seep from the boy beside me, and I clear my throat to get his attention again. He looks to me with a startled expression, as if he forgot people were with him, and he lets out a shaky laugh.

“Oh, sorry fellas! I guess I got distracted, huh?” he rambles. “I was thinking uh, maybe we could get some candy later?”

I can tell he’s just making an excuse to cover up his seemingly out-of-place reaction. I take another glance at the group across the street, their clothing giving away who they are even from this distance.

Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick.

I don’t see the final member of their crew, and a part of me feels relieved for that fact alone; Eric Cartman, the biggest bully in South Park. I already know that he’s the reason why Leopold stopped so suddenly - the poor thing is probably worried that the asshole will spot him and come over to pick on him.

“Sure, but we should really get going now,” I say as I squeeze his hand. “We won’t be able to stay out as long since your parents will want you home before it’s dark.”

I see the stress visibly leave his body, and I can tell he’s relieved by my offer to make a quick escape before we’re seen by the others across the street. Dovahkiin motions their hand forward to suggest what path we should take ahead to make it to the pond, and I start walking with a nod in response to the motion.

I spot one of the boys - Stan - looking our way for a moment before he turns back to his friends. He says something, and the other two look our way as well, with Kenny actually offering a small wave - most likely directed at Dovahkiin.

Kenny is probably the nicest of the four boys; aside from his playboy tendencies, he is actually pretty friendly to most other students. Years of being picked on by Cartman for being poor probably wore him down to the point that he’s too sick of bullying to be a part of it. Speaking of bullying, the boy in the green ushanka is another target of Eric’s wrath.

Kyle is one of the smartest boys in our entire class; the only other person who can keep up with him is Tolkien, and the two seem to have an underlying rivalry. I can’t say that I care for him all that much, as I often find him to be hypocritical - a sentiment shared by Dovahkiin. My opinion may very well have been swayed by my friend, but I find that they make the best judgment calls regarding other people.

Stan is another person that both Dovahkiin and I seem indifferent towards; he’s the star quarterback of the football team, with a constant on-again-off-again relationship with Wendy Testaburger. I don’t know jack shit about sports, but at the very least I know that being the star quarterback garnered a lot of attention - thus why he’s one of the most popular boys at school.

His relationship with Wendy officially ended halfway through our junior year, and they haven’t gotten together again yet. Being friendly with Wendy in school, I can honestly say that she’s actually very considerate and passionate about what she believes in. I personally think she’s a bit too good for Stan, and as selfish as it is, I’m holding out hope that they don’t get back together. They never seemed like they were all that good for each other to begin with, and there’s no way the pattern they had in their relationship was healthy.

The last of the four boys, and the most dreaded by many students in South Park High School, would be Eric Cartman himself. The boy has gained a reputation as a notorious bully throughout the years, and has been known to do things worse than just picking on kids. Quite frankly, I’m terrified of the bastard because of the constant bullying I had to put up with growing up with him. That’s something that Leopold and I have in common; however, our shared fear of the brunette resulted in vastly different responses.

Eric doesn’t bully me as much anymore; he picks on me just as much as he does anyone else. Leopold didn’t get so lucky, with his lack of confidence leading him right into a trap where Cartman still has an iron grip of control over the boy’s life.

That’s the very reason I don’t see him all that often; he’s either been grounded for no reason, or he’s being used in another cruel plan by Cartman himself. I can tell that Dovahkiin hates Eric to some extent for the treatment of their friend, and I can’t help but feel the same.

Anyone who takes advantage of someone else’s kind nature to hurt them is one of the worst kinds of people.

The breeze is much more noticeable once we enter the clearing near Stark’s Pond, and I almost regret not wearing gloves. Having come here so often with Dovahkiin, it took us no time at all to find our way through the paths that wind through the congregation of trees surrounding the body of water.

I notice how Leopold shudders, most likely from the cold, and I frown as my gaze travels to the turquoise button-up that he’s wearing. He’s had a habit over the years of only wearing that flimsy article of clothing; he never does seem to remember to wear a jacket over it, no matter how cold it is outside.

“Leo, you really need to bring a coat or something next time,” I chastise, embarrassment flooding his features. “I just feel bad you’re cold all the time. I don’t want you to get sick before school starts.”

“My parents would ground me if I got sick on the first day,” he mumbles, looking away from me as a frown grows on his face. “I don’t wanna get in trouble again…”

I pity how often the poor blonde crosses his easily angered parents; he almost never does anything to cause them a nuisance, and they still fish for a reason to punish him. He’s been dealing with their awful treatment since before I met him years ago, and although they’ve gotten a little less controlling as he got older, they still treat him as though he’s that same child from elementary school.

Dovahkiin moves to take off their jacket; the denim outerwear being something they put over their already layered black turtleneck and white hoodie, although the latter has been stained from years of usage. They hold out the cover to our shivering companion, and Leopold hesitantly accepts the offer.

“Well uh, are you sure you wanna give this to me? I don’t think you should go gettin’ yourself cold now,” Leopold asks, motioning the jacket back in our silent friend’s direction.

As expected, nothing is said in response, but as the blonde moves to put on the jacket, I see a small smile on Dovahkiin’s face. I share their now growing joy from the little interaction; they really do care about the shorter boy, and I’ve found that I feel similarly over the time I’ve grown to know him.

We make our way through the final stretch of walking before our favorite tree comes into view. I nudge Leopold with my elbow lightly and point a finger out in its direction as he looks at me.

“That’s where we’re going,” I state, my smile growing as I note the lack of snow around the small hill. “Dovahkiin and I come here sometimes when we just want to enjoy each other's company. We normally just sit here, which is actually why we were coming here today, but we can talk a bit if the silence bothers you.”

“I don’t want to bother you guys too much,” he admits, a small fear emanating from him. “Uh, I’ll just stay quiet. I’m just happy you fellas let me tag along today.”

“There’s no need to be shy, Leo,” I laugh, trying to chase away any anxiety he has. “We love hanging out with you! You ran around town trying to find us, so we may as well talk a bit or you would have wasted all that time. I’ve spent my whole morning in silence, anyway - I don’t want to be stuck in my head anymore.”

I can tell he’s a little concerned by my last statement, but I just wave him off before he can question me about it. While it’s true that I’ve been thinking about the past all morning, I really do feel like talking to someone will be nice. If I spend too much time dwelling on the past, I just end up spiraling; it’s why I appreciate Dovahkiin getting me to walk with them so I don’t waste my whole day feeling bad.

As we approach the tree, I make an effort to go to the same spot I always do; it has the clearest view of the pond from where it’s angled, and there isn’t enough sun to blind you regardless of the time of day. My silent friend sits to the left of me, with them choosing to bring their legs up to their chest in order to get comfortable. I never understood that choice, but the air of satisfaction around them tells me it works better than it looks. Leopold hovers to my right, and I watch as he thinks harder about how to sit; he must be worried about his pants getting wet from the snow.

“It’s dry up here,” I inform, and his blue eyes focus on me for a moment. “The snow rarely ever gets higher than the base of the hill. It’s why this is such a good spot.”

He visibly relaxes after a sigh of relief before he stretches his legs out and thuds onto the ground with a small noise of complaint. That classic smile that I get to see every so often appears once again as he looks out over Stark’s Pond, and I can feel how content he is.

It must be so nice for him to be with people who are kind to him, and I feel sad at the notion that he’s surrounded by cruelty most of the time.

I don’t let that show as he looks to me again, and he starts to ramble on about some colored pencils that he bought recently, as well as what he’s been drawing. I can sense Dovahkiin grow happier as they listen, too, and I think about how grateful I am for moments like these. I feel like I don’t hang out with Leopold enough, and while I do consider him a friend, I’ve been admittedly too scared to get close to him like I am with Dovahkiin because of-

“Butters, where the fuck are you?!”

I jolt from the sudden shout, and I sit up as both of my friends look around for the source of the noise. I can feel the panic rising in the nervous boy next to me as his eyes land on a group of figures in the snow-covered fields in front of us. My gaze lands on the group as well, and it takes me a moment to recognize who they are from the distance.

“Come on, you asshole! I know you’re somewhere around here!”

Eric fucking Cartman and the rest of his goddamn friends are now wading through the snow-draped ground of Stark’s Pond.

I seethe from just their presence alone, and my anger only grows as Leopold stands up.

“Oh hamburgers,” he blurts out in a frenzy. “He seems real mad. I should- I need to go over there before he gets worse.”

I go to grab his wrist and stop him, but Dovahkiin beats me to it. They glare at the blonde, a clear signal that they don’t want him to go, but he shakes off the grip anyway; I can tell that he didn’t really want to.

“I’m sorry, fellas. I’ll have to talk to you later.”

As I watch the boy run off to meet with what is likely to be a terrible fate, I feel a similar sense of rage settle over me and Dovahkiin. I scoff and lean back against the tree with a look of disgust as my eyes land on Eric shouting things out to an approaching Leopold.

The poor boy is probably just going to be harassed by the asshole for a solid few hours before he goes home and gets grounded because Eric keeps him out too late.

As the group starts to make their way out of Stark’s Pond again, I glare at the other boys walking with Cartman. Not a single one of them has ever done anything to help their “friend” when he gets bullied; I wouldn’t expect anything more from a bunch of bullies themselves.

They’ve been the same throughout their entire school careers, and their long-lasting popularity has only ever served to boost their, in my opinion, already inflated egos.

My mind drifts to our fast-approaching senior year, and I let out an agitated sigh as I look to Dovahkiin with a frown. With this final year of school, I figure that there isn’t much to lose if I start to act out a bit, and before I know it the words come falling out of my mouth.

“I really ought to do something about those pricks.”

Chapter Text

The already tight grip I have on the strap of my backpack grows harsher, and my knuckles turn white as I ball my hands into fists. The only thing stopping me from digging my nails into my skin enough to draw blood is the silent figure beside me.

Dovahkiin wordlessly rests a hand on my shoulder as I look up at them, and I realize I’ve forgotten to breathe for a moment. I let out a heavy sigh as I make an effort to release the tension mounting in my body, and I mutter a thanks to my friend.

It’s the first day of our senior year, and although I’m aware this is the last year I’ll have to put up with this same group of people, it’s still just as stressful as it’s always been. We’re in the final stretch of high school, and I still can’t find a way to manage how overwhelming everyone is in one place.

Speaking of everyone being in one place, Dovahkiin and I hug the wall of lockers to maneuver our way through the halls. The amount of students loitering in the middle of the path is enough to put even the most crowded concert to shame, making it nearly impossible to move through the groups of people if you don’t try and go around.

“Why does everyone think that the middle of the most high-traffic area in school is a good place to stop and talk to friends?” I seethe in agitation, and Dovahkiin makes an attempt to clear a path for me. “Seriously, they can at least do it in a classroom or something.”

As expected, I don’t get a vocal response, but they frown in agreement with my words as they motion to the nearby classroom door.

I consider how they’ve been trying to be more physically expressive with their features recently as I walk through the door they’ve kindly decided to hold open for me. I nod in gratitude as I make my way to my seat, and I offer a small smile for their efforts.

Dovahkiin has never been able to express their feelings all that well - they seem to have a permanent case of resting bitch face. Though that doesn’t stop them from trying, and at times, succeeding in expressing how they feel.

I can still remember the first time we watched some sappy movie together and they actually cried; I still cherish that memory.

I’ve always been able to sense their emotions, which I suspect may be the reason why they warmed up to me so fast. Dovahkiin feels a lot, whether that’s obvious or not, and I think they just wanted someone in their life who could understand that. I am that person, and although they still don’t know the reason why I know their feelings so well - I assume they think I’m just good at reading people - I still appreciate the moments I spend with them, and I’m glad to have them in my life.

A tap on my desk pulls me from my thoughts as Dovahkiin tries to gain back my attention, and I look to them in a daze. They offer out their schedule to me as I sit up in my chair, and I take it with interest.

We were comparing schedules before school, which is why we knew to come to this classroom together, but we didn’t get the chance to finish before we had to rush to get ready for our first day back.

“Shit,” I mumble, and I feel their eyes on me as I look over the paper. “Calculus and history are the only classes we have together this year. I’ll only be seeing you for like one class a day max.”

They lean forward to point out another feature on our schedule, and I note what they’re trying to get me to see.

“I guess we will have lunch together too, at least.”

They nod, and I feel relieved that I’ll have them with me at lunch; it is hands down the most chaotic time of day. There is always some sort of trouble that goes down when students are supposed to be eating, and I hate being surrounded by that many people alone when they’re all feeling so dramatic.

“...so I think it’s a good thing that we don’t have all of our classes together.”

My eyes shoot towards the door at the sound of a familiar voice, and I notice four figures walk into the room. All of the boys are popular, so of course I know who they are immediately, and I turn away again before they look at me.

“Well that’s stupid,” Clyde pouts, responding childishly to Tolkien’s comment. “I don’t wanna get stuck with just Stan’s group in my classes!”

“Why are you complaining? You’ll just be flirting with girls anyway,” Craig points out, his monotone voice not betraying his actual feelings of disinterest.

“Well- No I guess you’re right,” the first boy laughs as he makes his way to his seat. “But only if they’re hot. I’m not gonna hit on some ugly chick.”

I feel my jaw clench as Craig’s group settles around a desk across the class. I can’t stand any of them, similarly to how I can’t tolerate the presence of Stan Marsh and his friends.

Craig Tucker himself isn’t the most expressive boy, similar to Dovahkiin, but the main difference is that Craig doesn’t tend to feel emotions all that strongly or that often. He’s gained a reputation as the ‘bad boy’ at school because he gets in trouble so often, but he only flips off teachers and skips class because he genuinely doesn’t care about the consequences.

He also has a tendency to pick on students at random just because he can, and he spares no mercy when he bullies.

Clyde Donovan is a polar opposite to his silent friend, and yet they still somehow manage to get along. Clyde is the biggest flirt in school, rivaling even Kenny McCormick in his neverending quest to pick up women. His role on the football team has helped boost his popularity, but his habit of switching out any girl he’s seeing with a new one so often has gained him some infamy.

He really just acts like he’s hot shit when I know he’s nothing more than a crybaby; he gets far too emotional over the smallest things for my liking. Dovahkiin doesn’t care for him either, with their opinion being that the boy is extremely petty - which they apparently started believing when he “pulled one over” on them during that “Stick of Truth” game.

One of the better members of their group would be Tolkien Black; with some of the best grades in school and rich parents, he’s been guaranteed success in a way that no one can deny. He’s notably kinder to those in his classes, with the constant racism and bullying he’s faced with - mostly, if not only done by Erin Cartman - probably having worn him down.

The only thing I’ve really found about him that actually interests me is his sense of apathy that he tends to have towards others; although, he does try to hide it, and to his credit, he does it well.

Just not well enough for me not to notice it.

His girlfriend, Nichole Daniels, seems to be one of the people he’s happiest around - which makes sense when you consider how the two are a couple. Although I try not to form opinions on other people’s relationships - mostly because I don’t care - I find them to actually be a pretty sweet couple.

Nichole is one of the popular girls in school, with her role in the cheer squad having a similar effect on her reputation as the football team does with boys. She has a genuine heart of gold, though, so I’ve never had any complaints considering how kind she is.

“GAH! I’m gonna drop it-!”

I glance at the door to see the missing and final member of the group loitering in this classroom - Tweek Tweak.

Craig gets up to help his boyfriend carry in the four cups of coffee cradled in his arms; it’s a miracle he managed to get this far and not drop them with his constant twitching.

The shorter boy mutters something to the blonde in an attempt to calm him, and it clearly works a bit as he hands the drinks off to Craig.

Tweek is more or less known around school because of the people he hangs out with - that, and his family’s coffee shop is the most popular in town. His anxieties and the constant paranoia that stems from them don’t seem to mix well with the reputation he’s gained, and I can’t help but feel bad for him.

I feel even worse knowing that he was once hooked on the meth that his parents put into their drinks - a fact that Dovahkiin informed me of when I’d asked to try coffee from their shop a while ago. The poor boy’s emotions are so unbalanced and erratic that I can’t even sit near him for more than a minute before it starts to wear on me, too.

His relationship with Craig seems to help keep him in check, though, and even with my resentment towards the stoic male I can’t help but admire his treatment of his boyfriend. The two of them are good for each other in a way that helps both of them with their emotional states.

“Douchebag, my man! Do you want coffee or something?” Clyde offers, causing Dovahkiin’s mood to immediately darken.

The nickname, apparently having started during that always pertinent game of “Stick of Truth”, is something that has haunted Dovahkiin for years. The boys in school, and more often than not the girls as well, all seem to refer to them with the same crude nickname - which is something that they do not enjoy in the slightest.

Their scorn for the moniker seems to go unnoticed, however, as the name has remained no matter how many times they have tried to express their hatred for it.

“They don’t like coffee. Thanks, though,” I reply without missing a beat.

I’m used to speaking up in defense of my friend on account of their lack of speech, and they always appreciate when I do.

“I wasn’t really talking to you,” he snaps, and I roll my eyes.

“You never are,” I sigh, and I feel his agitation as I side-glance at him. “But I don’t know why you thought you’d get a response from them.”

The frown on Clyde’s face deepens at my comment, and I can tell he didn’t appreciate the remark in the slightest.

“They have a point,” Tolkien adds in an attempt to diffuse the situation - ever the peacekeeper. “He hasn’t said anything the entire time we’ve known him.”

Craig hums in agreement with the statement as he sips on the coffee Tweek brought for him, with the other cups in the hands of their respective recipients.

I don’t say anything else, deciding that I’d rather not keep talking to the boys, and they continue their own conversation without acknowledging me anymore.

Both Dovahkiin and I grow annoyed at how loud they’re being; complaints about their classes and students around the school seem to be their only topics of interest. While I try my best to block them out, more students trickle into the classroom. I assume that class itself will be starting soon, and I’m relieved at the idea of the group of boys scattering.

“Calculus first thing in the morning is going to suck major ass when we have tests,” I complain, voicing my thoughts on the class before the teacher shows up to hear it.

Dovahkiin nods in agreement, and we both know it’ll be harder for them considering their already lackluster sleep schedule. The poor thing barely gets any sleep at their own home due to their parents’ constant bickering, which in itself causes them to feel out of place there.

The only times they manage to sleep comfortably are when they spend the night at my house and we fall asleep on the couch after bingeing movies.

“Get in your seats, students!” the teacher shouts, and I grow aware of the fact that the bell rang while I was lost in my thoughts. “Those of you who aren’t in my class - get lost.”

I snicker at her comment as she moves to the chalk set by the board, and I can tell that she’s going to write her name for the class. Tolkien, Craig, and Tweek make their way out of class, and as they do, Craig shoves someone into the doorframe as they’re trying to get into the room.

“Sorry,” he says, clearly not actually being sorry at all.

“It’s alright, fellas!”

I light up when I see Leopold walk in with an unwavering grin; clearly, Craig’s little stunt didn’t phase him in the slightest. He somehow brightens even more when his eyes land on us from his place in the classroom.

As he moves to make his way to our desks, the teacher - who I now see from the board is named Ms. Ophas - moves to stop him.

“Oh, Butters!” she starts before motioning to a seat near the front. “You can sit up here! I know it’ll be easier for you to see from the front.”

I can tell he wants to object, but he doesn’t offer anything other than a “yes ma’am!” as he moves to his seat.

I feel more than just disappointed at the seating arrangements, but I can tell that the teacher - who already knows Leopold one way or another - doesn’t have bad intentions.

The faint scar over the boy’s left eye is the dead giveaway as to why he’s often asked to sit in the front of many, if not all of his classes.

There was an incident from when he was younger, of which Dovahkiin told me about as they always do, that resulted in blindness in his left eye. I heard that Kenny McCormick was the reason for it, and that he’d thrown a ninja star into the poor boy’s face.

I can’t even begin to imagine the trauma he must still have from that ordeal.

A snicker beside me catches my attention, and I look over just in time to see Clyde throw a balled-up paper at Leopold. The blonde flinches in response to the sudden impact as it hits him in the back of the head, and he turns around with a confused expression. When his eyes land on the paper, he immediately seems to understand what happened, and he moves to pick it up from the floor beside him before smoothing it out.

I feel anger rising in me as I spot the crudely written ‘fag’ scrawled on the projectile, and the wavering smile on the recipient’s face. I whip my head around to glare at Clyde, who now has his feet propped up on his desk with a smug expression on his face.

I scoff, knowing that this is the exact reason why I hate my friend sitting in the front of the class; assholes like Clyde are always picking on him when he’s facing away from them. I can tell it’s wearing on him from the disheartened look on his face, and the rising sadness in him.

I lean back, startled, as Dovahkiin suddenly leans towards me and reaches for something in my bag. They pull out a paper and place it on my desk before tapping on it with their finger.

I figure out what they want relatively quickly, and I pull out a pencil to write the word ‘crybaby’ on it before I hand the sheet to them.

If Clyde Donovan wants to be a dick, then two can play at that game.

“AH, SHIT!”

The balled-up paper hits him square in the face, just as Dovahkiin intended, and he goes down with his chair as his panic pushes him to jerk in his seat.

“Donovan! Get back in your seat now, or else you’ll be visiting detention on the first day back!” Ms. Ophas snaps, and I can see the boy’s face turn red from his place on the floor.

“I’m not putting up with this in my class this year.”

I turn away and hold my hand over my mouth to keep myself from letting out the bubbling laughter growing in my chest as Clyde picks himself up off the ground and moves back to his seat. I can sense the agitation and embarrassment coming off of him in waves as I do my best to keep him from seeing my amusement.

I lock eyes with Leopold as he looks back, and I can feel the gratitude from him as he looks away again. I manage to calm myself down at the confirmation that we cheered him up, and I try to pay attention as our new calculus teacher explains what we’ll be learning this year.

***

With one class done for the day, I bite back a groan at the idea of having to go to three more when I’m already exhausted.

Calculus was pretty uneventful after the incident with Clyde, and he was fuming by the end of it after having read the note. No one ratted Dovahkiin out for throwing the paper at him, so the brunette was left furious when he walked out of the classroom.

Leopold and I compared our schedules before I left as well, with us having one more class together today, and one tomorrow - which leaves us with three total, and a jealous Dovahkiin who wishes they could attend those classes with us.

I have Home Ec next period, which admittedly wasn’t my first choice, but there was no way I was going to choose Shop class after I’d heard how often kids were screwing around in there.

I assume that most of my classmates will be girls on account of the gender roles that manage to grip the school, regardless of the fact that PC Principal moved up with our class to put it to rest.

Although it annoys the man to no end - just as his presence annoys more than half of the student body - the structure that was established long before we began attending the school is resistant to change in its own way. Vice-principal Strong Woman seems to be managing the issue better, though, and I’d imagine that it’s because she’s the saner of the two administrators.

With the idea of being alone with the most gossip-prone students in school weighing on me, I hold in a sigh as I enter the Home Ec classroom.

There are always mixed emotions among the girls of South Park High School, with the drama that often springs up among them stirring up varying emotions. While it has died down in recent years - and God knows I’m grateful to not have to know the feelings of every girl who has boy troubles - I feel there may always be some issues with them that will wind up inadvertently haunting me.

“Too much pressure-!”

I raise an eyebrow at the sound of Tweek’s voice coming from somewhere in the room, and I look around to see the boy sitting by one of the ovens, twitching as per usual.

“Dude, the oven isn’t even on?” a voice questions beside him, seemingly bewildered by the blonde’s panic. “I’m trying to teach you how to use it, so just chill out and try to do it again.”

I recognize the other person to be none other than Kenny McCormick; I would have expected nothing less than for him to be in this class in an attempt to pick up any of the many girls in it. What does confuse me, however, is why Tweek chose to join Home Ec over Shop class.

“But what if I blow it up?!” the boy in question shouts as he grabs at his already messy hair. “I can’t damage the school! I’ll get in trouble- GAH!”

“Tweek, seriously man,” Kenny urges. “You’ll be fine. I’ll man the oven for us if you want. The girls love a man who can cook, anyway! This is a win for both of us.”

I roll my eyes at his comment, but I’m grateful for his attempts to calm Tweek down regardless. Dealing with his constant shift in emotions - and how strong they always are even when they’re short-lived - is enough to give me a migraine, which is the last thing I need in a class where I’m already going to be overwhelmed.

“Seats, everyone!” Miss Pearl, the Home Ec teacher who moved up to the high school with multiple other teachers, announces as she enters the room. “It’s unladylike to keep someone waiting, and I wish to start class very soon!”

I scoff at her blatant disregard for Tweek and Kenny as she looks over the class; the remaining students filed in while I had already taken a seat to watch the boys toy with their oven.

“Dude, I forgot how rockin’ her tits were!” Kenny remarks as the teacher turns her back to us to write on the board.

Tweek just frowns in response to the perverted comment - a reaction aligned with my own scowl - as the other boy continues with his blatant sexual statements.

It’s times like these where I wish he would have the hood of his parka on to muffle the words coming out of his mouth, but he’s been forced to take it down in school per the teacher’s requests because they believe it to be “rude and distracting to other students”.

It winded up working in his favor in some sick twist of fate, as his objectively handsome features get him the exact thing he wants. Even with his shorter height compared to the other boys at school, his looks still score him many of the women he pursues.

He always ends up losing them when he opens his mouth, though.

“Settle down, girls! I’d like to tell all of you where you’re sitting!”

I freeze at the mention of assigned seating; the one thing all students dread that tends to show up in the classes you don’t expect it to be in. With the seat next to me being empty, I figured I would get to sit alone all year, but of course fate has other plans.

I anxiously await the verdict as other students are paired off seemingly at random, and I grow confused as Kenny gets paired with a random girl in our class. If that’s everyone else, then it just leaves me and…

“(Y/N) and Tweek, you two will be sitting in the back together!” Miss Pearl chirps, although I can tell she holds no enthusiasm as she refers to us.

I bite back a complaint as I move my bag to make room for the boy, who is now moving towards me as he mutters things that reflect his stress over the arrangement. The anxiety and paranoia clinging onto him roll off in waves, and I’m hit with the strong emotions as he seats himself next to me.

“Jesus Christ!” he sputters. “What am I going to do without Kenny?! I’ll end up breaking the oven, and messing up the ingredients-”

“You’ll be fine, Tweek,” I interrupt with an agitated tone, and he cuts himself off immediately. “I can measure shit and work the oven. You just have to look like you’re doing something when the teacher comes over.”

He swallows heavily and pulls at his shirt as he looks at me, and I can see that he’s conflicted by my words. I refuse to elaborate anymore and wave him off before he says anything else; his emotions are already filling my head and pissing me off, which leaves me agitated whether I want to be or not.

I glare at the teacher once Tweek turns away, and I can already tell why she’s decided to doom me to a year of headaches with the boy beside me - he freaks out most of the girls in class, and she’s definitely one for favoritism.

Although Tweek isn’t the worst to look at, with his stature being notably taller than Kenny’s, his panicked personality and constant body spasms are enough to scare off any of the girls in school. With a class full of girls from different grades, it was bound to happen; that, and the fact that he’s with Craig makes him unattainable anyway.

I lean my head forward in my hands as the teacher rambles about the class syllabus in an attempt to ward off my oncoming headache, and I do my best to ignore the blonde next to me. Working with him in class is going to be worse than hell for me.

I may have been better off in Shop class after all.

Chapter Text

I leave Home Ec with a migraine, which I wholly expected to happen. It was bound to, especially after Tweek started freaking out because Kenny decided to mess with him a little.

For someone who was so keen on keeping the coffee addict calm at the start of class, he sure changed his tune when he started contributing to the boy’s paranoia.

I can barely focus enough to figure out where I’m walking as I think about whoever I’m stuck with next class. I hope to God that it isn’t Tweek again or else I might just start skipping classes. There aren’t too many people that I get along with to begin with, but I’m holding out hope that I can catch a break.

As I walk through the door to Biology, I see my break in the form of Wendy Testaburger.

“(Y/N)!” she greets warmly. “I didn’t get to see you over Summer break! How have you been?”

“Same as always,” I groan, and I choose to sit next to her as more students find their way to seats of their own.

“You seem agitated,” she points out as I drop my head into my arms on the table. “Are you feeling alright?”

Wendy has always been one of my favorite girls in school. I’ve had her in my classes over the years, and she always seems to respect everyone and do her best in her role of student body president. She manages to keep a level head when she’s faced with the bullshit people - notably Eric Cartman - throw at her.

Her calm demeanor is exactly what I need right now.

“I’ve actually got a raging headache,” I admit weakly, and her face contorts in concern.

“Do you need to go to the nurse?” she offers. “I can go there and get Tylenol for you if you don’t feel well enough to walk all that way.”

“You are seriously a saint, Wendy,” I murmur. “But I think I’ll be fine if I rest my head for a bit.”

“I’ll still be here if you need anything,” she states softly, clearly being considerate so as to not make my condition worse. “This should be an easy class, anyway. Just relax for now.”

I hum in response as I close my eyes, and I bask in the tame atmosphere around the room. I always prefer being surrounded by people who aren’t bouncing off the walls with their emotions; it’s easier to manage passively sensing their feelings when they aren’t hitting me from every side so aggressively.

“Hey, Wendy.”

I pry an eye open to see Tolkien walk by our table, waving at the girl next to me.

She does the same back and initiates a hushed conversation with him about something or other - she’s probably talking about Nichole, or something else that will keep the boy’s interest.

There isn’t a lot that can keep Tolkien interested in a conversation for very long, outside of anything his friends talk about; they always keep him engaged even when he’s disinterested. I’d imagine that it has something to do with how well-mannered the man is, and how he has a reputation to uphold with them.

The teacher silently enters the room as students get themselves situated in their seats, and he writes his name on the board just as every other instructor has been doing today. The bell rings, signaling the start of class, and he turns to address us.

“First off, I’d just like to welcome everyone back from break!” Mr. Hallard announces cheerfully. “I hope all of you had a good time away from school, because now it’s time to dust off those brains of yours and get back into the working attitude!”

I cringe from how sickly sweet his tone is, and he reeks of insincerity as he continues with his little spiel. I hate how deceptive teachers like this are, because they act nice, but the second someone misbehaves in class they snap. All they are is sugar-coated cyanide.

The door to the classroom opens suddenly, and I’m startled enough to sit up again as a figure walks in. I immediately recognize him to be Craig Tucker, and I hold in a stream of swears as he nonchalantly walks to Tolkien’s table.

With sudden irritation slamming me from the teacher, I know exactly what’s coming, and there isn’t much I can do to brace myself.

“Tucker!” he starts, holding back his agitation. “Why are you late? You’re interrupting class, you know.”

“I know,” the boy’s nasally voice responds, and he dodges the question.

“I should give you detention for this, but I’ll let it slide for today since it’s your first day back,” he chides, and his tone makes it seem like he’s being merciful. “Just don’t let it happen again!”

Craig wordlessly lifts his hand, and I let out a small laugh against my better judgment as he raises his middle finger to the instructor.

I can physically see the vein swell on Mr. Hallard’s temple as he does exactly what I expected from him - he snaps at Craig.

“I will not be tolerating that kind of behavior in my class, Tucker!” he shouts, all semblance of his persona from before gone. “You will not disrespect me in my own classroom - I won’t allow that kind of attitude-”

Craig’s other hand comes up, and he flips the teacher a double bird.

“TUCKER!!”

Needless to say, Craig now has detention, and my bad mood is gone from his display of rebellion; the teacher’s rage is simply too entertaining to me for my headache to persist.

“It’s always Craig, isn’t it?” Wendy mutters beside me as he leaves the classroom per the teacher’s orders. “He never knows when to stop with that. Mr. Hallard will probably be upset for the rest of class.”

“Well to be fair, class isn’t going to be for much longer,” I snicker. “Their one-sided argument kind of took up the time we were supposed to use for learning.”

“I doubt we would have learned much anyway since we just go over the class syllabus for the most part,” she muses, her mood brightening as she looks over at me. “I suppose we could probably just talk for now since he’s going to be bringing Craig to Mr. Mackey’s office.”

Oh Wendy, how far you’ve come from being the teacher’s pet.

“Yeah, I’m feeling better, too,” I laugh. “Somehow that little show made my headache better instead of worse.”

“That’s great!” she says with a smile. “I’m so glad we can talk now! I’ve been a bit scatterbrained today since I’ve had to help with some of the back-to-school planning for our grade.”

I nod along with her words as she talks, and I feel myself grin as she rambles about student council starting up again.

I think I’m going to like having Wendy in Biology.

***

Once class is dismissed, I give Wendy a quick goodbye - she has a different lunch period than me - and I start towards the cafeteria.

I look forward to seeing Dovahkiin again and giving them the details on student council drama that I got from Wendy. Even if I normally don’t contribute to the pool of gossip at school, I always love to talk about stupid things with my best friend; there’s just something about it that’s different when you’re gossiping with the one person who never spreads it around.

You can always trust keeping a secret with Dovahkiin.

I notice that Tolkien has been walking in the same direction as me since we left Biology, and I realize that he must have the same lunch as me. I hope that most of his friends have a different lunch, considering how obnoxious they always tend to be when they’re all together; I don’t want them causing more trouble in the already guaranteed disarray of the lunchroom.

My hopes are crushed when my eyes land on Tweek and Clyde standing by the entrance to the cafeteria. The only comfort I have is the fact that Craig isn’t there, but he very well may be in this lunch - he’s just in the counselor’s office presently.

“Tolkien!” Clyde whines out to him. “Why did you take so long to get here? I’ve been waiting for so long that the lunch line is already fucking huge!”

“Why didn’t you have Tweek hold your place in it or just have him wait here while you went?” he questions him.

“Well I wanted him to go while I stayed out here but he wouldn’t fucking leave!” the first boy snaps irately. “He’s being clingy and Craig won’t be here to deal with him.”

I thank my lucky stars that the final member of their group won’t be around after all.

“Y’all really could have just gone to the line together. I could have grabbed us a table while you were there,” Tolkien deadpans. “But now we still have to do both.”

I rush past the group as Clyde lets out a string of obscenities; maybe having the calmest member of their group around wouldn’t have been so bad after all.

I spot Dovahkiin sitting in the place we always choose as our table during lunch. The arrangement itself leaves us closer to the corner of the lunchroom rather than be stuck near the masses of students. The seating gives us the small mercy of avoiding the chaos the center of the room has to offer.

I notice another figure at the other end of the table as I approach with a wave directed at my friend, and as I sit down, my eyes stay on them.

“Is that Heidi Turner?” I murmur, opting to question Dovahkiin rather than offer a proper greeting.

They nod, a little upset about my lack of focus on them, and I shake my head before regarding them again.

“Nevermind that. How have your classes been?” I ask, changing the subject of our conversation in an attempt to ignore the girl near us.

They shrug, and the disinterest radiating from them tells me that they’ve been bored in their classes without me.

I don’t blame them, knowing that I would feel similarly about mine if it weren’t for the reasons to hate my second period and tolerate my third. It always depends on the students that you’re stuck with for the year, and I assume that they weren’t stuck with anyone worth mentioning.

My focus once again drifts to the sandy blonde girl at our table as I think of the student body, and I find myself questioning her presence at a corner table of all places.

Heidi Turner is known to be one of the popular girls at our school, with a reputation of being kind and considerate proceeding her. She gets along well with most of the other notable girls in our grade, and she’s almost always with Wendy or one of the other members of the cheer squad. She’s constantly taking part in planning and hosting school events and she helps out wherever she can, so most students know her for that reason.

Although, there is another thing that some students know her for that is less than admirable.

Her relationship with Eric Cartman in fourth grade has loomed over her like a dark cloud ever since she officially broke things off with him. She was apparently a horrible person when she was with him, and from what I’ve heard, she beat out even Eric’s attitude when she had been at her worst.

A part of me can’t help but pity her as she has clearly been working to repair her damaged reputation since then with every kind action she carries out. Not everyone has been receptive to it, and she is still treated harshly by some of the other girls for what happened in her past.

I find it repulsive that they think they have any right to judge her on something she clearly regrets; the poor thing is clearly still beating herself up about it even now.

I flinch from the feeling of something making contact with my cheek, and I whip my head around to glare at the source. I spot Dovahkiin holding out a chicken nugget from their lunch tray, and my expression shifts as I grin and accept their offer.

We’ve always shared our lunch when given the opportunity since neither of us brings anything from home. They tend to grab one tray and get as much food as they can without the lunch ladies yelling at them for taking too much.

I hate waiting in the lunch line because of how long it always is, so I appreciate their efficiency in getting to the lunchroom early to grab things for us. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t get anything if I had to wait on my own, evident by the number of students that go to their last class hungry because they didn’t get anything in time.

“I really wish we had more classes together,” I lament as I pick through the food on the tray between us. “I’m stuck with fucking Kenny in my Home Ec class, and we both know how well that’s going to end.”

Dovahkiin’s hand freezes, and I can tell their body is tensing in a silent laugh as the smallest hint of a smile creeps onto their face. I scowl, taking slight offense to the reaction, and I toss a nugget at them in retaliation.

“I’m being serious, I’ve got Tweek in that class, too. He already gave me a migraine this morning because I’m stuck sitting next to him,” I scoff, and I quickly change my tone at the memory of my third class. “On a brighter note, I have Wendy in my Bio class. It was really nice seeing her again - plus, I’m guaranteed to pass this year with her as a seat partner.”

They remain as stoic as they normally are as I finish my rambling, but I can tell that they’re amused as I talk about my day.

“She was telling me about some student council drama,” I muse as I take more food. “The year has just started up and they’re already having problems.”

My eyes dart to Heidi as she makes a motion, and I can tell that she was trying to say something to us before deciding against it as her hand finds its way to her lap again.

“Did she tell you about what happened with student council, too?”

She’s clearly startled by my invitation for her to join our conversation, but with her being a social butterfly, she can’t resist accepting.

“Yes, actually,” she comments, clearly happy to be included in our discussion. “A few of us girls on the cheer team are on student council, too. With Wendy as the president and the cheer captain, we always find out everything going on with their drama.”

She moves over a few seats, settling on the one next to Dovahkiin, and she rambles about things Wendy hadn’t told me. I look to her lunch as she talks, noting all of the vegan food items she has; I guess she packs a lunch every day considering her healthier food options.

I don’t blame her, knowing full well that the school’s food - although pretty good - admittedly isn’t the best thing in the world to be eating.

I can tell Dovahkiin isn’t exactly excited to have Heidi sitting next to them, as their mood changes to a slightly annoyed one.

I know they don’t hate her, but they aren’t too happy when people sit that close to them unless it’s me or Leopold. Heidi is clearly oblivious to this fact as she continues to address me, and I decide to take one for the team as I speak up again.

“Heidi, do you want to sit next to me?” I offer. “It might be easier for us to talk.”

“Oh? Thanks, (Y/N)! I feel like it might be easier for us to talk while I’m sitting here though…” she trails off, and her eyes land on something behind me that immediately affects her mood.

She lets out a forced laugh followed by an ‘on second thought’ as she stands up to move, and I notice her sudden change from joy to unease. I look over my shoulder for a moment to spot a table of girls looking in our direction, and I can feel their amusement at Heidi’s actions.

They must be some of the people who still mock her for having dated Eric; that must be why she decided to sit at a corner table. I noticed that none of her close friends on the cheer squad were in this lunch when I walked in, so she must have felt uncomfortable sitting with the other girls.

“Heidi, do you want to join us for lunch from now on?”

I’m just as shocked as Dovahkiin when the words leave my mouth, and Heidi’s smile returns at my offer as she takes her place on the seat beside me.

“I would like that a lot, actually.”

***

The rest of lunch went by faster than I expected, with Heidi and I talking about school-related things on account of how little we know about each other. It’s clear that talking to me was a bit of a last-ditch effort since we haven’t spoken all that much in previous years, but she warmed up to me pretty fast the more we talked.

Dovahkiin is still as much of a mystery to her as they are to anyone, with their affinity towards silence making them nearly impossible to get to know. Even with the apparent language barrier, though, Heidi was as friendly towards them as she is to anyone, and Dovahkiin got used to her presence at our table as well.

“I’ll see you two later!” I shout after them once we part ways.

It turns out they have their next classes in the same area of the school, so they chose to walk together while I departed for my own last-period class.

I could tell Dovahkiin wanted to walk me to my class, with this being one of the few opportunities they would have to do so, but I pressed for them to get to their class on time.

I would hate for them to get detention on the first day back when we have plans to hang out after school today.

“(Y/N)!” a voice cheers as I enter the room to my final class of the day - theatre.

I know exactly who the voice belongs to, but I still jump from the unexpected welcome as the blonde rushes to my side.

“Hey, Leopold,” I greet with growing enthusiasm. “Are you excited for our last class of the day?”

“Well, sure I am!” he says with a smile. “I’m real happy that we have it together!”

“Me too,” I laugh as he grabs my hand to lead me somewhere in the room.

I can’t help the growing smile on my face as the boy’s joy is overwhelming in a way that, thankfully, I don’t find annoying. I can always count on Leopold’s cheerful nature to be one that doesn’t get on my nerves like many other students tend to.

“Hey, fellas! I brought (Y/N)!”

I look forward to see who Leopold is referring to, and my eyes land on a familiar green ushanka and a boy on crutches next to him.

I recognize the two to be Kyle Broflovski and Jimmy Valmer almost immediately, and I force a smile as I wave at them.

“Hello,” I greet plainly as we stop in front of them.

“Ah, hey!” Kyle welcomes awkwardly with a forced smile of his own. “I didn’t know you were in this class - I thought Butters meant Douchebag when he said he had a friend coming.”

My expression tightens as I hold back a scoff at his comment, and I shake my head.

“Nope, it’s just me.”

We both go silent for a moment as neither of us knows what to say next.

This always happens whenever I actually talk to Kyle; he gets uncomfortable around me, and I don’t even try to hide my disdain for him half of the time. In the few times that we’ve been partnered in school projects over the past years, he’s learned that I don’t like him from my poor attempts to hide it. He’s clearly gotten used to it as he actively avoids talking to me if he can, but there are, sadly, unavoidable moments like this where we’re forced to interact.

“H-Hey, (Y/N),” Jimmy cuts the silence with a greeting of his own. “I’m glad you’re here - now we can u-up-upgrade this trio into a quartet. I was w-worried we’d be stuck sounding like d-dying birds for a second there!”

I let out a laugh at his joke, grateful for the shift in conversation steering me away from a lasting encounter with Kyle.

“Wow, what a great audience,” he comments after my reaction, and I roll my eyes playfully at his joking mood.

Jimmy Valmer stands to be one of the funniest students at South Park High School - if not the funniest in general. He’s been doing comedy for years, and it definitely shows in his ever-improving routine. He’s gotten pretty popular for his jokes, and he’s become a beloved student for his positive attitude that comes with them.

He’s somehow managed to avoid being the butt of any of Eric’s jokes, which surprises me due to how likely it would be for the bully to pick on someone with a disability. I respect how resilient the boy is, and how he has somehow managed to gain the admiration of the entire student body; it’s no easy task to get this many people to like you.

“Settle down, class!” a demanding voice echoes through the room. “We need to get situated!”

I raise an eyebrow at the strict tone the teacher has, and as I turn around to find them, I understand why.

The man is wearing decently fancy clothes - or at least, clothing that is way too fancy for a high school teacher to be wearing. His posture is very stern, with his back straight and his hands clasped together behind him as he walks.

My bet was that the teacher would be stereotypically flamboyant - and possibly gay - or that they would be some uptight douchebag that failed out of some prestigious acting school.

From the looks of it, the latter of my guesses is correct.

“My name is Mr. Armani, and you will refer to me as such,” he starts, already eyeing down some of the students in the room. “I don’t want anyone referring to me with some silly little nickname or a shortened title like ‘Mr. A’ - those are both extremely disrespectful and I will not tolerate them.”

I roll my eyes at his tone, and he clears his throat before continuing.

“I don’t want any funny business in this class, do you understand me? I know some of you most likely joined because you thought it would be ‘easy’ or ‘fun’, but acting is a serious matter - you’re not here to screw around!”

My gaze lands on Jimmy at the comment on ‘funny business’, and he returns a smile in my direction; I can already tell that he’s planning something for the year.

“I want all of you to take seats around the stage,” he concludes. “We will continue when everyone is sitting.”

I let out an agitated sigh at the intense feeling of authority and smug satisfaction radiating off of the teacher. He’s going to be such a shitty person to be around this year, and I can already feel his less-than-pleasant attitude getting to me.

“Let’s sit together!” Leopold enthuses, and I let myself be led to a group of chairs by the boy.

“This class is going to suck,” a female voice sounds from a seat nearby.

I look over to see Bebe Stevens sitting with her legs crossed in the group of seats I’m being led to.

Bebe is one of the most popular girls in school, rivaling even Wendy in terms of notoriety. She’s gained the reputation of being a flirty, femme fatale who uses men to get what she wants before throwing them away when she’s done; although, they always come crawling back when she wants to go for a second round.

“Aw, I’m sure it won’t be all bad, Bebe!” Leopold tries to comfort, and the girl just scoffs before she stares at her nails.

“Yeah, it’ll be just peachy with Mr. Stick-up-his-ass over there,” she seethes, not even trying to hide her disdain.

I take a seat next to her, feeling the disappointment she’s overwhelmed with at the news of who’s teaching our class, and I can’t help but feel the same as I mourn the loss of what could have been a fun year.

Chapter Text

With a strict, and frankly exhausting last period finally signaling the end of the school day, I find myself too tired to say goodbye to Jimmy and Bebe as they leave.

Our group, which thankfully we had the chance to choose rather than have them be assigned to us, is definitely one of the most chaotic in the class. With Jimmy, Kyle, Bebe, Leopold and I together, we’re bound to be a handful.

I guarantee that the teacher will regret letting us work together after a few classes as we feed into each other's nonsense.

I glance at the seat to my right to see Leopold packing away some of the papers we were given by Mr. Armani - the poor thing is already frazzled after only an hour of time spent with him bossing everyone around.

He looks up at me with a gaze that borders on exhaustion equivalent to my own, but he brightens when he sees me staring at him.

“Well gee, (Y/N)! You look uh, awfully tired,” he comments, expressing his growing concern for me.

“Leo, I’m sure you don’t know it, but you looked just as tired a moment ago,” I laugh as I move to stand up, and he does the same as he hoists his bag over his shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll both feel better once we get out of here.”

He smiles at me, a response that tells me he agrees with what I said, and we both make our way towards the door before a voice interrupts us.

“Wait-” Kyle cuts himself off as soon as he starts talking, before he clears his throat and approaches us. “Butters, weren’t you going to meet up with us after school? Kenny mentioned something about you this morning.”

As the blonde goes to open his mouth, I link my arm with his and huff at Kyle.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I snap, and I can feel the surge of agitation in the boy’s mood. “He’s coming with me, so you can just tell your friends that he’s got other plans.”

I don’t bother waiting for a response as I gently pull Leopold along with me, and I let the tension leave my body as we walk down the hallway.

Kyle Broflovski has some of the worst temper issues I’ve ever had the displeasure of experiencing secondhand, and although he tends to lash out at Eric Cartman the most, that doesn’t mean he’s always calm otherwise. His anger issues go unmatched by any other student in this school, and I don’t feel like sticking around to feel his pent-up rage.

“Aw hamburgers,” Leopold murmurs. “Eric’s gonna be real mad if I skip out again. I already had to cancel last time because I was grounded and-”

“Leo, I’m sure that he can get over it,” I reason in an attempt to calm him. “That sack of shit is moody as all hell, but it never lasts very long. He’ll forget you were even supposed to join him in like an hour.”

My words manage to have an effect on him as his cheerful demeanor returns, and I feel myself once again matching his emotions as I spot a head of pink hair cutting through the crowd of students in the hall.

“Dovahkiin!” I drawl out loudly, and they quicken their pace at the sight of Leopold and I making our way towards them. “Take me to the car and get me the hell out of this school, sugar.”

They ruffle my hair out of spite once they get to my side, with their reaction coming from the nickname - which in itself comes from their own hairstyle, considering its similarity to cotton candy. I can tell they don’t actually hate it by the faint fondness that arises every time I use the label.

“Well hey, Dovahkiin!” Leopold greets with an enthusiastic grin. “I forgot you fellas had a car! Do you think that I could maybe get a ride?”

“That’s not even something you need to ask,” I muse with a light tug on his arm. “I was actually going to invite you to join Dovahkiin and I at my house for pizza tonight. You know, celebrate the first day back - although, it’s really less of a celebration for actually starting school again, but I think you get the idea.”

“Well, I’d love to! I’ll have to ask my parents first, though, and I’m not so sure they’ll be willin’ to let me go…”

“Consider it covered, Leo,” I smirk, finally releasing his arm as our trio makes its way out of the school and into the parking lot. “As long as we get you home by curfew, you won’t get grounded - and Dovahkiin always gets you home on time.”

I can tell that was the right thing to say as his lingering fear and anxiety dissipate once we get into the car.

The vehicle itself is a white Sentra, which is a model that Dovahkiin and I agreed on together when we decided that we wanted to split a payment on a car that we can share. The summer jobs that we worked left us with enough money to keep up our ends of the bargain, so we don’t have to worry about our payments for a while.

I sit up front in the passenger seat as Dovahkiin takes the driver’s seat next to me, and Leopold sits in the middle of the back. He clearly chose the spot so he could talk to both of us from where he’s seated, and I appreciate the thought considering the middle seat is always the most cramped.

“So what kind of pizza do we want, anyway?” I ask in an attempt to start up a conversation. “I’m alright with pretty much anything - we can always get different toppings on different portions to make it fair.”

“I like Hawaiian!” Leopold offers with his signature smile, and I see Dovahkiin’s face contort in exaggerated disgust as they stick their tongue out in one of the rare moments where they actually express how they feel.

“So that’s a solid no from Dovahkiin,” I laugh, punching their arm as they move to start the car. “They’ll probably just get a cheese pizza - they’re so boring.”

They elbow me as revenge for my comment before they move their arm back to grab the wheel, and I blow a raspberry at them in return.

“What uh, what were you thinking of getting?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, we can just do half and half,” I state, making my decision clear. “I’ll pick at whatever I feel like having from those two.”

I spot Kyle walking out of school with the other three boys that make up his friend group through the driver side window, and I lean towards Dovahkiin for a moment as they start backing out of our parking spot.

“Peel out of here,” I whisper while Leopold is distracted by something outside of the car. “I don’t want them coming over here and harassing him before we have the chance to leave.”

They nod in a silent understanding, knowing as well as I do that we won’t get the chance to take our friend home with us if Eric gets wind that he is in our car.

My gaze flits to the tall redhead leading the group into the parking lot, and I purse my lips at the knowledge that he most likely told the others where Leopold is. The bastard really wasn’t going to just let this go, huh?

I don’t bother watching them any longer as Dovahkiin speeds by them, scaring all of them back onto the sidewalk as the car nearly scrapes the cement incline.

I feel a smirk rise to my face as agitated shouts and profanities sound out loud enough for us to hear even after we’ve made some distance from the boys. The satisfaction coming from the person next to me tells me that their actions were intentional, and I bite back the praise I feel inclined to give them.

“Geez! You’ve got to be more careful Dovahkiin,” Leopold warns adamantly behind us. “You’ll get in a whole lotta trouble if you hit someone.”

“Eh, the parking lot just wasn’t cleared out correctly,” I offhandedly make an excuse. “The car slipped on ice or something - Dovahkiin is a great driver. You don’t need to worry, Leo.”

I can tell that he’s still questioning my alibi as we start in the direction of my house, and I speak to negate his thoughts about what happened before.

“I mean, I could always drive if you want me to, but I doubt Dovahkiin would give up the wheel so easily,” I quip, earning a quick yet noticeable glance from the driver. “It already took way too much effort for me to actually get my license in this car - they love it way more than I do. I’m not complaining, though, since they pay for gas most of the time.”

The blonde’s interest in my rambling earns a sense of relief from both Dovahkiin and I as we manage to evade questioning about what happened at school. He doesn’t need to know how much I despise the people he considers his ‘friends’, or how often his silent companion finds themself agreeing with me.

With Leopold in mind, I take out my phone and pull up a contact I haven’t messaged in a while before taking a glance in the rearview mirror. I see the boy in question paying attention to the world passing by outside of the car, and I find myself feeling grateful that he’s distracted for the time being.

As I look back to my phone, I hold back the scowl begging to form on my face once I focus on the name of the contact, and I begin to type my message to Mr. Stotch.

Leopold and I have worked on a few school projects over the years, with the experiences bringing me to his house more often than not. His parents didn’t trust me at all when we were first assigned something, which is why it became more of a habit for me to go to his house rather than have him come over to mine. They wanted to keep an eye on us - or more specifically, their son.

They started to like me to some extent, and I thank Dovahkiin for that; their good reputation rubbed off on mine just enough for Leopold’s parents to tolerate me. I wouldn’t say that we’re the friendliest by any means, although I do try my best to keep from snapping at them, but they trust me enough with their son.

As I send the admittedly long message to Leopold’s father, I look up from my phone to see where we are. I note that we’re almost to my house, and figure that Dovahkiin is going over the speed limit once my eyes settle on the speedometer.

I bite back my urge to tell them off, remembering all of the times they’ve almost gotten us pulled over because of their tendency to speed everywhere. I know that the cops would probably let them go, considering how well they seem to weasel their way out of things - even without vocalizing anything - but I still think it’s a bad habit for them to have regardless.

“Well gee, it sure has been a while since I’ve been over to your house, (Y/N),” Leopold starts up again, choosing conversation over watching the rows of houses pass by. “Have you uh- have you done anything new?”

I consider his words for a moment before shrugging, and I turn to face him as Dovahkiin pulls into my driveway.

“I don’t think anything notable has changed, but hey, you’ll be able to look around if you want to,” I comment with a smile, and he returns the expression with a wide grin of his own.

I move in my seat again when I feel a pull on my sleeve, and I spot Dovahkiin nodding their head in the direction of my house before they turn off the car. I look in the direction they were motioning to, and reflexively smile wider at the sight of my mom’s car parked in our open garage.

“Looks like you’ll get to say hi to the missus,” I joke in an attempt to share my enthusiasm. “She hasn’t seen you in ages, but I’m sure she’ll be excited anyway. She always said she thought you were a good kid.”

I can see a small smile form on Leopold’s face through the rearview mirror, and I feel satisfied with his reaction. He deserves to know that there are people who appreciate him, even if it is just my mom thinking he’s the sweetest thing on the planet.

I refocus my attention on getting out of the car, making an extra effort not to hit my head on the roof of it. I’ve made that mistake far more than I’d ever care to admit, and I intend not to make it again - especially with friends around.

I turn back to grab my bag from the floor, but as I reach for it, another hand grips it and pulls it away faster than I can register. I look up expecting Dovahkiin to have it in their hands, and I feel my eyes go wide at the sight of a flustered Leopold holding it instead.

“Well I just thought I oughta carry your things, at least,” he murmurs, turning his head to avoid my gaze. “You drove me here, and I’m stayin’ for dinner. It’d be real rude of me to just- I wanna return the favor, is all.”

“Leo,” I start, and I can’t help it when my tone softens. “You don’t owe either of us anything for this. We just wanted to hang out, y’know? We won’t make you do anything when we're the ones who invited you in the first place.”

His flush seems to darken as I speak to him, and I can’t help the half smile that grows on my face at his reaction; he absolutely deserves the world and more.

I watch as Dovahkiin quietly walks up behind the shorter male and grabs the bag from his hands. Leopold barely has time to react before our friend holds it well over their head and out of his grasp.

“Hey!” he whines in response. “Not fair. You fellas always do this…”

“Well, you can finally carry our things when you host an event,” I tease, and he crosses his arms in a weak attempt to seem angry with us.

I can tell he’s having a good time by the joy radiating from him, and I find myself eager to keep his mood up as we near my front door. I quickly let myself in, knowing that my mother will have left it unlocked since she knew I was coming home from school, and I hold it open for my friends.

“Mom, I’m home!” I call out, and I watch as she peeks her head out from the kitchen’s opening.

“Hello, sweetie!” she welcomes, her already wide smile growing as her eyes land on our guests. “And hello to Dovahkiin as well! And- is that the Stotch boy I see? It’s been ages since you’ve come around the house! How are you hunny?”

“I’m doing well, ma’am!” he chirps as she rushes over to us, coat in hand.

“Oh, no need to be so formal! You are a family friend, after all!” she muses as she dips in to hug him.

He tenses up as soon as her arms wrap around him, and I hold back a grimace at his sudden anxiety over the contact. That is the furthest thing from what he should be feeling over a show of affection from someone; it’s a shame that I know exactly what’s causing him those feelings.

His stupid friends and his god-forsaken family.

“It really is so good to see you, Leopold. You should come over more,” my mother finally relents, leaning back before she turns to Dovahkiin. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Dovah.”

I smirk and hold in a laugh as she pinches their cheek, to which they look on completely blank-faced, as per usual. They find it far less amusing than I do, but enjoy it nonetheless.

“We’re going to order pizza for dinner,” I comment as my mother readjusts her bun. “I can save some for you, for when you get back. I can’t guarantee that it’ll be any good reheated, though.”

“It never is with my luck,” she sighs, finally coming in to hug me. “You three have fun while I’m gone. I’m sure I’ll be getting back late, so it was lovely seeing you all. And make sure you get to bed at a reasonable hour, (Y/N) - I know how much you love to stay up at night.”

“I’ve been working on that, mom,” I murmur, embarrassed about the call-out in front of my friends. “I’ll be in bed well before you get home, anyway. Have fun at work, though! I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

With that, my mother saunters out the door and leaves me alone with my house guests. Leopold shifts on his feet for a moment as he looks around, before he makes a move to take his shoes off. I do the same, as does Dovahkiin, and the three of us walk to the couch after a moment of silence.

“Do you guys have anything you want to watch?” I ask, dropping my bag beside the couch as they do the same. “I can set something up while I order the food.”

“Oh! Can I watch Terrance and Phillip?”

I hold back a cringe at the suggestion, knowing full well that I grew out of that show ages ago - the only remainder of my having liked it being my bedroom curtains. I don’t have the heart to deny Leopold anything, though, and since he is a guest, he should be able to choose the show.

“Of course!” I finally respond, nodding at Dovahkiin to grab the remote. “You two can enjoy that while I call the pizza place. Feel free to grab a drink from the fridge if either of you are thirsty, too.”

I quickly move to the kitchen, and a moment later I hear the television blaring in the other room. I keep in mind that we may need to turn that down a bit when I get back, and I take my phone out of my pocket to unlock it.

I dial the number and order the pizza, knowing that the delivery should be here in little to no time at all. That’s one of the only perks in living in such a small town; everything is delivered in a relatively short amount of time because there are so few people.

Laying my phone on the counter, I turn and head back to the living room. I need to get my wallet out of my bag and prepare the money so I’m not scrambling to get it out later.

A figure steps in my way as I turn the corner, and I almost fall over in an attempt to back away and avoid a collision. I bite my tongue and look up to see Leopold anxiously rubbing his knuckles together as he stares me down.

“Sorry! I was just uh- I just wanted something to drink.”

“It’s fine! You just caught me off guard, is all. I’m glad that we didn’t slam into each other - that would’ve sucked major ass.”

We both stand in silence for a moment, and I raise an eyebrow at his sudden spike in nerves. He keeps looking past me, and I realize that he’s focusing on the fridge without making any moves towards it.

“Were you going to grab something…?”

“Is it alright if I go in your fridge?”

I deadpan, unable to respond in any other way to his question. Why does he feel the need to ask me? He knows he’s more than welcome to anything in my house.

“I- Of course you can, Leo!” I sputter. “You can literally take whatever you want in there - I don’t care.”

He seems flustered by my manic response, but the small relief that he’s feeling doesn’t go unnoticed by me as he walks towards the fridge. I quickly turn and grab his wrist, loosening my grip when he turns to me with a shocked expression.

“You know, I hate that they made you like this.”

I realize what I said a moment too late as I reel back and pull my hand to my chest. Leopold’s expression falls at my words before he forces a shakey grin back onto his face.

“I don’t really know what you’re sayin’-”

“Your friends. Eric Cartman,” I continue, deciding to double down while I still have the resolve. “I can’t stand how they made you so…fragile.”

He doesn’t try to fake a smile anymore, and he looks away as silence falls over us.

“I never…Well, I just thought I’d be able to stand up to them someday,” he admits. “I reckon I may have waited a bit too long, huh?”

“It’s not too late, though.”

He looks up again, surprise written across his features as I take a tentative step forward.

“I want to let you know that I’m sorry, Leo,” I begin, my focus on telling him all the things I’ve been holding back since we’ve gotten to know each other. “I feel like- I could have helped you sooner, if I just stood up to those pricks. But I was too scared that they’d target me again, and I left you in a situation that I was terrified to be in myself.”

“(Y/N)...” he mutters, eyes clouding over with tears. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes!” I nearly shout, trying my best to keep my voice under control. “I hate them - I won’t just stand here and let them keep doing this shit anymore! I swear, I’m going to-”

I cut myself off; what am I going to do? I never let myself think about getting revenge for the torment those boys put me through, for the torment they still put my friend through. I don’t even know where to begin to make up for the years of pain.

“I want to be your friend,” I start again, and I can tell Leopold’s hanging on my every word. “I really, really want to be your friend, and I’m not letting fear get in the way this time. I want to get back at them for what they’re doing, and even though I don’t know how yet, I want to fuck with them this year.”

He stays silent for a moment, taking in everything that I said with an oddly emotionless face. I can’t tell what’s going through his head, and his emotions are too jumbled for me to tell apart as he thinks. He decides on something as his focus returns to my face, and he offers me one of his signature grins.

“I think you oughta raise some hell.”

I’m surprised by his words, but even more so by his lack of any hesitation in saying them. He seems so sure of himself as he finally moves to my fridge and grabs out a juice box, and I’m left too stunned to say anything as he moves back to the living room door.

“It’s our senior year, after all,” he adds as he turns back to me. “I don’t know if I have the strength to do anything right now, but I reckon if you do, you oughta act on it! Maybe they’ll- I figure we can spend more time together if they start to leave me alone.”

I mull over his final words as he heads back to the couch, and I hear him chattering happily with Dovahkiin, as if we never spoke about something so heavy. I never expected him to react the way that he did, but I feel surprisingly validated by his response.

Maybe I should do something to those assholes this year.

“The pizza guy is at the door!” Leopold shouts from the other room, and I quickly snap back into reality as I rush to the front door.

“Fuck, I didn’t grab my money yet. Can one of you-”

I offer a genuine smile and sigh of relief as Dovahkiin holds out the money I need to pay for our dinner. They already know the exact cost and tip I need from our many nights of ordering out for pizza over the years. I take the cash from their grasp and quickly make my way to the door, opening it to make the exchange for our food.

“Alright, who’s hungry?” I jokingly ask as I finally close the door and turn back to my friends.

Dovahkiin doesn’t respond, but gets up and walks into the kitchen to presumably grab some plates as I set the pizza box out on the living room table. I glance up to see Leopold smiling absently, and I hold back any questions I have about our earlier conversation; I feel like I’ve seen a different side of him.

One that isn’t as innocent as he always presents himself as.

Dovahkiin returns quickly with the dishes, and they set them out on the table as I open the box and take a few slices that look better than the others. I don’t want to be completely selfish, though, so I leave the rest for the others to dig into.

With Terrance and Phillip on in the background, I choose to focus on eating while it fills the silence. I watch as my two friends enjoy their own slices, and we eat in a comfortable silence.

I notice Leopold seemingly lost in thought, and for once, his emotions are lost on me. I figure I should say something to get his attention back; something that will hopefully set a good mood for the night.

“Y’know, I really think that we’ve got one hell of a year ahead of us.”

Chapter Text

Even with the promise of proper sleep I made to my mother, I still couldn’t get to bed at a reasonable hour. Dovahkiin took Leopold home well before any normal person’s curfew should be set at, but they came back afterward and spent the night at my place; which isn’t out of the ordinary for them. That in itself helped ease me into sleep when my mind eventually stopped working overtime, but for most of the night, I kept thinking about what I told Leopold about his other friends.

I want to fuck with them this year.

It’s not like I didn’t mean it when I said that - it very well may have been the most honest thing I’ve said to anyone in a while. I think the thing that haunts me the most about the thought is how little I actually hesitated in thinking it; maybe that’s what made me lose sleep. The fact that I was so willing to dive back into the memories I haphazardly buried in the first place. Memories that were already surfacing with every reminder from the people around me - reminders of what they were getting away with.

Leopold’s friendship is one that I’ve sought after for some time, but I never realized just how badly he seemed to need it until now. He’s been stuck with those boys, stuck in a situation that he has no real way of getting out of; not on his own, at least. He has been trapped in a nightmare that I barely managed to get out of myself, and he did what little he could to help me back then, even at the cost of his own peace of mind. I know it’s my time to return the favor, but it all leaves me with one big question-

Just what in the fuck do I actually plan on doing to these boys?

“(Y/N)?”

I whip my head in the direction of whoever spoke to me, and immediately feel my worries dissipate at the sight of Nichole Daniels. Her eyebrows are knit together in concern, and I realize that she may have been trying to talk to me while I was zoned out.

“Are you alright?” she continues, seemingly relieved at finally having my attention.

“Oh, yeah, shit. I’m fine, sorry,” I murmur in an attempt to reconcile the situation. “I just have some stuff on my mind today.”

“On the second day of school?” she jokes, a smile finding its way to her face as she motions past me. “I don’t know how you can have so much to think about already. It must be a lot, though, if Dovahkiin couldn’t even get your attention back.”

I look behind me to see the person in question watching me with a bored expression, but I can tell they’re amused by my apparent confusion. I attempt to speak, but they silently hold up a finger before pointing to the clock in our classroom. My eyes follow their movements until I focus on the time, and I feel myself cringe as I realize that classes are about to start.

“Crap, I’m sorry man. I didn’t realize I was wasting that much time in my head,” I speed through my apology as the bell finally rings, and Dovahkiin simply shrugs. “I’ll make it up to you - or you can get back at me. It’s your choice.”

They don’t say anything as they leave the classroom to go to their own, and I can’t sense anything from them in response to my offer. I feel myself crack a shaky grin regardless, knowing that they always surprise me when they’re presented with these kinds of choices; they do their best to keep me on my toes.

“It was a little funny, y’know,” Nichole starts, drawing my gaze back to her. “To see you standing in the doorway for so long, I mean. Dovahkiin must have thought so too, because after they couldn’t get your attention, they kind of just moved out of the way of other students and watched you.”

I feel my face flush as I realize that I must have been blocking the door this whole time, and before I can finally move, a shoulder hits mine with a moderate amount of force. I hiss from the sudden impact and turn to see none other than Stan Marsh forcing his way past me with not even so much as a second glance.

“Maybe don’t stand in the doorway if you don’t want me to move you next time.”

His statement is so simple, yet I can sense the irritation underneath his mask of nonchalance and his forced smile. I glare, holding back curses that I’d just love to launch at the pretty boy ‘King of South Park’, as everyone seems to refer to him as. That god-forsaken nickname is the exact thing that must have made the prick’s ego so big, and by extension, made him so oblivious to how everyone else is feeling.

Stan is thoroughly convinced that the world revolves around him, from everything that I’ve seen. The boy has a tendency to either bask in the unnecessary praise people feel the need to throw at him, or throw himself a pity party when things don’t go his way like they always do. He is nearly guaranteed to somehow neglect to acknowledge how anyone else is feeling in favor of focusing on his own emotions at any given time.

The worst part is that he’s too stupid to even realize that he’s doing it, so he just remains ignorant of the issue. His near-constant self-pitying attitude makes him a killjoy to be around since he tends to hold onto that sadness instead of letting it go. It clings onto him with almost as much strength as Kyle with his rancid anger issues; both of them are far too emotive in one department for me to want to be around them.

I guess it makes sense that the two of them ended up being best friends. It just sucks major ass that I’m the only one who has to deal with those secondhand emotions since they both got really good at hiding it from everyone else.

I rub my shoulder and mouth an insult behind the boy’s back before I find my way to my seat, Nichole in tow. My eyes travel around the room now that I’m actually aware of things, and I realize that our class is actually very small. It makes sense with Guitar being an elective and all, but it’s still surreal to see only a handful of students in what would otherwise be a busy classroom.

“Do you mind if we’re seatmates at all?”

I turn to face Nichole again, deciding that a bit of conversation wouldn’t hurt until our teacher comes in. She’s clearly eager to talk to me for whatever reason, and as much as I tend to speak exclusively to Dovahkiin, I wouldn’t mind the change in company if it’s her.

“Not at all. It’s not like I know anyone else here - not anyone I actually like, anyway,” I muse, and she nods in understanding. “How are you doing, by the way? I feel like I should’ve asked earlier.”

“I’m great! I’m excited to see who else will show up in my classes today,” she enthuses, and I watch as she waves her hands around as she speaks. “I know a few of the girls are going to be with me, but I like it when I get at least a few surprises. Speaking of our classes, though, how was your first schedule yesterday?”

“It was alright.”

She frowns, clearly having expected more from me in response to her question, and I purse my lips uncomfortably. I feel bad when I realize how little I actually offer in a conversation, with that problem going unnoticed most of the time because I’m the only one talking.

“How about Dovahkiin? I was curious about them when I saw that they were in my English class,” she skillfully changes the subject to keep me talking. “I never know what they’re thinking, but I feel like they were enjoying themself, at least a little.”

I smile, and I know it’s genuine because it’s a smile warranted from talking about my friend. Most people never actually ask about how Dovahkiin is doing, which is surprising considering how beloved they are by the student body. That in itself is still an enigma for me considering how I almost never see them interact with anyone the way they do with me.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they’re friends with pretty much everyone on Facebook.

“They seemed like they felt pretty indifferent towards most of their classes,” I laugh, a knowing grin growing on my face. “They never really cared for school all that much. I’ll be sure to let them know that you’ll be around in English if they need it, though.”

“I’d be more than happy to work with them if they wanted to! Most of our other classmates don’t seem like they’ll be all that productive, honestly.”

I have to force myself to hold back an eye roll with how strongly I agree with that statement, knowing that it’s never just one class that you get idiots in. More than half of our senior year consists of people I’d consider braindead, and saying that is just me being nice.

“I never knew you wanted to play guitar, Nichole.”

I don’t turn my head to look at the source of the new voice, knowing very well that it’s Stan trying to force his way into our conversation so he can speak with the one person he’s friendly with in this room. Nichole is clearly confused by his sudden intrusion as she actually turns to face him, and she lets out a startled laugh.

“Oh, well, I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument, and I thought I should learn this one,” she explains quickly. “Tolkien said being able to play one is fun, so I wanted to give it a go.”

“I’m actually pretty good with the guitar,” Stan continues, clearly not seeing, or simply ignoring, how the girl he’s talking to is trying not to go further with the topic. “I’ve been playing since like fourth grade. I could help you out if you ever needed it. I’m sure Tolkien wouldn’t mind.”

I let out a breath in disbelief, shaking my head as I recall the time that very boy had dated Stan’s ex in middle school. Wendy told me about it once, and it made sense to me why they knew each other after that, but I didn’t think Stan would still be petty about it. I mean, honestly, how much of a dick do you have to be to take a hit at a man when he’s not even there? Tolkien obviously wouldn’t appreciate someone in his rival friend group hanging out with his girlfriend.

“I didn’t know you played the guitar,” I cut in, and I can tell he’s caught off guard even as he holds back any change in his expression. “I thought you were just a one-trick pony on the football team. Most jocks aren’t really trying to play the part of the soft boy, too.”

“Well of course you wouldn’t know a lot about me,” he fires back bluntly. “I don’t even know who you are.”

I feel my breath hitch, and I finally turn to look at the boy as the other students in the room let out a few ‘ooo’s in response to the scene before them. I feel my face contort as I show off more than I’d like to about how I feel through my grimace, and he smirks in return - smug satisfaction rolling off of him in waves.

Nichole grabs my shoulder with a squeeze, feelings of uncertainty and discomfort mingling around her. I lean back into my seat and bite my tongue for her sake, which proves to be the right choice when the teacher finally stumbles into the room with profuse apologies about being late.

“Oh, geez, it’s so unprofessional of me to be this late and-” she stops herself mid-sentence and forces herself upright with a smile following moments after. “I’m Ms. Smith, and just to be sure everyone’s in the right class, you’re all here for guitar, correct?”

A few nods here and murmurs of confirmation there and Ms. Smith seems satisfied enough to continue her ramble.

“Alright, well, I’ll spare any lecture on account of my, uhm, attendance,” she laughs awkwardly. “Let’s just get straight into class!”

***

I find myself sufficiently bored by the end of class, which is reasonable considering all we did was go over the syllabus with the little time we actually had. The teacher’s late arrival did nothing if not entertain and, if anything, I get the feeling that she’ll be alright for a faculty member in the long run.

My focus was fleeting throughout the class, though, on account of my newfound hatred for our resident popular boy. I once thought he was tolerable, but after that little roast he offered up for the entire class, I’m going to have to say that he is not.

I now consider him a prime example of an asshole at our school.

“It was nice seeing you this morning,” Nichole pulls me from my thoughts once more with a goodbye. “I’m looking forward to doing this again! I hope I’ll get to see you later, too. I’ve got to leave now if I want to make it to my next class - you should, too! I wouldn’t want you to be late for attendance!”

I hum and offer a small wave as a goodbye, much lamer than her little spiel I’m sure, but I have my focus on something else, as per usual. She doesn’t take offense as she leaves, and I watch as my classmates do the same until it’s just me and Stan left.

He’s been talking with Ms. Smith this whole time, so I’m sure he doesn’t notice I’m still here as I slip past them. I wait by the door patiently until he’s done, and as he makes his way out, not even sparing me a glance just as he did when he came in, I stick my ankle out.

He trips, exactly like I knew he would, and his face hits the ground with so much force that I figure he’ll probably have a bloody nose after this.

Our teacher, having not seen that I caused the accident, splutters a panicked rant as she riffles through her desk for the number to call the nurse with, and I take the chance to lean down as I walk past the injured boy.

“Maybe you should look where you’re going if you don’t want me to trip you next time.”

I don’t waste a second before I start booking it down the hall with a crooked grin on my face. I should be worried about what he’s going to do next, but I know at the very least that he’s not going to admit to anyone that I tripped him - that would hurt his ego too much.

I slow to a brisk walk as I enter a more congested part of the school, not wanting to run into any students or gain the attention of any hall monitors. I know I feel way too satisfied with myself over that little stunt, but how could I not when he deserved it so much? He really was asking for it with that shit-eating grin I just know he was giving me even after the teacher arrived.

Some people just need to get taken down a notch.

“(Y/N), you’re in this English class too?”

I spot Heidi waving at me from outside of the classroom I’m walking towards, and I’m hit with her relief and excitement as I approach her.

“Yup.”

“Oh thank goodness. I was so scared I wouldn’t have any friends - I was waiting out here for a bit to see who would show up,” she admits, and I nod as she gives me a quick once over with a widening smile. “You seem pretty happy. Did something good happen this morning?”

“Oh, yes, you have no idea Heidi,” I laugh to myself, knowing that I have no intention of fully telling her what happened.

“You’ll have to fill me in after we pick our seats!”

I stay silent and resign to my fate of being, once again, guided by one of the girls of South Park into a seat. I nearly jerk my arm out of her grip when I see where she’s guiding me, however, and I can’t help but form a sneer as I make eye contact with Kyle’s jade gaze.

“Hi again, Kyle! Do you mind if we sit here?”

I do.

“Go ahead!”

He’s faking a smile, he’s agitated now.

“We appreciate it!”

No, we don’t.

“I didn’t know that you were friends with (Y/N).”

Of course you wouldn’t, because you don’t like me. You wouldn’t know shit about me.

“Well, we’re becoming friends, actually! We even sit with each other at lunch on our first schedule days!”

Heidi, there’s no need to be so insecure; I know you wanted to say that we’re already friends. I could feel your joy when he asked.

“Are they alright, actually? They haven’t…said anything. Since you two sat down, I mean.”

“Oh!” Heidi turns to me, suddenly concerned about why I haven’t spoken. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you! I get distracted a bit easily - I’ve been told so, anyway.”

I don’t miss her spike in anxiety with those final words.

“So, let’s talk about you!” she bounces back to her previous mood quickly. “What made you so happy this morning? Tell me about it!”

I stare at Kyle out of the corner of my eye; he’s uncomfortable and probably wishes we hadn’t sat down here.

“Well,” I begin, almost taunting, “it actually has to do with Stan.”

The redhead immediately perks up at the mention of his best friend’s name, and I hold back a snicker at how easily he took the bait. I make the decision, sensing his curiosity, to include him in what I’m about to say.

“I saw him trip,” I make sure to emphasize the word trip as I look into the eyes of the man across from me. “He fell right into the floor, y’know. I think I may have heard a crack or something, too.”

“Oh my gosh, is he alright?”

I realize that Heidi is genuinely concerned as I turn back to face her, and I suddenly feel bad for talking up the brutality of it all. I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment as her and Kyle’s worry overwhelms me; it doesn’t last long before I block it out, though.

“He’ll be fine, Heidi,” I offer, my tone much warmer than before. “Our teacher was going to bring him to the nurse. I mean, the guy’s a football player, so he’s probably had worse falls, y’know? I just thought it was kind of funny that he could just- trip on nothing!”

I choke back a laugh at that last comment, knowing full well that it’s not nearly a lie since that’s what the boy thinks of me as - nothing.

“I’m glad that he’ll be alright,” she sighs, turning to Kyle again to see the boy on his phone. “Are you checking up on him?”

His gaze flits from the screen to Heidi, then back again as he pulls his thumb away from his mouth. I raise an eyebrow, never really having taken him for a nail-biter kind of person when he’s anxious.

“Yeah, I-” he cuts himself off for a second, placing his phone face down on the table. “He only just mentioned this happening. He didn’t tell me before.”

Oh? Maybe the two of them weren’t so close after all.

Judging from how frayed Kyle’s nerves are, I guess I’m not the only one thinking that, either.

“I’m sure he just didn’t want you to worry!” Heidi jumps in. “He knows you have class, too, Kyle. He probably didn’t want to distract you from that. I’m sure he would have told you at lunch!”

I smile at the positivity the girl beside me is managing to maintain; it’s actually impressive how she is able to keep herself psyched up. I find it even more impressive, however, that it’s actually influencing Kyle’s mood. I’m grateful for the less suffocating atmosphere between us, but it doesn’t last long as our English teacher comes in late with a familiar student in tow.

“Don’t try skipping class again, Cartman,” our teacher seethes as he releases the boy from his grip. “Especially not mine. I will hunt you down again like I did today, if I have to.”

“I don’t even need to take this fucking class!” the student gripes as he moves his crooked hat back in place. “The only people who need this shit are the fucking immigrants and retards who don’t know it.”

I find myself unphased by the cruel words coming out of his mouth, but I do quirk an eyebrow at his apparent knowledge of the language being ‘English’ and not ‘American’ as he called it for the longest time. I guess maybe school does work for some people, because I could have sworn the male was dumber before.

“I’ll file defamination charges against you assholes for making me out to be as stupid as those fuckers.”

I change my mind - he’s definitely not gotten any smarter. At all.

“Defamin- Do you mean defamation?” Kyle splutters in shock as the teacher pinches the bridge of his nose in irritation.

“No, you stupid jew, I obviously meant defamination,” Cartman counters, agitated. “Of course you wouldn’t know that, though - you’re one of the fuckers who needs this class.”

“Hey-!”

“That’s enough!”

I nearly jump at how loud the teacher’s shout is, and I’m clearly not the only one who was startled as feelings of anxiety barrage me from every side. He points a finger at an empty seat and glares at Cartman, clearly telling him to shut up with his look alone.

“Sit down. Now.”

The boy does as he’s told, grumbling a few swears under his breath as he walks. I watch as the teacher takes a deep breath before moving to write his name on the board, and I feel bad knowing how much stress this idiot alone is going to cause the poor man.

“That’s not even how those kinds of charges work, fatass,” Kyle starts up again silently, leaning in his seat to face his most hated enemy. “They’d actually have to do something for it to count as an attack on your character.”

I scoff at his statement - of course he wouldn’t leave well enough alone. Kyle just can’t stop when it comes to Eric Cartman, he always has to prove himself right when it comes to anything that comes out of his enemy’s mouth.

“Leave it, Broflovski,” I snap, finding that my patience is wearing thin after the day I’ve had. “You’re going to piss off Mr. Yvetz again.”

“That’s his name?” Cartman scoffs in disbelief. “How the fuck is he teaching an English class if that’s not even the language he speaks?”

The teacher, having very clearly overheard the boy’s words, whips around to face us with a grimace.

“Move to a farther seat. Now.”

I watch as the boy rolls his eyes and grabs his things again, preparing to get up as the teacher looks over at my table.

“One of you - not Kyle - needs to go with him. I need everyone to be kept in pairs,” he explains dryly, turning his back to us as he faces the board again.

I take the chance to finally turn back to Heidi, and I’m immediately hit with such an intense fear that I feel my heart skip a beat. Her face reflects how she’s feeling exactly, and I realize that I’ve been blocking out her emotions this whole time unconsciously.

“I’ll go,” I tell her softly, knowing that Cartman is the exact reason that she’s feeling the way she is.

This hardly seems to lessen her panic, and her eyes flit to Kyle for a moment before they focus on me again. I get the feeling that she’s not exactly excited to be alone with him, either, but I know that she’ll fare better than if she were stuck with Cartman.

The two students watch me intently as I grab my things, and I hardly spare them a glance as I finally move to my new seat. I feel bad that Heidi isn’t going to get to sit with me, because she clearly would have been the most comfortable with that; I feel worse for myself, though, since I’m stuck with probably the worst seatmate ever.

I swallow hard as I finally sit down next to the person who’s terrorized me for pretty much the entire time that I’ve known him. He doesn’t seem to notice, or simply doesn’t care about the added presence at his desk as he scribbles harshly on a paper in front of him.

I watch as he crumples it up, and a sinister grin grows on his face as he turns in his seat to launch it at where Kyle is sitting.

“Ow- hey!”

“Would you two knock it off already? I’m trying to start class!”

I stifle a groan at the bickering between the teacher and his students; this is going to be a long year if I have to put up with everyone acting this childish.

I know it’ll be made even longer by how rancid Eric Cartman’s emotions are, now that I’m stuck with them consistently next to my sorry ass.

Chapter Text

The rest of English was absolute hell to get through.

The constant arguing between Kyle and Cartman would be enough to drive anyone mad, but it was made even worse by the fact that there was pretty clearly no one who could stop them. The teacher ended up being a part of the bickering more than half of the time, and when he wasn’t, the two students would be going back and forth loud enough for everyone in the class to be given a front-row seat to their pathetic display.

Needless to say, I left that class with a pissy attitude and a desire to get away from everyone for a little while.

Things never seem to want to go my way, though, because a few minutes after I start walking the long way to my next class - a decision that I had hoped would give me some time to myself - I hear footsteps behind me.

I don’t turn around, hoping that maybe it’s just another student in a rush, but that illusion is crushed the moment someone grabs my shoulder. I nearly shout at whoever it is, but I hold back my rage when I turn to face an out-of-breath Heidi Turner. I figure she must have run out after me and lost sight of where I went, which is why she must be exhausted - she must have been looking everywhere for me.

“Sorry for disappearing on you.”

I find myself shocked by my own words as she smiles and accepts them with grace. I realize that I do feel somewhat bad for making her run around in search of me, but I didn’t expect to vocalize that.

“It’s alright! I just wanted to find you and…” she trails off, her anxiety growing as she ponders her next words. “I wanted to apologize. I just kind of froze up in English when- when he showed up so suddenly.”

She fumbles over her words as she attempts to gain my forgiveness, and I sigh as I raise a hand to stop her. She stares at my palm as I shake my head in response to her words before walking past her.

“You’re fine, Heidi. I know you don’t like him, either,” I state as she trails after me. “You don’t need to apologize for having that kind of reaction, anyway. It’s not like you can control how you feel about him.”

“How Heidi feels about who?”

I nearly jump at the new voice, and I watch as Wendy walks out from an open classroom to join us. She smiles at us, but I can tell it’s one that’s stretched too thin as she radiates concern.

“Fatass is in our English class,” I explain, and her smile pulls itself a little tighter. “I’m stuck sitting next to the asshole, and Heidi got stuck with Kyle. Now we both have them shouting in our ears while they argue across the fucking room from each other.”

“And it’s just the two of them?”

“Yup. No one else there to stop them.”

She chooses to express her concern as her eyebrows knit together, and she turns to Heidi, dropping her forced grin.

“Are you alright in that class?” she asks. “I can talk to the faculty and try to see if there’s another English that period.”

“I’ll be fine,” there’s a hint of agitation coming from the brunette that she’s trying to hide. “I can handle myself when it comes to Eric.”

I get the feeling that Heidi feels babied by Wendy’s concern, and I can see why with how far the other girl is willing to go for her friend. It’s sweet, but there comes a point where that kind of offer can be stifling.

“She’s got me, and I can make sure he leaves her alone,” I defend, and Heidi’s irritation fades almost immediately. “The moron is too busy bickering with his husband, anyway. Maybe see if you can convince the teacher to let me sit with Heidi though, yeah? They’d probably be less annoying if we’re not directly next to them.”

Wendy eyes me for a moment, considering my suggestion, before I can sense the relief roll off of her. She simply shakes her head with a genuine, knowing grin before she speaks again.

“I think I could do that for you.”

The bell rings suddenly, causing me to whip my head in the direction of my next class. I realize that we were talking for so long that I'm going to be late - my next class is halfway across the school.

“Shit, I need to get to History!” I hiss. “I shouldn’t have fucking taken the long way.”

“Wait, do you have History with Ms. Marx by any chance?” Wendy asks calmly, and I nod quickly. “I’m headed there too, actually. I was working on some student council stuff before class - I can just say that you were helping me with it.”

“Oh thank God,” I breathe, and she laughs at my reaction. “But- Heidi, what class do you have?”

“I’ve got PE, but they haven’t cared all that much when we were a bit late before,” she muses, turning on her heel to walk away. “I should probably get going before I test their patience, though. I’ll see you two later!”

I don’t waste any time watching Heidi leave as I start speeding down the hall. Wendy chases after me with warnings to slow down before we get yelled at, but I only partly listen as I focus on getting to my next class.

I’ve got more than just being late as a reason to be running over there.

I open with door with a little too much force as I let my nerves guide my actions, and the classroom of students all turn to look at me. I don’t care as much about their eyes on me, because I’m too busy focusing on Dovahkiin from their spot near the window in the back.

“I’m sorry we’re late Ms. Marx! We were finishing up some student council prep before class, and I suppose we lost track of time.”

They’re looking out the window; they didn’t even turn to see what the commotion was by the doorway when I first came in.

“They’re not in the student council, though.”

I snap my head to the person in front of Dovahkiin, and I watch as Craig Tucker points a finger at me with a blank expression. Of course he had to point that out to the teacher just to be a dick.

“I was actually moving some things around the council room, and they were walking by when I needed help with something extra heavy,” Wendy lies through her teeth with ease. “I hope it’s alright that they’re late because of me.”

“It’s alright, Wendy. You two can take your seats now,” Ms. Marx concedes with a smile. “I was just preparing to start class, so you’re actually right on time! Just try not to make this a habit.”

I think I hear the girl say something in response to the teacher, but I don’t make out the words as I rush to take the desk directly next to my friend. They still don’t turn to face me, and I get the feeling that they won’t until I say something; I can tell they’re somewhat upset because I’ve seemingly blown them off twice today.

First I was zoned out and now I show up late with Wendy - I just know that these are building up to the latter option of the two that I presented Dovahkiin with this morning.

“Wow, you must be a pretty slow r-runner if I could beat you here on my crutches,” Jimmy pipes up from next to Craig, seemingly trying to lighten my mood after sensing how stressed I am.

“I mean, you probably didn’t come here from the other side of the school.”

“Fair point.”

I attempt to reach out and tap on Dovahkiin’s arm, but Jimmy starts up again and grabs both of our attentions with his next comment.

“So, Ms. Marx, huh?” he starts, causing even Craig to side-eye him. “I guess we’ll all really be sharing the w-workload in this class.”

I breathe out of my nose to keep myself from actually letting out a laugh at his joke. I didn’t realize it until he essentially pointed it out there, but our teacher does share her last name with a certain someone who wrote a certain manifesto.

“Sick, dude. I don’t want to be a communist.”

I have to cover my mouth at Craig’s addition, and I turn my head before the teacher can look over and start to piece together what’s happening. The second I turn, though, I see that Dovahkiin has been staring at me, and I figure that they may have been for a few minutes now.

I feel a fleeting sense of sympathy from them as they look at me, but it’s quickly replaced by somewhat forced irritation. I can tell that I must look tired, just like I did this morning; they must have felt bad for me because I didn’t get enough sleep last night, and they know that.

I get why they’re irritated, though, because zoning out this morning wasn’t really my fault, but blowing them off to talk to Wendy in the hallway kind of is.

“I’m sorry today’s been a bust so far,” I murmur, and they continue to stare blankly. “I’m a real asshole for standing you up.”

In just a moment, any ill feelings between the two of us are forgiven, and I offer a smile.

“For your information, though, I’m stuck with the school’s biggest piece of shit as a seatmate in English,” I boast in an attempt to one-up the mute. “So, y’know, I think my day’s been worse overall.”

“You’re stuck with fatass?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t trying to tell you that.”

Craig goes unphased by my reaction as he shrugs and simply looks away from me again.

“Kind of sounds like you deserve it.”

I scoff, knowing that he only said that because of how I treated him seconds before. I may go a bit overboard in how badly I treat him, but he kind of deserves it for the shit he used to put me through.

“I don’t really think anyone should have to p-put up with that torture,” Jimmy thinks aloud, causing Craig to flip him off in silence.

“Thank you!”

The conversation ends after that as Ms. Marx begins our class, and I choose to pass notes with Dovahkiin rather than pay attention. I write an explanation for why I came in late with Wendy, and they seem to understand my situation a little more as they respond with drawn expressions.

I roll my eyes at their scribbled faces, but I find it charming that they chose to respond with those instead of words. They always tend to use actual words when they text me, but they find other ways of communicating their thoughts when we’re writing notes to each other in public. I think they appreciate the privacy we get from it on account of how unlikely it is that anyone else would understand whatever it is that they’re putting down.

‘Do you want me to grab our lunch today while you pick a seat? It’ll be my way of making things up to you.’

They draw a thumbs down in response.

‘What? You afraid I’m going to find another way to blow you off again?’

They give a thumbs up, this time.

‘You trust me so little, bestie - it hurts :('

They don’t put down anything else, but I can tell they enjoyed our little exchange based on the emotions they’re emanating. I don’t have to wait much longer before we can actually go to lunch, either, because class ends almost as quickly as it started, and we hastily file out of the room.

“Do you intend to just cut in line to get our food or something?” I prod as we make our way into the aforementioned lunchroom. “I don’t need you getting detention or something when we finally have the chance to hang out properly later.”

They just look at me, a mischievous glint in their eye as they break off from me with a motion to go ahead without them. I shake my head with a smile and do as they wish, claiming a random seat on the outskirts of the lunchroom. I sit in a peaceful silence that I wish I’d had more of throughout the day, but as per usual in a town like South Park, it doesn’t last long.

“Aw, come on, Bebe! Why won’t you just give me a chance?”

It sounds like Kenny is trying to get with someone way out of his league again. I barely cast a glance in his direction to confirm my suspicions, and I catch sight of him trailing after the tall girl.

“You know why, McCormick,” she responds with a hair flip before turning on her stiletto heels to look down at him. “If you can’t afford to take me out to dinner, it’s not gonna happen. Plus, you smell like a rat’s asshole. Maybe take a shower, or get some axe body spray - literally anything would be better than whatever the fuck you’re doing now.”

The blonde simply offers a grin that tells me how little he’s actually thinking about at the moment before shrugging and leaning forward on the tips of his toes to try and match Bebe’s height.

It doesn’t work.

“Just because I smell bad doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give me a chance!” he muses as she reels back with a frown. “You put on way too much perfume, but I still want to sleep with you!”

Bebe scoffs and takes a step back as the boy grins wider, but I don’t miss how amused the girl feels at the moment.

The two of them have always had an interesting dynamic in the time that I’ve known them. Bebe is easily one of the hottest girls at our school, and Kenny has been making moves to try and get with her since well into middle school. She tends to react to his advances with genuine repulsion, but that started to become more of an act that she put on the older we got; I can tell that she still doesn’t want to sleep with him, but she finds it entertaining how he still tries so hard.

Kenny gets a similar enjoyment out of their interactions, with his constant attempts to hit on her being less out of his usual horniness, and more out of a desire to keep a running joke. I can sense how amused he tends to be when he teases her like he’s doing now, and I think that may be the reason why he always continues to do it.

I know damn well that it’s not because he actually likes her anymore, which is evident by how his attraction to her got less intense over the years - and I’m so grateful for not having to feel that shit anymore.

“Kenny, the most you could offer this bitch is a fucking pop tart for dinner you poor piece of shit,” Cartman snarks as he walks up behind his friend with a lunch tray in his hands. “And I don’t know why you’d wanna sleep with the giant anyway - she’s a freak.”

I can feel the rage brewing in Bebe at that comment, and I understand exactly why. The girl grew to be taller than most of the guys in our school by Sophomore year, and while most of them find that to be attractive, there are still a few out there that think she’s weird for having the height that she does.

Eric Cartman obviously picks on her for it, being one of those virgin losers, just as he’d pick on anyone else for the things they’re insecure about.

“Shut it you fucking tub of lard!”

I watch as Red forces her way through a group of students to approach the bully, and I spot Nichole timidly following behind her. I feel a smirk coming on as the fiery redhead grabs the hem of Cartman’s shirt and lifts him off the ground just enough to immobilize him; it looks like I’m getting a show with lunch.

Red McArthur is yet another of the more well-known girls at our school, having garnered a reputation as a bad girl with a streak of violence. She shares a lot of her traits with her cousin - Craig Tucker - but is far more emotive than him. She’s also more passionate about her friends, which is probably where her violent history comes from; she doesn’t allow anyone to give them shit without having to deal with her as punishment.

All around, she’s a much better person to be around than any of the boys here. She doesn’t beat on anyone without a reason, and she tends to, more often than not, stop a lot of the bullying she sees without hesitation. She’s well respected by the student body, but the faculty tend to feel a little more reserved about her - which is fair, since she’s almost always getting sent to the guidance office.

“Do you want to get your ass beat, fat boy?” she sneers, shaking him with enough force to rattle him a bit.

“Like I’m gonna let a chick fuck me up,” he laughs, but I can tell he does it to cover up how afraid he is; forever the coward who talks too big for his own good.

“This chick has a pretty good left hook, dumbass,” she seethes, and Nichole finally puts a hand on her friend’s shoulder in a moment of bravery.

“Red, you’re causing a scene. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” she mutters loud enough for Red to hear, but not loud enough for the whole room to understand what she said.

The girl lets out a huff before shaking Nichole’s hand off of her in a way that doesn’t hurt her. She then looks back at her victim before sending him tumbling to the floor.

“That’s strike one, asshole, and there won’t be a strike two. You’re dead next time,” she hisses before turning her attention to the blonde boy who’s been oddly silent this whole time. “And you, sleaze bag? Don’t even think of harassing Bebe for the rest of lunch, or you’re next on the chopping block.”

He simply gives her a grin that confirms just how empty his head really is before he bites his lip.

“That’s hot.”

I can’t hold back my laughter anymore as Red swears at him before getting dragged away by both Nichole and Bebe. I finally spot Dovahkiin making their way towards me, and I wave them over with a smile that tells them I’m about to go on a rant. They immediately rush over to take a seat at the sight of me so excited over something, and I move to grab a fry from the unhealthy array of food items they place down in front of me.

“Dude, Kenny is so stupid holy shit,” I snicker as I take a bite out of my food. “Did you see any of that?”

They give me a nod of confirmation, and based on how amused they feel, I gather that they must have seen almost all of it. I go off about how funny it was to see Cartman get his ass handed to him anyway, and they listen peacefully as we make our way through our lunch. I’m grateful for how willing they are to lend an ear to my nonsense, and I realize how much I’ve actually missed them today. Dovahkiin really is the greatest friend I could ask for, and I’m so glad they forgave me so easily; they never were one to stay petty over anything to do with me.

I’m hoping that’s the case when they decide whether they’re going to get back at me or not later, anyway.

***

“(Y/N)! I thought I saw you in the corner,” Nichole calls out as I make my way out of lunch in a crowd of students. “I’m sorry I didn’t come over, I was trying to-”

“Calm Red down? I saw!” I yell back over the crowd. “We’ll just have to sit together next time or something. I’ll see you later!”

I barely hear her affirmation over the chattering group of teenagers, but I know that it was something along the lines of a ‘yes’ anyway. I take the chance to say goodbye to Dovahkiin before we get separated by waves of traffic, and I start on my way to the last class on my second schedule day - PE.

I genuinely can’t begin to express just how much I hate the gym classes at this school. The favoritism they express towards any student on a sports team is so blatantly obvious that I’m surprised PC Principal hasn’t noticed and taken up a problem with it. The only reason I’ve managed to survive three years of it is because I’ve gotten so good at making it look like I’m doing something that teachers don’t really double-check to see if I actually am.

I shudder the second I pass through the set of double doors leading to the sports fields, and I feel resentment over their choice to hold classes outside regardless of the weather in South Park. I already hate how cold it is, but I just know I’m going to despise it once I actually have to change into the gym uniform the next time we have class.

I am not looking forward to PE this year.

“Howdy, (Y/N)!”

I take that back - maybe it won’t be so bad.

“Hey, Leopold,” I greet back as the blonde rushes over to me. “I nearly forgot we had this period together. How’s your day been?”

“Well, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day!” he enthuses, and I feel myself smile a little at his comment. “Most of my classes were uh, pretty boring. I didn’t have any with Eric, though! I was a little happy about that.”

He nearly whispers the last part, and I know he did on the off chance that the boy in question would actually hear him. I let out a groan at the mention of his name regardless, which causes Leopold to give me a questioning glance.

“It seems like I got your share of Cartman, then,” I complain, and he frowns at the admission. “I have to deal with him like twice on this schedule, and one of those times is when I’m sitting next to him in English.”

“Aw hamburgers! You’ve got it real bad,” he whines, and I shake my head as I sense his growing worry.

“I’ve got Wendy on the case, Leo. She’s gonna get my seat changed, or something like that,” I explain. “Don’t worry about it for now, alright? Let’s just find something to do with this class period.”

“Did you wanna walk the track?”

“Sure. I mean, it’s something to do.”

We head over to the track in question, which is about half a mile if you walk all the way around it. I figure the teacher will probably be satisfied to see us go around it a few times for today, and it’ll give me the chance to catch up with Leopold.

I thought I would have the chance to do that, anyway, if it weren’t for a certain student with a purple bruise spanning across his face walking straight towards me.

“I thought I recognized you!” Stan seethes as he comes to a stop in front of me.

“I’m surprised! I thought you said you didn’t know who I was,” I snark, and he scowls at my response.

“I had to sit in the nurse’s office holding ice to my face for half the fucking day because of you!”

“I don’t see how that’s my fault when you’re the one who didn’t watch where you were going.”

That was clearly the wrong thing to say as I sense a flare in agitation from the jock, and I take a step back. Leopold watches me with wide eyes as I give him a small wave before turning around.

“I’ll have to see you later man. Clearly, I’m about to get hunted by this butthurt moron.”

I take off the second after I say that with Stan in tow, and I realize that I may not have thought this through as he gains on me pretty quickly. Leave it to me to point out that he’s a football player while not actually registering that he is one.

I guide him to the chainlink fence blocking off the sets of bleachers, deciding that I could probably get away if he gets hurt again. I know my plan will work the second I jump out of the way and he rams full force into the chain wall.

For the second time today, I take off after Stan gets injured in favor of avoiding consequences, and I make my way underneath the bleachers that I was running towards, out of breath.

“Damn, what’s got you so worked up?”

I see turn to see Red smoking a cigarette against the underside of the seats, and I’m relieved when I see that it’s just her.

“Just giving someone a little trouble.”

She looks back over her shoulder for a moment, and we listen to the string of swears coming from the boy I just left behind. I see a smirk grow on her face before she turns back to face me.

“Indeed you did.”

We both go silent for a moment as I finally steady my breathing again, and I feel the need to ask-

“Are you even in this class?”

“Yeah. I just can’t be bothered to actually go out there and run around like a headless chicken right now.”

“Fair enough,” I concede. “You’ll at least join us for volleyball though, right? You’re fucking great at that.”

“When the time comes,” she muses, blowing out a puff of smoke before she points a finger at me. “You’d better hope I’m on your team.”

Chapter Text

I stayed underneath the bleachers with Red for the remainder of class, and the two of us talked about all sorts of things. I learned quite a bit about her school life, which did end up surprising me a fair amount as I found out how often she plans on skipping classes this year. She told me that she didn’t want to waste as much time in a classroom as she feels she has been in previous years; I told her to just make sure she turned in her work.

She smiled at that, and I get the feeling that she was planning on doing it anyway. Red is a smart girl, and there’s no way she’d let her grades fall that bad since she does have plans on graduating, after all. That, and Wendy would absolutely get on her ass if she started failing her classes.

Wendy also probably wouldn’t be too happy if she found out one of her close friends was smoking, either.

My parting words to Red at the end of class consisted of a swear to secrecy on her use of cigarettes, and a long list of praises for the little stunt that she pulled at lunch. She was glad that I enjoyed it at least, considering how visceral both of her friend’s reactions were after the fact.

At that, I made a joke about how Wendy would feel when she inevitably found out about Red’s little show. That seemed to make her think for a moment, and she left faster than I could even give a proper goodbye. I found it amusing that she thought she’d be able to escape her friend’s wrath - no one could get away from Wendy Testaburger’s retribution if they tried.

Now, after finding myself alone once again, I take the chance to walk over to where I last left my bag. Just like all of the other students, I put it on the set of bleachers closest to the school since it’s the only place where your stuff can stay decently dry on the constantly snow-covered field. I note how my backpack is the only one left on the bench when I get to it, and I look towards the school for a moment.

I know Leopold is most likely inside right now - he found me with Red earlier to let me know that he was taking Stan to the nurse’s office. He took his things with him, no doubt planning ahead for the possibility that the jock would keep him from coming back to class.

The fact that I’m walking back to the building alone confirms that suspicion, but I’m more worried about why he hasn’t come back out to meet me yet. There’s no chance in hell that he’d just leave without saying goodbye, and I’m stuck with the feeling that something may have gone wrong with Stan.

I re-enter the school with a growing sense of unease, and I set out in an attempt to find my friend. Thankfully, I don’t have to search very far, or for very long, as I spot him nearly sprinting towards the main entrance of the building. I’m relieved at the sight of him appearing seemingly unharmed, aside from his evident nervous aura.

“Leo!” I shout, his head whipping around almost immediately to face me as he forces himself to come to a sudden stop.

“Well hey, (Y/N)!” he greets me with a genuine grin before his expression starts to match his emotions. “I can’t talk too long, the fellas are waiting for me. I don’t uh, I don’t wanna keep them too long in case they get mad.”

“You have plans with those assholes?” I blurt out in surprise, causing him to cringe for a moment before he rushes to explain himself.

“I was gonna tell you in PE, but Mr. Lorenz had me take Stan to the nurse’s office. Also, Eric was uh, kinda mad about the other day, so he didn’t really give me a choice this time,” he murmurs, knuckles rubbing together as his eyes travel from me to the exit. “Stan ain’t gonna be too happy if I’m late, either. He wasn’t in a good mood when we left the nurse - said I was bein’ annoying, ‘cause I kept asking him if he was alright.”

I nearly scoff at just hearing how the bastard reacted to Leopold checking in on him. Stan actually had the audacity to yell at the poor boy for simply caring about him? I thought that the prick wouldn’t be able to surprise me anymore after all these years, and yet he still finds ways to prove to me that he’s worse than I believed.

He absolutely deserved everything that he was put through today, and I’d gladly force him through it again if it meant that he’d be faced with his obviously overdue karma.

“Dovahkiin was actually gonna drive me, so I uh, I don’t wanna leave them alone for too long,” Leopold quickly continues, his addition completely derailing my train of thought. “It was real nice of them to offer, ‘cause I know they don’t like the fellas all that much.”

“Dovahkiin was planning on going with you?” I sputter in disbelief, and he cocks his head to the side in confusion.

“I mean, they were plannin’ to keep me company after school since Eric is in a mood today. I thought they woulda said something already, 'cause they didn’t seem too worried when I asked about you,” he thinks for a moment, his focus shifting as his face contorts to match his intense concentration. “He actually wanted me to tell you something when I saw you, too. It was, uh, ‘if it suits the crime’, or - no, that ain’t right. It was-”

“If the punishment fits the crime.”

“Well geez, (Y/N)! It’s like you just read my mind!”

I’m hit with a sudden clarity as I glance past the blonde, right through the glass doors behind him. I knew Dovahkiin was going to get me back at some point today, but I had no clue that this was how they would go about it.

On the surface, leaving me to grapple with the plans they made without my knowledge might not seem like much of a punishment, but it makes sense. As it is with any revenge they seek, the punishment is befitting of the crime. They always did like to be fair when getting back at people, and their agenda aligns perfectly with my spontaneous plans throughout the day.

“Touche, Dovahkiin - you sly bastard,” I mutter out under a laugh before I focus back on the boy in front of me, his anxiety from before having grown worse with my silence. “I’ll let you head out now since I don’t want those losers getting mad at you. I know Dovah won’t be able to keep them under control forever. I’ll see you tomorrow in Calculus, okay?”

“Alright!” he calms down surprisingly quickly at my words. “You have a good rest of your day, (Y/N)!”

“You too, Leo. Don’t let them push you around too much, or I might just have to put them all in the nurse’s office next time!”

He gives me a sad smile in response, leaving me somewhat shocked at how honest his expression reflects his actual emotions. The feeling is short-lived, however, as it quickly changes into something more bitter after watching him full-on bolt to the main entrance. He’s more frantic to get out than he was before, and I know that it’s because he’s terrified of how Cartman will react if he ends up being late.

Maybe putting the entirety of Team Stan in the nurse’s office is a viable option, after all.

I smirk at the thought, but clear my mind before I get any serious ideas - now isn’t the time to think about getting them back. I approach the very doors that Leopold just ran out of, and take the chance to follow his example as I finally leave school for the day.

I should be more worried about getting home right now than anything else, since I now have to walk halfway across town because the car isn’t an option. Curse Dovahkiin for letting me get so used to being a passenger princess in our shared car, but curse me more for invoking their wrath, I guess.

At least I know Leopold will be safe and cared for this afternoon since Dovahkiin is there for him.

After finally getting outside again, I refocus my thoughts - or at least, I try to before I end up stealing a glance at the parking lot by the front of the school. I can’t help myself as I look over the remaining students loitering on the property in the hopes that my best friend may still be among them.

Naturally, they’re already gone, probably saving Leopold from facing any sort of unnecessary punishment from his “friends”. I feel myself smile knowing that they’re off helping the boy, and while a part of me will miss them this afternoon, I know that they were needed elsewhere.

I cut my pointless search short as I decide to depart from the high school and start my journey home. I’ve spent way too much time here already, and I’ll be damned if I waste any more today.

I walk relatively fast as I make a beeline straight into town, mentally preparing myself for how many people are going to be around. It’s actually a decent afternoon, and when the day is as nice as it is now, people like to spend it outside; that really isn’t a surprise since there’s nearly nothing to do indoors around here. The best ways to entertain yourself are either out of your house - unless you’re a shut-in gamer or something - or you just have to make something up with your friends for fun.

I guess that’s how Dovahkiin ended up getting to know seemingly everyone in South Park. They got roped into that weird Stick of Truth game that the boys made up as kids when they had literally just moved here. That’s probably how they became friendly with both Team Stan and Team Craig - it would have been hard for them to do that now since the two groups don’t get along as well as they supposedly used to.

It’s not like either of us keeps up with that drama too much, though - there are more important things to be doing than worrying about which high school boys are being petty and why. I only pay attention to the things that I find interesting about each of them, which admittedly isn’t a lot because I find them more annoying than interesting. It’s pretty clear to me that they don’t care about anyone outside of their groups all that much, either, considering how few people they actually know outside of their friends.

I’m certain that, at the very least, not a single one of them remembers who I am or what they did to me.

I feel my expression sour alongside my mood at that last thought, and I let out a sigh as I try to clear my mind. My hand makes its way to my hair as I attempt to push it back out of my face to calm down and salvage my afternoon, but I flinch back at the feeling of how cold it is against my forehead. I let out a small string of swears as I press both hands to my cheeks to check their temperature, and my skin is left feeling numb, aside from the cool feeling now traveling to the rest of my face.

“Fuck, I thought I wouldn’t need my gloves today,” I grit out, realizing how cold it’s gotten in just half an hour. “I’ve lived here for seven years! You think I’d know better than to go out unprepared in this fucking town.”

I hold onto a feeble hope as I lean against a building to fish around in my bag, but I come up empty-handed, just like I knew I would. The last place I left my gloves was in my car, in the glove box, where the name suggests I should leave them. I thought it would be funny to bring it up with Dovahkiin every time I needed them when we went out, and while it is amusing because they get annoyed each time I bring it up, right now it is the furthest thing from entertaining for me.

My hands are fucking freezing and I’ve still got a long way to walk.

I shove them in my pockets to give them a chance to warm up while I consider what I should do next. Clearly, leaving them in my jacket for the whole walk home isn’t an option, considering how my skin is already absorbing the cold through my clothes.

I realize that my best option would probably be to go inside someplace and let myself warm up before I attempt the rest of my walk - maybe my hands could stay warm in my pockets after that.

I decide to go ahead with my plan as I look around where I chose to stop, and my eyes trail over a few familiar places, but none of them seem all that appealing to visit. If I’m going to stand around in some random store, I don’t want it to be obvious that I’m trying to get away from the cold.

My eyes finally land on a specific shop after a moment of frantic searching, and I can feel myself cringing as I read the sign above it. I know I’m cold, and it’s the kind of place where I won’t seem weird for loitering, but…

Am I really willing to go into Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse?

I don’t think there are any other places nearby that I could get away with warming up in, but knowing what they put in their coffee, I’m not sure I’m even alright with going inside. Not to mention, there’s the threat of Tweek either showing up while I’m in there or being inside already since his family owns the place. With the migraine I’m sure to get just from being around him, I can’t say that I’m entirely willing to go forward with this plan.

I purse my lips and quickly bring my hands up to observe them again, and just the sight of how violently red they are helps me make up my mind.

The little bell attached to the door chimes once I step through it, and I flinch as the couple manning the store looks over at me. I recognize them as Tweek’s parents from the few times I’ve seen them outside of this place, and I try my best to hold back a frown.

I may not like Tweek because of his erratic emotions, but I hate his parents because they’re the ones responsible for that.

“Welcome to Tweek Coffee!” Ms. Tweak starts, and I hesitantly step further into the store as their other customers continue with their business. “What can we get for you today? Would you like to try some of our freshly brewed coffee?”

“I’m not really interested in your coffee, actually. I haven’t heard the best things about it, so I’ll probably have something else.”

She’s taken aback by how forward I am with my response, and I watch as her smile wavers a little before she bounces back and motions me over to the counter. I hold back a smirk at how put off she feels - it serves her right for helping run what’s basically a drug-peddling business.

I finally move towards the register, completely ignoring the woman as I take the chance to glance past her and look over the menu. I scan the entire thing for any beverage other than a coffee, but there aren’t too many that appeal to me. An ice-cold water is the last thing that I need right now, and I don’t know how much I trust their lemonade solely on the basis that it rivals even Panera in its caffeine levels. I really just need something to warm up my hands, so the only thing I can see myself getting is-

“Well, hello there!” Mr. Tweak approaches me from behind the counter, and he joins his wife as I finally focus back on them. “I heard that you happen to be a little skeptical of our drinks here. Let me tell you, we serve nothing but the finest quality coffee. Yes, we homebrew everything, putting extra care into each cup that we make-”

“Yeah, okay, that’s neat I guess,” I interrupt, his eyes shooting to me as his mouth snaps shut. “I want a hot chocolate. A small one, please.”

His wife’s mouth opens now, and then it closes, and then she’s floundering for a moment, trying to figure out what to do in this situation. He, on the other hand, stays silent, with his smile straining as he finally figures out what he’s going to say to me.

“This- Hot chocolate is a nice choice…” he begins, his smile twitching for a moment as he motions to the backroom he had walked out from before. “But wouldn’t you like to try a smooth, freshly brewed cup of-”

“No thanks, I really just want the hot chocolate.”

I don’t have to wait long for them to get me what I actually wanted, instead of trying to pressure me into buying their drug-riddled coffee. I pay Ms. Tweak what I owe, and revel in how confused she feels the entire time she’s ringing me out. Mr. Tweak brings me my drink, and in passing, I sense that he’s just as confused by my order, if not upset by it.

I find it amusing that they’re falling apart over something so trivial; they must clearly be used to only selling coffee because of how many people they’ve gotten addicted to it.

Once I choose where I want to sit with my questionable drink, I make the decision that I’m never going to buy anything from here again for two reasons. The first is that their sizing is actually bullshit, because small doesn’t just mean small, it means you’ll be getting a fucking kid-size drink. Second, they definitely overcharged for this shit - it cost like five dollars for something that I can down faster than a shot!

I move past my grievances, and with my hands warming against the small container, I take a moment to contemplate its contents. Based on the reactions Tweek’s parents had to me buying this, I can assume that it’s probably safe to drink. Probably.

If not, I guess Dovahkiin will beat my ass for coming here and getting addicted to this crap.

I hesitantly raise the styrofoam cup to my lips and…

This is quite possibly the worst-tasting hot chocolate I have ever had in my entire life.

I nearly spit it back into the cup the second I actually taste it, but I hold back and manage to force it down. I feel my face contorting in disgust as I place the beverage back down on the table and I quickly push it away from me.

I know for a fact there’s no meth in that now because it tasted like fucking ass. I genuinely thought that it would at least pass by normal standards, but I had no idea that it would be that bad holy shit.

I’m relieved that I’ll be okay physically after drinking that - although that’s honestly questionable now that I’m ingesting it - but mentally, I’ll never recover from the experience. I really regret not having anything to wash it down with; there’s no chance I’d buy water here, though, knowing that I’d get charged out of my ass for one.

I decide that I’ve had enough of this place, and I get up from my seat to leave. I choose to abandon my cup on the table that I initially put it down on - I’ll at least get some small revenge for that awful hot chocolate by leaving it out for Tweek’s parents to deal with.

Satisfied with my choice, I swiftly exit the store to continue on my way home. I don’t want to wait too long before I actually walk the rest of the way, with the threat of everything becoming colder from a sudden weather shift looming over my head in the form of actual clouds.

My hands stay safely tucked in my pockets as I traverse my way through town much faster than I had been before. This time, I’m actually able to retain some warmth due to my plan succeeding, and I’m grateful that I’ll have some peace of mind as I finish my journey home.

That doesn’t last long, though, as I’m suddenly hit with an intense wave of aggression and fear.

I whip my head in the direction that I’m sensing it from - an alleyway between two buildings, somehow appearing shady even in the light of day. I find it both concerning and dumbfounding that it looks that way, all things considered, and I stop to try and assess the situation.

I can tell that there are two people somewhere in there based on the smugness radiating off of the second person. That mix of emotions doesn’t bode well for whatever's happening, and I can’t help but slowly inch closer to try and see what’s going on inside.

The closer I get, I can hear voices - or rather, one voice as someone talks down to another person. I keep my distance, preferring to keep myself safe instead of rushing into danger, and I peek around the corner to see who's there.

The first person I spot is a cop, mindlessly waving his gun around in the face of his company, and I glare at the pig once I realize that the safety is off on his weapon. I glance at the person he’s harassing to see a muscular, blonde boy clenching his fists around his tattered flannel shirt, and I can sense all of the anger that he’s doing his best to hold in with that action.

Already, I can tell that I’ve chosen the wrong option by getting this close to the two of them by myself.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything!” the blonde sneers, his voice defined by a southern accent clearly being made heavier by his rage. “You’re accusing the wrong guy. I was just gonna go home, that’s it!”

“Real likely, wise guy,” the moron jeers, pointing his weapon at the boy again. “I don’t believe shit when it’s coming from you ex-convicts. You’re just a guilty criminal, and you always will be. Just admit what you were really going to do so I can take you in.”

“I’m telling you, I wasn’t gonna do anything-!”

“Knock it off, pig! Can’t you tell that he’s fucking innocent?”

I make my presence known with my voice, choosing not to reveal myself just yet at the threat that I could be shot on sight. It clearly gets both of them to shut up as they look in the direction that I spoke, and I take the chance to continue.

“He’s obviously scared, so why don’t you just leave him alone?!”

“Oh!” the officer points his gun down at the sight of me finally moving around the corner. “Well, shoot, that’s sweet of you to look out for me, but I’m certainly not scared kid!”

“Not you, you animal - I’m talking about him!” the cop turns in surprise to face the blonde, who is now confused as he looks on in extreme interest. “You think you can get away with just harassing people like that because of your position - because you think they deserve it? You’re a fucking asshole, and there are obviously going to be consequences for that shit! Aren’t you even a little scared of what’ll happen if you get reported?!”

“I’m an officer of the law, kid, I’m not scared of some brat making empty threats,” he tries to mask his fear, but I sense it anyway, and I feel myself focusing intensely on that emotion.

“You should be.”

In an instant, his fear grows so immense that it brings him falling to his knees. He’s hyperventilating as I watch him, a grin growing on my face as he looks up at me, that very emotion he forced onto an innocent victim reflecting in his eyes.

After a moment, a pool starts to form around his legs, and I realize that he just pissed his pants.

He just peed himself because I forced him to be that scared.

I come back to my senses all at once, releasing the man from my hold over his emotions, and he quickly scrambles to his feet to run away, giving me one last look of terror before he finally flees. I find myself mimicking his panic from moments before as I stare at where he was just seated on the ground.

“Hey, what the hell was that?” I can’t bring myself to look at the person I just saved as I start to back up. “Are you alright? What did you just do to him? Who are you?”

I take off without another second of hesitation, the boy yelling out behind me in concern as I push myself to go faster than I should. I keep going further, forcing myself to continue towards my destination, my mind too jumbled to figure out where that even is.

I rush past buildings, people yelling at me to slow down, and eventually, I make it out of the main part of town, back into a neighborhood I recognize. My neighborhood.

The fog in my mind clears as I slow down to catch my breath, and I end up kneeling on the sidewalk as I try to steady my frenzied breathing. I realize now that I’m here, I was trying to run home, which is exactly where I’ve been trying to return to all afternoon.

I calm down after a few minutes, relieved to finally be back, so close to somewhere I can be alone. I realize, though, that I don’t think I want to be alone right now - not with my thoughts, not with what just happened, not after what I did.

I force myself up and begin to drag myself the rest of the way home, feeling somber once I remember how late my mother is going to be out tonight. I don’t want to be by myself right now, I just can’t, and yet-

Dovahkiin notices me the second I pass by the car parked in my driveway. Their eyes widen, and I feel mine do the same as my gaze travels from their face to the gloves they’re holding in their hands. My gloves.

The sight of my best friend waiting beside our car, an actual expression of concern etched onto their face as they move to put my gloves on my hands, nearly brings me to tears. I do my best to hold them back, feeling so relieved to see Dovahkiin here - so genuinely happy that they showed up when I needed them, even though they had no way of knowing that.

Once the gloves are on my hands, they hold mine between their own, and I realize just how cold I’ve gotten again. Their expression doesn’t change until they look into my eyes again, seemingly double-checking that I’m alright, and then they look immensely relieved.

They don’t waste any time before trapping me in a hug, their arms wrapped tightly around me as they bury their face into my shoulder. I can sense their worry, their relief, their joy - and I relish in having them by my side again as I hug them back.

We stay like that, silently holding each other until the snow begins to fall.