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The weather in early spring was always too finicky, a real box of chocolates sort of situations. Some days made it hard to believe it wasn’t already summer, some were nothing but a torrential downpour, and some seemed like they’d be normal until the wind chill came along.
Today was that third kind of day.
His weather app predicted warmth, but Kyle couldn’t stop shivering, his shoulders tense and arms bare. Inside the school wasn’t going to be any better– the administration cheaped out and cut heating at the first sign of winter’s retreat. The bastards.
“Don’t you have anything at your house?” Kenny asked, standing beside him at the bus stop. Kyle glared, envious of his hoodie, though Kenny was the type to wear it even during the hottest month of summer. That should mean he was cold too, but he gave no impression as such.
“I do,” Kyle grumbled, “but Ike took the car this morning to practice driving so it’s bus or walking. And I’m not risking missing the bus and fucking walking.”
“That sucks.” Kenny exhaled and rocked back and forth on his heels. “But I’m not gonna give you my jacket.”
“Prick.”
“It’s weird that you’re not over prepared with layers and shit,” Kenny said. “You don’t have anything?”
“I mean…” Kyle frowned. There was a jacket in his bag, actually, but it wasn’t his jacket. Clyde had left his letterman at Kyle’s last night after some sort of family emergency cut their tutoring session short. The soft, well-worn cotton and thick leather sleeves were tempting but Clyde worshipped the damn thing. He’d probably get upset if he saw Kyle wearing it.
The bus rolled to a stop in front of them and Kyle quickly climbed in. It was a little better, with no direct contact with the wind, but definitely still cold. Stan sat next to Tolkien already, in the middle of some kind of conversation, and Kenny plopped down next to Butters. Kyle made his way to the back where the only free seats left were and hugged his backpack to his chest, hoping that would keep him sort of warm.
The sound of heavy clambering made Kyle look to the front at the next stop. He made eye contact with Clyde (the source of the noise), who broke into a huge grin and rushed to sit beside him.
“You brought her?” Clyde asked, leaning towards him expectantly.
“Your jacket?” Kyle laughed. “Yeah, I have ‘her’. Just a sec.” He set his backpack at his feet and zipped it open, taking out the letterman jacket that he’d folded on top of his books. It had mostly stayed neat.
“My baby!” Clyde took it from him. “Thank you dude, I can’t even believe I left her…” He hugged the jacket to his face, inhaling deeply before taking it away, looking confused. He sniffed it more purposefully. “Did you wash this?”
“Just some Febreeze,” Kyle said. “I don’t know how you wash it normally but it kind of reeked.”
“And you folded her too…” Clyde mumbled.
“Well, yeah, I wasn’t about to crumple it in my bag.”
“Huh.” Clyde held the jacket in his hands, thumbing the embroidered “SP” on the breast. He glanced over at Kyle and frowned. “A T-shirt is kinda chilly for this weather.”
“No shit,” Kyle said. “I didn’t know it was gonna be this cold today.”
“Do you wanna wear her?”
“What?”
“My letterman.” Clyde held the jacket up to Kyle. “You clearly understand how important she is and how to take care of her. So, you know, it’s okay if you wanna wear her today.”
“Are you sure?” Kyle glanced back and forth between Clyde and the jacket, unsure even though his hands were already on the sleeves, ready to grab and slip it on.
“Yeah,” Clyde said. “I’ve already got a jacket on and I’ll be over at your place again for more tutoring so I’ll take it back then.”
“Oh dude, you’re a lifesaver.” Kyle took the jacket from Clyde and put it on. It was too big for him, meant for someone with broad shoulders and a chubbier frame like Clyde, but the oversized nature trapped the heat better. Kyle sighed, content. “Thanks Clyde.”
“Yeah,” Clyde smiled. “Thanks for… helping me with physics.” Kyle nodded, sinking back in his seat and letting the collar of the jacket come up to his face. Physics was no big deal to him– he was more than happy to help Clyde get a passing grade in the class if warmth was his reward.
Stepping off the bus, Kyle joined the huddle of his friends who stood waiting for him. They all stared at him strangely, Kenny in particular opening his mouth like he was about to say something, then shutting it and smacking his lips, letting out a quick “Hm” before taking out his phone and typing something.
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Is uh… Is that Clyde’s letterman jacket?” Stan glanced at the jacket in question, then back at Kyle.
“Yeah? It’s cold and I forgot a jacket, so he’s letting me borrow it,” Kyle shrugged.
“Kyle, you know, I… I have a letterman jacket you could wear,” Stan said. “Do you want to wear my letterman?”
“Thanks Stan, but I’m good for today.” Kyle clapped Stan’s shoulder appreciatively, then nodded towards the school and started walking towards the doors. Stan fumbled for a moment, but soon followed behind him, with Kenny and Butters bringing up the rear.
The feeling of being watched never left Kyle that whole morning, nor did the occasional hushed conversation when onlookers thought he was out of earshot. He even caught Stan staring at him more than usual, somewhat annoyed too, and he refused to say why. Kyle stormed into the bathroom at one point after third period, trying to figure out if there was something weird on his face or the back of his pants. There wasn’t. His breath didn’t even smell to the best of his judgement.
Lunch came and Kyle started to make his way to the cafeteria, only to be stopped outside the doorway by Bebe.
“Oh my god,” she moaned. “I didn’t wanna believe Kenny when he told me but—”
“Believe what?” Kyle tried to push past her but she put hand on his chest to keep him in place. Even if she was shorter than him, she’d always been pretty strong. “Goddamn it Bebe, let me go eat lunch!”
“Not before we chat.” She craned her neck back, looking for someone as she snapped her fingers. She had presumably been trying to signal to and summon Craig, as he appeared behind her moments later.
“We’re doing this now?” Craig asked, slightly annoyed (or maybe that was just how the pitch of his voice always sounded).
“Yes! Apparently we should’ve done it sooner but now is gonna have to do.” Bebe looped her arm in a protesting Kyle’s and dragged him down one of the less trafficked half hallways. He managed to fight free of her grasp but turned to find Craig behind him, not particularly intimidatingly but definitely blocking his path. Kyle groaned and resigned himself to whatever weird thing the two seemed determined about; the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could get on with his day like normal.
“Ok, so do I get to know what the fuck is going on or do I have to guess?” Kyle crossed his arms.
“You don’t know?” Bebe huffed and looked past Kyle at Craig. “This is so like him not to tell him.”
“I wouldn’t put it past Clyde to have just forgotten,” Craig said.
“Clyde?” Kyle frowned.
“Yes, Clyde.” Bebe took Kyle’s hands in her own and smiled. “He was supposed to warn you about this but obviously he forgot. I want to start by telling you that Craig and I approve of you already—”
“Speak for yourself,” Craig chuckled, but stopped when Bebe glared at him.
“Ignore Craig,” Bebe continued, back to smiling at Kyle. “He’s being difficult because he’s an asshole but we talked about this already—” she said that in a warning tone, looking pointedly at Craig— “and we agreed, you’re all good. You have full permission from the Clyde Protection Squad. We just need to go over some Clyde Basics with you.”
“Clyde Basics for what?” Kyle’s brain was struggling to keep up, still very much in the dark.
“The dating basics.” Bebe rolled her eyes like it was obvious. “Between my having dated him for two years and Craig being his best friend, we’ve got you covered. So, the first thing you gotta know is that he loves to go overboard for the stupidest little anniversaries, like the two months after the first time you held hands.”
“Yeah so always keep candy or something on you so you can pretend you didn’t forget,” Craig said.
“Right,” Bebe agreed. “Secondly—”
“Hold up!” Kyle shook his head, finally registering what was happening. “I’m not dating Clyde!”
“Oh…” Bebe sucked a breath in through her teeth. “Is it a friends with bennies kinda thing? The basics for that are a little different.”
“No it’s not a ‘friends with bennies’ thing, it’s not anything!”
“But you’re wearing his jacket.” Bebe grabbed the open front and flapped it accusingly. “He didn’t let me anywhere near this thing until after we’d kissed, like, five times.”
“He let me wear it once,” Craig said. “But he supervised the whole time.”
“Yeah, Kyle, you don’t have to lie to us,” Bebe said. “If you’re scared of telling your family or breaking the news to Stan, we’re totally fine with keeping a secret.”
“What does Stan have to do with any of this?” Kyle pushed Bebe’s hands away. “You guys are insane. I’m going to have lunch, do NOT follow me!” He ran from the pair before they could stop him, anxiously checking for them over his shoulder as he stood and waited for the lunch lady to put food on his tray. Once he finally had his lunch, Kyle searched for a place to sit. Bebe and Craig had returned too, sitting next to each other at a table with Clyde who was too preoccupied with talking to Jimmy to notice how they stared back and forth between him and Kyle.
Definitely not there.
There was his usual spot, at a table next to Stan and across from Kenny, but when Kyle glanced that way he saw Stan giving him the same weird stare he’d been giving him all day which, Kyle was beginning to suspect, had to do with the fact that he assumed Kyle started dating Clyde without telling him. That was very against the super best friend code, the exact sort of bullshit that Stan would put too much weight and meaning into. Kenny was furiously typing something on his phone, likely a text to Bebe who was now also on hers, typing just as fast.
Fuck that.
Kyle settled on the chemistry classroom down the hall. He felt like a loser, flicking on the lights and sitting at an empty desk all alone, but if that was the choice he was left with, he’d suck it up. He’d talk to Clyde after school, before they started studying, and ask him to clear things up with Craig and Bebe. Then hopefully Bebe would text Kenny and tell him. A good night’s sleep would clear Stan’s head a bit, or at least calm him down, and Kyle would explain gently on the bus tomorrow that he was not dating Clyde. 24 hours from now, things would be back to normal.
He was too busy wallowing and wishing those 24 hours were already up to notice that the classroom door had opened and someone walked in until suddenly there was a body sitting on the desk next to the one he was at.
“Oh God!” Kyle glared up at Craig, perched atop the desk with an elbow on his thigh and his hand cradling his cheek. “What did I fucking say?”
“You said you’re not dating Clyde,” Craig answered, entirely unfazed by Kyle’s anger.
“I said not to follow me!”
“Yeah, that too.” Craig brought his other hand to his other cheek, his face resting in both palms now. “I think you’re telling the truth. About not dating him.”
“So, what, you’ve come to apologize for harassing me?” Kyle stabbed at the miserably overcooked chicken on his lunch tray.
“No. I came to tell you that you’re not dating him but Clyde definitely wants you to be.” Kyle’s eyes flicked up from the chicken to Craig, still pissed but not so pissed he wasn’t willing to hear this out. Craig took a deep breath and sighed out, like finding the right words exhausted him beyond belief.
“You guys really started hanging out, when, beginning of this year?” Craig finally asked.
“Beginning of the school year,” Kyle clarified. “More like October. He asked me to tutor him so he could keep his grades up. Better chances at a good athletic scholarship that way.”
“He’s full of shit,” Craig said. “Clyde’s been committed to CSU since the summer. All he has to do is keep his grades in the B range or above and he can do that without your help.”
“What?!” Kyle sat back, as if leaning further away from Craig would make him recant his statement.
“He had this weird thing where he thought if he said anything online or went around bragging, he’d jinx it and they’d rescind their offer.” Craig waved a hand flippantly, clearly judging Clyde’s superstitions. “I mean, he does suck ass at physics but getting a good athletic scholarship isn’t why he asked you to tutor him.”
“If you’re lying to me—” Kyle started to say, but Craig fished his phone out of his pocket and showed Kyle the screen. It was already open to a page on the CSU website, announcing next year’s incoming freshmen. Among the names was, indeed, one Clyde Donovan. Kyle grabbed Craig’s phone anyway and brought the screen close to his face. If this was a trick, it held up incredibly well against his close scrutinization. The website seemed to be legit and official, which made Craig’s story legit and official too. Kyle slowly handed the phone back.
“I don’t know if you don’t get it or you’re in denial,” Craig said, pocketing his phone again, “but that jacket really does mean a lot to Clyde. He wouldn’t lend it to you to wear all day if you weren’t special to him.” Craig pushed himself off the desk and stood in the gap between it and Kyle’s. “Also, don’t get mad at him for not telling you about CSU. He’s dumb. And shy.” With a final nod, Craig walked out of the classroom, leaving Kyle alone again with the smell of chemicals as well as a dryness in his mouth that was not coming from the chicken.
The rest of the school day was hazy, as Kyle spent it reassessing every interaction he’d ever had with Clyde, even all the way back to the fourth grade. Craig did know Clyde better than anyone so Kyle went with his advice to not get mad; the only remaining emotion was extreme nervousness. It squirmed in Kyle’s chest and stomach as he sat on the bus home, Clyde beside him rambling on about how much having a bottom locker sucked. The feeling wouldn’t leave, even as they got off the bus and walked to Kyle’s home and Kyle turned his keys in the lock of his front door.
“Broflovski house, what’s good!” Clyde greeted as he stepped inside.
“Nothing!” Ike answered like the smartass he was, sprawled on the couch and eating hummus off his fingers, neglected crackers sitting beside a tub on the coffee table.
“Oh sweet, hummus.” Clyde picked the tub up and dipped a cracker in. “Your mom rocks, Kyle. This is a god tier snack.”
“Thank you Clyde!” Kyle’s mom stood in the doorway of the kitchen, smiling at them. “You boys going to do your studying?”
“Same as always,” Clyde said through a mouthful of cracker. The way his mom laughed at that, how Clyde grinned at Kyle like he’d won something somehow, hummus at the corner of his mouth, made the nervousness finally die down. Kyle grinned back, his heart thumping wildly but confidently in his chest. He followed Clyde, who already knew his way to Kyle’s room, and dumped his backpack on the ground. There was a comfortable but polite nature to every move Clyde made, sitting on a beanbag and wrestling his notebook from the bottom of his bag. He leaned back, chewing on the end of his pencil, before looking at Kyle, still standing.
“So… Doppler effect.” Clyde raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with that, am I right?”
“You lent me your letterman jacket today,” Kyle said, the nerves back but doing little besides making him shake slightly.
“Oh, yeah! And she looks just the same as she did this morning!” Clyde gave a thumbs up. “Thanks Kyle.” Kyle shuffled across his floor and knelt by where Clyde sat. He slowly took the jacket off, though he wished it was still there, big and warm and just what he had needed. He handed the jacket back to Clyde but made sure their hands touched in the exchange.
“Thanks for trusting me with her,” he said. He hoped holding Clyde’s stare let him know that Kyle knew too.
“... yeah.” Clyde blinked but didn’t break eye contact. “I, uh, knew I could. That you’d be good to her.”
“I liked how it felt,” Kyle said. “How, uh, the letterman felt. I liked it. It was sort of confusing at first but… really nice.” Clyde nodded, then squinted and tilted his head.
“Are we still talking about my jacket?”
“Not really.” Kyle smiled softly. “Do you wanna hang out on Saturday?” Clyde nodded, the biggest grin on his face, and Kyle imagined he looked the same as he squeezed Clyde's hands. “It’s a date then.”