Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Well Wendy, we are very proud of you, m’kay? You’ve got amazing grades, over the top scores, active in so many activities too! You’re very gifted, m’kay? Where are you planning to go?”

Wendy sat, smiling like a million bucks. She knew she had potential. This was all she was working up for since she found out the future existed. And before she knew it, the future was there.

She shifted in her seat, looking at the two men in front of her. Mr. Mackey held a big stack of papers in front of him, shifting through a few of them trying to comprehend just how much this girl could do in her elementary to high school years. The PC Principal sat next to him, supposedly staring Wendy down. She wasn’t scared though, she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

“Wendy, we are concerned though, m’kay?” Mr. Mackey spoke up. Wendy perked up, confused. Why is there concern? Did she do something wrong?

“What is it, sir?”

“It’s what you plan to do after graduation.” PC Principal spoke over Mr. Mackey. The counselor only mumbled small, nervous blips of speech.

Wendy stood in fear. A shock flew through her, and she realized she had to face a problem she had feared for the past 9 months. Everyone knew what happened, and no short of everyone was afraid of what great potential could be lost.

“We know about… the situation, m’kay, ‘n we just wanted to know if you plan on college soon. It’s not far away, and you’ve got what it takes to go big, m’kay? But, we know that… things may be going on in your life that may change this.”

“You’ve got good potential, Wendy. Look at these papers!” PC Principal pointed at her large stack of achievements. Wendy felt such grand pride in that stack, but how horrible she felt to look at it.

The girl fell silent, lost in thought. The room got caught in a horrible, throat-closing silence.

“We need you to think about this over the next month or so, Ms. Testaburger.”

“Thank you.” Wendy grabbed her bags and picked herself off the basic office chair she had sat in for the last half hour. Air was thick, but her head was even thicker with thought. She said goodbye to her counselor and principal and shut the door behind her.

She heard speaking from inside the second she walked out of the room. Wendy moved to the side to listen to what was said.

“This worries you too, right? This… whole thing with Ms. Testaburger?”

“It does. She’s so smart, talented, she has so much potential, m’kay? But…”

“That boy is holding her back. She would’ve left this town years ago if it weren’t for that boy.”

“But… after what happened, what do you think she’ll do?”

“…I don’t think she knows any more than we do.”

Wendy felt something on her cheek. She rubbed her eyes a bit and walked off to her next class, which she was currently late to.

~

“Wendy!!” Stan put the phone to his ear and mouth, giddy over seeing the girl in front of him. Wendy’s grimace lightened into a smile seeing his happiness.

“Hey Stan! How was everything today!” She looked into the hard glass between the two.

Ten months before then, Stan was getting checked for possession of illegal substances. It hurt most because it was at school, where everyone saw. A few other kids also had some, but Stan got it worse out of all of them. Some of those kids were already let out and doing other things with their lives that weren’t confusing their girlfriends, for example.

The boy talked through the phone, rambling about the horrible food and a fight that had gone on that morning. He kept talking, but Wendy wasn’t paying attention. Stan saw how she was zoned out, visibly upset.

“Yo, what’s wrong? Why’re you so down?”

“Hm?” Wendy snapped out of her inner mind. “Oh! Nothing much. Regular school day.” Wendy played with the string of the phone, peering away from looking at the inmate in front of her. She loved him, more than anything. But it hurt to look at him, tired and drained of whatever light was left since they first met. Their first meeting was so long ago, wasn’t it? Now they’re here and-

“Wendy!” Stan snapped his fingers in front of where her eyes landed. The student jumped, confused at the interjection of her thoughts. She blushes in embarrassment.

“Sorry! What did you say?” Wendy looked him in the eyes. The blue in his eyes was washed out, going drom a deep blue to a neutral grey. It was painful.

“… Something’s up. What happened today, Wendy?” Stan frowned, worried about her.

To Wendy, there was no way she could tell Stan what was happening in her life, no less that he’s a problem in it. It’s a tough situation, one she wishes could pass.

“Uh… Mr. Mackey and the PC Principal wanted to talk to me today…about college and my future.” Wendy twiddled with her sweater sleeve while holding the phone to her ear, awaiting response. She looked over at Stan for a moment and saw his light panic painted over the glass.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

The two stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say next.

“Look, Wendy,” Stan looked at Wendy, a small flicker of hope in his eyes. “I don’t know what you want. But I promise you, when I get out of here, we’ll run away.”

“What?” The girl paused. To her, leaving South Park hadn’t crossed her mind. She was so caught up in Stan’s… problem that she didn’t think about leaving her hometown. Sure, everyone there sucked and it caused her the worst pain she’s felt, but there were some good people and good moments with it. “Like, leave South Park?”

“Yes! This town sucks! Sure, we both have important people here, but hell, it would be so much better to leave!”

Wendy took a breath. Was it an option? When she thought of her future, she thought of a prestigious college with schoolwork and volleyball and debate team and so much more. She wouldn’t find that anywhere near South Park.

“How would we do it?”

“Once they let me out of here, we pack our bags and ride the first bus out of here. We ride to wherever your fancy smart college is and we find a place to stay. I’ll get a job, you work hard at school. How does that sound?” Stan’s eyes gleamed behind the glass. He put a hand on the glass, outstretched.

Wendy put her hand over his hand on the glass. “That sounds good. I like that plan.” She smiled softly, and she could see Stan repeating it back. “When do you get out again?”

“July? I think it was July 15th. Just in time, huh?” Stan grinned, and immediately Wendy started giggling. She nodded and tapped her fingers against the glass, to which he returned.

A woman opened a door in the room Stan was in. “Stanley Marsh? Your time is done.” He scoffed.

“Well, you keep working,right? I’m cheering you on.” Stan said softly. “We’ll be out of here soon.”

Wendy smiled at his words. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Wendy.”

Chapter Text

Wendy picked the marker up from her desk and ticked off the nice calendar on her wall. She read the events and things she had that day; volleyball practice, debate club during lunch, some projects due, etc. She sighed and walked away from the reminder of her busy schedule. Getting dressed in what she chose the day before and completing her morning routine with a few minutes to spare, she walked into the kitchen and made herself breakfast.

She said hello to her mom, who was just getting ready to leave. After some hugs and wishes, Wendy walked out just in time for the bus. She breathed deeply before stepping into the vehicle.

“Hey Wendy!!” The girl looked over at the familiar blonde hair in the familiar seat they had always sat in since 3rd grade.

“Hey Bebe,” she smiled, “what’s up?”

“What’re you doing today! What does Ms. Class Prez have planned for the evening?” Bebe giggled at the sophistication, while Wendy merely pushed her shoulder softly.

“I have debate during lunch, an-“

“Boooooorriiiiingggggggggg.” The blonde let out. “We barely get to hang out anymore! You’re always in some club or doing some random thing. What’s the point!”

“The point,” Wendy sighed, “is to… uh. To get things done! Plus, I like debate, and volleyball, and being Ms. Class President. I just have hobbies!”

“Sure, if being a tryhard with no time was a hobby.” Bebe smirked and elbowed her friend. Wendy shrugged and laughed it off.

Wendy looked around the rest of the bus to see who was in and who was out. Kyle was fidgeting, doing his homework. Wendy knew it was history homework, and she also knew he would just ask her for it later. Butters was holding his phone horizontally, probably playing some game by the smile on his face and the movement of his hands. Nichole sat right across from Bebe and her, typing on her phone and snickering. Jimmy, Clyde, Heidi, and some other kids rode the bus with her too. There was some chatter here and there, but not nearly as much as what there used to be a few years ago.

“Hey, Wends. You good?” Bebe poked Wendy’s arm a few times. “You were zoning out at random people. What, is being creepy one of your hobbies too?” She laughed softly. Wendy perked up and looked at her friend, softly laughing back.

“Sorry, just wanted to see who was here.”

“It’s the same people who are always here, isn’t it?”

Wendy shrugged and looked down at her backpack in her lap. She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping for some sleep before the bus halted and she was ushered off.

She picked her head up from the ground and took a look at the grand abomination of a school. Another day, another amazing time at South Park High.

~

“Have a good night, Wendy!”

“Thanks for coming, Heidi! Have a nice night!” Wendy waved to her teammate and checked her watch. 6:14. Jeez.

Wendy practiced her serves with what was left of the balls on her side of the court before putting them all in their storage and leaving the gym. She sighed before texting her dad to pick her up. The girl sat down on the curb. It’d be quite a while before her dad got there, so she scrolled on her phone and checked her schedule for the next day.

“Hey, Wendy!” Someone called out from behind her. She turned her head around to see who named her. The firey red curls stuck out to her first, then the soft green eyes, and then the nerdy glasses over said eyes.

“Hey Kyle, what’s up? Why’re you here so late?” Wendy turned her body towards the boy. He pointed and cocked his head, asking to sit down. She nodded.

“Ah, the usual.” Wendy cocked her eyebrow. “… I needed help with history and the teacher wanted to hold me back for it.”

“For three hours?! Is that not illegal?”

“Not when you’re a teacher at South Park.” Kyle laughed. Wendy laughed with him, reminiscing on the past antics her teachers had performed over the years. She shuddered. “What’re you doing here?” He asked.

“Oh, I had volleyball practice.”

“You’re still doing that?! How long has it been, like 8 years?”

“Nine or ten, give or take.” Wendy soft laughed. Kyle sucked his teeth.

A silence fell over them and Wendy relaxed her shoulders. She looked over at the boy, who was fidgeting with his glasses. He looked at her before he popped the question.

“So, how’re you holding up?” He asked. The question surprised her, because no one seems to ask that anymore. “You know, with Stan.” Kyle winced at his try at being specific.

“Uh… He’s fine. He’s doing good, or as-“

“I didn’t ask about him, I know he’s fine. How are you handling it?” Kyle faced her, a face of genuine concern on his face.

“Ah, uh… I’m.. okay? It’s rough, but as good as I can be when my boyfriend is in jail.” Wendy bit the inside of her cheek.

“Well, that’s good. You know, we graduate in a few months. How’s that going to work?”

“Well… he wants me to go to college, and he wants to go with me.”

“What? Sorry, Wendy, but whatever college you’re going to, he is not fit for.” Kyle laughed softly, and Wendy laughed with him. They both knew he likely couldn’t match her, but it was fun to imagine.

“No, no no! He just wants to go with me, not actually attend it with me! I…” She melted at the thought. “I don’t think many places would accept him after this.” She looked away from Kyle.

“…Jeez…”

“Yeah… he wants to leave this place, really bad.”

“Well duh, it’s not like you’ll be staying here, look at you!” Kyle soft laughed. He peered over at Wendy to try and make eye contact.

“Hah, yeah. But he just… doesn’t like it here. Probably hasn’t for a while. I’m just scared of… everything surrounding my future and this and…”

Wendy sighed before feeling a pressure around her. And all of a sudden, all pressure was off of her chest and turned into warm tears and a tight hug. She sputtered for a moment, trying to form words before she decided to live in the moment.

“This… sounds like a lot for you. I think… you should stop looking so far into the future— and the past. Maybe focus on right now?” Kyle pat her back a few times. Wendy softened into his hold. “Also, a break. You really need a break, dude.”

They both laughed for a bit before pulling away. Kyle smiled at his friend, and she mirrored it.

“Thank you, Kyle.”

“Always for a friend.”

~

Wendy peered out of the car’s window, admiring the slow sunset ahead of her. Her dad sat in the driver’s seat, drifting through the roads. She thought for a moment about Kyle’s words.

“Hey, dad. Is mom home?” She turned towards her dad, fidgeting with her hands.

“Uh, I believe so. Why? What’s on your mind?” He flicked his eyes to her for a few moments.

“Oh, I just.. wanted to see if you guys and I should go to dinner together. A family dinner out, like we used to.”

“What? I mean, we can ask your mother, but where’d that come from?”

“Nowhere! I just… think we’ve all been working pretty hard. It’d… be nice, in my opinion, to go out as a family again.” She looked at her dad with hope.

“Well, Wendy… we’ll see.”

She bounced in her seat for a moment.

~

Wendy opened the door for her parents, smiling and laughing with them. After some steps, she opened the fridge door and put the leftovers in there for the next day. She smiled at the fresh memories.

Opening her phone and finding the messages app, she clicked one contact and began to type. The previous messages were pictures of history homework, but she typed something different.

“Thank you :)”

Chapter Text

On the battlefield, it’s you and your sword. It’s your army against theirs. It’s you versus them. And in the heat of battle, nothing matters but victory.

Knowing when to draw your blade and when to shield yourself from outside dangers is a useful, yet hurtful skill.

And no one expects a shield maiden in pink to have that skill.

Wendy jumped around the field like a swan, but as lethal as a black widow. A perfect blur of movement, getting rid of whoever was in her way. It was as if she had a sixth sense where she knew where everyone was and could easily block any attack thrown to her.

She rushed through the field, running north. What?

Why was she running? She was a fighter, not a coward. She didn’t understand. In the heat of war, you fight.

She didn’t understand until she saw it. Her legs were running for her, like her body knew what it wanted before her mind did. And it wasn’t long until she saw a boy.

He was different from the rest. Where everyone else held swords and bows, tattered blood clothes strung on their poor bodies, he stood out. Overgrown dyed hair, bright orange jumpsuit with a number like he was a product. And in his hands, instead of a weapon, he held a phone.

And suddenly nothing mattered but Stan.

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Bee-

Wendy slammed her hand on her alarm. She groaned, wiping the sleep and tears from her eyes. She looked at her thrown around blankets, determining she was moving a lot in her sleep. Wendy rubbed her temples before taking a drink of water that sat on the side of her bed.

She got up and stretched the last of her laziness out of her body. Reaching and equipping her glasses, she marked another day off her calendar. She checked the rest of that month before making a very panicking discovery.

“… 2 weeks until graduation.”

She groaned and looked out her now open window to hopefully distract herself. It was a sweet Saturday morning, birds chirping and trees waving in the breeze. She inhaled a sweet smell of lavender.

Wendy did her usual: shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. She checked and found there were no real events going on that day, so she decided to text her friends a bit.

She quickly found out no one was available that day to hang out. Groaning again, she thought of what she could do that day. She could go somewhere with her parents, but they were both a bit busy so she decided against it.

Stan!! She had a dream about him, so that’s probably a sign that she should see him. She decided that was her course of action and got herself ready to go. She called out to her parents that she was leaving before she did, but she was only met with “okay honey.”

~

“I swear, they’re giving me less food every day. Do they want me to die?”

Wendy laughed at the commentary. She always enjoyed talking to Stan, hearing his experiences and everything. It was almost like he wasn’t in jail and she wasn’t graduating from high school soon and wasn’t doing it without him.

She had to admit that she was scared. She was already accepted to a bunch of very good colleges, but she had to put Stan into the circumstance and think about how they would survive together.

“…Wendy? You’re zoning out again.”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry.” She fidgeted with the phone’s cord again. It was always obvious when she’s thinking too much.

“You know, it’s always obvious when you’re thinking too much.”

“Ugh, I know. Sorry, just thinking about graduation and stuff.”

“Oh shit, graduation!! I forgot about that! When is it?” Stan put his hand on his cheek to show interest, which she thought was adorable.

“It’s in two weeks, June 10th. A little late, if you ask me.”

“And how’s that working out? Conducting your.. whatever it’s called speech?” Stan laughed. Some blond hair dropped over his eyes when he laughed and Wendy melted into a ball of fluff on the floor. How’d she come to this point? Admiring his features via a glass window and phone call.

“Uh, my valedictorian? Please, I’ve had that sent and ready since November! I’m just glad f… stupid… he’s not here to steal it from me.”

“Because he’s in jail?”

“Precisely.” She grinned. She didn’t usually wish harm on others, especially jail time. However, that kid’s crime list was enough to send an army into shock. And he deserved it.

The two of them laughed at the nod towards an old… “friend” of sorts. As their laughs died down, Wendy saw some thought pop in Stan’s mind. Before she could ask him what was on his mind, he told her.

“So, how’s everyone at school? Uh.. how’s Kyle?” Stan fidgeted with the phone coil. The blue in his eyes darkened in ponder.

“Well, I think everyone is fine, just stressed. Kyle is doing pretty good, I think! Hasn’t he stopped by? I assumed he was coming by like.. every day!” Wendy laughed a bit at her commentary, but quickly realized that it wasn’t time for jokes. She noticed that the blue in his eyes beamed and brightened until she brought up his coming every day that they dimmed.

“Uh… he did. He used to come by like, every other day! I’m glad he’s safe.” Stan forced a smile that Wendy knew was a lie. She made a face that she knew intimidated him.

“… Fine. We, uh. We had an argument. Last week, or so. He hasn’t come by since then. I’m worried.”

Wendy frowned at the idea that they had argued. Most of their serious arguments did not end very well. “Ah. What about?”

A light seemed to switch off in Stan’s brain, showing by his wide stare and stuttering. He looked around for a second before throwing up in a trash can next to him. She had been told he had a trash can due to his all too frequent throwing up. A guard came into the room.

“Marsh, time’s done.” Stan jolted at his name and looked at Wendy with fear in his eyes.

“Uh, Wendy? I’m sorry if I’m stressing you out. Bye!” He hung the phone up on the holder and scurried out of the holding room. She stood in solid shock at this reaction.

“…what?”

~

Wendy pulled into the Broflovski driveway. She noticed Ike playing basketball outside with a friend, laughing and cheering.

“Hey Ike! Where’s your brother?” Wendy feined a smile. Jeez, Ike grew a lot.

“Huh- Wendy!! Hi!! He’s inside, probably in his room!” He grinned before passing the ball to his buddy. Wendy thanked him and knocked on the door. She looked up to whoever opened the door, that being Sheila, Kyle and Ike’s mom.

“Wendy! How great to see you, sweetie! What brings you here?” She held onto the door with her wide grin and her glowing brown eyes.

“Hi, Mrs. Broflovski! I wanted to talk to Kyle, is he around today?” Wendy left her hands behind her back, holding herself lightly.

“Why of course! He’s just upstairs, you should know which room is his!” The woman laughed a bit and moved to the side to let Wendy in. After pleasantries, she stepped up the stairs up to where the boys’ bedrooms were.

It was a bit funny, seeing baby pictures of the two boys and photos of the family growing and changing over the years. They were a cute family, the Broflovskis. She then came to two doors and, of course she knew where to go. It was obvious by the green I on one door and the orange K on the other. She knocked on Kyle’s respective door.

“Hello? Come in, mom.”

“It’s Wendy.” She snickered as she heard some movement until the door opened. She looked at the boy in front of her. A slightly too small Terrance and Phillip shirt, black shorts, messy hair, average Kyle. He blinked, realizing that it was in fact Wendy at his door. He sighed long and hard.

“Come in. Sorry about the mess, I was doing homework and didn’t think anyone would come by. Don’t you have shit to do around this time?” Kyle sat on his bed, which was littered with papers, folders, and the like. Wendy stayed standing in front of his bed.

“Surprisingly, no. I just went to see Stan, so that’s all that’s happened.” She watched Kyle’s expression as his demeanor dimmed.

“Ah, right.”

It was silent for a bit, both of them trying to say words they didn’t know how to phrase. Wendy spoke first, as she usually did.

“What was the argument about? Stan already told me you two had an argument, but before he could tell me he threw up and his time was done. What’s wrong, dude?” She reached for a paper. “Is this from last semester? Jeez, you’re a mess.” She mumbled.

“Oh… we were just…”

“Oh please, spit it out!”

“We were arguing about you.” Kyle blurted out. Wendy paused in confusion at how they could be talking about her. Is that why Stan was so nervous?

“I know, it isn’t good to talk about you behind your back, especially about this. But, I just wanted to tell Stan how much he was hurting you. Hell, you were revolutionized by the very simple advice I gave you to take a break! I told him that he doesn’t worry about you enough. Your boyfriend’s in jail, graduation is in a few weeks, plus all your other crazy clubs and shit you’re in. This is too much for you! He just got defensive, like ‘oh but she’s always like that!’ and ‘she always puts too much on her plate, she’s fine!’ and ‘I can’t control her!’ and it pissed me off!”

Wendy stood in shock. She sniffled and it wasn’t long before she realized she was crying again.

“Oh no, dammit!! I’m putting even more stress on you aren’t I! Fuck!” Kyle took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. The girl in front of him perked up and tried to disrupt his thoughts.

“No, these are good cries!! It’s- it’s sweet that you vouch for me, even to your best friend. I didn’t think you would do that for me.” Wendy smiled at her friend, taking her glasses off and wiping her tears away. She folded the paper up gently in her hands.

“You’re right, I didn’t think I could either! It was just, like… remembering how upset you were that one night, it hurt. It’s dumb, really.”

“It isn’t! You stood up for me. Thank you, Kyle.” Wendy moved over to sit next to where he was, moving papers out of her way. She hugged him tight, to which he responded the same. It wasn’t a long hug, but a needed one.

After pulling away, Wendy looked down at the scattered papers. She snickered softly.

“You want help cleaning these up? Or.. finishing them? Whatever these papers are.”

“Please.” He laughed. And for a while they were there cleaning up around Kyle’s room.

War is all about getting out alive. But maybe life doesn’t always have to be war. Maybe life can be setting your shield down and letting others come into your life.

Chapter Text

It was a few days before graduation. Wendy had been getting closer with Kyle. She found out that his dream school, the one he would be going to in a few months, was close to her dream school. One problem, she wouldn’t be going to that school because of Stan.

Since that piece of information, she had been racking her brain around what to do. Mr. Mackey was still persisting on where Wendy would go.

Wendy talked to Stan for his insight. He was surprised at how her and Kyle were closer, but he told her that they had a plan. He told her that once he was out, they would go to the college they had planned on going to, where Stan could provide for her while Wendy studied and attended college. He was firm on that decision.

“We’ll get on a bus and go! You just need to come with me. Things will get better, I’ll try harder! We both want to leave this place, wouldn’t it be better to leave with me?”

Wendy talked to Kyle for his insight. He asked her something she didn’t think she’d hear.

“Would you be happy?”

“What?”

“Would you be happy at that school? You’re lightning smart, you’re already accepted to your dream college too. Are you really just gonna give that up for some guy who couldn’t not get himself in prison?”

She talked to Bebe, grasping onto the smallest thing she was sure about.

“Follow your heart, Wends. If you think staying with your druggie boyfriend will keep you happy, go. If you think going to some pristine, try-hard college will keep
you happy, go for that! Just do what you think is best for you.”

~

Everything went smoothly on the day of graduation. Wendy’s speech was… lengthy to say the least. Her speech was about life, high school, and stress. It was about the struggle of high school life and public, normal life. It was about a new life, a new chapter in your story book. And even if it wasn’t said, it was about decisions. It was about pain. And it was about how one thing can come hurtling towards you and change the trajectory of your life, and you’ll just have to deal with it.

After her speech, Jimmy got a chance for a snippet of his comedy show. After him, salutatorian Kyle had a smaller speech, but just as impactful.

After the hat tosses and the walk down the aisle, along with the trillions of photos taken afterwards, most of the class went to a restaurant to celebrate. Wendy felt true happiness, bliss being with her companions. Nothing had really hit her, how she was starting a new chapter of her life.

And she had no clue how it was going to go.

At last, a week after graduation, Wendy sat down with her parents. They interrogated her over her future and weighed her options with her.

The silence was thick. There was so much pressure on Wendy she thought she’d collapse and turn into jello. Though, turning into jello would get rid of this whole situation.

“Wendy, talk to us. What are your options? You’ve been accepted to virtually anywhere. We need to know where you’re going.”

She knew her choices.

She could leave this hicktown to be with Stan. She would be in love. It’d be a hard path, full of student debt and ramen, arguments and rent. But it’d be so loving, full of kisses and communication, dates to the beach and late night talks. Maybe not success, but happiness.

Or she could leave this hicktown to pursue what she truly loves. She could be successful, with friends and no worries. It’d still be hard with all the stress and studying. But there would always be friends, activities, clubs, things that make it worth it. She would thrive, without a guy holding her down. She’d be her own woman.

She sat on her decisions and her choices for a long time, ‘til finally she made her decision.

———

this story will now diverge! after this chapter there will be two chapters, named option 1 and option 2. you choose which option you want for your ending!!

option 1 will be choosing to go with Stan to college

option 2 will be choosing to go to Wendy’s dream school

choose wisely!! (or not lol you can read them both)

Chapter Text

“I want to go with Stan. When he gets out, we’ll go to college together.”

Her parents weren’t very fond of the decision. They said she was “worth more”, but she didn’t care. Her decision was final. She had exactly 4 weeks to pack her bags before Stan got out and they left this town for good.

She told Kyle and Bebe, who weren’t too ecstatic either. Bebe had just sent a “you do you” text and nothing else. Kyle said “Whatever makes you happy.” Whatever, her decision was final and it was good.

~

That Sunday, the next day, she went down to the jail and talked to Stan. She told him about her decision and he squealed in excitement.

“Really! This is happening!” His smile was bigger than it’s ever been.

Their plan was simple. July 15th, Stan got out and packed his bags at home while Wendy finalizes her supplies. July 16th, they pick a bus and go. Over the course of that week, they find a place to live, Stan finds a job, and Wendy gets into her college.

Over the course of those 4 weeks, Wendy packed some backpacks and suitcases with what she’d need. Her parents gave up trying to convince her otherwise after 2 weeks, which she appreciated. She saw Stan every other day.

~

On one of those final visiting days, Wendy saw Kyle walking out of the area. They made eye contact and both looked surprised.

“… I have to say bye to my best friend even if he’s dumb, don’t I?” Kyle softly chuckled at the non-funniness of the situation. He hugged Wendy and gave her good luck before walking to his car.

The whole conversation, if you could call it that, weirded her out. The look on Kyle’s face was that of reminiscing memories. He seemed solemn, and Wendy knew he was just trying to hold it all in, slowly losing grip of the life he tried so hard to keep together after so many years.

Or maybe he was just sad.

~

July 15th came and Wendy was planted right outside of the gates of the jail. Everything would be good. She already planned with the Marshes that she would drop Stan off at home while she got everything of hers. She was waiting for a few minutes before she saw him.

He looked a bit disoriented, his mop of fading blond hair over his eyes. His orange jumpsuit was a bit ragged and he was holding the clothes that Wendy remembers vividly that he got arrested in. The eyes she had been seeing across a glass pane for so many months grew big when they spotted her. Excitement was an understatement.

Just like before, Wendy felt her limbs doing the work for her. Before she understood what happened, he was in her arms embracing like never before. He had dropped the clothes he held in his arms. She could hear him laughing and saying her name, and all she could do was cry. Cry and laugh. And she did.

“B- babe you’re- a lil’ tight-!” Stan gurgled out. Wendy was hugging him a bit too tight.

“Whoops! Sorry!” She laughed as she let go of him and held his hand.

And for the first time in so many months, she felt at home.

~

Shelley, Stan’s sister, was driving the couple to the bus they would take; the key to their final leave. The whole way, she was giving them both advice, though it was mostly to Stan.

“Don’t drink too hard, and if you plan to, do it at home.”

“I know, Shelley.”

“And if you’re going out for a party, bring self-defense.”

“We know, Shelley.”

“And please, for the love of god, if you get arrested again-“

“Shelley. I get it.” Stan laughed a bit at his sister. Wendy elbowed him lightly.

Finally, after some more conversation, they got to the bus stop. Because of Wendy, they were about 6 minutes early. The pair got out to unpack their luggage, to which Shelley helped them.

After a bit of hassle, they were almost on their way. Shelley gave Wendy a hug and told her, “If he needs any help, you call me, okay? And if he does anything bad or anything, you tell me.”

“I will, Shelley. Thank you.” Wendy smiled at her kindness, the kindness she forced very far down.

Shelley then hugged Stan before flicking his forehead and punching his arm. “Don’t die, dude.”

“I won’t. Thanks, Shells.”

“Call me Shells and the only place you’ll be going is hell.”

“Alright, Shells.” Stan prodded a bit. Both laughed for a second before his older sister punched him, harder, in the arm. He yelped and rubbed his arm.

Shelley opened the door to her car and waved the two off. “Good luck, turds!!” She snickered before getting in her car and leaving.

The couple packed all their luggage into the big bus that would lead them to their future. After paying what they needed, they sat themselves near the middle-back of the bus.

It wasn’t long until the bus started to leave its area and they were off. Wendy stared outside the window and it dawned on her.

She was leaving her hometown. Her friends. Her parents. All of her memories. Her entire life was in South Park. She knew she wouldn’t stay here, she always knew that. It just didn’t hit her that this day was the day that she would leave it all behind.

She felt a soft hand hold hers, and she realized Stan was still next to her.

“Hey, don’t worry, okay? Y’know, you’ve always been the one I thought I’d leave this shithole with. We’ve been through a lot.”

“A lot is an understatement.” She laughed at her comment. It was true, through the many years they'd been together, things were happening every day. South Park was like that. Or maybe it was just Stan and his group of friends and their antics. Either way, she grew up in that chaos. It was familiar.

“Well, you know what I mean.” Stan chuckled. Wendy put her head on his shoulder and sighed. She squeezed his hand.

“Is… is this a good idea?”

“Whatever it is, I’m just happy it’s with you.”

Chapter Text

“I want to go to my dream college.”

Her parents nodded and, although trying to hide it, both were smiling at her choice. Her friends also seemed proud, Kyle more than the others. They met up the next day to plan everything.

“Okay so, you’ll be in Massachusetts and I’ll be in Rhode Island. They’re only like 2 hours apart, depending on whether we go by train or car or whatever. You know Tolkien’s gonna go around this area too?” Kyle drew around on his map a bit, stars in his eyes.

“Really? That’ll be fun. Is anyone else going in this area?” Wendy grinned at her friend, curious. She was distasteful of most of the students she’s met in South Park, but it was a good sense of familiarity that other people would be around her that she knew.

~

A few days later, Wendy went to the prison to tell Stan the news. News that she wouldn’t stay with him for college, that she would follow her dream. He wasn’t the happiest.

“What do you mean, ‘your dream’?! I thought this— we were your dream!” Stan waved his hand around, an obvious grip on the phone in his other. He had a lot of emotions visible on his face. To every other person, he was mad. Wendy knew he was upset, disappointed, confused.

Maybe he was just sad.

“I’ve thought it over, and it’s the best path for me. I’d be able to pursue my actual dream! I’d be able to-“

“What, ‘actual dream’? You said that us moving together would be your dream come true!”

“Yes, but- this is a once in a lifetime thing, Stan! I’ve wanted this since I found out what college was!”

It was silent between the two of them for a moment. Too many emotions needed to be regulated before they could keep talking. It was obvious he wanted to yell, he wanted to beg for answers. She knew because she taught him how not to do it. She knew the faces he made and why. And she knew exactly what he was going to say.

“This is you leaving me, isn’t it? It’s my fault.”

“It isn’t. We have different priorities-“

“Am I not a priority anymore?”

“I didn’t say that.”

The fire grew bigger.

“Are you leaving me?”

“If we can talk this through-“

“We’re ruined.”

“No we aren’t, Stan.”

Bigger.

“Did Kyle tell you to do this? To abandon me?”

“I’m not abandoning you.”

“He did! That bitch!”

“Kyle did nothing.”

“Sure, that’s what you say. You don’t know him like I do! Of course he would manipulate you to do this, you wouldn’t-“

And just like that, Wendy grabbed her bag and stood up. The fire in her heart traveled down to her stomach and set off fireworks.

“Bye, Stan. I’ll see you some other time.”

She put the phone on the receiver and walked towards the double doors of the prison meeting area. She could faintly hear Stan trying to argue and yell for her, but she was gone.

She went home and packed her bags.

~

All the plans were made. The Broflovski’s and the Testaburgers were driving to their respective child’s college and helping them move in. The excitement was overbearing.

Bebe would be staying in Colorado, but out of South Park thank god. Wendy talked with her the day before leaving as a physical departure and a moment to reminisce.

“I’m so glad you picked, y’know, your own life. It’s refreshing to know that good ol’ independent Wendy is still in there.” Bebe elbowed her friend and laughed. Wendy chuckled with her and sighed.

“Yeah, I’m glad too. I just wish it hadn’t gone the way it did, yeah? I feel like this decision and just telling him could’ve gone way better.”

“Well, sure it could’ve. But hey, you’re going to fucking Harvard, bitch! That’s amazing! Way better than going to college with a junkie.”

“He’s not a junkie, Be. He doesn’t do that stuff!”

“Not that you know of. Wasn’t it ever weird to you that he just had it on him? Like, was he gonna sell it or take it himself?” Bebe talked about conspiracy. Wendy thought a little about the situation, and she was right.

“Well, his dad owns that farm so… maybe…”

Bebe looked at Wendy. She was hard in thought, scared of the conclusions that they were coming to. The blondie was quick to stop the train of thought before Wendy unraveled.

“Well, whatever. You’re in a new stage! You can be you! No need to worry about this hick town and anyone from it.” Bebe held her best friend’s hand and grinned. Wendy just laughed and squeezed her hand.

“Right! No worries.”

“You’re free.”

“I’m free.”