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“You’ve never kissed anybody Tucker??!”
“No.”
Kenny looked at the boy beside him with incredulous eyes, mouth agape. “You dated Tweek for five years!”
“I know.” Craig rolled his eyes. He didn't need to be reminded of his most recent breakup by the obnoxious blonde of all people. It wasn’t like Tweek hadn’t tried to kiss him during their relationship, Craig was just too much of a pussy to let it happen. At first it was hating his teeth, the bottom row all crowded from early growth. Then it was his braces and hating the clunky feeling in his mouth. And then it was too late.
“I can’t believe you never made a move Craig. Seriously, I'd pucker up so fast if Tweek asked me to kiss him. I bet his lips are all soft and shit too. Maybe I should offer myself up to him, taste that bitter coffee on his breath and let you know just how good it was.” Kenny smirked and waggled his conjoined eyebrow at a frowning Craig.
The noir scowled and crossed his arms.
“Shut up Kenny.” He pouted and looked away from the blonde and instead at the lake stretched out in front of them, the suns rays reflecting over its surface.
They came to Stark’s pond together a lot. All the kids did. It was kind’ve the spot. He thought to the years where he and his friends would play pretend or have snowball fights during the colder months when snow coated the patchy grass and the water was frozen to ice. He was reminded of the time back in sixth grade when they had all gathered there and pelted each other with balls of snow and Clyde had gotten sent to the hospital when Tweek threw a snowball that had a pebble in it at him. The blonde had felt so bad and apologized frantically the next day when they saw Clyde at school again, he even baked brownies to make him feel better, mouth in a permanent frown at the bandage on the brunettes temple. Craig remembered it so clearly, the hot jealousy he felt at the fact Clyde got a batch of Tweeks brownie’s made especially for him and he hadn’t. He wished it were him in the emergency clinic, that it were him with the bandage receiving the worrisome frown instead.
“Well why haven’t you kissed anyone yet?” Kenny’s voice pierced through Craigs fog of thoughts.
“I don’t know.”
“C’mon man, you can be real with me.”
Craig looked back to Kenny’s face, his once smug grin replaced with a genuine look of curiosity. He sighed. “I don’t know. I just haven’t. It was never the right time, and apparently not the right person either.” he brooded.
“That’s lame.”
“Fuck you McCormick.”
“No, seriously. That’s super lame. There’s never a right time, or a right place, or the right person. That’s all just movie bullshit dude.”
“Whatever.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but just remember which one of us is the 14 year old with an entire repertoire of smooches under his belt, and which one of us is Craig Tucker.”
Craig playfully shoved the dirty blonde beside him. “You don't know anything dipshit” But he couldn't help but think to himself that maybe Kenny was right. Maybe there isn’t a right time.
“Okay braceface, say what you want but Theresa says i'm the best kisser ever. If the girls made a best kisser in the whole grade list, number one would say Kenny ‘Stud’ McCormick in big bold glittery letters”
“I hope you get eaten by rats Kenny, I really do.”
“Hater.”
a dumb jingle played from Kenny’s flip phone, interrupting their conversation and he shuffled about in his pockets to retrieve the device to answer.
“Yooo?”
Craig couldn’t hear the other person but he tried his best to interpret the conversation from Kenny’s responses.
“Hey its Kevin, You home?”
“umm, no?”
“Can you get home?”
“Duh”
“Good, then haul ass. CPS got called again. I think Ma overdosed and Karens there alone.”
“Wheres dad?”
“Where is he ever Kenny?? Get yer ass to the house.”
“Okay, okay im goin. Are you gonna come get us?”
“… I dont know. Ill try. You know its been rough over here lately-“
“Whatever. Yeah. I get it. Okay ill call you back soon I dont want to run the minutes up on this thing again.”
“Okay goodb-“
Kenny hung up with a passive aggressive snap of the phone before the other person could finish their goodbye and looked to Craig with a sad smile.
“Sorry spaceboy, i’ve gotta dip. Home shit, you know the deal.”
“..How long this time?”
“We’ll just have to see when I come back to school won’t we?”
Craig was silent. He knew this meant Kenny was going to be in a foster home again. Which meant he wasn’t going to be in the same school for a while until they inevitably gave custody back to his parents with a slap on the wrist of “Be better!”. It sucked. Everytime Kenny left Craig was left bored and lonely. His other friends not quite giving him the same comfort the blonde did, but he knew it was worse for the McCormicks, the homes they bounced around going from bad to worse only to always end back up in their run down house in the ghetto part of South Park.
“Yeah I guess. Cya’ Kenny.”
“Cya’ later.”
With that Kenny shoved his hands into the pockets of his too small orange parka and started his trek back to his house. Craig watched as the boy's silhouette disappeared down the dirt path that led to the small bench, a sigh escaping his lips. Maybe Kenny wasn’t right. Today seemed like it could’ve been right time right place. Maybe next time.