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What do you do if a classmate dies?
What do you do if a friend dies?
Kyle Broflovski was never one of Clyde’s closest friends. But he was there as long as the man could remember.
When Kyle is found at Stark’s Pond after three weeks of being declared a missing person Clyde feels a deep chill inside.
Why Kyle?
South Park was absurd. It was a small town in America. People can be petty. But Clyde would never, ever, in a million years consider it scary.
At Kyle’s funeral he watches as his family breaks down. Sheila Broflovski always intimidated him but seeing her with lost composure just made him sad. Gerald looked like he hadn’t slept in months. Little Ike, meanwhile, looked lost.
“Why would someone do this to my son?” wailed the redhead woman. Gerald was attempting to soothe her with little results. Ike said nothing with solemn eyes. “My bubbly helped anyone.”
His eyes welled at the scene. Token put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He tried to smile.
“The cops will find out who did this,” said Token.
Token Black was always reliable. No matter what situation, Clyde knew he could always depend on the man.
Stan Marsh and Kenny McCormick were in the corner. The blonde man was whispering words to the other that Clyde couldn’t hear. What Clyde didn’t expect was anger.
Stan’s eyes were always a calm shade of blue. It reminded the man of summer skies or cool breezes. For the first time it was icy as the snow outside.
Why would Stan be angry?
Clyde looks at Tweek. Kyle was one of his closest friends. Definitely more than him or Token. Clyde liked predictably and steadiness. The blonde boy provided none of that. So he kept his distance. Kyle didn’t do that. He dealt with Tweek’s problems, guns blazing.
He remembered one day where Kyle called all the guys up, asked, no demanded, that they come to his place.
He recently moved back from college. It surprised everyone. Kyle was always smarter than the rest of them. So it came to no surprise that the redhead was accepted to Caltech University.
He was only nineteen then.
Clyde expected some sort of freak out. Some sort of existential crisis. He left his entire life plan with no clue on where to go next. It made sense, he thought.
Why not hype the dude?
Instead they all basically get lectured and bitched at. Two weeks later the redhead is home and Clyde feels like somehow he’s a child.
He wondered if Kyle and his Mom communicated with each other beyond the grave.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Tweek is relapsing?” shouted Kyle. He was looking back and forth at each of the men with disappointment and anger.
Stan was the only one speaking. Everyone else knew better than to speak to Kyle when he got this. Frankly, Clyde would rather his Mom come back from the grave and lecture him about the toilet then touch that.
“Dude, you were busy.” defended Stan. He looked at Kyle with pleading eyes. “Caltech isn’t some community college. That shit is intense.”
Kyle’s lips pursed. Kenny attempted to smile with fluttering eyelashes and motioned to the blunt.
“Kenny, this is serious!” said Kyle. He watched as Kenny went up to him and opened up his arms. He went closer. Kyle punched him in the stomach. “You idiot, this is not the time to party.”
Clyde stifled a laugh. Token gave him a look that communicated only one thing: Keep quiet, dude.
“You are all coming to Token’s car. We are all going to Tweek’s place. This is not a negotiation.” ordered Kyle.
They all looked at each other. Token looked vaguely irritated but he nodded and the rest of the men followed Kyle out of the door with the energy of sullen children.
Clyde remembered Kyle taking the key from the mat from Tweek’s and heading inside. They follow. Kyle makes it to Tweek’s bedroom.
The blonde had an empty bottle of medicine lying on his chest. His eyes looked almost empty.
Everyone freezes. Kyle immediately starts yelling and crying. “Come on Tweek, wake up!”
Tweek stays still for several minutes. Kyle starts doing emergency CPR compressions. Token pulls out his phone and dials 911.
“911, what’s your emergency-“
Token’s voice is shaky. “My friend overdosed. Send help.”
The operator asked for the address and nobody answered. She reassures them that someone is on the way.
They are at the hospital hours later. Kyle hasn’t stopped crying. Stan and Kenny are attempting to comfort him with words and unspoken affection.
“I should’ve been here.” cried the redhead. He looked at Stan with watery eyes. “Why wasn’t I here?”
Tweek’s parents showed up. Nobody speaks to them. They all remember the history even if they don’t.
Stan was the one that spoke first. His eyes are dark. “Where did he get this?” he asked the parents.
They don’t answer. Either because they don’t know or they do and they don’t want to acknowledge it. Mrs. Tweek reached out to hug Kyle.
Stan immediately stopped it. “No, you don’t get to do that.”
Mrs. Tweek recoils. Mr. Tweek immediately frowns. “Now, son, I understand you are upset but-“
Clyde steps in. He doesn’t like conflict. Decision making isn’t something he normally led with. But smoothing things over? That’s where his strength lies.
He smiles widely and grabs Tweek’s parents with the force of a linebacker. “You got to try this new flavoring in the cafeteria, it’s so good guys…” he chattered.
Whenever they made it to the cafeteria Clyde took six helpings of everything. He makes the Tweek’s try it regardless of their feelings.
The Tweek’s do so while looking at Clyde with set confusion. Eventually after Clyde is done shoving apple pie down their throats they are all drinking coffee quietly.
Except Clyde. He’s a hot chocolate guy, personally.
“Why is Stanley so upset with us?” asked Mrs. Tweek. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. Mr. Tweek rubbed circles on her back.
Clyde considers his words carefully. A part of him thinks they need honesty. It’s obvious they contributed in some way to Tweek’s overdose. Whether indirectly or overtly.
But they are still his parents.
“Everyone is really upset,” he explains. He gave them a knowing look. “Kyle took it the worst. Stan is just a tad protective in these situations, you know.”
They understood enough not to push back which is really all that Clyde wanted. They didn’t need Stan or Mr. Tweek going to another room for assault. Although Clyde imagined that the lack of need for transportation would be a relief to the paramedics.
Once they are allowed in, Tweek asks for Kyle first. Once Kyle hassles the nurse long enough to let everybody inside they breathe in relief.
Tweek is hoarse. His eyes have circles underneath his eyes. “What happened?” he croaked.
Token doesn’t hesitate. “You took some pills and were unconscious. Kyle found you, man.”
Tweek said nothing. He stares at Kyle for a long time. Kyle looks at him with watery eyes. After a moment of hesitation, the blonde looks at the redhead. “Why?”
Kyle goes to the hospital bed. Tweek makes room for him easily. The redhead smiles sadly. “Because we love you.”
Nothing really changes from there. Tweek is frequently bouncing between the brink of death and being a responsible adult. It was scary.
But at that moment Clyde can remember Tweek’s eyes looking at Kyle, glistening, with unspoken thanks.
Tweek and Craig come to the funeral late. Craig has his hand interlaced with the blonde. Tweek doesn’t say a word. Craig is whispering something to the blonde.
Clyde absolutely loved Craig. He was a bit of a quiet guy but he said what he thought and didn’t waste time. Sometimes Craig looked at him as if he was amusing or in bafflement which made Clyde love him more. His roommate was the ultimate straight man.
He walks up to Craig and Tweek. Token stays where he is, deciding that speaking to Sheila was more appropriate. Clyde hugs Tweek. The blonde stiffens. “I can’t believe this.” he murmured, clinging.
Tweek stays uncomfortably silent. Craig takes Clyde’s arm. Clyde looks at them with confusion.
“Tweek needs some space right now, Clyde, “ said Craig. His tone is firm and definitive.
“I-I don’t understand,” said Clyde. His lip quivers. Why was Craig and Tweek being so distant?
Craig looks at him with a stoic expression. That didn’t normally rattle him. But there was something with it that he couldn’t name. “We’ll see you at the reception,” said Craig.
His eyes water but he moves away promptly. Clyde isn’t sure where to go so he stays by himself.
Stan and Kenny eventually make their way to him with Token not far behind. Kenny embraces Clyde. Clyde hugs him back with tears streaming.
Kenny steps back. He smiles softly at him. “What’s going on, buddy?” he coaxes.
Clyde hiccups. He tries to be quiet but it’s difficult. “Why is Craig acting like this? Why is Tweek so quiet?” he sobbed.
Token speaks first. “Clyde. People handle death in different ways.” he rationalized.
Stan scoffed. Token looked at him with a warning in his eyes. “You don’t seriously believe Craig is upset.”
Kenny put a hand over Clyde’s shoulder. “Well, Stan, we don’t know for sure he’s not,” said the blonde cautiously.
Clyde looked at Stan. The iciness was increasing. Neither of them noticed Craig’s gaze on them.
“W-what? Kyle was Craig’s friend. Our friend.” said Clyde.
Stan smiled bitterly. “Dude, what bullshit has Craig been feeding you?”
Clyde backed a couple steps. Craig was his best friend. Maybe more than Token was. They were yin and yang. Zach and Cody. Batman and Robin.
Token glares at Stan. Stan glares back. Kenny looks between them and Clyde. Clyde’s hands started shaking. “C-Craig is my best friend, Stan.”
Stan took a step closer. “He was your best friend, Clyde. Were you his?”
Clyde ran away outside. He didn’t come back till it was almost time for the reception.
Craig found him. He wasn’t with Tweek. The stoic man sits down with him. “Something on your mind?” he asked.
“E-everyone is acting really weird,” said Clyde. He looked at Craig. “Stan said some things.”
Craig’s eyebrow raised. “Did he?”
Clyde nodded. “Token didn’t want to talk about it. Kenny tried to help.” he attempted to explain. Craig beckoned him to continue. “Stan got really mean, Craig. Cold.”
“Well, we are at a funeral, “ Craig responded. Clyde hates that he snickers at that.
Clyde hugs Craig. Craig doesn’t hug him back. His arms lie. “Craig, Stan said we aren’t best friends.”
Clyde pulls back. Craig looks at him with a quirked lip. “Well, Clyde, that’s just silly,” he said.
“Stan insisted you weren’t upset about Kyle, either,” said Clyde quietly. He looked at Craig. “Isn’t that strange? Kyle was your friend too.”
Craig patted his back awkwardly. “Stan is upset his best friend is gone. He’s grasping at straws to make whatever happen make sense.”
Clyde smiled weakly. “That makes so much sense. You always know the answer, Craig.”
Craig watches as everyone makes it outside. Stan and Kenny are looking at Craig. Craig looks back. Token comes to them. Tweek is not far behind.
“Keep an eye on Tweek, Craig, “ is all Token says with a nod. “It’s what Kyle would have wanted.”
Craig nodded back. Tweek goes back to Craig. Craig takes his hand instinctively.
“We got room for more if you want to carpool.” offers Craig.
Stan and Kenny stay standing where they are. Clyde doesn’t notice. He beams. “Can we get Chinese takeout and watch dumb movies afterwards?”
Token smiles warmly. Craig nods. “You got it.” is all he says as they jump into the vehicle.
It’s the calm before the storm.
XXXXXX
Two days later Clyde gets questioned by the police. The cops looked at him with questioning eyes.
“What was your interaction with Kyle Broflovski before his death?” asked the older cop.
Clyde tried to think. He was nervous. All the cops' eyes on him almost made him lose his train of thought.
“We were at Token’s. Friend time. We have that once a month or so.” said Clyde.
The younger cop looked at him with sympathetic eyes. The older one, Sheriff Joe, looked at him with hardened eyes. “Did something significant happen during this social gathering?”
“Um, well, actually. It wasn’t that. I-I’m sorry.” stuttered the man. He looked at the cops with pleading eyes. “It was the Tweek’s funeral.”
The sheriff’s eyebrows raised high. “Walk me through that day.” he said, grabbing a notepad and pen. “Anything strange or unusual that occurred.”
Clyde laughed nervously. “We all came to support Tweek. You know.” he replied, his pitch increasing in volume.
The sheriff immediately turns to his underling. He whispers something in his ear. The younger cop nods and leaves briefly. He comes back with McDonald’s and a Coke.
“Eat this, sir, “ said the younger cop. He smiles at Clyde encouragingly. For the first time he notices his name tag. Matthew is his name.
Clyde takes the burger out of the bag. He takes the wrapping. It’s a huge McTripple practically slathered in grease. He chomps and salivates. “Oh my God, this is so good, “ he said.
Matthew and Sheriff Joe exchanged amused looks. Clyde inhaled the burger in five seconds flat. He takes out his fries and bites one before taking a long slurp of his drink.
“Now that you've been fed and watered, let’s try this again.” said the older man, smiling pleasantly.
Clyde nodded. “So we’re trying to not overwhelm Tweek. I don’t know if you ever met the guy. But he makes Neville Longbottom look confident.”
Sheriff Joe looked confused. “Neville….Longbottom?”
He enthusiastically takes another fry and dips it in the sauce. “Yeah, dude. Like in Harry Potter.”
Matthew snickers. The sheriff immediately looks at him. Clyde continues eating. “All of us are complimenting his attempts of normalcy or trying really hard not to make Tweek, well, freak out more. Then Craig comes late, for whatever reason-“
Sheriff Joe stops him. “Are you referring to Craig Tucker, the bartender at Jack’s?”
Clyde beams. “Yeah. Craig’s my best friend. Anyways, Tweek basically is attached to Craig like a coat after that. None of us knew where it came from.”
Matthew’s eyes lock on him. He’s tapping his pen. “You guys were good friends, right? Why was that weird?”
Clyde took a drink. It was nearly empty. “Because we didn’t think they were tight. Not like me and Craig. Or Craig and Token really.”
Matthew puts his hand on his jaw. He doesn’t say anything for a moment. “What did Kyle think of it?”
He blinked. “Um. Happy. I guess. At least at first.”
The sheriff wrote more things down. “What changed?” asked Matthew.
Clyde remembered multiple things. Kyle was always coming over and asking where Tweek was. He told him to look for Craig. Craig practically lives there now.
“Tweek hasn’t hung out with us, at all, for weeks.” said Kyle.
Clyde didn’t remember thinking much of it. “So what? They are probably fucking like rabbits.” he sniggered.
Kyle raised his hands up in frustration. “That’s not normal, Clyde.”
“Bro, if I had a fine lady attached to my arm you bet your ass I’m not leaving the house.” implied Clyde, his smile impish.
Kyle stared. “But this happened after Tweek’s parents died.”
Clyde smiled. “Love happens sometimes like that.”
Kyle didn’t say anything. He walked away. Clyde let him. The redhead needed to get used to sharing Tweek. The blonde was going to meet a guy eventually.
Presently Sheriff Joe stops writing. “What happened after that?”
Clyde eats his last fry. He puts the bag to the side. “Stan tells Kenny he’s worried about Kyle’s mental state. Kenny tells Token we need to distract him.” he elaborated with a shrug.
Clyde continues. “Nothing works. At one point he’s ignoring everyone but Stan.”
“Why Stan?” asks the younger cop.
Clyde looked at him. He snorted. “They are, like, super best friends or whatever the fuck they call themselves. So Stan is like a VIP.”
Clyde stretches. “Then Kyle is going around the town looking like his head is cut off. For like a week.”
The two cops looked at each other. Sheriff Joe sighs deeply. “Your last interaction with the victim?”
Clyde’s lip quivered. “That was it, dude. I didn’t see him till they found the body.” he whispered.
The cops let him go after that. Weeks after Clyde is stuck. He’s being pulled into two directions and not sure where to go.
Everyone in town gets investigated. But the only people that got focused on were Craig, Eric Cartman, and Tweek.
Eric Cartman was who Clyde understood. He always harassed the redheaded boy in his youth and put everyone in weird situations.
Everyone else kind of just puts a safe distance between them. Not Kyle. The redhead fought him tooth and nail every step of the way.
In adulthood they all stopped associating with Eric. Even Kyle. He was practically beaming with happiness that they cut him off permanently.
“I've been saying this for years,” said Kyle.
Clyde wasn’t exactly sure what Eric did now. But he thinks it has something to do with drugs. Butters is always looking uncomfortable when he sees Eric outside his office. He’s always waiting on someone.
But Craig hasn’t been here very long. You don’t make enemies in that short of a period. He liked Kyle.
Tweek was Kyle’s best friend. Kyle practically treated him like he was another brother. Like Ike. He loved Kyle.
So he tries to not get involved. They can’t really make any judgments on anyone until they have all of the information.
But Stan comes to his house. Token and Kenny were both with him. They were practically breaking his door down.
“Clyde, open up!” screamed Stan. He continued. “We know you are in there.”
Clyde takes a bag of Doritos. He watches his tv show. He was rewatching Parks and Recreation. He eats a chip.
“Clyde, we just want to talk.” reassured Token. His voice was soft but firm.
He hears voices. It stops. Clyde smiles. “Finally,” he muttered.
Suddenly he hears the sound of a key unlocking. But Clyde didn’t give any of them spares. He stood up fast.
Kenny opened the door. He was smirking. “How goes it, my guy? It’s been awhile.”
They let themselves inside with ease. Clyde is staring at them. He’s not sure what to do next.
“B-but, h-how, uh-“ is all the words he gets out.
“You forgot we are friends with who used to be juvenile delinquents.” said Token dryly.
Kenny sat down. He grabbed Clyde’s chips and ate one. “Dude, is this Parks and Recs? I love that show.”
Clyde looked at Kenny. Then at Stan. He ignored Token. “You guys are insane.”
Stan shrugged. He shut off the TV. “Desperate times come for drastic measures.”
Clyde grabbed the remote. Stan firmly took it away. “No.”
“Why are you doing this?” he whispered. He starts to cry. Kenny goes over and rubs circles on his back and whispers words he didn’t pay attention to.
Token says something to Kenny. Kenny nods. Before he knows it his hand is grabbed by Token and he’s putting him down on the couch gently. He squeezes.
“Did I ever tell you what Kyle and I talked about before he went missing?” asked Stan rhetorically.
Stan started walking around the apartment. He sees a picture of Clyde put up their senior year. It was Clyde, Token, Stan, Tweek, and Kyle in their graduation caps. They are grinning widely. He slowly traces the photo.
“Kyle was worried about Craig and Tweek. We all knew that, right? But then he starts telling me things he noticed about Craig. Just Craig.” claimed Stan.
“Like what?” asked Clyde in disbelief.
Stan smiles. It’s not a happy one. “Apparently Craig only interacted with you and Tweek the most.”
Clyde scoffs. Token and Kenny winced. “Duh, Captain Obvious. Craig is my best friend and he was dating Tweek.”
Stan ignored him. “But every time we were in a group his focus was on Tweek. Extremely.”
Clyde falters. “What are you implying right now?”
Stan went to the shelf. He grabbed an unopened whiskey bottle. He opened the cap quickly and took a large gulp of the drink. “Get us some glasses, will you?” he asks no one in particular.
Token sighs disapprovingly. Kenny goes to the glasses immediately. He sat it on the table. Stan pours large amounts in each cup leaving the bottle nearly gone.
Stan downs his drink. Kenny sips his. Token and Clyde don’t touch their drinks. Clyde taps his leg impatiently.
“The Tweeks were discovered in their bed right before that. They both, allegedly, died of natural causes at the same time and same day.” said Stan. He looked at Clyde incredulously. “I didn’t want to admit this. But Kyle had a point. How does the fuck does that just happen?”
“We all knew they had health issues,” said Clyde weakly.
“Mrs. Tweek’s cancer was in remission and Mr. Tweek was supposedly following doctors orders about his diet.” broke in Token.
Kenny scratched his hair lightly. “Plus, dude, it wasn’t….exactly the type of conditions that correlated.”
Clyde stood up. He stomped his feet. “Okay, detectives. What the hell happened then?”
Stan went closer to him. He looked directly in his eyes. Head to head. “We don’t know. But we’re sure Kyle found out.”
Clyde stared. Stan’s eyes looked determined. “And Craig moved here twelve months ago. Right before the Tweek’s died. Then Kyle dies after investigating him. We want to fry that motherfucker.”
Clyde looked at the others. “You agree with this?”
Token nodded. Kenny reached out his arm to pull Clyde in. “Yes, but, Clyde-“ he said before Clyde punched him. Kenny is down on the floor and rubbing his nose. It’s bleeding.
“I can’t believe you,” said Clyde.
Stan gives a sharp laugh. “You should. You've been manipulated just as much as Tweek.”
Clyde glared. “Bullshit. You’re just grasping at straws. We get it. Kyle was your best friend.” he spits out.
Token goes in the middle of them. “Guys, come on. We can talk rationally about this.”
Stan ignores him. “Shut up.”
He pulls Token away. Stan goes closer. He pokes Clyde’s chest. “It’s convenient that your best friend waits until after I talk to you at the funeral to play supportive.”
Clyde moved his hand. “Tweek was overwhelmed. He needed to support—-“
Stan cut him off. “Himself. He needed to support himself.”
Kenny has a paper towel on his nose. “Even you said it was weird how they were acting,” he added.
“You were his roommate. Tweek became his partner. Craig had an angle and you were part of it.” said Stan coldly.
Clyde’s tears started overflowing. He collapsed on the floor. “Get out.” he starts slowly.
Kenny and Token look at each other. Stan isn’t deferred by his words and stands tall.
“I said GET OUT!” he yells.
Kenny and Token immediately leave. Stan doesn’t move for a moment. He looks at Clyde. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” is all he says as he leaves with the others.
XXXXXX
Months go by. Clyde isn’t talking to anyone. Craig messages him and he leaves it on read.
The cops are still at a dead end. But they still have suspects in mind and the town knows it.
Eric Cartman is unbothered. This is a normal Tuesday for him. Craig doesn’t seem too fazed either. Which doesn’t make sense. This is a murder case. Craig said he didn’t do it. Why is he so calm?
What’s worse is Tweek. His eyes are filled with guilt and self-loathing. But he’s not freaking out or twitching uncontrollably. That bothers Clyde the most.
What did Tweek know?
Then one day the town is covering a stand off. Stan was stabbed. But he was alive. Kenny was black and blue from the face up. Craig had a black eye and a broken leg. Tweek was completely fine.
News came out that Stan and Kenny came to confront Craig. They had a police report. Whatever was on it made Craig on the offensive. Tweek tried to talk them both down. Nobody listened. Stan held Craig while Kenny fought. Craig somehow broke through and they are all fighting. At some point Tweek called 911 and they were in the hospital afterwards.
The detective asked questions. Whenever Craig got released both him and Tweek had a warrant to search their home. What they found chilled the town.
There were photographs of Clyde at his apartment. There were several of Tweek coming in and out of his home. It didn’t matter where. Tweek from the bar, from Clyde’s or Token’s, or the coffee shop.
It got worse from there. Photos of the Tweek’s captive and unconscious. Several photos of Kyle coming from the police station, Tweek’s, Stan’s, and Eric Cartman’s home. Then there was a whole collage of his murder scene. Kyle, dripping in blood. A knife in the stomach. A lock of Kyle’s hair was inside.
When Eric was questioned on everything, all he had to say was: “What people do is their own problem. I’m just the supplier.”
Craig is locked up. Tweek is begging the media and the police to reconsider. “He was looking out for me.” were his words.
Tweek admits to helping cover up Kyle’s death. He doesn’t apologize. “Kyle was my friend. But Craig’s my partner.”
He was arrested as an accessory to Kyle’s death. The town doesn’t celebrate but they aren’t happy either.
People are constantly talking. Theorizing.
“Tweek did more then what he said. I bet they planned it.”
“Poor Kyle. He was the only one looking out for that Tweek boy….”
“It’s Stockholm Syndrome. No other possible explanation.”
Eric Cartman is driven out of town. Leanne tries to stay, her home was always here, but the Cartman’s overstayed their welcome.
“None of this would have ever been possible without the Cartman’s. “
“Eric was waiting for the right time to finally get away with that Kyle boy for decades….”
Craig is viewed with different senses.
“I always thought Tucker was strange….”
“Outsider… “
There’s one comment that made Clyde pause.
“What did those parents do to these boys?” says a elderly woman. She ignores the looks of disbelief from her family and dabs her nose.
Clyde visited Tweek first.
Tweek said nothing when Craig went to the jail phone. His expression is completely stoic.
“Kyle was your friend,” said Clyde.
Tweek continued staying quiet, ears on the phone.
“I’m the first to admit Kyle and Stan can be absolutely assholes.” started Clyde. He glared. “But after you got Kyle in your corner he protected you like nobody else.”
Tweek put his head down. “I didn’t ask to be protected.”
“The only reason you are here right now is because of him. Kyle.” said Clyde.
“I know.” whispered the blonde. His expression softens. A tear comes out of the corner of his eye.
Clyde stood up. He puts the phone just close enough that Tweek can still hear.
“The Broflovski’s lost their son. Brother. Stan lost his best friend. What do you have to say for yourself?” demanded the brunette.
Tweek looked at him. His smile is dreamy. “Love makes the world go round.” he responded softly.
Clyde leaves. A couple weeks later he visited Craig. It was the visit he was dreading the most.
Craig looks the same. Detached. Stoic. As if being in jail was a temporary inconvenience.
Craig puts the phone to his ear. “I was wondering when you’d show up,” he stated.
“Why?” he whispered.
Craig’s lips curved. “Why what? I thought you knew better than that, Clyde.” he drawled.
“You were my best friend. I defended you, Craig. From everyone.” said Clyde. He stared at Craig.
Craig yawned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Tears streamed down his face. “Was I really your friend? Or was this all a means to an end?”
Craig didn’t say anything for a few minutes. He was deep in thought. He put a hand on his chin. “In the beginning you were. Tweek was my main priority. You provided a place to stay. I didn’t know if you were connected to him but I hoped.”
Clyde’s tears didn’t stop. Craig continued, entirely unaffected. “I never had anyone so completely accepting of me.” he mused.
Clyde looked up. He hiccuped. “W-what do you mean?”
Craig smiled. “Most people don’t like me. But that was okay because I didn’t like them either.” he confirmed. He held out his hand. “You, on the other hand, adopted me as if I were a stray cat. It was amusing.”
Clyde smiled in return. It was shaky. He took Craig’s hand hesitantly. “You said what you mean. You didn’t waste time. You let me be stupid.”
The jailed man patted Clyde’s hand. He stretched. “You weren’t stupid, Clyde. Love is your greatest strength.”
“Kyle loved Tweek.” replied Clyde. He breathed. “Why was he different?”
Craig rolled his eyes. “Kyle didn’t ever learn to stay in his own lane. You know how he was.”
He closed his eyes. “Kyle was your friend too.”
Craig chuckled. “Goodness, no. I respected him. But friends are way off. Maybe if he ever learned to stay in his place, sure.”
Clyde blinked. “But every time we all hung out you interacted with them just like you did me.”
This time Craig’s laugh was harsh. Almost mean. “What did you expect, honestly? If I only focused on you and Tweek but I made myself go to every God damn thing people would ask questions. It had to be believable.”
Craig stood up. He smiled. It was nasty. “Don’t think if somebody intervened with you that I wouldn’t do the exact same thing I did for Tweek.”
Clyde shook. “What exactly am I to you?”
Craig’s eyes seemed like they were looking through him. “Tweek is the love of my life, of course. But you are mine.”
Clyde stares. He’s not sure what Craig means. “W-what?”
“You are my best friend. My roommate. My pet. If Tweek is gone forever, then I expect you to be with me. I don’t expect anything less.”
Clyde slams the phone. He doesn’t listen as guards ask him to calm himself. He runs out of the building. Never checked himself out.
Token is outside when he comes out. “Hey, hey, Clyde.” he said, trying to get his attention.
“We need to go.” demanded Clyde. Token’s eyes are wide but he follows with no questions asked.
Clyde receives several letters from Craig. Some are short. They talk about his day and the food he thought Clyde would enjoy. Others are longer. They talk about what made Tweek so interesting, why Clyde needs to talk to him, that he’s not allowing this silence forever.
Stan begs him to block Craig from everything. “You need a restraining order. This is scary.” he insisted.
Clyde puts his head in his hands. “I can’t.”
Kenny and Stan exchanged worried looks. “Why is it so difficult?” asked the blonde.
“He’s my best friend.”
Years go by. Clyde keeps every letter and puts it in a safe box. He never throws it away.
He has a lovely wife, a woman that he meets shortly after moving to Denver after taking a job transfer.
They have a young girl. She looks so much like Jennifer, his wife, but gained Clyde’s deposition.
Tweek never communicates with anyone. Not ever again. Countless media outlets report that he’s not going to rest until Craig is loved and respected.
“You didn’t go through what I did.” claimed the blonde. He narrowed his eyes at Dr. Phil. “Craig understood that. He didn’t make me get rid of the drugs. But he took care of the, “ he sneered at this last part, “parents who put in me.”
When Tweek is asked about Kyle, his answer is somehow worse but normal. “Craig was reasonable. He tried to talk to him. He wanted to break us up.”
Kyle is given a scholarship in his name. Ike Broflovski makes it happen. Wendy Testaburger, an administrator of the college, hands it out.
Before Wendy does, she says something. “Kyle Broflovski was smart, but he was also determined. Learn from him.”
The students looked confused but took the papers when they were handed out. Clyde smiled.
One day there was a knock at the door. His sweet little Amanda jumps up and down. “Is it Uncle Token, Daddy? He said he’d bring me presents.”
He kisses her head. “Go watch your show hon. Daddy’s got it.” he cooed. Amanda makes a face. But she goes.
As soon as he opens the door Craig Tucker is facing the outside of it. He was smirking.
“Craig?” he said faintly.
“Been a long time, Clyde.” said Craig. His smirk widened. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”