Chapter Text
7:00 AM
"Stanley, you are going to be late for the bus!!"
Stan has never cared much for school. It is just something he has to do, cause every kid at some point needs to. It is routine, and one can't never stop routine. That's what his father tends to say after all...
Yet again, he would rather eat shit than listen to the advice of his father.
"Coming!"
Why must mornings come anyway?
The sun is annoying; it pisses him off. It makes him sweaty, and his hair is as greasy as it gets. He knows that one gets smellier the more he grows, but man, do his armpits need to smell that bad? He really doesn't want to wear deodorant; it feels weird.
"Stanley Marsh, come down right now, it is 7:15!"
"I said I was coming!!"
And good morning, the day has officially started, and he hasn't even taken his morning shit, which means he will be uncomfortable all day. That's really nice, yeah, what else is new?
He went to the kitchen.
"Good morning, sweetheart."
"Morning mom, where is Dad?"
"He is feeling... indisposed."
"He is drunk already?"
"Oh, Stanley, don't be like that, you know how your dad is..."
"Yeah"
The breakfast was rather quiet. He only had 15 minutes to eat anyway, and eggs always make him fart, which was awkward and bad, and he kinda wanted to be out of there fast.
"So... how are things with Wendy?"
"Oh, they are fine, we are friends."
"And only friends?"
- Oh my god, this thing again - Stan started to think. He gets nervous and has a silly crush on a girl once when he was 8, and now he is branded for life appereantly. Puking on her was such a mistake.
"Yeah, mom, only friends."
"You guys were so cute when you went to the movies that time."
"It was 2 years ago."
"Still"
"Anyway, the bus is gonna be here soon."
Stan basically rushed to exit the house, his mom just giving him his Lunch. He pushed himself against the door once he was out and took a long breath.
"Fuck"
"Kinda early for swearing."
"Eat shit, Wendy."
Wendy usually meets him at his door. It was routine, and routine is blah blah, you know the drill. Is not like he minds, truth to be told, neither he nor she had any friends. Turns out, other boys bully you when you are too close to girls, and girls don't like you when you are too close to boys, meaning they are both screwed.
"Bad morning, huh?"
"Didn't get to take a shit, mom was really rushing me."
"That is so gross."
"Oh, piss off, I puked on you many times."
Wendy flips him off. They are finally at the bus stop. 2 minutes to spare, that is a new record, and good too, cause it means Wendy, and he doesn't have to run for the bus, which also means they won't bitch each other about it.
Some girls on the other side are gossiping while occasionally looking at Wendy.
"Ignore them," Stan said, "who cares what some bitches have to say?"
"I would like for other girls to like me tho"
"Aren't I enough? You hurt me, testaburger."
Wendy laughs and pushes him a little. "Maybe you would be enough if you showered. You reek. When was the last time you touched water?"
"This is my natural smell; it attracts the ladies."
"The only thing is doing is scaring off this lady."
"Good, wouldn't like her as my girlfriend, she is a bitch."
"Oww, 8-year-old, you weren't saying those words."
Stan flips her off.
The bus arrives 5 minutes late as always. They both get in, and that is when the stares start.
The stares are something every morning. He has gotten used to them, being the son of the town's most famous drunkard. Wendy, though, they still affect her, even if Stan keeps telling her it shouldn't.
The silly crush he once had on her was enough to brand her as the girl who was Willing to date the smelly son of Randy Marsh. That label is almost as bad as being called a whore in Stan's mind, and he feels kinda guilty about it.
It was never supposed to happen; she was just a girl who happened to be kind to him when he moved to that small town, and god forbid a boy finds a girl who shows him basic human decency to be charming. The crush didn't really last, though, and Wendy became more of a sister than her actual sister...
Still, after the movie date, rumors spreaded, and the girls never stopped picking on her about it, the boys simply said "ohhhh, Stan has a girlfriend, what a fag". Stan sometimes wonders how having a girlfriend makes one a fag, but then again, he never got a lot of the guys' lingo.
Wendy sticking around was nice cause of it, cause she also really didn't get a lot of the girls' lingo. She wanted to, though, much more so than Stan, who was kinda fine being "not like other boys". There is nothing Wendy hates more than "not being like the other girls".
Is things like this why the crush didn't last, as something told him he wouldn't be the boyfriend she would like?
"Hey, are you sitting?"
Stan snapped out of it.
"Yeah, I only didn't wanna smell your farts."
"The fartsy pants here is you, dumbass."
"Hey Wendy, how is your fag boyfriend?'
"Good fucking lord," Stan thought, Eric had to open his mouth. He always had to open his mouth.
"Fucking your dad, tell him the closet is glass."
"Oh, come on, Stan, he doesn't have a dad, you can't fuck what doesn't exist."
"fuck you, Wendy!"
"Fuck you too, asshole."
"Bet you fuck Stan all day with a Dildo."
"I do not!!"
"What's a dildo?" Stan asked, and he got lost in the conversation.
"I don't know, and I bet Cartman doesn't know either."
"I know what it is, shut up!"
"Then what is it?"
Cartman didn't respond and instead just blew her off and flipped her the bird. Typical of him, really. He was still curious what a Dildo was, maybe he would ask a teacher later.
They finally arrived at school.
And the rumours started yet again
"Ohhhh, they had a lovers quarrel on the bus."
"Why does Wendy have such low standards when it comes to men?"
"Stan stinks so bad, you wouldn't catch me dead with him. Even as just a friend."
"I mean, Wendy kinda smells like pee, so it goes with the whole poop vibe of Stan."
Stan didn't care really, but Wendy is not Stan. She was visibly upset about it, and it made Stan sad. He wouldn't hold her hand tho, that is gay, and truth to be told, he also doesn't need more rumours about him.
They could skip class about it tho.
"Hey, wanna ditch?"
"Of course not! It would ruin my record!"
"Which is perfect anyway. Come on, Wendy, we both hate that class."
"It's not about hating-"
"We can go see shoes."
Wendy stopped there and looked at him. Stan knew how much Wendy liked shoes, and Wendy also knew how much he disliked going shopping for shoes, two things in one. She gets to watch shoes and bother him.
"The stores at South Park suck."
"South Park sucks in general."
"So...
We could go to Denver."
"How?"
Wendy then pulled out her flip-phone. One of those new models, her parents must have given it to her. Stan sometimes wonders how it would feel to have, you know, normal parents.
"They gave me this for emergencies, it has a Taxi dial."
"So?"
"... maybe abusing its power wouldn't hurt a little."
"I like it when you aren't a goody two-shoes."
"This is an exception. It is never happening again."
And so they left.
Somebody was following them tho.
-------‐-------------
"This is a bad idea."
"It's gonna be fine, Wend.y"
"No is not, people are going to think we went out to kiss."
"Okay, first of all, gross. Second, why do you care so much?"
"Cause it won't help my reputation, and it is already kinda hurt."
"Those girls are shitty anyway, why do you want to be liked by them so bad?"
"Cause it feels nice to be liked, wouldn't you know that? After all is not like your dad likes you."
"Ohhh, that was low! I didn't know you had it in you, Testaburger."
Both kids stopped in the blind when they heard that. As they turned around, their worst nightmare was there. Eric Cartman had followed them, with his annoying grin, and with a bag that seemed kinda heavy.
"What are you doing here, fatass?" Both said in unison.
"Going to Denver with you, obviously."
"I would rather swallow a bullet than go anyway with you. I called quits," Wendy stated with an offended tone. Eric just scuffed a laugh.
"Oh, what's the big deal? I mean, I could still rat you guys up, I'm sure people would loveee to start rumours about you." Then Eric continued. "Hey Wendy, hasn't your period already started? Don't girls get weird when that happens?"
"Hey, fuck you Asshole!" Stan interrumpted.
"I'm just saying. You guys want me to come with you, or you guys maybe want things to get worse, I dunno."
Stan was kinda over his whole bravado, which he knew didn't fully mean, as Eric was nothing but a coward, but Wendy was Shaken, she was crying, she was hurt.
"Let's just get this over with."
"You can't just let him win."
"Shut i,t Stan, I want today to be over."
The trip was dead silent, and they never actually arrived at the store (turns out, a taxi to Denver is quite expensive, and they didn't have enough money between the two, as Cartman wasn't paying), but they got far enough to go the outskirts of the town.
It was midday.
Wendy and Stan were sitting in silence while watching the whole thing. It was quiet, it was nice, and it had a different feel than Stark Pond, which was a plus. That place really gets tiresome if it is the only place you have to go.
"hey" Stan said, "do you think we will ever leave this town?"
"Gee, watching many gay teen movies?"
"I wasn't talking to you cartman"
"Whatever"
Wendy cleared her throat. "Yeah, we will be living far off by that point, and we will have grown apart"
"That's nice."
"Hey!!"
"What did I say?"
"I don't wanna grow apart from you."
"Oh, well, I guess me neither."
"You guess? Huh"
Stan was confused.
"What?"
"Nothing"
"This is boring, I thought we were going to Denver, not to some lame-ass abandoned building in the middle of nowhere."
"Nobody asked you to come," Wendy said snarkily, tired of Eric's antics.
"Oww, you love me."
And silence became king once again, while Cartman was doing whatever in the back. Stan wasn't thinking quite rationally right now; he was still stuck on what Wendy said.
What was wrong about growing apart? Truth to be told, it didn't sound so bad, he thinks even Wendy would grow to like the idea after a while. Leaving the town is an amazing dream, but he can't see anyone from the town being part of that dream. That included Wendy in a way...
It was just how it was supposed to be done. One day, he will get away, not live with his parents, and leave this place behind. Wendy should aim for the same, cause there is no future in this place.
Yet she was still sad. She looked sad, in a way Stan couldn't quite understand, and part of him didn't want to understand.
Understanding hurts.
Wendy is not really his best friend; he doesn't have one. She, of course, must feel the same. They like each other the way you love a song; after hearing it too much, it is simply not catchy anymore, and you move to greater things.
"You look like an ass looking at the floor like that."
Stan snapped out of it.
"sorry"
silence.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No"
That noise felt loud enough to drown whatever Cartman was talking about in the back. It felt distant, and kinda hurt, if that made any sense.
Stan decided not respond, and when the clock marked 2 PM, they decided to walk back to town. It was going to be long.
---------------
Cartman was the first to run off when they got to a place near the school.
Wendy didn't even bother to flip him off. She was a bit out of it, and Stan didn't know how to fix that; it made him feel awkward.
"What a jerk, am I right?"
"My parents must be wondering why I'm late, goodbye Stan."
And so Wendy left, leaving Stan to walk home alone. He heard screams. "Oh, Dad is sober again."
Stan entered the house.
"You are making a big deal out of nothing, Sharon!, It was just a couple of beers with the guys."
"What guys?! Nobody in this town stands your existence."
"Oh, piss off, can you not be a fucking bitch for once?"
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Swear like we are in a pub. Is vulgar and immature. And your son imitates it, do you think I like hearing him talk like a sailor? He told a girl to "eat shit". He will never get a girlfriend like this!"
Stan couldn't be bothered to hear the rest. His dad will simply insult his mom a bit, she will cry, then she will act like nothing, and he will get drunk again. There is no point in making more of that. Terrance and Phillip must be on; that is far more worthy of his time.
Then something hit him. It was a bottle; it didn't break on him, frankly, it didn't even hurt, but it was still shocking.
"hey kid, you really shouldn't swear."
Stan was paralyzed. Did his dad just hit his head with his bottle? That is... something.
"It makes your mom pissed at me, and if she is pissed at me cause of you, then I am pissed at you. Okay? I think we should get along, and we get along when you aren't a nuance"
"Okay, dad"
"Also, that hit was a warning; it won't be as soft next time. My dad wouldn't have given me one."
Randy was laughing as he leavedthe living room, and Stan was left watching the floor. He was wrong, Terrance and Phillip weren't on, and the broadcast got cancelled. Disappointing.
Everything was.
What did he mean by next time? Next time, he swore? Is this a new thing? Something he should worry about?
He decided to go to the garden.
The sun was settling, and to him, it kinda looked like a big pile of shit. Today was different, in a way. Things started the same, but they didn't play the same.
Wendy was weird, his dad was weird, and even his mom was weird. That's bullshit. Everyone should stick to the routine; it is what makes things work. It is what is comfortable to him.
He doesn't want things to change.
Stan was about to enter the house again when he heard a noise. It was near the trash cans. "Probably a possum."
He got near it, by morbid curiosity
"Hi"
"Waaaa"
"Jeez, why are you screaming? Did something die inside you?"
The Orange parka kid looked dirty, and god, he smelled bad.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Kenny. Who are you?"
"Stan"
Kenny looked at him as if he were some weird animal. Ironic, really, it should be the other way around. He was the dirty kid on raggedy clothes in his trash.
"So, can I have something to eat?"
"What? dude, I have no idea who you are."
"A boy who is hungry, do you have food or not?"
"Take a shower first."
"Give me your shower."
A part of Stan wanted to be mean to this weird kid. He just appeared out of nowhere, demanded food and now a bathroom. He got to be kidding.
then He thought of Wendy, who once did a presentation on homeless kids, and how they need help; he seems like one of those.
"fuck... alright"
The shower was long.
"Don't steal our towels!!"
"No promises, do your parents mind me being here?"
Stan knew they probably would if they were here. But Randy was already on his nightly drinking and sharon was on his nap. They don't care as long as they don't know.
"not really"
Kenny came out of the bathroom smelling of shampoo and whatever lotion his sister has. She must be with her boyfriend now, and she will so scream at him for using her stuff.
Stan gave him some of his clean clothes, and then He took a shower himself.
They looked at each other after the ritual.
"so" Kenny said while munching on bread and jam, "do you do this often? Shelter kids, that is"
"Not really, you alone?"
"Nah, my sister is at a motel with a friend. I was just here earning some money."
"How?'
"Stealing, duh"
"Charming"
Kenny keeps munching. Stan looked at him with so much ease. This boy was so weird, entering a house basically uninvited.
"I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to stare that much."
"Fuck off... so, you don't have parents?"
"Oh, I have them, they just suck, and I leave with my sister. We pick a boy along the way! He is nice."
"That is a stupid thing to do."
"Well, not everyone has nice parents, mister all-American perfect boy. I bet your dad takes you to every Sunday game."
The comment annoyed Stan. What does this brat know about his life? If anything, he has the worst father in the world and no one else.
"I would like. My dad is a piece of shit; he is a drunkard who makes my mom cry, and today he even lightly hit me with a bottle. Can you believe it?"
"Uh oh"
"What?"
"That's how it start"
"Start what?"
"Let me guess, he told you, 'it is a warning'"
Stan was having trouble following what was going on.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, it means, this is the beginning, in no time he will slap you, and hit you, trust me, I been there, and I know the formula by memory at this point."
Stan was taken aback by that. Surely he doesn't mean it; this kid is just projecting his traumas onto him. Randy is an idiot, a nuisance at best and a danger at worst, but he wouldn't do that. It would disturb the routine, and nobody wants to disturb a routine. It is simply not natural to do so.
"You should come with me."
"You are out of your mind-"
"To see my sister and my friend, duffer. I need help taking all the food in your kitchen."
"You are not taking the food in my kitchen."
"Pleaseeee"
Stan felt bad for this boy, so sad and alone that he was projecting his problems onto him, trying to convince him his dad could become such a man. It was sad, really, and maybe food is what he needed, so he could be smart again
"Not all of it."
"Yes!" Said Kenny in a celebratory tone.
Stan and Kenny went out of the house, and he looked bad for a moment. Has the house always been this cold? He really isn't allowed past 6 on the street.
Well, it is something to think about later, he supposed