𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

Chapter Three

The number of bandages that covered the boys was atrociously high. They looked as if they've been run over by a stampede of elephants, and their gloomy faces matched that feeling. Their clothes stuck to their bare skin from all their sweat and they smelled like two heaping piles of crap. The two have a slight limp to their walk. Craig counts the number of cracks on the sidewalk as he peers down at his steps. His blue backpack is carried over his right shoulder as Tweek has on a slumping shoulder-bag, cramped with textbooks and crumpled papers, all hanging loosely at his hip, swaying with each step. He walks beside him with another coffee in hand. The only sounds that can be heard in the empty streets are their footsteps and Tweek's heavy sipping. Tweek peers down at his drink and then at Craig. He shoves his drink in front of him, nearly spilling it at his chest.

"Gah! Y-you want some coffee?" Tweek yells, still a little bit jerky.

"... Sure." He takes out a hand slowly before Tweek jerks a little.

"Ngh! Reflex." He answers, tone a little exhausted. "The fight took a lot out of me..." He gently places the cup on Craig's palm, waiting until Craig reaches for it again. Damn, I feel like I'm going to be doing these jerks more often now...

Craig takes the cup, hesitates on whether to sip from the same side as Tweek, twirls the cup around, and then drinks. He gives the cup back. Tweek himself also hesitates on whether to sip from the side Craig drank from, decides to twirl the cup around, and then chugs it, before crushing the empty cup and throwing it into the gutters. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve as more gauche silence ensues. Craig speaks up:"Tweek, I didn't mean for everyone to see like that."

Tweek takes a moment to answer, lips stinging from chugging the burning coffee. "Ngh! I just thought... I mean, I don't care if anyone saw. Gah! Although, I'm not exactly happy..." Tweek exclaims. Imagine how they'll react afterward... He catches the remorseful look on Craig's face as he nods slowly. Tweek suppressed the yearn to pat him on the back. Man, I never say the right thing... Tweek gives a small snort. "But hey... We had a n-nice adrenaline rush going, uh, right?" Tweek gave a small, childish laugh to ease up the mood.

Craig's tight shoulders loosened a little. He closed his droopy eyes before opening them abruptly turning and facing Tweek. "Wait, you don't care? The only reason I listened to Cartman and fought with you was so our friendship wouldn't be damaged. So word wouldn't get out and you wouldn't freak out and go out-of-state." Tweek looks at him a little confused.

Out-of-state? He twitches before exclaiming: "Oh Christ! I don't give a damn about what people say about me, man! They all think I'm fucking b-bat-shit crazy! I mean... I won't like it, but shit! Not out-of-state just for this."

Craig's eyes slightly narrow. "Neither do I. I couldn't care less what people do to me." He scoffs. Cartman manipulated me. That fucking bastard manipulated me so... Easily. "I can't believe I won a fight for Cartman. He's probably laughing about his five hundred bucks right now. And all for what? I still... Kissed you in public."

"Ngh, yeah, I gotta' admit... I'm not going to be looking forward to tomorrow." Tweek groaned.

Craig stares at him for a long time. "I think we'll be okay. We're... In this together." Craig replied, giving a small, appreciative bump on Tweek's arm.

"Yeah, I guess so... Gah! I think these bruises will all stay for a while..." Tweek exclaimed, clutching his bleeding jaw. He's lost in thought for a while before he asks: "Why did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you... Do that?" He points toward his lips, tapping lightly at his bruised, purpling skin. The lips were split down the middle and it hurt Tweek to move them. "I mean, we're not exactly that close... Uh, not that we're not close though! Gah! Just that we're not that close!" Craig's eyes lit up as he grumbled to himself.