Medicine( A South Park fanfic)

Chapter 4

[[Chapter Specific TW: Abusive Relationships, suicide mentions]]

I sat in the bathroom for a few minutes, my back against the door. My mouth tasted like warm beer and regret. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths trying to gather myself. I hated drinking with her around. It always felt like she was pressuring me to do more and more, no matter how much I drank. Did she think I was better drunk? Is everything solely for her reputation alone? If she wants a party guy I don't get why she won't just break up with me. 

You see, I've tried to break things off, many times. Every time I do its some new excuse, threat, or promise. I hate it especially when she threatens to kill herself. As if she even thinks I'm worth that. Whatever the case, I need to get out of here. I wonder if mom's still working, she might be willing to pick me up. No, how lame would that be? I'd be a laughing stock if I left when the party just started, and I don't even want to think about how Heidi would react.

I cringed at the thought, shaking my head a little. I patted my cheeks with my fingertips lightly before standing up. Taking a long moment to stare at myself in the mirror, I began cleaning myself up. 

After a moment, I heard knocking at the door. "Hey man, you good?" It was Stan. 

I opened the door, trying to seem as put together as I possibly could. My face was definitely a little red from the force of getting sick. "Yeah, all good." I put on a smile for my former friend. 

He nodded. "Alright. Well, I just wanted to check on you before I went for a little walk." He put his hands in his pockets, glancing towards the front door. "Wanna join?" He looked back at me.

I contemplated for a second before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I could use some air." Stan didn't question me and just started towards the door. I followed after, turning off the bathroom light behind me. Once we got outside Stan pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, removing one and place it between his lips. I watched in awe. "I didn't know you smoked."

He looked at me, seeming a little surprised himself. "Oh, shit, sorry dude. If you're not cool with it I won't light it." I shook my head in response and he nodded, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag. "Did you want one?" He held the pack towards me. 

Looking at it, I really weighed out my options. I had never smoked anything before in my life. Well, okay there was one time that Kenny got a gram of weed from his brother and he shared it with me and Kyle, but that was one time so it barely counts. "Oh, I..."I paused for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, I'm good, but thanks man." I turned down his offer with a smile. 

He nodded, closing the pack and putting it back in his pocket. Stan seemed so different from the last time I hung out with him. I tried not to think about it much, looking up at the sky. The sky was clear, so I could see all of the stars above. It was peaceful, aside from the sound of loud music getting quieter the further we walked. 

Before I realized it, we had made it to Stark's Pond. The moonlight danced upon the gentle ripples in the pond, reflecting enough to light our way. "Man, I don't think I've ever seen the pond look so peaceful." I said gently, breaking the silence that enveloped us. 

Stan nodded, his body language seeming to relax a bit. I guess the party was a bit much for him, too. I didn't question it as I approached the water, looking down at my own reflection. I noticed that Stan had followed suit, as his reflected glance met my own. Glancing over at him for a moment, I bent down and picked up a rock. Feeling the smooth texture for a moment, I lined up my throw. Skip. Skip. Skip. SPLASH. 

"Not bad." Stan chimed in, picking up his own rock. "But I can do better." I saw the smallest smile creep on his lips as I watched the rock skip across the water. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. SPLASH.