Stan called at 2 AM.
Through the sniffles, and through the whines, Kyle could make out the words of 'Wendy' and 'help'. His heart sank, and he felt himself frown. He could only assume they had broken up (again). The redhead felt bile rise up in his throat, but he pushed it down, responding to Stan quietly.
"It's going to be alright Stan, I'll be over soon." He slowly got off of his comforter, and slipped on a pair of socks and his gray, withered, shoes before he opened his door hesitantly.
He didn't really want to do this. He didn't really want to go to the house of his best friend, the best friend he's had a crush on for six and a half years, and let him rant about his struggles with girls. But he would anyway. Because what are friends for, right?
"I love you Kyle..." Kyle whispered an 'I know' under his breath before hanging up, tucking the phone in his pajama pocket. He was sick of this.
He arrived knowing exactly what to expect. Stan would cry for a while before he'd tell Kyle what happened; what Wendy had said this time, before he would tell Kyle to stay over. Kyle would always say no but he ended up sleeping over anyways. It was like clockwork.
Slowly, Kyle climbed up the stairs, trying his best to be quiet and not wake Stan's parents. He creaked open the door to see his best friend curled in a ball on the floor, his knees were pulled to his chest and he stared at his phone. There was a bottle of liquor next to him, the cap slightly unscrewed, a drop of the liquid falling down the side.
"Stan?" The brunette twisted his head to look at Kyle who smiled meekly. He wiped his eyes before looking back down at his phone again.
Kyle sat next to him, the silence in the room lingering awkwardly. Stan leaned onto the bony shoulder of his friend. Kyle felt his face warm before guilt washed over him.
"She said she couldn't stand to talk to me anymore." Kyle's eyes widened in surprise. His mouth opened to say something, but nothing had come out. Stan took it as a sign to continue.
"I miss her, Kyle. She was the only one who could've possibly loved me." Kyle's heart shattered, and annoyance settled low in his gut.
"Hey come on, that's not true dude. Tons of people love you Stan, like Kenny and Butters and your parents and everyone at school really and..." and me. The words were unspoken but both heard it.
"It's.. it's not the same Kyle. You know that." Suddenly, tears welled up in Kyle's own eyes and he looked away, down at his own shoes. He felt his throat constrict and he blinked a couple of times to stop the crying before it started. If he began crying, he probably wouldn't be able to stop.
'It is the same Stan...' He pleaded in his head 'Why can't you understand that?'
No, this isn't about you Kyle.
"She's a bitch Stan. She doesn't deserve you." he muttered, his fingers whispering over the other boy's back. Stan frowned at him in response and Kyle froze wondering if something was wrong. Stan moved away from Kyle's touch.
"Don't say that. You know I still love her." Silence followed after and a lump formed in Kyle's throat because of course he did. Of course Stan still loved her.
Kyle sobbed silently in Stan's bed once the other had fallen asleep. He prayed his friend wouldn't hear him as he shook, and gasped brokenly. He tucked his legs into himself gripping the white pillow he held between his arms. His eyesight was blurry, and his body felt like lead. Slowly, his eyes shut, the exhaustion catching up to him.
