South Park: Senior Year

7. Tired

     Kyle had been staring at his reflection for the past half hour. Nothing he wore looked right. His ribs seemed to stick out farther than they were supposed to and his eyes seemed smaller than usual. He changed again, but every time he put a different outfit on he swore his body changed its shape.
He needed to make up his mind quickly if he didn't want to miss the bus. He had wanted to go without glasses today, but his eyes looked so out of place on his face that he needed to hide them. To cover his bulging rib cage and disproportionate torso, he pulled on a large green sweater.
Kyle avoided looking in the mirror again, knowing it would only upset him more. He swung his backpack -heavy from several different textbooks- over his shoulders and left the house. Stan and Kenny were at the bus stop already, chatting, but they got quiet as Kyle approached. He kept his head down, staring at the glistening snow beneath his feet.
You'd think after almost two years of not being friends with Stan, the air between them wouldn't be so tense. But like most things involving Stan Marsh, it was complicated.
Kyle glanced at Kenny who offered him a half smile. Kyle nodded hello before returning his gaze to the ground. He knew it was just as awkward for Kenny as it was for Stan and himself. Cartman too, who arrived a few minutes later.
Butters joined the group for the second day in a row. It wasn't like him to take the bus this often, and after his interrogation yesterday, Kyle wasn't sure he wanted him around.
Butters should have known by now that Kyle and Stan were no longer on speaking terms. The blonde boy had never been all that observant or bright, but surely he would noticed something that had been going on since sophomore year. Kyle wondered if butters had questioned him just to piss him off, but quickly dismisses the thought, as Butters had never been one to pick fights. It wasn't his fault the topic of Stan made Kyle so irritated.
Kyle hated that being around Stan or talking about him made him uncomfortable. He didn't like that Stan still controlled his emotions even when they hadn't talked in years. Stan has a way of doing that to people. Once he's been a part of your life, he clings to you forever.
Maybe no one else thought that way. Maybe Kyle was the one clinging to stan.

It took all of Kyle's willpower not to fall asleep in his classes that day. He'd pulled an all-nighter doing homework for his AP classes and the consequences were kicking in. He had a perfect record of zero tardies and zero absences. He'd never even fallen asleep during class, but all these nights of zero sleep were catching up to him. He pinched himself to keep awake, barely managing to make it to the end of class.
Stan was sitting with Kenny and Cartman today, so Kyle took his lunch up to the library. Once he got there, he laid his head down on a desk. A few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt and he was sure the next bell would wake him.

The bell never seemed to come, though. It wasn't until Kenny found him that he woke up.
"Kyle? What are you doing here? Did you skip all of class?" Kenny prodded his shoulder with his bony fingers.
Kyle shot up. "No. Shit, did I?" he checked the clock on his phone to find that not only had he slept passed lunch, but the school day was over.
"My mom is going to kill me." he muttered, his head falling back down to the desk with a thud.
"Have you been up here since lunch?" Kenny asked.
Kyle nodded. He was so disappointed in himself. How could he let this happen? What were his parents gonna say? He'd be grounded for a week at least if he was lucky.
Kenny tapped the table like a drum. "Well, do you wanna walk over to middle school with me to pick up Karen and Ike?"
Kyle stood up with a sigh. "Yeah, I guess."

As the two walked, Kyle ran different explanations through his head that he could tell his parents. Nothing seemed believable enough. Maybe he could just tell them the truth?
Hey Mom and Dad, I just skipped half of my classes for nap time, please forgive me.
Yeah, right.
Ike and Karen were outside already when they arrived. The two were crouched on the ground, staring at something beside their feet.
"Hey, kare-bear." Kenny called to his little sister.
Karen looked up with a wide smile. "We found a beetle!" she exclaimed.
Ike looked up as well and waved to Kyle. Kyle waved back.
"No way!" Kenny crouched beside his sister, staring at the bug too.
Kyle stayed standing, looking at the little black spec on the concrete between them.
"We named it Scuttle-Butt." His little brother said quietly.
Ike had always been a quiet, shy kid. Mom and Dad constantly told him to speak up, but once he'd gone into middle school, he hardly spoke. Kyle wondered if he was being bullied, but he never asked. He didn't know how to talk about that kinda thing, especially with his little brother. Neither of them talked much about their problems. It was like an unspoken rule in their house that everyone should keep everything to themselves.
Kenny and Karen were not at all like them. They talked about everything together. Kenny always managed to make time for Karen, despite working two jobs. Kyle knew Kenny was a better brother than him. He wondered if Ike thought the same thing.
Kenny took Karen's hand and all three of them stood up to begin walking. As they approached Kyle's house, which came before Kenny's, Ken drew back. Karen and Ike were ahead of them, discussing which one of their teachers was the meanest.
"Hey, Kyle..." Kenny spoke in a low voice and his demeanor suddenly shifted. "Can I ask a huge favor of you?"
Kyle looked down at the freckled blonde. Kenny looked desperate.
  "Of course, man. Anything." Kyle's expression grew worried.
"Would it be okay if Karen spent the night at your place? I know it's a school night and usually your mom is against it, but shit's been rough at our house. I mean, more than usual." Kenny stared forward at his little sister.
"Sure, of course. I'll find a way to convince my mom." Kyle searched Kenny's face for a sign of what's been going on, but all he saw was exhaustion. He looked much more tired than a seventeen-year-old kid should.
"Do you wanna stay over too? You could have my bed, I haven't been using it anyway." Kyle offered, wanting to help out his friend in any way he could.
Kenny shook his head. "I couldn't ask that of you. I appreciate it, really, but as long as Karen is safe I'll be okay." Kenny offered Kyle a smile. A weak one, but a smile nonetheless.
Kyle nodded, knowing better than to try and fight Kenny on something like this. "I'll take care of her, Ken, I promise."
"I know you will." Kenny then called out to Karen "Guess who gets to spend the night with the Broflovskis?"
Karen's face lit up. "Really?"
Kenny ruffled her hair. "Of course kiddo. I'll pick you up tomorrow after school, okay?"
Karen nodded. Kyle watched as her and Ike raced to their house. Ike was smiling just as much as Karen. Kyle was glad for him. It was nice to see him smile for once.
Kyle waved goodbye to Kenny before following his brother and Karen into the house.
"KYLE MICHAEL BROFLOVSKI!" His mom's voice yells from upstairs.
Karen and Ike glance at Kyle before rushing to the backyard. They know better than to stick around an angry Sheila Broflovski.
"Yes, mom? I'm here." Kyle says with a sigh.
His mother stomps down the stairs towards him. "Do you wanna explain to me why I just got a call from the school saying you skipped two classes?!"
"I..." he stares at the floor, searching for the right words.
"Well?" his mom's tone grows more frustrated. "This is so unlike you, skipping school! What was so important that you couldn't be in class?"
Kyle rubs his face, suddenly feeling even more exhausted than he had during lunch. "I don't know, mom. I'm sorry."
"Kyle...are you okay?" His mother's voice is suddenly dripping with concern. She places her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "Bubbie, your eyes are bloodshot." she pauses. "You haven't been doing drugs have you?"
Kyle rolls his eyes. "No, Mom, I haven't been doing drugs" He tries to pull away, but she held his face firmly.
"You have dark circles under your eyes, too." she points out what he was already well aware of. "When was the last time you slept?"
She finally lets Kyle go and he stares at the floor. "I don't know. Um." Kyle thinks for a moment. It's Thursday and... Wow. He really didn't know. How many days had he been up?
His mom nudges Kyle over to the couch and forces him to sit down. "Stay." she instructs before heading into the kitchen.
He reluctantly obeys.
After a few minutes, she comes back with a cup of tea. It smelled delicious, and Kyle didn't even like tea.
"Drink, dear." His mother tells Kyle before sitting beside him on the couch. "Tell me what's been going on with you."
Kyle sips his tea slowly, being careful not to burn his tongue. "There's nothing to tell, Mom."
"Oh please. Do you think a mother can't tell when her son is lying? Tell me what's wrong."
Kyle sighs, setting his tea down on the coffee table, making sure to put a coaster underneath.
"Nothing is going on, mom. Just school and..." Kyle searched for another excuse. "And I'm worried about Kenny." it wasn't a complete lie. He was worried about Kenny. "He was asking if Karen could sleep over tonight."
"Kyle, you know the rules. It's a school night-"
"Mom, please." Kyle looked her in the eyes, his expression almost replicating the same desperation of Kenny's. "You know how the McCormicks can be. I could tell from the way Kenny asked that Karen needs this."
His mom nodded in understanding. "Alright. She can stay. But promise to keep an eye on those two, okay? I don't want them up all night."
"Of course." Kyle agreed.
"You try to sleep as well, okay?"
"Yeah." he mumbles
His mom placed her hands on his face again. "You will sleep tonight?"
"Yes, ma. I will sleep tonight." It felt terrible to lie to her face.