Bound By A Book (KYMAN FIC)

Get beaten

Monday came around like a slap in the face for Cartman. All weekend, he'd stewed over the rumors, replaying every conversation, every stupid smirk, every whisper he caught in the hall. And now he knew exactly who'd let it slip. Stan. His so-called "friend," the one who'd sworn he wouldn't tell anyone. The thought of Stan turning on him boiled Cartman's blood in a way that few things could. He clenched his fists, feeling the scratch of his nails dig into his palms.

Cartman stalked through the halls, eyes scanning for that familiar face, adrenaline pulsing through his veins as he got closer. He finally spotted Stan near his locker, laughing with Kenny and Kyle like he hadn't just made Cartman the laughingstock of the entire school. Something inside him snapped. He barreled forward, shoving his way through students until he was face-to-face with Stan, who looked up in surprise, his laughter faltering when he saw Cartman's expression.

"Stan!" Cartman growled, his voice filled with venom. "I'm done playing nice."

Stan raised his hands instinctively, a mixture of confusion and fear flashing across his face. "Cartman, I... What's your problem?"

"You're my problem, Stan," Cartman spat, stepping closer, his voice low and dangerous. "You're the one who started this, aren't you? Telling everyone I have a crush on..." He stopped himself, the words tasting bitter. He didn't even want to say it out loud.

Stan's face turned pale, and his eyes darted to Kyle, who looked between them, brow furrowing. "Look, Cartman, I swear, I didn't mean—"

"Didn't mean to what?" Cartman cut him off, his voice louder now, drawing the attention of passing students. "Didn't mean to turn me into a joke? Didn't mean to humiliate me?"

"I didn't tell anyone on purpose, I swear!" Stan protested, panic creeping into his voice as he took a step back, bumping into his locker. "It just slipped out, Cartman. I didn't think—"

"Yeah, you didn't think," Cartman sneered, his voice rising. "You never do, Stan. But today, you're gonna regret it." His fists clenched, and in a split-second decision, he swung at Stan, who ducked just in time, Cartman's fist colliding with the metal locker behind him with a loud clang.

Stan stumbled back, his face a mask of fear as Cartman's hand ached from the impact. Before he could recover, Cartman lunged forward, intent on wiping that terrified look off Stan's face, to make him feel at least a fraction of the humiliation he'd put Cartman through.

"Cartman, stop!" Kyle's voice cut through the chaos, as he started to walk over to them, just as Cartman raised his fist again, and suddenly he felt a hand grip his shoulder—hard. Kyle yanked him back, and Cartman stumbled, surprised by the sheer strength in Kyle's grip.

"Get off me, Kyle," Cartman snarled, trying to pull away, but Kyle held on, his face hard, eyes narrowed.

"Enough, Cartman," Kyle said, his voice cold, each word clipped with irritation. "You're making a scene, and if you keep this up, you're just gonna make things worse for yourself." Kyle squeezed his shoulder tighter.

Cartman growled, ignoring Kyle's warning, his mind too clouded with rage to care. He jerked forward, trying to shake off Kyle's grip, but Kyle's hand tightened on his arm. "I said, let go of me!" Cartman tried to twist out of his hold, throwing another punch in Kyle's direction out of pure spite.

But Kyle was faster, stronger than Cartman had given him credit for. He sidestepped the swing with ease, and before Cartman could react, he shoved him back, hard enough that Cartman lost his balance, crashing to the floor in a graceless heap.

A ripple of laughter and gasps echoed through the hallway, students gawking at the scene. Cartman's face burned as he scrambled to get up, but the look in Kyle's eyes stopped him. Kyle was furious, a deep, intense anger in his gaze that made Cartman's heart skip a beat.