The Futures To Far Away (CREEK FIC)

Stan v Craig rivalry

Craig was on a mission. He'd spent all morning searching the school, looking down every hallway and in every classroom he could think of. It was frustrating; he felt like he'd been pacing back and forth across the entire building, his mind racing with anxiety about what he had to do. His head was still buzzing with Ms. Turner's words from yesterday: You're not likely to graduate, Craig.

Finally, Craig spotted Kyle across the cafeteria, standing by the trash cans with Stan, who was laughing at something. Craig took a deep breath and walked over, ignoring the tight feeling in his chest. Kyle was his last hope. But he also knew that if this was going to work, he'd have to swallow his pride — something he wasn't particularly good at. And to make matters worse, he'd have to deal with Stan being there.

"Kyle," Craig said, approaching them. He tried to keep his voice steady, though the urgency was clear. "Can we talk? Like, in private?"

Kyle looked surprised, glancing at him with raised eyebrows. Before he could respond, though, Stan laughed, clearly amused by Craig's request.

"Wait, wait, wait," Stan chuckled, putting an arm around Kyle's shoulders. "Did I hear that right? You want Kyle to talk to you in private? Since when do you ask for favors, Tucker?"

Craig's jaw tightened. This was the last thing he needed — to be heckled by Stan Marsh. But he forced himself to keep calm, meeting Kyle's eyes. "It's important, alright? Can we just—"

Stan cut him off, smirking. "Aw, what's the matter, Craig? Ran out of people who actually want to talk to you?"

Craig's patience was fraying fast. He could feel his temper bubbling up, but he clenched his fists, willing himself to stay calm. He wasn't here to argue with Stan. He looked at Kyle, ignoring Stan's smirk. "Kyle. Please. Just a minute."

But Stan wasn't done. "Oh, this is rich. I mean, you hate half the school, Tucker. But here you are, acting like Kyle's your best buddy or something. You didn't even ask nicely, man. You just came up here all... desperate."

Craig's face flushed. "I'm not asking you, Stan."

Stan's smirk widened, like he was enjoying every second of Craig's discomfort. "Well, I'm answering for him. And I say absolutely not. Kyle's not interested in being your miracle worker. He's got better things to do than listen to your whining."

Craig's patience snapped. He stepped forward, squaring his shoulders as he glared at Stan. His fists were clenched tight enough that his knuckles were turning white. "You don't get to answer for him, Marsh. Back off."

Stan raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Or what? You'll throw a punch at me? Go ahead. Show everyone how 'chill' you are."

Craig took a step closer, his teeth gritted. He could feel his anger building, ready to explode. His arm twitched as he prepared to swing, but Kyle quickly stepped in, putting a hand up between them.

"Enough," Kyle said sharply, his voice cutting through the tension. He looked at Stan, his expression clearly annoyed. "Stan, I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

Stan gave Craig a smug grin, taking a step back with his hands up as if to say, Fine, have it your way. But he shot Craig a knowing look before turning back to Kyle. "You seriously want to hear this guy out? Whatever, dude. Your choice."

Stan walked off, giving Craig one last smirk over his shoulder. Craig watched him leave, biting back the urge to yell something after him. But he forced himself to focus on Kyle, who was now looking at him with a mix of curiosity and mild annoyance.

Kyle crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, Craig, we're out here. What's this all about?"

Craig shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like the idea of laying out his problems for Kyle, of all people, but he'd run out of options. He took a breath, the words feeling heavy as he spoke them.

"I'm... in trouble, Kyle," he started, trying to keep his voice steady. "Like, really bad trouble. I talked to Ms. Turner yesterday, and she basically told me I might not graduate."

Kyle's expression shifted from mild curiosity to surprise, and then to something softer — maybe sympathy, though it was hard to tell. Craig took another shaky breath, pushing himself to continue.

"My grades, my GPA... it's all way worse than I thought," Craig admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought I could just, I don't know, pull it together at the last minute. But I'm already so far behind, and... and Tweek's freaking out. He has this whole plan for us — college, everything. And if I don't graduate..."

He trailed off, the weight of it pressing down on him. He didn't even want to think about what that would mean for him and Tweek.

Kyle was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful as he studied Craig. Finally, he sighed, uncrossing his arms. "Look, if you're really that far behind, this is going to take a lot of work. I mean hours of studying, Craig. I'm not going to waste my time if you're not willing to actually do the work."

Craig nodded quickly. "I'll do whatever it takes. I just... I need help, man. You're the smartest guy I know."

Kyle held his gaze for a second longer, as if trying to gauge whether Craig was serious. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. I'll help you. But we're going to have to study at your place or the library. I can't bring you to my house."

Craig blinked, momentarily thrown. "Why not?"

Kyle sighed, looking slightly embarrassed. "My mom won't let me bring people over if she doesn't know them. And I'm not going to go through the whole 'meet my study partner's mom' routine with you. No offense."

Craig snorted, a tiny hint of a smile breaking through despite everything. "None taken. Library or my place is fine."

Kyle gave him a serious look, his tone softening. "Alright, then. Let's start after school. But, Craig... this is going to take a lot of work. I'm not kidding when I say you'll need to give it everything."

Craig felt a strange surge of determination. He'd already messed things up enough; this was his last chance to make things right. And he wasn't going to let Tweek down again.