Hiraeth Of The Heart (Tweek X Craig)

Chapter 14, Play Fights

Lunch came to an end, and as did everyone's unanswered concerns about the spot on my neck. Every since lunch I couldn't stop shaking. What if rumors start? Oh god I can't deal with rumors anymore. Not again! I can't mentally take anymore of that abuse. It's like spears stabbing me every-which-way; one after another.

I was in front of my locker, it was already the end of the school day. I couldn't help but to shake intensely as my anxiety slowly ate away at my mental state. I felt like a bird in a cage.  A stupid, ugly bird; one with a bad twitch. What little of that previously mentioned 'mental state' I had in the first place was now down to critical levels. I couldn't think straight for the life of me. . Of course I can never think straight.  It's all a big jungle of problems and worries.  And of course, suddenly, there's a person in it.  One that I had no idea would show up was now becoming a part of my messed up life. My dysfunctional jungle of a life. . I was shutting my locker door securely when I noticed Clyde approaching.

"Hey, Tweek." He fumbled over to my now closed locker door and leaned his back on it while letting out an unrealistic sigh. I could see the frustration in his facial expressions. The sigh was just the deal breaker that led me to realize that my initial thought was right; he was upset. Not too upset though, he just seemed a bit mad.  I envied him for being in enough control of his emotions to vent to a friend instead of ripping out his hair and skinning his lips until they're raw.  I still wasn't sure how to address any of my new 'friends'.

I had really never even had a conversation with any of them prior to today, of course, that's if you don't count getting chewed out as a conversation. . A part of me felt it was wrong, these were Craig's friends. Maybe they were just looking for a cheap replacement?  Cheap.  That's a good word to describe me.  I made a mental note to that description.

"Gah- uhh. . Hey Clyde." I nervously slurred out. My fingers shaking in the palm of my other hand as I clutched it tightly.  My attention, in reality, was drawn over to Craig, who walked up to me and Clyde just a moment prior, and rested his elbow on my shoulder suspiciously. He looked like he was curious about what the boy had to say to me. Almost like he was keeping his eyes out for something he didn't like. They almost seemed to slit like a cat's when he looked over to me, but my point of view is, of course, unreliable. Everything that runs through my mind can be transformed into something so overthought and stupid in just moments of time.

Clyde sighed, he wasn't paying any attention to my shaken up gestures or my nervous twitch that became ten times worse after our last conversation. And I also doubt he noticed the intensity of my face's red hue after Craig had began leaning his elbow on my shoulder.
I opened my mouth to ask him what was bothering him, but he beat me to it. I'm really not the fastest person at getting out my words.

"Dude, let me tell you - Token is so annoying. Be careful what you say around that maniac." Clyde huffed and rolled his eyes at his own spilling thoughts before looking back to me with a continuation of his rant.
"I swear. Make a half assed statement, and he'll be on your tail for the rest of the day."

I'm sure my face carried a surprised look at Clyde's ranting and raving. I thought they were close. I could have sworn to it. They had honestly acted like a married couple the entirety of our lunch time.  I shook my head up and down very lightly to signal that I was listening to his rant.  Clyde furrowed his brows and huffed.

I hesitantly rubbed the back of my neck with the palm of my hand.  I wish I hadn't gotten myself into all this.
"Agh- uh. . I thought you two were best friends?"

My was face painted with the overused expression of 'worried' while I averted my eyes and let my confidence hit the floor like an anchor. Clyde gave a quick response, completely avoiding my eyes.

"I mean- yeah. . . but he's just- ugh! so persistent to the point I can't even stand it! I told him, 'leave me alone I want to go home.' but he just-"

"What're you saying about me, Asshole?" Token rounded the corner heaving angry eyes, yet a smile was cracking onto his lips? The whole situation gave me intense whiplash.  He stomped over to Clyde and grabbed his arm forcefully. Clyde snapped his head towards Token.

"Don't touch me! I'm not going to that stupid after school thing; I don't care what I said last week!"

"I told you I need your help, and you promised to go, so you're coming whether you want to or not."

Token bent over by Clyde's feet and grabbed his legs - lifting him and tossing him over his shoulder as if his body was weightless. Token nodded to me lightly as Clyde was kicking, punching, and very thoroughly cussing him out as he began walking across the slick wooden floor with the boy over his shoulder.

"If you don't stop punching me, I'll drop you." Token said sternly, already halfway down the hall.

Clyde outed his arms in a free fall motion and shut his eyes.
"Do it. you won't! YOU WON'T!"

Token just chuckled at his remark. They were a good distance down the hall when Clyde finally gave up and waved his hand towards me unenthusiastically to signal that he was leaving - as if he had a choice.  I waved back and even held a small smile. I watched them vanish behind the exit doors and let my mind run into a few thoughts head first; curious of what Token might need Clyde's help for.

A ragged laughing noise arose into my left ear from behind me. I glanced over to the noise, curious of what I was hearing. Craig was leaned against the lockers holding his stomach, and quietly cackling to the scene that had just taken place in front of both of us. As I made my way over to him, he quieted down and his eyes softened as he glanced down at me; finally able to open them after the laughing fit came to an end.

"Gah- umm. . . Ready to go?" I asked, unsure of myself, twiddling my fingers through a short lock of my blonde hair.

Craig raised his brows and lifted his torso from his leaned position on the lockers.  My breath hitched a bit.  I'm not exactly sure why, but I do know that it was a probable sign that I was even less normal then I had originally predicted.  I tried not to think about it too much though.  That's what I usually do with thoughts like these.

Craig let a light breath escape his lips with a small smile as he began walking past me. "Yep, Let's go home." I felt my skin crawl, but not in that awful way that everyone describes it as in the movies. .  This wasn't some cheesy movie.  I wanted to just pull this skin off of my body and hide under my bed covers for the rest of my life, but that wasn't Craig's fault.  I was just that crazy.  My usual routine had been: Coffee, school, and then sleep.  Sleep is where my day usually came to end.  Letting my back hit the mattress like a match tossed in water.  All my anxiety was submerged under the cozy waves of my bed sheets.  I miss my bed.  It always relieves me of the hair pulling, lip biting moments that I dreaded through every space that I have between coffee and sleep. 

Now? 

Well Craig was very clearly letting me know with that devilish smirk of his tugging at his lips,
that today,
this was not even close to the ending of my day.