He sits, back against the door of the music classroom. He wants to scream so bad but nothing comes out as he just holds on tightly to his legs like he'd fall in he didn't, crying as silently as he can while he hears people pass by. One stops and he knows who it is as soon as those clicks of his shoes turn into knocks. He gets confirmation when his friend talks,

"Ken? You okay?"

"No."

"Can I come in?"

He gets up and Stan opens the door, looking like he has cried too.

"Hey."

"Hi."

They sit back down before Stan speaks,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying, Ken... you can tell me."

"How about you?"

"What about me?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh... don't worry about it, stupid shit. I'm more worried about you."

"Trouble for trouble?"

"Deal. Do you start or do I?"

"You."

Stan takes a deep breath and looks at the floor before speaking up yet again,

"It's... honestly a few things... Maybe what got it go over is seeing Wendy again?"

"How come?"

"Well... I get it isn't anything but I saw her with Kyle today. She's giggling and doing all this shit I'm so used to happening around me. I don't know, it kinda stings. I know Kyle wouldn't do that, not without my permission at least... but it fucking stings nonetheless. I'm being a bit childish, I get that... but everything is piling against me so bad that it hurts me more than I thought it ever would. Now you give me one of your troubles and we can go through this process for a while."

"It's... Karen. I don't expect her to grow up like Kevin and I but she's so hard to deal with, she's... so different and raising her with zero experience with what she's going through and especially how she's handling it is hard. But yeah, trade, your turn to tell me something."

"My Dad is not doing too well. Actually, not well at all. It's... I think he's sick but he doesn't listen to me when I tell him to just rest. He's drinking more than ever and I'm honestly scared he's going to end up in the hospital and then what the hell will happen. The bill will be huge and I just... I don't know. Would they treat my dad if we really don't have the money for that? I'm honest to God trying to find any kind of a job but it isn't as easy as I expected. I just... he doesn't do shit outside of sleeping and drinking and I'm left with taking care of Sparky and the house and paying the bills and fixing everything."

"Fuck, sounds bad."

"I bet you go through that all the time, I'm sorry, I'm just not used to being under so much pressure from everyone and everything. It just... hurts, y'know?"

"I hope I don't pressure you."

"You're probably the only person who doesn't. Teachers are on and on about the fact I don't focus, Mackey is telling me to talk about my issues but if I did I could get taken away and I don't want that, Kyle's telling me to tell on my dad and saying that I could stay with them for a while and then there's everyone else. And dad's on a whole other level! Everything is too much for me right now."

Kenny puts his hand around Stan while his friend cries onto his parka. His heart is beating a million miles in an hour and he's blushing the colour of a hard to treat sunburn... but nonetheless his heart also aches when he sees how poorly the person he loves is doing.

"I'm sorry, it's pretty selfish of me to cry on you when I came here to comfort you," Stan says, after his crying has slowed down slightly.

"Don't worry about it, I feel better helping others."

"You're too selfless, you know that? If you feel bad, you can talk to me... I swear, I won't cry next time. I'm really sorry."

"Hey, i feel better when you do."

"Just fucking stop, Ken."

"What?"

"Nobody is that selfless, dude. That's such a romance novel line and it really isn't true, is it?"

"It's true, I feel better helping others because I can't help myself."

"Show, don't tell, Kenny. Wouldn't you know that? You read the second most out of all of us... probably most story books."

"I try to show it. Might be that I'm not good at it."

"I'm just kidding with you, I know you are like that. At least I can see how you could be that kind of a person. Someone who hadn't known you for long wouldn't though."

Kenny laughs, leaning back.

"You don't have to be like that outside of your kin."

"I'm your kin? I'm honoured to have that kind of importance to you."

"You're my close kin."

"How many different kins do you have, dude? Like seventy? Forty? Fifty? Or is it like four?"

"Four is right."

"Four kins? Do explain a little bit more on what that means. Is there a very specific way for you to make a distinction between these people?"

"Family, friends, South Park, rest of the world."

"Awe. I don't think I have any kins myself, maybe Kyle and my parents and possibly you but I don't think I have anything outside of that. It's nice to hear that I'm your friend though."

"You misunderstood me."

"Oh, am I just apart of South Park? Damn, I thought we actually were friends rather than just people that happen to know about each other and live in the same town."

"I see you as family."

"What?" Stan asks, looking up at him in shock, "I didn't think you... that's really nice of you, Ken."

"Use that trust for good."

Both of them are aware that it's a huge thing from Kenny, he takes family as the first thing no matter what happens.

"I... What did I ever do to earn that kind of trust from you?"

"Lots."

"Like? Can I get an example?"

"You've helped us."

"Like? I don't think I ever did, honestly, I haven't done shit to help you or anybody for that matter."

Kenny smiles, keeping his silence with an almost amused look.

"No, really... what the hell did I do?" Stan asks, after they've had a mutual silence for a moment.

"You'll figure it out."

"You're making me seem far more intelligent than I actually am."

Kenny laughs, hitting his head on the door by accident.

"Ouch, fuck me."

This time Stan starts laughing, leading them to laugh together for an unreasonably long time. Kenny puts his hands around Stan in a hug, still laughing.

"Ken?"

Kenny nods, quieting down a little while keeping up a smile.

"Can I ask you for a favour?" Stan continues, looking him in the eye.

"Yeah."

"Can you... okay, this sounds stupid—?"

"No, go ahead."

"Do you have to be home today?"

"With Karen, kind—."

"If I asked you to come over because I need some help, you can bring Karen, would—?"

"If I can bring Karen, sure."

"You do realise when I say I need help I mean literal, around the house, help?"

"I'm in."

"Thanks, Ken."

"Anytime."

They continue their silence before Stan starts laughing,

"We look properly gay right now, dude."

Kenny laughs back before Stan gets up, giving Kenny a hand in getting up as well. Kenny takes it and gets up, smiling.

"Okay, let's go," Kenny says.

"Is Kevin still in jail?"

"Yeah."

"Do you visit him? Like, at all?"

"A lot. Four times a week."

"That's good. Are you going today?"

"No."

"Okay."

Kenny opens the door and holds it open.

"M'lady?"

"Don't emasculate me."

"Alright, good sir."

"Why thank you, kind sir."

They laugh again, catching a few glances from people before they mutter something about gayness.

"May I take you to find my sister?"

"Oh, I would be delighted, gentleman, lead the way."

"I'm right here, y'know?" Karen asks, arms crossed over her chest while staring at both of them.

"Karen! I was going to ask if you were coming with me—?"

"To see your boyfriend? No, thanks. I'm hanging with Ike today. But I do appreciate it, a lot, I'd totally loove to listen you swoon over him all day, like I wouldn't fucking normally."

"Sarcasm?"

"Oh how the fuck did you guess?"

Karen smiles to her brother with a half-honest sweetness before looking at Stan,

"Take care of him, will ya?"

"What?" Stan asks, surprised.

"Clean your ears, if you can't hear me from here."

"I hear you."

"Good."

Karen hits his shoulder before rushing off, yelling for someone to wait up.

"Oh... wow," Stan starts.

"Yep."

"She's a bit... different. Is she always like that?"

"No, I could handle that."

"What is it then? Is she different elsewhere? What is the issue with how she acts?"

"She's scared."

"What's wrong with that? Your situation is pretty bad, y'know? She can freely feel whatever she feels, it's obviously normal for her to feel a bit off. You're likely the most tragic story I have heard in my life since that fucking documentary on the sex slave thing."

"Kevin and I were never like her. Kevin was angry and I was sad, neither of us were primarily fearful."

"What's wrong with that? You'd think growing up angry would be worse than growing up a bit fearful. I mean, where did that land Kevin?"

"It's hard to explain but no, it's far worse."

"Why? Dude, it's not gonna hurt other people if you're scared but if you're angry, you can turn aggressive. I mean Kevin's in jail for fucks sake. And sadness would hurt you more, wouldn't it? Fear is made for you to survive so using it to survive is smarter than any other way, no offence."

"Kevin got into a better place, where food's regular. The thing about fear is that it's petrifying and you'll do anything to survive. That includes leaving others behind."

"I mean I guess... I didn't think about it that way at all. But she doesn't seem very scared."

"She is, I know her. We spoiled her, Kevin and I."

"A lot of people get more than Karen and don't call it spoiling? Most people get more than you guys ever got and that's kind of it. How is she spoiled?"

"We let her blame us for her mistakes."

"Why? Like I get that it was shitty but why would you—?"

"We could take a beating, she couldn't."

"Oh."

Kenny grabs his hand and walks him away, laughing.

"What the fuck? How are you happy at all, dude? You just—."

Kenny rolls his eyes and gets them outside.

"C'mon, let's go," Kenny says.

They walk in a silence while Stan keeps his eyes down on the street, thinking about what Kenny just mentioned. He can't wrap his head around how weirdly he's acting. The fact he can have it in himself to be the most positive person he knows when he thinks that his mind would be broken if it was like that for him.

"Oh, happy birthday," Kenny says.

"What? Oh yeah, thanks. I actually forgot it was my birthday, dude!"

"Really?"

"Yep, I didn't even think about it..."

"Dude, two years till adulthood."

"Yeah, oh how lucky. I'm sooo happy to turn into an adult and to die alone in a ditch because nobody loves me."

"Mood."

Stan rolls his eyes before changing the subject,

"How are you sad?"

"Huh?"

"You said you handle how hard your home life by being sad but you're the most positive person I've ever met so I don't understand how that's possible."

"Positive and always happy aren't the same. I'm an optimist but I also get that it hurts and that I want it to go away."

"That isn't really sadness, is it? That's more handling a situation with an optimistic tone and attitude, which is the right way to handle hard times according to practically everyone I have met. It's hard but if you can handle it like that, it just shows you're smart."

"Optimism is the wrong word. I wanna believe in better.... but I can't always do that, I tire out and start crying. Some part of my brain is always sad."

"What does that mean?"

Kenny shrugs and just continues walking. Stan runs up to catch him after having stopped.

"Yo, dude, wait!"

He grabs his shoulder, smiling. And fuck is Kenny happy his body doesn't make him puke like Stan's does but at the same time he'd love to confess like that. He can't find the right words and he gets Stan doesn't like him but it would be a dream to confess to him nonetheless. Stan saved him, not from death but something so much worse... he saved him from death too though.

"Stan," Kenny starts.

"Yeah, Ken?"

"You've been in love, right?"

"Like romantically? Yeah, a few times. How so?"

"What would you do if you were in love but knew they didn't like you?"

"Depends. If I was head over heels, obviously I wouldn't be able to get away from that fact... but I think it's a great idea to try to move on. But hey, I could be like a shitty person and say 'keep fighting for their affections'... why doesn't that girl like you? Has she mentioned?"

"She says she can't right now, doesn't feel it."

"Then maybe you should wait until she's ready. I'd really respect that, I wouldn't want some guy pushing his agenda on me."

"It's not an agenda!"

"Sorry.... I wouldn't feel ready to be with you. Who is this girl anyway? One of your hookups?"

"A girl from North Park."

"What is she like? Where did you two meet? What does she look like?"

"She's short and looks really masculine, I'm not sure where we met since we have known each other for a while. She's really kind and awesome and plays video games but hates sports."

"She's a fat mood on that last part. Also, she sounds kinda like you're trying to be vague. C'mon, give me a chance to guess. I don't know. Give me an eye colour? Does she like animals? I really wanna know what this girl is; not gonna let my good friend fall for anything that isn't good for him."

"She loves animals, blue eyes and is honestly the best person I've met."

"Aww, she sounds awesome. Unless it's your feelings saying she's the best, those fuckers can lie like sons of bitches."

Stan takes his key and opens the door for the two. There he is, Randy, drunk on the couch with a shit next to him and a bottle of booze over with content on the floor, the bottle fallen over and slightly broken. Sparky on the ground as well, next to the bottle.

"Shit. SPARKY!" Stan yells.

He takes the poor dog into his arms. Poor thing doesn't look to be doing so well.

"Sparky? Sparky? Hey, boy, I'm here."

His dog seems unresponsive.

"Hey, boy, it's okay. It's okay. I'm gonna take you to the vet! Or something! Sparky?"

His dog's eyes stay open but the thing doesn't seem to breathe properly.

"What's wrong, boy? What's wrong?!"

And then his heartbeat is no more.

"Sparky?"

And soon it's sure that the dog he's holding is dead.

"Sparky... I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have died yet."

Stan's crying into the fur of his favorite living thing in existence and Kenny sits next to him.

"What's going on?" Randy asks, getting up.

"You fucking killed our dog, that's going on."

"What?"

"Sparky was perfectly healthy when I left this morning! What the fuck did you do to him?!"

Kenny stays silent, watching Stan and Randy argue in front of him.

"Leave me alone!"

"I'm just saying that he would've died soon enough anyw—."

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" Stan screams.

Randy goes up the stairs without any other words and Kenny starts getting up.

"Not you."

"What?"

"Please? Can you stay?"

Kenny looks from the dead dog to Stan before remembering that Stan, in fact, has never lost something or at least can't remember loosing something so close to him...

"I—."

"Please? I don't want to burry him alone."

"Okay."

Kenny sits back down and puts a hand around Stan. He knows Stan really cares for animals, or plants, or bugs, Stan just simply really cares for things that live. But the thing with caring is that you'll see what you care for wither away.

"Do you want me to—?" Kenny asks, nodding towards Sparky.

"I... yeah, I can't do it. I won't be able to. I'm sorry, if it's too much to ask but Sparky was my best friend when Kyle couldn't be there... and otherwise  too."

"Don't worry, I get it. Get a shovel for me."

he nods and goes to get a shovel while the non-owner of the two is left with a dead dog and the realization that they smell just like alive ones.

He takes the dog corpse into his arms and walks with it to the backyard where he sees the owner of the thing with his phone out, texting someone.

"I asked Kyle to come here, he loved that dog too."

Kenny nods and gets the shovel onto the ground, starting his digging process. In the middle of said process, Kyle jumps over the fence to get to the backyard with them.

"Fuck, I thought you were overreacting."

"I wasn't."

They continue to talk while Kenny finally gets the hole done and puts the dog in there.

"Final goodbyes?" He asks.

Stan bursts into tears and Kenny gets over to comfort him.

"Hey, hey, deep breaths."

And soon Stan is calm enough to say 'goodbye, good boy' before he has enough and cries again.

Kyle and Kenny share a look that says 'which one brings the chainsaw?' relating to murdering Randy. But soon they're just comforting Stan again and Kyle makes a whole ass speech while Kenny simply tells the grave 'see ya in Heaven.'

And after that, the dog gets buried under the ground.