It was a gym class day which meant kickball. Stan was okay at sports and Kyle wasn't bad. All kickball is really is just baseball with feet. The boys all hauled into the locker room to change and then hauled back out on the big grass field behind the school. The sun wasn't blinding like some days in South Park. Snow hadn't been on the ground for awhile. Usually that's all that covered the ground in the town, snow. Kyle and Stan got placed on the same team for kickball. Their other friends were not in the same gym class. Stan and Kyle's team was first up to kick the ball. The other 6 members of the team were all lined up behind home base. Some other kid with black hair was first. The ball soared and landed in the hands of someone else on the opposite team.

Kyle was up to kick next. He was able to run all the way to second base. Stan had been standing next to him in line so he was next. The ball had went way up high to Stan's one surprise. He hadn't played an actual game of kickball since 10th grade. It just so happened that Conner was on the other team with Jason and a few other friends. Jason had been distant. He was getting annoyed by Conner. He still talked to him but it wasn't a long lasting conversation that meant something. "Hey Jack, I'll pitch." Conner told the ball pitcher. Jack stepped back and handed Conner the ball. Of course Conner decided he wanted to be pitcher when it was Stan's turn to kick the ball.

He rolled the ball exactly like a bowling ball over to Stan. It wasn't a good roll though so Stan threw it back. Conner raised an eyebrow, "Was that not good enough for you?" "Learn how to play kickball or get off the field." Stan shot back. Jason snickered because someone called out his used-to-be best friend. Conner looked over at Kyle and smirked. This time when he rolled the ball for Stan to kick he wasn't even looking at where the ball was going off to. Stan walked over and took the ball in his hands that had stopped rolling a few feet away from him. Kyle saw that his ex wasn't even paying attention to the game. The fact that Conner still loved his ex irritated Kyle and made Stan's blood boil. The ball felt Stan's foot hit it harshly and it quickly went running in the air to hit Conner directly in his face.

A few people laughed and Kyle smiled over at Stan. "Quit looking at my boyfriend and pay attention to the game." Stan said from home base. Conner's feet took him right over to Stan. Kyle rushed over and pushed Conner out of the way. Both of the redhead's arms wrapped protectively around Stan's neck. Nobody had bullied them for being together. South Park had become a lot less judgmental as far as the LGBTQ community. Conner walked back onto the field after attempting to squeeze Stan's throat with his 2 hands. "Jack why don't you just be the pitcher." Jason told the pitcher before Conner, who wasn't even an actual pitcher. He didn't even try. Stan kicked the ball and hauled ass all the way over to third base before stopping on the yellow-marked spot in the grass.

Kyle had just made a home run. Chris Vander was in front of him in line. Since Kyle was looking out on the field, Chris decided to look behind Kyle and look down. The comment he made to Kyle was a really bad idea, "Nice ass, Kyle." Kyle saw Stan eyeing them. "Thanks it doesn't belong to you." Kyle crossed his arms and looked at Stan getting ready to make a home run. Chris laughed, "We all know that tough guy over there is just the next one in line." The next person to kick the ball launched the ball across the grass and hurried to first base. Stan sprinted to home base and then proceeded to make his way over to Kyle. He greeted him with a kiss on the lips. "Next one in line." Chris mumbled under his breath. Kyle looked next to him, "Shut the fuck up. You don't even know me." "Chris you're up!" Jack yelled from his spot on the field. "What was that about?" Stan asked.

"He was like 'We all know that tough guy is the next one in line' nobody seems to stay the hell out of my business." 2 other people had kicked the ball before it was Chris's turn. "His words mean nothing. Don't listen to him," Stan kissed Kyle's cheek, "Now go kick the ball." He added in. Kyle grinned and kicked the ball high in the air like last time. The 3 total games of kickball in gym class dragged on. Stan and Kyle were hanging out in the lounge with the guys after school. Sharon had been so much happier that her son was able to make friends so soon. She hadn't expected him to get a boyfriend that soon though. Stan was able to have conversations with his mom and not cut them short so he could go be by himself in his room or go to the bathroom and debate whether he should mark himself up with a razor blade. That was all over. His new life was present. He couldn't go back to that other life. Not ever again could he go back to that life of horrific antics of pain, depression, and anxiety all added into one big commotion. In the lounge, Token was talking about his birthday party and when and where it was taking place. "Who else did you invite?" Craig asked his friend.

"All you guys of course and a few people from my classes, plus my 3 cousins." Token explained. Everyone nodded. Stan and Kyle sat side by side on the couch. They listened closely to the information on Token's birthday party. All the information was given so after talking a little more, everyone decided to go home. Stan had been asked to go to the Broflovski house by his one and only boyfriend. "Your mom never cares if you come over." Kyle unlocked the door to the house. "She thought I'd never make friends let alone a boyfriend." Stan responded while taking his sneakers off. Kyle did the same. "Mom's been talking about plans for the summer, she wants to plan a week away at this campsite a few hours away. Would you wanna come with?" Kyle told Stan.

"Sure, I'll ask mom. Did your mom say it was cool?" "She was the one who asked me to invite you." Kyle smiled. "I'm sure my mom won't care." Stan stated. "Awesome. The campsite has a huge beach and it's really fun at night. The water always gets warm instead of cold, you think it'd be the other way around." Stan loved hearing Kyle explain things from his own perspective. As weird as it could sound to certain people, Stan loved watching Kyle be himself and hearing his voice. It let him feel happy. He always needed that. Sharon texted Stan and told him something he never expected.

Sharon: Your father surprised me at work

Stan: What did he do?

Sharon: Wanted to take me out and talk to me

Stan: That's pathetic

Sharon: He wants a family again

Stan: What does that mean to us? Nothing.

Sharon: I know but he's still your father, Stan

Stan: Mom are you kidding me?

Sharon: No just come to the diner near your school

Stan: What no!

Sharon: Please come, Stan

"Everything alright?" Kyle came out from the kitchen with 2 ice cold water bottles in his hands. "My mom's acting weird. Look." Stan handed Kyle his phone so he could look at all the text messages. The camping trip sounded pretty fun. Kyle showed Stan the campsite online. From what the website described and presented, it seemed like it'd be a fun place for the summer. Stan called his mom at work and asked her about the trip. She of course didn't mind. Sharon did however ask where it was and how long her son would be with the Broflovski's. As for the rest of the day, Stan and Kyle watched movies and talked about the camp trip and what they could do there. "Conner's such an ass. I don't see why the hell he had to go make such a big problem out of something he could have with someone else." Kyle explained, he was very annoyed with everything that had been going on.

"He couldn't have the same thing, you aren't like everyone else. Who wouldn't want someone like you?" "Stop it." Kyle smiled. "It's true." Stan said. "What made you say you were a mess? You're so kind." Kyle wondered. "I've come a long way from the point I was in my life." Stan responded in honesty. Kyle almost didn't think he was the only reason for Stan's improved attitude on life, "It can't just be because of me." "It is." Stan said. "Stan I'm not-" "You told me to not talk badly about myself so don't tell me you aren't good enough and you're not the best of them all. You are the best of them all. I never thought I would feel comfortable around people anymore. I never thought I'd want to talk to anyone anymore or even go out of the house. You showed me why life means something. How did someone like you not get treated right?" Kyle put his face into the crook of Stan's neck to hide the tears that were beginning their journey out of his eyes. Stan hushed his almost sounds of sadness. "You're so amazing, Ky." Stan whispered and brought Kyle's head up so they could see each other face to face in person. He removed the tears from Kyle's eyes. "God I'm sorry." Kyle apologized for his crying. "It's okay." Stan repeated that quietly until Kyle had recovered from feeling bad about crying. It was a mixture of sad and happy tears.

He was thankful for Stan and he was upset over his past. The tears combined the emotions on those situations all at once and let them exit Kyle's eyes. Sheila Broflovski came home early from work like she had told Kyle and Ike as well. Gerald had heard about it over the phone on his lunch break. It had turned out that Randy Marsh had snuck into Sharon's work place and took her phone. He'd been the one texting Stan, not Sharon. Stan found that out a couple days after the day it happened. Sharon was considering getting a restraining order filed against her ex-husband. The rest of the year went by in school for the students who attended the South Park School District. The camping trip was sooner than Stan thought. It came up so quickly and he hadn't even begun packing. A week's worth of clothes and other things had to fit into a suitcase. Sharon asked Stan if he wanted any help packing the day before the trip. Stan didn't need any help, but he let his mom help anyway because he didn't want to exclude her or anything.

Sharon wouldn't take that personally even if Stan said he didn't need any help or wanted any help. "You know I'm proud of you, right?" Sharon asked her son while folding one of his shirts he planned on packing for the trip. "You've definitely made it look that way yes." Stan answered with a small smile. "Kyle seems to have really made an impact on your life. He's very nice." Stan couldn't disagree with that and he didn't want to, "He is." Sharon felt the relief of getting to have personal conversations with Stan. She never got to have them with him during his depression and anxiety. She was never able to really have them with Shelly either. They had a couple but not very many. Usually Shelly just needed advice about boys. "Do you love him, Stan?" Stan looked up to face his mom. She waited for an answer but kind of already knew it. She smiled as she waited for her son to reply back to her question. "Yeah." Stan couldn't help but grin, "Mom, were you ever in love?" Stan was curious. He wasn't ever sure Sharon was ever in love with Randy. Maybe once, but he couldn't tell because he wasn't born at the time perhaps. "Your father was very nice when we were teenagers, he told me he loved me. Then I found out I was pregnant with Shelly and everything went downhill." Sharon answered honestly.

She had nothing to hide. Stan nodded, basically just to show he heard his mom's words of honesty. Sharon stopped packing for a second. Stan noticed this and saw his mom's face. She looked like she was about to cry. Stan reached out and pulled his mom into a tight hug. She cried quietly with Stan's head on her chest. He put his head to the side and heard his mom's heartbeat. "Don't lose him, Stan. He's worth it." Sharon kissed Stan's head as they parted the hug. "I don't plan on it." Stan replied. "You're worth it too, mom. Dad's just an asshole." Sharon smiled and laughed after sniffling. "Let's get you packed." Sharon and Stan finished all the packing that needed to be done and got some good hours of sleep that night. Stan found his eyes opening to the sight of his bedroom door since he always slept on his sides. Kyle said that him and his family would be there at 9:00 AM. Stan was ready to go as Sharon said goodbye at the door. Sheila and Gerald waved to Stan's mom from the car.

"Good morning, Stan." Gerald and Sheila said, except not in unison. "Morning." Stan greeted setting his suitcase on the floor of the van. The Broflovski's had a van for vacations in the garage because they took a lot of trips by car not by plane. Kyle smiled as Stan sat down in the back with his boyfriend, "Hey." "Hi." Stan pecked Kyle quietly on his lips as the van pulled away from the Marsh house. The ride was long but it was all going to be worth it. Stan had never been invited to go on a trip with someone else's family, plus they actually really liked Stan. He was more than thankful for how things worked out with his boyfriend's family.