"What the fuck are you doing?"

A ten-year old Craig Tucker stands in the doorway, a backpack slung over his shoulder and his delicate fingers resting against the door frame. His blue eyes are focusing down on whatever it is his brunette companion is doing on the floor.

"I'm making a scrapbook!" Clyde looks up from his work and grins at his best friend, his chestnut eyes glimmering with excitement before picking up a photo from a pile and showing it to the taller kid. "It's about all the adventures we've had together as the trio! See? This is when we went to that safari together and the tiger nearly ripped Token's head off." Craig cocks a brow before taking a few steps forward to take the photo. No doubt it's a photo of Token crying his eyes out while Craig and Clyde were laughing at him; a photo taken when they were eight. The dark-haired boy feels the corners of his lips tug up a bit in a smile at the memory before handing the photo back to him.

"Are you saying you invited me here just to help you out?" He asks, his stoic look fading back in. "I thought you said we'll be doing something 'motherfucking fun'?" He shakes his head in disapproval and crosses his arms, still cocking a brow at the brunette before him. Clyde still maintains his grin as he continues on with his work.

"This is fun! We get to reminisce about stuff!"

Craig sighs at his friend's words, knowing that even if he disagrees to this activity, it would be pointless considering how persistent Clyde can get. He sits down beside him and decides to check out a few of the photos the other male has laid out around. They are all mostly photos of the three of them; Token, Clyde and him, having the time of their lives. The one who's usually behind the camera is Clyde's mother but as he continues to look from picture to picture, he can tell that some are taken by themselves ever since the nice lady passed away. Selfies, as what others may call it.

However, one particular picture catches his attention and he blinks for a few times before reaching for it to get a better look.

It's a picture of him and Clyde; probably when they were still at kindergarten. They were both wearing matching Red Racer shirts, their arms both slung over each other's shoulders. Clyde had his usual bright grin evident while Craig's was a tad bit awkward though his blue braces could easily be seen. He instantly recalls that the photo was taken the second day they became best friends. Clyde was never into Red Racer but when Craig had mentioned his great passion for it, the brunette had his mother buy them matching shirts and brought them with him to school the next day.

Seeing it now gets Craig feeling ridiculous. Matching shirts? How gay was that?

But that was the day he had decided that Clyde was his best friend. It was the day they decided to stick by each other's side no matter what happens. Glancing at his friend now who looks so focused with his scrapbook, Craig realizes how strong their bond is. Of course, he would not admit this out loud but he's glad that he met Clyde. He's the only dude who he can actually feel comfortable around with because Clyde doesn't judge people. He never did.

As if feeling the stare boring through him, the brunette looks up from his work to give Craig a puzzling look. Craig instantaneously looks back down at the photo, pretending that he had just unintentionally glanced at him.

"Oh! You remember that, huh?" Craig finally looks up to see Clyde leaning closer to him to take a better look of the photo. "I still have that shirt, you know. Do you still have yours?"

"Uh..." Craig blinks, not exactly sure how to say it. "I kinda sold mine at a garage sale."

Clyde frowns at him. "Man, you suck." He gives him a nudge before snatching the photo from his hands to include it on the scrapbook. "Ya know, you really should learn how to treasure the necessary things in your life."

Craig scoffs at this as he picks up another photo, lazily scrutinizing it. "What's the point? They're all in my mind now. I can just remind myself of those memories anytime I want."

Clyde could only grunt in response, obviously infuriated with his reply.

Craig chuckles. "Oh lighten up, Clyde." He says, tossing the photo then picking up another one. "If it makes you feel better, I'll describe the very first day we met." And just like that, Clyde immediately looks at him with hopeful baby-like eyes, his smile looking ever so excitedly innocent. Craig smirks at his reaction before casually looking back at the photo he's holding which is a photo of Clyde trying out Token's bass guitar and failing miserably.

"We were in kindergarten." He begins, pretending to be more interested in the photo than the words he's slipping out. "I was the new kid and was always alone. I didn't mind though. I always liked to be alone. Then there was you, all goofy and smiling and shit. You were always surrounded by kids, laughing and making a fool of yourself; it's just downright embarrassing."

"Hey now..." Clyde frowns but Craig just continues on.

"But then one day, when it was time to go home, my dad-" He nearly chokes at the word, shaking his head and rephrasing it. "James forgot to pick me up. I was left alone in the school playground, watching the other kids get picked up by their parents. You, for some reason, walk home by yourself but when you were just about to get to the gates, you looked at my direction. It felt weird seeing you making your way towards me. I wasn't used to seeing anyone approaching me. I think I remember scowling at you when you reached me with that stupid grin on your face."

"You like my grin." Clyde interjects with a teasing smile.

"Don't interrupt me." Craig cocks a brow at him before picking up another photo. "Anyway, you greeted me for the first time and asked me about the whereabouts of my parents. I told you to fuck off and you gasped at my choice of vocabulary. Surprisingly though, you didn't threaten me to tell the teacher about what I said like what the other kids had done before."

"Because I'm nice!"

"Goddammit, Clyde. Shut the fuck up."

"Sorry. Proceed."

"As I was saying, I was surprised that you just gasped then laughed it off. You then asked me if you could keep me company and I said no. But for some weird ass reason, you still stayed anyway and started talking about your collection of comic books that I didn't give a damn before. Slowly, I found myself contributing to the conversation then one thing lead to another. Then the next day, you bought us matching Red Racer shirts even though you said you hated that show. As you handed me my own share of the shirt, you explained how friends should try and watch their friends' favorite shows so that they can relate to their interests. And then there... we're friends."

Silence.

"You can speak now, assfuck."

"Wow!" Clyde exclaims happily, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "You have a clearer memory than I have and I'm impressed!"

Craig shrugs in response, handing the photo to the brunette who gladly took it. "Which is why I don't have to keep things for memories. I remember every single fucking detail about everything."

"Yeah, yeah." Clyde chuckles as he resumes back to his work. "Do you think you'll remember this very moment though? Like the way I'm pasting these photos on the scrapbook? Or the way your hat is sorta tilted to the side at the moment?"

Craig frowns at him before quickly adjusting his hat, mentally cursing himself for looking like an idiot while his friend just laughs it off. To answer his question, the taller boy rolls his eyes. "No, I doubt I will remember this day because it's not exactly that memorable. It's just any other ordinary day, me chilling with you in the room, doing something shitty like we always do." Clyde remains silent at his words, his lips slightly pursed in thought. Craig takes notice of this and raises a brow at him, somehow weirden out by the other's lack of response which is something that Clyde rarely does. Then suddenly, Clyde's eyes meet Craig's blue ones and he leans closer while Craig instinctively leans back; getting a bit uncomfortable with the lack of space between them.

The taller boy scowls at him. "Dude, what the hell are you doing?" There is a hint of evident nervousness lacing in his tone as he stares back at Clyde who appears to be determined about something. And out of nowhere, the shorter boy leans up and plants a soft kiss on his friend's forehead; over his fringes. Craig closes his eyes and stiffens at the unexpected kiss, his body freezing in shock. When he felt the absence of his best friend's lips, he slowly opens his eyes to see Clyde finally leaning away from him with a contented smile.

"There! I bet you'll remember that!" He grins ever so boyishly.

Craig's scowl deepens at his words and he flips him off out of pure infuriation. "Do that again and I swear, I'll rip your head off."

Clyde laughs. "You liiiike it~"

"Will you shut the fuck up and just do that shitty scrapbook?"

"Craig? Craig!"

Craig jolts up awake at the voice calling out to him and he moves his head and his arms up from his desk to see Stan and Token looking down at him with looks of disbelief implied on their expressions. Craig takes a gander of his surroundings and realizes that he had fallen asleep in class and considering the way the students are slowly filing out of the classroom, he assumes that the bell has finally rung. He lets out a small yawn before looking back up at the two boys before him, his expression unsurprisingly bored. "What did I miss?" He asks, as if sleeping in class has already been a day-to-day basis for him. Stan and Token share a glance at each other before looking back down at the dark-haired boy.

"Everything." Stan frowns at him in disapproval. "Now get your ass up. Our coach will be pissed if we don't get to the pool in fifteen minutes."

Craig says nothing as he picks up his backpack and slings it over his shoulder, following the two teens out of the classroom. He doesn't even know why he joined the swimming team when he always finds sports to be a waste of time. Why spend your hours moving around so much when you can just stay in your room, blog about shit and eat?

"If you're regretting the decision about joining the team, then may I remind you that you joined because you figured you'll get the good side of our coach and give you a high grade in Physical Education considering how bad you are at basketball." Token's words snaps him out of his reverie and Craig could only grunt, a bit annoyed at how his friend can easily read him.

"We'll be just doing some laps, right?" Stan asks, nudging Token's shoulder. "No swimming races and all that stuff?"

"Hopefully." Token shakes his head with a sigh. "Coach gets unnecessarily mean when practice gets serious."

"Except towards Craig." Stan looks back over his shoulder to grin at the taller teen. "Being the coach's favorite must be such an advantage for you, huh? I still don't know how you do it. Staying all day in your room, not even owning a pool of your own, but once the race starts, you're a goddamn mermaid."

Craig scowls at his choice of words and before he could say anything, Token cuts him off.

"Merman would be the right word but yeah, I guess you can say Craig is naturally talented in the sport."

Craig chooses the decision to remain silent. He's never really well-informed in how to accept flattery anyway so he stays quiet. He knows he's the best in their team and it's not a choice for him if he wants to leave or not. As long as he remains as the coach's favorite, he'll definitely graduate from high school soon.

Just one more year. One more year.

"STAN!"

Craig looks up to see Clyde rushing towards Stan's way, grinning from ear to ear. His once pale skin had gotten slightly tan as the years had gone by and considering that he's the star basketball player in their school, any evidence of his chubby childhood had faded away. Even after discovering the fact that he's ranked quite low in the girls' "Cutest to Ugliest" list back in the fourth grade, Clyde has definitely gotten more handsome; as how most of the girls would say. Craig would never say that.

"Oh, hi man." Stan greets the brunette upon reaching him.

"Are you going to Bebe's party tonight?" Clyde asks, his childish grin never leaving.

"Oh shit, I forgot about that." Stan rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm not really sure but I guess I'll try to make an appearance. I've been trying to lay it off the alcohol for the mean time ever since Wendy and Kyle gave me this dramatic intervention."

Clyde scoffs, waving his hand dismissively. "Why do you have such kill-joys for a best friend and a girlfriend?"

"At least I have a girlfriend who cares, shithead." Stan teasingly grins at him.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Bebe cares too, just to let you know." Clyde chuckles. "But really, I'll be expecting you there." As he's about to leave, he finally takes notice of Token and Craig. "Oh hey dudes." He greets them briefly, as if he's only obligated to before finally leaving, waving at Stan then resuming back to his group of friends.

"Well then." Token shrugs. "That was brief and awkward."

The two then glance back at Craig who appears to be staring at Clyde with an unreadable expression. But when the tall teen noticed their stare, he shoots them a glare. "What?" He asks sharply, causing the two to flinch in surprise.

"Nothing." Token quickly says. "Let's just get to practice."

They all nod together and continue on their way with Craig briefly glancing at the oblivious Clyde as they pass by. He couldn't remember the last time he talked to him. It was probably years ago, all the way back before Clyde had started being more sociable than he already was and was dragged in with the party kids. Their sudden distance from each other was unintentional. It happened step by step that Craig is positive that Clyde didn't even realize that they rarely hang out anymore.

Before, the two of them would usually skip out the parties and just hang around together somewhere else. As much as Clyde had always wanted to party with the others, he had understood how Craig was never really a people-person and would usually tell him that he would rather hang out with him than get drunk like a big buffoon with other people. Craig appreciated his company. In fact, he loved it. No one could ever tolerate his attitude but Clyde. They used to do a lot of entertaining stuff together while the others would be out partying. But when Craig started feeling a bit uncertain at the possible fact that he was holding Clyde back from possibly the greatest nights of his high school life, he finally gave him a night off, telling him that he can go party with Kenny and the others because he will be busy for the night studying for their finals. Craig was never a slacker when it comes to studies so Clyde had believed him and joined the party.

However, that was the night when people had realized how fun Clyde could be and they started dragging him more to parties as the nights had gone by. Clyde would then cancel his hang outs with Craig, apologizing and telling him that he had already promised Stan and the others that he'll be attending their party. Craig didn't mind at first. He didn't want Clyde to think that he couldn't live without him. But when Clyde started making lame excuses as to how he couldn't make it to their hang outs, Craig knew they were drifting off from each other.

He never bothered to try and fix it. He didn't even know if he wanted to.

The very moment he realized that they were drifting away from each other, he thought of the possibility that Clyde had only hung out with him-had only approached him when they were kids-was because he felt sorry for him. And Craig didn't want his pity. He doesn't want anyone's pity. And that's when he thought that maybe he and Clyde not being friends was for the best. They were far too different from each other. Clyde is liked by everyone, Craig isn't. Clyde knows how to get along with others, Craig prefers to keep to himself. Clyde likes to go out a lot while Craig stays in his room and just update his blog about hamsters and other fandoms he's currently into.

He doesn't need Clyde anyway. He still has friends like Token. They don't hang out as much but Token would sometimes pay him a visit at his place and play with his Xbox while at the same time, have an intelligent conversation about school and such. Then there's Tweek. Craig didn't like him at first because he's far too jumpy and alert but he had slowly grown fond of him for some weird reason. Though, Tweek has never been to his place and he wonders why he hasn't invited him to.

"You forgot your uniform again?" Craig nearly jumps in surprise at how close Token's voice sounded in his ear but he just shakes his head and closes his locker after realizing that it's pretty empty.

"I guess I'll be skipping practice today." He says, going over to the bench to reach for his backpack but Stan immediately stops him from doing so by gripping his arm.

"No way." He says, a frown curving his lips. "There's no way I'm facing the coach's wrath just because you decided not to show up. I have an extra pair. You can use it."

Craig rips his arm away from his grip, not liking the fact that he's being touched by his supposed-to-be enemy. Stan is considered the second best in their team and Craig doesn't really see him as a threat. However, he'd be an idiot not to notice how Stan looks so determined to beat him and steal his position as their coach's favorite. Craig only shrugs his competitive attitude off though, not really caring if Stan beats him or not just as long as he gets a decent grade in Physical Education.

As Stan tosses him his extra pair, Craig easily catches it.

"So Stan," Token begins as he starts undressing himself. "are you really going to Bebe's party?"

"Well, I just texted Wendy earlier and she said that she's going." Stan sighs, obviously not in the mood to party at all. "So I don't really have much of a choice. Plus, Kyle's going too anyway."

"Let me guess," Token grins knowingly. "he doesn't have a choice either?"

"With Kenny's pleadings and puppy blue eyes? Yeah, he's pretty much obligated to go. Are you going?"

"Well, Nichole is going so why not?"

The two then turn to look at Craig who is already in his swimming trunks, barely paying attention to their conversation and having no intention in participating in it. But Token wants him to so he decides to ask, "What about you, Craig? Are you going to Bebe's party tonight?"

Craig doesn't answer. Stan chuckles at this. "Was that a rhetorical question, man? Since when have you actually seen Craig in parties?"

"Uhh... When Clyde turned thirteen?"

Silence.

"Dude." Stan narrows his eyes at Token, giving him a 'that-wasn't-cool' look and Token flinches in realization, mouthing an apology to him. Craig remains quiet, however, as he folds his clothes and slips them into his locker as if he hadn't heard a word they just said. Token sighs and decides to drop the topic off. Despite the distance that had grown between his two friends, Token is still in decent contact with Clyde. They would even sometimes go on double dates along with Bebe and Nichole but... he has to admit that Clyde has changed. And not for the better.

He figures that it's also for the best that he and Craig aren't friends anymore. He couldn't imagine how Craig would feel if he sees how Clyde behaves now. He's no longer the goofy innocent kid they had all used to love and make fun of.

No, Clyde's different.

He became so infuriatingly arrogant. He's like the most arrogant person in school second to Cartman and that's fucking saying something.

"Let's get to practice." Craig finally breaks the silence as he heads for the door, not giving any of his team mates a look.

"Hey, Craig!"

Craig runs his fingers through his drenching wet hair as he turns around to see Token casually swimming his way towards him before nodding over to the benches. "Tweek's over there to cheer you on." Craig cocks a brow at him before following his friend's gaze to see the jumpy blond seated on the benches. When his blue eyes met his light green ones, Craig gives him a lazy wave in which got Tweek flinching harshly in surprise before nervously waving back.

"I told him to just wait for me outside." Craig mutters though Token manages to hear him.

"Don't you want your friend to see you race?"

"Race?" Craig frowns.

"Yeah, the coach just decided that you and Stan will be having another 3-lap race."

Craig couldn't help but roll his eyes in annoyance at this. What is it with everyone and their determination to challenge him and Stan with each other? He's going to win anyway. He doesn't even feel all nervous about it compared to Stan who has been swimming from lap to lap for the past fifteen minutes even though their coach has given them a 30-minute break.

"I don't feel like it." He says, swaying his arms lazily against the water.

"Well, whether you feel like it or not, you're doing it." Token purses his lips, displeased by his words. "Besides, Tweek won't be the only one watching."

As if on cue, a bunch of other students start filing in the swimming area, all shouting and cheering obnoxiously. Craig scowls at them before realizing that they are all cheering Stan's name. Stan resurfaces from the water and shakes the water out of his hair before glancing at the crowd that had climbed up the benches, causing Tweek to yelp and corner himself at the far end. Stan looks genuinely surprised while Token chuckles and nudges Craig.

"It was Wendy's idea." He says, nodding at Wendy who's seated at the lowest bench where it's the closest to the pool.

"Great." Craig responds sarcastically. "I feel much better to know that everyone will be pissed at me the very moment I win."

"Not everyone." Token points out, nodding at Tweek. "You have him."

Tweek glances at their direction, shaking and obviously looking uncomfortable at the crowd nearby. Craig couldn't help himself but hate those obnoxious teens who are scaring his friend and that's when he decides that he doesn't care if he pisses them off when he wins. At least they'll shut up and let Tweek have some space. He shakes his head and turns around to swim two more laps for practice.

"Stan! If you win, I'll buy you a buttload of beer!"

The voice stops all his movements, his body stiffening at the familiar tone. He looks over his shoulder to see Clyde sitting down beside Wendy and having the back of his head whacked by the girl. The brunette grins at her and says an apology, placing both of his hands together and jokingly bowing to her twice; a gesture he used to do whenever Craig snaps at him for being an idiot. Seeing him like that made Craig's stomach twist and he turns away, not realizing that he has been clenching his fists out of... he's not even sure what he's feeling but he's sure that it's not a positive one.

"You okay, man?" Token snaps him out of his thoughts.

Craig just nods before beginning his practice.

"Chill out, man. Just pick any toppings." Craig says, his blue eyes scrutinizing the assorted frozen yogurt toppings displayed before them. Tweek has been staring at it for a few minutes now, muttering stuff to himself and considering that his fingers are twitching, Craig knows that he's freaking out about which toppings to use.

"Oh god, but what if I choose the wrong topping?" Tweek says, biting his fingernails while his other hand holds his cup. "What if I chose the wrong combination and didn't like the taste? This is too much pressure for me to handle!" Craig sighs at his friend's overreaction before reaching over and placing a few M&M's and a small amount of chocolate syrup into Tweek's yogurt.

"There, now we're all happy." He takes the same toppings before guiding Tweek to the counter.

"T-Thank you." Tweek says, still shaking up a bit but has eventually calmed down. As Craig paid for their snacks, they step out of the small building to head for Tweek's place.

"A-Are you going to Bebe's party?" Tweek asks, swirling his spoon in his yogurt though not really taking a bite, afraid that he might finish it first and leave Craig eating by himself. Craig notices this and begins to eat his own, noticing how Tweek looked at him and began to eat too, syncing their scoops together.

"Is that the talk of the school right now?" Craig asks, his tone remaining unreadable.

"Sorry!" Tweek suddenly apologizes. "If you don't want to talk about it, we can talk about something else! Oh god, why did I even ask you when everyone knows you never attend such events! It was really stupid of me to ask and I wish you'd just erase that from your mind and-"

"It's erased."

"Thank you! But Jesus flipping Christ, I should be more careful with my words next time. I swear, if I blabber on and on again, I know you'd-"

"Hey Tweek!"

Tweek screams in surprise at the sound of his name as the two boys look up to see Bebe happily approaching them with a radiant smile. Craig notices Clyde following behind which is not really surprising considering the two have been dating for almost four months now. Bebe giggles at Tweek's reaction. "So will you be attending my party tonight?" She asks curiously.

"O-Oh, gee, I don't know..."

"He'll come." Clyde butts in, now standing beside Bebe and grinning at the shorter male. "Because I'll be bringing lots of iced coffee there, just for you, man." Surprisingly, Tweek twitches a smile at his words before slowly nodding his head.

"Okay, I guess. It wouldn't hurt, right?"

"Of course it wouldn't!" Bebe laughs, clapping a soft hand on the twitchy blond's shoulder who yelps in response.

Clyde grins at Tweek before settling his gaze on Craig who's just watching the scene. "Hey Craig! Didn't see you there!" Craig lightly scowls at his words but doesn't blame him anyway. He's really hard to notice considering his silence and despite his tall height. Bebe, as if also only noticing him, glances at his way and smiles.

"What about you, Craig? Are you going?" She asks but before Craig could reply, Clyde cuts him off by laughing obnoxiously.

"Bebe, are you seriously asking him that?" He asks, his chuckles coming off annoying to the taller male. "When's the last time you've actually seen Craig in a party? Right, never. He'll say he'll go but then chicken out later on. Besides, he'll probably be too busy working on his blog, right?" The brunette then glances at Craig's direction, as if expecting him to agree with him but Craig's scowl only grows deeper, not breaking his stare on his former friend.

"Chicken out?" He finally says, nearly crushing the paper cup in his hand. "You fucking think I'll actually chicken out from a ridiculous retarded party?" At his tone, Bebe and Tweek stare at him with uneasy looks but Clyde just smiles at him. Or is that a smirk? A challenging one? Craig couldn't tell.

"What, are you saying you'll actually be at Bebe's party tonight?" Clyde raises an amused brow at him. "You'll actually surround yourself with people who barely acknowledge your existence?"

"Clyde." Bebe hisses him a warning but the two boys ignore her.

Craig grits his teeth, trying to keep his temper in no matter how much he wants to smack the brunette for being such an asshole. Never once did Clyde made fun of him for being unnoticeable until now. His popularity is surely getting to his head and Craig's not even sure if he really misses this douchebag being his friend.

"Fuck off, Donovan." He says. "I'll be at the party."

"Pssh." Clyde scoffs as he takes Bebe's hand, tugging her away. "We'll see, man. We'll see. See ya later!" As if the tension between them was never there, he grins at him and Tweek before walking off with his girlfriend who obviously starts reprimanding him about his behavior. Once the two are out of sight, Tweek lets out a loud relieved sigh.

"Thank god, I thought the tension will cause us to explode out of nowhere!" He says but after realizing what he just said made no sense, he shakes his head and adds. "Gee, Clyde sure became a total asshole.."

Craig shakes his head as he dumps his snack into the trash bin. "I'll see you later, Tweek."

"H-Huh? Where are you going?"

"School."

"...What?"

Craig gasps for air as soon as he manages to resurface from the water, his heart pounding. He swims close to the wall and leans his back against it, his breath finally evening out as he stares into the water. Maybe the only benefit he gets for being the best swimmer in the team is that he has the privilege to go to the pool area whenever he wants to and right now, that benefit is quite beneficial to him. Swimming is something that he can actually do to take his mind off things. His first thought was to just watch a bunch of hamster videos but fuck, he's not a little kid anymore.

He wipes the beads of water rolling from his forehead as he sighs. What the hell is wrong with Clyde? Since when did he become so much of a dick lately? He's totally okay that the brunette barely talks to him anymore but the fact that he's making him look like a fool in front of other people just for his amusement? It just isn't something Clyde would do.

Why is he even letting this bother him anyway? It's been two years since they've last talked to each other and he knows that he shouldn't even care about how Clyde sees him anymore; just like how he doesn't care what others think about him. He gazes up at the benches, remembering how Clyde was cheering for Stan earlier and something inside him pricked. Before, he was the one Clyde would cheer for; even when the others would cheer for Stan, he'd be the one standing out in the crowd, holding out a very lame banner and cheering his name out. But just earlier, the way Clyde had frowned and said how boring the idea of swimming was getting because the taller teen kept on winning, Craig couldn't help but clench his fists again out of anger.

Yes, he's angry.

Angry at Clyde for being such an asshole.

Angry at Stan for receiving the attention he once used to have from the brunette.

Angry at himself for letting Clyde drift away from him so easily.

Craig's eyes soften as he looks down at the water, lazily letting his hand draw circles as his mind wanders off to a very clear memory.

"For the last damn time, control your breathing!"

A seven-year old Clyde heaves and pants as he tries to wipe the water off his face, his other hand clutching on the inflatable toy dinosaur nearby while Craig goes on reprimanding him about his lack of control in breathing. Once Craig was done rambling his ear off, Clyde pouts before splashing water towards his friend.

"Be easy on me!" He whines childishly. "This is my first time in a pool and this is so hard!"

"It wouldn't be so hard if you quit flapping your arms like a damn penguin trying to fucking fly." Craig splashes back at him, a displeased frown evident on his features. Clyde whines again before splashing another large amount of water towards the other.

"This is stupid!"

Craig splashes back. "Are you saying the only sport I like is stupid?"

Clyde yelps and splashes back. "No! I'm saying the idea of me swimming is stupid!"

Splash. "Maybe you're the one being stupid."

Splash. "No! You're being stupid for being a stupid teacher!"

Splash. Splash. "You're just really a stupid student...!"

Splash. Splash. Splash. "If I'm a stupid student, then you're more stupid and that's saying something!"

SPLASH.

SPLASH.

SPLASH.

And just like that, the two engage themselves in a splashing battle with Clyde making larger splashes considering his better strength than Craig. After a few more minutes of the battle, the two finally grow tired and end up panting, staring at each other with still-challenging eyes. But after a few seconds or so, their glares broke to smiles and Clyde starts laughing hysterically while Craig chuckles at how ridiculous they probably looked splashing each other so angrily.

"Look, if you don't want to swim," Craig says as he swims closer to his friend. "then why the hell did you ask me to teach you how to?"

He then notices the obvious red hue that flushes up the brunette's cheeks at the sound of the question. This just makes Craig more curious now and he just stares at his friend with a slight tilt of his head, silently urging him to answer. Clyde clears his throat uncertainly as he rubs the back of his neck; a habit he does when he's nervous about something.

"I uh... well..."

"Spit it out, Clyde."

"W-Well...!" Clyde's face is definitely more flushed up than before. "You look so happy and contented whenever you go swimming. It's the kind of expression you rarely show at all unless we're watching Red Racer. When I saw you swim for the first time and how people had said that you are naturally talented at it, your smile looked so... I don't know, real? You were so happy about the attention people were giving you... all the praises and stuff. And I sorta wanted to see more of that from you. Since I'm sorta like the only kid in school who actually makes you smile, I thought that what if I joined you in this swimming thing? Would you smile wider? I want to swim with you because I really want to see you grin for once."

Craig couldn't help the appalled look that is expressed on his features as he stares at his friend's flushed face. As if taking his silence as disgust, Clyde buries his face in his hand out of embarrassment and groans. "Oh fuck, I knew I shouldn't have told you that! That was like... eugh, so gay. Gayness to the max. I bet you find me so weird now!" His words are actually muffled through his hand so Craig couldn't exactly comprehend a word he just said but the brunette looks up at him with worried eyes. "W-We're still friends, right? I mean, this isn't making you awkward or anything? Shit, did I just make things awkward between us? Please don't be awkward! I won't say anything that shitty again, I promise! Pinky swear!"

Craig cocks a brow at Clyde who immediately pokes out his pinky, his lips formed into a pout and his brown pleading eyes staring right back at his blue ones.

Craig smiles a bit before gently batting his friend's hand away. "Whatever, man." He says, slowly swimming away from him. "You can talk to me in any way you want. Gay or not, just make sure it doesn't piss me off."

Clyde just stares at him, obviously surprised at his reaction but then he beams and nods his head. "All right then!"

"Where the hell are you going?"

Craig glances at the doorway of his room to see his little sister giving him an incredulous look while sucking on her lollipop. Craig doesn't say anything at first as he continues to dry his hair with a towel, standing up and going to his closet to get a decent shirt for the party. "To Bebe's." He answers, not even sure why Ruby cares about where he's going. She never really asks him about his personal life because, as she had said, she doesn't give a fuck. But maybe seeing him getting ready for a party is something that the young girl has never seen before.

"Bebe...?" Ruby raises a brow. "Who's that?"

"She's my... uh... I don't know what the hell she is." Craig admits as he tosses his towel on the bed and grabs a shirt from his closet.

"Girlfriend?"

"Fuck no."

"Right, right. You're a fag." Ruby rolls her eyes as she leans her shoulder against the door frame, watching her brother roam about his room.

Craig scowls at her. "I'm not a fag, Ruby. I just don't fucking believe in labels."

"Riiight." The girl drawls before taking her leave. Craig sighs in disbelief before glancing at his reflection in the mirror. What do people wear in parties anyway? As he is seeing himself right now, he's not sure if a plain old blue shirt and a pair of old jeans are decent enough for a party. Eh, fuck it. It's not like he's planning on staying there for long anyway. He'll just make an appearance to prove Clyde that he's just fucking wrong and then he'll be on his way back home. Maybe even drag Tweek with him to his place for once because he's sure the blond is never comfortable with large crowds. His frown deepens a bit when he realizes that his dark hair has gotten longer and he doesn't have a hat to hide it. He had grown out of his blue chullo hat. Well shit, he needs a haircut. He'll worry about that later. Grabbing a jacket from his closet, he immediately leaves through the window. He knows that telling his parents about the party will become a huge unnecessary fuss and he's not in the mood for that.

The walk to Bebe's place wasn't exactly long and when Craig finally reached his destination, he realizes that the house is already loud and open to anyone. He feels his stomach twist at the sight of it. He could hear the loud laughter of the crowd inside and he feels sick. What if the music suddenly stops the very moment he steps in? What if everyone stops whatever they're doing and just stare at him, surprised that he actually attended a party? Fuck, is this even a good idea? Maybe he should just head back home and save himself from the embarrassment he's so certain he's about to face and- no, wait. He doesn't care. He shouldn't care. Just as long as he gets to wipe that smug grin off Clyde's face, he's willing to do anything. There are already a few people at the front yard, taking shots on the grass or making out in the dark areas. Craig wrinkles his nose in disgust at the sight before making his way to the door which is already wide open as ever.

He suddenly feels his fingers twitching anxiously at his sides as he enters the house. There are a few people dancing to the music, some are just drinking and chatting while some are yelling obnoxiously about some beer pong or whatever it is. Craig doesn't want to know.

He tries to brush through the crowd, pleased that he's unnoticeable as ever. He prefers it that way. Now all he needs is to look for Clyde, flip him off, tell him how wrong he is, then he can just go home. Where does Clyde usually hang around anyway during parties? He remembers how he used to picture what kind of drunk Clyde is. He never really witnessed it but he could tell that he was the funny kind of drunk; the kind where he would just do anything absolutely ridiculous just to get a laugh from the people around him. If that's the case, then Clyde would probably be somewhere where most of the people are.

"Craig?"

Well, it appears like looking for the brunette wouldn't be a problem anymore because as Craig looks up, he finds Clyde walking down the stairs with a drink in hand and a genuine surprised look on his face. Craig can't help but smirk in victory at his reaction as he slips his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Hey Clyde." He greets him lazily.

"You're actually here." Clyde points out the obvious once he's standing in front of the dark-haired boy. "Whoa, holy shit... like, wow... fuck."

Craig grimaces a bit in annoyance. "Yeah, I get it. You're surprised."

"More than that, man!" Clyde grins at him and Craig's grimace falters at the sight.

Clyde's grinning at him. Grinning at him and only him. For once in two years.

"I really thought you'd chicken out on this!" The brunette continues, slapping a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "What motivated you, huh? I doubt it's because I challenged you to. I did that once before and you still chickened out. So why the change of heart, huh? Finally realized that you're actually missing out the time of your friendless life? That's understandable. I mean, anyone who's as friendless as you are would be desperate enough to attend a party just to earn a few peers. Just remember to be picky, man. Some are really bad influence and-"

"Will you shut the fuck up?" Craig growls, harshly pushing the other boy's hand away from his shoulder. "I only came here because I..." Shit, he can't tell him that he only came to the party to prove a point. It would mean that if Clyde didn't challenge him, he would end up chickening out anyway and not attend the party. "...I only came here because I wanna see how retarded of a party your girlfriend can set. And to be honest, this is the most retarded party I have ever been into."

Clyde smiles at him as he swirls his drink. "Uh huh, and how many parties have you been into?"

Goddammit.

"Whatever." Craig grumbles, looking away; pride slightly damaged. "This is stupid. I'm leaving."

"Are you saying the only thing that gets me happily drunk is stupid?" Clyde asks teasingly though he doesn't let Craig respond for he continues on. "And don't leave, dude. You just got here! Come on, let's get you a drink! I heard you've never tried any alcohol before and well, consider this as your first and best experience!" He then reaches to grab a hold of Craig's wrist but the taller boy takes a step away from him, scowling at him.

"Fuck no." He says, his tone sharp. "I won't be dragged into your lame pathetic shenanigans, Clyde. You can party like a disgusting douchebag all you want, I won't do it."

Clyde rolls his eyes and tugs Craig's sleeve anyway. "Don't be such a pansy. Just one drink."

"I said no, Clyde." Craig growls, keeping his stand firm. This time, Clyde's smile falters to a serious frown and just when he opens his mouth to say something, a voice interrupts him.

"H-Hey, Craig! Clyde!"

The two boys stop their bickering and glance at their side to see Tweek advancing towards them with a cup of iced coffee in hand. But when the blond notices Clyde's grip on Craig's sleeve and the annoyed scowl on Craig's features, he harshly flinches in surprise, nearly spilling his drink to himself. "O-Oh! Am I interrupting something? Shit, bad timing! Bad timing! Sorry! Go on and continue your business! Unless you two are getting into a fight then I guess maybe it is a good time for me to butt in. Or maybe you two are getting back together as best friends? Then oh Jesus, I guess this is a bad timing! I don't even know why I keep on ruining moments like these and-"

"Best friends?" Clyde raises a brow in disbelief. "What are you talking-"

Craig holds his breath as he waits for Clyde to finish his sentence. But he never did. Instead, the brunette sighs and jerks his thumb towards the taller teen's way. "Tweek, can you like tell your gay-ass boyfriend here that he should try and get a drink for once?"

Both Tweek and Craig flinch at his choice of words and the two exchange an awkward look. How the hell did Clyde know about the both of them being into the same gender? Well, everyone knows about Tweek but Craig... Craig never told anyone other than Token and Tweek that he's into any gender. As if noticing their reactions, Clyde blinks confusedly before raising his index finger thoughtfully. "Oh, did I just made a lucky guess? Are you two really butt-buddies?"

"N-No!"

"Fuck no."

The two other teens respond in unison and they both share another look before quickly looking away from each other. Tweek is adorable, Craig never had any trouble admitting that and the thought of dating him actually crossed his mind once. But, he just thinks that it's not gonna work. In fact, he doubts any relationship with him would work and he knows it's for the best if he saves Tweek from any heartaches. Clyde grins at their awkwardness before slinging his arms over their shoulders, his drink spilling a bit over Tweek's shoulder. Tweek yelps at that.

"Looks like you two could use a drink." He finally says before pushing them to the kitchen. Craig doesn't even bother to argue anymore because he knows how persistent Clyde can get.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Craig catches sight of a few familiar faces. He sees Kyle chatting with Stan and Wendy near the counter while Kenny stands by his side, an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders while lovingly kissing his hair; already drunk. Kyle frowns at him and nudges him away, stating that he stinks of alcohol but Kenny just laughs and presses closer to the red head, happily humming and ignoring the other's early protest. Token and Cartman appear to be having an argument at the corner and Craig isn't exactly sure what the hell they're arguing about but he manages to hear the words "lubricant", "banana", and "my little pony". What the fuck are they going on about?

"Here's the grand treasure." Clyde steps away from the two to get them each a drink from the counter, casually greeting Stan and the others.

Stan grins at Clyde but when his eyes passed over at Craig, his jaw drops in astonishment before he starts nudging Wendy and nodding towards the tall teen's direction. Wendy cuts her conversation with Kyle off to follow his gaze and her expression mirrors her boyfriend's. Kyle, obviously annoyed at the disturbance, turns and his reaction is already expected.

"Well look what the cat dragged in~" Kenny says in a sing-song voice, stepping away from Kyle to clumsily stumble towards Craig and Tweek though his blue eyes are only focused on Craig's darker ones. "Whatcha doin' here, Tucker? I thought you're planning on spending the whole night updating your blog about anime and shit?" His grin widens when he sees Tweek twitching a bit at Craig's side. "Oh. Ohhh, I see...! I see where this is going! You two decided to come out and announce-"

"Leave'em alone, Ken." Kyle sighs, tugging his boyfriend's arm away while Stan and Wendy make their way towards them. "Craig's not obviously in the mood to be made fun of."

"He never is and never will." Clyde laughs, butting in as he hands Tweek and Craig their drinks. Tweek accepts it with shaking hands but takes a few sips from it more easily compared to Craig who just stares down at it. "And since Kenny oh-so-kindly asked," Clyde goes on. "Craig came here because he said he wanted to see how retarded of a party Bebe can throw. And I was like, yeah riiiight. And he was all like, this is the most retarded party ever. And I was like, and how many parties have you been in? And he was all like, uhhhh..."

Wendy rolls her eyes at Clyde's poor way of telling a story before smiling gently at Craig. "Well it's good to see you here for once. I hope you'll enjoy your time here."

"Yeah, hopefully." Craig shrugs.

"He'll enjoy his time." Kenny grins, his free hand clutching Kyle's while the other clutches his own cup of drink. "He has his little boyfriend here, right, Tweekers?"

"A-Ack! Oh Jesus, I'm not his boyfriend!" Tweek jolts, now spilling his drink all over Stan.

"Aww fuck! Tweek!"

"Oh God! I'm so sorry! L-Let me help-"

"Don't worry." Wendy sighs, taking Stan's hand and pulling him away. "Let's get some paper towels or something."

"Hold on! I-I should help!"

Clyde steps aside to let Tweek follow the couple, rolling his eyes and mouthing a few words at Kenny who chuckles knowingly. Craig frowns at the inside joke the two are obviously sharing about Tweek and it appears like Kyle isn't exactly pleased about it too for he excuses himself from them and walks to the living room to chat with someone else. Kenny pouts at this before giving the remaining two a casual wave as he follows his boyfriend, childishly calling out to his name. And just like that, Craig and Clyde are left alone. Neither of them said anything. Craig purses his lips as he stares down at his drink, swirling it around and wrinkling his nose a bit at the strong scent.

"Aren't you going to drink that, dude?"

Craig looks up to see Clyde taking a sip from his own beverage. "What?"

"I said aren't you going to drink that? I got it just for you and the least you can do is take a sip from it."

Craig sighs and shakes his head, pushing the cup back to the brunette. "Clyde, you know perfectly well that I don't drink and I never plan to."

"Still?" Clyde purses one corner of his lips as he gestures to refusing in taking his drink back. "Nah, man. You're in a party now and you should behave properly. And by properly, I mean drinking your ass off, waving your hands up in the air and laughing as loud as you can like a fucking pothead. Wait, is that how potheads act? Well whatever, just take a sip, Craig. You'll like it. Live your life for once. Do you even know this is the reason why most people are so intimidated around you? You keep to yourself too much. And if you want to have at least one friend, you've got to lighten up and be likeable. I mean, I lightened up and look at me now."

Silence.

"I'm leaving." Craig brushes past the shorter male to place his untouched cup on the counter before making his way out of the kitchen. But before he does so, he feels Clyde's familiar grip around his wrist and he turns to scowl at him, trying to rip his hand away but Clyde only tightens his hold.

"Let. Go. Of me." Craig says through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word.

Clyde could only give him a displeased look. "Seriously man, you've gotten lamer. I'm surprised that's even possible."

He finally lets go of him and turns around to join Stan and the others, waving him off. Craig glares at his back, his breaths slowly coming out short and the evident anger he's feeling is radiating from him that people actually try to keep away from him in case he snaps. He feels something painful burning inside him as he watches Clyde laugh along with Stan and Wendy, his arm casually resting around Tweek's shoulders; as if the last words he had just told him is something he didn't mind saying even if it offended his former best friend. Craig's normally calm demeanor has slowly changed into something dangerously dark as he turns to head out. Going to the party was the biggest mistake he has ever done.

No, fuck, scratch that. Being friends with Clyde was the biggest mistake he has ever done and he wishes that he didn't let him talk to him back in kindergarten. He wishes that he had never accepted that matching Red Racer shirt. He wishes that he had never asked him to be his best friend. He wishes that he had never let the brunette make him care. He could feel his fists shaking at his sides as he pushed through the crowd, his eyes focused on the door and upon reaching it, he shoves some dude, who was just about to enter the party, away before making his way back home; ignoring the the strange looks he's receiving from the people around him.

But before he could reach the sidewalk, Token's voice stops him from his steps.

"Craig, dude! Wait up!"

Craig takes a deep shaky breath as he turns around to face Token who finally manages to reach him. "What do you want?" He asks, his tone bitter.

Token arches a brow at him. "Whoa, what's shoved up in your ass?" He asks but after noticing that Craig is in no mood, he quickly adds. "Did you just walk out of Bebe's house? Were you just seriously inside there?"

"Unfortunately."

"Whoa. That's new. Where are you going?"

"Home."

Token frowns at this. "What? Why?" When Craig refuses to answer and had just glanced at Bebe's house, Token's mouth forms an "O" in realization before nodding his head. "I see. So you and Clyde finally talked, huh? How did that work out for you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Just when Craig is just about to turn and leave, Token quickly holds his shoulder to prevent him from doing so. Goddammit, what is it with people and stopping him from leaving?

"Maybe you need a drink, Craig."

"I don't drink."

"Come on."

Token tugs his friend's wrist, dragging him to the circle of people who are sharing some shots at the grass. Craig wrinkles his nose in disgust as he pulls away from Token's hold. "Dude, I'm serious. I don't want to drink."

"You're angry, aren't you?" His friend asks him with a slight tilt of his head. "Trust me, just one drink will make you feel a bit better. Probably even make you nicer. Okay, that was a joke but seriously, a drink will get your mind off things. I'm not gonna get you drunk, I promise."

Craig hesitates for a moment, his eyes darting to the circle of people that consists of Kevin, Red, Nichole and Butters who all appear to be oblivious of the two teens. Finally, the dark-haired boy sighs as he looks back at his friend.

"Fine. Just one drink."

Token smiles at him before leading him to the group. And as they sat down on the grass, the other teens greet Craig while at the same time, looking a bit out of place seeing the tall teen present. Token picks up an untouched glass from the grass and hands it to his friend, giving him a friendly wink before grabbing the bottle of... whatever the hell it is, Craig's not sure, from Red's hand. Once his glass is filled, Craig moves it closer to his nose to take a sniff and in a split second, he grimaces in disgust; earning a few chuckles from the others.

"Let me guess," Red smirks. "you've never had a drink before?"

"Great observation, Einstein." Craig says, his eyes still focused on his drink.

"Just drink it in one go." Kevin nods, an amused smile curved across his lips. "Tonight was Butters' first time too and look at him now. He hasn't said a word ever since." Craig looks up from his own drink to see the short blond staring down at the grass with half lidded eyes, his fingers wrapped around an empty glass and Craig wonders how many shots the dude already had. So Butters is the silent kind of drunk? He wonders what kind of drunk he would be. At that thought, he stares back at his own glass.

'Well, here goes nothing.'

"How are you feeling, Craig?"

Craig can't really tell who asked him that but he's pretty sure it was a chick. Or was it Butters? He licks his lips as he looks down at his empty glass with half-lidded eyes, frowning at the lack of alcohol in it. He looks back at the people he's drinking with, noticing that some are already missing. Since when did Nichole, Token and Butters leave? Why the hell are Kevin and Red grinning at him like that? Holy hell, why is his vision going hazy? He tightly closes his eyes and shakes his head before pushing his glass forward. "More. I'm going fucking blind as hell and I need the antidote." Kevin and Red laugh at this before refilling his glass.

"Geez, Craig." Kevin chuckles. "Just a few shots and you're already this drunk?"

"I think I like him better when he's drunk." Red rubs her chin thoughtfully. "He's way nice and talks more."

Craig just flips them off in response before drinking up his beverage in one go then letting out a desperate hiss afterwards. "That is some strong shit." He says, pointing at the bottle. "Potions are the bomb. I can't believe I only started trying this out now, man. Or woman."

"What made you suddenly want to drink anyway?"

Red's question brings Craig to dwell in his thoughts. What really got him to drinking? What is he even doing here? Where is he? Oh fuck, right, Bebe's party. Then he looked for Clyde... that asshole, Clyde Donovan. Right, he was mad at him. Completely infuriated with him and Token had told him that drinking will make him feel better. In fact, it did. He feels bolder for some reason as he stares at his hand, weakly moving his fingers then grinning madly at them.

"He's lost it." Kevin says as Red nods in agreement.

"I'm gonna look for... Clyde." Craig stands up, nearly losing his balance when it wasn't for Red who quickly gently pushes him back to his standing position. Craig lazily grins at her and gives her a casual salute before stumbling his way into the house. He notices that the music has turned up louder and a larger amount of people can be seen inside but Craig knows it's not gonna be difficult looking for Clyde. He always shows up whenever he's looking for him. After a few minutes, the dark-haired teen ends up stumbling at the backyard where there are a few people also drinking and making barbeque. Is that safe when drunken people are everywhere? Craig shrugs that thought off as he looks around, trying to spot a particular brunette.

As if on cue, he spots Clyde near the pool chatting with Bebe, a different cup of drink in hand. He doesn't appear to be drunk at all and Craig assumes that the guy probably has high tolerance in alcohol. What a lucky son of a bitch. Craig tries to make his way towards him without bumping into anyone, his eyes firmly fixated on the brunette who appears to oblivious of his presence for never once did he take his eyes off the blonde before him. But when Craig finally reached him, the two teens cut their conversation short and glance at his way.

"O-Oh, hello Craig!" Bebe smiles cheerfully at him but Craig doesn't bother to spare her a glance.

"Dude, what the hell are you still doing here?" Clyde frowns, obviously not pleased that he still hadn't gone home yet. But he blinks a few times before his frown fades to an amused smile. "Wait, are you drunk?"

"Shut up." Craig tugs the brunette's wrist. "Hey boobie... I mean Bebe, can I borrow your dude for a bit?"

Bebe appears to be befuddled but nods her head anyway before looking around and joining a group of girls. Clyde sighs and lets the taller teen drag him away from the crowd, heading for the other side of the house where there are surprisingly no sight of a single soul. Once they're alone, Clyde pulls his wrist away from Craig's grip and crushes his empty cup before tossing it somewhere. "So what's up?" he asks, amusement still lingering in his tone at the sight of Craig drunk. Craig doesn't anything at first. He's too busy staring at Clyde, his eyelids growing heavy and his lips slightly parted as he breathes a bit heavily. Clyde evidently looks weirden out by this for he shifts his eyes around, as if hoping no one is seeing this to save themselves from any kind of embarrassment.

"Clyde..." Craig finally begins, taking a step closer while Clyde takes a step back.

"Uh, yeah?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Clyde's normally pleased look turns into a scowl as he stares back at the taller male. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're a fucking dick." Craig continues, trying his very best not to let his eyelids grow any heavier as he shakes his head a bit. "What the hell happened to you? You've been treating me like I'm a fucking outcast."

"Because you are."

"Shut the fuck up." Craig growls at him, his voice rising as his anger starts to build up inside him. "What the fuck did I ever do to you, huh? What did I do to deserve all this shit from you? You weren't like this before. We were the best of fucking friends! Since kindergarten, Clyde! Kinder-fucking-garten! What did I do to make you hate me so much, huh?! Tell me! Tell me now or I swear to the fucking-"

"Craig, you're seriously drunk and-"

"Tell me!" Craig snaps, grabbing Clyde's collar and pushing him against the wall. Clyde nearly yelps at the sudden impact, his head hitting the wall and he lets out a small groan, looking back at Craig who's still glaring at him.

The brunette definitely looks taken aback and Craig couldn't blame him. Never in his life had he hurt Clyde out of anger. Sure, Clyde used to annoy him a lot but never to the point that he made him want to knock his teeth out. As they stare at each other for a moment, Clyde's expression turns sour and he sighs. "Fine, Craig. You want to know why? Here it is: You are the lamest dude I have ever met. It is absolutely downright embarrassing to be seen with you."

His answer was short but it's still enough to get a rise out of Craig. Craig grits his teeth and raises his fist, ready to hit him but Clyde doesn't even so much as move a muscle at the gesture. Instead, he just stares back at Craig, his brows slightly furrowed as if he's convinced about something. "You're going to hit me?" He asks, his tone almost in disbelief. "Fine, go ahead. Hit me as hard as you can." Craig tightens his fist and his hold on the brunette's collar, shaking a bit. But just as he's about to do what he's been dying to do all night, an image of a crying beaten-up 8-year-old Clyde flashes in his mind.

"Stop it! He's had enough!" Clyde wails, falling to his knees and wiping his tears furiously. But the group of boys before him just laugh out louder as they continue to kick Craig who has already collapsed on the ground, barely moving. After a couple more taunts, kicks and hits, they finally decide to leave him alone and run off; purposely stepping on the red toy cars that belong to Craig in the process. Once they're all gone, Clyde quickly rushes to Craig's side, his cheeks stained with tears and bruises.

"Craig! Are you okay?"

Craig sits up and rubs his head, blood dripping down from the corner of his lips. "Oh, I'm fucking dandy, thanks for asking."

"Y-You didn't have to save me, you know!" Clyde says, crying out loud again. "They wanted to beat me up! Not you!"

Craig just grimaces in pain when he touches his wounds before looking at Clyde who's still wailing out loud. He rolls his eyes at this before patting the brunette's head, hoping to calm him down. "Quit crying, you big baby." He says, his eyes softening a bit. When he saw those large kids picking on Clyde at the park, something inside him had snapped. The sight of his friend all bruised up and crying had gotten him moving without thinking and before he knew it, he had abandoned his Red Racer collectibles on the ground and landed a huge blow to one of the large kids' face.

"B-B-But... But..." Clyde sobs heavily, still trying his best to wipe his tears. "They broke your toys..."

Craig blinks and glances at his collectibles, nearly gasping at the sight of them all being damaged. Okay, he has to admit that he feels his heart twist at the scene but he shakes his head and looks back at his friend, shrugging his shoulders. "I can always buy new ones, dude. And besides, those kids better know who not to mess with. Did you see them running away in fear after they beat the shit out of me?"

Clyde looks up from his hands to stare at the taller boy who's actually making an effort in smiling at him. "Why did you save me? You knew that you're nothing agasint kids as big as they are but..."

"Because I find you too cool to deserve that kind of treatment, Clyde." Craig frowns, a bit surprised that Clyde is still even asking why he actually risked himself to save him. "No one should ever hurt you. Not even the pathetic evil lord himself. If someone actually tries to hurt you, then they have to go through me and I'm serious about that. Hell, if I ever thought of hurting you, I would fucking hurt myself instead."

"C-Craig..." Clyde is obviously loss for words and after a few seconds, he starts to cry again though it's quite obvious that it is out of happiness this time.

Craig groans at this. "Oh come on! I told you that so that you'd stop crying!"

Craig feels his clenched fist weakening and he immediately lets Clyde go, stumbling a bit away from him. No wonder Clyde doesn't look like he's troubled about getting hit by him. Because he knows. He knows Craig could never hurt him; even if they are in this kind of situation. No matter how much of an asshole Clyde has become, Craig still sees him as that guy who liked him and looked up to him. The very same guy who knows everything about him and would often be there for him when no one was.

"I thought so." Clyde scowls at him as he fixes the collar of his shirt.

"There you are!" Token voice breaks in and their friend quickly makes his way towards Craig who nearly loses his balance. Luckily, Token manages to catch him before he could hit the grass. "Dude, I've been looking everywhere for you. Red said that you got drunk and I got really worried."

"Take him home." Clyde says, already walking away.

Token throws Craig's arm over his shoulders as Craig glances at Clyde's way.

Yeah, there's no way they'll be friends again. That much is positive.

He shouldn't even care.

They only have one more year left.

A/N: Okay, I'm going to stop here because I literally have no idea where this is still going and I wanna know if I should continue it. Hehe I know you were expecting some sort of explicit scenes but that will be saved for the next chapter. So many Cryde goodness at the second chapter but like I said, I don't know if I should continue this so if you think I should, please do leave a review.

Thank you!

PS. I know Craig's dad's name is not James but everything will be explained soon... if I actually continue this.

- Lexi