As the days passed without a reaction from Kenny, Cartman became increasingly volatile in front of the boys; maybe to provoke them or maybe to see what he could get away with. It started no differently than how he treated Butters as a friend. Insults accompanied by light, mostly hidden bruises. Kenny deluded himself into believing that the bruises could be from Butters' father. Eventually, Cartman left bruises on the boy's angelic face and adopted 'bitch' as his pet name for Butters.

The blonde took all the abuse surprisingly well. Still, after several weeks, a visible change possessed Butters. Aside from the bruises, the boy physically deteriorated in front of their eyes. The circles under his eyes grew darker and his pupils dimmed, never a glint or sparkle of interest. Kenny noticed that his solid torso shrank visibly under his now baggy clothes. Kenny also couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the boy eat.

Kenny spent these days mostly high in class or absent. He flew from guilt to depression in single heartbeats. He knew the longer he waited the harder the conversation would become. Butters would be even less likely to listen or stand up for himself if he became more wrapped into Cartman's influence. Still, Kenny would notice things that others didn't, Butters shaking at Cartman's touch or tears lightly framing his eyes. These moments took him back to that night giving him twinges of guilt and hope that the boy would end things himself. Or maybe Kenny was simply too involved, too close for Butters to listen to him.

The last thought came to Kenny on a day that he had spent primarily on the receiving end of nasty looks from Kyle. Every time Cartman assaulted or insulted Butters, Kyle threw Kenny one of these glares. Why shouldn't he? Kenny wondered to himself. I have the key to stopping this and I'm too selfishly terrified to do it.

After lunch, Kenny fell back to talk to Kyle. The boy looked surprised by his approach. Kenny had done a good job avoiding Kyle lately but now he had a plan. "So I have an idea," Kenny said eagerly.

Kyle grumbled. "You mean fix this problem that you're complicit in?"

Kenny rolled his eyes disguising his hurt. Kyle's opinion mattered a lot to him and even he knew that Kyle was right. "Look, the problem is," He paused and sighed, "Butters won't listen to me. He'll just think I'm jealous," Kenny explained.

Kyle gave Kenny a skeptical look. "Well aren't you?" He asked.

Kenny bit his lip anxiously. "Well I—might be but that's not the point is it?" Kenny responded cryptically. Kyle simply nodded in agreement. "So I was thinking," Kenny pressed following the boy to his locker. "You should tell him." Kenny came on strong but as he spoke his voice cracked and he sensed the fear driving his suggestion.

Kyle's mouth pursed disapprovingly. Kenny almost wondered if he'd shared the idea just to have it shot down. "Kenny I don't even know what happened, only you do," He sighed. "Look, you just need to put aside however you do or do not feel about Butters and tell him what you know," He advised, finally granting Kenny a sympathetic smile. The bell rang and Kyle pulled Kenny into a short hug before disappearing down the hall, ghost-like. Kenny felt an odd rush of encouragement. He could do this. He even forced himself to stay in class all afternoon by reminding himself that Butters and Kyle were both depending on him.

Kenny did skip last period, only to pace nervously outside Butters' last class. He could pull the boy away before Cartman noticed. Kenny stepped outside for a much needed cigarette but dashed it quickly at the sound of the bell. He ducked back in among the flow of students. He saw Butters rushing away and he pushed through a few people without bothering to say 'excuse me.' When he caught up to the boy, Kenny looped his arm through Butters' and pulled him gently outside the door he'd just entered.

They were in a fairly deserted area of the schoolyard, a good place for a serious conversation. Butters immediately turned on Kenny with a glimmer in his eye. Kenny felt a spark of hope until he realized that the glimmer was anger. "What do you want?" Butters spat. He curled his arms around himself protectively.

Kenny hadn't anticipated his hostility. He still caught Butters sending him longing glances. If he was angry, then this was going to be even more difficult than Kenny had expected. "Look," Kenny began, his voice soft but urgent. "I need you to put aside what happened between us-"

"I have forgotten. I'm the one with the boyfriend," Butters cut Kenny off harshly.

With every barbed word, Kenny's heart beat a little bit faster. "Ok," He continued shakily. "Well, then maybe you'll believe me about this," Kenny murmured.

Butters' face glossed over with confusion. "This?" He asked vaguely.

Kenny sighed to relieve the weight of the story he'd been carrying on his shoulders. "Do you remember that night?" he asked. Stuttering, he added, "the one after we—I—gave you a blowjob." Kenny mumbled the last few words.

Butters wasn't phased. "Yeah, we got drunk with Eric… w-what about it?" He asked, his face still hard.

Kenny gritted his teeth. Butters didn't make it easy. "Well do you remember the way you felt the next day?"

"Sore and hungover," Butters responded. "B-but that's how I've felt every time I drink," Butters insisted.

Kenny realized then that the boy had never gotten drunk without Cartman. He must have assumed that hangovers came with bruises. "Hm—well, being sore, having bruises," Kenny faltered briefly and blushed at the accusation. Kenny knew it wasn't easy to even acknowledge your abuse. "What you were feeling wasn't from the alcohol," he finally confessed. "When you were asleep—er-passed out, Cartman… he-he," Kenny's tongue seized suddenly. Butters' face darkened and his eyes darted around anxiously, like he was being watched, even though no one else was around. Kenny stepped forward and hesitantly reached for Butters' hand. The boy pulled away but it looked like it hurt him to do so. Kenny felt small when he continued. "He was bent over you in the dark… He raped you," Kenny whispered timidly.

Butters' face went wide with horror. "Eric would never do that!" He shouted in protest. His eyes pierced Kenny's sharply. "Th-this is pathetic Ken. You had your chance but E-Eric loves me." The whole speech blew out of Butters in a single breath but by the end, the boy's assertiveness dwindled to nervous insecurity. Just as quickly as Kenny noted the boy's doubt, he closed himself up again.

"Listen, I'm not saying this for the reasons you assume," he rushed to defend himself.

Butters' eyes were filling with tears. "I don't believe you. You would've told me before," He squeaked with the effort of holding back tears.

"I tried!" Kenny exclaimed, "But you weren't interested," he mumbled. He knew now why he had dreaded this conversation; he had no good excuse for waiting to tell Butters. If the boy didn't hate him before, he certainly did now.

As if reading his thoughts, Butters moved towards the door flinching nervously as Kenny stepped towards him. Kenny stilled allowing Butters to open the door. "Butters," He called softly. The boy looked back at him with dark eyes. "Do you trust me?"

The boy's face showed fear, bright and shining, in his eyes, a mockery of his formerly innocent gaze. "I did," He whispered. He gave Kenny a sad look. "I'll be ok, just don't say anything else about this," he pleaded. Kenny nodded. He thought he felt another wave of longing from the boy as he closed the door silently behind him. Maybe Kenny had simply seen what he wanted to see this whole time.

Kenny held back for a few minutes after Butters left. He lit a cigarette, trying to breathe steadily amidst the swirling chaos in his mind. It was obvious now that Butters wouldn't listen. Still, Kenny still hoped that the small signs of resistance he observed would eventually win out. There wasn't anything else he could do now.

Kenny stumbled back into the largely desolate school. He let out a sigh of relief that none of his friends were around. He planned to go home and black out until he remembered his diminished supply. I guess I'll hit up Craig, he decided. Kenny bought most of his drugs rom Craig, usually in exchange for alcohol he swiped off his parents. Right now though, Kenny was dry. He hoped Craig would be understanding.

Kenny arrived at Craig's house shortly after school. Ruby let him in as usual and he knocked on Craig's door lightly. It opened to show Craig's placid face. "McCormick," he greeted woodenly.

"Tucker," Kenny responded with a nod. He liked that Craig never expected him to talk much, unlike his friends. Kenny sat next to Craig on his bed.

"Usual?" Craig asked dully. Kenny shook his head. His usual would be too much to front; a half ounce of weed, any pills the boy had lying around and, often, some overpowered non FDA approved sleeping meds for his bouts of insomnia.

"An eighth and… do you have any free samples?" Kenny asked hopefully. Occasionally, Craig would get something new and offer just enough to get you hooked.

Craig's eyes glittered devilishly. "Funny you should ask. I just got these 200 mg painkillers. They're infused with morphine or opium or some shit," he explained. He handed Kenny a pill to inspect. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about the capsules: small, red, and labeled clearly.

Kenny looked up at Craig skeptically. "All you need is one?" He asked Craig nodded with a smirk. "Well could I get like four?" He begged.

Craig's eyes widened. "Um, nooo," He hummed. "How are you paying anyway?" He demanded, his voice rising in irritation. He smoothed his voice and purred, "Unless you've reconsidered my offer to work off your debt?" He stroked Kenny's hands seductively.

Kenny pulled away from his touch. "I'll get you later," Kenny insisted. Kenny had run up his tab significantly in the past few weeks. He didn't blame Craig for his anger and it wasn't like Kenny to run up debt.

Kenny gave the boy a pleading look but he assented slipping four pills into a little baggy that he placed together with Kenny's eighth. He hesitated a moment before he handed it to Kenny. "I'm serious," he said as monotone as ever. "Only one, and NO alcohol," He instructed.

Kenny rolled his eyes at the warning "I know what I'm doing," he replied nonchalantly. He slipped a twenty, all the money he had, to Craig. "That's what I have right now," he murmured before grabbing his stash and heading out.

At home, Kenny wasted no time. He smoked a cigarette while rolling a joint. A few hits in, Kenny examined the pills. He pulled out his whiskey and laid the flask next to the pills. Two couldn't hurt. Even if he did OD he'd still have some left when he returned. Kenny took his time finishing his joint letting the numbing tingle spread through him. After a while, Kenny began to sip his whiskey. He stared down the pills. The goal was to stop thinking about Cartman, Kyle's disappointment, that night, and most of all, Butters. Still, under the heavy daze of weed and alcohol all Kenny saw in his mind was the blonde's face peacefully asleep only inches from his own. Kenny washed down one of the pills with whiskey and stared at a second pill, only pausing a moment before tossing it down as well. Maybe this death would be permanent, he hoped as his head spun. The pills were all Craig had promised. Kenny felt his body fall away and an inexplicable sense of relief spread over him. Things would work out… he felt certain in that moment. All he needed was some sleep, he thought as he slipped treacherously into unconsciousness.