When I awoke the following Friday morning, it was to face another "potential" storm. I rolled out of bed tiredly and began to get dressed with an almost ominous knot in my stomach. I knew it came from the dream I had the night before, I could not remember for the life of me what it was about or why I was so worried about it. I tried to dismiss it and hoped the unnecessary feeling would leave with it. I made it downstairs in time to see Mama working on breakfast.

"Mama, can I go hang out with Stan and Kenny today?"

She paused in her cooking to turn to me and wipe some sweat from her brow. "Eric, I'm almost finished with your food."

"I know Mama, but it's been a while since we were together, just the three of us. Please?"

"…I suppose it's alraht. So long as you're back befo'e two."

A hurried thank you, a quick kiss on the cheek, and my life was changed forever….

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

It was not long before I found my two friends. They were right were them expected them to be: a secluded clearing in Newburg's woods, a place that we had officially claimed as our favourite place to meet. It was a slightly shady spot, providing a shelter and privacy for us as no one knew of this special place.

The leaves spilled on the forest floor gave away my entrance and my two best friends looked up at me in surprise. Kenny's face easily slid into a teasing smile. The only indication of this was one twinkling eye—the only part of his face that was not hidden by the scarf he wrapped around his head every day. His voice was slightly muffled as he talked.

"We haven't seen you for a few days, Eric. Where have you been?"

Stan's smile was a bit more suspicious. "Yeah, have you been hanging out with someone new lately?" His tone let me know which "someone new" he suspected.

"I've been busy the last few days." I defended sharply. "Trust me, there is no one new to be around." Stan's eyes never left mine as he nodded slowly.

"That's good, Eric," he drawled. The dry implication in his next words still haunts me to this day. "After all, we don't want anything to happen to our leader." His smile had yet to reach to his eyes and we both knew this. Kenny, however, remained oblivious of Stan's silent accusation.

''I know, just think of our sorrow over losing our best officer." Kenny's eye nearly closed with his mirth. "You're the best leader we've ever had."

Stan rolled his eyes, finally smiling genuinely as he smacked Kenny in the head. Stan and I ignored the fact that the boy's hat almost fell off. "That's because we've ever known another leader, you idiot." He laughed as Kenny scowled while fixing his self-created mask.

"I have a question for you fellas." I blurted. I had been debating for those days I had avoided them—hence the reason I had not seen them until that morning—about whether or not I should bring up Brown's sermon. Now there was no backing down.

Kenny, the blond and brown-eyed idiot, smiled encouragingly at me. He was happy again now that his scarf had been righted. "What did you want to ask?" Stan was curious as well. He tilted his head and all earlier malice was gone from his expression. Finding their reactions to be pretty good, I took a deep breath and continued.

"What did you think about the pastor's last two sermons?" I chose to include that past Wednesday night's lecture as well since they both had the same tone and topic. Kenny and Stan's faces showed a lack of appreciation for the question.

Kenny was confused. "Why would you ask all of a sudden?" His mud-coloured eye narrowed quizzically. His thin and weak body leaned slightly toward me, eager for my answer.

Stan's ice blue eyes set into a much more sinister and distrustful expression. His sharp nose pointed accusingly between my own chestnut eyes. Once again he smiled, but it was not friendly. "Yeah Eric, you never seemed to doubt the pastor before. What's going on?"

Again, I was quick to defend myself. "I don't doubt what he's saying, I merely asked you two what you thought. It was the first time he said anything like that." The malicious glow faded from the blue depths as Stan returned to his old self. Or, at least, the glow was no longer meant for me.

"You're asking if we share his views?" He was silent until my nod encouraged him on. He turned to Kenny. "What do you think, Kenny?"

Kenny wasted no time as his grin stretched from ear to covered ear. "Of course I agree with Pastor Brown. Jews are going to burn in the Lake of Fire while the Church will be saved from the brimstone. It says so in Revelations." I am ashamed to say that his ability to be so cheery while stating out loud how he pictured burning failed to send chills down my spine at the time.

Stan smirked and I did not know if it was for Kenny's answer, his next statement, or my inevitable reaction to both. "I'm the same, of course. Those Jews killed our Lord and Saviour. They're demons who want to destroy every good thing Jesus gave us. They deserve God's wrath."

I wondered at my friend's transformation. When we were younger, perhaps around eight or nine, Stan was the first out of everyone in town to tolerate all kinds of people, cultures, and religions—basically, I thought of him as a Hippie. At least, he was that way until Pastor Brown took him aside one Sunday afternoon for a private conversation. No one quite knows what was said, even to this day, yet Stan Marsh seemed changed permanently.

And everyone in town agreed it was for the better.

"Do they?"

I did not realize I had spoken that thought out loud until I saw the dead shock on their faces. I tried to keep my cool enough to explain myself through a fake laugh. "I mean, I'm not trying to make what they did a good thing. I'm merely suggesting that there are more reasons than just malice."

'Maybe God doesn't hate those who think they're doing God's name justice.'

Stan's brows quirked in disbelieving surprise and Kenny only appeared to be confused again at my changing views. I snickered and was glad I sounded genuine admist my inner turmoil. "Guys, seriously? I'm playing with you. You think I would really side with the Devil? Apparently you don't know me as well as I thought you did." We laughed easily and even the tension between Stan and I was soon forgotten as we turned to more agreeable, more alcohol-fueled conversations.

Sometimes, I still wish it had stayed that way.

A/N: So the chapter is still agonizingly short, but hopefully I can change that soon enough. Here's a preview for the next chapter, though:

I woke up from my dream in a cold sweat, yet I could not remember what had me so spooked. However, I did not dwell on that thought too long as I felt something weighing down my chest. Looking up, I met yellow, cat-like eyes as Stan Marsh smirked down at me.

"Welcome to Hell, Eric."

Even the preview is too short…oh well. I realize Stan and Eric's personalities seem to be switched, but I kind of the like the irony of it all. Let me know what you think! Also, vote for this story on my profile if you want to see it continued right away. I'll only focus on the stories with the top five slots and update the others only after those five are finished.

~theflawintheplan