For Love or For Friends: Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everybody, just wanted to apologize for the very, very, very, very, very…(taking in deep breath)…..very, very, very, very long delay between chapters. With classes, student newspaper and athletics, college is keeping me real busy. I promise I won't take this much time between chapters again, and I hope that this chapter proves to be worth the wait. So, anyway, on with the SHOW!

Stan lied in his bed, not knowing how to feel about his current situation. He had just gotten off the phone with Kyle, who told him all about meeting Lisa at the basketball game last night.

While Stan was happy that his best friend Kyle was in a relationship, a part of Stan felt a strong sense of sadness and jealousy. As long as Stan could remember, he and Kyle had been the best of friends, sharing a closer bond than Stan had shared with any other person, even Wendy. In fact, there were times when Stan his relationship with Kyle to be something more than just a typical friendship. Then high school came along, and Stan and Kyle grew further and further apart as the four years went along, almost as if they were destined to follow divergent paths.

However, this stunning news had brought back all of Stan's true feelings for Kyle. He had no idea what he should do or how he should respond: should he tell Kyle how he really feels about him, or should he let Kyle go, knowing full well that any relationship would be impossible with them going to different colleges going across the country? Not to mention that there would be inevitable social fallout if Stan came out of the closet. He would no longer be the big man on campus despite his athletic skills; instead, he would be mocked and shunned for his sexual orientation.

For hours and hours, Stan continued to lay there, the same debate raging within his mind until he was interrupted from his thoughts by his father, Randy.

"Stan, are you still going to Kenny's party tonight?" Mr. Marsh inquired.

Just then, Stan made up his mind. He was going to go to Kenny's party, track down Kyle and tell him everything.

"Uhh….yeah! Yeah, of course I am!" Stan replied.

"Well, you better hurry up and get there because it starts it 15 minutes," Randy said.

"Okay. Thanks for reminding me Dad."

"NO problem. Just drive safely, okay?"

"Gotcha…I'll be home by midnight, Dad!" Stan yelled as he ran out the door towards his car.

Meanwhile, Bart Simpson was driving through downtown South Park in his family's old pink sedan to pick up Lisa's date for the party.

"You know, you didn't have to drive me here. I would have perfectly fine by myself." Lisa said from the front passenger seat.

"I believe you Lis, but I want to meet this Kyle guy to see if he's alright." Bart said. Bart had always been protective of both Lisa and Maggie. Because of his grades/shenanigans, Bart had been in 12th grade for three years and was now track to graduate in the same class as Lisa. With Lisa going off to a college far away and Bart staying in Springfield to work in construction, he was now more protective of Lisa than he ever was before.

"His house is the green one on the right," Lisa told Bart as they turned into a residential neighborhood. Bart then parked in the driveway of the Broflovski household, which was slightly larger than the other houses on the block. Kyle emerged from the house and hugged Lisa before hopping into the back seat of the car. As they pulled out of the driveway, Lisa introduced Kyle to Bart and the two exchanged greetings and a handshake, but Bart was still suspicious of Kyle. However, as Bart got to know Kyle better during the drive across town to Kenny's, he began to like Kyle and eventually let his guard down.

You know, this Kyle kid isn't half bad, Bart thought to himself. He's definitely a huge step up from Milhouse.

Growing up, Bart and Milhouse had been best friends, but that all changed when Milhouse began dating Lisa their sophomore year of high school. While they were dating, Milhouse never gave Lisa a moment to herself, constantly asking her out on dates. When Lisa broke up with him after a few months, Milhouse behavior got creepier and creepier to the point that he began following Lisa home every day after school and stalking her on Facebook and Twitter. Eventually, Lisa could not take it anymore, so she filed a restraining order against Milhouse, and Bart never hung out with him again. Fortunately, Milhouse moved away to Maine a year later and that was the end of that.

Almost immediately, Bart could tell that Kyle was a smart, kind and down-to-earth guy who would treat Lisa much better than Milhouse did. With his mind now at ease, Bart parked the car in front of Kenny's house, and the three of them headed to the party.

Thirty minutes after Kyle's arrival, Stan walked into the party and was greeted by a hectic scene of loud music, strobe lights, an abundance of snacks and drinks and several of his classmates from high school. Kenny was able to afford all this due to a lawsuit against the local amusement park in which he won a million dollar cash settlement. The money allowed the McCormicks to move into a bigger house in a much nicer part of town.

As he walked through the McCormicks' spacious living room, Stan was mobbed by several people giving him pats on the back and congratulations for his great game last night. When he finally had a moment to himself, Stan grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a seat, scanning the party for a sign of Kyle. After a few minutes, he found him sitting with Lisa and Bart, but decided to wait until Kyle was alone to talk to him.

As time passed by, Stan just sat there, drinking one beer after another and occasionally talking with one of the other partygoers, waiting for Kyle to separate himself from the Simpson siblings. Finally, after a couple of hours, Kyle went to use the restroom and Stan had found his opportunity. He walked clumsily across the room in the direction of the bathroom and waited outside for Kyle to come out, leaning against the wall to stay upright. When Kyle emerged from the restroom, Stan tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey Stan, what's up…enjoying the party?" Kyle asked.

"Kyle, I need to talk you real quick. It's VERY important." Stan said.

"Uhh…yea sure dude, what is it?"

Without hesitation, Stan let the truth slip past his lips.

"Kyle Broflovski, I THINK IM LOVE WITH YOU!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. At that moment, the party ceased, everyone staring in shock at the straight-A student and the heavily intoxicated basketball star. This pause lasted for seconds, but it felt like hours before Kyle broke the silence.

"Dude, what on earth are you talking about?" Kyle inquired

"What do you mean what on earth am I talking about? I…LOVE…YOU…KYLE! It's not that hard to understand!" Stan loudly replied.

"You mean as a friend, right?"

"NOOOOO KYLE! I mean that I'm gay for you!"

Kyle stared at Stan, mouth agate and completely denying in his mind what he just heard. Despite the fact that Stan was absolutely wasted, Kyle still believed that what his best friend of so many years was telling him is true. After a few moments, Kyle broke out of his funk and finally mustered the ability to respond.

"Look Stan, I'm sorry, but I just want to be best friends, OK? I don't see our relationship becoming anything more serious than that. Besides, my heart belongs to Lisa now!" Kyle said with Lisa listening close by. When Stan heard this in his drunken state, he completely snapped.

"WHAT, YOU MEAN YOU'D RATHER DATE THIS SKANK FROM SPRINGFIELD WHO BEAT YOU IN THAT 8th GRADE GEOGRAPHY BEE THAN SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND? WELL YOU KNOW WHAT, F*&^ YOU KYLE AND F^&* YOUR LITTLE B!&%$ OF A NEW GIRLFRIEND TOO!" Stan exclaimed. He then punched Kyle square in the eye before exiting Kenny's house through the backdoor, with Bart chasing him in an effort to retaliate.

After overcoming the shock and pain of Stan's punch, Kyle went over to console Lisa, who was very saddened by Stan's hurtful comments. While giving his girlfriend a warm embrace, Kyle was deep down still very shocked by what had just transpired. I can't believe Stan would do something like this, Kyle thought as he, Lisa, and Bart left the party to head back to Kyle's house.