In Your Head: South Park

You Remembered

Though hushed, Tweek's voice was firm, unwavering and almost ominous.
His emerald stare bore into Kenny's sky blue.
Time seemed to stop and Kenny became acutely aware of the drumming of his own heart.
He held his breath as thoughts swirled through his mind like a movie on fast forward.
Tears began to well in his eyes but he blinked them away.
Part of the boy felt terrified.
Someone had discovered his secret.
Another part of him felt overjoyed with relief.
Someone had discovered his secret!
After what seemed like a lifetime, the boy in the orange parka finally choked out two words;
"You remembered?"

"What?" Tweek gasped.
"You remembered!" Kenny exclaimed a little too loudly.
This resulted in a glower of warning from his principal.
He shrunk under the burning stare.
Even so, this did not stop the boy from continuing his conversation the second Principal Mullen returned his gaze to his desktop.
"Look, I need to know exactly what you saw and then I'll tell you everything I know. But we can't talk here. Meet me at my house after detention," Kenny demanded, in a serious whisper.
Tweek simply nodded, an uncertain frown plastered across his face.

"So, tell me, what exactly did you see?" Kenny interrogated, leaning closer to Tweek with wide blue eyes.
"Well," Tweek began, twiddling his thumbs uncomfortably, "You saved my life. You died saving me from that car. If it werent for you-"
The boy broke off and shifted his stared from Kenny to the dirty, brown flooring in the boy's bedroom.
Kenny nodded thoughtfully.
"How are you the only person who's ever remembered?" He frowned, voice cracking with emotion.
He seemed to be asking himself more than the boy in front of him.
Tweek shrugged uncomfortably before looking back towards Kenny.
"Well, I don't know exactly what you mean but that's not all," he admitted. "I-I think I saw your... ghost? But i-it was only for a second. I don't know, maybe-"
Kenny cut in quickly, noticing Tweeks uncertainty.
"No, no, it's okay. Don't question yourself, Tweek. Tell me everything. Please."
With only a moment's hesitation, Tweek did exactly that.
He explained the horrors of the accident and the ghostly figure he had witnessed.
He even shared how he had not slept a wink that night because he had been so shaken.
He told Kenny how strange he thought it was that noone had mentioned the boy's death, since after Tweek had been admitted to the hospital and how mortified he was when Kenny showed up at school, as if none of it had happened.

Now, the two boys sat in silence, taking everything in.
Kenny eventually broke this silence with a halfhearted chuckle.
"I bet it's been a crazy couple of days for you, huh? Sorry you've had to go through all this."
He paused.
"Noone has ever remembered before. Though I guess there's never been anyone like you before either. I thought I was the only mystery kid in town. Now it looks as if I'm not alone."
The boy looked at Tweek with a smile, his eyes shining with gratitude, maybe even awe.
Tweek was rather confused. Though for now, he kept this to himself.
The boy sounded so hopeful and Tweek didn't want to interupt his moment.
It was as if Kenny's world had just fallen into place, while his own seemed to be falling apart.
After a moment, the boy in the orange parka shook his head. "You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Let me explain."
Tweek listened intently as Kenny shared with him his best concealed secret.

"So that's pretty much it. All I know for sure is that, my parents were in a cult and for some reason, I was born immortal. I know it sounds crazy but I think by now you might just be able to understand crazy," the hooded boy finished, hopefully.
Tweek nodded.
"Yeah. I guess I can. At least now I know I'm not crazy. Either that or we are both completely insane."
Kenny laughed wholeheartedly.
"So, what do we do now?" He asked eventually, a twinkle of uncertainty in his eyes.
Tweek looked back at the boy hopelessly.
"I don't know."

"KENNY! Get in here!" A shrill, raspy screech echoed through the thin walls, shattering the uncertain silence as if it were glass.
Kenny sighed, his bright eyes now dull and tired.
"You should go," he told Tweek.
Worried, the jittery boy opened his mouth in question but his companion insisted before Tweek could utter a word.
"Just go. It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
He led Tweek hurridly towards the front door.
"Well it's about God damn time-" Kenny's mother began scolding as they reached the living room.
Surprised, she stopped mid sentence, stooping closer to the boys.
Tweek could now smell the alcohol on her breath.
"Wait- Who is that? Kenny, you didn't tell me you had a little friend over," she quizzed, suddenly sounding more curious than angry.
"This is Tweek. He's just leaving," Kenny explained quickly, practically pushing the other teenager out the door.
His eyes were screaming, willing Tweek to leave that instant.
With a grimance, Tweek begrudgingly left Kenny alone to deal with his drunken mother.
Tweek knew that the poor boy must be used to outbursts from his family, but that didn't make the situation any better, nor did it prevent Tweek from feeling any less guilty for leaving.
Not that he had any intention of sticking around.
Frustrated, Tweek kicked a pebble that had crossed his path.
It bounced onto the deserted train tracks in front of him.
A trickle of unease crept down the boy's spine as he noticed the sun slowly beginning to dip below the horizon.
Tweek did not fancy the idea of walking home alone, especially at sundown.
However, he had no other choice and set off towards home, clutching his phone tightly in his right hand as the sun's dying rays set the sky ablaze.