Craig POV:
Summer vacation, it's that breath of fresh air that has been lifting a colossal weight off of every student's shoulders since the day it was invented. For us teenagers, summer vacation is a way to keep us sane during these trying times of constant exams and worrying about the future, you know...adulting. It's a beacon of light that is holy and sacred, forever being cherished by schools all around the globe. Statistically, everyone is at least 80% happier during summer vacation. Don't fact check me on that, please.
By now you are probably wondering why I am spouting all this bullshit about summer break. Why won't you just get to the point already? What does this have to do with anything? Why are you breaking the fourth wall and talking like a college English professor? Well, I can answer two of those questions. The point is I'm on summer vacation at this very moment and not being at school is great. I need to start this story off somehow and if an over romanticized inner monologue isn't enough for you, then I don't know what is.
Anyways, I actually don't think of summer as that big a deal compared to the average kid my age. This isn't just me being quirky and not like other boys. I'm just a guy who knows that Father Time is a bitch and enjoying my summer isn't going to help me get a high score on the SAT. You see, I'm about to go into my third year of high school. Every high schooler knows about the infamous junior year. It's a dream crusher. Summer for me is more or less about planning for the future and banking that bank.
For someone who sees summer as a waste of time, it seems stupid for me to be talking about it right now in such a glorifying way, huh? Well yeah, but this summer was actually not a waste of time for once. It was a summer full of crazy shit that has probably changed my life forever. I ended up discovering new things about myself, some embarrassing, some even more embarrassing, and surprisingly became less of an asshole. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm an asshole? No? Well it's true, that's what I'm kind of known for by my classmates and even my own friends. Let's be honest though, who in South Park isn't an asshole? It wasn't until I met a boy that could balance out my assholiness with more assholiness, that I began to have character development that transformed me into less of an asshole... That was a tongue twister.
Hi, I'm Craig Tucker and I will be your host for this evening.
It all started with a flight to an unknown location, awaiting our stay at a resort that we will never explicitly state the name of. My pal, Tolkein, invited seven of us to that resort for two whole weeks. Fun fact about Tolkein, his family is like the wealthiest family in all of South Park. The fact that he had the money to bring seven fucking friends (including himself) to a fancy ass resort is as good of proof as any that his family is filthy rich. I mean, his dad is a lawyer and his mother is a scientist of some sort so that about explains it.
Anyways, his parents entrusted him this year to go alone to this resort apparently because they both had important business trips or some shit. Of course, Tolkein decided to bring friends along with him because what the fuck is he going to do at a vacation getaway alone? So here we are...on a plane...about to spend two weeks at a place that probably costs more to stay at than the amount of my future college student loan debt. What could go wrong?
"Okay guys, I want you all to pair up now before we arrive at the hotel."
This is already off to a great start.
A/N: He's being sarcastic.
Die.
Me, being the type of person I am, chooses to ignore Tolkein, looking out the window instead. I can literally already predict who is going to room with who. Tolkein and Clyde will most likely pair up because at this point they are basically married. Stan and Kyle will definitely join forces and share a room, causing Kenny to pair up with Butters. That just leaves little ol' me, who of course will be forced to share a room with-
"Hey Craig, are you okay with sharing a room with Tweek?" Tolkein asks, right on time.
I turn my head away from the window to give him my I don't care face. "I don't care," I answer.
I can't say this isn't a tiny bit nerve wracking. I don't know this Tweek guy all that well. From what I've heard, he is one strange kid. His family runs the local coffee shop in our town and there are rumors that they force him to taste test everything so often that his resting heart rate is faster than Sonic the Hedgehog him-fucking-self. Some people say he's insane, others just say he has a caffeine addiction. From what I've seen so far, he's kind of just quiet, never doing anything to make himself stand out. In fact, I don't think he's spoken to me once since we were introduced to each other. Heck, I've never seen him utter a word at all since- I don't know...ever? He's just one of those kinds of guys. This isn't really that much of a problem for me anyways. It's not like we are even going to be socializing.
I glance at my soon to be roommate. I catch him glancing back at me and we both quickly avert our eyes from each other. Instead, I look at Butters, who is sitting in the seat next to me. He is preoccupied with flipping through pictures on his camera. He's actually been doing this for like an hour already. I can't tell if he's scared of flying or if he's actually just a freak. Maybe it's neither and in all reality, he's doing something important. It really isn't my business.
"Craig," I hear Tolkein call my name again.
I wasn't paying attention and get a bit startled. "Huh?"
"We all said 'not it' for only one bed, so I hope you're fine with sharing a bed with Tweek."
WHAT IN THE WATTPAD DID HE JUST SAY?
As if in sync, Tweek and I both yell: "What?!"
I stare at him in total confusion, purposely giving him a dirty look.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" he asks.
I look to Clyde, the one sitting next to Tolkein, for help. He shakes his head which signals to me that he can't do anything about it. I groan.
"Why do we have to share a bed anyways...and isn't this...I don't know- something you should've mentioned before we agreed to go?!" I ask.
Tolkein looks away bashfully, "I kind of forgot actually..." He looks down in shame. "The resort is kind of booked for the season now and only had limited amount of rooms when we made reservations. I was able to get four, thankfully, but one of them just so happened to be a one bed suite."
I sigh, coming to terms with the fact that this situation can't be helped. "Fine."
Clyde smiles. "Look on the bright side, you can finally have a chance to get to know Tweek!"
"Wow...I must be the luckiest kid in the world," I reply.
A/N: He's being sarcastic again.
Literally butt out of my POV.
I squint at the boy across the aisle. He is sitting in the window seat, next to Kenny. He turns his head to look me directly in the eyes, piercing through them with an icy glare. A feeling of eeriness crawls up my spine.
What's his deal?
By the way, I forgot to mention how suspiciously out of character this is for Tolkein. He's a guy who's always payed extremely close attention to detail. Him and Stan literally paint miniatures together! He always makes sure that his routine is being followed perfectly and gets frazzled when something doesn't go according to plan. He usually doesn't forget to tell us anything, especially something as important as my personal space being violated. I don't know, this all seems kind of strange. Cue the Among Us music.
Clyde then opens his big mouth.
"You know Craig, sharing a bed with another dude is kinda gay," he says.
Tolkein gives Clyde that immensely disappointed face. "Clyde, seriously?." 👁👄👁
Tweek almost chokes. I roll my eyes, choosing to ignore what just came out of his dumb mouth. Surprisingly, Kyle and Stan have actually been silent (for once) this whole conversation. I have to applaud them for shutting the fuck up. I know I said that I'm the asshole, but those two are also considered assholes by literally every high schooler in South Park.
So yeah, there isn't really much else to say about this situation anymore. We all kind of just go silent after that, casually doing our own things. For me, that thing is sleeping. I know there is a long way to go before this plane ride ends and there really isn't anything else to do. I end up letting myself drift off to sleep, choosing to ignore all fear of what's to come when we get to the hotel.
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Tweek POV:
If there is one thing I'm good at, it's got to be my ability to suppress my feelings. Blame it on the way I was raised, but voicing my opinion and assessing my feelings are skills that just don't come naturally to me. That being said, I couldn't turn Tolkein's invitation to the resort down even if I wanted to. He was so insistent that I went with them. I barely know the guy but he was so charismatic, so how could I say no?
I should've said no.
What are my thoughts on Craig exactly? Well, I guess I could start with all the rumors that I've picked up on from school. He's a prick. It's basically common knowledge by now. I mean, if that's everyone's shared opinion than it must be at least half true, right? I actually hope not. Like, what if he's out for blood? Jesus Christ, what if he hates me? It's not a big deal, I'll just avoid him. Yeah, that's it!
Heh...
Another thing I'm good at is avoiding people. Because of this, I never really find myself getting tangled up in drama. Despite popular belief, I don't get bullied at school...at least I hope I'm not. It's not really much to brag about but I'm pretty good at blending in...I think. Wow, I'm really starting to become unsure of myself. I sure do hope this isn't going to become a reoccurring theme!
I look to the left, at the person sitting next to me, Kenny. I don't even know why I'm sitting next to him, it just kind of happened. Kenny is a nice guy, someone who doesn't really have bad ties with anyone. I know that he gets into trouble at school a lot but never for anything too serious, and it's always got to do with someone else's shenanigans *cough* Eric Cartman *cough*. Other than that, I don't really know much about Kenny. In fact, I don't know much about anyone here besides Tolkein and even my knowledge on him is limited. I really should've just stayed in South Park. I would probably be worked to death by my parents but at least that's better than socializing with people I don't know. :)
I lean down and scramble through my backpack for a pair of earbuds. I just want to drown out all these thoughts. That's the funny thing about inner monologues. It's so difficult to display them in a way that is easy to understand because people don't think in much detail. All of our thoughts kind of just get smushed together into one big confusing mess. I know that sounds kinda emo but I'm serious.
Anyways, it was really nice of Tolkein to invite me and I feel really bad for thinking that it would be better if I'm back home. I hate that I keep acting as if I actually want to go back. In all honesty, like a hundred percent, I don't mind the idea of spending the summer with friends. The only problem is, like I said, I don't know these guys! I know them but just not enough. I guess I need to just try and enjoy myself.
Suddenly, hear a voice coming from the left side of me. There's only one person it can be.
"You look nervous," Kenny whispers.
"Huh?" I turn to look at him. "W-what?" I say with surprise. I then put on a frown. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
He chuckles. "Yeah, maybe I don't but take a look at your hands."
I do as he says and look down at the trembling hands. I grab one of my hands with the other one and shield them from him by holding them close to my chest.
"They are shaking," he says.
I roll my eyes. "They do that."
"Eh? Jeez, I'm just making an observation." He starts gesturing with his hands as he speaks. "Let me give you a word of enlightenment just in case. Craig is probably nervous as fuck right now. Heck, he's probably already overthought the whole situation."
I look over at Craig, who is sleeping peacefully. "I find that hard to believe," I reply.
Kenny sighs. "The dude is probably asleep because he's trying not to think about it. That's what guys like him do, ignore stuff." He smiles. "I say, you should give ol' Tucker a chance. Maybe if you're nice to him, he'll lighten up." His grins, both devilishly and holy. "Unless you're the one who needs to lighten up. If that's the case, he may just surprise you."
I put my hands out in front of me, signaling for him to stop talking. "Wait, wait, wait...how do you know so much about Craig anyways?"
"Clyde."
Well that was straightforward.
I raise an eyebrow. "Explain."
"Well, the whole reason we are even invited here in the first place- well my general group of friends, you know who, is because of our relationship with Clyde," he explains. "We kind of have our own group going on I guess."
"You and who?"
"Me, Stan, and Clyde."
"Okay, and what the hell does this have to do with Craig?" I ask, about ready for him to get to the point.
"Basically because of Clyde, our friend groups kind of mixed. I guess I've just picked up on Craig's behavior over time." He grins again. "You don't have to believe anything I say though."
"Do you know why I was invited?"
He thinks for a moment. "Hmmm...I actually don't know why. It may be because Jimmy couldn't come, he mentioned a camp or something. I really don't know though. Tolkein never really gives us reasons for why he does anything. Look at him, he's so mysterious.
I look at Tolkein, who is squinting at his Apple Watch.
Mhm, so mysterious.
I still don't know if I can even take Kenny's word for anything. Like I said a bunch of times, I barely know these people. I know I have major trust issues but it's wise to trust your gut until you find out what's true and what's not.
And trusting my gut, I decide to end the conversation there. "Well, you've been a big help but I'd like to be left alone now, thank you." I stick my earbuds in my ears, attempting to ignore his reply.
"Hold up," he says, talking over the sound barrier of my earbuds. "Just...try to be nice to him. Just a little?"
I sigh. "Sure, whatever."
Kenny goes back to minding his own fucking business as I scroll through my music to find a song to listen to. I decide on some show tunes, great distractions. I enjoy picturing vivid music videos in my head, escaping reality, even if it's just for a moment. I like to picture myself on that stage.
Closing my eyes, I let the music take over.
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Butters POV:
Funny thing about these photos I've been looking at since we got on this place, they aren't even photos I took recently. In fact, I'm not thinking about these photos at all, they are
actually just distractions that are keeping me from talking. I'm trying real hard to not be a both to anyone, so I've been choosing to not talk to people in general. The trick is to make it seem like you're doing something, so your brain thinks you are actually doing that thing. For me, that thing is aimlessly scrolling through photos on my camera, clearly not actually having a reason to do it.
Don't get me wrong, I love being around others, it's just draining. I have this lingering fear that I'll somehow mess up. I've been told before, by a lot of people actually, that I annoy them silly. I that comment with me wherever I go, dwelling on it, I guess. That being said, it's not like I'm sad about it or anything.
I'm quite happy. I need to be happy. If I'm not happy, then what's the point of being around me? I've been told my whole life that everyone prefers to be around someone who will uplift them. Heck, my dad used to tell me,
"Boys don't cry...and if they do, they get grounded."
Even if you're feeling down, you have to stay positive for the sake of your friends and family. It's not really fair to them if you ruin the atmosphere with gloom, right?
Right? Agree with me.
Then there's my friend, Kenny. He always asks me if I'm okay and offers to help me when I make a mistake...and boy do I make a lot.
"Butters," Kenny whispers from the seat just across from mine (not that far apart). "Got any good photos there?"
I smile. "Mostly just generic nature shots. I'm hoping I take some good ones this Summer!"
He grins. "I shall then offer to you, my body."
"I- well uh, thank you?" I smile in confusion this time.
"For modeling, I mean."
"Heh..." I look down at my camera and then back up at him. "Oh no, you really don't have to!"
"They're just pictures-"
I interrupt him. "I like to take pictures of nature more anyways!"
Kenny reaches across the aisle and grabs the camera from out of my hands. He then aims it at himself and snaps a photo of himself smiling. He hands it back to me. I look at the photo. He's something alright. My thumb traces the edge of the tiny screen, going back and fourth as it tries to avoid touching the glass and getting fingerprints on it. I look at his face in the picture and smile, thinking about how humorous his actions are.
"That'll get you started." He grins. "I want full picturization of our time at the resort!"
"I think the word you were looking for was documentation," I say with my index finger in the air.
He does a double take. "O-oh yeah..." He takes a few seconds to think about it. "Yeah, that's definitely the word!"
I giggle. "Thank you Ken, I'll make sure to take lots of pictures of you guys while we're there."
"You too."
I raise an eyebrow. "What?"
"You gotta take pictures of yourself too. If not, it'll be like you never came with us!" He speaks with his hands, something I've seen him do a lot. "What if you decide to make a scrapbook of it one day? If you're not in any of the pictures then how will you make a documention or whatever it's called, of yourself?"
I stare at him, taken back a bit by what he just said. Relaxing a bit, I smile. "Documentation Kenny. The word is documentation. I think you could've just said document though."
"Don't ignore what I said
"I'll keep that in mind." I put a hand on his forearm, which is resting on his seat's armrest. "Don't worry."
He looks at my hand and smiles back. "Yeah, I'll try not to."
[CHAPTER ONE END]