The Act of Healing: A South Park Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Gothic Nomads

Warning: This chapter contains forms of an abusive relationship and a small amount of vulgar language. Read with caution.

Tweek Tweak searched desperately for Craig Tucker. Wendy had said he was out by the bleachers, but that didn't stop him from analyzing each face of the people he passed. There were so many of them, he could easily miss his friend if he wasn't careful. Would Craig be mad if Tweek didn't meet him before school like he said he would?

"Oh Jesus," he muttered under his breath as he urged his legs to go faster. This was way too much pressure.

The hallway shifted and twisted as he hurried on, changing direction or color or length whenever he blinked. His heart beat quickly. He felt like a hamster caught in a never-ending hamster wheel. Jesus, what if he was? What if he was really just a hamster and his whole life has been one long hamster dream and he was going to wake up locked in a cage with a mean kid towering over him? "Oh jesus," he mumbled again. His hands shook so violently he almost dropped his mugs.

It took much too long, but finally he reached the end of the corridor, breaking though with a flourish and a gasping at the cleansing air. Things were much more bearable here in the open space where sound had more room to float around and the oxygen was cleaner.

It didn't take long for him to spot a familiar blue chullo above the other winter hats, bobbing somewhere on the top row of the bleachers.

"Hey there, Tweekers," Craig beamed happily as Tweek Tweak approached. Tweek could see his face light up and he smiled to himself. Only he could make Craig happy. It was the only thing he was good at. No one else made Craig happy like Tweek did, not even Rebecca, who was taking up Tweek's spot under Craig's arm.

"Hello, Tweek," Rebecca said too loudly, pretending to smile.

"Oh, h-hi Rebecca," Tweek stammered, saying a quick apology in his head.

He had forgotten that Rebecca could read minds.

"Is one of those for me?" Craig asked, nodding to the cups in Tweek's hands. Tweek took a moment to remember why he had two cups of coffee and decided that yes, one was definitely for Craig. He wordlessly shoved it against Craig's chest and Craig took it, chuckling. "You don't have work?" He asked, taking a drag off of the cigarette his other hand.

"No," Tweek replied softly, and left it at that. Kenny had taken his shift today, saying that Tweek's education was important. But Tweek wondered that if his own education was important, wasn't Kenny's education important, too? Kenny didn't answer that question, though.

Rebecca's phone buzzed and she stepped away to answer it, saying something about her mother being overbearing again. Before she had a chance to change her mind, Tweek snuggled under Craig's arm.

"So Tweek," Craig began with a mischievous grin on his face. He casually put his cigarette out on the bleachers and dropped it in between the seats, taking in a breath to suggest what Tweek assumed was going to be an illegal activity.

"Hey!" A bitter female voice shouted from below them.

In unison, the boys looked down at their feet, catching the heavily mascaraed eye of an angry-looking Henrietta Biggle through the space between the seats. Next to her sat Michael, and Pete and in the middle of their makeshift circle they had placed at least ten candles in varying sizes, colors, and scents. Each of them were lit, giving off a putrid stench that reminded Tweek of death. He shivered inwardly.

"Watch it, conformist, we're in the middle of something important," Michael spat as Pete picked the cigarette butt out of Henrietta's hair.

"Oh, fuck off, goth kid," Craig shot back. They continued to bicker for a few minutes, nothing Tweek wasn't used to. Craig bickered with anyone who gave him a big enough response. Tweek couldn't figure out why. Eventually, the goths moved on, mumbling about finding a quieter place to resummon Cthulhu. Craig laughed after them as they retreated, candles in hand.