Spaceships and Sunflowers

Kids

(Craig's POV)

I remember the very first day I saw him. I was sitting in the back of Mr. Garrison's class as usual, holding a pencil against my upper lip, as usual. It was another boring Tuesday in the usually boring Colorado town of South Park. How much boring could it possibly be?

Then the door opened, and a blonde boy walked in. His blonde hair was in uneven strands in all directions and he was wearing a stained, olive colored shirt. He was twitching every other minute, he was having trouble giving Garrison the yellow slip of paper he held in his fingers. Garrison read the note, then his eyes looked down at the boy.

"A class transfer? What for?"

I thought he wouldn't respond, seeing as to how much he kept twitching. But I was very wrong. 

"GNGHGH!! I dunno!!!!! I went to Mr. Mackey the other day for help AAH!! I was telling him how my other teacher yelled at me, GNgh, for not being still and.. and!!!! And in the cafeteria this morning, Mr. Mackey called me to his office AAH!!! So I sat down and he, he, he told me he switched teachers for me!! And he, he wrote me a note and now I'm here!! I am so confused!!!"

Mr. Garrison looked beyond exhausted as he listened to the boy explain himself. "Okay Tweek, just take a seat." Mr. Garrison looked up and scanned the room, spotting an empty seat next to me. "Go sit down next to Craig, Craig please raise your hand." I slowly raised my hand.

He carried his books to the desk next to mine and sat down. Saying he sat still was more than an exaggeration, he couldn't stop moving. He was constantly twitching, he just couldn't sit still. I couldn't help but watch him from the side of my eye.

Garrison continued his lecture on the presidents but I wasn't listening. I was looking at Tweek. I couldn't help but feel bad. What did this kid's parents do to him? I've seen him at recess a few times, but he was always by himself. And despite not knowing anything about him, I wanted to help him. I wanted to be his friend.

So when the bell rang and we all left Garrison's class, I called out to him. He was halfway out the door but he jumped and turned.

"JESUS CHRIST, DUDE!!! YOU SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH, AAGH!!!"

I dug my hands in my coat pockets. "Do you wanna hang out with me at recess?"

"HNNGH!! What's your gain!?"

"I'm sorry?"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, AAAHH!!!"

God, it was hard to be patient with this kid. But I persisted. I tried to give him a warm smile.

"I just think you might need a friend."

He started tugging at his hair. "YEAH, WELL, I'VE BEEN SO LONELY!! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE, AAGHJCK!!"

"Well, we're talking right now, aren't we?"

His breathing was heavy and his shoulders were tense, but his breathing slowed and he became less tense.

"You're right.. I am talking to you right now. Your name's Craig, right?"

I nodded.

He smiled. "I'm Tweek. It's my family's name." He tugged at his shirt.

I smiled back at him. "C'mon Tweek, let's go to recess."

We walked out to recess side by side, laughing and talking all the way there.

At recess, Tweek and I became closer. We sat on the swings and talked the entire time. I learned his family owns a local coffee business and the coffee makes him constantly twitch. And as I was listening to him, I realized I had never tolerated anyone this much. Normally I can't put up with people's bullshit, but I found myself focused on what Tweek was saying. Despite how much he twitched and how he screamed at random times, I stayed patient with him. He needed a friend and I wanted to be one.

"Hey, uhm, me and some of my friends were gonna get together after school and go to my place to hang out. And I was wondering if maybe you'd wanna join us."

"GCHKCK are you sure you want ME around?!?"

"Tweek, the guys are pretty laid back. I'm sure whatever you're afraid of won't happen. You don't have to if you can't because of your anxiety or whatever, but I just thought it'd be nice if you'd wanna hang out with us."

Tweek looked at me, his blueish green eyes glowing. I couldn't help but stare into them, trying not to blush. Then he slowly smiled. "I appreciate that Craig, I'll have to go home and ask my mom first."

I smiled back. "Oh, okay! I'm sure the guys will like you, Tweek."

The bell rang and recess was over.

~~

After school, the guys and I met up in front of the brick wall. Our group consisted of Clyde, Jimmy, and Tolkien. We waited for Tweek to show up, but he was taking his sweet time.

"Ugghhh, Craig, where is he?" Clyde snapped.

"Dude, shut up. He'll be here."

"Are you s-s-sure? We've been waiting for fif-fif-fif-fifteen minutes, Craig."

"Look, you guys just stay here. I'll go look for him."

I threw my backpack over my shoulders and walked back in the school. It was pretty empty, everyone had gone home already. I walked around the building, calling Tweek's name. I was in a hallway when the bathroom door opened and Tweek walked out wiping his eyes. He turned and spotted me and his eyes widened. Then he turn and ran.

I chased after him, telling him to stop. He kept running but then he tripped on his untied shoelaces and fell on the tile floor. His books fell out of his backpack. I bent down and helped pick them up.

"Dude, what the hell? We've been waiting for you for fifteen minutes. Where were you?"

He was full on crying. "I'm sorry Craig, I'm so sorry."

I stood up. "Tweek, I'm not angry but just, you said you were okay with hanging out with us."

He slowly stood up. "I know, I know, I just--" He wiped his eyes then continued. "I don't belong here Craig, everyone here is so... normal!! ACKGH! And I'm not!!! I'm all twitchy and I can't even sit still! I don't wanna embarrass myself in front of you and your friends!!" He wiped his eyes again.

I couldn't help but feel bad. This kid grew up with no friends and now he thinks he's an embarrassment. 

I stared at the ground, thinking of what to say. Then I sighed and just said what my heart wanted me to say. "Tweek, you're not an embarrassment. I understand your anxiety, and I want to help as much as I can. The guys are really nice, and I'm sure they would like having you around. Jimmy is great and can crack some jokes, maybe he can help calm your nerves. Please just give this a shot, Tweek. I'm just trying to help."

He stared at the tile, one hand tugging his hair and the other one tugging at his shirt. His eye was twitching, and he was biting his lip.

"Are you s-sure, they won't make fun of me??"

"I promise, Tweek. And if they do, I'll punch them."

That made him chuckle. I never heard him laugh, it was a nice laugh. 

Then he closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay, if... if you promise!!"

"I promise Tweek, I swear."

Then he slowly smiled. "Okay, I can try to do this."

I smiled back. "That's the spirit."

Then Tweek and I walked out of the school, regrouped with the guys and walked to my house. Tweek and Jimmy connected really well and I even heard Tweek laugh a few times at Jimmy's jokes. From the front of the group, I slowly smirked. Tweek had finally found his home.