Kenny Is Not Okay

Not going to school

The next morning Craig woke up early. He went downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Morning, sweetie. I'm glad you're going back to school." his mom said.

"I'm not going to school." Craig started eating.

"Your friend will survive on his own for a few hours. You said he was doing better." his mom tried to convince him.

"No, he won't. He is doing better. But he doesn't want to be alone." Craig said.

"Well... guess I'll just have to let you go." his mom sighed.

Craig finished his breakfast and went back upstairs to get dressed. Soon he returned back downstairs.

"Daaaad!" Craig called.

"Want me to drive you to school?" Craig's dad asked.

"I want you to drive me to the hospital." Craig said.

"Well... what did your mom say?" his dad asked.

"She said I could go. I want to see Kenny. He wants to see me too. He doesn't want to be alone." Craig said.

"Come on, let's go. I'll take you to the hospital." his dad sighed.

Craig smiled. He got into the car with his dad and they drove to the hospital. Craig went inside as his dad drove off. He found Kenny's room and knocked on the locked door.

"It's me again, Craig Tucker." Craig said, as the same nurse as earlier opened the door.

"He's still sleeping, you can come in as long as you won't wake him up." the nurse said.

"I promise I won't." Craig promised.

"Well, come on in." the nurse let him in.

They both sat on chairs next to Kenny's bed. Craig decided to tell the nurse the story how Kenny gave him his razor blade. The nurse decided that Kenny could be without his sedatives when Craig was there. They had had suicidal people using all kinds of secret ways of hurting themselves, so Kenny had been sedated just so he didn't have the energy to hurt himself. But in Craig Kenny trusted so much he wouldn't even want to do it.

Ten minutes later, Kenny was starting to wake up. He saw the nurse, but didn't notice Craig next to her.

"Morning, Kenny." Craig said.

Wait, was that Craig? Kenny noticed him next to the nurse. He waited until the nurse was gone, and tried to hug Craig right away. Kenny reached out for him, but fell to the floor on his face.

"You okay?" Craig asked.

Kenny quickly got up and hugged Craig tightly.

"Yeah!" Kenny's speech was muffled by Craig's shoulder.

"So, how has it been?" Craig asked.

"Okay, just okay. When I first got here, I had so much anxiety, but now I've kinda gotten used to it. And when you left yesterday, I was taken to see a therapist." Kenny told.

"Good that you've gotten over the anxiety. Well, how was it at the therapist?" Craig kept asking.

"Nothing special. Told me to tell about my suicidal thoughts, but I didn't want to." Kenny said.

"Talk a little bit. Just a little bit, not much." Craig suggested.

"Maybe I should..." Kenny said.

A few moments later Kenny was taken to see the therapist again. He returned soon after.

"Well?" Craig asked.

"I still didn't talk much... but I told how I gave you my blade. Yeah, I busted myself for breaking the rules..."

Kenny wasn't of course allowed to have any sharp objects in his room. A blade was even worse. Actually, Kenny's jacket was against the rules too, it had a string on its hood. But for some reason it never got taken away.  The nurse knew the story about the blade already and had probably told the therapist, but it was better when Kenny told the story himself.

"... but they said I don't need a daily check anymore. I still need to be checked, but like every other day or something." Kenny said.

Before that Kenny had been checked for new cuts everyday, he had to show his arms, legs and stomach, pretty much his whole body, to the nurse.

"I'm proud of you." Craig whispered, as he hugged Kenny tightly.

After a few hours Kyle, Stan and Cartman came to visit too.

"Hey, Kenny. And hey, Craig." Kyle greeted them.

"Hi, guys." Kenny said. He seemed happier and less tired than the day before.

"How are you? You seem to be a little better, am I right?" Stan asked.

"I'm fine. I guess I'm better too?" Kenny said.

"He is really better, he gave me his blade he had here..." Craig started.

"Is he really allowed to have blades here?" Kyle asked.

"Nope, I'm not allowed to have anything sharp." Kenny said.

"What a badass. Now, Craig, continue." Kyle said.

"Well, I've been here the whole day and he hasn't been sedated once. Might be the reason why he's not as tired as yesterday." Craig told.

"Hey, dudes.. Can I say something?" Kenny shyly interrupted them.

The others nodded and looked at him in silence.

"I.. I'm sorry for doing all this. And I'm also thankful for you guys. Craig's been ditching school and Stan hates hospitals. You all could be doing something important, but you're here. Thank you." Kenny said.

"You are more important than anything. More important than school." Craig said.

"The only way I can be here is you. Without you I would've ran away a long time ago." Stan laughed.

Nothing was worth these friends Kenny had. He had been wondering, if he had told them in the first place, would he have been able to avoid these scars, bandages and the whole hospital?