Sleepless || Creek

Stripe #4 || Chapter 3

chapter picture belongs to: http://almarus.tumblr.com/post/166548194658/well-you-can-go-back-and-tell-him-he-can-have-his

It was another cold day in South Park. The winds were picking up and soon enough some hard snowfall will come. Yet, I still sat outside in the front of the school waiting for him.

I stared back through the gates of the high school as I see the blond boy run out towards my direction. "F-fuck dude, It's freezing out here. I told you could come in with me!"

 I shake my head and stand up straight as I was leaning against the frigid metal gates. 

"It's fine, I fucking hate the lit/comp teacher here."    

"That's fair." He kept silent as he followed beside me on our way out of campus. Although, I'd admit that he was hugging his arms and inching closer to me. I paid no attention to it until something caught me off guard. 

"Dude, why aren't you wearing a jacket?" I piped up looking at his pale arms filled with goosebumps. "I don't know?! It didn't feel too cold this morning!" I scoffed and shook my head, "Don't you read the weather before you leave?" 

"What, no?? Anyway, who the hell reads the forecast, especially when you're in high school!"

"Touché, Tweek. Touché." I sniffle a bit before taking off my jacket and shaking it off from my hands.  "Here." After a long pause and him not taking it, I bring back to my side and look at him.

He was looking down at the ground. "I don't need it." He mumbled. "Jesus, don't get all fucking protective for no reason. I'm offering you my jacket, not a punch in the stomach." 

He didn't reply or anything and looked offended for some reason just because of a simple kind gesture.  "Fine. Freeze your ass, I don't fucking care." I tie my jacket around my waist and continue to walk in front of him. 

Not one sound came from the both of us, you could say it was so quiet that you could hear the specks of snow fall onto the ground. I occasionally looked back to see if he would still be following me and to my surprise he was. 

His movement was very frantic and his mouth moved with no sound, almost as if he was trying to talk something out. I dismissed it and began to slow my pace to see if he'd catch up but to my dismay, he mocked my move and went slower as well. 

At this point, he was making me pissed off and I stopped right in my tracks. "Why are you mad at me? What did I do?" He stared back at me with hands cupped up to his face. 

"Nothing!" He said it through a voice crack. 

I bit my lip and furrowed my brows. "Really, because it doesn't really feel like it's nothing, Tweek." He twisted around and growled in frustration.

The snow was starting to fall faster like my anger.

"Look, I'm trying to help but I can't help when you. can't. tell. me. why. you're so upset?" 

"Craig the snow is falling faster..." 

I  gave a confused and rather angered look towards his way. He stared back at me with about the same mix of confusion, anger, and sadness. Or rather was it fear?

Shaking my head, I palm my face with my right hand and walk towards his direction. He flinched as a grabbed his wrist and nudge him in my way. "There's a pet shop close by. We can hang out there until the storm blows by."

---

Opening up the doors to the shop, the chimes ring and a high-pitched voice welcomes us in. 

"It's me, Red," I yell back and merely seconds later she comes out from the back, taking off gloves. "Oh shit, hey Craig. What's going on?"