The Evermore Dissociate(Creek)

0078

The sun was setting above both Kenny and his fathers heads as their fishing lines rested within the mucky waters. They'd been at the pond all day, attempting to catch some fish, but overall, failing to do so. Between them, they'd managed to catch a few tiny carp, but they weren't here for them, rather, they were set on a big catch.

The skies were a mixture of pastel blue, with streaks of pink tearing through the cloudy scene. As Kenny's head tilted back to watch the sunset, beside him, Stuart opened up one of the beers they'd brought along, with a quiet hiss. The older McCormick passed one over to his son as he held onto his own fishing rod with one hand.

When Kenny accepted it, he'd barely glanced over at his dad, with his eyes remaining locked onto the sky. "Think we'll catch anything?" He asked. His voice low, so not to scare away the fish.

"This time of year, it's hard to catch anythin' out here." Stuart replied. "If yer sister asks, say we caught a big one."

With a quiet chuckle, Kenny looked out towards the calm waters as the light reflected from the surface. He hadn't been fishing with his dad since he was a kid, but to be able to do it now, and for it to feel just like it had back then, Kenny felt warm inside. "You'll have to start taking Karen here soon."

"Think so?" Stuart asked, raising an unsure eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like she'd be into it, to me."

"Probably not, but neither was I at first."

"Bullshit. You were always askin' me if we could go back out." Stuart says, cautiously glancing towards the wheelchair his son sat on.

"I powered through the boredom of watching nothing happen for five hours straight. Kenny shrugged, adjusting his line. "I liked spending time with my dad."

Beside Kenny, Stuart went quiet for a moment as he processed what his son had just said. Beneath his cap, faint grey hairs that mixed with blonde, gently blew against the fighting winds that whistled by his pink ears. He was older now. So much older than he was the first time he'd taken Kenny out here. His son was older too. He noticed the maturity his son possessed as he preoccupied himself with reeling in an empty line.

Soon the moment of silence was over, and Stuart's expression morphed into a slight grin. He took a small sip of his beer before setting it to the side, and as he looked back out the the rippling water, he was filled with a sense of pride, knowing his son enjoyed his company.

"Don't be getting soft on me now." He says, side glancing his son as the grin spread. With an exhaled laugh through his nose, Kenny shook his head, with his hair sticking to his forehead. He looked away from his dad, with a similar grin taking up on his own lips as he watched the grass swaying beside himself.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

-

The television eliminates the room as Craig laid across the couch, with his hand submerged into a bowl of popcorn that rested on his chest. He idly watched the movie which was on, attempting to ignore his sister and her friends laughter from within the kitchen.

Ruby was having a sleepover, and later on, the house would be filled with more giddy girls. Just thinking about it made Craig sigh. He was bored and agitated. Tweek was still dodging his calls to the point Craig was giving up. He was close to accepting defeat, and all he could think about, was how he'd for some unknown reason, come out to his dad.

No matter how hard he pondered what had went down that day, Craig still found the idea of himself being gay, foreign. He couldn't imagine the idea of it, so why he'd so easily said that to his homophobic dad, he didn't know. In some sense, he could see how he might be, after all, he'd once felt that way for Tweek, which the letter had reminded himself of.  So maybe those intentions were still there, hidden deeply beneath the surface of his overriding personality.

Craig thought back to the day Tweek had told him he was gay, and then he thought about the day he'd overreacted when Tweek had told him he was gay for Craig. He was a hypocrite, really, and now this was his karma. As Craig took a handful of popcorn to shovel into his mouth, all at once, he thought about the possible scenario which could've happened, if only he'd caught up to Tweek that day. But every time he tried to imagine it, he couldn't.

Distracted from his tormenting mind, Ruby and her friend came strolling into the room with snacks. They squeezed themselves in at the bottom of the couch, kicking Craig's legs away and forcing him to sit up. As he did so, he spilled the majority of the popcorn out of the bowl.

"What's crawled up your ass?" Ruby questioned when she noticed the scowl her brother was expressing. "Still haven't heard from Tweek?"

"No," Craig muttered, returning his stare towards the television. "Whatever though, I don't care."

"You clearly do." Ruby smirked. Her amused eyes flickered to her friends curious ones, before she began to explain. "Craig's realising he's gay for his friend, Tweek."

Craig shot an offended look to his sister, but before he could protest, Ruby's friend, Izzy, squealed in delight. "No way," She beamed, looking to Craig as though he was a unicorn. "My sister is like, totally a lesbian."

"You've never told me that before."

"She came out like a few months ago."

Beside them, Craig rubbed his forehead in distress. He wanted nothing more than for the pair of them to shut up and leave, but when they fell silent, both gazing curiously at Craig, he frowned back at the two girls in confusion and annoyance.

"I have a plan." Ruby says, rubbing her hands together, whilst Izzy childishly giggles beside her. "Tweek won't answer your calls or see you, right?" She was expecting her brother to reply, but when he failed to do so, she continued. "So were going to sneak you in. That way, he has to talk to you."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Craig drawled.

"No, it isn't." Izzy spoke up. "Me and Ruby are always sneaking into Millie's house. We know our stuff."

"It's true. Tweek lives just down the road from Millie. The layout will be the same, if not similar."

"I'm not breaking into his house."

"Do you want to talk to him? Or not?" Ruby asked, in a voice more assertive than she'd ever expressed before. "Because it's now or never. It's your choice."

Exhaling dramatically, Craig debated their offer. He did want to see Tweek, but was it worth getting caught and losing his dignity? It had been over a month since he'd last spoken to him, and it was driving Craig insane. So maybe getting caught was worth it. Either way, he sat in near silence for a moment as he considered his actions, with both Ruby and Izzy grinning in anticipation.

When he glanced back over to them, his expression was passive, just as it always was, only this time, Ruby could detect the nerves when he spoke. "Fine, lets do it."