The Evermore Dissociate(Creek) - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Acquiring an injured leg wasn't stopping Clyde from having the fun he'd usually have. Instead, he embraced it with little elegance, though he'd learned a few tricks, which had made him the life of the party last night. He wasn't going to go to begin with, but after he'd left Jimmy's place, his girlfriend, Bebe had asked him to go along with her. He was never able to say no to Bebe, so now he was currently, at half ten in the morning, walking back home with his hair astray.
His back hurt from sleeping on the floor, and when he'd sat up this morning with a yawn, he'd realised after he'd passed out, the others had played a game of beer pong around his sleeping body. Not only that, but somebody had stolen one of his crutches.
When he saw Craig running towards him, Clyde slowed down to a complete stop, staring in wonder as Craig stopped beside him out of breath. "Out for a morning run?" Clyde chuckled to himself as he shifted his balance onto his remaining crutch.
"No," Craig scowled, looking down the road like a meerkat. "You haven't seen Tweek, have you?"
"Not since yesterday, no."
Craig had decided to go against every instinct in his body and had chased after Tweek. He was still trying to catch his breath as he glanced over to Clyde in disappointment. He needed to find Tweek. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he needed to find Tweek. Through nerves and desperation, Craig hadn't considered the possibility of Tweek heading anywhere but home. He was unknowingly getting further away from the blonde with every step he took, even so, he continued his hunt for Tweek.
On the other side of town, Tweek walked with his hand stuffed inside his pocket and his head down as he counted his steps. He was utterly miserable, and as he thought more about Craig, the more he wished he'd hit his head and forget about him again. Despite running away from him, Tweek knew he'd have to face the situation sooner or later, but for now, he just wanted some time alone.
As expected, luck wasn't on Tweek's side today. From behind him, Butters appeared with a goofy grin as he fell into step with Tweek. "Well, h-hi there, I'm Butters!"
Tweek fought through the twisting feeling in his chest and forced himself to smile at the smaller blonde beside him. "Hey, I'm Tweek."
"I know that." Butters blushed as he chewed on his sleeve. "We have a few classes together. I was there at Jimmy's house last night."
"Oh." Tweek hadn't been paying much attention to those around him last night, so he hadn't even noticed Butters squirming throughout the movie. "I uh- I.."
"It's fine. I know you bumped your head."
'Bumped'
Yeah, that's how it went.
Looking back down at his shoes, Tweek felt his anxiety spike at the company. He just wanted to walk alone, though it seems Butters had decided to join him. They continued to walk, with Butters rambling on about everything and nothing, whilst Tweek idly listened. Without knowing where they were going, Butters had allowed Tweek to lead the way, and unfortunately enough, they were entering Starks pond.
The trees gently blew above their heads, with the wind whistling through the leaves in greeting. All the while, Tweek stared in awe. He'd always loved nature. He enjoyed the sounds of sticks breaking beneath his feet, and the crickets hidden within the bushes. They walked for hours, and at some point, Tweek had joined in with the conversation.
This was what he'd needed to take his mind away from Craig. He didn't necessarily need Butters, but there was no denying that he was eventually enjoying the other blondes company.
Though his mind was temporarily obscured from Craig, and he occasionally laughed with Butters, the heavy feeling in his chest remained, no matter how hard he tried to rid himself from it.
It wasn't late, but the winter skies were becoming darkened when they'd stumbled across the pond. Butters voice faded out to Tweek as he stepped forward, studying the familiar waters, and when he'd realised that this was the same pond from his memory, his eyes lit up.
It was iced over, just like in his memory, though it looked different as it aged. He stepped closer to examine the fishing dock with his eyes, remembering himself being stood there a long time ago.
"....in my eye, but then they shaved Stan's dog and..." Butter's voice went quiet as he stopped to watch as Tweek stood at the edge of the water, bending over to skim his fingers across the ice.
"What is this place?"
"Starks pond." Butters replied as he came to stand beside Tweek. "Well uh, nobody really comes here anymore. At least, not during this time of year."
When Tweek placed his right shoe on the ice to test it, a nervous Butters grabbed ahold of his arm to pull him back. Frowning at the intrusive hand, Tweek tugged himself free before glancing across the ice. He knew he should be steering his mind away from Craig, but for some reason he wanted to trigger the memory of him playing on the ice, once again.
This time, when he stepped completely onto the unstable platform, Butters kept his hands to himself, though his knuckles were red from grating them against each other with nerves. "I-I don't think you should do that." He called out as Tweek skidded further away. "It's dangerous!"
Without listening to the warning, Tweek closed his eyes as he moved along with the wind against his face. His nose and ears were freezing, but he didn't all that mind. The memory refused to reveal itself, and he was becoming more and more frustrated. He could see Butters worrying from the side line, just as he had once before, and after five unsuccessful minutes, he decided to skid back over.
Or so he planned on doing. Instead, he heard a crunching sound beneath his feet, and unlike the last time, he didn't like it, he feared it. He looked down to see a slight crack, and considering it was only small, he figured he still had time to get off the ice, but in a split second, the crack spread beyond his reach.
Before he knew it, he was being submerged by water. Dark water that made him shiver with fear. It wasn't the deathly cold waters that scared him the most, but rather, the thought of not knowing what else was under here with him. He was momentarily sucked down, unable to swim.
Butters yelped like an injured dog when he saw the ice cave in. He knew it was going to happen, but no amount of time could've prepared him for this. For the first few seconds, he just stared in shock, but then he sprung into action, carefully making his way across the ice to helplessly stick his hand into the water whilst screaming out Tweek's name.
No longer able to feel the coldness that surrounded him, air bubbles slipped from Tweek's mouth as his reflexes caused him to breathe. He choked on the water his nose had sucked up, and in a state of panic, he looked upwards for help. He'd been dragged quite far down, but seeing Butters silhouette gave him a shred of hope.
When he saw Butters quickly moving away from the hole in the ice, Tweek's hope soon faded. He was too cold to swim, he tried, but he wasn't getting anywhere. Another pocket of air raced from his mouth to the surface, and he closed his eyes to escape the darkness around himself.
Like the water that flooded his lungs, every lost memory hit him all at once. He flinched in discomfort, distracted from the fear that overwhelmed his mind, and as he relived the moments he'd once lost, he was unaware of his saviour.
From the surface, Butters returned, minus his jacket and shoes. He dipped his toe in the water and squealed in shock, but he knew he had to act fast if he was going to save his classmate. With a deep breath, he slipped into the water and was momentarily paralysed by the cold. His instincts was to return to the surface whilst he still could, but he thought against them, putting aside the voice in his head, telling him he couldn't do this.
He could do this.
He was never all that good at swimming, but something in that changed once he saw the blonde hair, darkened by the water as Tweek sunk further down. Shaking the fear and nerves from his mind, Butters swam down. He was close enough to touch Tweek, but his hands were so cold that he could barely keep a grip.
When the remaining bubbles of air escaped from Tweek's parted lips, Butters forced himself to pull him up, closer and closer to the surface, with the light being his guide. He emerged with a desperate gasp, with one arm holding Tweek's head above the water, whilst the other arm clutched against the ice.
He felt the cold on his face even more now, but when Tweek coughed up a load of water, suddenly, feeling cold was the least of Butters worries. "Are- are you okay?" He shivered, watching as Tweek tiredly rested his chin against the ice to steady himself.
All Tweek could manage was a jerk of the head, but still, Butters accepted it. After the smaller blonde had managed to climb out of the water, he reached back over to help out Tweek. More ice broke, but neither of them were sticking around any longer.
They stumbled over to a tree where Butters had left his shoes and jacket, and as Tweek fell to his knees on the grass, he was overcome with shame and guilt. He'd put somebody else's life at risk. He'd put himself at risk, all for a stupid memory.
Looking back over to the unsettled pond, Tweek burst out in tears. He remembered everything, the sadness, the fear, the loneliness, he remembered it all, and for that he cried.
Butters nervously watched. He listened to the endless sniffles coming from his weeping classmate as he shivered from the cold, and after placing his jacket over Tweek's shoulders, he dropped to his own knees and hugged him from the side.
The birds chirped above their heads, and the trees continued to whistle against the wind. Sticks crunched from the wildlife that surrounded them, whilst Tweek's breakdown filled the darkening skies.