The Evermore Dissociate(Creek) - Chapter 75: Chapter 75

The cold air that breezed past Eric's parted jacket only added to his darkening mood even more. He wasn't particularly keen on leaving his car on its own in the middle of the rusty path that led to Starks pond, but he had no other choice, considering the path ended where a line of trees started.
From deep within the trees, crying was replaced with chattering teeth as both Tweek and Butters huddled together for warmth. Behind them, a figure emerged from the depths of the growing shadows, looking rather unimpressed as he kicked up leaves with every step he took.
Dialling Eric's number hadn't been an easy job for Butters and his numb fingers, but the urgency of their situation made him power through his struggles. Neither of the shaking blondes had noticed the new presence yet. Only after he threw an old, tattered blanket over their shoulders that had been stored in the back of his car. Tweek barely looked up to see Eric standing over himself with half a glare, but with a shuddered sigh, he glanced back over to the pond.
The overwhelming process had left Tweek feeling numb. He'd stopped thinking, and instead, his mind was momentarily blank for the first time in his life. Before the accident, he'd been sad. After the accident, he was again sad, and now, as he shivered with his aching body, he was eternally and deeply sad. It seemed as though fate had it in for him, but he really didn't want to feel like this forever.
"Come on, then." Eric rushes the two of them as he rubbed his hands together for warmth. "I haven't got all day."
"T-thanks for coming, Eric." Butters shivered as he stood up to offer Tweek a help in hand. Not having many friends of his own, Butters had figured his only option had been to ask Eric Cartman for help. He wasn't all that shocked when he'd reluctantly agreed, because Butters knew that deep, deep down, so far down that it was almost impossible to even see, Eric somewhat cared for his friends.
They walked back through the trees, to Eric's car in near silence, with Tweek idly watching his shoes. More memories played out like a movie in his head. He was seeing himself on his first day of school, terrified out of his mind as he clutched onto the strap of his backpack for comfort. Then, out of nowhere, he was reliving the seconds leading up to the accident, and the fear he'd felt on his first day of school suddenly came no where near close in comparison.
The headlights to Eric's car lit up as he unlocked it, and as they climbed inside, it felt just as cold as it had done outside. Both Tweek and Butters sat in the back seats as they shared the blanket Eric had given them, while Eric adjusted his seat so that he was more comfortable. The heater was on full power once they set into motion, soon warming the car enough for Butters to let his side of the blanket to slack a little.
The radio was filled with static. It was hard to get a good signal in these parts of town, so after a couple of minutes, Eric switched it off and settled into the silence that followed next.
With every house they passed, Tweek found himself mentally listing the people who lived there. He couldn't have done that earlier this morning, but now he could, and though he should've been happy about that, for some reason, he wasn't.
They arrived outside of Butters house first. It was closer than Tweek's, so after handing over his share of the blanket, he let himself out of the car, into the night. Tweek watched as Butters father sternly peered out of the window as his son walked up the drive, and right then, he was grateful his own parents weren't so uptight.
Through the front mirror, Eric silently stared at Tweek as he reversed the car a little. Every time he looked at the blonde, he was reminded of his friend, Kenny, and though he wouldn't admit it in a million years, he was thankful that he'd finally woken up. So, when Eric looked at Tweek, he for reasons unknown to himself, felt the need to make sure he was okay. He knew the tough time Tweek had been having lately, and despite him not usually caring about others and their feelings, almost losing a friend made Eric sympathetic.
Still staring out of the window, Tweek hugged the blanket to his chest, unaware of the short glances being sent his way. Everyone in town thought of Tweek as this fragile shard of glass, ready to break at any given moment. They thought of him as too unhinged to approach, or incompetent to look after himself, and when he did inevitably break, nobody wanted to stick around to pick up the pieces. Eric knew through the silence in the car, that Tweek had finally broken.
Their next stop was Tweek's house. There were no lights on inside, and no signs of life, at least, that was until Tweek noticed Craig sitting crossed legged by the door. He was in a world of his own, playing with the laces on his shoes, and with an exasperated huff, Tweek opened the car door. Before closing it, he mumbled his thanks to Eric. Rather than leaving, Eric's car rumbled in the background as Tweek headed up the path to his house, and when Craig looked up from his shoe, he was ignored entirely by the blonde, as though he wasn't even there.
"Hey, Tweek..." Craig began as he quickly stood up, wiping the palms of his hands on his thighs. His eyebrows crinkled when Tweek didn't reply, and after taking an unsure glance back over to Eric's car, he set his full attention back on the blonde, noticing his wet look. "What happened?"
There was still no reply, but when Tweek looked in his direction for a mere second as he pulled out his keys, Craig noticed the strains of his eyes as though he was holding something back. Something like tears.
Craig couldn't piece the situation together. He figured Tweek was still mad at him for earlier, but that didn't explain why he was soaked, or why he'd been with Cartman. There wasn't much time to ponder about it, considering Tweek had finished struggling with the keys and had unlocked the door. He was stepping inside when Craig desperately reached out to grab ahold of his wrist, but Tweek saw it coming and dodged it.
The door was closed on Craig, and he was left to stare at the chipped paint in confusion. He turned back around when he heard Eric's car stall, and with the speed of wind, Craig made his way over to the window.
From within the car, Eric glared as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Seconds passed before he manually rolled down the window, losing a shred of his pride as he did so. "What do you want?"
"What were you doing with Tweek?" Craig drawled.
"Giving him a ride home." Eric curled his nose in offence. "You should be thanking me for getting him home safely."
Inhaling deeply, Craig bobbed his head in agreement. "Yeah, thanks." His toneless voice mumbled in an unconvincing way. "But why were you giving him a ride home? And why does he look like he's just had a bath fully clothed?"
"Jesus Christ. This is why I don't help people." Eric whispered to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "They fell into the pond and asked me for a ride. That's all I know."
"Who's they?"
"Butters and your little boyfriend, Tweek." Eric replied casually. "Now can I go? I have stuff to do."
Stepping away from the car with a frown, Craig glanced back over to Tweek's house, seeing that his bedroom light was on. He debated knocking on the door, but if Tweek wasn't willing to talk to him just moments ago, then he surely wouldn't now.
Eric's car puffed out a thick grey smoke as it drove away into the night, leaving Craig to tuck his hands into his pockets as he breathed out a fog of cold air. He shivered as he looked to the starless sky, and as the dimly lit street light flickered above his head, Craig began to walk home in silence, alone with his thoughts.