The Evermore Dissociate(Creek) - Chapter 88: Chapter 88

It was a Tuesday afternoon, which was also the second day of Tweek's return to high school. He'd survived yet another day, and was beginning to ease back into the normalcy that he'd once followed. Their final class was over, and the number of students in the hallways was slowly easing out. Beside the lockers, both Tweek and Craig stood, waiting for Clyde to finish using the restroom. He'd been in there for a while. Ever since lunch, he'd been throwing up, so he wasn't expected to come out anytime soon.
Tweek had been idly watching his peers as they collected their belongings from the lockers. He unintentionally listened to the conversations that met his ears, until Craig cleared his throat beside him, gaining Tweek's full attention. When he stared over to Craig, Tweek noticed he was looking more agitated than usual. His eyes never settled on one position for too long, and he seemed to nervously chew on his bottom lip.
"What're you doing tonight?"
"I'm not sure." Tweek responded in thought. "Why?"
Leaning his shoulder against the locker, Craig's eyes briefly met Tweek's. "My mom said you have to come for dinner tonight." He says as he glances down the hallway. "You don't have a choice. She'll beat you up if you don't come."
Knowing Mrs Tucker would never force him into coming over, Tweek rolled his eyes with a quiet chuckle. He thought about how he hadn't been over to Craig's house for dinner in the longest time, and suddenly, he felt anxious to do so. "I don't know..."
"What don't you know?" Craig grumbled in reply. "It's just dinner. Clyde's going to be there, too."
"What about Token? Will he be there?"
"Uh, no..."
Momentarily, Tweek went silent as he pondered the situation. It didn't make sense for Craig's mom to invite him over, but not Token. He understood that Clyde was staying with them for a couple of days, so maybe that was why he was going to be present, but again, why did she want Tweek to come over? Then a thought creeped into the back of his mind. It made him suspicious as he turned to face Craig, who was avoiding his gaze. "Why does she want me to come over?" Tweek asked, with slightly squinted eyes. "I appreciate the offer, but why now?"
Scratching his head, Craig released a breath he'd been holding in. He shrugged after a moments pause, but then he shyly confessed, "She knows about you."
"What about me?"
"About... us..."
Taken back, a wave of self consciousness washed over Tweek's entire being. In a moment of nerves, his fingers curled into the palm of his hand as he forced himself to regain composure.
She knows, he thought to himself.
He needed to know more. Needed to know what her reaction was to the situation, before he even thought about answering the request to come over. It could be a trap, after all. She could be inviting him for dinner, so that she could threaten him into staying away from her son. But such ways weren't in Laura Tucker's capabilities. She was a mother before all, and in a way, Tweek knew she'd accept her son, no matter what.
"She knows?" He repeated, swallowing harshly as he took a small step away from Craig.
Amused, Craig replaced the step with one of his own, moving closer to Tweek as he innocently smiled. "She knows."
"What did she say?" Tweek asked with a hint of uncertainty. "Was she mad?"
"No. She's cool with it."
By this point, the majority of students had cleared out of the hallways, leaving only Tweek and Craig, along with a few stragglers. Echoes of laughter bounced off the lockers from a distance, as a group of freshman set out on their journey to head on home. Murmurs of voices faded out around them, but all Tweek could hear was the calmness to Craig's voice. He was at ease with his family knowing about himself and Tweek, so why was Tweek still so worried about it? Maybe it was because, after the consistent battle of winning over Craig, Tweek found it hard to believe that it was finally over. He found it hard to believe that he and Craig were finally in a good position.
Sure, nobody else knew, but their families were a starting point. Tweek's parents had known about his sexuality all along, even though they weren't directly told. They knew about the feelings he'd had for his friend, long before Tweek had known himself. So to come out, for Tweek, wasn't hard in the slightest bit. He didn't need to discuss it with his parents, because they gave him no reason to. Though, in some sense, he wished they'd shown an ounce of interest.
"What if she says something in front of Clyde?" Tweek worried.
"She won't." Craig assured. He knew his mom had enough respect to allow him to tell his friends about it, himself. Staring down to meet Tweek's eyes, Craig settled into a halt of silence as he became submerged with wandering thoughts. He thought about his friendship with Tweek, and how, still to this day, it was the most important thing to him. There was nothing in the world worth risking that, but he wanted more, and he knew that Tweek did too. "So, will you come?"
Biting his tongue, Tweek nodded his head in reply. When Craig smiled in response, it was hard not to smile back, and in doing so, a feeling of intense appreciation filled Tweek's veins. By agreeing to come along, he'd inadvertently agreed to a meeting with Craig's mom. It wasn't as though he'd never met her before, but then again, she knew about the development between the two friends. There was likely to be some knowing stares passed across the table, or subtle hints that Clyde wouldn't catch on to. He was meeting Laura in a new light, and despite it terrifying Tweek senselessly, he was also, the tiniest bit excited.
Passing by, was Heidi and one of her friends. They were giddish whilst discussing their dresses for prom night, loud enough for everybody around to hear. Among those to hear, was Craig and Tweek. Awkwardly looking to the side, Tweek shuffled his feet against the ground. He was still unsure about prom, and whether or not he and Craig would be going, but then again, he figured not. If they went together, it would draw unwanted attention to themselves. For starters, Craig was still hanging half in, half out of the closet.
Then there was Tweek. Innocent, anxious Tweek. He was frightened of what would become of people finding out the truth. He was terrified of the ushered whispers at the back of the classroom, or the intrusive eyes that would watch him walk by. Attention was something Tweek did not like. Not one bit. His life was devoted to flying under the radar, happily unnoticed. So to come out, with Craig Tucker of all people, would certainly draw in some comments.
Complicated was Tweek's life. For some reason, he attracted complications like an over powered magnet. But then, when he met Craig's stare, once again, he thought about how going to prom with this person, could only be the greatest day of his life. Conflict tormented his mind as he listened to Heidi's voice gradually seeping further away.
Unknowingly to Tweek, Craig was in the exact same position. They were leaving for college soon enough, which would result in less time they'd see each other, so going to prom together, only made sense. Any tension he felt about what others would think, surely melted away as he thought more about it, because, as mentioned before, their time together was limited.
Looking down at the scuffed shoes he wore, Craig readjusted his hat as a way of subconsciously stalling. Beneath the hat, his hair was messy, sticking out in a way that made Tweek want to pat it down. But he didn't, and when Craig masked his emotions with his usual drawl, all Tweek could do was watch the way his lips moved. "I don't get why everyone's making such a big deal out of prom."
"Yeah, me either." Tweek lied. His metaphorical nose grew, as he glanced off to the side.
"I imagine it'll be boring as hell, since Wendy's planning it." Craig went on to say, whilst Tweek pretended to agree. "I can already hear the music ringing in my ears."
"I think most music sucks these days."
"Exactly." Craig nodded, clicking his finger and thumb together. The conversation died, followed by a wave of silence as they waited for Clyde to return, but then Craig interrupted the tension with a question that would take Tweek some time to recover from. "So do you like, want to go with me, or whatever?"
With his mouth ajar, Tweek was speechless for the shortest time. He watched as Craig tried to play it cool, but it was so obvious how awkward he felt. "Yeah, sure." Tweek said, trying his hardest to fight off a smile.
"Awesome." Craig breathed. "I mean, cool."
"Cool. " Tweek repeated, with a full on grin spreading across his face.
They both had a tendency to fall into silence, and each time, it seemed to be Craig breaking the silence. Briefly, he seemed tormented by his thoughts, but then he was shaking his head to clear them out, and replacing it, was a soft mumble that fell past his lips.
"It's crazy, you know..."
"What is?"
"This." Craig began, gesturing between them. "A month ago, it was like I was holding up a metal shield to keep you away, and now I'm not."
Tweek wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a sentimental speech, but if it was, then it was certainly the worst he'd ever heard. Furrowing his eyebrows, he went on to quietly listen to what else Craig had to say.
"I'd managed to convince myself that you were only ever going to be a friend, and that when I liked you back when we were kids, I was just confused. I don't like you like that anymore. I think, back then it was different. I showed interest in you, as much as any kid could, but it was literally just an interest."
"...oh..." Tweek nodded as though he understood, when in reality, he couldn't have been further from understanding.
"You were this weird, twitchy kid, and I thought you were different to everyone else."
"Okay, now I think you're just trying to insult me."
"I'm not." Craig replied, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to think of a better way of explaining himself. He was never good with words or feelings, and he was getting frustrated with himself for not being able to express what he was trying to say. "I like you now. I - I think, I needed all this time to figure it out for myself and I—"
Tweek could see the struggle Craig was experiencing. He could almost feel the annoyance building up inside Craig for not knowing the words to say, so Tweek cut him off. In one swift movement, he leaned over, stopping Craig's lips from moving by pressing his own against them. It was their first kiss that wasn't an experiment, or a failed attempt of confession. This time, it was two people connecting. It was short and sweet, leaving Craig clear headed as he murmured, "I just really like you."
Before Tweek could say it back, his eyes wandered just past Craig, to where Eric Cartman stood not far away, leaning against the wall with a smirk across his lips. It felt as though Tweek's blood had suddenly turned to ice, and as Craig stared at him in confusion, his throat turned incredibly dry.
"Shit." Craig mumbled quietly when he noticed Eric watching them closely. Tweek was turning into a trembling mess before his eyes, so Craig knew he had to be the calmer of the two. "It's fine, Tweek. He won't say anything."
"You don't know that!"
"Hey, look at me, not him." Craig ordered, to which Tweek obeyed. "You don't need to worry about this. If he tells anyone, then who cares? We're leaving soon."
It made sense. Even though he was anxious towards the possibility of anyone finding out, he nodded his head and forced himself back into composure. He knew Craig was just as worried as he was, but if he could act unbothered, then so could Tweek. Besides, it's not like they could do anything to prevent it.
Whether he was ready to act normal or not, didn't matter when Clyde rounded the corner, wiping his mouth with an exhausted groan. He walked right past Eric and over to his friends, looking paler than either of them thought possible. "Ugh- it has to be the chicken sandwich I had."
"You okay?" Tweek asked.
With an unamused look, Clyde waved his hands down his frame. "Do I look okay?"
"You can rest when we get home." Craig interrupted, nudging Clyde in the direction they had to leave. Unfortunately, they had to pass Eric. With each step Clyde took, he made little groaning noises to further express his discomfort. Tweek thought that hiding behind his sick friend would result in Eric's mercy, but as they walked by, the brute called out to them.
"Hey, Craig!"
Pretending as though he hadn't heard him, Craig continued walking away. That was until Clyde stopped to glance back at the teasing grin directed their way. "Didn't you hear him, Craig?"
Shooting a scornful look at Clyde, Craig mentally threw every insult at his oblivious friend. "What?" He drawled in reply to Eric.
"Do you want to borrow some chapstick?" Eric innocently asked, withdrawing a pink little tube from his pocket. "Your lips are looking a little dry."