Here's my brand spankin' new story!! I am SO happy because my exams are officially over!! And I scored 78 out of 100 on my Spanish one, which I thought I was going to fail. Also, the Science one was so easy, I almost laughed out loud. Anyhoo, now, this one is in Kyle's POV and focuses on his day-to-day life. Of course, you can rely on me to throw in some angst and drama. Haha. So, read on and review, please! I love you all!

Disclaimer- I own nothing. South Park is Trey Parker's property and it just can't be touched.

Kyle's POV

The bright light of the sun was shining in my eyes when I woke up and I found it to be a nice change from the usual beeping of my alarm clock. That was my cue to reach over and turn it off before it had a chance to irritate me. I hated the stupid thing. It was the worst noise in the world and it never failed to put me in a bad mood first thing. This morning, however, was different. I stretched out luxuriously, realizing I had time before I needed to get ready for school. Maybe, since it was Monday, I could start my week off properly. Maybe I could go to school with a smile …-

"KYLE! TIME TO GET UP, YOUNG MAN! YOU HAD BETTER NOT BE LATE FOR SCHOOL AGAIN!"

God damnit. It never failed. That was the second most annoying noise in the world; my Mother's voice.

Grumbling, I swung my feet out of my bed and set them down on the messy floor. I needed to clean my room, badly. Piles of clothes littered the floor and some homework was topping it all. I began my journey to the other side of the room and tripped over my backpack

"God damn!"

Pushing myself up, I could already tell this was going to be a rough day. I headed downstairs into the kitchen. It smelled like eggs and toast. Dad was reading the newspaper at the table and Mom was humming to herself and bustling about, getting Ike's school lunch ready.

"Morning, Mom, Dad."

"Morning, Son." Dad replied from behind the newspaper.

Mom came over to me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She had to stretch to reach me. I had finally had my growth spurt in the ninth grade and had grown to about 5'8". It wasn't tall compared to Kenny and Stan, who both reached about 5'10", but to Cartman, I was a giant. He was only about 5'3". Short and fat. I smiled at the thought of this. I could still kick his ass.

I checked my reflection in the toaster and saw a bright red lipstick mark on my cheek. When I was knew she wasn't watching I wiped it away with the palm of my hand.

"Good Morning, Booby."

I hated that nickname. She had used it since I could remember and even worse, she said it when Stan, Kenny, and worst of all, Cartman were around. Stan never made any comment about it and I suppose that's why he's my best friend. He just knows how to respect people's feelings. Kenny sometimes gave a little smirk, but Cartman really poured it on. I could hear it play in my head.

"Oh, Booby! My precious widdle Kylie Wylie bear. Haha, you stupid Jew."

I hated Cartman. He was such an asshole and he always ripped on my religion. I had to put up with him, though. In our group, it was Stan and I and Kenny and Cartman. If Cartman wasn't there, who'd Kenny have?

"Kyle, sit down and eat something before you go."

I wasn't hungry. I just wanted to go to school.

"Aw, Mom. I'm not really …"

I trailed off mid-sentence when she gave me the 'don't argue with me' look. When that happened, you just knew it was better to give in. I loved Mom dearly but it was embarrassing to know that half of South Park was afraid of her. And the fact that Cartman had is own special song for her …

I sat down with a sigh and began to eat.

I'll be at school soon.

--------------------------------------

Getting to the bus stop was nice. I was glad to see everyone. The four of us usually did something together over the weekends, but different plans had disrupted the usual course of action. It had really sucked, actually. I missed not having anyone to hang out with and I had no choice but to study Geography all weekend.

Kenny had to go visit his sick grandmother in North Park with his Mom. Stan had been sick in bed all weekend with the flu, and Cartman … well, who the hell wanted to hang out with Cartman alone?

Kenny was leaning against the bus stop sign and looking over some homework. Probably cramming for today's Geography test. Cartman's cheeks were pink from the cold and he was muttering under his breath about the cold weather. Stan looked miserable. His face was flushed and his nose was slightly red. A piece of black hair had fallen from beneath his toque and he looked to be in no rush to shove it back under.

I felt bad for him, but I pulled a five-dollar bill out of my pocket. We had talked on the phone last night for the first time all weekend.

-Flashback-

"God, Dude. My Mom's making me go to school tomorrow."

"Why don't you just tell her you still don't feel well?"

I hear Stan sniffle and hold back a cough.

"'Cause, she knows about our Geography test tomorrow. God damnit, I can barely get out of bed. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, either."

I carefully balanced the phone on my shoulder, shifting through my Geography book. I was reading every sentence and eyeing every map, but it just wasn't sinking in.

"Didn't you go to the doctor?"

Stan sneezes and groans.

"Yeah. She said it was just a bad flu bug that's been going around. She said it would clear up in a few days but I still feel like crap."

"Don't worry, Dude! I'm sure you'll better tomorrow."

Stan laughs bitterly.

"Wanna bet money on that?"

I smile and switch the phone to my other ear.

"Sure. How's five bucks?"

"You're on, Dude."

-End of Flashback-

As I trampled through the snow, Stan looked up, managing a grin.

"You lose."

I smirk at him and hand over the five-dollar bill.

"Don't go spending it all in one place," I mimicked his Grandmother who always told him that on his birthday when she sent money.

He grinned and coughed.

"Easiest money I ever made."

Cartman looked angry and huffed. I don't think he could stand anyone being happy but himself.

"God, you two are such fags. Betting money on gay things like that doesn't make you cool."

"Shut up, Fatass." Stan snaps. He coughs into his hand and sighs as he begins shuffling around inside his coat pocket, probably for a Kleenex. He frowns when he doesn't find one and his hand drops to his side once again.

I hated to see Stan in such a bad mood. He was usually cheerful and pleasant, but today, he was cranky and seemed ready to pounce on any available victim at any available time.

Kenny, who had been quiet through this whole conversation, slammed his textbook shut and breathed out a sigh of relief. I almost forgot he was there.

"I don't think I'll fail that test today. I forgot about it, but I think I've got everything down now."

Cartman snorts.

"You better not fail. Your poor ass family will need to rely on you to earn money with a good job."

Kenny glares at him but settles his eyes on me.

"Hey, Kyle. When'd you get here? How was your weekend?"

I laugh and I can see my breath dance out in icy swirls in front of me.

"I got here, like, ten minutes ago and it was good. How was yours?"

Kenny nodded.

"Can't complain. My G-ma died, though."

I look at him and wonder how he can be so calm. Kenny was always so cool about death. I guess it was from his own acquaintance with it for so many years.

"Uh, I … I'm sorry to hear that, Kenny."

Kenny shrugs carelessly.

"We all gotta go sometime."

It's become quiet, all except for the occasional sniffle from Stan.

I don't think any of us really ever took the time to think about death. Our lives were all so sheltered when you really thought about it. I mean, we had gay teachers, crackhead classmates, bitchy girls, but none of us had really ever brushed up against death … except for Kenny, but that was different ... wasn't it?

The bus finally comes and we all clamper on through the sloppy aisles covered in snow. Kenny and Cartman take a seat, and Stan and I take the one behind it. Stan leans his head against the cool window and closes his eyes.

"Dude, I seriously don't feel good. My head is killing me."

Stan could be such a drama queen. I give him a pat on the shoulder and he half opens one eye, peering at me.

"Just tough it out for the test then go home."

Stan only groaned and shut his eyes even tighter. I smiled a look of pity and let him sleep until the bus rolled up to the school.

"Stan, wake up. We're at the hellhole." I grin as I say this.

I think I'm the only one who looks at school as a pleasure. Kenny, Cartman, and Stan hated it, but Cartman was the only one who did considerably horrible in every subject. I, however, never had any trouble. I was what the teachers called 'gifted'. All the teachers had always made a fuss over my abilities and to be perfectly honest, it got annoying sometimes. A lot of the kids thought I was your typical stereotype nerd. Studying all the time, never breaking any rules, getting home before curfew … and a lot of them were always shocked to find out that Cartman, Stan, Kenny and I got into the most trouble through elementary school.

Getting inside the school seemed like less of a joy today and I didn't know why. The walls seemed suffocating. I shook away the thought and opened my locker. Stan waited patiently behind me, already holding his books. I was glad we had Geography first. I just wanted to get the test over with and when I voiced these thoughts, Stan leaned up against the locker beside mine and closed his eyes.

"I just want to go home."

I laugh and shuffle through the contents of my binder.

"I know. You've said it, like, a hundred times now."

Stan shoves me lightly and grins. Despite his sickness, his blue eyes still have that same spark to them.

There was no denying he was the best looking of our group. The girls fell all over him but he didn't have the slightest interest in them. The apple of his eye was and always had been Wendy Testaburger.

Over the years, they had had more fights and breaks ups than any other couple in the school. You could never be sure if they were together. One week, Wendy would come in, eyes red and puffy and Stan would stay far away from her, pissed off and depressed. The next, they'd walk in, holding hands and laughing. As much as I wanted my best friend to be happy, I liked it best when Stan and Wendy were on the outs. That meant more time for him and I to hang out.

"Hi, Stan!" Wendy's voice broke into my thoughts and I turned around to see Stan stopping her from kissing him.

"Sorry, Wendy. I still got the flu. Trust me, you don't want it." She smiled and gave him a hug instead.

Wendy and I had never gotten along very well but we put up with each other for the sake of Stan. We were pleasant to each other, but deep down, there was a rivalry. We both knew this.

"Hello, Kyle. How was your weekend?"

I shrugged and gave a small smile.

"Not too bad. Yours?"

She clung to Stan's arm and gave a smile, too.

"It was okay."

The bell rings and the three of us walk to class together, Stan in the middle, still sniffling and listening to Wendy chatter excitedly about her weekend. I was hanging off at the side, as usual. Pretending to care about what Wendy was saying was hard, but really focusing on when Stan and I would hang out next was worse. Wendy took up a lot of his time and I know he didn't see it, but she totally had him whipped.

As we headed into the classroom, Stan and I shared a private look. It was the kind that you just wait for. The kind only best friends have. He rolled his eyes and I could tell Wendy was annoying him. I grinned slightly.

It was going to be a long day.