BXB fanfic Chapter 6

“C’mon Bradley! Let’s see who can splash more puddles before we get to school!” Butters was running, spinning, and skipping around in a rain jacket that was about the same yellow as pikachu fur.

“No fair!” he smiled, trying to catch up. “You started running without me! How far are we from school?”

Butters stopped. “Without the bus, it’s kind of a long walk. That’s why I asked you to wake up early. It’s nice walking for a change!… I like your messenger bag, and your mom did a good job with those wings.” Naomi Dourif had sewn on Clamp (an anime company) style wings onto the back. “The name ‘Angel’ really sits you. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess you name was ‘Angel’.”

“Wow,” Bradleys thumb found its way up to his mouth as his cheeks turned bright pink. “R-really?”
Butters just smiled, and surprised Bradley by, again, taking a head start.

---

“Okay, class. Now, I’ve decided to let you do a little project. And you get to choose any topic you want.” Mr. Garrison started. “Now, this is due next Monday. I’ve chosen the teams according to adress so you can work after school. -sigh- Ok, lets see…”

The class sat up, listening, upset that they couldn’t choose partners.

“Wendy will work with Sarah and Thomas… Tweek will go with Teresa and Jay… Token, Clyde and Bebe are a group. Stan and Kyle are with Jimmy. Butters will be with Kenny and Timmy.” Bradley frowned. “Bradley and Cartman…” Cartman lifted his head from off the table, where he had been trying to fall asleep. “…Will be with Patty Nelson.”

“…s-sweet…” Cartman whispered to himself, wide-eyed at his luck. Kenny eyed Patty, as she smiled, looking unusually content.

---

The rain had stopped, and it school had just let out.

Patty, blushing slightly, looked shyly at Bradley. “So, what project do you wanna do?”

“Hmm? Oh, I dunno.” Bradley was still disappointed about the groupings. “ Let Cartman pick.”

“Me?! Oh. OH! Yes…me… of course!” He was jumpy. Patty was annoyed. She had tried her best to avpid him since he had accidentally spouted his love for her in front of the town.

“Uh… we could…. Uh…” His gloved hands moved up to his mouth as he tried to think of something clever. His eye twitched, as well as the corner of his mouth. *Think, stupid, Think! This is PATTY!*

Her shy, timid, sweet personality was long gone and replaced with a bitchy scowl. “Hurry up! Geez!”

“FIREWORKS! BIG BRIGHT FIREWORKS!” Cartman’s mouth shouted, even though his mind felt blank.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“What a stipid-”

“Great idea!” Bradley interrupted her. “You’re very creative! We can do a report and maybe light some firecrackers outside!”

“I thought so too!” Patty had become sweet again. “Wow! We’re so much alike, Bradl-”

“C’mon! My poppa has firecrackers in our basement!” Bradley made his way behind Cartman, and was pushing the heavy kid, urging him to walk quickly.

“Wait for me!” Patty whined. “I’m part of this too!”

---

Bradley’s father was juggling lit firecrackers, while holding one in between his teeth. Cartman and Patty stared in awe, and Bradley just smiles brightly.

“Dude, the way you jump rope and he juggles… You’re part circus freaks, right?”

“I take after my dad, I guess.” Bradley chuckled. “We’re very nimble.”

Issac tossed each firework into the air at once, and they exploded. He smiled at the children’s clapping.

“Now don’t you kids try that! I made those so they’d be slow burners. Normal firecrackers go fast.”

“Wow!” Patty said bluching. “Bradley, you dad sure knows a lot about fireworks!”

“I’ve got a lot of info stored on my computer that I’ve typed up.” Issac said. “You can use that for your report. Have fun.” Bradley ran up to glomp his father, who happily spun him around, before setting him down and leaving to go get something to eat. Patty had never seen something so adorable. Sadly, Cartman had never seen her so happy.

---

“Gee, I don’t have any ideas for a project.” Butters said, rubbing his knuckles together, as he and kenny sat on the floor on their knees. A muffled voice came from Kenny. “Yeah,” Butters agreed. We should wait for Timmy.”

There was a light pause. Kenny loosened up the hood of his parka. “Good. Cuz I wanna talk to you. I’m worried about how our teacher arranged the teams. Bradley’s team, mostly.”

“You don’t think Cartman will be mean, do you?” Butters pouted.  Kenny smiled. “No, no. I’m SURE he’ll be mean. That’s not the problem.”

“Oh, no!” Butters said, not knowing what could be worse than Cartman’s attitude.

“See, Bradley gets a lot of attention from girls. Patty is no exception. And Cartman gets jealous easily. Now, Patty is important to Cartman. VERY important. He “LikeLikes” her, Butters.”

“Oh, well than Cartman should tell her! I didn’t know he wanted to be friends with her. That’s nice.”

“No, no, no Butters! Geez, look. He like likes her. Think of it as Like squared. He wants to be more than friends, or best friends, or BFF’s. Now think. What can be worth more than BFF?”

Butters put his index finger on his chin and thought hard. “Well, I dunno. He really likes her… Sounds like he’s got a crush almost.”

“Exactly,” Kanny said praisingly, even though he was desperately annoyed with Butters’ slow pace.

Butters was still for a moment. The image of Bradley at camp came flooding back into his mind. His thin, frightened face, his sleepy eyes, his nervousness. And the words…

‘I think… I think I Like you!’

‘Well, I like you too Bradley!’

‘You like-like me?!?!’

‘Well sure Bradley! I like-like you a lot - a lot!’

“We gotta tell Bradley! He thinks it means someone wants to be your best friend!”

Kenny hid his anger well. “Uh, I dunno. You ARE aware of faggots. Maybe Bradley could be… gay?” Butters face was still puzzled, so he continued. “Your camp’s logo: Pray the Gay Away. I… think that’s what they were talking about.”

“Oh… well… Then not gay. He prayed that away.”

“Do you really think it’s that easy to get rid of gayness?” Kenny spat.

“No, no, no, no! Wait! He’s not gay! He was bicurious! Like me! I’m not gay! I’m bicurious!”

“Bicurious is a word they use when your not sure if someone is bisexual!” Kenny was yelling now. Good thing the Stocth Parents were not home. “Bisexual is when you like both genders! Whe you can fall in love with a guy or a girl!”

Butters, shocked, leaned back, supporting himself with his arms. Eyes wide, he asked “My… Daddy thinks I’m gay?…” His cute face toughened up, trying to look intimidating. “Th-then they’re wrong about Bradley too! He’s not gay! He’s not like other gays!  Please don’t say that anymore!”

Kenny gave Butters the same look of annoyance  an older sibling give a small brother or sister. “… Okay. Fine. But what if he was? Just imagine. If he loved you, what would you do?”

“…”

“… It was just a thought. Maybe he’s not gay. Look, I’m sorry.” Kenny hated lying like this, but it seemed butters just wasn’t able to understand, and Kenny was out of ideas at the moment. “Let’s go pick a project, ok dude?”

Butters, shaking a bit, and worried he had upset Kenny, nodded shyly. There was a knock at the door. Knowing it was Timmy, Butters left silently to let him in.

Chapter End