The rest of the day went by quickly for a Monday. Before I knew it, we were at the bus stop and I had to rewind my walkman. Stan and Kyle said there goodbyes and we parted ways.

As I headed towards home, I let my mind wander. Eventually, they led to my interaction with Butters. I was a little surprised he had started talking to me again. He's avoided the rest of the gang for years, so why talk to me now? Unless he wanted to make amends...

Before I could think anymore on it, I felt something leech onto my leg. Startled, I stopped walking. "What the fu-"

I was cut off by childish giggles. A smirk tugged at my lips and I sighed, looking down. Clinging to my leg was an adorable ten-year-old named Karen.

"Hey, Kar-Bear," I purred, ruffling her hair. She smiled up at me, still giggling. She let go and started skipping next to me. "Hi, Kenny!"

While she skipped, I just walked. "How was school today?"

"Good!" she said happily. "Bea and I pulled a prank on the teacher!"

"You what?" I spoke through laughs. Most older siblings would scold the younger one for this. But troublemaking runs in the McCormick family, so this is normal.

Karen continued to talk about the prank, and I half paid attention. The other half of me was more focused on a girl walking by. She looked about twenty, but hey, still looked great.

"What about you? How was your day?"

"Hm?" I glanced back down and realized she had stopped talking. "Do I zone out that much?"

"It was alright. I have a project to do, though."

"Well that sucks ass."

"Tell me about it," I grumbled, tightening my hood. "Not to mention my partner probably hates me."

She looked up at me, eyes wide and curious. "Who is it?"

I chewed on my lip, debating on if I should tell her. "... Do you remember Butters?"

"Who?"

"Guess not," I told myself. "He caused trouble with Eric years ago and probably hates us."

"Oh." We had just reached our house and stopped in front of it. Shouting and drunken slurs where coming from inside. My sister and I exchanged a glance. Sadly, this was also normal.

I let a sigh escape my lips. "You wanna go somewhere else?"

Karen's eyes lit up. "Stark's Pond?"

A smile appeared on my face and I nodded. "Stark's Pond it is."

We continued to walk, occasionally cracking jokes and playfully shoving one another. After about an hour of walking, we arrived.

My sister squealed in delight, running towards the edge of the water. She bent down and started picking something up. Raising an eyebrow, I walked up behind her. With a closer look, I realized they were stones.

She looked over her shoulder at me and grinned. She held her hand out to me and I saw three flat stones in her palm. "Wanna skip stones?"

I chuckled and took one of the stones. "Sure thing..." Standing up, I quickly tossed the stone across the water. I watched as it skimmed the surface, bouncing once, twice, then sinking.

It was relaxing, throwing them and watching them go. It makes you forget about your problems for a while. In this case, it was our parents. They could care less about our well-being, and it pisses me off. It's probably the reason our brother, Kevin, moved out a few months ago. Honestly, I don't blame him.

We kept skipping stones until it grew dark. Feeling better, I took Karen's hand in mine and we went to town. I kept her close, not knowing what freaks were about. While walking, I found a ten dollar bill on the ground and picked it up.

"Kar?"

"Yes?"

"How does McDonald's sound for dinner tonight?"

I was practically blinded by her smile. She started to drag me in the direction of the fast-food place. I laughed and let her do so.

The rest of the evening flew by fast. We ate, fooled around some, and snuck in the house around one in the morning. I quietly tucked Karen into bed and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight," I whispered, about to walk out.

"Kenny?"

"What's up?"

"Thanks. For taking me out tonight."

I smiled and wiped some dirt off her cheek. "No problem, Karen..."

I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but all I know is I woke up in my own bed around six-thirty that morning, which is good enough for me.