Chapter Text
It was the first day of a promisingly warm spring. Nevertheless, the air remained cold as patches of snow lingered on the ground. A typical person would complain about having a late summer, but not in one young man in particular. With a heart overflowing with love, Gary Harrison had an appreciation for practically anything in life.
The weather wasn’t cold enough to prevent him from leaving his small house for a short walk. As soon as six in the early morning ticked its way on his watch, Gary was out the door in no time.
He felt it unnecessary to tell his parents that he was heading out. It was only going to be a brief stroll for some fresh dawn air. After all, the young man wanted to enjoy the town's lovely Spring scenery. He planned to be back home after an hour, before seven o’clock.
During his lonely walk, thoughts filled Gary's head and raced as fast as he would usually speak aloud. It was typical of him; when the young man wasn't thinking, he was talking to others. When he had no one to talk to, Gary would observe the atmosphere around him. When there was nothing around him to observe, and he was isolated, the young man would lose himself in deep thinking. That early morning was one of those moments.
It wasn't about anything too dramatic; Gary was thinking about his old friends back in his old home town. He wondered what they were up to, how they were since his family moved states, and why it had been such a difficult time making friends since the move. It had been since childhood, and there he was, almost an entire year fresh out of high school.
Gary had been home more than ever- Not that he protested. He adored his family, after all. His only wish was for people to better understand his family’s beliefs, and look past the "second-hand embarrassment" every time people would interact with them. The Harrisons' were fully aware of the mockery against their religion, but it was not enough to bother them.
A calm breeze swept against Gary’s short blonde hair, gently pulling him out of his thoughts. The young man paused his walk and closed his eyes, taking in the serene moment. He felt like a lonely silhouette under a streetlamp, under a rising sun that was casting light upon the town. It was the light his God had created. Gary smiled at the belief and continued walking forward. Just a few more minutes, he planned before he would turn back for home.
His light blue eyes examined the lonely porches of neighboring houses until they came across a figure sitting on one set of stone steps. Gary was about to keep walking, minding his own business, until he recognized the face through the dark shadows.
Black hair poked out from under a blue and red ski hat. An empty bottle assumed to have been full of alcohol laid by his feet. The only other person who would drink until the morning (unless it was a party full of adults) would be none other than Stan Marsh. That could only mean Gary had walked far across town.
Knowing he would need to make it home soon, Gary turned around to begin heading back. However, a tired voice stopped him in his tracks. “Gary? What do you want?”
Taking in a deep breath before replying, Gary turned around with a smile and spoke in his naturally energetic voice, "Oh, actually, I didn't mean to walk this far! I’m on an early morning walk, y'know? It's a great exercise! You should give it a try sometime, huh? Well, I better be going home now! My family might wake and find me missing if I'm not home in time. That would be bad, wouldn't it?" He flashed his most generous smile and waited for a response.
It took a moment before Stan answered, "Well, aren't you leaving? Get out of here. By the way, your teeth are too white. Stop showing off.” Knowing the young man, Stan would most likely write something poetic about anything. Gary recalled one day accidentally reading one of his scrapped papers, words reading, “Your teeth are so white, they reflect the moonlight and pierce my eyes.”
The only reason Stan would be poetic was if he was feeling depressed about something, but Gary knew Stan was normally just about every day, though he would never admit it.
Gary nodded, "Yes, I was waiting for a reply! Have a good day, Stan!" He gave a small laugh and added, "And I can’t apologize for my teeth!" The alcohol bottle had captured Gary’s attention, preventing him from turning away. Hands tucked in his jacket’s pockets as he stood in place, his smile almost faltering.
"Are you waiting for something to happen? Wait, did you walk all this way just to talk to me?" Stan sighed and stood up after receiving a concerned look from Gary. He finished by saying, "Never mind. Go away." He picked up the empty bottle and hurled it across the road, avoiding Gary's direction. The bottle smashed into little pieces upon the sidewalk farthest from him. Then Stan turned and stepped into his house, disappearing behind the front door.
Littering anywhere in public was a complete disappointment to Gary. He thought about picking up the glass shards and throwing them in the trash, but there wouldn't be anything to clean up any possible cuts that would be made by the glass. Besides, the young man had nothing to sanitize his hands from the remaining alcohol. Perhaps Stan had done the action for show and would clean it up later. Despite his usual predictability, Stan had become unpredictable lately.
He's something, Gary thought to himself. What that something was, Gary didn’t know, but Stan was certainly something. They used to be friends, but a disagreement had come between them and Gary had to walk away for a while. That while had turned into years of awkwardness, and eventually, Stan couldn't face him. They drifted away and never spoke to each other. It’s like a tragic love story, one of Stan’s friends had said at the start of their falter.
It was a tragic love story, indeed. Perhaps they could be friends again.
The walk carried on as Gary thought of possible conversation starters. What selection of words to use when mending a damaged friendship? His last words before walking away back then were not the nicest nor Mormon-friendly, of course. Then again, Stan had put down Gary's family and their beliefs. He deserved the embarrassment the young man gave him in front of his friends.
No one gets away with hurting his family. However, forgiveness persisted as the number one rule in the Harrisons' home. Instead of keeping grudges, only uncomfortable embarrassment remained between the two.
Gary could think of no way to befriend Stan again, but he knew it would not be impossible. He knew he needed to spend more time thinking about it.
---
Gary prepared breakfast as soon as he arrived home. His older sister and brother, Jennifer and Mark, had long left the house to begin college. It was Gary's responsibility to take care of his younger brother and sister, David and Amanda.
Make them breakfast, get them ready for school, walk them to the bus stop, get them off the bus, make them snacks, help them with homework, and get them ready for bed. If he wasn't there, his mom or dad would gladly take his place. They were a close family of love, and Gary couldn’t ask for more in life.
Karen, his mother, walked into the kitchen and greeted Gary with a smile. She was already dressed, amber hair perfectly brushed, and ready to start the day. Gary smiled back as he continued preparing breakfast. No need to say anything; smiles were worth a thousand words after all.
Two bowls of oatmeal with slices of apples, and two glasses of orange juice were made for his brother and sister. He set them at the family dining room table and walked into their rooms. Amanda was the youngest at 7 and David was only 10.
When Jennifer had left the house, Amanda reluctantly took over her bedroom although she would sometimes sleep between their parents whenever she was feeling alone or scared. David kept his room even after being offered Mark's old room. He didn't want to miss his older brother more that way. Gary finally had a room all to himself since Mark’s departure.
Moving to a smaller home was out of the question, since both Mark and Jen would come back during break to stay before leaving again. They stayed in dorms, both at separate colleges. Until they have a place of their own, Mr. Harrison wouldn’t move the rest of them out for anything.
After noticing dad had taken over waking the youngest two, Gary went back to his own room for a second to rest. With nothing else to do for the moment, he sat down on his bed. The clock ticked in the silence of Gary’s comfort. He sighed out softly and thought for a moment; first walk Amanda and David to the bus stop and wait for them to get on, then walk back to Stan's house. Or call first?
The alcohol bottle was what worried the young man; something addictive like that could take over a person's life and ruin them forever. Gary didn't want to turn away from that; he felt very responsible if something were to happen to Stan.
There was a knock at his door, pulling Gary away from his thoughts. He looked to see his dad standing in the doorway. They exchanged smiles before his dad spoke up, "What's wrong? I can tell by the look on your face something's bothering you."
Gary knew he could always trust his dad, he was smart and understanding, something he looked up to. "It’s about a certain person, I won't say their name. I'm worried about them, but I'm also scared to talk to them, like to confront them about their problem. I don't know what I should do."
Mr. Harrison walked in and sat beside Gary on his bed. "Is this person a close friend of yours? Even if they’re not, it’s okay to feel concerned over them. All you have to do is have a talk with them so they know they’re not alone, and hope they get better soon! It’s no good to worry so much about someone, only just a little. Don't let them take over your mood like a leech, okay?"
"So... I shouldn't help them? What if they're in possible life-long danger?"
His father's eyes widened with both interest and concern, "That depends on the issue! I'm glad you've decided to step up to help them! Now, what is it they're doing that's concerning you? What are they doing?"
"They're doing something concerning, that’s all." He didn't want to say exactly who it was and what they were doing, in fear of his father intervening the wrong way.
Mr. Harrison suggested, "Pray for them! Stay with them until they see the light again, no matter how long it will take, because recovery takes time." He looked over to the clock on Gary's dresser as he added, "Why don't you take your siblings out to the bus, and afterwards you can go talk to this person, okay?"
Gary nodded and thanked him. He watched his dad leave the room before he stood up from his bed. The thought of giving up on someone was never an option for Gary; he would stay with Stan until his alcohol addiction cleared up. Or at least whatever was going on with him. He knew people can drink and not be addicted- Mark was an example. Secretly drinking coffee in the mornings only on college campus.
In the end, consuming something “addictive” shouldn’t make one an addict- at least Gary had hoped so.