Donovan Day

Clyde burst through the classroom door, and excitedly approaches his group of friends.

Why was he so excited? It was only his birthday. And he couldn't wait to celebrate with his buddies by bunking off class and having fun instead. His birthday was always on a school day, just before the spring break. It was a bummer, but he always looked forward to the evening, because something cool would always happen. He had nothing planned this year. Not even a party. He expected somebody else to throw him a surprise party. And, considering his popularity at the school, at least one person would consider it.

He looked at his usual group of friends, waiting for them to respond to his arrival. He excitedly shifted around, a huge stupid grin on his face. But his friends didn't say anything.
"...what's wrong with you Clyde? You look like you got a snake in your pants or something." Craig responds in a monotone.
"DUUUUH! What do you think today is?"
"...Thursday?"
"No!"
"...the day we get our math test results back?" says Token.
"NO!"
"AGH! I don't know man! Just tell us!" Tweek shouts.

Clyde's grin fades. How could they forget? "...it’s DONOVAN DAY!"
His friends all look at each other. Craig raises an eyebrow at him. "...what?"
"Donovan Day!"
Jason shrugs, "I don't know what that is. Is it some Saint day or something?"
Clyde groans, "Guess again, dipshits!"
They all either shake their heads or shrug.

"Dammit you guys, and you always call ME the dumb ass! it's my BIRTHDAY!"
Then comes a chorus of guys saying "ooooooh" and "oh yeah". To which Clyde rolls his eyes.
"Well happy birthday!" Token smiles.
"Thanks T"
"HAPPY...NGH...BIRTHDAY DUDE!"
"Aw thanks Tweek!"
"Yeah, have a good day man!"
"Thank you Jase!"

Clyde looks at Craig, who's focus is elsewhere right now. His chin rests on his hand, staring at some display on the classroom wall. The rest of the group look at him, expecting him to wish Clyde happy birthday.

He doesn't move.

Jason nudges him quite hard.
"What?" he snaps.
"Dude..." he gestures over to Clyde.
"Well what do you want me to do?" he frowns.
Clyde sighs. "...you know what? Forget it." Clyde storms off in a huff, sitting at the back right of the classroom on his own. He wouldn't care as much if it was one of the others. But Craig?
Craig was his best BEST friend. The others were just his best friends. He'd been friends with Craig since kindergarten. He knew that Craig is one the most emotionless kids in the entire school. He knew that Craig hardly gave a damn about anything. He knew that Craig doesn't like being friendly towards anyone, even him.

But normally he'd at least wish him happy birthday.

Normally he'd at least REMEMBER his birthday.

Clyde looked at the rest of the class. Stan's group of friends at the top left side of the classroom. Butters and the other nerds at the front middle of the room. The girls at the back of the classroom, including his girlfriend Bebe. None of them remembered.
He felt invisible. Like none of them even noticed him. Normally he could walk in, and get greeted by at least half of the class. But none of them even noticed him there. On his birthday. Not even his best friends cared that he had moved away from them. Not even his girlfriend wanted to know him. He wanted to cry, but he managed to fight back the tears during the rest of the class.

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For the rest of the school day, Clyde kept his distance from everybody else. He'd just walk from class to class, sitting at the back on his own for every single one. Staring forward, occasionally trying to do the work, but then not being able to because he couldn't concentrate. For lunch, Clyde took his food into the boy’s restroom, and ate it in a cubicle. He didn't care much, just so long as he was away from everyone else. He'd sit there with his headphones plugged in, blanking the world and listening to his favourite songs. But not even they could cheer him up.

_____________________________________________________________________________________


Once home, Clyde ran straight up to his room and let out all the tears he'd been wanting to let out for the entire day. He landed his face on his pillow, and didn't move for at least 15 minutes. He was actually pretty surprised that he'd been able to hold them in for so long. Normally, they'd come flooding straight out whenever he felt upset about something. He'd start pathetically wailing like a baby and would continue to do so until somebody stopped him. But today, he tried his best to stop himself from showing how hurt he was. And it paid off, because nobody noticed.

This was one of the times where Clyde needed his mom. Betsy Donovan passed away about half a year ago, and Clyde couldn't help but miss her. When she wasn't constantly nagging him, Betsy would be comforting to Clyde, and cuddled him when he was emotional. She was the best cure for him, and he knew his father couldn't do any better than she could.

But now she was gone.

His father, Roger Donovan, knocked on Clyde's bedroom door. "Clyde? Clyde! What’s the matter? Can I come in?"
Clyde lifted his head from his pillow, "Dad I'm fine..."
Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at lying. "Yeah Clyde, and I'm not a geologist. Let me in."

Clyde didn't move, so Roger let himself in. He picked up the box of tissues sitting on the opposite side of the room, gave them to Clyde, and sat on the edge of his bed.
"You normally use tissues to cry into, I thought you would've known out of all people" He tries to pathetically joke, but Clyde continues to whine. "...come on son, it's your birthday! You shouldn't be like this! Tell me what's wrong."
Clyde turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "Nobody knew it was my birthday. They all forgot."
"Your friends you mean?"
"Yeah...even Craig..."
"But Craig always remembers your birthday?"
"Apparently not..."
"What about that girlfriend of yours?"

Clyde sighs, "Bebe? She didn't speak to me all day..."
"Nice of her."
"I know..." He says aggravated. His dad isn't really helping. He just wanted his mom here.
"I thought they'd at least remember...maybe they'd just be lying this whole time. Pretending to like me..."
"Don't be stupid Clyde. They wouldn't all pretend to like you."
"But they did Dad! They don't care!" He sinks his head back into the damp pillow, weeping some more.

His father, not being very comforting at all, decides to get up and leave him to his own matters. "...do you want anything? Like a drink or something to eat?"
"No thanks..."
"Let me know if you do, alright?"
He gives Clyde the thumbs up, before exiting the room.

When he's gone, Clyde reaches for his old tatty burgundy teddy bear and hugs it close to him, letting out more and more tears. He's had it since he was a small child, and it's the only thing that he can feel comfortable hugging right now. It might not hug him back, but it's still soothing for him.

Then his cell phone rings. It's Bebe. Does he want to answer her? After she's ignored him all day?

He decides to leave it. But then she rings again. And again after that. The third time, he decides to pick up, to shut his phone up.
"...hello?"
"Clyde? Hey it's me."
"...hi" Clyde says in a less than friendly manner.
"Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday!"
"...why didn't you say that to me at school today?"
He hears her swallow on the other side of the phone, "Well I couldn't find you at lunch..."
"What about in class huh? I was sat at the back and you didn't even notice me!" He starts to cry again, but forces himself not to whimper.
"I'm sorry but...honestly! I wanted to find you at lunch so I could surprise you! I'm not kidding!"
He rolls his eyes, "Yeah yeah..."

"Clyde! Just listen to me! I got caught in another girl problem and I needed to sort it out and-"
"And girl problems are more important than your boyfriend?"
"No! It’s just..." she sighs, "It was difficult. But I didn't forget your birthday! I even got you a present!"
"...you did?"
"Of course! I can't bring it over though, as I'm grounded..."

Almost immediately forgiving, Clyde's voice brightens up. "Well...I-I could come over and get it?"
"That'd be great! Well...when can you come over?"
"I'll come over right now!"
"Okay, I guess I'll see you in a few minutes!"
"Bye!"

Clyde smiles to himself. One of his biggest problems was that he was too gullible and forgiving. Nor would he hold grudges against people. He's a very easy-going guy. For all he knew, Bebe might not have even got him a gift. But knowing that at least his girlfriend had remembered his birthday, his day looked a whole lot better.

Clyde adored Bebe. Not just because she had a pretty face, or pretty hair, but he saw something in her that nobody else did. Most of the boys saw her as a slut, whereas he saw her as the nicest girl he'd ever met. Of course, this wasn't entirely true, and Bebe was in fact one of the biggest flirts and bitches in their grade. But she was nice to Clyde, and that's all he was bothered about. He liked to focus on her good qualities.

He sprung up from the bed and ran out of the room, leaving all of his used tissues for his dad to clean up. He made his way over to Bebe's house, and knocked on her front door. She answered with a warm smile on her face. "Hey"
"Hi babe, how are you doin-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Bebe had engulfed him in a tight hug around his waist.
"Happy birthday Clydykins~"
He blushed like a tomato, "heh...well thank you Bebe"
"You'd better come in! I'm supposed to be grounded, but my mom went out, and she'll be back pretty soon!"

He walks inside, and follows Bebe up to her room, full of bright pink girliness. Once in her room, she closes the door and starts rooting through her yellow school backpack. She extracts a small present wrapped in purple with stars on it. "Here"
He opens it up impatiently. It's the first present he's got all day, besides the few from his father and sister. The rest of Clyde's family lived far away and he'd never get their gifts until the day after. So this was the first gift he'd got from a non-family member. Not that he was expecting anymore...

"...Bebe..."
It's a Teddy bear. It looks almost identical to the one he has now, only it’s light brown rather than burgundy.

Clyde's "cool" side came out, as he held the bear in one hand, and put the other in his jacket pocket. He sat on his hip, "A teddy bear? Pssh. What, you think I'm a girl?" He jokes.
"No. But your dad told me how you like to cuddle the one you have now. Apparently it's getting really old and mucky, so I thought I should get you a new one!"

For a moment, he felt mad at his father for blurting out one of his guilty pleasures. But then, he realised it was cute of her to get him a new one. He went speechless, "I...um..."
"You knew I'd find out eventually, Clyde. You can't hide everything from me!-"

The sound of the front door opening made them both go silent. "Shit..." Bebe whispers, "Mom's home...you'd better go!"
"But how?" She points at the window, "it's not that much of a drop. Quick!"
She kisses his forehead before shoving him gently towards the window. He climbs out of the window, clumsily falling on his behind when landing. He starts to walk out of the back gate, but he turns around.
"Oh and Bebe..." "
Yeah?"
"Thank you."
She smiles before closing the window and disappearing back inside.

_____________________________________________________________________________________


Whilst walking home, Clyde runs into Craig, the last person he wanted to see. Since Craig lives directly next door to him, he had no choice but to pass his house. When Clyde saw him appear from inside his house, he attempted to walk straight past, hoping he wouldn't notice. But unfortunately for him, nobody else was around, and Craig spotted him instantly.

"Dude!" he approaches. Clyde had a hunch. Maybe he was here to apologise? Maybe they could forget about it and just be best friends again?

"...why are you being shitty with me? What's your problem?"

Nope.

"Craig, seriously. I don't want to talk to you right now"
"But what have I done?"
"You forgot my birthday."
"Like anybody else remembered..."
He expected something like that to come out of Craig, but it still hurt him to hear it. "You're my best friend. You always remember my birthday. What’s so different about this year?"
Craig hesitates, "...I don't know man, I've been busy..."
"Oh yeah..." Clyde retorts, "I've never known Craig Tucker to be busy. The Craig Tucker I know sits around at home all day, skips school, watches TV and eats junk food..."
"You mustn't know me."
Clyde glares, "You know it’s the truth!"
Craig looks away, "Whatever."
"Yeah. Whatever. I don't wanna talk to you anymore."

Clyde storms off towards his house. He notices a bright light coming from the front window. He opens the front door.

"Dad, why is there-"

A whole bunch of kids from his grade crowd his living room. He sees lots of familiar faces, Stan's group, the nerds, the girls. They all turn around to face him, and cheer at his arrival.
Clyde stands there, confused, "Whaa-"

A small group approaches him. Token, Tweek, and Jason.
"What is this?" Clyde asks obliviously.
"What do you think? It's your party!" says Jason.
"You didn't think we'd ACTUALLY forget, did you?" Token laughs.
"You're our best bro man! No way would we forget! AGH!" Tweek smiles.
"But you guys..." Clyde blushes, embarrassed that he got so upset over nothing.

Bebe appears behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder "...you're welcome"
"Wait...you mean YOU organised this?"
"Well I was in on it, yeah. But there's not only me you should thank!"
"Who?"

Then Craig walks in beside Bebe. "Happy birthday douche-canoe."
"You asshole." Clyde shoves him playfully.
Craig smirks, "What do you think of my acting?"
"Could use some work" he says sarcastically, "I mean, it’s not like you FOOLED me or anything..."
"That was the point. I'm glad it worked."

Clyde smiles, "So you did remember my birthday?"
"Of course. How could I forget Donovan Day?"