Hey guys, I'm finally finished with exams and all the busy things that have kept me away until now and I'm back with a one shot for the BTR Plot Adoption Forum's BTR song challenge. It's where you choose a BTR song and write a story based around it in any way you like. I obviously chose You're Not Alone. The challenge finishes very soon, but there is still time to take part yourselves. After the closing date, there is always a poll where anyone can vote for the winner of the challenge, so please support the forum by voting too!
I am already working on my next chapter for Blood Isn't Always Thicker because I know it's overdue, so keep an eye out for that also.
I hope you enjoy :)
Kendall turned when he heard his mobile ringing, wondering who would be calling at 9:21 pm, especially when all of his friends knew that he had a make-up test the next day – he blamed Carlos for infecting him with the flu after the Latino had a sneezing fit right next to him without any warning, leaving Kendall thoroughly grossed out and in need of a new t-shirt.
Still, he supposed he could take a break and see who kept making the incessant mobile vibrate with the opening bars of Incubus' Anna Molly. The crook that that was forming in the base of his spine spoke volumes for just how long he had been studying about all of the different molecular formulas and chemical equations. He stretched in several different ways, hearing multiple clicks from his sore joints as he walked over towards the bed.
Logan flashed across the screen of the device, which puzzled him deeply. Logan was on a date tonight. He and his other two best friends James and Carlos had been incredibly proud of him when he had quietly announced that Caitlin Staunton had come up to him during an AP English Literature class and asked if he wanted to go and see a movie with her. The small brunette had shrunk a little in surprise as the video game that the boys were immersed in was suddenly paused and then he had three teenage boys piling on top of him, ruffling his hair and patting him on the back.
Logan was a shy and timid boy by nature, much preferring the imaginary worlds in the novels that he read, rather than the volatile halls of their Minnesota high school, but for him to step out of his comfort zone and accept such a request, and then to continue the conversation with the pretty girl, as he had then told them, was a major achievement.
By now, the movie should have been well under way, and Logan wasn't one for disobeying the rules of public places. He always made sure to turn his mobile off way before the polite reminder flashed across the big screen. Something twinged in Kendall's stomach as he pressed the button to accept the call, but he hoped that his friend had somehow managed to inadvertently turn on the phone without knowing and that all he would hear was the background music of the feature that he was viewing.
"Logan?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone, no sounds of the movie or anything, but Kendall was still cautiously optimistic that this was all a misdialling error and that after a few minutes he would be able to end the call and get back to his studying with no worry whatsoever.
But then there was the sound of a hitched breath and a small voice spoke through the device.
"K-Kendall?"
"Logan? Buddy, are you ok? I thought you would be in the movie with Caitlin by now."
A small sob broke out from the boy on the other end of the line and the hitched breaths quickened slightly.
"She-She was l-late…"
"Ok, did you miss the movie then? You could still do something else with her, you have time."
"N-No. She…I waited for o-over an hour."
Kendall didn't like the sound of where this was going. Logan was far too teary sounding for everything to be happy and merry over there and when someone was late for a date, in his experience it was only by ten minutes or so, not longer than an hour. To further this, Logan's stutter only came out when he was extremely nervous or upset, and whilst he knew that the brunette would have been trembling with first date nerves, he wouldn't have imagined him still stuttering after so long and suggested he was upset, not nervous.
"So…" he tried to think how he could phrase the question without making Logan more distraught, but there was no way around it, "what happened, Logie?"
"She t-turned up…the movie was at 7:45 and I g-got the big popcorn, you know, the one J-James always says you s-should get on a date because then y-you both have to s-share it in order t-to finish it," Kendall realised Logan was stalling, but he let him go on unhindered.
"S-She was-her friends w-were there t-too…a-and they s-started laughing at m-me. She couldn't b-believe I was s-still there. By that time the p-popcorn w-was cold and I had already considered g-getting another b-because I didn't want to l-look bad, I mean, James had spent so long h-helping me w-with advice and I d-didn't want to seem like a b-bad date- "
"Logie," Kendall interrupted gently, knowing that the brunette rambled when he was upset.
"I-It was a j-j-joke K-Kendall!"
Kendall's worst fears for his friend were now confirmed. An icy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach at the thought of sweet, innocent Logan being set up in such a way. The boy already lacked confidence and his self-esteem was, at times, non-existent. This really wasn't what he needed. He deserved to have had the best first date ever, but someone else had decided to take that privilege from him. The blonde's free hand clenched by his side, the other gripping his mobile more forcefully as he thought about what he wanted to do to those girls for hurting his best friend like this.
"K-Kendall?" came through the phone and he realised that he hadn't replied, too busy thinking of all the different ways revenge could be had.
"I'm here, Logie. Where are you now? Are you home? I'm going to come over, ok?"
"No, I-I didn't leave the m-movie theatre. There's- "his younger friend was again interrupted by a sob and couldn't finish what he had wanted to say.
"Ok, ok, shhh…it doesn't matter. I'll come and pick you up, yeah? And then we can come back to mine for some hot chocolate."
"Ok," was the impish response. Kendall started to pack away his binders and textbooks whilst using his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear. He had done enough for the test; it would hopefully be enough for a B anyway and if he was lucky, the teacher might even give him some time before the paper in class for some last minute studying.
Just as he was about to go downstairs and pull some shoes on, the whispery voice on the other end started up again. Kendall quickly righted the phone and held it properly in his hand, however he had missed what the brunette had said, mostly due to how quiet the statement had been.
"Sorry, buddy, what was that?"
"Ummmm…w-well…" the boy huffed at his own hesitation at how to phrase what he was going to say and then suddenly said "c-can you come in the back entrance?"
Kendall's brows furrowed at the odd request. "Logan, you know the front entrance is better. The back entrance leads on to that one-way street and we have to go all around the houses."
"C-Can you? P-please K-Kendall, p-please!"
The mounting hysteria in the boy's voice rose to its peak by the end of the short sentence, so that he was literally begging Kendall. He sounded frightened and ashamed of the question, but firm in his choice no matter what.
"Logan…" Kendall suspected that there was something that his friend wasn't telling him, something connected to the front entrance, which was why he was so adamant that he didn't want to leave that way. He knew from the many times that he went to the movies with any of his friends that they never went the back way, only ever if the roads on the other route were closed.
Logan must have gotten the hint, even if he couldn't see the blonde through his phone. All three of the Knight family had the ability to be able to get you to tell them anything when they wanted you to. Whether it be the look in their eyes or the tone of their voice, there was no swindling your way out. And this ability was coupled with the power to be able to tell if ever anyone was keeping anything from them. Together, both were an unbeatable force.
It was why, if any of them had a secret, Kendall was always the first to know and the first to find out exactly what it was as well. The boys had dubbed it his 'sixth sense'.
Logan whimpered out a sigh. "T-There's…they're s-still outside."
"Who? The girls?"
"Yeah, t-them…a-and…a-and some of the f-football t-team."
"Logie…are they waiting for you?"
An affirmative sob was heard down the line and Kendall didn't need to know anymore. However, Logan supplied him with more anyway.
"T-They h-have their p-phones and c-cameras. They want t-to get a s-shot of me coming out c-crying to post a-all over the s-school…I h-heard t-them…" Logan tapered off, his voice cracking as he dissolved into more sobs and unintelligible sounds.
With reassurance to Logan that he would be right back, Kendall raced downstairs and threw on his jacket haphazardly, barely managing to force a pair of shoes on the right feet as he picked up the keys to his mom's car (he was so glad at this point that he had managed to pass his driving test), only just remembering to briefly tell his mom where he was going and what was happening.
"I'm going to pick Logan up from the movie theatre and then I'm going to bring him back here," he then quickly added, as though not to seem impolite, "is that ok, Mom?"
Jennifer Knight came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel. "Yes, that's fine, honey. Is everything alright?"
Kendall weighed the decision of telling his mom or not about Logan's situation, but he knew she would figure it out when he brought him home anyway, "Logan's been stood up on his date."
"Oh the poor thing," Mrs Knight tutted as she thought of the most sensitive of her son's best friends, "are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"No, Mom, thank you, but I think Logan doesn't need anyone else getting involved, he's embarrassed enough as it is. I'm just going to bring him here and get him some hot chocolate to calm him down. Hopefully that'll help at least a little bit."
"I'm so proud of you," Jennifer stepped forward and placed the palms of her hands on Kendall's cheeks. She brought his head down – these boys needed to stop growing – and kissed him on the forehead. "Now go and help your friend. And don't worry about the hot chocolate, I'll get onto that for you."
Kendall stepped out into the frigid night air, being glad that he had thought to wear gloves and his thickest coat. As an afterthought, he grabbed a few blankets from the living room, which he sat on the passenger side of the car. With that, he resumed his call with Logan.
"Hey, buddy? I'm going to be right there ok? I'm in the car right now, and I'll come round the back entrance so no one sees you. I'm going to have to end the call, is that ok?"
"Y-Y-Yes," Logan replied, "t-thank y-you. Bye."
Now, Kendall was always a careful driver, especially because with the temperatures in Minnesota, you could never be sure that there wouldn't be any black ice to skid on, but this time he did speed a bit to get to his destination, not that he would admit it, especially not to his mother. Before long, he was pulling into the small and relatively hidden back parking lot, braking sharply and not caring for the wonkiness of his car in-between the bay lines. All he was worried about was Logan.
He found the small brunette huddled into a ball on one of the sofas that had been placed there for people who had arrived early and needed to wait for their movie. He flinched slightly when Kendall placed a hand on his shoulder, but once he saw the blonde, he uncurled and flung his arms around him. Kendall could hear the sniffles re-starting and simply held Logan there for a few minutes.
"I know, Logie, I know."
However, the back lobby of the movie theatre wasn't really the best place to talk about all that had gone on, so, as gently as he could, Kendall guided Logan out through the doors and towards his car. He didn't miss the way Logan's eyes darted around the parking lot as he checked for any of teens out front that might have decided to check the back, but luckily no one was around, bar a few alley cats.
Opening the passenger side for his friend, Kendall scooped up the blankets and waited until his friend was situated before draping them over his lap, making sure that the brunette would not go cold. He had made sure to grab the fluffiest of their collection to ensure that Logan had as much comfort as possible.
The ride home was relatively silent, apart from the snivels from Logan and the faint music playing from the stereo, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Logan just simply didn't want to divulge all of his feelings in that moment, and Kendall thought that waiting until they were back home was better anyway. Although, he did ask one question as there were entering his street.
"Have you let your dad know that you'll be round mine for a few hours?"
Logan made a noncommittal sound from his throat as he glanced at the blonde out of the corners of his eyes, "he's away on business again, won't be back until next Monday."
A flare of anger brewed within Kendall at the admission, learning that Logan was left home alone again, but he knew that Logan didn't like discussing his father's avoidance of his parental role and besides, he needed to focus on the hurt that Logan was feeling now rather than the emotional grievances that had been caused by Mr Mitchell for years. He, James and Carlos were still working on that one.
As soon as he was in the driveway, Kendall switched the engine off and again led Logan, this time into the house and up the stairs into his bedroom. He switched the light on and sat the brunette on his bed, before going through his drawers and pulling out an old pair of pyjamas that were too small for him, which he always kept if ever Logan or Carlos forgot theirs whilst staying the night.
"Forget going back home, you're staying the night. In fact, you're staying until your dad gets back from his trip. Mom won't mind, she loves you."
Logan gratefully accepted the pyjamas and he and Kendall got dressed and ready for bed, knowing that their big conversation was still to come. Kendall had a big double bed, and so one of the boys would always share one side of it during sleepovers. They usually drew straws to see who would have to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor.
At that moment, as if she had been watching and knew what was to come, Mrs Knight entered with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, topped with generous amounts of whipped cream and marshmallows. The boys accepted and she said her goodnights, dropping a kiss on each of their heads.
Logan sipped his hot chocolate, his shoulders relaxing a little as the warmth spread and did wonders for his shot nerves. He paused before his next sip and looked directly at Kendall.
"Why do you think she did that?" he whispered.
Kendall put his own drink down on the nightstand so that he could give Logan his full attention. "Why'd she do it? Because she's an arrogant and stuck up bully, Logan. She wanted to see you hurt and exploit your trust and loyalty."
"But then maybe I deserved it," Logan's already red eyes welled with tears again, "everyone wants to make fun of the cowardly nerd in the corner, laugh behind his back and hurt his feelings. Maybe it's all I'm good for…m-maybe I'll n-never have a proper g-girlfriend, they'll all be l-like Caitlin. A-And m-maybe I'll e-end u-up a-alone a-and and- "Logan's tears spilled over and Kendall pulled the boy over into his lap as he sobbed, careful of the drink that the other was still holding.
"Don't you ever think that about yourself, Logan. No one deserves to be treated like that in a million years, especially not someone as kind and caring as you. You're smart, yes, but that brilliant mind doesn't make you a nerd. You're shy at times, but when you get to know someone you give them everything you've got. It's only how those ignorant people see it which is why you get so much underserved hate. But that's because they're ignorant, and it won't get them very far after high school, trust me. But you, with all of your intelligence and generosity and humility will never be alone. You'll find an amazing girl who treats you right and have an amazing career and family. And you'll always have me, James and Carlos. We're not going anywhere."
Logan's sobs continued even after Kendall had finished his piece, but they didn't have the same heart-wrenching melancholy as before. Yes, they still held sadness, but it was a sadness that, over time, could be forgotten about. Eventually he calmed down until he was only hiccupping every now and again and the two sat there quietly.
"It's hard…" he finally concluded, suddenly exhausted from all of the exertion, "all these people constantly pick on me and put me down. But I know I have all of you, and I know that eventually I'll come out on top of all of them. Thank you, Kendall."
"It's my pleasure," Kendall replied, watching as Logan finished the last of his hot chocolate. "Right, how's about we get some sleep? We do have school tomorrow."
Logan sighed and nodded, and both teens climbed underneath the comforter on Kendall's bed, getting into comfortable positions for sleep. The blonde turned the light out and all was silent as they relaxed more after the evening that had been experienced.
"I mean it, Kendall," Logan whispered softly into the darkness, "thank you, for always being there for me."
Kendall's reply was almost automatic, his eyes closed and mind already stumbling into sleep, but aware enough to respond to his friend's question.
"You're not alone, Logan. You'll never be alone."
Thank you for reading! I really hoped you liked it and I really appreciate any follows, favourites and reviews. Please tell me what you think!
~swagUPwindowsDOWN :) x
