Wow, this took forever for me to write! Like, nearly a week at this point. But it turned out really great :D ... I hope. Lol. There's lots of KenJo friendship/loving in here, some Jett bashing, which i have become such a big fan of doing after writing my story "Campus Crush" (by the way, a big KenJo fan? Go check it out, it's amazing, if i do say so myself :P), and other amazing stuff. This was so hard for me to write, and i'm praying it turned out well. Review and let me know?
All songs throughout this chapter are mentioned towards the bottom if you're interested in hearing any of them. I highly suggest you do. They're amazing, and definitely a good listen. You won't regret it. Especially check out the one that inspired the title for this oneshot, it's one of my absolute favorite songs.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tristan Valley, California (which I am happily the mayor of :P) and the teachers I mentioned.
"You see this right here?" an eighteen year old with blonde shaggy hair questioned his classmates, gesturing towards the picture he and his Latino friend drew on the chalkboard. "This is what Jo Taylor looks like in the morning," he announced, placing the hot pink colored chalk down on the metal holder.
The substitute, a former student at Tristan Valley High School, rolled his eyes and continued jotting down the last of his notes to the regular Physics teacher. He was young, just graduating from UCLA the previous summer with a teaching degree, and had just started participating in a student-teaching program. The rest of the class snickered as the blonde, seventeen year old girl's jaw dropped with a playful gasp.
"Yeah? And how would you know?" the brunette sitting beside her chimed in. The rest of their classmates chuckled and oohed at the shaggy haired student standing in the front of the room. He only had time to respond with a dirty look before the bell rang at 2:15 sharp, signaling the end of the school day. The other seniors and juniors began to file out of the classroom, the young brunette turning to Jo with her books in her hand as she got up from her own desk. "I'll see you down by the chorus room later," she said with a light chuckle in her tone, still laughing at the picture on the board, which Carlos Garcia coined as "The Physics Devil" about five minutes prior. It truly was the strangest… thing she'd ever seen. It wouldn't even be considered a creature (or critter, like the weird Biology teacher would call his students everyday), because it was so abnormal – squiggle shaped eyes, the obvious devil horns, an afro hairstyle, a tiny stick figure body, an outrageously large head, strands of hair poking out of its ears, a snake tongue slithering past its large pink lips, and, to top it all off, a giant bow in his or her hair.
"Alright, see you soon, Cam," Jo assured her with a smile as she stood up from her own seat, hugging her binder and graphing calculator to her chest. Camille gave her a nod and her own warm smile before following the last few students out the door. Jo took the opportunity to walk up to her two friends still standing by the blackboard, planning the witty remarks that she was sure she'd be using with the taller blond in the next few moments.
"Be sure to tell Carson that this is what we thought of that quiz she gave us!" Carlos reminded the substitute, pointing a finger at the Devil drawing, as he pulled the straps of his heavy and worn out backpack over his broad shoulders.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the sub said in a light, sarcastic tone with a wave of his hand. The energetic Latino was satisfied with that answer and rushed out the door to go to the weight room. "See ya soon, Kendall!" he made sure to call back to his friend.
Both Kendall and Carlos were on the Tristan Valley Warriors' record setting ice hockey team. They had won many high school championship games all across California, even going to Nationals the previous year for the first time in twenty years. They didn't win, but it was still a big feat for the school. Of course, Kendall, the team captain and starting center for the Warriors, led them to victory at just about every game they have played. Practice was held at the ice rink about five minutes away from the high school, the team spending three or four days a week there practicing or playing, and then there was the occasional workouts in the weight room, where they were to meet right after school today.
Jo smirked at Carlos and turned to her best friend standing in front of her. "I swear, Knight, one more crack like that about me…" Jo trailed off with an obvious smirk playing on her lips, pointing her finger at the blond.
"And what, Jo?" he asked with a stern voice and smug grin as he stepped toward her. "What are you gonna do to me, huh?" he asked, his tone changing to bold and cocky, as he raised one of his dark, thick eyebrows at the girl.
"Whatever, I don't have time for this," Jo voiced, turning on her heel to exit the classroom.
"Hey, come back here blondie!" Kendall roared as he stormed out of the room, chasing after Jo. The female blonde was already in a heap of laughter as she was pulled by the waist up into the air, and was twirled around by Kendall.
"No, Kendall! Kendall!" Jo squealed, holding her stuff closer to her so she was sure they wouldn't drop onto the ground. She knew all too well that the two friends were getting odd stares by teachers and a few other students, and rumors of them dating were sure to circulate amongst the student body, again. But she didn't care. This was how she and Kendall interacted on a day to day basis. It just worked for them. It was how they cliqued, and nothing or no one dared to tamper with their system.
"Now, what are you going to do to me?" he asked in a mock threatening tone, stopping his spinning motions for a second as Jo recomposed herself.
Her laughter died down as she turned to look at Kendall, her brown eyes locking with his soft jade ones. "Nothing, I swear," she giggled, holding her free hand up in surrender.
"Are you sure?" Kendall asked, preparing to spin her again.
"Yes, I'm sure. Put me down!" she begged. Kendall chuckled and released his grip on her, setting her slim body down onto the tiled floor of the hallway.
"Okay, now that we know where your priorities lie again," he started with a smart, but still playful tone as Jo spun herself around. She rolled her eyes and let him continue as they stepped toward her locker, where Kendall had oh so conveniently set her down near. "What's the plan for tonight?" he asked, leaning his hand against one of the top the gray metal lockers as Jo knelt down to hers, spinning the lock to put in her combination.
"Well, I have to go talk to Mr. Shea about the next Enviro Club meeting," she thought aloud, setting down her binder as she pulled the metal door open. "And Thompson is having us meet at the chorus room to help set up for Open Mic Night around 2:30, and we'll just be in there setting up until five-ish," she added. At the mention of the time, she snatched her cell phone out of the pocket in her shorts to check the time, seeing that it was two-twenty right now.
Open Mic Night was an event sponsored by the school's literary magazine, held about two or three times a year. It took place in the chorus room, which would be temporarily redesigned for the night with comfortable chairs and couches, different lighting, and anything else to make a soft, laidback atmosphere for the performers and audience. Coffee and desserts were available, free admission, extra credit being offered by some teachers to students who simply showed up, and some of the school's most talented students showcasing their work. Kendall was amongst them, already signed up to perform a cover song with his guitar. Fellow hockey teammate (and one of his own best friends) James was singing later tonight as well. Both of them had agreed to come and help set up for the night when they were done in the weight room. Carlos would probably come to help as well, along with the final member in their group, Logan. Mrs. Thompson, a teacher at Tristan Valley and the main editor for the said literary magazine, was in charge of the night.
"Great," Kendall said with a nod as Jo continued to sort out the mess that was her locker. "We're done with our workouts around four-thirty, five o'clock the latest, so just tell her we'll be there late," he told Jo.
She looked up at him with a smirk on her face. "What if I don't want you there?" she asked teasingly.
Kendall sent a glare her way. "Watch it, Taylor," he threatened lightly. "Keep this up, and I won't even sing tonight," he went on, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest as if to show his authority over the blonde kneeling on the floor in front of him.
"Uh-huh," she chimed as she pulled a brown messenger bag out of her locker and secured it around one of her shoulders, picking up the small stack of books that were at her feet as she stood up. "And, how exactly will that keep me from messing with you?" she pondered, adjusting her bag once again.
A smirk graced Kendall's chiseled features, dimpling his face slightly in a way that Jo unexplainably loved. "I've known you since the seventh grade," Kendall reminded her, making Jo cock one of her thin eyebrows in confusion as to where this was going. Kendall's smiled widened, transforming into a demon, devilish one that began to worry her. "Do you know how much dirt I have on you?" Kendall questioned rhetorically. "I'm in Creative Writing with you, you know. I do write great poems, according to Thompson. I can probably come up with one on the spot that's all about you, and read that tonight instead," he continued.
Both of Jo's dark eyebrows shot up at this point. "You wouldn't…"
"Ooh, maybe I can turn it into a song!" he added as an afterthought excitedly.
Jo shook her head. "You wouldn't!" she repeated, a small smile forming even though she was trying to hide it. Kendall simply ignored her, and turned to jog down the hall in the direction of the gymnasium and locker rooms. A large smirked stretched across Jo's pink glossed lips as she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
It was just after four o'clock when the group of students finished decorating the chorus room for Open Mic Night, and everyone was definitely pleased with their work. Now, there were fifteen to twenty teenagers scattered around the room, lounging on the couches and chairs that were brought in from various rooms around the school as they waited for Mrs. Thompson's approval.
Within the last hour and a half, the choir room had gone through a complete transformation. Or as much of a transformation as you could for a one-night-only event. The room was built with tiered level flooring, which were already lined with chairs for the various Chorus and Music Theory students throughout the day. Some of those chairs were rearranged, and even a few were set aside so there would be room for additional, more comfortable seating arrangements. Old, black leather couches were brought in from the senior lounge, as well as some of the plush chairs from the faculty lounge and guidance office, and one of the juniors even brought in a few of his old videogame chairs from home.
The front of the room had the piano centered and turned on an angle so the space surrounding it would fit two large speakers, a few microphone stands, and an amplifier for anyone who wanted to use an electric guitar. The large white board along the wall had strands of white Christmas lights dangling from the top, and would twinkle once they were plugged in. There was a large sheet of black, see-through fabric covering the front board so it would give off a "starry night feel," according to Mrs. Thompson. Even the walls were bordered with the same lights. A few lamps were borrowed from the guidance office and teachers as well – one resting on the piano, and two resting on wooden pillars stolen from the drama department. There was a table in the back with grocery bags across it, containing cookies and doughnuts and fruits that would be available for consumption during the event.
If Jo had to say so for herself, they did a good job with the place.
"Alright, nice job you guys," Mrs. Thompson complimented her students just after four o'clock that afternoon. She was mostly everyone's favorite English teacher. She was young, just celebrating her thirty-first birthday about a month prior. She was laidback, calm, witty, and cheerful in with everyone in all of her classes. "And we're done early, too, well done," she added, earning a small round of applause and an amount of cheers from her students standing around the room.
"So, I say we turn off the lights and see how this whole thing looks, huh?" Mrs. Thompson suggested. Mere seconds later, one of the juniors ran to the top level of the room and flicked the light switch. The room went dark, the lamps and twinkling Christmas lights illuminating a soft dim throughout the space.
A few hollers were heard from the guys in the room, as well as a few scattered ooh's and ah's from other people, before the main lights were turned back on. "Alright, give yourselves a hand guys," Mrs. Thompson's announced in a chipper voice, followed by fifteen teenagers clapping their hands and a few more scattered cheers all around. "Okay, the pizza won't be here until five, maybe later, so you guys can go do your homework, scavenge the building for a bit, help yourselves to snacks," she paused, gesturing towards the bag of tangerines and water bottles that mostly everyone had been snacking on for the last hour, "do whatever you want, just behave," she ended on a stern note, but still kept her tone light.
After another couple of minutes of witty banter between students and their teacher, everyone rearranged themselves around the room, already setting their belongings where they wanted to sit that night. Jo, Camille, and their friend Stephanie set their stuff down on one of the black leather couches from the senior lounge.
"We're here!" James' voice boomed through the room as he pulled the door open.
"Whoopdie doo," Camille muttered sarcastically, making Jo attempt to hide her laughter as she saw four members of the hockey team walk into the room. As per usual, James was the only one who didn't change out of his workout clothes. Jo resisted the urge to roll her eyes, noticing that James was only in his white wife beater and Adidas track pants, sweat still glistening on his perfectly toned arms, while the other guys were in their regular clothes.
Mrs. Thompson greeted them and explained how everything was taken care of already. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan all took that as the opportunity to sit around and do nothing, already making a beeline towards the couch the three girls were occupying in the back. Well, all except James, who had already started flirting with a couple of sophomores that were rehearsing their duet for later that night.
"No, no, no!" Stephanie squealed as Carlos wedged his way in between her and Camille.
"Get off!" Camille laughed lightly at Logan, who was already trying to sit between Jo and her, nearly squishing the blonde between his body and the arm of the couch.
Jo groaned. "You guys are pigs, you know that?" she asked, not to any guy in particular.
"Yes," Kendall answered confidently, throwing himself down on a chair next to the couch, sitting on Jo's end. "But you love us for it," he added.
"Uh-huh, we'll see," Jo responded as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, alerting a new text message. Her facial expression dropped slightly as she noticed who it was from, but quickly hid it, as well as her phone, to keep a cheerful attitude.
But it didn't go unnoticed.
There was a reason Kendall was her best friend.
She continued talking with the rest of the group for a few minutes, her tone enthusiastic and witty with every sentence she said to her friends. It wasn't until her phone buzzed again with another text message that she had decided to excuse herself.
"Hey, I'll be right back," she announced to the group as she got up and off the couch, taking her phone out again.
"What, you're leaving now?" Carlos questioned. "I'm just getting to the good part!"
"Yeah, I get it. The tarantula crawled onto Steph's notebook in Enviro, she freaked out, and the whole class laughed. Ha-ha, so funny," she ended sarcastically, jumping up off the couch again. "Later, see ya, bye," she said as she turned towards the door, eager to make a quick getaway.
"But that's not the end of it!" Carlos called after her. Jo just responded with a raise of her hand to show she wasn't paying attention, still walking to the door as she flipped her phone open.
Kendall watched her walk away, trying to keep a keen eye on her body language. Something was up, he could tell. Unless she was PMSing, she never switched attitudes that quickly, and her period was last week. The only way he knew that was the fact that she had complained to him (and Camille and Stephanie, of course) most of the week about her cramps and the lack of Midol in her house.
But this was different.
He could tell something wasn't right. He could tell by the uncomfortable expression on her face when Jo opened her cell phone. He could tell when her pace slowed down as she stepped into the hallway and began her aimless stroll. He could tell by the way her shoulders had slumped down and forward. He could even tell by how she ran her free hand through her hair and pushed her long bangs back, an obvious sign that she was stressed. And it oddly scared him to think something was happening with Jo that he didn't know about at all.
"Geez, what's got her in a pissy mood?" Carlos regained Kendall's attention, asking the question to the group once Jo was out of earshot. That confirmed Kendall's predictions about her sudden mood change, knowing that their friends noticed it as well. "Is she on her period or something?"
Stephanie reached behind her back for the red and orange pillow she was resting against, quickly slamming it hard into the Latino's chest. He shouted and groaned in pain, even though it didn't cause him any harm. "What did we tell you?" she asked, pointing a finger between her and Camille. "Never, under any circumstance, ask a girl if she's on her period, or PMSing, or anything of the sort," she scolded teasingly.
"But Kendall asks her all the time!" he screamed in defense.
James strolled up to the group at this point. "Asks who what?" he asked curiously, taking a sip from a water bottle he grabbed before rejoining his friends that sat in the back of the room.
"About Jo and her monthly-" Carlos went to say, but was quickly elbowed in the ribs by the two brunettes sitting on either side of him. "OWW!" he exclaimed, bringing a hand up to his chest to massage the impacted area. "That actually hurt!"
Camille smirked. "Good, you deserve it," she responded.
"Alright, alright, relax you guys," Logan butted in, deciding that as amusing as the conversation was getting, it wasn't nice to invade on Jo's privacy as much as they were. "I'm sure Jo is fine. Besides, she looked like she probably had to take a call or something," he suggested in the blonde's defense, much to Kendall's slight relief.
Kendall nodded, leaning forward in his seat so he was back in the conversation with his friends. "Yeah," he agreed with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "It's probably nothing," he said with a careless grin, more to reassure himself and his suspicions than he was to the others.
"Okay," James said a second or two later, still clueless as to what everyone was talking about, even with Jo out of the room. "Enough confusion on my part. Oh, and by the way Steph… SPIDER!" he exclaimed.
"Where, where?" Stephanie shrieked frantically, jumping up and off the couch in fear as fast as she could. James chuckled and plopped down in Stephanie's previous spot, earning a fist bump and laugh from Carlos.
"Nice, dude," he said, leaning back to relax into the cushions. Stephanie just glared at the two of them.
"Screw you," she muttered.
Ten minutes later, and Jo still wasn't back yet.
Kendall couldn't help but feel worried. Jo never acted this way unless it was for a good reason. And being the awesome best friend he was, he needed to know what that reason was. If Jo looked so upset to simply open her cell phone, something was going on.
The group had quickly changed topics after James stole Stephanie's seat. But the blond of the group hadn't been paying attention in the last five minutes. He quickly grew worried, much to his dismay. If it was what Logan had suggested and it was a simple phone call, it definitely would not take more than ten minutes to talk to someone. In fact, he couldn't think of one person in Jo's phone (except her ex) that would be on the phone with her for more than ten minutes. Besides him and their mindless discussions, of course.
If Kendall was worrying inwardly five minutes ago, he was near panicking right now.
Once there was a break in the conversation and everyone was laughing at something James said, Kendall made a move to get up and out of his chair. "Hey, I'm just gonna go check on Jo, see what's taking her up so long," he said as he stood up.
He received some nods and see-you-later's, no one really being surprised by the declaration. Everyone knew how close their relationship was, and it really wasn't that surprising that he was going to check up on their friend. If anything, it surprised them more that he hadn't left to go find her earlier .
"Wow, I'm so glad to see how much you care to have me stick around," he said sarcastically, jabbing at how they tried to question Jo into staying when she left earlier, and how opposite their actions were now.
"It's because we love you, man. You know that," Logan smiled brightly, patting his friend on the back in a loving gesture.
"Yeah, whatever," Kendall muttered with a smirk, getting up out of his chair and making his way out of the room.
He wasn't sure where to go exactly, but started going in the direction Jo had walked down earlier. That would make sense, right? He made his way down the hallway, past the Fuse and Vitamin Water vending machines and the doorway to the gym. He was just about to round the corner where the ladies' room was located, but stopped abruptly when he heard soft sobs coming from the room.
"What the…?" he asked himself, stepping towards the wooden door. It couldn't be Jo crying in there. She was a strong girl. A strong, bubbly, sarcastic, fun-loving, caring girl. She rarely ever cried unless it were something serious.
But if it wasn't her, who was crying in the bathroom? No, it couldn't be.
Or could it… No, she's fine. Jo would never breakdown in public like that. It wasn't in her character to do something like that.
Then again, it was worth a shot to find out who was.
Kendall brought his fist up to the door and knocked softly. "Hello…?" he questioned to whoever sat in the room. There was no direct response, so he tried again, knocking a little harder than before. "Hello?" he repeated, his tone sounding more concerned. Again, he was met with additional soft cries and a few sniffles. Jo's cries.
Kendall went to turn the doorknob, only to find that the girl had locked herself in. He knocked again. "Jo, is that you?" he asked cautiously.
In the bathroom, Jo was huddled underneath the paper towel dispenser, her knees pulled to her chest as she rested her forehead against them, tears falling down her face and landing on her legs, bare from the short denim shorts she had worn due to the hot California weather.
At realization that Kendall was the one knocking on the other side of the door, she picked her head up and started waving away any remaining tear streaks on her face. "Y-Yeah…" she answered, trying to keep her voice from wavering.
"Jo… Jo, let me in… please?" Kendall asked through the door. The blonde hesitated for a minute, still trying to recompose herself as she smoothed her hair back to its original sleek and straightened look and steadied her rather heavy breathing. "Just for a minute, I promise," Kendall tried again.
Now, normally she'd snap a witty comeback at him about how this indeed was the girls' bathroom, and that she'd have to consider him to be a girl for the rest of his young life if he came in. But her clouded brain wasn't cooperating with her at the moment. Jo sighed deeply and slowly got up, dusting off her clothes as she stepped over to the door and flicked the lock so it would open. She made her way back to the area under the paper towel dispenser, calling, "Door's open," halfheartedly as she sat back down on the tiled floor.
Kendall cautiously opened the door, glancing over the immediate area as he stepped forward. If he wasn't so concerned about his best friend, he'd be freaking about maybe getting caught by someone on the administration, and could risk missing the hockey game that weekend for even simply opening the door. But he didn't care at that point. All that mattered was calming Jo down, find out what happened to make her so upset, and get her back into the chorus room in time for pizza and Open Mic Night, especially the latter of the two. He needed her to be there to hear him sing. Jo was his number one fan. And besides, if she missed it, she'd beat herself up about it tomorrow morning at school and beg him nonstop for an encore until he obeyed her requests. So, for his sanity, she needed to be back there on time. Though, Kendall had to admit, he wouldn't totally mind the complaining or the begging, and would even love to give her that encore performance.
Whoa, where did that come from?
He made his way further into the bathroom, walking down a mini hallway that was about six or seven feet long before rounding a corner and facing a wall that was lined with sinks. It only took a second to spot the distressed blonde in front of them. Jo was sitting on the floor, her head propped up on one elbow with her other hugging her bare knees to tightly her chest, a sniffle escaping her body every so often. The flowy white t-shirt she wore was bunched up in front of her abdomen from having her body curled into a ball for the last few minutes, and tear streaks were evident on her face.
"Jo…" Kendall breathed out, rushing to his best friend's aid. Jo looked up immediately as he kneeled in front of her, shoving the blonde hair away from her face. "Look at you… you look terrible" he said, glancing over the girl in front of him once more and smirking at the end with a soft and witty tone, hoping to get even the slightest of laughs out of her.
Jo smirked back before ducking her head in embarrassment. She did not look good, to say the least, and she knew it. Her usually bright and alive dark brown eyes were red and swollen, and shined with a fresh batch of unshed tears. She never wore a lot of makeup to school, but Kendall noticed that there were a few small, black smudges just under her eyes from the mascara and the little bit of eyeliner she'd put on everyday, currently smeared in her crying. Her knees were still hugged to her chest, and they even had a few dark smears in the area where her thighs and knees met, most likely a result from when she had her head down earlier. Her hair was still a mess from when she had run her hand through it so many times, even having a few strands stick up at odd places.
"God, Jo, what happened?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood as he tucked another couple strands of hair behind her ear. Jo didn't respond, but kept her gaze down on the floor, only to have Kendall tilt her chin up so her eyes met his own. "What happened?" Kendall repeated his question. The blonde girl gazed down again, shoving her hand back in her pocket to retrieve her cell phone. She instantly went to the Messages section of the device and went to her inbox before giving it to Kendall.
"Check all the ones from Jett," she answered and sniffled, bringing a hand to swipe at her face incase any other tears leaked out.
"What?" Kendall questioned confusedly, but received no response out of her. He snatched the cell phone away from her grasp and instantly looked over the numerous text messages that were sent to her in the last twenty minutes. All of them tried to get a similar point across to Jo…
I hate u.
- Jett
You are my enemy!
- Jett
I don't luv u anymore.
- Jett
You fuckin dump me for the hockeyheads?
- Jett
You dirty fucking slut.
-Jett
Better pray I dont run into Knight anytime soon…
- Jett
There were ten more text messages alike with similar comments, phrases, and insults. The last of them was the only one that had threatened Kendall, but didn't worry the usually hotheaded hockey player. It took a lot to scare him. "You didn't respond to any of these, did you?" Kendall asked, going back to the main menu of Jo's phone.
Jett Stetson was Jo's first real boyfriend. They had been together for the last two years until their sudden and abrupt breakup about a month, maybe a month and a half ago. They have definitely had their ups and downs, especially considering they went to two separate high schools in southern California – Jett attending Burbank High School in a much more urban area while Jo and all of her friends lived in the small seaside resort that was Tristan Valley, just outside of Los Angeles County. Jett's biggest concern was Jo's super close friendship to what he liked to call "the hockey heads," Kendall in particular for obvious reasons. Though they had been together for so long, things weren't headed in the direction Jo had hoped for. There cheating allegations made towards both parties, and Jett had tried to force drinks down her throats at a few of the clubs in the city, something she definitely was not too comfortable with. Jett complained at any and every hockey game Jo would bring him to so she could support the Warriors and her friends, and his friends would hit on her nearly every time they hung out with them, adding on to the discomfort factor.
And it didn't take until now for Jett to start bashing out at Jo and "the hockey heads" yet again. The main source of her tears: the slut accusations, and the one that had threatened Kendall's wellbeing.
She nodded sheepishly. "Just once," she answered.
Kendall's head shot up with a deer-in-the-headlights look. "What?" he questioned. "Are you insane? That's just setting yourself up for more abusive texts," he told her.
Jo sniffled. "I-I know, I'm sorry," she apologized, another sob eliciting from her throat and the floodgates opening yet again. Kendall instantly regretted his words and went to say something, but she beat him to it. "I-I just asked him w-why he was saying all that stuff… a-and it w-was just the o-one message, I swear," she promised, looking up at the boy in front of her. Kendall nodded and allowed her to continue, bringing his free hand to wipe away the tears that were falling down her face. "A-And then he started accusing me of dating you or o-one of the guys, and he started calling me a slut and a whore and… and once he sent that last message, I-I just got so freaked out, b-because he c-can hurt you if he really wanted to, K-Kendall. He really could!" she said, starting to sob uncontrollably again, but tried to keep the volume down so as to not freak him or anyone else out who would hear.
Kendall's heart instantly broke hearing the whole story. He moved from kneeling in front of Jo to sitting next to her, wrapping an arm around her shaking frame as she continued to cry and rested her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on hers as well, attempting to shush his best friend as he rubbed his hand along her shoulder.
"Don't worry about any of that," he said softly into her ear before planting a kiss on the side of her head.
There were only a few very rare times that Jo would break down like this, and an even shorter list of people she'd allow to see her in that condition. Kendall was one of them, always being the first one by her side. He was there for her when her parents announced their divorce, and snuck into her bedroom that night with a pint of her favorite Ben & Jerry's and a copy of Step Brothers in his hands. He was there for her when her youthful grandmother died last year in a tragic car accident, and was one of the first people to show up at the funeral later that week. He was even there for Jo when Jett was at his worst. There was one night a few months back when he got her tipsy at a party in Hollywood, and then ditched her at her mother's house (she was away for business that weekend, much to her relief) for not "fulfilling his needs," as he put it. She called up Kendall in hysterics, and he picked her up and brought her to his house within minutes, and got her through her first hangover the next morning.
Only a true best friend would do all of that.
And only true best friends cry for one another's safety, much like Jo was doing right now.
"He could hurt y-you, Kendall!" she repeated hysterically. "W-What if he actually does something serious to y-you, like p-put you in a coma, or even k-kill you?" she questioned, continuing to cry into his plaid shirt.
A chuckle bubbled out of Kendall's throat. "You think he could actually take me on?" he questioned a few seconds later, when her cries and receded and calmed down a bit. He tipped her chin up to look at him again as he continued. "With James and Carlos and Logan?" he added, still smirking. "I mean, he and his friends are tough, but the four of us can take them no problem!"
Much to her dismay, a smile formed on Jo's face. "This isn't funny," she argued, swatting his hand away and releasing herself from his hold. That only earned another light laugh from Kendall. "Stop, I'm serious," she continued to fight, furiously wiping at her eyes again.
"I love you," Kendall said, smiling. "You're way too caring for your own good," he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her again and pulling her into his hold once more.
"I'm being serious," Jo fought weakly, melting into his embrace. Kendall always gave the best hugs.
"And I'm being serious, too," he replied, looking into her eyes again as she wiped the last of her tears away. "I appreciate the concern, I really do. That's why you're my best friend and no one else is," he said, tapping her nose lightly. The blonde giggled and shoved his hand away, sitting up as best she could in his arms. "And if Jett thinks you're a slut, then he has no idea what he's missing out on," he added reassuringly, knowing that he himself wasn't the only reason for her cries. Some of those insults could ruin a girl's self esteem for life.
Jo sniffled again and smiled warmly. "Thanks, Kendall. You're the best," she said graciously, wrapping both of her arms around him in a tight embrace.
He tightened his hold on her and wrapped his free arm around her frame again, moving a hand up and down to help soothe any other insecurities she may have felt. "So I've been told," Kendall responded with a chuckle, continuing to rub her back.
"Jerk," Jo smirked, sniffling again as she pulled away.
Kendall laughed and went to stand up, grabbing one of her still somewhat clammy hands to hoist her up along with him. "You're welcome," he grunted as he pulled her up. Jo giggled again and started rubbing under her eyes harshly, trying to rub away the smudged makeup. "You should probably wash off a bit before going back out there," Kendall suggested, noticing her actions.
She looked up with a smirk. "Good idea," she muttered, moving past Kendall towards the sink. She turned on the faucet and turned back to the blond boy behind her. "See, this is why we're best friends," she said, her smile widening into a teasing, playful one.
"Whatever, just wash your face off. It looks terrible," he said in a tone that matched hers. Jo giggled once again and started splashing the lukewarm water on her face.
Kendall smiled again and leaned up against the wall, unknowingly studying Jo's actions. He observed her as she tried to wipe away the dark smudges under her eyes, and how relieved her reflection looked in the mirror after he reconciled her. He felt a fluttering feeling warm up his entire stomach, just from seeing how relaxed and comfortable she had come to be in the last few minutes. He felt an urge to banter back and forth with her again, even though they were bound to do it again later in the night. And what weirded him out the most, he felt an even bigger urge to comfort her again. In a sickeningly way, he almost wanted Jett to send her another hurtful message so she'd collapse into his strong arms again.
"Kendall, can you grab a towel for me?" Jo's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. His head snapped up and he glanced back at her, noticing that she was turning the faucet off.
"Uh y-yeah, sure," he stammered, turning to the paper towel dispenser next to him and pushed down the lever a few times to grab one.
He could almost hear Jo's smile. "What'cha thinking about, Knight?" she asked teasingly. Kendall turned around harshly, ready to defend himself as he gave her the thick, coarse sheet in his hands that she had asked for.
"Nothing," he answered quickly. Wow, that was reassuring.
"Yeah, uh-huh, sure," she smirked, letting out a small string of laughter before going to dry her face.
"I swear, it was nothing!" Kendall defended, throwing his arms out to add emphasis.
She nodded. "Whatever you say…" Jo said in a sing-song voice as she stepped to the close by trashcan in the room. She turned back to face Kendall, her face now dry and refreshed, and her hair smoothed back into its straight hairdo as she stepped closer to him. "Thanks Kendall," she told him the second time that day, wrapping her arms tight around his middle in one last hug, "for everything."
Kendall's heart jumped for joy at the sudden contact, almost catching him off guard. He choked out a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her in return, pulling her body close to his in a tight embrace. "Anytime, Jo," he responded, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away. He didn't want to, actually enjoying the friendly hug more than he usually had. He had been noticing that a lot lately, how he seemed to cherish every small moment or little dialogue spoken between the two of them. It shocked him in one way, but didn't in another. In fact, the one thing that probably should have shocked him the most was that he should have recognized these feelings sooner. He pushed those thoughts aside, knowing that any escalation in their relationship was probably the furthest thing from Jo's mind at the moment. "So… you wanna head back to the chorus room?" he suggested.
Jo nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she agreed, instantly rounding the nearby corner and walking towards the door. Kendall followed, and the two made their way back to the chorus room.
"I wonder how much more of Carlos' epic story we missed," Kendall wondered aloud, using sarcasm when it was needed. Jo giggled lightly as they entered the room.
When they got in, there was a girl rehearsing her song by the piano and her melodic voice filling the room, as well as some chatter amongst other students in the room, and fits of laughter coming from their group over by the couch. "…So the iguana just goes up to Steph again, and starts flirting with her like usual, and TJ starts this whole thing up about two of them having an affair!" they heard Carlos' say, continuing his tarantula story from earlier.
Stephanie shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a lovable person," she added.
"Yup, I didn't miss a lot," Jo said sarcastically, shaking her head and laughing a little as she started making her way back to the couch. Kendall stayed put, making her turn her head around with a quizzical look on her face and a smile stretched across her lips. "You coming?"
Kendall shook his head and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Not now, I'll be there in a minute," he answered her. Jo smiled back and shrugged his answer off, jogging back over to her friends. With one last glance to make sure that Jo indeed was okay, Kendall stepped away and started making his way towards Mrs. Thompson as she started pulling Entenmann's boxes out of the grocery bags.
"Hey Mrs. Thompson. You got a sec?" he asked, hoping to get her attention.
The young English teacher's head snapped up, turning to see who was talking to her. "Sure Kendall, what's up?" she asked him coolly, starting to open up a box of powdered munchkins to put in a serving bowl.
He had no idea what had come over him, and still couldn't pinpoint what got him to make this decision earlier in the bathroom with Jo. But he couldn't fight away the urge to surprise Jo with it later on in the evening. He thought it was crazy, seeing as he had only finished writing the song only a few nights prior and hadn't planned on letting anyone hear it until he was certain that it was perfect.
"Would it be possible to make a change to the set list for tonight?"
When you're around me,
Life's like a movie scene.
I wasn't happy,
Until you became my queen.
I finally found you –
My missing puzzle piece.
I'm complete
It was just after seven o'clock that night, and Open Mic Night was in full swing. Many covers and original songs were sung, poems were read, and even a comical one-act play was performed by a few of the students in Drama. The room was lit the way it had been designed to be earlier, the food was half gone, and there were even more parents and students standing around in the back of the chorus room.
Jo was sitting on the couch her friends had occupied earlier, lounging back and resting comfortably in the position she had been in earlier before the bathroom incident and Logan had occupied her seat. Camille and Stephanie sat with her. Even Carlos had taken to lying on all three of the girls' laps, his head on Stephanie's lap and turned to face the makeshift stage. A paper plate filled with cookies and munchkins was resting on his stomach for he and the girls to munch on as they watched James (who had thankfully changed back into the brown button-up and jeans he had worn to school that day) sing and play a cover of "Teenage Dream" on the piano. Kendall and Logan sat in a couple of chairs close by, even talking occasionally with a few of their hockey teammates that had shown up a short while ago, and were stuck standing behind them.
Sitting next to Kendall was his black acoustic guitar, held up by his hand wrapped around the neck, his leg shaking up and down behind it.
That was weird, Jo had thought when she first noticed the quivering limb. He never got nervous before a performance. And he had no reason to be. Kendall had a gorgeous voice. It was melodic and perfectly raspy, and showed every side of his personality. It was the complete opposite of James', which had a very soulful vibe.
While Kendall was focused on his hockey and only used music as a fun hobby, it was James' passion. His dream was to move away from the beach resort and into the city of dreams that resided about fifty miles away. Of course, it helped that he was accepted into the music program in UCLA for the upcoming fall. James had been classically and vocally trained at a young age, and had been playing the piano since he was six. He even took guitar lessons when he was in eighth grade, and had been heavily involved in the high school choirs since freshmen year. Kendall only took up singing in junior high when his mother had forced him into joining choir. Now, he couldn't be more thankful. Since then, he had taken up guitar (around the same time James did) and taught himself how to play, and even took the opportunity to write a few original songs. He had even performed a few of them at countless Open Mics and talent shows without a second thought.
Now, he wasn't so confident, and Jo could see the nerves that danced around in his eyes.
James concluded his song a minute or two later, letting the last chord of the piano's sound bounce off of the walls in the room as everyone applauded his performance. The brunet stood from the bench, took a quick bow, and thanked the audience. Stephanie, the appointed emcee of the evening, shoved Carlos' head away from her lap and jogged up to the front.
She reached one of the microphone stands as James started making his way back to his seat next to Kendall and Logan. "Alright, how about another hand for James you guys, that was awesome," Stephanie complimented, the room's occupants cheering louder than they had previously as the taller, 6'1" senior basked in his own brief glory. "Okay, so up next, we have Kendall Knight-" she paused quickly when a few whoops were heard at the mention of the hockey star's name. Jo being one of them, obviously. A small laugh escaped the brunette's lips as she continued, "Kendall Knight singing two songs for us tonight. Let's give it up for him," she finished. There was another round of applause as Kendall walked up to the stage and Stephanie jogged back to the couch, Carlos being courteous for once and lifting his head back up for her to sit down.
"How are we doing tonight?" Kendall exclaimed to the excited crowd through the mike, earning loud yelps of "good" along with a few other cheers.
He was sitting down on a wooden stool in the front of the chorus room now, adjusting the mike stand so it was at an appropriate height. After a few seconds of toying with it, his full attention turned towards the audience as he weaved a guitar pick from its place in the guitar strings at the neck. He gave a warm smile to the crowd again. "Alright, this first song is one I wrote a couple days ago. It doesn't really have a name yet – kind of a last minute decision to perform," he started, letting out a small, anxious laugh, "And this is dedicated to my friend Josephine Taylor, because I absolutely love her," he announced, glancing towards the back of the room.
"Suck up!" Carlos called obnoxiously, cupping one of his hands over his mouth. Various snickers and light laughs elicited from the audience. That was, all except Jo, who had a look of shock on her face. Her eyebrows had shot up a second ago at the mention of her name, and now she was staring wide-eyed at her friend in the front of the room. She felt Camille nudge her shoulder and noticed the wide smile on her face as the audience either awed at the blond boy's declaration, or laughed at Carlos immaturity. One thing was certain, if she wasn't paying attention to Kendall before (though that would never happen), he was the only thing on Jo's mind right now.
"Alright, here goes nothing," Kendall said, more to himself to help reassure his nerves. He felt his heart pounding hard against his chest like he had run a full marathon, and it had taken nearly all of his strength to keep his leg from bobbing up and down like it had a moment ago. He counted the beat in his head and started strumming his guitar, gliding the pick past the strings and moving his fingers effortlessly to change the chords of what he liked to call "his baby." Jo smirked as the thought crossed her mind. Kendall started singing a second later, only increasing the size of her smile.
I thought I had my girl, but she ran away.
My car got stolen and I'm gonna be late
For work this week, make that the fourth day straight.
But I'm fine with it.
I thought I had it all, but I gave it away.
I quit that old job and now I'm doing okay.
Those material things, they can't get in my way,
'Cause I'm over it.
Kendall paused his strumming for a moment as he sang the hook, only to pick it back up and play a slower tune when the chorus began.
But wherever she may be...
She could be money, cars, fear of the dark.
Your best friends are just strangers in bars.
Whoever she is, whoever she may be...
One thing's for sure,
You don't have to worry.
Jo could feel most of the crowd's eyes boring into her so they could sneak a peak at the girl Kendall was declaring his love for. If the situation were different, she'd hide her head away the same that she had done when she curled herself away from the world back in the bathroom. But now she couldn't care less. She loved every stare that was headed her way, especially from the green-eyed man singing in front of her.
You don't have to worry.
She listened intently to every word that went past Kendall's lips and rang through the room. She couldn't tell if he wrote the song specifically for her, but she knew that one line had definitely referenced Jett (at the moment, at least). She loved how he stared right at her as he sang, a warm and sincere smile gracing her features, almost as if she was silently encouraging him. The only time Kendall would look away was to focus on his fingers switching chords every so often before turning right back to Jo.
And this is the part where you find out who you are,
And these are your friends, those who've been there from the start
So to hell with the bad news,
The dirt on your new shoes,
It rained all of May until the month of June.
But wherever she may be...
The rest of the audience started getting into the song. Some people clapped along, some students waved their hands in the air, and even a few people standing in the back waved their phones in the air as if they were lighters. That all went unnoticed by Jo and Kendall, though, who had barely taken their eyes off of one another.
She could be money, cars, fear of the dark.
Your best friends are just strangers in bars.
Whoever she is, whoever she may be...
One thing's for sure,
You don't have to worry.
Kendall started moving the pick faster across the guitar's strings, strumming a little harder as the bridge came up. His gaze never left Jo's again, their eyes locked on one another's happily as he brought his face closer to the microphone and began to sing again.
And everyday in every way, she looks the same.
And every care you used to have just seems to float away.
And everyday in every way, she looks the same.
And every care you used to have just seems to float away…
To hell with the new shhh-
"Yeah, you get what I'm saying there," Kendall said into the mike, cutting himself off and pausing his movements for a second. There were younger ears in the audience, and he courteously did not want to drop the s-bomb in front of the few toddlers and their parents present in the room. Another round of light chuckles was heard scattered around the room before he began strumming the guitar strings again and continued with the song.
Whether or not you think you fit in.
She could be money, cars, fear of the dark.
Your best friends are just strangers in bars.
Whoever she is, whoever she may be...
One thing's for sure,
You don't have to worry.
She could be rainy days, minimum wage,
A book that ends with no last page.
Whoever she is, whoever she may be,
One thing's for sure,
You don't have to worry.
With a few more chords strum and the final note hanging in the air, Jo cupped her hands over her mouth. "Yeah, Kendall!" she exclaimed, happy she got that in before everyone even thought of simply clapping their hands. Her cheer was echoed as he received one of the loudest rounds of applause of the night from the crowd. The blond boy laughed modestly, holding a hand up with a brief nod to silently thank everyone, and then went to tune his guitar quickly for the second song.
"I am so sorry, Jo," Kendall chuckled out when the audience died down. Laughter was heard around the room as Kendall continued twisting one of the pegs. "Hope you liked that song, and if you didn't… just keep that to yourself," he said, ending with his voice just above a whisper with a wide smirk on his face. More snickers were heard around the room as Jo cupped a free hand around her mouth again.
"I hated it!" she exclaimed in a teasing tone.
Kendall's head snapped up at her and glared. "Shhh…" he shushed her, smirking, earning more chuckles from the crowd. "Okay, now that I've professed my love for Jo – who obviously does not return it – I say we finally move onto the next song!" he said, ending on a chipper note. "This one is called 'Maybe' by Sick Puppies, hope you guys like it… hope Jo actually appreciates my work this time," he muttered the last part, earning more chuckles and a fake glare from Jo that Kendall took notice of. "It's one of your favorite songs!" he fought back, looking in her direction.
He started playing the song a short moment later, strumming to the power ballad tune and singing wholeheartedly into the microphone once again. He was met with another loud round of applause when he finished (Jo being the loudest of everyone), being sure to thank them once more when Stephanie came up to the front of the room.
"Let's give it up for Kendall once more, huh?" she suggested, already applauding her friend for his performance as he made his way back to the last row of seats where his friends sat, receiving high-fives from others along the way.
"Alright, we will be heading into a brief intermission at this moment," Stephanie announced into her mike. She had made a few more announcements about the food and last year's magazine being on sale before dismissing every one. "Yeah, so we'll be back in about fifteen minutes… and will Carlos Garcia please come to the front of the room for a moment, please?" she asked.
The Latino sprawled across the girls' laps groaned. "What now?" he exclaimed as he swung his legs off of Jo and Camille, set the plate of food on the empty cushion, and made his way up towards the front for whatever reason.
Jo laughed a little as she stood up and straightened out, turning her head to see Kendall stand up as well and do that special guy handshake with James, Logan, and the hockey players behind them as a form of congratulating him. Once he was freed, Jo stepped over and stood in front of him, arms crossed in front of her chest and smiling. "Hey," she greeted warmly, keeping her tone innocent in case he decided to bring up her comment after the first song her sang.
"Hey, you," he greeted back happily as Jo stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, hugging him tightly.
"Great job!" she told him happily, feeling his own arms encircle around her waist. "You were amazing, as always," she complimented as they pulled apart.
"As I always love to hear," Kendall responded easily, making Jo roll her eyes and smirk at him.
"One last announcement, very quickly," Stephanie's voice suddenly boomed through the speakers. "If you'd like, we still have time for any last minute sign ups if you would like to showcase any of your work. Just see me or TJ up there at the merchandise table if you'd like to perform," she said before setting the mike down on its stand, and she and Carlos ran up to the table where one of the juniors was selling the literary magazine.
"You should totally do something," Kendall said to Jo, cocking his head towards the back table.
The blonde girl instantly shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good," she responded.
"Oh come on. You know you want to," he smirked, bringing his fist to playfully punch her shoulder and get her to turn around.
"No, no!" she laughed, shoving his hand away. Hers and Kendall's both died down quickly, Kendall pointing towards the now opened doorway that was illuminating more light into the darkened classroom.
"Hey, you wanna head outside for a minute, get away from all the craziness?" he suggested.
Jo nodded, feeling hesitant. She could already tell what Kendall wanted to talk to her about. "Sure," she responded before following him out of the room and into the bright hallway. "So, do you want to go back into the bathroom?" she asked cheekily as they started turning in that direction.
Kendall smirked. "Oh gee, can we?" he asked eagerly in a joking tone. Jo giggled as they continued walking forward. Kendall recovered instantly, turning to the girl walking beside him. "But we can go someplace more private, if you want to," he added, wanting to make Jo feel a little more comfortable than she seemed she felt.
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Doesn't matter," she answered honestly, and the two leaned against the brick wall that lined the hallway, both teenagers facing each other as they talked. "So… any specific reason why you pulled me out here?" Jo asked curiously.
"Not really," Kendall answered, shrugging his own shoulders back. "But it wouldn't help to know how you're feeling after…" he trailed off, allowing her to fill in the blanks.
"You dedicating your song to me? Oh, I loved it. I couldn't be any happier," she responded happily, avoiding what Kendall was really referring at. He tried to cock an eyebrow at her to silently acknowledge he was being serious, but couldn't fight the smirk that stretched across his thin lips. Jo chuckled as well and looked down at the tile on the floor as she gave her real answer. "I'm okay, I guess," she said softly, her facial expression calm as she started aimlessly kicking her sandaled foot into the floor.
"Better than before, at least?" Kendall asked, urging her to open up to him a little more.
She nodded in response and looked up. "Yeah, a lot," she answered.
"Good, that's great," he said smiling, gazing down to the ground and started to kick the ground as well, trying to think of a good way to word why he had really took her out and into the quieter hallway. But nothing good came to his usually quick-witted mind. "Listen… that wasn't the only reason why I brought you out here," he started, feeling his stomach begin to twist itself into knots from the nerves that had suddenly overtaken him.
Jo instantly looked up, sensing discomfort in his tone. "What's up?" she asked, curiosity laced in her voice.
Kendall glanced up to the ceiling and exhaled deeply. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? This rarely happened to him. Then again, Jo tended to have this effect on him. None of the other girls he had ever dated, or let alone knew, would make him like this. It was another reason why she was so special in his life.
"So…" he started aimlessly, looking back at Jo as she knit her eyebrows together in confusion.
"Yes…?"
"…You know I love you, right?" Kendall finally asked, a smug grin forming on his face.
Jo smirked. "I'd hope so," she answered back easily.
"And you know how much you mean to me, right?" he continued to ask her.
She furrowed her eyebrows again. "Is everything okay, Kendall? I mean, by the looks of it, it sounds like you're breaking up with me or something," she ended lightly, earning another faint smile to form on Kendall's lips.
"Never," he responded. Jo nodded, allowing him to continue speaking. "You're way too important for me to lose," he added.
"Same for me with you," Jo told him, already beginning to sense where this was going. She brought a hand up to his shoulder and started stroking it through his thin shirt with her thumb in a gentle, soothing matter. If what she was thinking was correct – and her mind usually never played tricks on her in situations like this – then Kendall had absolutely no reason to be so uncomfortable talking with her about this.
If anything, she was feeling the same way about him.
Kendall laughed slightly. "No, I mean it, you're way, way too important to me. Like… you have no idea what you do to me," he explained briefly.
"Okay…?" she questioned with her own light chuckle, still not removing her hand from his shoulder.
He sighed. "I guess I should maybe get to the point?" he asked with a nervous smile.
Jo smiled back sweetly. "That would help," she shot back in a calm, witty tone.
"…I-I like you," he stumbled out suddenly. "Like really like you, you know?" he questioned, and mentally kicked himself in the ass. Of course she fucking knew what he meant, why even bother asking that. Jo nodded and didn't say anything as Kendall pushed both of his hands up against his face in slight embarrassment. "I have no idea how it happened, or why it happened, or anything. But seeing you so upset like that in the bathroom earlier just kind of…" he trailed off.
"'Kind of' what?" Jo asked, taking her body off of the wall. She turned to face him and stepped closer, moving her hand up to run through his shaggy haircut once before resting it behind his neck.
"I don't know," he groaned in frustration, removing his hands and stuffing them in his jeans pockets. "I guess… well, I've never liked seeing you cry, and I always feel so protective of you on the rare occasions that you do," he started to explain, turning his head to gaze into Jo's soft brown one. "And seeing how worried you were about Jett, about me… knowing how much fun we usually have together… how much you really do mean to me... I don't know, it just-"
"You just happen to like me as more than a friend," Jo finished for him, knowing how nervous and stressed Kendall was getting by explaining himself, and taking the initiative to end the humiliation that he was feeling. Plus, it did help that they could finish off each other's sentences when the time called for it.
Kendall smiled, slightly more relieved after Jo's actions. "To put it simply." Jo smiled back in response. "So… what now?" Kendall asked unsurely.
Jo cocked her head up, smiling eagerly now. "Well, now would be the time where you ask me if I feel the same way," she suggested, her tone an octave lower than usual, and stepped impossibly closer to the older boy standing next to her.
"But I know you, Jo. You'd never date someone like me. Take Jett for instance," he answered, not taking notice of their closer proximity.
"Well then Kendall Knight, it seems you don't know me as well as you think," she said huskily, her voice barely above a whisper. Kendall cocked in eyebrow at her, earning one last smirk from Jo as she leaned in, eyes closing as she pecked his lips gently.
As quick as their lips touched, she pulled away, worried about his reaction. She gazed into his eyes as she spoke again. "So… what now?" she teased him lightly.
Kendall smiled widely at her, turning his body to fully face her now. "Well Josephine, you don't seem to know me at all," he joked back. Jo giggled and the two swooped in for another kiss. One of Kendall's hands moved to cup her face and softly caressed her jaw line, the other moving up to her neck as Jo tilted it back, trying to raise her head ever so slightly to try and meet Kendall's taller height. This kiss only deepened as Jo's own arms wrapped themselves around Kendall's neck as well, and his hand traced the line of her spine all the way down to her waist, pulling her body closer to his. Both teenagers felt a shiver travel through their bodies and a spark go off in their chest, causing them both to smile into each other's lips.
None of them would have ever guessed they'd be in this position together at some point in their lifetime. They both knew that there was a special bond between the two of them. It was tighter than the traditional connection best friends automatically have with each other, and it was definitely a lot deeper than a brother-sister relationship. Both Kendall and Jo came to the realization that, in a way, they had ignored these feelings since the fateful day they had met in seventh grade on the first day of middle school. They sensed their connection from then on, and finally dug deeper into the meaning of it today.
And the two blondes were now anxiously awaiting what this new step would bring into their lives.
They parted with a sigh at the loss of warmth, panting as they gazed into each other's eyes for the umpteenth time that night. No words needed to be said. Each of them spoke volumes in their silent conversation.
"You know I love you Josephine, right?" Kendall repeated his earlier words, his tone genuine and heartfelt as compared to five minutes ago.
Jo nodded. There were only two occasions when he would use her full first name – when he was teasing her in public, or when they were being completely honest and serious with each other. This was definitely the latter, Jo concluded, and smiled lovingly at the man in front of her.
"I love you, too, Kendall," she said, bringing a hand to his face, stroking his stubbly jaw line.
Whatever the world had in store for them, they would be more than ready to face any obstacle together. Much like they had for nearly six years now. And nothing and no one would ever come in their way.
Whoever that person may be…
The ending kinda sucks. I may go back and edit this tomorrow, but i was determined to post this tonight, so... here it is. Review?
Oh, and here are the songs i mentioned in this chapter. Go and take a listen to them:
"Teenage Dream" – Boyce Avenue
"Whoever She Is" – The Maine
"Maybe" – Sick Puppies
and just for the heck of it...
"Supernatural" - Daughtry, just because i love it so much! :D
PEACE!
-Megs