Things Are Gonna Get Better
Summary: "Ever since we were boys, things were bad." Kendall and Dustin help each other get through it. "For as long as we can remember." No Slash!
So yeah... I've had this chapter done for a month now... I have like up to chapter 4 typed... Sorry Court... I needed to post this!
Kendall's POV
It was another one of those nights. I heard the familiar crashes down the hall as another picture frame or vase was throw to the ground. I slid out of bed and crossed my dark room over to my sisters' bed. She rolled over in her bed, oblivious to the fighting, and I carefully lifted her in my arms. I shifted her slightly and held her close as I nudged the sliding closet door open with my foot and sat on the floor. I slid the door closed and held Katie closer as the yelling started.
"You know that Katie is your daughter!" Mom yelled.
"She isn't, she doesn't even look like me!" My father yelled even louder.
"Please Kyle, the kids are asleep." Mom stated softly.
"Shut your mouth bitch!" Dad yelled.
I sobbed quietly, rocking on the carpeted floor of my closet, as my father stood down the hall, in the living room, and struck my mother in the face repeatedly.
I looked down in my lap at my baby sister, Katie, as she shifted in my lap and woke from her sleep.
"Kendie?" She whispered rubbing her eyes. I watched as she yawned, causing me to yawn. It was like this almost every night. Dad goes out all day, then mommy puts us in bed once he finally gets home, and then an hour later, their fighting wakes me up. I thank god that dad's yelling doesn't wake up Katie. Being only 7, I had school all day and as soon as I got home, mommy went straight to work, and I became in charge of taking care of Katie.
"Shh." I hushed and rocked the 3-year-old in my arms. "It'll be okay." I smiled and smoothed her long, dark brown hair back out of her eyes. "I'll keep you safe."
"Just stop Kyle! Please!" My mom cried out. I hugged Katie close to me. I felt the tears weld up in my eyes but I held them back when Katie's small hand touched my cheek.
"Shut up you bitch!" He screamed and I heard him struck her again and then the front door slam shut.
I heard running footsteps and my bedroom door slammed open.
"Kendall!" Mom ran in my room. I opened the door to my closet.
"Mommy?" I asked out and stood carrying Katie in my arms.
"Kendall! Katie! Come on! We have to get out of here." She told us as she grabbed a duffel bag and packed it with clothes for us both. "Get Katie ready please." She ran to her room and stuffed clothes in the bag as well. I pulled a coat, shoes, and a hat on Katie, then got myself ready. I zipped my coat and scooped up the once again sleeping girl into my arms and ran to my mom's room.
"Ready." I told my mom as she pulled on her own coat.
"Come on now." She said, grabbed the duffel bag, and pulled us out the door. She opened the garage door and we stared into the empty room. "Crap the car is gone…" She sighed.
"Now what mommy?" I asked shifting Katie in my arms as she slept.
"We run." She told me. "Here I'll take Katie." She held out her hands.
"No I got her. I'll protect her." I told her as we stood on the sidewalk outside the house.
"My big boy." She sniffed, pushed back my dark brown hair* from my eyes, and kissed my forehead.
"We need to go." I told her.
So we turned and started to run down the sidewalk. As a 7-year-old I was able to run pretty fast, from both my energy and my hockey playing. But mom wasn't as fast as I was, so soon she was falling behind.
"Come on mommy." I held her hand and we ran at her pace.
As we ran in the night there was not a single street light on or any cars out on the road. Suddenly we were covered in the light of a pair of headlights. We stopped and turned to look at what it was.
"Oh no!" Mom screamed. "Run Kendall!"
We turned and started to run as fast as we could as I heard yelling behind us.
"GET BACK HERE JEN!" My dad's voice called.
"Mom! It's dad!" I told her as we ran. I tightened my grip on Katie and held my hand on the back of her head to keep her close and safe.
"I know Kendall! Run!" She told me, huffing heavily.
"JEN! GIVE ME MY SON!" He screamed, running behind us. He was still drunk so his running wasn't very fast. We kept a good distance from him, but I could still hear him yelling after us.
"Kendie what's going on?" Katie woke up and asked as we kept running. I realized that he had yelled about me, not Katie or mom. I slowed my running. He wanted me. My staying with him would keep him from hurting mommy and Katie.
"Kendall! What are you doing?" Mom asked and stopped running. "Kendall we have to go!"
"Mom! Take Katie." I shoved Katie into her arms. "Run mommy! I love you!" I pushed her away from me. "I'll stop him."
"Kendall. I love you baby. I'll find you!" She kissed me.
"Kendie!" Katie called out for me.
"I love you Katie. Be strong, and brave. Take care of mommy and never forget me. Now go!" I kissed them both on the cheek then turned and ran back towards my father.
"Dad. I'm right here. Don't chase mom and Katie anymore." I held my hands up to him as I finally got him to stop running.
"Kendall. You stayed with your daddy? Thank you!" He pulled me into a hug.
"So you won't chase after mommy or Katie?" I asked as he took my hand and pulled me to the car.
"No I wouldn't chase after that bitch or her bastard child!" He spat. "I only care about my son." He told me and ruffled my dark brown hair.
I sighed with relief when I realized that Katie and mommy were both safe from harm. I knew mommy would get her and Katie both far away and safe.
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"Hello?" I answered the door and saw a boy, my height and with dark hair, on my step.
"Kendall…" He smiled and dropped his bag.
"Dustin!" I smiled and hugged my cousin. "Come in." I pulled him in and took his bag from him. "My dad's not home, but what are you doing here?" I asked him.
"My mom and dad… they both committed suicide…" He paused to rub his eyes free of tears.
"They did?" I felt shocked. My aunt and uncle both seemed to love my cousin. I smiled sadly and looked at him. He was the same age as me, only his birthday was a month and a day after mine. We were the same height and we both loved each other dearly.
"Can I stay here?" He asked.
"Of course! I'll be your family… well your close family." I smiled and hugged him tightly.
We sat on the couch, chatting back and forth, in our pjs, when the question finally popped up.
"Where's aunt Jen and Katie?" He asked and sipped his glass of water. I looked up from my glass and stared at him.
I felt my smile fall and my eyes tear up.
"A few weeks ago, Mom was getting beaten by dad…" I paused as Dustin gasped.
"Uncle Kyle is violent?"
"Yeah, ever since Katie turned 2 and he started to drink. He hasn't ever hit me, he just hit mom… but anyway… well one night they got into a bad fight and he hit her then left like he always did. Then she came in my room and packed us a bag, and we were gonna run away, and leave him. But when he left he had taken the car, so we just started to run on foot. After a while dad found us and started to chase us. But dad was just yelling for me, and he didn't want anything to do with mom or Katie, so while they ran, I stopped and stayed behind so they could be safe. I'm not sure where they went… but…" I paused as the front door burst open and the living room was filled with the smell of liquor and bile coming from the front door.
Dustin and I turned and watched as dad stumbled in and fell against the wall.
"Kendall! You here boy?" He called out.
"Yes. Dad I'm here. And so is Dustin." I walked over and helped him up.
"Why is Dustin here?" He asked and struggled to stand.
"His mom and dad killed themselves… can he live here?" I asked as nice as I could, and helped him keep his footing.
"Sure." He nodded and stood. "I'll be up stairs." He mumbled and climbed the stairs.
Dustin and I walked back to the couch.
"So you stayed here, to protect Katie and your mom?" He asked.
"Yeah." I nodded then sighed, looking over to his short brown hair. "Hey Dustin, wanna do something with me?" I asked.
"Sure what?"
"Together, lets grow our hair out." I ran my hand over my now buzzed cut brown hair. Dad had taken me to the barber and buzzed my hair to keep me low maintenance.
"Okay." He nodded.
"It'll be like our thing." I smiled and crawled over to his side of the couch.
"We'll be best friends forever." I smiled and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered us both.
"Sleep well Kendall." He whispered as I flicked off the lamp.
"Sleep well Dustin." I smiled and we snuggled down, drifting into slumber.
"WAKE UP!" I felt someone yank off the blankets covering us and turn on the lights. "Get up!"
"Dad?" I opened my eyes and looked over to Dustin, who sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked and looked up to my father who was looming over the couch.
"Everything!" He screamed, gripped my arm near my shoulder and yanked me up into the air, a good 5 feet off the floor.
"OW! Daddy! What's wrong?" I cried out and tried to free my arm.
"You are such a little fuck up!" He spat in my face then slapped me hard.
I felt tears threaten to fall, but I kept them in. He huffed then dropped me to the ground.
"You are such a mistake!" He yelled and kicked at my stomach. "I don't know why I wanted you!" He kicked again. "I hate you! You worthless shit!" He gripped my shoulder and pulled me to stand. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I love you dad!" I told him. He scoffed and I felt his hand collide against my cheek again. He dropped me to the floor again and reached for Dustin. "NO!" I cried out as he gave the same treatment to Dustin.
"OW! UNCLE KYLE!" Dustin screamed. "PLEASE!"
"Dad! Leave Dustin alone!" I begged.
"Take your cousin and go to your room!" He yelled and shoved us both towards the stairs. We took off up them and didn't stop till we were in my bedroom, with the door locked.
We collapsed to the ground.
"Kendall… what the heck was that?" Dustin asked.
"Dad got really drunk…" I wheezed. I stood and walked over to my mirror. I winced when I saw the multiple bruises and cuts on my face from his ring. "Dustin come here…" I motioned for him to join me. I gasped when I saw bruises and cuts littered his face as well.
"Kendall… I'm scared…" He sniffed. I took his face in my hands.
"Hold on…" I walked over to my bed and reached under it, grabbing a small box, which held bandages, healing cream and proxide. "Let me fix your face." I smiled and cleaned up his face. I did my own face then replaced the box back to its place and we climbed into bed.
"It's a good thing we have school tomorrow. When I'm at school, dad doesn't drink. And when I get home, he's either asleep or at the bar. But I guess now that mom is gone, he needs someone else to beat on…" I sighed.
"Kendall… I don't like this…" Dustin cried softly.
"Don't cry," I took his face in my hands. "He hates that, so you have to not cry anymore." I told him.
"Okay." He nodded and wiped his eyes. "Nighty night Kendall."
"Nighty night Dustin." I hugged him and we went to bed again only this time bloodied and bruised.
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"Yes we can Dustin, we'll do it once he is asleep. He'll never find us." I told my cousin.
"But Kendall… he found you last time… when your mom tried it." Dustin whispered.
"Hey Kendall! Hey Dustin!" My two best friends, James and Carlos, ran over to Dustin and I as we stood at our desk before class started.
"Shh…. Hey James. Hey Carlos." I turned from Dustin and smiled.
"Dude… why do you two wear matching necklaces? It makes you look girly…" James laughed.
"James…" I sighed. "They are mine and Dustins' friendship necklaces." I told him and lifted the silver heart off my shirt. I wore mine around a silver chain that used to belong to my mother, while Dustin wore his around a beaded necklace his dad bought him.
"But aren't you two cousins?" Carlos asked. "You have to be friend's if you two are family."
"Well it's more complicated than that." Dustin stated.
"Kendall, Dustin, can you two come here please?" The teacher called us over.
"Yes Ms. Brown?" I asked once we reached her desk.
"Where did you two get the bruises on you arms and faces?" She asked yet again. The teachers all asked Dustin and I about our bruises. We just made up some excuse.
"Dustin and I got into a wrestling match again last night, and it was a little intense." I laughed.
"Yeah." Dustin laughed. "It was really fun. But we're fine." He smiled.
"Okay. You two may return to your seats." The teacher smiled to us as we turned to return to our desks.
"What did she want?" James asked.
"Oh just why we have our bruises." Dustin shrugged.
"We rough house." I told them.
"Oh. Me too!" Carlos smiled. I rolled my eyes at his naïve-ness.
"Okay class, everyone sit." She told us, and we all did as told. Dustin sat to my left, Carlos in front of me, and James sat in behind me. "It's a very special day today! Today is Kendall's 8th birthday!" She smiled to me. "But first, we have a new student." She paused and walked over to the door, "Come on in." I watched as a short brunette kid with long shaggy hair walked in. "Class this is Hortense Mitchel." A few kids chuckled but I liked his name. "Wanna tell the class about you?" Ms. Brown asked him. He nodded and looked up and faced the kids.
"I go by Logan, not Hortense, I'm 8 years old, I moved here from Texas because my dad made me. Uhm, that's really it." He looked up to the teacher.
"Okay, thank you Logan. You can sit, next to our birthday boy. Kendall, please stand so Logan can find his seat."
I stood and Logan walked over to me.
"Hi. I'm Kendall Knight." I held out a hand. "This is my cousin Dustin, and my two friends James and Carlos." I pointed.
"Hi." He smiled.
"Wanna be our friend?" Carlos asked.
"Yes please." Logan smiled and nodded.
"Cool." James smiled with Carlos.
"Is your name really Hortense?" James asked.
"Yeah. It's a family name… I go by my middle name though." He blushed.
"I think Hortense is a awesome name!" I told him.
"Boys, I'm starting class now." Ms. Brown told us. We all turned forward in our seats and paid attention to the teacher.
Soon it was recess time and the five of us were having a fun time on the slides and swings.
"Hey Kendall… why do you have that big bruise on your side?" Logan asked as we swung. I pushed my feet down onto the ground to stop myself.
"What? I don't have a bruise." I stated, wrapping my arms around my chest.
"I saw it when we were swinging… your shirt was flying up from the air." Logan stated and hopped off his swing.
"What's going on?" James asked.
"Nothing…" I said quickly.
"I just asked why Kendall had a big bruise on his side." Logan said. I rolled my eyes and glanced over to Dustin, knowing he had a matching bruise.
"Tell me why. Or I'll tell the teacher!" James stated.
"Okay fine…" My eyes widened and Dustin and I led the other 3 over to the side of the building. I glanced around to make sure there were no teachers around then I nodded to Dustin and we both lifted out shirts. James, Carlos, and Logan's eyes all went wide as they saw the bruises that littered out chests, sides, backs, and stomachs.
"What are those from?" Logan asked.
"My dad beats Dustin and I…" I confessed.
"What!" Carlos gasped.
"Are you for serious?" James asked.
"Yeah." Dustin nodded.
"For how long?" Logan asked.
"A year…" I told them. "That's why Dustin and I are running away… tonight." I told them.
"What! You can't! There would be no way you could live! You would either get caught, or actually run away and die!" Logan told us.
"I don't care! I'm tired of my dad beating us…" I told them. "Come with us."
"Kendall… Dustin… we're only 8… there is no way five 8 year olds can survive the real world." Logan stated.
"You have no idea how much of the real world I know about!" I snapped. "I cradled my baby sister to sleep while my dad beat my mom every night! I ran away with my mom and sister, only to be chased by my dad. Who only wanted me, so I let my mom and sister get away so they could be safe! I know way more than a normal 8 year old should." I told him.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know… But Kendall… Dustin… please don't run away." Logan begged.
"Fine… not now… but once we are 15, we are running away." I stated.
"15… that's our goal." Dustin whispered.
"We'll all go with you!" James stated.
"You in?" I asked Carlos and Logan.
"Yes." Carlos nodded. We all looked to Logan.
"Yeah. I'll go." He smiled.
So that afternoon, the five of us made a pact. That the summer after our sophomore year, once we were all 15, we had to wait for warm weather, we would leave in the middle of the night. We also made a deal to keep our hair long as a brotherhood thing.
Now all Dustin and I had to do, was endure the next 7 years…
*I have always wondered why Kendall has brown eyebrows and blonde hair, so I figured that in this story it would be identified on why he does, it'll make more sense in the next chapters…