So yeah… hi. I know I've been MIA for six months. And I know I promised to update but personal issues came with myself and certain people that just couldn't ignore. So now hopefully that things are getting better I'll be able to update more.

So, this one shot is a birthday present for winterschild11. I wanna thank her for everything she and just being an awesome friend. A huge thank you to my amazing girlfriend who helped write this. Love you both!

Enjoy!

It was times like these that he wanted to run away. It was times like these that made him want to give up; to forget everything. It was times like these that made him want to give up. To make the pain go away the only way he knew how.

His friends… God bless them, as much as he loved them, they couldn't see how much he was hurting. They didn't see past the fake smiles or the silent cries for help. They didn't see past his broken eyes. His broken green eyes.

He didn't exactly know how and when it had started, but he just knew the pain was unlike anything he had felt before. He just knew his heart ached, and he wanted it to stop. He just didn't know how to make it stop. He knew that he could go to his friends, but he didn't want to alert them that something was wrong, or put a burden on them for that matter.

The blond sighed. He really didn't know what to do. He felt like there was really no one he could turn to. If he told the guys what had happened to him, they would surely overreact. He didn't want that to happen. He knew how overprotective the boys were of him, and it would surely end up in an even bigger disaster.

He rolled over on his bed and closed his eyes. Tears leaked from his eyes and onto the pillow that held up his head. He didn't know how much more he could take. He knew he had to stand up for himself. It wasn't okay for Jett to be harassing him and bullying him. He didn't want to just let it happen, but if he were to be honest, he was scared of Jett. He was scared of what he might do to him, or to any of the guys, if he did tell someone.

He knew he and Jett never had gotten along, but he had never expected for him to bully him the way he did. He didn't expect him to act so cruel and cold towards him. What had he ever done to deserve so much hate? He had never done anything to Jett, yet for some reason, he hated him. Loathed him even. He just didn't understand why.

With a shaking hand, he ran a finger over his bottom lip. When he pulled it back, it was coated in crimson red blood. He couldn't help the sob that crawled up his throat. At first Jett had only verbally bullied him, but now it was too much. Now he was physically hurting him too; treating him like a punching bag, and he did absolutely nothing to stop it.

He hated that about himself. He simply let other people walk all over him, especially Jett. Why couldn't he stand up for himself like he did with Gustavo? Why was he so scared of Jett?

"Kendall, are you awake?"

Kendall shifted in his spot, turning his head around to face the person behind him.

Once his eyes locked with James', he turned back around and faced the window once more. The tears fell; there was nothing he could do to stop them.

"Kendall? What's wrong, buddy?" The blond felt the mattress dip as the brunette sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't respond. What would he even say to James? He had no idea what to respond, so he just allowed the tears to freely run down his face. His body shook with due to the sobs he was trying so hard to hold back, as well as the fear that seemed to take over him. There was no way he was getting out of this one.

"It's nothing," Kendall mumbled as he swatted away the hand that was reaching to push his bangs back. James sighed at the action, shaking his head slightly. He loved Kendall, loved him like a brother. He hated to see him like this, and not knowing what it was that had him so upset and vulnerable. It was a side Kendall rarely showed; a side of him he tended to hide from the rest of the world. It made James sad, knowing his best friend was this upset, and not knowing what to do to put a smile on his face.

"Don't go telling me it's nothing, because I'm pretty darn sure it is definitely something," James said. When Kendall gave him no response, he got up and walked over to the other side of the bed. He sat down on the floor, looking up to meet Kendall's eyes. It was then that he noticed the cut on Kendall's lip. He hissed at the sight just as Kendall tried to cover it up with his right hand. It was too late though; James had already seen it.

He pulled Kendall's hand away and frowned. "Who did this to you?" James questioned him.

"I fell while-""Seriously, Kendall?" The older boy cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "You really think I'm going to believe that you fell? That's not what happened, is it?"

"N-no... But I was hoping you'd b-believe it, because I can't tell you." Kendall closed his eyes, shaking uncontrollably. James quietly climbed over the younger boy and onto the other side of the bed, then turning Kendall over so that he was facing him, and pulling him close into a hug.

Kendall laid his head on James' chest, listening to the calming rhythm of his best friend's heartbeat. Tears filled his emerald green eyes; he wanted to tell James so bad about Jett, but if Jett found out that he had told someone… He didn't even want to think about what could happen. He was sure he'd beat the crap out of him and God knows what else. He felt so stuck, and he hated it, he really did.

After a few minutes of silence between the two boys, Kendall couldn't keep it together any longer. Sobs started to make their way up his throat.

"Shh, Kenny," James whispered as he rubbed soothing circles on the crying boy's back. "It'll be okay. Whatever it is, I promise that it'll be okay."

"N-No it won't. He'll never stop h-hurting me." Kendall whimpered before he realized what he had said. He tried to pull away from James, but the older boy's hold on him was too tight.

"Who, Kendall?" James asked in a quiet, soothing voice as not to frighten his friend. "Who's hurting you?"

Kendall immediately shook his head, trying to play it off as nothing. "N-No one."

"Kendall, please." James tilted Kendall's chin up. "Who's doing this to you? I have to know. I don't want you getting hurt like this, Kenny. It's not good for you, and whoever did this to you can't keep doing it. Please tell me."

"But... But he threatened me. I can't... I can't tell you." He tried to look away from James' caring and worried hazel eyes, but the brunette held his chin in between his fingertips. "Let go, James... I-I... I can't..."

"You can tell me ANYTHING, Kendall. I am your best friend for a reason. You're practically my little brother. I can't stand to see you get hurt like this, much less keep it to yourself when I know that something is wrong. I know you're scared. I understand that the idiot who did this to you threatened you, and that's probably why you don't want to tell me. But you need to trust me, Kendall. If you tell me what happened, I'll help you deal with it.

"But..."

"But nothing," James said, interrupting the smaller boy. "You don't have to deal with this on your own. I won't let you deal with it on your own."

"I... It... It was Jett."

As soon as he said Jett's name Kendall regretted it. He saw James' eyes change from caring, loving and worried, to reflecting anger. Nothing but pure anger and another emotion Kendall knew all too well could be seen in his eyes. The same emotion any of the guys felt when one of the boys was hurt. Protectiveness maybe? After all, the need to protect each other was practically an instinct to them; something that ran in their blood.

"Jett is the one who did this to you?" James said softly when he realized just how scared and small Kendall looked as he laid there by his side. Kendall nodded, wordlessly. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Someone could've helped you before he went this far."

"I told you, he threatened me. I was scared."

James frowned. "Why did he do it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kendall admitted. "I guess he just hates me, and I wish I knew why. I would understand if I had done something to him, but... I haven't. I knew he didn't like me. Ever since he met me, he d-disliked me. But I didn't know he h-hated me as much as he seems to hate me now." His eyes filled with tears. "What did I ever do to him, James? Why does he want to see me hurting so badly?"

"I wish I knew, Kenny. I wish I had an answer. All I can say is that he's probably jealous of you, therefore wants to break you. But I promise I won't let him do that to you, and he will regret the damage he has already caused."

"I trust you, Jamie," Kendall whispered.

"I know you do, buddy," James said, bringing the younger boy closer. "I love you, Kenny-Bear."

"I love you too, Jay."

So hope you all liked that. So two questions for everybody: Should the a part 2? And what story should update next or you guys like to see a one? Let me know!

~Ajay