A request, and thank GOD for it. I think this fic restored my sanity. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own BTR, or Jo would have gotten hit by a truck on her way to RockTober Fest.
"Going out, cause I'm out of my mind..." Kendall's voice broke, as he tried VERY hard to not dissolve into pointless laughter.
"KENDALL!" Gustavo yelled.
"I'm sorry!" Kendall whined, stomping his foot frustratedly. "It's Corrin, look at what she's doing!"
All eyes turned to the girl who was now making kissy faces at Kendall from behind the glass of the recording booth.
At the mention of her name, she stopped making the faces and merely gazed around innocently, her lips still puckered.
"Don't make me kick you out..." Gustavo growled.
She raised her hands in defeat. "OK, OK. I'll be a good girl."
Kendall very highly doubted that.
And so, ten minutes later, Freight Train was carrying her in his arms out of the studio. Forcefully removing her in the most painful way possible. She was practically drowning in the massive depths of his arms. But she was beaming, obviously having never been forcefully carried out of anywhere.
"Now, we can get back to work," Kelly sighed. Gustavo just grunted.
But now Kendall was having MAJOR trouble concentrating. All he could think about was Corrin, about what she was doing, or if she had gone back to the Palm Woods or if she was waiting for him outside. He didn't dare hope.
And who, may you ask, is this girl Kendall is so obviously infatuated with?
When they had come back from the tour, six weeks in the executing, he had been rather down about Jo, considering Jett seemed to have captured her heart, hook, line, and sinker. He had moped for awhile, and lo and behold, someone had come along he hadn't paid much attention to then, but now, couldn't live without.
She was fairly ordinary looking, brown hair and light green somewhat bluish tinted eyes. Average height, average build, nothing really extraordinary about her face. She was pretty, of course, but that hadn't been the first thing Kendall had noticed. He had noticed her for the words that came out of her mouth when he had first met her. Otherwise, she might not have been who she was to him today.
One month ago...
Kendall was lagging behind in the lobby, behind the glorifying people bearing his three best friends on their shoulders. He pulled out his phone, and quickly dialed the number he had memorized.
"Hey, it's me," he said into the speaker. "I'm sorry. I can't forget about you." He thought for a split second. "I'm gonna leave you a ticket, to RockTober Fest. If you come, then I know you'll give me another chance, but if you don't, then... I know, it's over." He beeped himself out, not having the courage to say anything else. He sighed.
"You got it bad," a voice said from behind him.
He whirled around, blushing as he did so, and was slightly mortified to see a girl about his age standing behind him.
"Was that your girlfriend?" she asked, chewing obnoxiously loudly on a piece of bright pink bubble gum.
"Um, I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"No, of course not. But I know you."
Kendall looked at her questioningly.
"You're Kendall. You're Jo's friend."
"Boyfriend," he corrected her automatically.
She smirked. "Well, not for long, by the looks of it. I've seen this kind of thing before. One bad thing happening is enough so that two people who have been "in love"..." she scoffed a little. "Will never be the same again."
"What do you know? You don't know me, or Jo for that matter!"
"I know Jo. I'm her science partner. There's nothing like the bond between partners, you know," she said.
"Well, I know MY Jo, and she will come." Why was he saying this, if he didn't know for sure that it was true?
She shrugged. "Whatever you say." She popped a bubble at him defiantly.
He walked away, in a huff.
"Good luck performing tonight. Don't bother looking for me in the audience. I won't be there."
"Good!" he called out to her.
He could feel her eyes on him from behind him. He had never met anyone so rude in his life! He just wanted to forget this embarrassing incident had ever happened.
End Flashback
And it was still embarrassing to him. He still couldn't look Corrin in the eye and tell her that yes, she had been right, about him and Jo and everything.
Shortly after Jo had made his heart soar by showing up at the show with that infamous "I heart Kendall" sign, he had thought things would be alright again. But the beauty that had been the reason he feel for her in the first place was ultimately the reason they fell out.
She had been asked to guest star on another CW series. And this time, her co-star wasn't just a great actor, btw. Kendall had been able to tell that he was way more to her than that the very first time he had caught them together, NOT acting.
Had he broken up with her, no. But were they on officially, no, not that either. He had been boiling the first few hours after he realized it was happening again, but he knew that if this was going to be a constant problem between them, that if there wasn't any trust, there wasn't any point.
He had told her good luck on the guest starring, and had given her a kiss on the cheek the day she had left to film it in Arizona. She had given him a grateful look, and had boarded the plane with no excess tears or goodbye hugs.
That's now he had known they were taking a break.
So now, here he was, heading home with the girl who had opened his eyes to the heartbreaking situation he had had to endure, with no hard feelings. Only butterflies in his stomach at how close she was to him.
She was dressed in a tank top, despite the coolness of the day, and her bare arm kept bumping up against his as they rode. It wasn't much, but he had to suppress shivers whenever it happened, and his heart did a unconscious flip-flop.
Why did he like her so much? Because she was truthful? And abrasive? Or because she was just so completely different from Jo, or from any other girl he had met really, that it was a breath of fresh air?
Sarcastic, ironic, the first to point out the ridiculous situations he had gotten himself into, scarily psychic, and completely adorable, Corrin had been just what the doctor ordered. He couldn't have asked for a person more different than himself. She was such a pessimist, so maybe the reason why she stuck around him was because he was an optimist, and because she needed the positivity to keep her going.
No matter what she was or wasn't, no matter that James kept telling him he could do better, because he really didn't want to. He could have sat around all day, just staring at her, watching her pop that everlasting piece of bubble gum around in her mouth. He just wanted to be with her for awhile, and study this new form of human being that had so miraculously come his way.
"Hey, I have an idea," she said, jerking his out of his thoughts. She was riding the handlebars of his bike, and offering not so subtle hints at what they should do on this breezy Friday evening.
"What's your idea?" he asked, laughing little, quietly though, so she wouldn't be offended.
"We should go..." she stopped, increasing the "suspense". "To the beach!"
"We did that last Friday," he pointed out dutifully.
"Well, then smarty-pants, what do YOU think we should do? Watch more hockey, because I think I would like to puke on you right now if you even SUGGEST it."
"Geez, no hockey then." He thought again. "Guitar Hero?"
"Booooooring," she said, in a droning sort of way.
He was quiet for a little bit, waiting for her to offer another well-worn suggestion.
"We could go raid Gustavo's mansion," she said a little sullenly.
"Again?"
"Again, yes."
"We'd need Carlos to pick the lock, and he said he's busy tonight."
She "psh"-ed. "Busy doing what?"
"Signing autographs or something stupid like that to re-establish his and James' names in the Palm Woods Pool popular book."
"We don't need Carlos to pick the lock! How hard can it be to smash a sledgehammer down on a piece of metal, anyway?"
"Gustavo switched to titanium after our first vandalism."
"Our". Just that word in reference to the two of them made him want to smile.
"Still metal. And you're... um, uh..." she grabbed his arm and felt around a bit. "Well, you're not Mr. Macho, but you got some biceps on you."
He yanked his arm out of grasp, causing the bike to swerve. He made a mental note to start working out with James and Logan.
"Knock it off," he growled. They were going down a hill, and the rush of cool air in his face, caused Kendall to have a revelation.
"Hey!" he yelled over the rush of air. "We could go ice-skating!"
"WHAT? I can't hear you!"
"I said..." he stopped, because she had laid her head next to his, her ear near his mouth. He swallowed the dry lump that had come up in his throat.
They had come to the bottom, and the bike was slowing. He was suddenly reminded of how quiet it was sometimes.
"I said that we could go ice-skating," he said into her ear hoarsely.
She clapped her hands. "Fabulous!" she cried happily. "I've never been ice-skating, and I'm sure it would be way more fun to fall on my butt a million times rather than do something a little less injurious!"
It took him a little while to realize she was being sarcastic.
"C'mon," he said. "It'll be fun. And you don't fall that many times!"
She stuck out her lower lip and remained obstinate.
"I'll hold your hand. You'll cut your falls by at least fifty percent!"
She was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment.
"Hmph, such a baby..." he muttered, knowing that as soon as the word was out of his mouth she was going to have to do it. Her pride wouldn't consider anything else.
"I am no such thing!" she said loudly. "Fine, you know what, Kenny? You are on! And I won't even take your filthy hand, because I. Don't. NEED it!"
He shrugged, but smiled. He had won again.
"Fine," he said, steering the bike towards the rink about a half mile away.
When they got there, she leaped off the bike, as if she would really rather not stay close to an offender. She strode haughtily off ahead of him, and anyone who didn't know her and what was really going on in her mind would be very hurt. But Kendall knew even as she slowed down, that she was sorry for going off. Even if her precious pride had been wounded.
She allowed him to walk beside her in silence, and they reached the rink without a word being spoken.
The moment they had their skates, however, she began chattering quite avidly.
"Do you think it will be really cold? Cause I'm in a tank top and I really don't know if I'm gonna freeze, and then if I fall won't it hurt? How bad? You know, maybe we should just leave now-"
He cut her off by shoving her down onto a bench by the shoulder, and proceeding to lace up her skates.
She was quiet, but he could see her fingers kneading themselves furiously out of the corner of his eye.
He finished, then stood up. She did not join him.
"Ah come on, Corr." His tone was teasing, and he saw her eyes light up. "Don't tell me you're chicken, now."
She stared at him for a moment. Then she rose to her feet, jamming the blades of her skates into the turf floor. She got very close to him, blew a huge bubble, and then popped it just inches from his nose.
"Let's go then," he said with a final air, walking towards the ice.
She ran to catch up, her skates making odd noises as she went. He stepped onto the ice, and, like it always happened, he was immediately enveloped in memories and euphoria. He was in his element.
She had took her first step onto the ice, and had promptly fell down. On her butt. And it took everything in him, for the second time that day, to NOT laugh at her.
"That's OK," he said encouragingly.
She straightened her shirt, and smoothed her hair back in a dignified gesture. "No. I am a California girl, born and raised, and the ice is opposite of what I feel at home in."
"You can do it! You just need to practice for a little bit." He took her hand. "I know you said you didn't want me to, but it'll help if I guide you."
She rolled her eyes, but he knew she was grateful, because as soon as he had set off, practically dragging her, very ungracefully across the ice, she gripped it even harder.
By the time half an hour had passed, she was able to laugh at herself when she fell. She was red in the face, and her ears looked frozen, but she looked happy, and that made Kendall feel like he hadn't felt since... since... well, since Jo, really.
She fell for the eighth time. From her place kneeling on the ice, she rubbed her bottom and looked at him, as if she was nearly finished with all of this "tomfoolery", as she had dubbed it on her third fall.
"I think we need to reevaluate this," Kendall said, scratching his head, and thinking very hard.
She pulled herself onto all fours, and had him help her up. Then she placed both of her arms around his waist in one fluid movement.
"Ready!" she said happily. "Now if I fall, you fall!"
He laughed nervously. It wasn't the prospect of falling that made him nervous. It was the fact that he had never been this close to her, and he was very afraid she would hear how frantically his heart was beating.
He set off all the same, and within moments, she was laughing and screaming whenever he made sharp turns. Drunk on the feeling, he decided to be a little more daring.
He grabbed her arms, and yanked her off, whirling her around to the front of him and positioning her the exact same way they had been, but in reverse. Now he was guarding her from the back, and there was nothing between her and the open ice. The one glimpse her caught of her face was shock and fear, and he knew that he was definitely gonna get it.
Before she could proceed to scream at him, he tightened his arms around her securely and said gently in her ear, "I've got you, don't worry. You won't fall."
Her hands were making marks on his arms she was squeezing him so hard, but she didn't attempt to disentangle herself. She just let her skates glide over the ice smoothly. After a while, she let her arms loose, even thought Kendall could feel her back arched. She was holding her breath.
He gave a deep rumbling laugh. Wait, were those goosebumps on her arms?
After he was sure she had fainted she had gone so slack in his arms, he stopped and prepared himself to support her as she fell. She didn't. He let go, and she glided away. Her feet moved one in front of the other, as if she had been skating all her life. She laughed, and looked at him. He saw his victory, and flew towards her, til they were skating hand in hand, and she was spinning and twirling with him.
He didn't know how long they went on like that. He just knew he was winded from laughing and yelling by the time she began to slow down.
She almost urged him on again though, the moment she had become stationary. "Just..." she gasped, breathing heavily. "Just, one more lap!"
"No! I'm dying can't you see?" he said, gasping and putting his hands on his knees. He hadn't been this tuckered from skating since the Peewee days.
She plopped down on the ice. He did the same, brushing against her. Her arms were like ice.
"You're insane," he said, pulling off his plaid over shirt, and watching as she slid it up her arms.
"No, you are."
"Nope, you."
"You're the one who's in nothing but a t-shirt!" she retorted.
"I gave my other one to you, but I'll take it back if you don't-"
She hugged it to herself.
He smirked. "That's what I thought."
Once their breathing was back to normal, he got to his feet.
She looked disappointed. "We're leaving?"
"We have to. School tomorrow and I still have a little homework."
She didn't get up.
"Time to go. It's getting late," he said again.
"Will you... Can we come back?"
He was surprised. "Of course we can."
"Will you come with me? And do like you did before?" she asked, gliding up to him.
"Well, sure. So, you're not mad at me for doing it?"
"I was. At first, but it feels amazing."
"Well, looks like I've made a convert out of a California girl after all."
He began to head for the exit.
"Thanks, Kendall. You're pretty amazing," she said from a little ways behind him.
Whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been that.
He turned slightly, catching the unfamiliar look in her eye.
"What, me? I'm just Kendall," he shrugged.
"No, you're not. You're funny and helpful, and your the first person who's actually hung out with me since I came here. To the Palm Woods, I mean."
"Well, that's their loss isn't it?"
"So, we're friends?"
Where was she going with this? He was all too aware that she had been getting closer.
"Yes, we are," he said, a little out of breath again, all of a sudden.
She smiled at the ice. "I hope we can go skating a lot more together." She said it quietly, but the meaning was not missed.
This was happening, he wasn't dreaming. She really was getting closer, and she really was telling him...
"Corrin, I-" he stopped.
"Don't be a wimp Kendall! Now's not the time for discretion," she said loudly. "Just say it!"
He smashed his lips onto hers. It wasn't very difficult considering how close she had gotten. He was shocked to feel her arms go around his neck and her lips responding enthusiastically.
It was a LONG kiss, he knew that much. Because finally someone who worked at the rink had to tell em' to "get the heck off the ice, and get a room to go with it".
They were beaming as he rode with her home. Her fingers were tangled with his, and he rested his chin on her shoulder as the breeze licked across his face.
Her kissed her goodnight when they got to the lobby, and promised her ice-skating the next day. Right after school. She seemed reluctant to part, until he made it during lunch break. He opted for the stairs, and she for the elevator. She was the fourth floor, and it would be easier. He knew there was no way they would leave that elevator if they both went in together.
He walked into 2J, and obviously he couldn't hide being in love very well.
"Who is she?" James asked, without even looking at him very long.
He sat down with a sigh. "An angel."
"Why you?" Carlos groaned. "Why not me?"
"Age old question," Logan muttered from his homework.
"Hey! You have Camille! So pipe down!" Carlos yelped at him.
Logan considered this for a moment then nodded in agreement, and bent his head low over his paper again.
Kendall couldn't stop smiling. So he figured the only thing to do, was call it a night. An amazing, totally unforgettable night. He headed towards the bedrooms.
"Night," he called, in a song-song voice, just to grate on Carlos' nerves.
Carlos made a noise that sounded like an antelope in labor, and turned over, stuffing a pillow over his face.
"Night, man," James said, his eyes glued to the screen. A commercial for Uncle Vinny's chapped elbow cream came on, and he was soon up and shaking his butt in everyone's faces.
"My elbow! Mine, mine, my elbow! Ohhhhhh, BURN!"
Kendall chuckled. His night was now complete.
I think I'm falling a heck of a lot more in love with Kendall. XD Thanks for reading!
Dedicated to Cool fanatic, and her insane patience with me. :)
xoxoxoxo
~Starbucks