This was hard to write… Before you even read this, I want to say a few things. One; this story was inspired by a song my buddy Ajay showed me a few days ago. The song is called My Wish by Rascal Flatts. It's a beautiful song with a beautiful message. I love it. Two… I listened to the song while writing this. I can't get enough of it. :) It's awesome!
Now… I hope you guys like the story!
"I… I can't believe this is actually happening," Logan whispers as he wraps an arm around Carlos' shoulders. The shorter boy sends him a wide smile, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He wraps Logan in a tight embrace and pulls him close. The truth is he can't believe it either. He never thought he would actually make it through the journey.
"I can't believe it either. But… what now?" the little Latino asks with a small chuckle as he watches tears of happiness slowly roll down Logan's cheeks.
"Now… we party!" James shouts from behind them, startling the two older boys. They both turn around and stare at their taller friend with giant smiles. Somehow, they all end up snuggled up together with their arms around one another, all a blubbering mess.
"Hey guys- Guys, why are you crying?" Kendall asks as soon as he sees the giant mess his older brothers are. The three boys take one look at the blonde and start crying all over again, only this time even harder. "Di-did I say something?"
"Come here, Kenny," Carlos says and motions the boy to walk forward. Kendall does as he is told, only to end up in the circle of the four-way hug, squished in between the other three boys.
"Guys, I appreciate the hug and all, but why are we hugging? I am so confused… And why are all three of you crying?" Kendall is still confused at his best friends' actions.
"B-because we never thought we'd come so far. Kendall, we're graduating for crying out loud! And you… you just grew so much!"
Still confused, Kendall tightens his arms around James and buries his face against the brunette's neck, a smile coming to his face. "We all grew, Jamie. It wasn't just me. We grew as a band, as best friends, as brothers. We grew as one."
Logan smiles from beside Kendall. He reaches a hand and ruffles the younger boy's strawberry-blond hair. "You grew more than you'll ever know, Ken. We're so proud of you, buddy." He tightens his grip on Kendall and whispers in his ear, "I love you, Kenny."
"Love you too, Logie." Kendall grins. "I don't mean to be such a girl, but… I love you guys so much."
James, Carlos, and Logan give the boy evil grins before knocking him to the floor and tickling him to death. "We love you more!" they all shout together at once, to which Kendall just giggles.
You grew more than you'll ever know, Ken.
Kendall sits on the edge of his bed, his feet dangling off the edge. His eyebrows knit together in thought as he stares up ahead. He can't help but wonder what Logan meant by those words. Sure, he did grow. But didn't they all? It's not like one of them stopped growing at any time.
"Kendall, it's time to pack, bro!"
Taking a deep sigh, he stands up on wobbly legs and stands in front of his and Logan's shared closet. Of course, the closet is half empty, seeing as Logan removed his belongings ahead of time. The blonde chuckles to himself and slowly starts packing his clothes, books and hockey gear.
The closet is almost empty when he suddenly sees a medium sized box sitting on the bottom. Without much hesitation, he takes it out and opens it up to reveal his belongings from his childhood. His stuffed animals, toy cars, video games, and childhood pictures are all packed in the cardboard box.
Curiously, he rummages through it all, until one particular picture catches his eyes. Teas start to gather in his emerald eyes at the sight. The picture is of the very first Christmas he, Katie and his mother ever had without his father. He rememberes everything about that Christmas. That Christmas his mother had not had enough money to buy them anything. Being only eight years old, the little blonde had been told by his mother that their daddy sent some money to Santa every Christmas so he wouldn't have to pay for his and Katie's gifts on his own. And since their father was gone and his mother did not have enough money, Santa wouldn't be able to buy them anything.
In a way he somewhat understood what his mommy meant, but he also understood that Katie would be left with no presents. It crushed his heart. He wanted his baby sister to have an amazing Christmas, so being only eight years old, he had gathered enough money by mowing lawns from neighbors. It was hard work, but it was all worth it when he saw the giant smile on Katie's face on Christmas Eve when she was handed a giant teddy bear.
You grew more than you'll ever know, Ken.
Now he understands what Logan meant. Being that his father died when he was so young, Kendall was forced to grow up as the man of the house. He was forced to take jobs in order to have enough money for their little family. He was forced to take responsibility; put all his attention and dedication towards his mother and baby sister.
"Now I understand," he whispers to himself.
"Understand what Kenny?"
Kendall jumps up in surprise, dropping the photograph to the ground. He looks up to meet two pairs of brown eyes and one pair of hazel. "H-how long have you guys been there?"
"Barely got here," Logan answers as he takes a seat next to the blonde. Slowly, he reaches down and picks up the photograph from the ground. "Hey Ken, is this why you're crying?"
Kendall chuckles nervously. "Me? Crying? Yeah right!" Logan smiles as he reaches a hand and brushes a tear off of Kendall's cheek before showing it to the younger boy. "Oh… th-that."
"What's wrong, buddy?" James frowns and lays a hand on the boy's knee, taking a seat on the floor. Kendall tries to avoid his gaze, but it is almost impossible.
"I-I was just thinking about what Logan said… about me growing up. I didn't know what you meant until I saw that picture," Kendall responds. "I was forced to grow up at a young age to take care of Katie and mom. That's what you meant, wasn't it Loges?"
Logan blushes. "Yeah… You were just so young Kendall. I remember wondering why you had a job when I first met you, and then James and Carlos told me what happened. To your… d-dad. I'm so sorry if I made you cry. I didn't mean it, Kendall. I didn't mean to-"
"Thanks, Logie." Kendall stops the brunette's blubbering by embracing him in a hug. "Thank you, all three of you. You guys never judged me. Not once. You guys never saw me as different or weird. You kept me going. Sure, you told me to take it easy, but you never told me to give up. You guys kept me up in my worst times. Thank you."
"That's because that's our job and we're family," Carlos says, speaking for the first time since the three boys walked in the room. "We would never judge you, Kendall. Never. You're our little brother, Kenny. We'll always hold you up without expecting anything in return. We love you, buddy. You need to know that."
"I know." Kendall smiles. "And you can expect the same from me. I love you guys," he whispers in a gentle voice as he embraces all three of them at once.
"Th… this is it." Carlos forces back a sob. He stares at the three boys in front of him. All three of them hold tears in their eyes. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" He pulls them into a hug and lets his tears fall. "We'll always keep in touch, right?"
"Of course, 'Litos," Kendall murmurs before pulling away. "Good luck."
"Thanks. You guys too..."
HONK!
"I… gotta go."
"You're gonna be a great cop," Logan whispers.
"Yeah you are," both Kendall and James agree.
Carlos smiles at this. "B-bye, guys."
All three of them watch as their older brother walks away and climbs in a cab. The cold Minnesota wind blows against them, threatening to knock them down, but they all stand their ground. Tears roll down their cheeks and sobs shake their bodies. No one speaks a word until James' phone startles them back out of their thoughts.
Shakily, the brunette takes the phone in his hand and presses it to his ear. The other two boys hang on every word until he puts it down, a sad smile grazing his face. "I… gotta head to the airport. G-Gustavo is waiting for me along with Kelly." He sadly looks down at his feet. "I'm gonna miss you gu-" he starts to say, but two pairs of arms hold onto him tight.
"We're gonna miss you too, Jamie," Kendall whispers before letting go of the brunette so they are eye to eye. "But remember that opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime. So you gotta take the bull by the horns and go big time."
"I know, Kendall. I promise to always remember that."
He takes a shaky breath, hugs both boys once again, and then walks away, tears still running down his face. Logan and Kendall just watch him go with sad looks on their faces.
"They're gone," Logan whispers, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, they are," Kendall says as he turns to face his older friend. "But, we'll see them soon enough." He chuckles. "I bet we'll see a lot of James everywhere. And, Carlos is still gonna be here in Minnesota. And you… you're not gonna move anywhere else, right Loges?"
Logan smiles at this before embracing his little brother in a warm hug. "Of course not, Kenny. Sure, I'll be busy in college and all… but I'll always have time for you and the guys."
"Thanks, Logie. I'm glad to hear that," Kendall whispers into the brunette's ear. He grips the boy in his arms until a loud honk penetrates the air. Slowly, he starts to loosen his grip, sobs already clawing at his chest. Tears sting his eyes as he smiles down at his older brother.
"I gotta go," Logan whispers. He turns to the car just a few feet away and hugs Kendall tight. "But I promise to call you guys every day, okay?"
Kendall nods at this as he buries his face in Logan's soft, brown spikes of hair. "Gonna miss you, Logie."
"Me too, Kenny. But, never forget that I love you… You'll always be my little brother. Forever and always. And, no matter what comes your way, remember that you can overcome it. Never give up on your dream, Ken. Show those Minnesota Wilds what you're made of!"
"I'll try my best."
"Good. Now, I gotta go. Good luck, Kenny."
"You too, Logie."
Logan sends one last smile toward his best friend and slowly walks away, leaving the poor boy with tears cascading down his face. Kendall hugs his jacket close to his chest and runs a hand through his hair before walking the few blocks to his house.
His feet scrape against the ground and sobs fill the air around him. And suddenly he is on the ground with a small body holding him down. Dizzily, he turns over and stares into big, dark brown eyes.
"Kenny, I love you."
The blond smiles as he hugs the older boy close. "Love you too, Logie."
What was that? Weird ending… Hmm… Guys, you should've expected it. I always add a bit of Kogie in my stories. I think I may have a problem…
So, that was it. Hoping you guys liked it. Go listen to the song, it's awesome. And thank you so much for reading!
Remember tomorrow is James' 22nd birthday! :D
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)