Too Nice
Call it her motherly instincts, but Jennifer Knight knew something was wrong with Carlos the night of the Day of Pranks at dinner.
The boys and Katie were laughing and talking about their busy day of pranks, describing each one in detail. Jennifer remembered how good it felt to be like a kid again. To have that innocence, that fun, again. Maybe the Day of Pranks wasn't too bad after all.
Who was she kidding? She had loved it, maybe even more than her kids and their friends.
But Carlos didn't join in the conversation. That wasn't the unusual part. The weird part was that he just sat there, staring down at his place of untouched food. Carlos never not ate his food or stayed still for more than a minute.
People would probably assume that Carlos would be all over the place at dinner, talking and talking and never giving anyone else a chance to even open their mouths. But the truth was, out of all the boys, Carlos talked the least at dinner.
Maybe it was because he was too busy stuffing his face with food, but Mrs. Knight had a feeling that he just didn't know how to join in.
Ever since he was little, Carlos had always been a little awkward at talking to people. He was full of energy and smiled all the time, yes, but he also didn't really know how to keep up conversation.
It would have surprised people, since Carlos was so crazy and energetic and just… all over the place. Who knew that stunt-loving, daring Carlos would be so… so bad at talking to people?
Even when he didn't join in, the boys always made sure they asked Carlos how his day was when they were done talking. And then, then Carlos would usually start his ten minute talks about every tiny detail of what he did that day and why.
But today, when Kendall asked Carlos what he did, Carlos just shrugged. "Nothing really." He had said quietly, looking back down.
That was the moment Mrs. Knight knew something was wrong.
She just didn't know when she should confront him.
When the boys were watching the Minnesota Wilds play hockey that night, Mrs. Knight was made absolutely sure that Carlos was upset about something. He didn't say a word, not even when the Wilds lost 5-4.
Usually, he'd be up and shouting with Kendall, James, and Logan, yelling about how the other team cheated. But this time, he just sat there, looking down at his hands. Always looking down.
Mrs. Knight was in her room, lying on her bed, staring at her purple crown she'd won later on that night, when she heard the front door to the apartment shut quietly. She'd always had good hearing.
The boys should be asleep by now, or at least in bed. It was already 11.
She just assumed that the wind had blown it open, and someone, probably Kendall, had closed and locked it, seeing it open when they went to get a drink or something. Whatever. She'd check later.
After ten minutes of just staring at that funny looking crown, Jennifer stood up and went to check on her boys and Katie. That was always her routine at night. She always checked to make sure her babies were alright.
Katie was sound asleep, Kendall and Logan's room was quiet, and Mrs. Knight saw the two figures snoring lightly on their beds. She smiled to herself.
But when she entered James and Carlos's room, she only saw one figure on the bed. James. Which was weird, because usually James was the one up and Carlos was the one asleep.
Carlos. He wasn't there. Mrs. Knight closed the door shut quickly, a bad feeling in her stomach.
The door closing shut. That was Carlos, wasn't it? Who else could it be? Carlos wasn't anywhere around the house after she looked around.
Mrs. Knight grabbed her coat, her keys, her phone in case Carlos called, and left the apartment.
She was going to find Carlos.
line line line
"Oh, this is so bad, Carlos, sweetie, where would you go?" Jennifer whispered to herself worriedly. Where would Carlos go? He didn't have a favorite place; he loved going everywhere and anywhere.
It was almost midnight, and the crime rate in L.A. was really high. And Carlos wasn't exactly… in a position to defend himself. Pretty much any of the gangs out there could beat up tiny, 5 foot 6 Carlos. He didn't stand a chance.
And even if he did, he wouldn't hurt a soul. He was too nice, too caring, to do something that horrible.
He wouldn't stand a chance.
That worried Jennifer immensely, and she thought she should call the police. But what would they do? Just tell her to call back later. She hated that stupid 48 hour rule. Something, anything, could happen to her baby boy in just one hour.
And it had already been 45 minutes.
She kept on driving around in the silence, her windows down (no pun intended), listening for anything that could alert her of some human presence.
And then she heard it.
Tiny sobs were coming from behind the Rocque Records building. The building was closed for the night, and Jennifer parked nearest to the back of it.
She ran out of the car, her heart pumping. Why was Carlos crying? Had someone hurt him? Was he dying? Was he-
Mrs. Knight stopped when she almost stepped on something. She looked down.
It was Carlos's black helmet.
She looked back up after picking the plastic helmet up, and saw Carlos curled up in the corner of the building, crying his eyes out. She sighed in relief. Carlos didn't look like he was hurt. At least not physically. But he was still crying.
"Oh my goodness, Carlos, sweetie, what are you doing out here so late? Baby, I was so worried about you!" Mrs. Knight crouched down beside the crying Latino boy, who looked up a little in surprise.
"M-Mama Knight?" He choked out, tears streaming down his face. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
Mrs. Knight wiped a tear from Carlos's face. "Carlos, honey, I was looking for you. You were gone, I couldn't just not care. It's dangerous out here, baby." She said gently. "What wrong, Carlos? Why are you crying?"
Carlos sniffled loudly, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. "I-It's nothing. C-can we just go home?" He asked pitifully.
Mrs. Knight helped him stand up. "No, sweetheart, I need to know what's wrong. It's not nothing; you ran away. Here, let's get onto my car, alright? It's freezing out here. I don't want you to catch a cold."
When the two were in Jennifer's heated car, Jennifer decided that it was time to confront Carlos about what was up with him.
"Carlos, please, tell me what's wrong. I hate seeing you like this, sweetie." After all, Carlos was the happy one. He wasn't supposed to cry. He wasn't supposed to run away in the middle of the night without saying a word.
Carlos whimpered a little, curling up on his chair. "I-It's just that… I-I'm sick of it." He whispered sadly.
Mrs. Knight knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Sick of what?" She prompted him quietly. She knew something was wrong.
Carlos stared up at her, his eyes wide and teary. It broke Jennifer's heart. Carlos mumbled something inaudible.
"What was that, Carlos?"
Carlos let out a tiny sob. "I'm sick of being too nice, alright? I'm sick of people a-always taking advantage of me…" He cried, curling up even tighter.
"What… what do you mean, sweetheart?" Mrs. Knight was undoubtedly confused. Carlos had never thought being nice was bad.
"L-like today, I-I was gonna win the stupid prank crown, b-but I couldn't cuz I-I'm too nice!" Carlos cried.
"Oh, Carlos…" Mrs. Knight sighed. "Sweetie, I didn't know you were still that upset about that. And being nice is what we love about you, Carlos. There's not enough people left in the world who are nice like you."
Carlos didn't seem comforted. "B-but I'm sick of being the nice one. N-no one likes the nice one!" He got out.
"Sweetie, who said they didn't like you for being nice?" She asked cautiously.
Carlos looked away for a moment. He shut his mouth.
"Carlos, you can tell me. Why do you think people don't like you?"
He looked down, his face red. "J-Jett heard about me getting tricked by you and he… he-he made fun of me for being too nice…" He sobbed. "He called me a wimp and a p-pushover and… and he said that n-no one would ever like me!"
Mrs. Knight wanted to hurt Jett. She took karate classes when she was a kid, it would be easy as pie… but right now, she had to fix her broken boy, a boy who was almost equivalent to her son.
She took his face and cupped his cheeks with her hands. "Hey. Sweetie, don't listen to a word he's saying. He's just jealous of you. You're sweet, and kind, and there isn't one person in the world who doesn't like you except for losers like him." She stated firmly.
Carlos shook his head. "Y-you don't understand, Mama Knight. Ever since we started the Day of Pranks thing when we were 8, I-I've always wanted to win that crown. Even Logan's won it before, and he's pranked himself out f-four times in a row! But I've never won it before. A-and it's all because people end up taking advantage of me and tricking me so I could lose… and j-just because they know I'm nice!"
"I just hate being nice, Mrs. Knight, but… but-but I can't help it. I wanna be mean, but I can't… I wanna prank people out, but when I see them… I-I just can't. It makes me feel bad. I just keep wimping out and I always end up losing." Carlos whispered, his tears ceasing a little. "I-I'm never going to win that crown, am I?"
Mrs. Knight smiled at him. "Maybe not, my baby. But understand that there is absolutely no one in the world as kind as you are, sweetie. There aren't enough people like you, Carlos. And just because you're too nice to prank someone out, it doesn't mean that you're a wimp. Because you aren't, Carlos. You're precious and the most special boy in the whole world."
Carlos smiled a little at that. Jennifer was glad she finally got something through his insecure head. "Th-thanks, but… just because you think that doesn't mean other people like me for it. All my life, people have been making fun of me for it. Even Kendall, James, and Logan." Carlos admitted sadly, looking down.
Mrs. Knight scoffed. "Carlos, don't listen to what other people tell you. They don't matter; as long as you love yourself, that's all that matters. And your friends love you, Carlos, and they wouldn't give you up for anything in the whole world. I can promise you that. Sometimes, people say things they don't mean. Like me, sweetie. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you for being nice… because that's what makes you special and beautiful. And I am so sorry, Carlos."
Carlos looked a little happier, and Mrs. Knight felt like she had finally done something perfectly.
"And being nice is what everyone here loves about you, Carlos. After all, who was the one who ran a mile to get James his Cuda spray even though he had asthma? And who was the one who brought back Logan's homework when he got sick for a week when no one else wanted to? And who was the one who sat by Kendall for three whole hours after Jo broke up with him when everyone else had ditched him?" Mrs. Knight asked.
Carlos blushed a little. "Me." He said softly.
Mrs. Knight smiled. "Exactly. See, being nice makes you a great friend. And a great person. And we, I, would give up anything in the world for you."
Carlos didn't say anything, but Mrs. Knight could tell he felt better. She grabbed the helmet in her hands and placed it on Carlos's head. Carlos smiled a little at the comfort of his beloved treasure.
"Carlos, sweetie, you want to hear a secret? You can't tell the other boys." Mrs. Knight whispered, smiling.
Carlos's eyes lit up. "I won't! What's the secret?"
Mrs. Knight leaned in and kissed Carlos on the forehead. "You're my favorite boy in the whole world, Carlos, did you know that?" She whispered, winking.
"Even more than Kendall?" He asked innocently.
Mrs. Knight laughed. "Maybe not. But after him, you're my favorite." Carlos smiled back, the gesture lifting Jennifer's heart.
"Thanks, Mama Knight, you always know what to say." He thanked her gratefully. "Can we go home now?"
Mrs. Knight started the car. "Yes, of course we can, sweetie."
Carlos fell asleep when Mrs. Knight reached the parking lot. Even though Carlos wore a size smaller than her, he was still heavier. Mrs. Knight reached over and patted Carlos on the shoulder gently.
The boy blinked his eyes open. "We're home, sweetie. Time to get out." He smiled and hopped out happily.
"Carlos, sweetie, please don't run away like that again, alright?" Mrs. Knight pleaded. "You had me so worried." Carlos nodded.
"I promise I won't, ever again." He promised firmly.
"Good." Mrs. Knight smiled at Carlos, her love for him almost too much to hold in. She loved all of them, all four of her boys and Katie. So, so much.
And she wouldn't give them up for anything.
They got back to 2J, it was 2 am, and Mrs. Knight sat right next to Carlos until the younger boy fell asleep.
He may have been too nice, but there was never something wrong with that. Mrs. Knight loved him for it.
And yeah, Jennifer Knight would give up anything and everything for the little boy that lay in front of her.
A/N- Hello, guys! I don't know where this came from… probably after I watched Big Time Pranks II yesterday (there's no Nick where I went on vacation for a month, so I watched it on YouTube). Which by the way, was AWESOME! I just loved Mrs. Knight in that episode!
And I've never really written Mrs. Knight before… I hope I didn't make her seem to motherly… but she is a mother, after all. I thought the whole Mrs. Knight and Carlos scenes were just so adorable.
I hope you guys liked this! Please review if you can, I really want to know what you think about this! This is a little different from what I usually write, cuz it's usually bromance and not… parent and "son" kind of thing. So I hope you guys still liked it.
I'll try to update my stories soon! Once again, I hope you liked this and even if you didn't, please leave a review (yep, I'm desperate). Wink.
Peace, Love, and Pranks,
Anonymous Skrtle