Declaimer: I do not own KBSDD or their characters. Inspired by the song Everybody Talks by: Neon Trees. One-shot


She whispers "Because I hate you."

Kick doesn't know how it all falls out but he is pressing his mouth on hers. How did it all end up like this…?


Whispers. As Kick stepped through the High School doors all he heard were whispers. Then the dirty glares started coming. Not finding how to react to the new response he just glared back, arching a brow, hopping someone would explain.

"Jerk." Someone said.

"What?" he turned but whoever had dissipated into the crow. What was going on? There was a bump then another as patterns moved through the halls.

"Kick!" he was almost relief when he saw his best friend appear from the student bodies.

"Gunther!" he called back but almost tripped as he was repeatedly bumped again.

To utter shock his friend was eyeing him suspiciously too, crossing his arms in some type kind of accusation.

What was going on? Did some catastrophe happened overnight and somehow he became despise by everyone? "Okay, what did I do now?

"You mean you don't remember!" Guther exclaimed, provoking the mutters to rise higher.

Someone jabbed Kick in the rib. "Ah, no. It seems I'm the only one who doesn't!"

Kick felt slack as Gunther narrated the lies. Because that's the only way to describe it. Lies. Lies. Lies! Supposedly he snuck after classes with one of the Cheerleaders from the other school to the janitors closet and when it was all over they had to break out of school by opening one of the windows from the library, rain from the night ruined the near equipment costing school funds. The aftermath costing budget cuts in most clubs in the school and canceling the football team for a season. They didn't hold evidence pointing to him and even though he didn't do anything, every finger was singling him.

Kick guessed that what he hated the most was that Gunther sounded convinced by all the rumors. So, when he tried to pry his side of the story Kick shoved him out of the way. "It's just talk! Nothing happened, Gunther!"

Gunther ignored Kick's gestured and instead fallowed a step behind him. "Are you sure? Everyone's pretty mad at you."

"And you believe them instead of me, your loyal best friend?"

"I just thinking you're embarrass to admit what really happened there and you don't really what divulged yourself." Gunther shrugged. "They say you're the first in our class."

Kick grew hot with the insinuations behind his words. Something boiled at his stomach as he snapped to his friend. How could he even think that of all people? "I was home all day after school ask anybody!"

Gunther shook his head as if it wasn't an easy answer as that. As if he should just give up. "That's it. Someone saw you snuck out."

"Who?"

Gunther took a moment to reply, seeming to remember something. "Not sure. I just heard it while I was at my locker but they say the source is reliable."

"And you rather believe a "reliable" source then my soul word!" Gunther hesitated and Kick was already marching away not dawning fully on what just happened. "Oh, forget it!"

Just then the bell rang and as everybody dispersed he saw her. Her hands clutching defiantly at her books, her gold hair moving with the confidence of a military dog and then her eyes found his. A playful smile pulling at her lips. Kendall. The name came like a light bolt inside his head. When she passed him he had to turn her way just to make sure. But it was stupid because he already knew it was her.

Ignore. That was what he was supposed to do. She had done this to annoy him but it will only backfire if he let it be. For whatever reason she did this, he didn't know, but he was planning on finding out. Though it proved to be difficult. He never thought he lived to see the day that everybody's bad talk got in the way until now. It was overwhelming, eating at his brain, provoking his fury every time someone neared him because he knew they were there to irritate him.

And he never saw the time to cease the opportunity when he was constantly being ambush. Monday was the chess team. Tuesday the very own football team. Friday the cheerleader with their pompoms. At lunch everyone accidently dump food on his tray. In the bathrooms someone's aimed lack. At the end of everyday he would open his locker to find pieces of paper with opinions.

Gunther stuck with Kick at times but when there was an intervention of some kind he would somehow disappear in the background, afraid to be seen with the biggest player and traitor from the school. When it'd all be over he would plead Kick to confess, stating that things would be easier that way. But of course he didn't, until one day at second period, when a big guy stood at the stairs waiting for him or at least that's what they told Kick. They told Kick he wanted to discuss something with him.

Of course there wasn't really any conversation. Well, except the one his fist had with Kick's face. He left school early discovering in the hospital as they stitched the lid of his left eye that he was the boyfriend of this "cheerleader" he committed his crimes with. That's when he decided that stitches that weren't conveyed by stunts deserved a bittersweet payback.

The other day as he limps inside the walls of the dirty School he resolutes in embracing what someone had pressed on his back.

As soon as the chance came he took it.

"Kick, are you okay?" it's Gunther, he's at Kick side as he searches for the right books in his locker. "I heard what happened! I can't believe it."

"Me neither!" Kick admits. "I mean she told me she didn't have a boyfriend. So you can see the shock in my face. I have the stitches to prove it."

"I can see that," it isn't Gunther's voice. Perfect.

Kick fakes enthusiasm as he turns to Kendall. "Want to touch it."

She raises a lip in disgust as she recoils. "Yuck. No. What a joke?" She says loud enough that it attracts a crowd, Kick only notices because Gunther is no longer in range of his vision. "You don't ever seem to learn your lesson."

Kick feigns confusion. "Last time you didn't object. Oh, right, that was before I realize you were a bore. So, I guess that I never do learn my lesson."

The gap at Kendall mouth makes him feel so much better and more when her defense is interrupted as the bell rings leaving any objection of doubt hang in the air. The whispers start again but for a change it isn't him and as the halls empty he feels the weight of something leave shoulders. Gunther was right. He should have trusted him.

Since the limp in his leg the walk to his first class is slow not that he can get there when he is interrupted by a hand turning him and pushing him to a wall.

"What was that, Clearance?" Kendall spits pinning him against the knob of a door.

Kick grunts. That was one of the spots where the guy had punched him. He resolves in pushing her but he's too fable to make any different. "Revenge."

"For what?"

Now she wants to act stupid, somehow this only infuriates him more. "A price for your piece of fiction. You're the only one who seems to know I had nothing to do with the snuck in!" her silence confirms any doubt. "For all I know you were the one who left the windows open and tried to blame it on me."

"I…" she stumbles and he groans. Exactly what happened. "I didn't do anything. You were the one here with the stupid cheerleader!"

Kick resolves in turning the knob when the pain intensifies. As they stumble inside Kick side steps clearing the space for Kendall fall flat on the floor. She makes a cry but is muffled by another sound.

"Is someone there?" a hall monitor. Can things get any worse? They were late for class as it already was.

Kick shushes Kendall when she continues with her cries as she starts to stand up. They both stand in silence until danger disappears then Kick proceeds in his scowling. "You and I know there's no cheerleader."

Kendall crosses her arms. "Well, there's no one to prove you otherwise."

Kick shrugs, trying not to let his anger show. "Everybody talks bad. I can stand it but you can't. Soon people are going to think you and I had something. And then they're going to be two first in our class."

Kendall flushes burying her hands to her face. "You wouldn't."

"I would. I mean you didn't have any mercy when you did it to me." Kick sighs as if it were inevitable. "Even if it I didn't. The rumors would spread like wildfire and sometimes rumors are worse than real facts. It's not up to me, anymore."

"This can't be happening?"

"Well, you should have thought about that before you did anything."

As Kendall removes her hand Kick can only compare her to the devil. He can almost see the smoke coming from her ears and the red fury in her face doesn't help. Unexpectedly she pushes him, making him crash in some plastic bottles. His momentarily baffled but when he comes to he sees himself pushing back.

Kendall doesn't have any bottles to catch her fall on the near wall. It makes a thud that provokes Kick to squint. She gasps reaching a hand to her chest. "What was that for, moron?"

Any trace of worry is erased by her comment. "Well, you started it. For what? What can you gain? My utter peer destruction?."

"That could be it." She coughs. "But I just like seeing you sad. What can I say? It makes me happy?"

"Why?" now Kick is disgusted. But he can see her eyes crack, like a pray with no way out of a deadened. Her knees tremble a bit and her breath shakes.

She whispers. "Because I hate you."

She lies. Somehow he knows she lies. Hadn't she done it these past few weeks? He steps forward. "Are you sure you hate me or hate yourself?"

"No." she says flatly but he's sure she doesn't believe it. He limps closer. "Why would I hate myself?"

Kick lands a hand on the wall, trapping her. If she tries to hide something he wants to know, have the front row. "I don't know. I, mean, I would hate myself if I start to believe my own lies."

She stands there uncomfortable but not daring to move just to prove his point. "Oh, please."

"Or you hate yourself because they aren't true. In which case then I don't understand why you would purposely choose me to cover your tracks."

"I told you, you moron." Now she caves as tried to pull him off. "Is because I hate you."

"I don't believe you." He starts laughing as he leans forwards only stopping when he realizes what is doing.

Her breath catches and he gets a glimpse of her eyes. "I only hate that I can't hate you."

How did they end up there in the first place? Even with everything they had happened he still doesn't make sense. The only thing he is aware of is the pain he feels at his lips and even though he knows the link to the problem he can't help himself stop. He knows their making a lot of sound but when the rush of students starts to filter he question whether it was enough to block the sound of the bell. Then he thinks of how many that have rang. He knows they're standing but is very confusing when they fall to the floor as someone opens the door.

The first thing that register were the plastic bottles, then how ironic it is to be in the janitors closet above all odds. And how mocking it is to be surrounded by students. To be surrounded by whispers.

Everybody talks, he reminds himself.

The End