Kendall Knight didn't understand a lot of things about Jo Taylor, but the one thing that was the hardest for him to understand about her was why she liked his eyes so much.
Nearly every day that they saw each other, she said some comment about the color. Sometimes they'd be talking about silly things, or they'd just be sitting in silence, and she'd simply just turn to him and whisper, "You've got the prettiest eyes."
To which he'd respond, every time, with a nervous laugh and maybe even a blush. Jo had that effect on him. Two simple words could make him act insanely foolishly. Of course, Kendall really didn't mind at all. He was in love with her. When you're in love with someone, they can say a lot of things without the other getting mad.
But as far as Kendall could see, his eyes were really nothing special. They were simply green. Lots of people had green eyes. Kendall thought they looked simply like celery.
Kendall hated celery.
According to Jo, his eyes changed with his mood. The color would apparently change a shade darker when he was angry or sad. Magic eyes, Jo called them.
If Logan was there, every single time, he would always, always roll his eyes at that and go off on some medical rant about eyes in general. If it was Carlos, he would get all excited and demand to see the magic eyes. James, however, had the best reaction of the three. He would always jump up and shout about how Kendall's eyes were really nothing special.
And that, of course, would always arouse an angry response from Jo. Then, the two would get into an argument, and Kendall would have to intervene and drag his girlfriend elsewhere.
If it were anyone else gushing about his eyes, Kendall would snap at them to shut up. When it was Jo, he knew, his face would light up immensely.
Kendall loved Jo. Jo loved Kendall's eyes. And him, of course. But it was mostly his eyes. Despite his girlfriend's apparent fascination with them, he couldn't help but hate them just a tiny bit. Just because they were the color of celery, and Kendall really hated celery.
One day, Kendall had set up a romantic, girly picnic for the two in the Palm Woods Park. Jo was supposed to meet him for lunch, as her lunch break ran a bit longer today because she wasn't needed in the next few scenes they were shooting in the hit TV show, New Town High. So he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Kendall was not known for his patience. After what seemed like hours (but, really, was only a few minutes) he got up and stormed off, leaving his picnic basket in the middle of the park for hobos and random people to pick apart.
It was then that he got the phone call from Jo's cast mate, Megan. She was crying so heavily that Kendall could barely understand what exactly she was trying to say, but she was so distressed that Kendall made the effort.
"Kendall! Come quick, accident, a few blocks away f-from the studio. Jo."
That two-lettered name was all it took for Kendall to begin running the few blocks between the park and the studio, and then the few more blocks to where the accident was. Even though he would never admit it, he was scared. He was vaguely aware that, right at that moment, his eyes were probably that dark shade of darkened celery that apparently only came to be when he was angry or sad.
He had no idea what happened, and yet, he ran there as fast as he could. He saw her totaled car, and blood everywhere.
Then, he saw her. Jo.
He could feel his body wracking with sobs as he ran over to her, shouting her name. Kendall held her in his arms, not caring that her blood was all over the both of them, or if his tears were dropping onto her face. He knew that crying wasn't very manly, but he couldn't help it.
The main source of blood loss was coming from her head.
Then, Jo was being put on a gurney, and into an ambulance. The doors shut, and Kendall pounded helplessly on them, bruising his knuckles and hoping that they would let him in. Instead, they drove away to the hospital, leaving him in a fit of tears.
He went to the hospital that night by cab.
In fact, he went every night. She was in a coma, and he went every night to stay with her.
The only time that Kendall left was to get food from the nearby Subway. The doctors tried to get him to leave, even his friends and family pleaded with him to go home with them. But he refused. It was his fault. He should have had dinner with Jo instead.
It was his entire fault. She wouldn't have been going through that if it wasn't for him. He was supposed to be her boyfriend, the one who would never hurt her. But he had.
Every time he passed something reflective, he saw himself in it. He always saw his eyes. His celery-colored eyes that he hated but Jo loved. He was scared that, soon, that would be the only reminder of Jo that he would have left.
It had been four days, and Jo hadn't woken up. On the fifth day, Kendall saw her eyes flicker. He called out her name, and reached to touch her hands, but a flurry of doctors clambered inside and forced Kendall to wait outside.
He did, for a few more hours. Then, after making him wait in hours of agony, a doctor walked out.
"I understand you are Kendall Knight, boyfriend of Jo Taylor?"
Kendall answered yes, keeping his voice quiet.
"She woke up." The doctor informed Kendall. Kendall almost began crying in relief, but he restrained himself.
"She's fine, but she has long term memory loss."
Memory loss. Long term memory loss. The only time he had heard of that was because Dory had in from the movie Finding Nemo. Even Dory hadn't had long term memory loss. She had short term memory loss.
Jo had long term memory loss. Kendall listened, hearing it vaguely when the doctor explained that Jo didn't remember anyone, not even her own mother. When the doctor offered for Kendall to go see her, he nodded immediately.
He was trembling as he opened the door. Jo looked so pale and frail on the hospital bed. Kendall felt like if he touched her, she would break into a million pieces. Yet, he forced himself to grab a hold of her hand. She was sleeping again, but the doctor assured him that she wasn't back in a coma, and was simply tired. So he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
That time, it really was a few more hours before Jo's eyes flickered open. She let out a sigh, and her big, brown eyes scanned the room before landing on the boy beside her, who was holding her hand. She tilted her head slightly, seemingly examining him.
Kendall expected the doctors to run in again, but no one came.
Instead, she looked him straight in the eyes, and said, in the raspiest voice that he had ever heard:
"I don't know you, but you've got the prettiest eyes."
And, in that moment, Kendall began to feel grateful for his two celery-colored orbs.