Chapter 1 - Big Time Move
Easter was a time of renewal, a time when all things were reborn and made new again. The icy rage of winter passed on and gave way to the promising bloom of Spring flowers. The snow had long since melted, and the beginning bloom of flowers was just being seen in the flower beds that lined the streets. Outside, the sky was the most pale shade of blue. The air was warm, and inviting, so people left the homes that had been the refuge during the most harsh of winters and journeyed outside to greet the fresh day. As they stepped outside, each heard the same message from their God; the message of hope.
In keeping with the spirit of newness and rebirth, a green Dodge magnum station-wagon pulled down Greer Street, with all the belongings of the family of three piled inside. A mother, and her two children, searched for their new home with only an address to guide them. Moving from the small town of Shakopee, the journey to Minneapolis had been a bit much for the Knight family but when Jennifer Knight's Aunt Sherry passed away, and left her niece a house in Minneapolis, Jennifer felt it was the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. She piled her two children into the family station-wagon, and off they went for Minneapolis. It was on a lovely April mid-morning that they found themselves looking for their new home.
"This sucks." Katie Knight pouted, "I hate this city already."
"We've been in Minneapolis for fifteen minutes." Mrs. Knight countered, "You could at least give it an hour before you begin the sassing. Besides, you haven't even seen this house yet."
"It probably sucks." Katie sighed, "This whole thing sucks."
"If you say the word 'sucks' just once more I will ground you for a week." Mrs. Knight retorted, "I moved our family here because we needed a fresh start. You're going to love it here, if you just give it a shot. Kendall, are you okay? You've been awfully silent."
"What is there to say? Kendall intoned coldly, "We had to give up our whole life to have a fresh start; it isn't like I can do anything about it."
"Well, at least you aren't whining." Mrs. Knight smiled, cheekily, "I know it's difficult to start over, but this will be really good for our family. Believe me, this will turn out to be the best thing to ever happen for us."
"I seriously doubt it." Kendall rolled his eyes, turning his attention out of the window of the passenger seat.
He observed the warm day, and the happily playing children, and felt a soul-crushing depression fall over him. There was no way this could turn out to be a good thing, he thought to himself, especially after all he had given up. That school year, he would have been the Captain of the Shakopee Hockey team, not to mention he was giving up all his friends and his girlfriend, Melissa. Kendall would never admit it, but he was also terribly afraid that nobody would like him.
"I think I found the house!" Mrs. Knight suddenly exclaimed, breaking Kendall from his thoughts.
Curious, he turned his line of vision toward something that truly shocked him. In Shakopee, he had lived in a two bedroom apartment and had to beg his mom to let Katie move into her room so that he could have a tiny bit of space. The apartment was cramped, and it seemed like everyday something had stopped working. The tiny apartment that Kendall had loved so much seemed like a closet compared to the house he was staring at.
The house was sprawling over a large piece of land; made of tan stones with dark brown shutters. It was set at the end of a nice sized driveway, which curved off to a massive four car garage. Kendall noticed that it stood at least three stories tall, and was the longest house on the street. The family was stunned in silence as they pulled down the driveway. The house seemed to get bigger as they pulled closer to it. Though determined to not warm up to the idea of a move, Kendall had to admit that he didn't feel as irritated by it as he had before.
"This house is ours?" Katie gaped, "Like, it belongs to us?"
"I had no idea that my Aunt Sherry was so generous." Mrs. Knight exclaimed, "This house is huge!"
"Hey, who is that?" was all Kendall said, noticing a tall woman with long red hair standing on the porch of the house.
"That's my cousin Leslie." Mrs. Knight informed her children, "She was Sherry's daughter."
The car came to a calm stop in front of the house. Leslie began making her way toward the car as the engine died down, and Mrs. Knight stepped out of the drivers side. The ladies embraced, and smiled politely as Katie and Kendall exited the car.
"Oh dear," Leslie cooed, "Jenny, are these your kids?"
"Yes." Jennifer smiled, "Kendall is fifteen, and Katie is ten."
"They are so grown up!" Leslie chirped, "I can't believe it! The last time I saw you, Katie had just been born and Kendall was the sweet little boy I had ever seen."
"I'm sorry for the circumstances that you're seeing them again." Jennifer smiled sadly, "Aunt Sherry was a lovely woman. I still can't believe she left me this house. It's enormous!"
"I did love this house." Leslie agreed, "When Mom was going over her will, we discussed it and agreed that it could go to someone who deserved it more."
"Just how big is this house?" Katie wondered aloud.
"It's 7,000 square feet." Leslie replied, "There are six bedrooms, each with its own bedroom. There is also an amazing pool in the backyard that you kids will just love. Kendall, you're fifteen?"
"Yeah." Kendall said simply, not wanting to give too much away.
"There might be a little something for you in the garage." Leslie smiled coyly.
"Are you serious?" Kendall's interests were peeked, thinking that his mother wouldn't have been able to afford a car.
"That's really too generous!" Jennifer was in disbelief.
"Right before your Aunt Sherry died," Leslie began, "she bought this beautiful black Mustang, brand new with all the upgrades. I don't think your mom would have a problem with you driving it once you turn 16."
"I turn sixteen in a few weeks." Kendall almost sounded excited, but caught himself.
"I still don't know how we are going to maintain all this land." Jennifer laughed, "We're going to need to make a trip to the hardware store."
"Not to worry." Leslie smiled, "I am managing Mom's estate and she left money to pay for a gardener for several years. There is also a maid, if you need one."
"That's really too much!" Jennifer shook her head, "Thank you so much, Leslie. It was lovely to see you again."
"It was lovely to see you too, Jenny." Leslie leaned in to hug her cousin, "We really should see each other again soon."
"I couldn't agree more." Jennifer gave her cousin a quick squeeze.
"Here is the keys." Leslie handed them to Jennifer, "I made a few copies, just in case you need them. The keys to the garage are inside, as well as the keys to the Mustang and Dad's jeep. Mom left everything there, but not too long ago she completely redecorated the house so it's much more modern. There is even a game room."
"A game room!" Katie exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, Mom!"
"Calm down!" Jennifer tried to not smile at her daughter's excitement, "We still have a lot to do! Including turning in these registration forms."
"You know what," Leslie spoke up, "My husband is on the school board, I'll turn in the forms on my way home."
"You are too kind!" Jennifer tapped her cousin's shoulder, "I'll get you those forms. Kendall, take the keys and you two go have a look around."
"Sure." Kendall muttered, taking the keys from his mothers hand.
Katie raced toward the house, but Kendall walked slowly and deliberately as he tried to hide his growing excitement. When he opened the door to the house, he was amazed to find it appeared even large from inside. Directly in front of Kendall was a large, and winding, staircase that lead to the upstairs of the home. Beyond that, Kendall could see the door that lead to the patio and sure enough a sparkling blue pool. Katie was nowhere to be seen, so Kendall decided to go up the stairs and search for a room.
He began walking up the large staircase, taking in the beautiful home before him. Something of this sized seemed so foreign to him, so new that he almost didn't know how to react. At the top of the stairs, Kendall could see several doors that he assumed were the bedrooms. The entry way to the rooms were marked with double doors, each closed with the promise of something new behind them. At the end of the hall was the master bedroom, and Kendall felt that his mom deserved it after taking Katie into her room so that Kendall could have his own space. Kendall looked to the other end of the hall, and decided that a room away from his Mother, and sister, would be just what he needed. He quickly began making his way toward the doors, pausing before he opened them, completely unsure of what would be behind them. For the past ten years, he had been sleeping in a tiny room on a bunk bed that his feet flew off the end of. Now, he was choosing from one of six bedrooms. Kendall pushed open the double doors and gasped.
Inside was an enormous bedroom that was at least ten times bigger than the one he had previous slept in. Immediately off to the right was the door that lead to his own bathroom, and on the left side was a King sized sleigh bed. In front of the bed, against the wall, was a 60 inch flat screen tv with a blu-ray player, and cable box, hooked up to it. In front of Kendall, beyond the bathroom and bed was a huge picture window that overlooked estate. Next to the window was a door, and Kendall couldn't believe that he had a private balcony. This house was the picture of luxury, and the room seemed to have been made for Kendall. The walls were painted tan, but without decoration. Kendall smiled as he pictured all the pictures, and posters, that he would put on the walls.
"I see you found a room." Mrs. Knight startled Kendall, shaking him once again from his thoughts, "Can you believe the master bedroom is twice as big as this! Look at that closet, it's bigger than your old bedroom!"
"I have to admit, I could have been wrong about this move." Kendall allowed himself to smile slightly.
"I told you." Jen smiled, giving her son a one-armed hug, "Your sister took the room directly in the middle so there is an empty room in between the three rooms. We finally have some space! Why don't we go out for supper, tonight, and tomorrow I will go to the grocery while you kids are at school. In the meantime, why don't you grab your things from the car so I could put it in our garage. Can you belief it, we have a garage!"
"It's great, Mom." Kendall grinned.
An hour later, Kendall was finishing putting his clothes in the dresser that was inside his massive walk-in closet and arranging his few personal belongings around the room. The family didn't have much, so unpacking was not a difficult task. They were quite lucky that Aunt Sherry had left all of her belongings in the house, or it would have been quite bare. Since he had finished packing, and looking around his room, Kendall decided he had two things he needed to check out. The first thing was the pool, and the second was his car. He left his room, and walked down the stairs. In another room, he could hear his mother and sister arguing about what food they wanted to eat. Kendall opened the double French doors, and stepped onto the veranda. He walked to the edge and stepped down the short staircase and walked the paved driveway to the garage. As Kendall neared the door, his heart was racing. He didn't think he would get a car until he was able to pay for himself. Now, he was getting a car that hadn't been driven more than a couple times.
Kendall opened the door, and fumbled for the light switch. When he found it, and switched it on, his breath was completely taken away by the sight in front of him. Sitting there was a brand new Ford Mustang, black with gray racing stripes. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and it was all his. He ran his slim fingers along the side of it, biting his lip to contain his excitement. Growing up, his family had been working class and now they were living like royalty.
"Kendall!" he could hear his mother calling from the house, "We're getting ready to leave, so come on!"
"Coming!" Kendall called back, giving the car one last look and praying his sixteenth birthday would come faster.
He turned off the light of the garage, and ran over the station-wagon where his mother was waiting. Jennifer began pulling down the driveway, and Kendall felt heat rising in his chest. A part of him worried that it was all a sick dream, and he would wake up to find himself laying in a bed that he was too tall for, in a room that was more like a closet. Kendall put his hand in his pocket, and gave his scrawny, pale leg a few pinches to make sure wasn't dreaming.
"Mom?" Katie spoke up from the backseat after the Knight family had been on the road for a few minutes.
"Yes, sweetie?" Mrs. Knight smiled into the rear view mirror.
"How are we going to pay for our new life?" Katie inquired, "We have all this nice stuff, but it's got to be expensive."
"Well, I am going to find a job." Mrs. Knight answered, "You don't worry about that anymore. I want you kids to have a nice life, free of worry and doubt and I want you to be open to this new change."
"I think maybe I was wrong about moving." Katie mused, turning her attention to the hand held video game she was playing."
Kendall said nothing, still determined to hate all the new changes in his life but later that night, when he was drifting off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel like something really positive was about to happen to him.
LINEBREAK
Minnesota mornings were cool, and dark. Kendall opened his eyes, and peered at the clock. The sun had not yet begun it's ascent, and the red digital numbers read 6:00 am. He groaned, and pulled back the covers of his bed. For a moment, he was startled; as his mind wasn't yet used to his new home. He stood on the floor, and stretched, with his morning wood sticking out like a vertical tent in his pants. Kendall looked down at it, and rolled his eyes; sometimes being a guy sucked. He ran a finger through his hair and made his way to his private bathroom.
In the apartment, he shared a bathroom with his mother and sister that was smaller than a closet, had a tiny porcelin tub, and ice cold floors. If he was lucky, the water would be lukewarm. In his new home, however, Kendall stepped into the bathroom to find the floors were heated, and he had a glass shower enclosure that could easily fit about 15 grown men. Kendall peeled off the black t-shirt he had slept in, and slid his grey sweatpants to the floor. Standing completely naked, Kendall expected to shiver from the coldness, but he found himself still pleasantly warm. He opened the door to his shower and stepped inside, then furrowed his brow in confusion. Instead of a knob, there was something on the wall that looked like a tiny television. Kendall stared at it for a moment, and then pressed a button.
"Whoa!" he shouted, startled by the sudden bursts of water as, on either side of him, about sixteen nozzles began spraying him with soothing warm water. Kendall pressed another button, and water began pouring from above him like rain water. He tried to think of a time, but Kendall Knight couldn't find a time when he had been more comfortable and relaxed.
Thankfully, his morning wood had gone down so he grabbed the nearest bottle of read that it was shampoo. He unfastened the cap and poured a little of it over his blonde hair. Instantly, a relaxing strawberry scent mixed with the steam of the shower and filled the air as the body sprays woke up his body. Kendall rinsed his hair, and continued with his conditioner. Never before had he felt so clean as he rinsed the suds from his hair. When completely satisfied, Kendall grabbed the bottle labeled 'shower gel' and poured some of it on a sponge. He soaped his thin, pale frame until he felt he was totally cleansed. When he was finished, Kendall turned the water off and stepped out into his bathroom to look for a towel. He found a closet completely stocked with linens that were the softest thing he had ever felt touch his body. He dried off, and walked to his sink where he brushed his teeth. Kendall looked into the mirror, feeling like he was looking back at someone he didn't recognize. In the background was his luxury shower, and linens closet. Kendall stared at himself, with his hair dripping in his face. He felt cleaner, somehow or somehow better than he had been before. Pushing the thoughts from his head, he used a comb to straighten his hair and then walked into his bedroom with a white towel tightly wrapped around his tiny waist.
"Crap." Kendall groaned, looking at the clock, he only had fifteen minutes to get to school.
He ran into his closet, and grabbed a pair of black boxers, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and a black t-shirt. Once dressed, and with his favorite purple and black vans on, he ran down the stairs to meet his mother in the foyer of the house. She greeted him with a smile, and a poptart.
"I figured that you would take a while to get ready so I decided to have these ready." she said as she handed it to him.
"Thanks." he said quietly, taking the food from her and eating it quickly as he walked out the door.
Katie followed behind him, and Kendall couldn't help but notice how happy she looked. Her hair was straightened, and she was dressed like a little princess. Kendall held back a smile, and admitted that the move had maybe been good for her.
Ten minutes later, Mrs. Knight had arrived at James Harrison High School. It was a wide, brick building with two parking lots on either side. Kendall couldn't help but notice the cars in the parking lot were rather expensive, and he suddenly felt self-conscious. He looked back at Katie, to see if she felt it as well but she looked really happy.
"This is your stop, Kendall." Mrs. Knight smiled, "I am going to take Katie to the middle school. Have a good day, and be open minded! I love you."
"Love you too." Kendall grumbled, stepping out of the car into the cold morning.
Mrs. Knight drove away, and Kendall was left alone in the parking lot. He breathed deeply, wishing he was anywhere else as nerves overtook him. Despite that, he didn't want to be tardy on his first day of school. Kendall had always done well in school, and he didn't want to change that now. He made his way up the front steps of the school, and pulled open the heavy black iron door. His first stop was the main office, to meet the Principal and get acquainted with the school and luckily for him the front office was right in front of him.
"Can I help you?" a snooty looking secretary asked as Kendall stepped into the office.
"I am here to see Principal Evans." he explained, "I'm Kendall Knight."
"Wait here." she instructed, "I will see if he is available."
She rolled back in his desk chair, and stood up. Kendall noticed that her dress looked more expensive then the rent for his old apartment and it struck him as weird that even the secretary seemed to be a higher class than he. He looked down at his jeans, that had only been five dollars, and was suddenly very aware of his family's lack of social status.
"Mr. Knight." a tall man with a wide smile and dark eyes strutted from his office, "I am Principal Evans."
He extended a hand to Kendall, who took it and gave a light shake. With his other hand, Principal Evans motioned toward his office. Kendall followed him as he lead him down a small hallway and into office. It was large, with an expensive looking desk in the middle. Principal Evans sat down and opened a file with Kendall's name on it.
"We just received your file." Principal Evans droned, "It seems you have perfect attendance, and straight A's. That's good to see."
"Academics are very important to me." Kendall added, "I want to someday get into a good college, and have a good career."
"Good." Principal Evans said simply, "It seems your mother isn't doing so well, financially. Mr. Knight, as I am sure you have noticed, the average income in this district is rather high. It is unusual to have someone of such limited means in our midst."
"I'm sorry?" Kendall felt confused, and rather offended.
"I want you to be careful for the students among us who aren't as kind and accepting of that." Principal Evans instructed, "This is a small community, and everyone knows everyone's business."
"Yes sir." Kendall responded, not wanting to cause trouble despite his growing annoyance.
"The secretary will give you your class schedule and you can be on your way." Principal Evans didn't bother to acknowledge Kendall as he rose from his seat and left the office.
A few minutes later, Kendall was off to his first class of the day. He walked into the hallway, observing his surroundings. There were portraits on the wall of previous Principals, and students who had been academically impressive. Kendall felt overwhelmed, and nervous. He wondered what would happen if he didn't do well, or if he wasn't impressive enough. Even the student's lockers looked expensive. Kendall continued walking to his first class, which was Advanced English. He didn't even notice -
"Hey!" an angry voice snapped, "Watch were you're going new kid."
"Huh?" Kendall replied idiotically.
He looked up to see the person he had bumped into was a few inches taller than him, with tanned skin and long shaggy hair. Kendall also noticed that he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The boy was wearing a blue and white oxford shirt, tucked into neatly pressed tan chinos and brown leather loafers. His eyes, while enraged, were the most beautiful hazel that Kendall had ever seen.
"I said," the beautiful boy angrily repeated, "watch where you are going. Are you too poor to afford directional skills?"
"Fuck you!" Kendall sneered, "I was here first, you were in my way."
"How dare you talk to me like that, new kid?" the boy's eyes were glowing with hot rage, "You are new here, so you don't know how it works. I am James Diamond, and you are poor trash. Stay out of my way, and I might not torture you too much."
Without another word, he pushed past Kendall and was on his way. Kendall narrowed his emerald eyes and sighed. So far, he was not off to a good start. Still, he couldn't help but stare at James Diamond as he sauntered off. He may have been a douche, but he was a fucking hot one. Kendall shook his head a little, and continued on his way. His first class was not too far ahead.
He stepped into the classroom, and noticed about fifteen other students sitting in desks. Kendall walked over to the teacher and introduced himself. The teacher gave him a once-over, and then did something that Kendall did not expect; she smiled at him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." she announced loudly, "I would like to introduce our new student, Kendall Knight. He will be joining us from Shakopee. Kendall, tell us something about yourself."
"My aunt left my mom a house." Kendall said shyly, "That's why I live here now."
"Thank you." the teacher smiled sympathetically, "Let's all make sure that we make Mr. Knight feel welcome. Kendall, you can take that empty desk next to Logan."
Kendall saw the empty desk next to Logan and began making his way toward it. Logan was more pale than he, and also looked very tiny. He was short, and couldn't have weighed more than 130 pounds. He was dressed in clothes just as expensive as that douchebag James Diamonds. Kendall slid into the desk, and pulled some notebooks out.
"Hello." Logan smiled politely, extending a hand, "I am Logan Mitchell, welcome to James Harrison High School."
"Thanks." Kendall replied, suspiciously, taking the offered hand.
"How do you like things so far?" Logan inquired, in a half-whisper.
"People aren't very friendly here." Kendall answered honestly, "They all seem to hate me."
"Don't worry about them." Logan replied, "They hate everyone who isn't just like them. I am not like that though. I'll be happy to show you around or anything you need."
"Wow, thanks." Kendall smiled, "That's really nice."
"I don't have too many friends." Logan admitted, "But I try to be as friendly as I can be."
"You're the first person to be nice to me." Kendall frowned, "I don't know why anyone would hate you."
"They hate my intelligence." Logan informed him, "I'm the school nerd, and I'm really small so the jocks think it's funny to push me around."
"They sound like douche's." Kendall sneered, "Especially James Diamond."
"I see you met James." Logan chuckled, "He is the God of the school, and he totally knows it. He is also the meanest person I have ever met."
"I accidentally bumped into him." Kendall admitted, "So he threatened me."
"Sounds about right." Logan rolled his eyes, "He never really says anything to me, but I've seen him make other kids cry."
"Wow." Kendall's green eyes got wide, "What a douche."
Logan just laughed in concurrence.
The rest of the class went smoothly, and Kendall continued light conversation with Logan as the teacher prattled on about sentence structure and grammar. By the time the bell rang, Kendall and Logan were talking like old friends so when Logan announced that his next class was a study break, Kendall was happy to see they had the same one.
In the hallway, Logan was rambling on about something, but Kendall wasn't paying attention. He was busy looking around for those familiar, burning hazel eyes. He had hoped to see James again and at least stare at him for a few minutes, but James Diamond was no where to be found. Suddenly, Kendall felt someone tugging at his shirt sleeve. He looked down to see, Logan giving him a confused look.
"Are you okay?" Logan asked, "You had a look of vacancy on your face. Have I disrupted a thought?"
"No, sorry." Kendall sighed, "I didn't hear you."
"I asked what extra-curicculars you were interested in." Logan repeated patiently.
"I like hockey." Kendall replied, "I'm thinking of trying out if there is a team here."
"You're a jock?" Logan looked worried for a moment.
"No!" Kendall laughed, "I'm not a jock, I just love hockey."
"If I am being honest," Logan began, "I love it too, but I could never play. I'm so small and breakable."
"If you love something, go for it." Kendall patted him on the back.
"I prefer to stick to running the school newspaper." Logan grinned, "It's way safer and is a lot of fun. Do you write at all?"
"A little." Kendall lied, "I play guitar a lot."
"Are you in a band?" Logan asked as they walked into their classroom.
"No." Kendall smiled, "That would be so cool though!"
"Let's sit back here." Logan lead Kendall to a table in the back of the room, "I agree, by the way, it would be cool. I really love singing, but I am so shy."
"I can tell." Kendall laughed, taking a seat next to him, "I can be pretty shy too but somehow I had a lot of friends back where I came from. I even had a girlfriend, but we had to end things when I moved here. Maybe it was because of the hockey team. I don't- Logan? Logan?"
"Huh?" Logan sounded as dazed as Kendall had been.
Kendall looked at Logan for a minute, noticing that something had him completely captivated. He followed Logan's line of vision until he reached something rather shocking. The thing that had hypnotized Logan was a short, but very muscular Latino boy. He had dark eyes, tan skin and black hair. Kendall saw the boy smile, and melted a little. Logan, however, had already melted to the point of being a puddle.
"Who is that?" Kendall asked him.
"Who is who?" Logan's paper white skin turned beet red.
"You're staring at that boy and drooling." Kendall smirked, "Who is it?"
"I wasn't staring at Carlos." Logan's voice went up an octave, "He was in my line of vision."
"His name is Carlos?" Kendall asked.
"Yes." Logan replied, "Carlos Garcia, he is on the hockey team. But I wasn't staring at him."
"Sure." Kendall laughed, "I wouldn't care if you were."
"Well," Logan's tone sharpened, "I wasn't, so stop."
"Sorry." Kendall apologized, but his smile didn't fade.
Logan didn't respond, but instead pulled an enormous text book from his backpack and kept his focus in it until the class ended. He didn't say much to Kendall, but Kendall couldn't help but notice that every so often, Logan would look up at Carlos for the briefest of seconds with a look of pure longing in his eyes.
-Chapter End-
Many of you want to either kill us or hug the heck out of us for uploading a new story. Well, the thing is that Corey wrote this and I seriously loved it and wanted to make it a new story. What did you all thing?
Oh, and for all the Christian-Catholics out there, happy day of The Divine Mercy.