Kendall looked over at the clock when the buzzing, combined with the bass of possibly the loudest dubstep song ever, became too much for him. Four thirty in the morning. Why did James need to be up at four thirty in the morning? As if on cue, James stepped out of the bathroom, almost immediately dropping to the floor. Kendall sat up when the brunette started counting off push-ups.
"Really?" James looked up from the floor, effortlessly continuing his routine. "Four in the morning?"
"Best time to work out." He got up, switching into lunges. "Do a couple stretches, go for a run, eat a light breakfast. Every morning at four." He winked at Kendall, pointing at him before running out the back door. The blonde threw his blanket over his head, hoping to accidentally smother himself.
When Kendall's eyes fluttered open, he looked at the clock again.
"Eight o'five." He smiled to himself, stretching before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He stood and began his walk to the bathroom, tripping over James' clothes that were strewn across the floor. After he finished his business, he washed his hands and started toward the kitchen.
"But mom, he doesn't even like me!"
"I wouldn't like you either if my first impression of you was the attitude you gave him yesterday!" Kendall watched from the entryway as Mrs. Diamond circled the table, setting down plates. "When he comes down, I expect you to show him the hospitality he deserves."
James sighed and dug a fork into whatever was on his plate, exasperatedly chewing it before setting his fork down. Kendall cleared his throat to make his presence known and walked slowly over to the table, Mrs. Diamond meeting him halfway.
"How'd you sleep, sweetie?" Kendall smiled up at her, nodding. His want to leave was slowly clouding his manners and judgement. "That's good. You hungry? I made you some pancakes!"
Kendall sat across from James, ignoring the glare he was currently getting from the other side of the table. Mrs. Diamond scurried around the kitchen, grabbing different foods to place in front of Kendall. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, it was endless.
"I could also have Jeremy run out and get some muffins and doughnuts, if you want?" Kendall shook his head.
"This is more than enough. Thank you." It shocked Kendall when Mrs. Diamond scooted over, hugging him then pulling his face to hers to kiss his forehead. Kendall smiled when she released him. She walked over to James and did the same.
"Well, I've got to go." She took her things from a nearby counter, putting her bluetooth headset in her ear. "If you have any questions about anything, James would be more than happy to help you out." She kissed James' forehead once more on her way to the front door, yelling 'have fun you two!' before she closed it.
Kendall picked at everything. A bite of bacon, sliver of a pancake, a piece of watermelon, he wasn't one to eat full meals. His mother always told him that he ate like a bunny. On top of that, he could feel James' eyes boring into his head and that didn't exactly make for a comfortable eating environment. Kendall dropped his fork and looked up, shooting a glare across the table.
"What? What are you looking at?" James snickered and Kendall slammed his fist down on the table. "What!?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Kendall seethed, knowing that James was taking a stab at him. He grabbed a piece of bacon and left the room, aiming to find the library. When he did, he sat down in the big leather chair in the corner with a stack of books and prayed that no one would interrupt him.
"Is this some weird orphan thing?" When they found Kendall in the library, he was curled up in the chair with the book he'd been reading covering his face.
"Carlos!" The smaller one groaned when the other hit him on the back of the head. Kendall's eyes shot open. "Oh. He lives!"
"What do you want?" Kendall rubbed his eyes, searching the room for a clock.
"It's almost eight. James wanted to know if you wanted pizza."
"No, he didn't. He said he didn't car-" Another slap to the back of the head.
"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted pizza." Kendall set the book on his lap aside, folding the corner of the page before shutting it. Kendall got up, giving Logan a pat on the shoulder before leaving. He smiled to himself at the gesture. James groaned when Kendall strode into the room, snatching two slices before attempting to leave.
"You're not taking that into my room." Kendall laughed and turned back around. "I refuse to clean your crumbs."
"I wasn't planning on going to your room, jackass. I've been trying to avoid your cum-crusted man cave." James' eyes widened, mouth agape in shock. "Yeah, you're not exactly quiet in the bathroom, Handsy."
With that, Kendall left the room. James huffed and threw himself against the couch, arms crossed tight over his chest. Logan and Carlos giggled in the corner, laughing harder when James shot them a glare.
"It's not funny!" By now they were rolling on the floor, Logan theatrically slapping his knee. "You guys don't understand, it's only been two days and I want him gone. He snores, he's insulting, and he's obviously unappreciative!"
"Unappreciative of what? From what I saw, he gets along with your mother. She's the only one who deserves his sincerity." Carlos nodded, taking the liberty of translating what Logan had sad.
"Yeah, dude. You haven't really been nice to him. Why should he be nice to you?" James groaned again. Why shouldn't he be nice to him? This was his house. He was staying in his room. James was kind enough to open his arms to Kendall. Figuratively.
"Because he should." James couldn't have Carlos and Logan siding with Kendall. Especially not with school starting soon. Those were his friends. His crew. Not Kendall's. Ever.
James walked into his room scoffing at the sight of Kendall reading on his bed. The blonde brushed it off, flipping to another page before setting the book down to rub his eyes.
"Sleepy from a long day of being an asshole, Blondie?" Kendall looked up, shooting him a glare. "Must be tiring."
Kendall tried to think of a witty retort, but James was right. Being an asshole was tiring. He blew him off and continued reading, trying to find a comfortable place to set the book. His vision blurred attempting to read the tiny words. He stopped to rub his eyes again.
"Here." James tossed a black case near Kendall's legs. "You're squinting and it's freaking me out."
James sauntered into the bathroom and Kendall opened the case. A pair of black ray-ban glasses fell out onto his lap. He picked them up and put them on, smiling when the words on the page came in clear. He laid back in bed, continuing his book. He never noticed James looking on from the bathroom doorway. He Kendall wasn't what he expected but he was still like a younger brother. There were so many things that James could teach him. Looking presentable, being the first of many. Kendall was like a baby deer in a pack of big-city lions. In the few weeks he was staying, James could at least teach him how to act like a lion. He smiled to himself, picking up his toothbrush.
"He's my new project."
School started in three days. James had three short days to change Kendall completely. After his morning run, he cut his stretching short. He kicked the side of Kendall's bed until he stirred.
"Get up." Kendall shooed him away, turning over. "Kendall, I'm serious. Get up." This time giving him the finger, Kendall threw the covers over his head. James sighed, taking a sip from his water bottle before dumping it on the blonde's head. Kendall shot out of bed, sputtering and spewing curse words in James direction.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"Take a shower. We're going to the mall." He threw a towel in Kendall's direction. "And wear something decent, please."
Kendall wiped his face. Who did James think he is? He gives Kendall one pair of glasses and suddenly they're best friends? Kendall wasn't going to go through with this. He hated James, he hated the mall. Why would he ruin his day with both?
Kendall sighed as James made his way into another store. He'd already been weighted down with bags, none of which were his.
"Will you hurry up?" James ran back, pushing Kendall into the store. Kendall stopped at the entrance, shaking his head. He refused to ever go into Hollister. It was a pact he made with himself. "Come on, man. My card's burning a hole in my pocket!"
"No. I refuse. Haven't you bought enough today?" James grabbed the front of Kendall's shirt, face stern.
"There's no such thing as 'enough' when it comes to clothes." Somehow, he'd gotten Kendall into the store. Only because Kendall refused to kick and scream in public. The brunette buzzed from rack to rack, eyeing things before throwing them onto Kendall's lap.
"What are you doing?"
"Fixing you, go try them on." Before Kendall could protest, James held up and finger and shook his head. "Just go."
Kendall tried on outfit after outfit for what felt like hours. He was pretty sure that he'd contracted carpel tunnel from all of the button up shirts and jeans he'd tried on. By the end of James' 'fixing session', as he called it, he'd spent over 1,000 dollars. Kendall was sure that all of his clothes that he'd ever owned from birth 'til now had cost 1,000 dollars total. Then he started to think about his mom. She'd always tried so hard to give him and Katie the best, but working during chemo isn't easy. He felt like if she were watching over him right now, she'd feel inadequate because this is the life that she wanted for her kids and now her kids weren't even together to live it. Unaware that he'd started to cry, he wiped at his face quickly hoping that James hadn't seen.
"It won't be that bad." Kendall looked over at James, puzzled. The brunette pointed toward the salon ahead and Kendall stopped. "What?"
"No way. I'm not. I refuse." James laughed.
"You said that about Hollister too, but I got you to do that. What makes you think I can't get you to do this?" Kendall dropped all of the bags, turning around and walking back the way they came. He heard James calling for him, but walked faster.
"I'm not doing it!" James caught up to him, Kendall had obviously forgotten that he runs every morning. "It's not happening, I'm sorry."
"Yes it is, I made appointments for both of us. If you're not going to get yours done, you're coming with me to get mine done."
Kendall sat in the waiting area for thirty minutes while James got his hair cut. He watched at the hair fell off his shoulders and onto the floor. It reminded him of the times his mom had cut his hair. Before he could think too deeply about the memories, James stood in front of the large mirror, admiring his new haircut. He pulled at it, tugging and teasing it in different directions.
"Yeah, great. Your hair's done, can we go now?" Kendall wanted nothing more than to go home and sit in bed with another book.
"Not until you get yours done." Kendall got up, ready to walk out of the salon. "You can run all you want, but I still have the keys."
Kendall growled, storming over to the chair. "Just get the damn thing over with." As the stylist cut into his hair, he inwardly apologized to his mom, somehow feeling like he was betraying her. He closed his eyes, blocking out the sounds of the scissors and James directing the stylist on what to do.
When they turned him to face the mirror, Kendall was pleasantly surprised. They'd cut his bangs shorter, swept them to the side, and given him somewhat of an undercut around the sides. It would take some getting used to, but he didn't mind it.
"Wow." James added. "So, you don't actually look twelve. It was just the hair." Of course, it couldn't have just been a compliment. No, this was James, it had to be underhanded. Kendall slapped his hand and got out of the chair, brushing his pants off.
"Can we leave now?"
"Look at you two! How cute!" Mrs. Diamond shouted as the two entered the room. James strode in confidently, obviously used to the attention. She moved toward Kendall slowly, smiling. "You look great, Kendall."
The blonde smiled awkwardly, attempting to run a hand through now nonexistent hair. "Thanks Mrs. Di-" She put up and hand and smiled.
"Call me Brooke." James shook his head, and trudged toward his room. Kendall followed and dumped the clothes on his bed.
"I actually had fun today." He smiled at the thought of James possibly enjoying his company. Maybe they could actually be frie-
"Then again, shopping is fun even if you hate the person you're with." Nope. They'll never been friends.
Kendall threw himself onto the bed, pulling out his glasses, and picking up where he'd left off in Moby Dick. He could see James watching in his peripheral vision as he folded their new clothes and separated them.
"How do you do that?" Kendall looked up, confused. "Read for fun." The blonde laughed, once again running and hand through hair that wasn't there. He'd have to kick that habit.
"It's fun for me. You shop. I read."
"So you mean to tell me that you don't get a rush from shopping?" Kendall shook his head.
"I'm more of a saver than a spender." James laughed, sitting between the piles of clothes. "I'd rather read and write."
"That's weird."
"Well, I like to exert myself. I don't like mindless tasks like shopping. No offense." But he'd meant to offend, and he was content with the look on James' face. James had a tendency to pout like a two year old when he was angry and Kendall was beginning to take a liking to causing it.
"Are you calling me dumb?" Kendall shrugged before sinking back into his book. "Well, I'm not!"
He nodded, not even bothering to look up from his book. James stood angrily, slamming the door on his way out of the room. Kendall laughed. Maybe he'd drop reading and make upsetting James his new hobby.
Dinner was awkward. Mrs. Diamond tried to keep conversation going between the two of them, but every topic always ended with a sarcastic comment from James and a nod or head shake from Kendall.
"What's going on with you two? You were fine earlier, you spent the whole day together!" Their response was the sound of forks hitting plates. "Do you guys like the same girl or something?"
Kendall laughed lightly, acknowledging the fact that she was trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Obviously James hadn't gotten it.
"He doesn't even know any of the girls around here, mom, and I don't even like girls so that wouldn't be a problem in the first place." Kendall bit his lip in an attempt not to laugh. James had been serious and while he enjoyed upsetting him, he didn't want to hurt his feelings.
"It was a joke, James. She was just joking." Mrs. Diamond laughed, which triggered Kendall and James stood up, throwing his napkin on the table before storming off toward his room.
"Honey, come on! We're only teasing."
Kendall flinched when the small ball flew in front of his face, hitting the wall before bouncing back to James. He sat down on the bed and folded his legs, facing the brunette.
"What?" James looked over at Kendall, anger obviously present on his face.
"Why'd you get so mad?"
"She's my mom, I know when she's joking."
"That's why you're mad? Because Brooke and I were joking with you?"
"See! Even that." James stood over Kendall's bed, throwing the ball hard into the floor. "You have inside jokes, you call her Brooke, why don't you guys just fuck and get it over with?" He threw the ball in Kendall's direction while storming out of the room.
Kendall genuinely thought about following him to talk. That's what brothers do, right? But James wasn't actually his brother, and James actually hated him. It wasn't family hate, with underlying love. It was pure hatred and Kendall couldn't help but feel like he shouldn't be in the same room with him because of it.
He grabbed his blanket and a few pillows and made his way to the library, confused when he saw the light on. He walked into the room and saw Mr. Diamond in his chair.
"Kendall." He set the book down, turning the seat to face the door. "What's wrong?" Kendall waved his book back and forth.
"Just getting another. Late night reading." Mr. Diamond nodded, gathering his things.
"Well, I'll leave you to it." As he walked by he ruffled Kendall's hair. "It's nice that someone in this house is reading. Get some sleep, though. You start school soon."
Kendall was almost one hundred percent positive that James had been listening. He could hear him banging against the wall from the living room. He walked over, peeking in to the room to see James angrily jabbing at the buttons of the X-Box controller. For a minute, he felt bad. But it's not like he was purposely stealing James' time with his parents. He didn't ask for that. He didn't ask for any of this. If it were his decision, he'd gladly be living in another universe where his parents hadn't died.
He'd love to be anywhere but here.
The Weasley Way, Morte Giver, Powah, tank602, Angel436, Mr. President 64, CUTE CARGAN LOVE, XxKogan1fanxX, and 0verdramatic; Thank you all for the follows, favorites and reviews. I'm glad you all enjoyed it. :)
I read over this chapter at least seven times but if any spelling or grammar mistakes slipped by me, I apologize. Enjoy and I'd love to hear what you think. :)