Kendall pulled at the tie around his neck, loosening the knot. He didn't like ties, nor did he like blazers or khakis or dress shoes. He liked comfortable clothes. Jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. The new uniform thing wasn't sitting too well with him.

"You look fine." He looked away from the mirror and saw Brooke wander in to put a bag on the foot of his bed. She walked over to him, turning him around and placing her hands on his shoulders. "I remember when James started at Harrington."

She went on for a few minutes about James' first day, and how excited he was to be in school. He'd spent weeks before trying on his uniform and foreshadowing all the friends he'd make. Kendall smiled as she went on. Younger James sounded quite endearing. Where did this older one come from?

As if cued by Kendall's thoughts, the brunette sauntered into the room, pants throw over his shoulder and his hair a mess. "James, you're not ready yet? We have to leave in ten minu-"

"Carlos is giving me a ride." Kendall mentally prayed that Brooke wasn't the type of parent to push people into their kids' plans.

"Well, why don't you guys bring Kendall? Bonding time!" Kendall sighed. She was definitely one of those parents. James turned sharply, clothes almost flying out of his hand.

"Mom." She patted Kendall's knee twice and got up to leave the room, James following behind her. While no one was around, Kendall shoved his sneakers into his bag. There was no way he was dealing with these shoes all day.

Kendall waited in the entryway to the house as Mrs. Diamond prattled on about emergency numbers. He hadn't focused again, until she looks at him excitedly.

"Open the bag." Kendall slowly unzipped the black bag she'd left on his bed earlier. Inside, an iPhone, credit card, wallet, and a set of keys that Kendall assumed were to the house. "All stuff that I assumed you'd need."

"Wow, I-" Kendall didn't know what to say. Not only had he been dropped into an insanely rich family, he'd been dropped into a generous insanely rich family. Kendall's old cell phone was a little, Nokia bar phone. It wasn't extravagant. Didn't have all the bells and whistles but it was useful in emergencies and never broke when he dropped it. It was solid, and sturdy. The blonde pulled the credit card out and slipped it into the first slot of his new wallet. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, sweetie." She ruffled his hair, then combed it back into place with her fingers. "The keys are for when you join any clubs, or stay late, or find people to hang out with after school."

"Yeah, like that'll happen." James scoffed and walked out the door when he heard Carlos' horn. Kendall bit his lip. For the first time in his week here, he agreed with the brunette. There was no way he'd fit in with kids like James. Privileged kids with their smart phones and 90210 haircuts. As he shook his bangs out of his eyes and clutched his iPhone 4s, that was when Kendall realized that he technically was one of those kids, now.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." She adjusted Kendall's jacket and smiled, pulling him close. "Have fun, today."

The ride was awkward. Kendall could tell that James didn't want him interacting with his friends and that was fine. He didn't mind. They didn't seem like they'd get along anyway, but sitting in the backseat of a car while the people around you obviously talk about you isn't exactly how Kendall would choose to spend a morning.

Harrington Academy was like a castle. No. It was larger than a castle. Kendall stared up at the building, less in awe and more frightened that he'd have to navigate it alone. He'd assumed that James would at least help him to the first class, but he ran over to a large group of awaiting kids and disappeared onto the school grounds before Kendall could even ask where the bathroom was.

After taking at least a dozen turns and walking down a dozen different hallways Kendall had given up on finding the front office and instead opted for any classroom with a teacher. He dug into his bag, hoping that maybe he could google a map of the school with his new phone.

"Why have all of these classrooms if no one's teaching in them-" Upon looking up from his bag, he connected with the person in front of him. He only took a minute to fear what would happen to him before gathering the person's books that had fallen. "Here."

The person had been a girl. She had red hair and was literally every guy's fantasy of a schoolgirl. Short skirt, low buttoned shirt, knee-high socks, but the first thing Kendall noticed was her shoes. "Nice boots."

"Thanks. They're new." He took in the rest of her outfit, and read all the buttons that lined her blazer. From political opinions to punk rock bands. "I'm Lucy."

Kendall shook her hand and practically whispered his name, shooting her a confused glare when she pulled his hand closer to her face. "You've got calluses. You play?" Kendall shook his head, he hadn't played guitar since his mom died. Didn't have the resources or the drive to do it.

"But you knew what I was talking about, so obviously you have." She arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"I play a little." She grabbed a pen from behind her ear and pulled his hand back to her. She scribbled something quickly on his hand, then shoved the pen back to its original spot.

"Be here at 3:45 tomorrow, please?" She put her hands together and stuck out her bottom lip until Kendall nodded and she smiled. "Oh, and Political Science is in Room 407. You need to go up a floor." She waved and took off down the hall. Kendall smiled on his way up the stairs. He made a friend.

Kendall was late to almost every class, a great way to start off Junior year, but he was getting a feel for the school. People seemed genuinely interested in him. Apparently Harrington didn't get many new students that weren't related to those previous.

James had made it clear around break time that Kendall wasn't supposed to tell people that they were adoptive 'brothers', but it wasn't like Kendall wanted to. So when it came time for the blonde to introduce himself to a class, he would just say that he'd recently moved into the area, and leave it at that.

The part of the day that Kendall had been dreading the most was lunch. Even in fancy private schools, they still have a cafeteria and cafeterias are exactly the same no matter where you are. People sit with who they like and if you sit with the wrong people, it can ruin your life.

"Kendall!" He turned, grabbing his soda before it could fall. He saw Lucy standing on a chair, waving him over and he inwardly thanked every god in existence. He set his food down, and sat down next to the redhead. "Guys, this is Kendall. He's hopefully gonna be our new guitarist."

Kendall smiled and looked around the table.

"That's Dak, and that's Jo. Dak's on drums and Jo bounces between keys and vocals." Jo waved and Dak nodded before diving headfirst back into his nachos.

"And you're bass?"

"Lucky guess, Knight." Kendall cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth to ask. "I checked the school's network."

"And by checked she means she snuck into Principal C's computer again, Lucy!" The redhead shrugged and Jo sighed. "You're going to get in trouble for that one day."

"He deserves it. He's the one that set the school's system password to 'harringt0n' with a zero. Who does that?"

"It said that your guardians are Brooke and Phil Diamond, is that true?" Dak pressed, finally looking up from the synthetic cheese he was shoveling into his mouth. "So, are you like their kid? You and James are brothers?"

"No way. It's just a temporary living situation."

"Why?" The blonde girl inquired, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Because it just is." Kendall had made it obvious that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. When lunch was over the girls made their leave, having to walk in the opposite direction of Dak and Kendall's shared class.

"I kinda know how you feel." Kendall looked up, waiting for Dak to continue. "I don't know your story but my dad left when I was real young. My mom was on drugs really bad for a while, so they sent my little brother and I to live with my aunt and uncle. I'm here on scholarship. Couldn't afford it otherwise."

Kendall nodded, taking Dak's story in. And to think, this morning he thought the school was full of shallow rich kids. At least someone understood him.

"In middle school I used to get picked on a lot for not having things that everyone had. My aunt taught me that the way to get over it was by taking pride in who you are as a person, because you'll soon realize that most of the kids around here are really dumb and immature."

Kendall laughed. Dak was obviously a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. He could definitely see a potential friendship there. When they got into the classroom, Dak chose two seats close to the window. Kendall looked at the board, reading the quickly scrawled 'be back in 30 minutes, read two chapters' before pulling his book from his backpack. It only took him five minutes, so Kendall took time to look around the room. There were only nine or ten kids. Kendall read that Harrington had small, intimate classes, but only nine kids?

Just then, the door swung open and the once silent room was now filled with the raucous laughter of none other than Kendall's annoying roommate and company. James pranced to the back of the room, following an obnoxious blonde who was very obviously fond of himself. Behind them, Carlos, Logan, and three girls dressed identically that walked in sync. Almost robotically.

Kendall sighed, obviously too loud because James pulled off his sunglasses and looked toward the front of the room. "No fucking way."

Kendall turned to face him, smiling sarcastically before turning back around.

"I've managed to avoid you all day, but they just had to put you in this class." The brunette made his way to the front of the room, hovering over Kendall's desk when he got there. "No way. You have to switch."

"I don't have to do anything, James. Do you even belong in AP Lit? Can you even read?" A series of 'ooh's came from the back of the room and James' face turned a shade of red Kendall didn't think was possible.

"Switch out or I'll make your life hell."

"There's nothing you can do to make my life more of a hell than it's already been. I, however, have more on you than you'll ever have on me." James shot him a mocking glare and Kendall stood in the front of the room.

"James Diamond talks in his sleep. He has dreams about someone named Jett fucking him senseless, he wishes he would whisk him away to a remote, romantic, tropical place to do so, and he secretly likes the taste of his own jiz-" James slapped his hand over the blonde's mouth and looked toward the back of the room.

"I'm going to kill you."

"I've wished I was dead for six years. Go right ahead." Kendall slapped his hand away and threw his things in his bag, pushing past the wooden door. James watched him leave the room and realized that he may have taken it a step too far. When he looked back to his friends, Jett and the Jennifers were too busy laughing to notice Carlos and Logan's upset expressions. He ran over to the door and pushed it open.

"Where are you going?" Kendall stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to face the brunette.

"Anywhere but here." James dropped his head against the doorway, looking back up when Dak Zevon raced past him to catch up with Kendall, who waited for him to fall into step. James was hurt. The one time he tried to be a good brother, Kendall pushed him away and chose a complete stranger instead? Dak was weird. Dak was a loner. What did he want with Kendall anyway? Sure maybe James had been a little mean and demanding but come on, they were brothers. That was what brothers did, or so he thought. Before he could think any harder on the subject, Jett came up behind him, slipping his arms around James' waist.

"So babe, if you want to have sex I can make that happen." He licked the shell of the brunette's ear, blowing on it before adding, "You just need to give up on that stupid rule of yours."

Jett kissed behind James' ear, making him flinch. James' number one rule in a relationship was no sex. It wasn't until marriage, per se, but James didn't want to just throw his body around. His body was his temple. His work of art, to be cliché. He worked hard to make himself look and feel good, which gave him the privilege of enjoying his own body. One would have to work as hard to get to enjoy it with him. Jett thought it was stupid, and he made that very clear, but James was adamant. He only had one rule, and he planned on sticking to it. But, Kendall had to go and tell Jett that he had a few wet dreams here and there and boom. There went his credibility with Jett. And Kendall would pay for that. James would find a way to make that happen.

Kendall and Dak walked around town for a while before just deciding to stop at the mall. The two walked to the food court and sat down at a table in the middle. "I love coming here and just watching people sometimes."

Kendall nodded in agreement and set his bag down next to him.

"Why do you and James hate each other so much?" The blonde sat up, folding his hands in his lap. "I mean, he never seemed that bad to me. It was always his boyfriend."

"Well, I'm sure that they're both as horrible and you just haven't seen it yet."

"I'm pretty sure it's just Jett. James used to be okay with everyone. He'd talk to people he didn't 'hang out' with, he was a great class president, fair with the hockey team. I mean hey, he let me play and I sucked." He laughed wryly and ran a hand through his hair.

"When did they start dating?"

"End of sophomore year." He took a swig from his water bottle, then laughed. "After Jett supposedly got one of the girls in our grade pregnant. He used to be the hottest guy in our class but after that, he became the most popular outcast."

Kendall didn't know Jett, but he didn't like him. He had always been told not to judge a book by its cover but if you see a book that's disgusting and moldy and water stained on the outside, you can only imagine what it's like on the inside.

Kendall called Jeremy to give them a ride to the Diamond house. Since the two of them had no homework, and Dak lived close by, they occupied the living room, Dak teaching Kendall about Call of Duty.

"I've never played, you can't expect me to be amazing without playing!" The two of them didn't notice James looking in from the door until Carlos spoke up.

"What are you doing?" Dak paused the game and set his controller on the couch, next to him. "This is our spot after school."

"They were here first, guys. Let's just go to your room." Logan nudged James with his free arm and pulled Carlos toward James' room.

"First you ruin school, now you're ruining my after school. When are you leaving, again?" With that, James left. For some reason, that hurt Kendall more than it had before. His face fall into his hands once the door was closed, and he screamed into the pillow on his lap.

Dak scooted closer to the blonde, rubbing awkward circles on his back. "Y-you want to talk about it?"

"I just want to go home, but there's no home to go to. I miss my mom and dad, I miss my sister, I just want my old life back. I hate it here, I hate everyone in this house, I hate that stupid school, I just hate everything."

"You have a sister?" Kendall nodded, not bothering to lift his head. "How old is she?"

"She's thirteen. I haven't seen her in two years." Kendall went on to explain his life story to Dak, as the brunette continued to rub his back. "I hate it here."

"You'll get used to it. I mean, having an amazing house like this is way better than having nowhere to live, right?" The blonde nodded, sitting up to wipe his eyes. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone you whined like a little baby."

Kendall whacked his shoulder and laughed. He'd only known Dak for eight hours but he was a better brother figure to Kendall than James was.

After Dak went home, Kendall reluctantly made his was back to James' room. He walked in and sat on his bed, pulling his shoes from his feet and kicking them under it.

"You and your boyfriend done ruining my day?" Kendall pulled the covers over his head, ignoring the brunette completely. "Hey."

"What?" Kendall responded with the blanket still covering his head.

"No witty remark? Sarcastic retort?" Kendall shook his head. "No comeback, at all?" Kendall sat up, sighing.

"I'm tired, James. I had a long day, and I really don't feel like dealing with your shit. We both know that these next few weeks would go by much faster if we just didn't talk to each other. So just don't talk to me. I'm wallpaper. I'm furniture. By all means, acknowledge that I'm here, but don't talk to me, or about me and I won't talk to you."

Kendall laid back down, pulling the comforter back over his head for when James had more to add. The next three weeks would be hard enough for Kendall to live through with James' constant harassment. He heard James get into bed and figured that he was a safe for the night.

After school the next day, Kendall tried to remember what room Lucy had told them to meet in. Like an idiot, he took a shower and forgot the write it down first. As he rounded the third floor for the third time, he saw Dak leaning on the door frame of room 311.

"Hey, crybaby." Kendall slapped Dak's arm on his way into the room, which had turned out to be the band room. He should've thought of that before scouring the building. "We were hoping you'd show up."

"Why wouldn't I?" While Dak tried to word what was going through his head, Lucy stepped in.

"Dak told us you won't be here for long. A month? Or somethin' like that."

"I can't play with you guys until then?" Jo bit her lip and jumped down from the ledge she was sitting on.

"We were looking for long term." She walked over to the group and twirled her hair around her finger. Kendall couldn't really place whether that was a nervous tic or if she was flirting with him. Either way, it made him anxious. "But it's cool with me if it's cool with the guys." Dak looked over to Lucy who looked back at Kendall.

"Well, you have to play for us first!" She kicked a stool from under the table, over to Kendall. He pulled it under him and sat down. Jo handed him the guitar case and scurried over to where she'd been sitting before. Kendall smiled when he opened the black bag. The guitar inside looked new, and it felt amazing just to have one in his hands again. He strummed out a few test chords before actually starting into the song, one he'd written for his mom a few years back. His fingers slid across the strings almost effortlessly, save a few catches here and there. When he finished, he set the guitar in his lap, waiting for a response.

It was Lucy who started clapping first. He looked up when Jo joined her, and Dak smiled from the other side of the room.

"Welcome to the band."

After practice they all walked to Dak's parent's store. They stole a few drinks and pizza strips before walking to the park nearby.

"So Kendall," Jo started. When Kendall looked over at her, she averted her gaze. "You single?"

"Very." He bit into the dough and chewed it, swallowing before finishing his answer. "I barely even know anyone here."

"What about back home? Did you have a girlfriend there?" she started twirling her hair around her finger again, and Kendall laughed.

"Actually before my mom died, I dated this kid named Wally." Jo's eyes widened and he couldn't help but laugh. "But then I stopped having time to hang out with him and he got really into rap, then we just drifted apart."

It was silent for a while and Kendall wondered if he'd driven his new friends away.

"So you're gay?"

"No completely, but I guess you could say that."

"Damn it!" The blonde got up and stomped to the trashcan, angrily throwing her stuff in before folding her arms. "Why are all the good ones at this damn school gay!?" They all laughed as Jo stomped around, kicking clumps of grass and Dak leaned over to Kendall.

"This is all my fault, you know." Kendall asked how and Lucy laughed.

"Freshman year, Jo and Dak were the class power couple. Then Dak was like 'Ooh, penis!' and he dumped her."

"Shut up." Dak shoved Lucy over and turned to Kendall again. "I didn't dump her, I just told her that she was great and amazing, but I couldn't be the guy she wanted."

"Yeah, and you cursed me! Jackass." Dak pulled Jo close and kissed her forehead.

On their walk home, Lucy and Jo both walked off in a different direction, leaving Kendall and Dak to walk together.

"I hope you know that to stay in the band, Lucy's going to make you do an initiation prank."

"What kind of prank?"

"Something to embarrass you. That, or she'll just do it herself." Kendall shoved his hands into his pockets.

"What did she do to you?"

"Well, I chose to run across the football field in my underwear." He laughed to himself then face the blonde. "Jo's shy, so Lucy changed the school's lunch menu before they printed it out. So everywhere they posted it around the school listed 'tater tots, nachos, and piece of Jo Taylor's ass.'"

"She really did that?"

"Yup. Let's just say most of the guys in school weren't ordering nachos. Or tater tots." As they approached the Diamond house, Dak prepared himself to walk the next block alone, but Kendall stayed with him. "You know that's your place right there, right?"

"I know." Kendall looked back and shuddered. "The more time away from James, the better."

"You know you can stay over, if it's that bad? I mean, my parents stay late at the store anyway." Kendall smirked.

"Suggesting I stay over when your parents aren't around? Dak Zevon, what kind of boy do you think I am?"

"N-no! Not like that. I just- I know that you hate James, and I wouldn't w-want to l-live with him-" Kendall laughed, setting a hand on Dak's shoulder.

"Dude, I'm kidding." Dak sighed shakily, and Kendall laughed a little harder. "I didn't know you stuttered. It's cute." Kendall giggled when Dak's cheeks turned pink and ran back to the Diamond house, entering through the back door that led directly into James' room.

"You're late." The brunette exclaimed from the bathroom, poking his head around the corner.

"I'm not staying." James moved to spit his toothpaste into the sink and wiped his face, entering the room.

"Oh really?" He laughed. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Dak invited me over."

"Aww. You're gonna go sleep with your boyfriend, how cute." James puckered his lips and made kissy noises, which soon transitioned into fake moaning and thrusting. Kendall took a pillow from his bed and threw it at him, throwing a few outfits and his uniform into his bag. "You should really learn how to take a joke, Kendall."

"You should really learn to stop being such a dick, James." Kendall picked up the bag, and ran out the door.

James was really starting to become a major annoyance.

Well, here it is. A nice long filler chapter before anything interesting happens. :)