A/N So Kendall and Jo are finally together. Here is the next chapter. Sorry if I don't update consistentl. It's hard to find time between everything else I'm doing. Please review. I would really love to hear what you guys think so far.

Chapter 10

That old saying was true, you don't know what you have until you truly lose it. She was in love with Kendall Knight, she was sure of it but now it seemed she had lost him forever. No matter how much she wished otherwise Kendall had moved on and now was in a new relationship. What made matters worse was that she could not blame him. She knew that she was a horrible girlfriend to him. She destroyed his life in more ways than one by asking him to join her in her downward spiral of a life. And how did she reward him? By betraying him just when he needed her the most. Now she saw herself as other people saw her, a self-centered bitch who only cared about her own insignificant life no matter the pain and suffering she caused others. There was only one person who always stood by her, Kendall, and now she had lost him too. She couldn't even blame him for leaving her and not giving her a chance to make things right. If their roles were reversed she wouldn't either.

Lucy didn't really give up hope until she saw Jo and Kendall in the graveyard. She was always hanging onto the smallest glimmer of hope until she saw the way Kendall looked at Jo. What she saw there struck her like a bolt of lightning. Lucy saw happiness in Kendall's face, true happiness. She always thought that Kendall was happy with her but she now saw that it was nothing compared to when he was with Jo. She now saw that whatever he had felt with her was superficial and synthetic, a result of his imagined need to please her and of the alcohol and drugs that she forced on him. She knew she was willing to do whatever it took to win him back but she now knew that she could not ask him to come back to her. She could not destroy whatever happiness he found especially after all that had happened to him. If she loved him she would have to let him go.

"Last call for the Los Angeles bus!" the conductor yelled out snapping her out of her thoughts. Lucy grabbed her bag and slung it over shoulder. With once last glance at the town she had lived on her whole life she stepped on the bus. It came too late for her but she knew she had to make a change In her life and that she couldn't do it here.

Lucy took a seat near the back of the bus as the driver started the engine. She watched the as they passed the buildings and homes that were so familiar to her. Her tears started falling as they reached the town limits. She hoped one day that she could come back and deserve Kendall's heart.

"Goodbye Kendall. I love you." She wanted to scream it but it came out as barely audible whisper.

Kendall felt like a huge weight was lifted of his chest. It was amazing how light he felt just by simply sharing everything with Jo. He was concerned at first that what he had to say would drive her away but as always Jo seemed to surprise him. His concerns were unfounded as Jo took everything is stride and even seemed glad that he finally opened up to her. She went out of her way to ingrain herself in his world to make it more comfortable for Kendall. She knew his guilt would not go away overnight but if he felt like she belonged in his life then he might not feel so bad about being happy again and spending time with her. He appreciated it when Jo spoke to his mom and his sister like they were still there. Kendall did that when he felt his world was just too much to handle and now with Jo his life seemed just a little less overwhelming than before.

Kendall was now in unfamiliar territory. He was used to spending all of his time on hockey and in the graveyard and before that with Lucy that his new sense of contentment with just living again sometime confused him. He was always so focused on his anger or sadness that he no longer knew what to do once he found out there were times that he just didn't feel that anymore.

Jo noticed Kendall's sudden lack of direction and did her best to ease his transition. She filled his days with constant days and outings and his nights with intimate dinners and dates. They would cuddle together for long walks rarely separating their bodies. Their hands most of all fit perfectly together that it seemed to be a crime to let go. Just like Kendall promised he practiced holding Jo tightly against him when they were alone after their dates. He failed miserably when trying not get aroused by Jo's presence. She gave him a hard time about it but she really didn't mind.

During the days that followed Kendall and Jo's experience in the graveyard Logan James and Carlos noticed something change in Kendall. It was subtle at first, little nuisances that used to bother him no longer seemed an issue. They noticed him talking a little more and going out of his way to help when they needed it. He still didn't spend a lot of time with them and that concerned his best friends. They had assumed that he was still spending all his time at the graveyard but their concern was proved to be unfounded when they saw him one day waiting outside the schools theater room.

"Hey Kendall!" Carlos yellows out cheerily waving his arm at his blonde friend.

Kendall jumped at the sound of his friends voice. He wasn't expecting to see them here. " hi guys."

"Are you okay?" Logan asked concerned. Kendall was unusually happy the last few days and was happy to see them whenever they ran into him and so his nervousness at seeing them made the suspicious that something was up.

"Uh yeah. Just hanging around waiting for umm the bell so I can leave." Kendall lied weakly.

"Why don't you come with us to the rink. We were just about to watch some of freshmen practice."
James offered, he was hoping to keep Kendall happy by keeping him on things he loves like hockey.

Kendall heard the optimism in James voice and he was grateful he really was but he groaned inwardly anyway. This one time he didn't want his best friends around. He didn't want them to start asking questions not yet anyway.

"That's ok I have to wait here. I'll catch up with you guys later." Kendall immediately regretted what he said realizing that it would need further explanation. He tried to put on a decent enough smile to mask what he had just said.

His friends, however, were too perceptive for that. "Why do you have to wait here?" James pressed.

Kendall was trying to get answer out quickly before - RRRIIINNNGGG

Too late. Kendall thought to himself.

"Finally the bell! Lets go Kendall I wanna see the start of the practice." James made a move to grab Kendall's arm but someone beat him to it.

The three boys stood in awe as Jo Taylor rushed up towards Kendall, leaned up to kiss him on the cheek while simultaneously slipping her arm
In his. "Hi babe. Were you waiting long? Sorry it took so long, the teacher was giving me pointers just in case I'm able to get any auditions sometime soon."

Kendall brightened when Jo kissed him on the cheek. Even after she pulled back he could still feel her lips where it touched his skin. It felt like it was burning but not in a bad way. It was a burning that spread its heat throughout his body until it left a need, a longing to be even physically closer to her. "It's okay I don't mind. It's only been a few minutes. Besides the guys showed up to keep me company." Kendall said warily.

"Hi guys." Jo said, only now seeing them. She had a hard time seeing anything else when Kendall was around. "I know you guys were here first but do you think I could borrow my boyfriend today? My parents are arriving today and I really want them to meet him."

Boyfriend? They all mouthed silently but in unison. They looked back and forth between Kendall and Jo trying to fathom the information they had just been given. They just stood there staring until Kendall cleared his throat.

"Oh. Of course Jo. He's all yours have fun." James told them.

"Great! See you later!" Jo said happily as she led Kendall away. Kendall smiled and nodded in their direction, telling his friends that he will explain before following Jo's lead.

James watched the couple leave together happily before turning to Logan and Carlos. "I think she misunderstood what we told her."

They tilted their head in a slight nod indicating that they agreed with him. " When we told Jo not to hurt him, I don't think she realized that what we meant was that we don't think he should be in a relationship right now."

"Duh!" Carlos said as he hit Logan in the arm for pointing out the obvious. "Nothing we can do about it now. At least he seems happy. "

"Yeah. Let's hope she got the part where we meant that we won't allow him to get hurt again."

Kendall fidgeted nervously as they approached Jo's home. He hadn't been this nervous on a long time but he desperately wanted Jo's family to like him. He wanted their approval for him to be a part of her life.

"No need to worry. They will love you." Jo squeezed Kendall's had reassuringly.

"I hope so. What do your parents do anyway?" Kendall was hoping he could find something intelligent to speak to them about.

"My mom runs a party planning business in North Carolina. It's actually becoming quite successful. My dad- used to be in the military. He works for the government now." Jo seemed nervous as she mentioned the last part.

Kendall chuckled. "I thought you said there was no need to be nervous. So he works for the government. It's not like he is CIA."

Kendall intended the last part as a joke but started to panic when he saw Jo's frightened expression. "He IS CIA?!"

Jo shook her head frantically. "I didn't say that! I'm not allowed!"

Kendall's head dropped. "They are going to hate me."

Jo squeezed his hand again. "Don't worry okay. I'm sure they will like you and besides what's important is that I like you."

Kendall grinned at her last statement. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves.

"We're here." Jo said as they approached her home. Jo parked her car behind another car in the driveway that Kendall assumed belonged to her father. They stepped out of the car and immediately walked towards each other and intertwined their fingers again as quickly as they could. Kendall took another deep breath before allowing Jo to lead him into the house.

The meeting went surprisingly well. Jo's mother was absolutely thrilled to meet Kendall and that they were dating. She was absolutely giddy about her daughter possibly falling in love. Jo's father while not as ecstatic as her mom was polite and cordial while meeting his daughter's first boyfriend. They made their introductions and then shuffled into the dining room for the dinner that Jo's mom painstakingly prepared.

Kendall sighed at the sight of Jo's mother arranging the dinner and being a good host. He remembered how his mother used to do the same thing for her guests. He felt Jo lean her head into his shoulder and smile sympathetically. She seemed to know exactly what Kendall was thinking. Kendall immediately closed the door to those memories before the memories and the pain that came with them could come crashing in.

No. he thought to himself. This is about Jo and I, not just about me and my past. She is right I have to learn to start letting go.

The dinner went without further hitches. Her parents asked him small questions , nothing really that triggered memories about his own past. Mostly they were centered around his feelings for Jo, his schooling, and his plans for himself in the future.

Finally the hour came when it was time to say good night. Jo's parents seemed relaxed enough but they still had their rules on what time was decent for the evening to be over for the two teenagers. Jo started helping her mother take some dishes into the kitchen to be cleaned. Kendall stood up to help her but Jo's father pulled him aside when he knew that both Jo and her mother were not looking.

His face changed from the one of politeness to one of anger and frustration. "Look I know my daughter likes you so I'm going to make this short. I don't like you, Kendall. I know who you are and what you did. I know about the alcohol and drugs and what happened with your mother and sister. I read the report so don't even pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. You are not good enough for my daughter and I want you gone. You will just ruin her life like you did for the others around you. I'm giving you a chance to do leave on your won since I was told to be nice but do not test me Knight. You do not know who I am."

Jo's father's voice was barely audible but he could not miss the menace in his voice. He turned away from Kendall as soon as he finished what he was saying. He didn't even look back to see what Kendall's response was going to be. His demeanor changed back to the one he wore earlier, one of politeness and cordiality. He went to the kitchen and sweetly asked his wife and daughter if there was anything he could do to help.

Jo came out of the kitchen after her father entered and walked straight back to Kendall. She paused when she got closer, he was pale white. "Kendall?"

Kendall quickly composed himself. "Hey. I'm kind of tired so I'm going to take off for the night okay?"

"Okay. Let me just tell my parents we are leaving and I will drop you off." Jo still did not believe that there wasn't anything wrong. Jo went into the kitchen and came back out with her parents in tow.

"Thank you for the lovely evening but I really must be going .It was nice meeting the both of you. Thanks for the offer for a ride Jo think I want to walk for a while." Kendall shook her parents hands as he made a move to leave. Kendall did not miss the extra tight handshake that her father was gave him.

Jo walked him to the door but he moved quickly enough that she wasn't able to grab onto his hand or arm. "Good bye kiss?" Jo asked sweetly as she leaned into to kiss her boyfriend but was taken completely by surprise when she felt his cheek instead of his lips. Kendall simply gave her a small smile before stepping outside her door and slipped away in the cover of darkness.

A/N So what did you guys think? I have a few more ideas for this story but I don't want to forcibly extend it too much if you guys it should end soon. Please, please review. I would really appreciate it.