For the next several days, the only one who saw Kendra was BEN. She wouldn't answer or let anyone else in. He would bring her what she needed to live so she wouldn't have to face anyone, and comforted her whenever she would start crying.
"Kendra?" Slender called softly, "Kendra, your presence is required in the living room. You can not remain in your room any longer."
It had been five minutes when she finally opened her door. Her appearance was depressing. She had bags under her eyes that his the red puffiness she had earned from crying. Her hair was disheveled and uncared for, and her clothes were extremely wrinkled.
She didn't say anything as she waited for Slender to move. She refused to change, or take care of her hair. She no longer cared what anyone thought. She just wanted to get whatever this was over with so she could take a nap.
When she reached the living room, Slender was gone and she was alone with the last person she wanted to see. Sitting in the middle of the couch, Kendra stared ahead of her without seeing anything. She wished she would drop dead to save her from whatever humiliation was planned for her.
"Kendra?" No answer.
"Damn it, Kendra. I can't apologize if you don't listen to me." More silence.
"Kendra, I'm being serious. I'm sorry for laughing in your face, okay?"
She finally looked at him, but instead of the glare Jeff was used to, all he saw was pain. All of the emotions that normally clouded her gaze were nonexistent. He would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked.
"Holy shit, did it really mess you up that badly?"
She shrugged, not having the energy to fight with him. Kendra leaned back against the couch, staring at her lap and fiddling with her hands.
"Damn, that's pathetic." Jeff didn't really mean it, the silence was just annoying him and he wanted to get a rise out of her. He was surprised again when all she did was shrug.
"Kendra, seriously. Say something! Yell at me, call me an asshole. I don't care, just stop acting so...so..."
"Depressed?" she supplied, lifting her gaze again.
"What?"
She sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "Never mind. Look, Jeff, you don't need to apologize. I get it, you have no positive feelings for me and more than likely never will. So if anyone put you up to this, sorry for the wasted energy."
Jeff watched as she got up to leave, but he quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her. They remained in silence, Jeff having no idea what he was doing or what to say, and Kendra wishing he would let go of her or say something. Finally, Jeff pulled her into his lap, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry I made you feel like this. In all honesty the only reason I said what I did was because I had no idea how to be a friend. I didn't bother with being friends with anyone since I came here, so the thought that you managed to catch me off guard made me panic."
Kendra was stunned into silence. She had no idea what to say to his apology, especially since it sounded sincere. With nothing to say, Kendra returned the hug and her face into his shoulder. She actually began to relax when she breathed in the earthy scent of the forest. She figured everyone here probably smelled like this, but for some strange reason she never noticed it before.
Jeff tightened his hug, enjoying the feel of her body against his and the fuzzy warmth that was spreading in his chest. He had no idea what it was, but the pleasure he felt from it could almost equal the glee he felt when he killed someone. He began to run his fingers through her long hair, occasionally wrapping a curl around his finger tip. It was softer than he imagined, and it smelled like roses.
"I forgive you, Jeff. Thank you for being honest with me."
"You're welcome, little rose."
Kendra giggled at the old nickname. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"
"But your hair reminds me so much of roses. I have to call you that. It even smells like them!"
Kendra started laughing. "Thanks, I guess. Fine, I'll let you call me whatever you want, just don't ignore me anymore. You won't believe how pissed I was that someone I considered a friend wasn't talking to me."
"Considering my door now has problems opening, I can imagine."
She laughed again, finally pulling away from the hug (much to Jeff's displeasure). Smiling up at him, she finally noticed the yellowing bruise on his face.
"What happened?" she asked, confusion and concern lacing her voice as she tenderly touched the mark.
"BEN punched me."
"Why?"
"Because I made you cry."
Kendra stared, then let loose a wide grin. "Remind me to kiss him later."
"What? But he punched me!"
"Because you made me cry! That is the sweetest thing anyone, especially a guy, has ever done for me. I am going to thank him later."
Jeff huffed. "Fine. But I want a kiss too."
"You've gotta earn it, Jeff."
"I apologized!"
"And got one of my amazing hugs! I don't give hugs often, Jeff. Even my best friend had to beg me for a hug."
At the thought of Katie, Kendra frowned. She missed her friend immensely and wished she could see her again. She would have told Jeff off ten times over for hurting Kendra, and then would've given him a noogie for good measure.
"What's wrong now?"
"Nothing, just thinking."
Jeff sighed, pulling her close again so he could bury his face in her sweet smelling hair. Kendra squealed out a laugh, yanking away from him.
"Hey!"
"That tickles!"
"So? Deal with it!"
"Fat chance! I'd rather bathe in chocolate than be tickled. And I hate chocolate."
"There is something seriously wrong with you."
"No there isn't! It's disgusting!"
"Chocolate is heaven on Earth!"
"I call bullshit! If any junk food is heaven on Earth, it's white cheddar popcorn!"
"Fuck that!"
"I never imagined I would be so happy to hear you two bickering," Slender interrupted, popping into the living room and scaring the life out of Kendra.
"Oh my God, Slender, don't do that!"
The man chuckled, and shook his head. "I apologize, Kendra. I suggest you remove yourself before BEN sees, as I do not think he would appreciate seeing his partner in another man's lap."
"Partner?" Jeff asked in confusion while Kendra got off of his lap.
"BEN and I may or may not be dating now."
"What?!"
"Jeffrey, please calm your voice."
"When did that happen?"
"Yesterday when I was throwing a fit."
"How does Slender know?"
"I don't know! He's Slender!"
"I am. I know because I do still have the ability to read minds. I just chose not to comment on most of the thoughts I hear."
"Well, there you have it," Kendra said, crossing her arms.
"Wait, how did this happen?"
Kendra paused, thinking back to the event.
Kendra sobbed into her pillow while BEN rubbed her back comfortingly. When she was able to wipe away tears that weren't quickly replaced, she turned on her side and stared at the blond.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because you need it."
"So? I needed to go home and no one let me."
"Look, Kendra, I'm helping because you're my friend, alright?"
She went quiet, looking at her mattress. After a long moment of silence, she felt BEN pulling her up and into his lap. What she didn't expect was a soft pair of lips on hers. BEN kissed her so sweetly, she couldn't help but react and kiss back.
A moment later, they were staring at each other.
"Kendra, just because Jeff is a total dick and thinks you're nothing but a toy, doesn't mean I do, alright?"
Kendra nodded. "Alright. Why did you kiss me?"
BEN gave a sheepish grin. "I wanted you to stop looking so sad and dejected. Plus I've been wanting to for a while now."
"What?"
"Can we not go through this and just be dating now?"
Kendra couldn't hold back her smile of amusement, weak as it was. Nodding, she leaned against his chest and relaxed.
"It just kind of happened."
"You really don't expect me to believe that."
"Believe or not, I don't care. That is the only way I can really describe it."
"Bullshit."
"Why does it matter? I mean really Jeff, I can handle my love life. It's none of your business if I date BEN, just like it's none of my business if you date that Tasha chick."
"I wasn't-"
"Stop right there. I don't need, nor do I care, to know. Just leave it be, alright? I don't want to get in another fight so soon after you apologized."
Jeff sighed, not sure why her dating BEN bothered him so much. It really wasn't any of his business. But the new information gave him a foreign feeling that made him want to hunt BEN down and rip him to shreds.
"Fine," he relented.
Kendra smiled at him, and relaxed. "Good boy," she teased, patting him on the shoulder. She earned a glare that she responded to by sticking her tongue out at him.