Hi guys and welcome back to Class Vs Character! I don't really have a lot to say here, so let's crack on with it shall we?
When James left the estate, Kendall seemed to enter some sort of daze. He'd get up in the morning, get breakfast, go to work, have dinner and then go back to his room where he'd continue to recite the alphabet to himself using a hand out that James had given him. Other than that, the blond hardly did anything. When looking after the horses, he seemed to put in as little effort as possible to try and get a semi acceptable reward, and luckily, Camille hadn't picked up on it so far. His work was spectacular anyway, so if anything his work about have only been downgraded to 'excellent.'
Every time he saw a car drive onto the estate, Kendall's heart would behind to flutter, hoping that James had maybe returned home early, but it was always some business partner of Mr Diamonds, or a friend of Mrs Diamonds, and never the man he was looking for. A dramatic as it sounds, it's seemed like Kendall's life had almost come to a stop, with him only doing what was necessary of him and nothing more.
Still, he knew it was better than working for the Morgan's so he was grateful to James for that.
Carlos was the first person to pick up on Kendall's lowered energy levels, and on the second day of James being away, he thought it was best to question the boy on it.
"Are you ok Kendall, you seem a little…down" Carlos said, when Kendall had returned to the room that night. The blond had walked in, and instantly fallen onto his bed.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired" Kendall mumbled into the pillow, hoping Carlos would buy the lie.
"Ok, I just thought I would check. You seem to have been a little out of it, ever since Mr Diamond left" Carlos replied with a shrug, hoping to keep the conversation light-hearted while still trying to get what he could out Kendall. Kendall of course, blushed instantly at the connection Carlos had made, and tried to keep it as discreet as possible.
"Like I said, I'm just a little tired." He replied, causing Carlos to nod.
"Of course. I mean, it's not like you and James were close" the Latino replied, his voice a little sarcastic and this time getting attention from Kendall. The blond turned his head, so his cheek was now resting against the pillow, eyes staring directly at Carlos.
"What do you mean by that?" Kendall asked, blush creeping onto his face.
"Nothing, I just saying that you and James seemed to be getting on quite well, and since he's left, you've been a little down." Carlos continued, causing Kendall to redden instantly. "You don't have to be ashamed Kendall, it's natural for you to be sad when a friend leaves. But just remember that he will be back." he continued, as he sat at the end of Kendall's bed. "Besides, until then, you and I can hang out!" Carlos added onto the end, causing Kendall to chuckle.
"Thank you, Carlos," Kendall replied, as he pulled himself up from the bed.
"So, how about a game of cards? You know how to play?" Carlos asked, causing Kendall to shake his head. "No worries, I'll teach you" Carlos continued, and Kendall instantly though of how James was teaching him, slightly throwing him back into his depressive mood.
As expected, James wasn't fairing any better. Two days of being stuck on the train was bad enough, but at least he had some company last time. This time, he was completely alone, with nothing to do but watch the scenery go past. He was massively grateful when the train pulled into the Wichita Station, and he was quick to jump off of the train to get some actual fresh air.
After a quick chat with the conductor, James was told that the train would be departing back to Oakland in 5 hours, allowing him some time for food as well as collecting Jennifer and Katie. Straightening out his jacket, James remembered what Kendall said about Jennifer working in a bakery and decided to head their first. After all, he could use the excuse of grabbing some food to start a conversation with Jennifer.
On his last trip, James hadn't really ventured into the town so this was all new to him. The size of it was nothing compared to Oakland, as was its level of development and yet, that made James struggle more. People were moving in all sorts of direction, not worrying about looking out for any cars that were on the streets, not that there many anyway. Mostly it was horses and wagon being guided through the streets, along with a lot of shouting for people to move out of the way, or to watch out for the horses. James tried to make his way onto Central Avenue, and started to look for bakeries, as if it were a simple task.
Luckily, a couple of the locals were friendly enough to offer him directions, and he quickly found his way to the most popular bakery in Wichita. God, did he hope this was the right one. Walking in, he noticed a few people were queuing but it was nothing to severe so he waited his turn. The bakery seemed quaint, with a few tables being set up for the customers to sit and each. He noticed the variety of food that was on display, from Belgium buns and eclairs, to more savoury items like pastry sausage rolls and pasties. While he was deciding what he wanted, the queue in front seemed to dissipate quickly, leaving him faced with a red haired woman.
"Hello Sir, how many I help you today?" She asked, with a little curtsy at the end, to show her respect.
"Um, may I have a large sausage roll please?" James replied, smiling at the woman as he did so. While she got to work, James started to ask a few questions. "Also, I was wondering if this is the bakery that a Mrs Knight works at?" he asked, causing the woman in front of him to tense slightly.
"It's Ms Knight sir" she replied, handing the sausage roll to James in a small paper bag. "And without being rude, like I told Mr Garrett's men last time, I will pay the loan back in full. I'm just running low on money at the moment and will need to time to get it all" she continued, now standing there with her hand on her hip, and stern look on her face.
"Loan?" James replied, as he raised his eyebrow at the woman. "I'm not here about a loan, I'm here on behalf of Kendall Knight. I'm James Diamond, his new employer?" he clarified, seeing the woman in front of him relax slightly.
"Oh, well then, I beg your pardon sir" She replied, hoping James would forgive her. That was until she remembered what James had said. "Wait, Kendall? Has something happened to him? Is he ok?" she asked, her voice now returning back to its previous panicked state.
"I assure you ma'am, Kendall is fine, if not slightly worried about you. That's why I'm here" James replied, with a charming smile on his face.
He was about to speak up again, when we heard someone shout "Jennifer! I'm not paying you to chat! Get your ass back to work" from the back of the store. It was clearly a male voice, and not a happy one at that. The owner of the voice emerged, wiping his hands on a tea towel as he did so, and as soon as he saw James stood there, the man turned sheepish as he bowed. "Excuse me Sir, I didn't expect Jennifer to be serving a gentleman like yourself" he replied, hoping that would appease James.
Of course, the brunet male was not at all impressed. "I don't think it matters who she is serving, language such as that should never be used" James began, causing the man to redden with embarrassment. "Now if you don't mind, I need to speak to Jennifer in private for a few minutes, regarding her son" he continued, his voice stern. He looked over to see Jennifer has a small smug smile on her face, while it was clear that the manager was shitting bricks.
"O-Of course s-sir. Have a good day" the man continued, before bowing toward James.
"If you'll follow me?" James said to Jennifer, causing the red-haired woman to curtsy, before releasing herself from behind the till. James led the two of them over to a small table.
"If you don't mind me asking, what is this about sir?" Jennifer asked, as she removed her apron, and scrunched it up into a ball.
"I've come with a job offer for both you and daughter, Katie" James began, causing Jennifer to raise her eyebrow to the young male. "Kendall told me about your…financial position, and he was very wary about how you were coping without him." James began, causing Jennifer to chuckle slightly.
"That's my Kendall alright. Always putting everyone else before himself" she said absentmindedly, causing a smile to grow on James' face, as he knew exactly what she meant.
"Anyway, my parents and I decided that, and only if you wish, you could move out to California and work on our estate as well. That way, you and Kendall wouldn't have to worry about struggling for…basic provisions" James eloquently put it, hoping not to offend Jennifer in any way. A small smile grew on her face, before she spoke up again.
"Did Kendall put you up to this Sir?" she asked, causing James to shake his head.
"This is our own doing. Kendall just told me what was going on. He has no clue that I am with you" he replied, causing Jennifer to chuckle.
"So, it's going to be surprise for him? I suppose I can't say no to that. I accept sir" she replied, extending her hand out for a handshake. James took it, with the two of the smiling at each other as they did so. When they let go, James looked down at his watch, to see how much longer he had before the train departed.
"We have about 4 hours until the train departs. Will that be enough to persuade Katie, and have everything packed?" James asked as he stood up from his chair, grabbing the sausage roll as he did so.
"Plenty of time sir. Katie won't need much persuading, it's all she's talked about since Kendall has left"
"Perfect, so I'll meet you at the station in about four hours, and we'll begin our journey home" James replied, causing Jennifer to slightly grab his wrist as he went to stand up.
"I…Thank you for this opportunity sir. I'm not sure we could ever repay you" Jennifer said, as a blush spread onto her face.
"No need, seeing how happy it will make your son will be enough" James replied, before realising what he had said, and quickly adding. "And yourselves of course. I always like to help out where I can." With a smile from James, and a curtsy from Jennifer, the two of them parted ways, James heading back to the train station, his head running rampant with an image of how happy Kendall will be when the three of them return to Lakefield Estate.
As Jennifer said, Katie seemed to be ecstatic when the three of them finally boarded the train, luggage and all in hand and before long, they were on their journey back home.
The third day of James being away seemed to pass a little faster than the other two, and that could be due to his heightened energy levels. After playing cards with Carlos yesterday, the blond male was starting to realise that maybe James wasn't his only friend, and that he could rely on Carlos whenever he felt down. He'd worked through the day with Camille, a small skip in his step as he did, and when the two of them were close to finishing, Kendall made a similar request to the one he did the other day.
"Honestly, Camille, I'll finish up here" the blond said with a smile, causing Camille to chuckle.
"If I keep leaving you to do it all, then eventually you'll take my job" she replied, sticking her tongue out at the younger boy, before they both chuckled.
"But seriously, go relax" Kendall continued, his voice soft yet stern. Camille saw that she had no real choice in a matter, so with a sigh and a smile she accepted.
"I'll see you tomorrow Kendall" she said as she left the stable, causing Kendall to shoot her a wave. All the horses were in their pens already, so now it was just making sure that everything was sorted. While alone, Kendall took the opportunity to start reading out their names. Fable was the first horse, but since he already knew that, he got James' prized horse ready for bed quickly. Next was Henry's horse, and while getting the blanket ready, Kendall started to sound out the name.
"Bug Bug-si, Bug-see, Bugsy" Kendall said, finally figuring out what sound the y at the end of the word made. That was something he was still getting used to. This continue with most of the horses, with Kendall being able to spell about a few 'simple' names like Oscar and Belle, and some more complicated ones like Princess and Snowbell. The blond was completely in his own world and didn't hear the door open behind him. As Kendall started to sound out the word Peanut, he heard a small chuckle behind him, followed by a voice. His face reddened instantly as it began to talk.
"Can I ask what you're doing?" Camille said from behind the boy, her voice filled with curiosity and no condescension.
"Um, I'm er" Kendall began, causing Camille to cut him off.
"Just be honest with me Kendall, I don't care" she continued, causing Kendall to nod.
"I was trying to read the horses names." He began, before he felt the verbal diarrhoea begin. "James is teaching me how to read, and he said the best way to do it was to sound out the letters in the word until I could figure out how to say it, so when you left, I thought I could practise cause I haven't really done it a lot since he was away, and since the horses names are on the plaques, I thought it would be good" he continued, reddening further as he said it. He wasn't quite sure where all of this was coming from, but he certainly couldn't stop it.
Camille stayed quite while he spoke, and once he was finished, a small smile grew on her face. "That is so cute! Is that why he came to get you the other day?" She asked, not bothered at all that Kendall couldn't read. When Kendall just nodded, she squealed, before continuing. "And I'm guessing that why you were so sad when James left." She started, before raising her eyebrow as a smile smile formed on her face. "Cause you like spending time with him, don't you? You like that he's looking after you" She continued to push causing Kendall's face to redden further and further with every word she said. "You like him don't yo-mmmmm!" was her finally statement, but before she could completely finish it, Kendall placed his hand over her mouth, so no one else could hear it.
Of course, his face was covered with blush, causing Camille to squeal into Kendall's hand, not caring that she was muffled. When she started to lick Kendall's hand, the boy finally let go, now wiping his hand down on her shoulder.
"That is so adorable! I can't believe you like James! That's so cute, you're just so cute!" Camille began to ramble now, but Kendall was quick to put a stop to it.
"I can't like Mr Diamond" the boy replied, falling back into his previous depressive mood. Camille was quick to pick up on the fact that Kendall said 'can't' rather than 'don't' so she knew she was right.
"But why can't you?" she replied, causing Kendall to glare at the girl.
"Cause of the law! The laws says it!" Kendall replied, starting to get slightly mad. "So, it's against the law for me to like him, but I can't help these stupid feelings I'm having, and it's just so infuriated!" he yelled, Camille not be fazed one bit. Kendall sat down on the closest hay bale as he tried to stop the tears in his eyes from falling, while Camille sat down next to him.
"So fuck the law" she said, her voice completely calm. Kendall looked up at her, causing her to continue. "Who gives a shit if it's against the law, you can't help how you feel for someone. Besides, it's only illegal if you get caught" she finishes, with a small wink causing Kendall to chuckle as the first tear fell.
"But what if he doesn't like me back?" he replied, his voice small and full of nerves.
"God you are so innocent!" she began, as he put her arm around the smaller boy. "He so likes you back! I mean, he's constantly coming out here just so chat to you, and he's winked at you like twice and they're just the ones I've seen. Plus, he admitted it to the pair of us!" She squealed once again, causing Kendall to look at her when she said it.
"When?" he asked, causing her to chuckle.
"So innocent" she replied, causing him to blush at little more before she continued "When he agreed with me duh! He said 'You're so oblivious to it' right before he winked at you! That was so flirting, and I said at the time, and you didn't believe me, but it was!"
"But he said to me that he just wanted to be friends"
"When?" Camille said, causing Kendall to sigh as he began.
"The first night I was here. When you left, and I was bringing the horses in, I decided to ride Fable as I hadn't ridden a horse in a while, and he was here when I returned" Kendall began, causing Camille's eyes to widen massively. "After joking about being mad and saying that he could ride a horse better than me, the two of us went on a tour of the estate" he continued, causing Camille to continue to look at him in awe. "So, he took me around the estate, and we ended up at the lake. We ended up watching the sunset together, and I asked him what it was like to be rich, and he said it was lonely" Now Camille was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. "So, I said that I could be his friend, and he said he'd like that and that was it"
"THAT WAS IT? You are even more innocent than I thought! You watched the sun go down together?"
"We also fed the fish together after I splashed him with water" he mumbled, causing Camille to stand up from the hay bale as she started to pace around the stable.
"Ok, so he one hundred percent likes you back Kendall! I'm telling you! I mean watching the sunset go down together is like the most cliché date thing ever!"
"But why me?" Kendall asked, completely shattering the enjoyment in the room. "Why would he like me. I mean, he's rich, attractive, and so kind and generous. Why would be want someone like me. A poor, stable hand who doesn't even know how to read or write"
"Well…" Camille began, trying to think the best way to word this. Eventually, she just gave up and went for it. "Kendall, there is no explaining love ok? It's not something you can control, it just happens. Besides, you may not be rich, or you may not know how to read, but you've got so many redeeming qualities. You're so nice, and polite, and you always offer stuff to everyone else first. You're so caring to others, I mean you keep letting me go early, just so I can relax. No one else has ever done that before. It also helps that you're attractive" Camille replied, causing Kendall to chuckle as he returned to her seat next to him. "Don't ever doubt yourself, and don't ever tell yourself that you are not worthy, because you are! You are worthy of whatever you want, despite your background or anything. My father always said 'deep down, you know what you want and you should go for it' so go for it!"
Kendall didn't even hesitate this time, as he pulled Camille into a tight hug. "Thank you" he mumbled into her, as she began to wrap her arms around the small boy. "Thank you for believing in me, and not freaking out about me being gay" he continued, causing her to chuckle.
"Don't worry about it. You're a great guy Kendall, and that's not gonna change just cause you like guys" she replied, as she began to stroke his back. "Come on, let's finish up the rest of the horses, shall we? And I'll help if you get stuck on any of their names" she continued, causing Kendall to nod. Suddenly he was back into his positive mood, having a new outlook on his life.
Like Camille had said, screw the law. Kendall really liked James, and if Camille was telling the truth, James liked him back. So why shouldn't they be allowed to be together? Kendall was still sceptical about the whole thing but knowing that someone had his back was making him feel a lot better.
He was starting to consider that he may have made more friends that he'd originally thought, and that warmed his heart.
So there we are! We started off with Kendall being in a depressive mood, but Carlos was quick to try and help him out of that. We then had a brief snippet of James with Jennifer and she agreed to come back to California with him, as well as Katie. But the main thing this time was the Kendall/Camille talk, with everything finally coming out into open! Camille, of course, was supportive of everything and even encouraged Kendall to go for it, so I wonder what will happen?
A massive thank you to Guest, Winterschild11 and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing the last chapter and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! You enjoyed the reading lesson, which I was super happy about because that was a lot of fun for me to write, but I also wanted to get a bit of Kendall's story in there for James. Of course, you were all so happy when James decided to go and grab Katie and Jennifer. Some of you were also very sceptical about how I ended the last chapter... well, you'll have to wait and see for that...
I will see you guys on Thursday for the next chapter of Love, James, a story which you all really seemed to enjoy so thank you for that! But until then,
TTFN :D