Logan had called Carlos to let him know what was going on so he cut his date with Stephanie short and met up with Logan and Camille at the park.
"I can't believe Kendall did this," Logan said, shaking his head.
"We don't really know WHAT happened," Carlos said.
"Hmm, let's see...he was seen making out with Jessica in front of the Palmwoods, he bought perfume for someone at a fancy boutique, James goes to pick him up and he's already left WITH Jessica, Jessica answers HIS phone, for the second time, when we call. I think it's safe to say that he's not exactly blameless," Logan said.
"Have you actually asked him about any of this?" Carlos asked, a little shocked that it was so easy for everyone to believe the worst of their friend.
"No, James wanted to talk to him so we left," Logan said.
"I don't know, there was something off about that phone call," Camille said.
"Off, how?" Carlos asked.
"I'm not sure, but something just didn't seem right."
"Yeah, like maybe the fact that Kendall was out with Jessica when he's suppose to be in love with someone else," Logan said.
"No, that's not what I meant," she said smacking is arm
"What do you think was wrong?" Carlos asked. shooting a glare at Logan.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'll figure it out," Camille promised.
Logan's phone buzzed and he looked at the screen. "James said he's done...looks like I'm moving back in with Kendall."
Carlos shook his head, he was still upset by the way everyone was acting. "I'LL move in with Kendall, you stay with James."
"Why?"
"Because," Carlos said, standing up.
"You can't seriously be taking Kendall's side in this?" Logan asked.
"No...I'm taking THEIR side," Carlos said.
Logan shook his head, "There is no 'their' anymore and you can't take two opposing sides."
"Yes there is and I can too," Carlos said as he started walking back to the Palmwoods.
"Los..." Logan started.
"NO! You're wrong Logan! I can't believe that you're condemning Kendall without even hearing his side of the story. Since when do we take the word of Griffin, Jessica, and even Guitar Dude, over that of our best friend?"
"Carlos, you weren't there. You didn't see James...he was crying. He hasn't cried like that since his parents divorce," Logan said.
"I understand that, but you're condemning Kendall on what Papi calls circumstantial evidence. We don't know all the facts and you don't KNOW what happened! If you're not even going to listen to his side, than you're not much of a friend," Carlos said as he walked away.
Logan's jaw dropped as he watched his friend walk away. "Can you believe that!?" He looked over at his girlfriend when he didn't get a response. "Well?"
"He's not wrong," she said as she started after Carlos.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Logan asked rushing after her.
Camille stopped and looked at him, "You haven't talked to Kendall, you don't know what happened! And...what about this possibly being some scheme of Griffin's? I know James is hurt and freaking out, but this whole thing could just be one big misunderstanding and you ARE choosing one friend over the other."
"I am not!"
Camille crossed her arms over her chest and just looked at him.
"Okay...maybe I am. James...it just broke my heart to see him like that. He's always protected me from bullies and I guess...I don't know...I felt like I needed to protect him," Logan said quietly.
Camille hugged him, "I know, but doesn't Kendall deserve the same?"
Logan sighed, "Yes, I just don't understand what's going on with him. One day he's really sick, the next he's better. Now all of this craziness with Jessica, who Guitar Dude says looks like Jo. Maybe he's not as over her as he thought he was, maybe he is having second thoughts."
"Oh, he's over her and good riddance. Do you really think he'd go for someone who looks like her after everything she pulled?" Camille asked.
"No...but how do you know he's really over her though?"
Camille smiled, "Because I see the way he looks at James. Logan, he loves him so much and he would never do anything to hurt him. There has to be a reason this is all happening."
"Yes, but what's the reason?"
"THAT is what we have to find out, and I know just the person to help," Camille said taking his arm.
"Who?" Logan asked as she dragged him off.
"My dad," she smiled.
After a few minutes Kendall's sobs slowed and he tried to stand, without success. He curled back up on the floor and wrapped his arms around his sides and closed his eyes, a few minutes later he was asleep.
Carlos got back to the apartment and headed upstairs. He went to his room and found James lying on Logan's bed, he had his earbuds in and seemed to be sleeping. He grabbed a blanket and covered his friend and started across the hall to check on Kendall.
He knocked and when he didn't receive an answer, opened the door. He saw Kendall lying on the floor, his face covered in blood. "Oh my God!"
He rushed to his friend's side and checked to make sure he was breathing. He sighed in relief when he saw Kendall's chest move as he took a breath. He gently shook his shoulder, "Kendall, what happened?"
"Hmm?"
"What happened, why is there blood everywhere?" Carlos asked, trying not to freak out.
"Los?" Kendall croaked out.
"Yeah, it's me. What happened? James didn't hit you, did he?"
"What?"
Carlos pointed to the blood on Kendall's hands and shirt.
"N-No, it was my nose," Kendall said as he tried to keep from crying again.
"Are you okay?" Carlos asked, helping him to sit up.
Kendall shook his head, "H-He h-hates me. He hates me and I don't even know what happened."
"James doesn't hate you, I think he's just... confused right now. Can you tell me what happened?" Carlos asked sitting on the floor next to him.
"I don't know, I came home and he was waiting for me. He said I was lying about being at work, that Griffin said I was out with Jessica. I wasn't Carlos, I swear to God I would never do that!" Kendall said, choking back a sob.
"Okay, we can figure this out," Carlos said.
"H-How?"
"Well, let's start at the beginning. You went to Rocque Records this morning and then what?"
Kendall thought back, "W-We met up with the investors and they asked a lot of questions. It took all morning and by lunch time I was really tired. Griffin told me to stay in the office and rest and to meet them in the conference room later."
"Did you eat?"
Kendall nodded, "He had Eileen bring me lunch so I had an apple and some water."
"That's ALL you ate today?" Carlos asked.
"I was more tired than anything. I thought I'd eat with you guys when I got home, but it was so late when I woke up. I don't even know where the time went," Kendall said.
"What time did you wake up?"
"He said it was about eight," Kendall said as he sifted through the scattered memories.
"You slept through the meeting?"
"I must have. I remember waking up a couple of times in Griffin's office...I was having weird dreams," Kendall said.
"Then what?"
"I woke up in the limo on the way here. Griffin said it was eight and said that we need to be ready by nine tomorrow," Kendall told him.
"Wait...Griffin was IN the limo with you?"
Kendall nodded, "Yeah."
"Was Jessica there?"
"No, it was just him and the driver." Kendall said. His head was starting to feel thick again and he wanted to sleep.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he tell James that you were out with Jessica if you were asleep in the office...and why didn't James see you?"
"I don't know. Carlos I'm so tired," Kendall said.
"Kendall you need to try and focus, just for a couple of minutes, and then we'll get you cleaned up and into bed," Carlos promised.
"James isn't going to believe me anyway," Kendall said.
"Yes he will, we just have to put all the pieces together for him. When was the last time you saw Jessica?" Carlos asked.
"I don't know!"
"I know this is hard, but you need to think about this," Carlos said firmly.
Kendall sighed and tried to push through the fogginess in his mind. "She was there at the meeting. Before it started though she was coming on to me again and I told her off. I told her that she was out of line going into my wallet to leave her number and that I wasn't interested in her."
"You never saw her again after that?"
"No, yes...no, it was a dream I had," Kendall said, getting frustrated with himself.
Carlos could see that Kendall was ready to drop so he reluctantly decided to wait to ask him anymore questions. He stood up and held a hand down to Kendall, "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."
"I'm sorry," Kendall said as he took his hand.
"It's not your fault, we'll figure the rest out later," Carlos as he pulled him up.
Kendall stood up and then fell back against the wall as a shooting pain went through his right leg. "Oh my God, that hurts."
"What is it?" Carlos asked, grabbing him before he fell back down.
"M-My hip, I think it's because I was lying on the floor," Kendall said as he tried standing again.
Carlos steadied him and a couple of minutes later Kendall was able to stand on his own. "Did you take anything when you got home?" Carlos asked as he helped Kendall down the hallway.
Kendall shook his head, "N-No, J-James was waiting for me and..."
"I know, don't worry about that now. I think a warm shower and some Tylenol will help," Carlos said as he opened the bathroom door.
Kendall started for the sink but Carlos stopped him. "Just get in the shower, you don't want to see your face right now."
"That bad?" Kendall asked with a small smile.
Carlos smiled, "I'm not going to lie, it kinda looks like you got hit with a water balloon filled with blood."
"Great."
Carlos turned on the water, "I'll go grab you some clean clothes and leave them on the counter. Then I'm going to make you some dinner because you need to eat."
"You don't have to do that," Kendall said.
Carlos smiled, "You guys always take care of me when I'm not feeling well, now it's my turn."
"Thanks Los," Kendall said quietly.
Carlos hugged him, "It's going to be okay."
Kendall choked back another sob as he hugged Carlos back. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't think straight, I can't remember anything, and I'm so tired. I don't know what to do, and I'm scared," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Carlos held him tightly for a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. Kendall had never admitted to being scared before. He was always the one who reassured his friends, always the strong one. "We'll figure this out, I promise."
"D-Do you believe me?" Kendall asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes I believe you and we're going to fix this, together," Carlos promised as he released his friend.
"Thank you," Kendall said as he pulled back. He looked at Carlos' shirt and James' words echoed in his ears. "I-I'm sorry."
"For what?" Carlos asked.
Kendall pointed to Carlos' shoulder where some of his blood had stained the shirt. "It'll come clean and if it doesn't, it's JUST a shirt. I have dozens," Carlos said, smiling.
Kendall nodded, "Thanks Carlos."
"You're welcome, now get cleaned up and I'm going to go make you something to eat," Carlos ordered as he closed the bathroom door.
The room quickly filled with steam and Kendall breathed it in, letting it warm him. He peeled off his blood soaked shirt and left it in the sink because the moist air was making it damp and sticky again. He caught a glimpse of his face and shook his head, "I look like something out of a horror movie."
There was a knock on the door. "Hey, I have your clothes," Carlos said.
Kendall opened the door and Carlos handed him the things he's grabbed from Kendall's dresser. "Thanks Carlos."
Carlos looked at his friend in shock, "What happened?"
"What?" Kendall asked.
Carlos pointed to the large bruise on the inside of Kendall's arm that now covered nearly half of his forearm, "Where did you get that?"
Kendall looked at his arms and shook his head. "I think this one is from where the doctor took blood."
"And these?" Carlos asked touching one of the new bruises on Kendall's upper arm where James had squeezed too tightly.
"It doesn't matter," Kendall said quietly.
Carlos wasn't buying it, "They look like finger marks and they're new. Did James do this!?"
"Carlos..."
"NO! Did James do this?" Carlos asked again.
"I tripped and he grabbed me, that's all," Kendall said, not adding that it was James that caused him to fall.
"Kendall, those look bad."
"It's just the anemia, the doctor said that's what's causing them," Kendall said.
Carlos still looked unconvinced but decided to drop it for the time being. Kendall was exhausted and looked like he was ready to drop, so he'd talk to Logan about it when he got home. "Okay, get your shower and I'm going to go make you a sandwich."
"Thanks Carlos."
"You don't have to thank me buddy," Carlos said as he closed the door.
Kendall sighed in relief, glad that Carlos hadn't pressed for more information. He didn't want everyone taking sides and fighting, and he knew that James hadn't meant to squeeze that hard.
James...he was so angry and Kendall was still having a hard time processing everything that had happened. He took a deep breath and pulled off his jeans, wincing when the material rubbed against his hip.
He groaned as he stepped into the shower. He adjusted the water a little and let it run over him for a moment before grabbing the soap and scrubbing the blood from his face and chest. He washed and rinsed his hair, letting the water run over him until it started cooling down. He sighed as he dried off, the warm water had felt good but now he was getting cold again so he quickly pulled on the flannel pajamas that Carlos had brought for him.
He looked at his shirt and debated on trying to clean it before tossing it in the trash. He opened the cabinet and took two Tylenol and then grabbed the rest of his clothes and walked back down the hallway to his room. He looked over at the other bedroom door, tempted to try and talk to James again. He took a deep breath and knocked, "James?"
When there was no answer, he knocked again, "James, can we please talk?"
Carlos had brought up a tray for Kendall and was waiting for him in his room. He sighed sadly as he heard Kendall's quiet plea and got up and went to the doorway. "He was sleeping when I grabbed my things."
Kendall looked over at him, "Oh okay, thanks."
"I think you both need to get some rest," Carlos said.
Kendall nodded as he went into his room, "Why did you grab your things?"
"I'm switching for now," Carlos said.
"Logan's mad at me too," Kendall said quietly as he sat on his bed.
"Nah, I just got home first. Besides, I'm WAY more fun than bookworm boy," Carlos grinned.
Kendall smiled at his friend, "Thanks Carlos, I really appreciate it."
"You don't have to thank me. Now eat, I grabbed a couple of movies in case you wanted to watch something."
Kendall gave him a small smile, "I'm not really hungry."
"I know. It's turkey and cheddar, now eat," Carlos ordered, pointing at the tray.
Kendall smiled as he picked up half of the sandwich that Carlos had made. He took a bite and swallowed, "It's good."
"I wish I could have made you something warm," Carlos said.
"This is great, I'm not that hungry," Kendall said, taking another bite.
"You want to watch a movie?" Carlos asked, hoping to keep Kendall distracted.
"Sure," Kendall said, sitting back against his headboard.
Carlos smiled and put in a dvd. He went over and sat down next to Kendall, "Did you take something for your hip?"
Kendall nodded, "Yeah."
"Good," Carlos said as he settled back to watch the movie. A few minutes later Kendall had eaten most of his sandwich and he was staring at the door hoping James would come and talk to him, when Carlos bumped him with his arm. "Hey, that zombie looks like you did an hour ago."
Kendall rolled his eyes, "Very funny."
"Seriously, you could be twins. He's skinny and has blond hair," Carlos pointed out.
"He's like ten years older than me and short...like you," Kendall said.
"I am NOT short, I am the perfect height," Carlos said.
"Yes you are...for a twelve year old," Kendall smirked.
"I'll get even when you're feeling better," Carlos told him.
"You can try," Kendall countered.
"I will," Carlos smiled.
They went back to watching the movie. "Thanks Los," Kendall said quietly.
"I told you, you don't have to thank me," Carlos smiled, putting his arm around his friend. Kendall smiled and leaned against Carlos shoulder. A few minutes later he was sleeping so Carlos carefully got up and tucked him in. He stretched out on James' bed and finished watching the movie.
Samuel Roberts was an unassuming man of about forty-five. He was 5'10" with dark, thinning hair, an average build, and a pleasant looking face. He was the kind of man that blended into a crowd, which had served him well in his previous career as police detective. After he'd injured his back in an on-the-job injury, he'd taken a teaching position at the police academy in Bridgeport, Connecticut. When Camille had been bitten by the acting bug he agreed to take a leave of absence to accompany her to Los Angeles.
He and Camille's mom had divorced when their daughter was ten, and had remained amiable towards each other. Janine Roberts had a lucrative catering business, making it impossible for her to relocate but she visited as often as she could. Sam had always been good at putting pen to paper and had written several of the training guides at the academy. So while his daughter pursued an acting career, he decided to try his hand at writing fiction and was currently working on his first novel.
He liked most of Camille's friends, including Logan and the other boys, even if they did have a tendency to get themselves into trouble every now and then. He'd met Carlos' dad when he'd visited a few months earlier and the two men had become fast friends.
Sam put dinner on hold when Camille and Logan had come in and she asked him to help figure out what was going on with their friend, Kendall. He knew they weren't telling him the whole story so when there was a lull in the conversation, he broke in. "I'm going to help, but first of all you need to tell me what is it that you're trying to NOT tell me?"
"What do you mean daddy?"
He just looked at her.
Camille looked at Logan, who was definitely getting fidgety. "I don't know," he whispered.
"We need to tell him," Camille said.
"It's not our decision," Logan hissed.
"Look, whatever it is I promise that it'll stay between us, provided that it doesn't put anyone in harm's way," Sam told them.
Logan looked at Camille and she nodded. "Go ahead," he sighed, hoping his two friends didn't end up hating him.
"Well you know how Kendall was going out with Jo?" Camille asked.
"Yes."
"After they broke up Kendall and James kind of 'found' each other," Camille said, not quite sure how to tell him.
Sam looked at her for a minute and then he realized what she meant. "Okay, I think I've got it."
"But NOBODY else knows and we have to keep it that way," Logan said.
Sam nodded, "I understand, now why don't you tell me everything from the beginning, without the edits."
A few minutes later Camille and Logan had told him about Griffin wanting Kendall to attend the meetings, Kendall's sudden illness that seemed to come and go, Jessica, and everything that had happened over the past few days.
Sam had started jotting down notes and every now and then asked when he needed to clarify something. "Alright, so Kendall's seen a doctor, do you know the doctor's name?"
Logan shook his head, "I don't think he ever told me. He just said was that it's someone that Griffin brought in to do company exams."
"You all know not to eat to drink from any container that hasn't been in your sight the entire time?"
"I asked him and Kendall said the only thing he had was something to drink from unopened bottles," Camille said.
"Okay, anything else?" Sam asked as he looked over his notes.
"I don't think so," Logan said.
"I still think there was something off about that phone call tonight," Camille said.
"Like what?" Sam asked.
"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it."
"Okay, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember back to the conversation," Sam said.
Camille knew the exercise and did as her dad said. "We're in James' room and I took the phone and dialed Kendall's number for him."
"How many rings before someone answered," Sam asked.
"Three, Jessica answered. She told James that 'Kenny' was indisposed and then she said that she'd love to have James join them."
"I've never heard Kendall go by Kenny before," Sam said.
"That's because he hates the name," Logan told him.
"Does she know about the boys?"
"No, but apparently she has a thing for James," Logan said.
"Alright, Camille I want you to to through the call moment by moment and tell me what's off," Sam instructed.
Camille was quiet as she replayed the conversation in her mind a few times. Her eyes popped open, "The noise."
"What noise?" Sam asked.
"There was no noise, NONE. Griffin told James that Kendall and Jessica were going out to dinner and then a club, but there was NO background noise at all. There should have been voices and music playing, but there wasn't."
"You're right, but she could have been in the restroom," Logan suggested.
"There STILL would have been some kind of noise. If they were at a club there definitely would have been some kind of music playing, and there's ALWAYS a bunch of girls in the lady's room," Camille said.
"If they were at a nice restaurant, it would have been quieter," Logan said.
"There still would have been people talking in the background," Camille insisted.
"Camille's right, it's nearly impossible to block out all of the sound in a public place," Sam said.
"So then where were they?" Logan asked.
"THAT is what we need to find out," Sam said.
Carlos stretched out on James' bed and finished watching the movie. When it was over he got up and took Kendall's tray downstairs. He had just finished putting everything away when Logan got home.
Logan bit his lip, trying to figure out what to say. "Hey."
"Hey," Carlos said as he dried his hands and started for the stairs. He was still upset with Logan and in no mood to argue with him.
"Carlos, I know you're mad and you have every right to be. I'm sorry for everything and you're right, I can't choose one friend over the other."
Carlos looked at him, "What changed your mind?"
"Camille and I went to speak to Mr. Roberts and he's going to look into a few things and get back to us," Logan said.
"What did he say?"
"Just that Camille's right about something being off with the phone call. I really hope James and Kendall don't hate me, but we had to tell him everything. He's not going to say anything though," Logan said.
"Logan, you should have asked before telling him," Carlos said shaking his head.
"Los we tried, I swear! He knew that we weren't telling him everything and there was no other way around it," Logan told him.
Carlos took a deep breath, "Okay, you still should have asked but I know we can trust him. What else did he say?"
Logan sighed in relief, "He's going to see if a friend of his can find out where the call came from. He said he's not sure if they'll be able to trace it without Mrs. Knight's permission, but he's going to try."
"Why do they need her permission?" Carlos asked.
"Because the account's in her name and we haven't been able to get a hold of her. I tried calling her earlier and then again at Camille's, but she didn't answer. I left a message but until we hear from her he said that he's going to have to do this through unofficial channels."
"That makes sense," Carlos agreed.
"I don't think we should tell Kendall or James anything until we hear from him though," Logan said,
"Why?"
"Because if they know that he knows..." Logan started.
"They might freak out and it'll just makes things worse?"
"Yeah, Mr. Roberts also wants me to find out the name of the doctor and what tests he ran," Logan said.
"Why? He said Kendall's anemic, do you think he's wrong?" Carlos asked.
"No, he's definitely anemic. It's just that it all came on so fast and he keeps having such highs and lows, it doesn't make any sense."
"That reminds me, when I got home I found Kendall asleep on the floor and he had blood all over him. At first I was scared that James had hit him, but he said it was just a bloody nose. I helped him get up and he went to take a shower and when he took his shirt off he had bruises all over his arms."
"Where is he now?" Logan asked.
"Sleeping."
"Do you know if he ate anything today?" Logan asked.
"I made him a sandwich and he said he had an apple for lunch."
"We need to take him to another doctor," Logan said.
"That's a good idea, but how are you going to convince Kendall?"
Logan sighed, "We're going to have to figure out a way. How's James doing?"
"He was asleep when I got home too. Everything is so messed up," Carlos said sadly.
"I know, but we're going to figure out what's going on," Logan promised.
"Well, I'm going to head up to bed. I'm staying with Kendall and James is asleep on your bed so you'll have to sleep in mine," Carlos told him.
"I can stay with Kendall," Logan offered.
"No, I already told him I'd stay with him and my things are already there," Carlos said.
"Okay, goodnight," Logan said as he started turning out the lights.
"Night buddy," Carlos said as he headed upstairs. He went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and then went back to the bedroom. He changed into his pajamas and turned out the light.
Kendall woke up about one, his head was hurting again and he was cold. He got up and started to get into James' bed when he realized that Carlos was sleeping there. He quickly started back to his own bed when Carlos reached out and grabbed his hand. "Are you okay?"
"S-Sorry, I forgot," Kendall said.
"It's okay, what's wrong?" Carlos yawned.
"I-I was just cold," Kendall said getting back into his own bed.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Just a headache," Kendall said.
Carlos got up, "I'll get you some Tylenol."
"You don't have to do that."
"Be quiet and lie down," Carlos ordered as he headed to the bathroom. He returned a moment later with two Tylenol and a glass of water. He sat down next to Kendall, "Here you go."
Kendall took the pills and swallowed them, "Thanks Carlos."
"Are you still cold?"
"Yeah," Kendall said.
"Move over."
"Carlos..."
"Look, when we were little how many times did we all bunk together? Remember when we managed to zip all four sleeping bags together to make one huge one?"
"Yeah, but we were little kids."
"So? You're cold and I have a lot of body heat, you sleep under the covers and I'll sleep under the top blanket," Carlos said, grabbing his pillow.
Kendall moved over and Carlos laid down next to him. "Sometimes I wish we were still little," Kendall said quietly.
"Me too," Carlos smiled.
"Things were hard, but it was easier than this,"' Kendall said, his voice breaking.
"Aw buddy, it's going to be okay," Carlos said, putting his arm around Kendall's shoulders.
Kendall shook his head, "H-He hates me, he said to stay away f-from him or risk losing our friendship too."
Carlos sighed, "This is my fault, I wish I'd taken that stupid sandwich out of my duffel and we wouldn't have found the bag and it wouldn't have made him start worrying."
"What are you talking about?" Kendall asked.
"We were packing some extra clothes to take along tomorrow and I'd left a sandwich in my duffel and pretty much ruined it. James said you wouldn't mind if I borrowed yours and I found the bag with the perfume in it."
"What perfume?"
"The perfume in the little white bag. I wouldn't let him open it, but he saw the receipt," Carlos said.
"Are you kidding me?" Kendall asked.
"I know, I told him that it's probably for your mom, I'm so sorry," Carlos said.
"It's not for my mom," Kendall said, sitting up.
"It's not?"
Kendall shook his head, "Can you get it?"
"Kendall..."
"Please."
Carlos got up and got the bag from the closet and tried to hand it to Kendall. Kendall shook his head, "Open it."
"Kendall, are you sure?"
"Open it."
Carlos sat down next to him and pulled the package out of the bag, looking at Kendall before tearing the paper off. Carlos stared in shock at the dark purple box with the words 'Diamond Dust', embossed in crystal across the front. "No way! How did you get this?"
"Do you remember K-Kelly's friend, Chloe?" Kendall asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, last month she was at the studio waiting for Kelly and overheard James talking about Cuda's new cologne that's coming out. She asked if James liked Cuda and I said that she didn't know the half of it. I told her that he was planning on camping out in October so he can get on the reservation list for the new gift set when it comes out in December. T-That's when she said she might be able to help with that," Kendall told him.
"How did that turn into getting the whole gift set months before it's even out?" Carlos asked.
"Her fiance works at Cuda so she asked him if he could get a reservation voucher for James. I asked her if she could let me know and not James, because I didn't want him to be disappointed if he couldn't."
"That was a good idea," Carlos said.
"Chloe called me last week and told me that Ben was able to get an actual gift set for James, at cost, because they always set the first few aside for promotions. I told her I'd buy it as a gift for James and she told me that if he likes it they might ask him to be a spokesman because HIS name is Diamond."
"Kendall, that's AMAZING! But why is it wrapped in girly paper and in a Wilshire Boutique bag?"
"Because in order for Ben to be able to sell it, it had to be ordered from an actual store. Since Chloe works at the boutique, that's where I had to buy it from. Harrison drove me there but I wasn't feeling well so he went in and picked it up for me. They always wrap their gifts and I forgot to tell them that I didn't need it wrapped," Kendall said.
"We need to tell him," Carlos said, getting up.
"NO!" Kendall said grabbing Carlos' arm.
"Why not? Once we explain it, he'll realize that all of this is one huge misunderstanding!"
"Because that's not why he's mad," Kendall said.
"It's the start of it," Carlos said, confused by Kendall's reluctance to tell James.
"No it's not. He was upset about Jessica the other day too, even after I explained everything."
"But if he finds out that he's wrong about this, then maybe he'll realize that he's wrong about everything else," Carlos said.
"Because I shouldn't have to prove anything. Because he should TRUST me and he doesn't," Kendall said, fighting back tears again.
"But..."
"No, Carlos please don't say anything to him. I'll tell him once things have calmed down," Kendall promised.
"But if you tell him now, things will calm down sooner," Carlos said, trying to reason with his stubborn friend.
"Then he should have asked me," Kendall said, curling up under the blankets.
Carlos sighed sadly, "Okay I won't say anything for now, but you should tell him."
Carlos put the bag back into the closet and then went back to bed. He rolled over onto his side and looked at his blond friend, "It was a great thing to do Kendall and I'm sorry I ruined it."
"You didn't ruin anything Carlos. This started before you found the bag, and I don't understand why. I've never lied to him but he's willing to believe the worst about me."
Carlos sighed, "I know, I don't understand either. Try and get some sleep, things will be better tomorrow."
"I hope so," Kendall said, closing his eyes.
James slept fitfully through the night, waking at six. He finally gave up trying to go back to sleep and got up, careful not to wake Logan. He grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom starting the water in the shower. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw his red, puffy eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks. "Great," he said and splashed some cold water on his face.
He finished his shower and then took his time with his hair, trying to look like nothing was bothering him. When he was finished he stood back to look at his reflection again. "I look good," he said trying to smile without much success.
He grabbed his things and was heading out the door when he saw Kendall's shirt in the trash. He picked it up and saw all the blood, "Oh no."
He dropped it back in the trash and ran down the hall to his and Kendall's room. He carefully opened the door and looked in, releasing the breath he'd been holding when he saw Kendall curled up next to a snoring Carlos. He smiled at the two of them and was debating on whether to take a picture, when everything came rushing back to him. He clenched his jaw and closed the door.
Logan woke up about seven and saw that James was already up. He got up and went to get ready for the day, checking on Kendall before going downstairs. He wanted to try and talk and James before their other two friends were up.
He saw James sitting on the couch watching TV, "Good morning."
"Morning," James said without looking over.
Logan went over and sat down next to him, "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," James said still watching TV.
"I kinda wanted to talk to you about something," Logan said reaching over and hitting mute on the remote.
"If it's about Kendall, don't bother," James said,
"Camille and I talked to her dad because she thinks there was something weird about the phone call, and he agrees," Logan quickly said.
"Off like how?"
"There was no background noise," Logan said.
"So?"
"So...if they really were out somewhere together we should have been able to hear things like other people talking, music, things like that," Logan told him.
James stayed quiet for a moment, "What if they weren't someplace public?"
"What do you mean?" Logan asked.
"What if they were someplace private, like her place or parked somewhere?"
"I-I guess we didn't think about that," Logan said.
"Wouldn't that would explain no background noise?" James asked.
Logan sighed, "James, he's going to try and pinpoint where the call came from."
"Why?"
"Because something's not right about this whole thing, Mr. Roberts thinks so too."
"You're right, there is something wrong. Kendall and I never should have gotten together," James said, hitting the mute button again.
"James..."
"I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to get through the next couple of days and then I'm going to see if my mom wants to go someplace with me next week, because I need a break."
"James, please just wait until we hear from Mr. Roberts before you decide anything," Logan pleaded.
James sighed and turned off the TV, "What does he think he's going to find?"
"He's not sure, but he thinks it's strange that Kendall started getting sick after these meetings started. He wants me to find out who the doctor is and what tests he ran," Logan told him.
"What does that have to do with Jessica and Kendall?"
"Jessica WORKS for Griffin and you have to admit that Griffin's done some pretty strange things," Logan said.
"So?"
"I don't know, but he's pretty sure that there's something wrong with the whole thing. Please, just wait until we hear from him," Logan asked again.
"Fine, I won't do anything until we hear from him, but Kendall and I are not together right now."
"Okay," Logan said.
Carlos woke up confused as to where he was. He saw Kendall sleeping next to him and remembered what had happened. He carefully got up and ran to get ready. Once he was dressed he went back to the bedroom and gently shook Kendall's shoulder, "Hey buddy, time to get up."
Kendall groaned and pulled the blankets tighter, "Don't wanna."
"I know, but it's eight and Harrison will be here in an hour," Carlos said.
Kendall sighed and pushed back the blankets, "I hate this."
"I know, me too," Carlos said, holding his hand down to help his friend up.
Kendall took the offered hand and stood up. He closed his eyes for a minute, waiting for the dizziness to subside, before going to the dresser and grabbing some black jeans and a gray t-shirt. "Stupid Griffin and his investors," Kendall mumbled.
"I'm going to go down and get some breakfast. What do you want to eat?" Carlos asked.
"Nothing."
"Kendall, you have to eat something," Carlos said.
"I'm not hungry," Kendall said as he grabbed his black jacket from the closet.
"I know you're not, but you still have to eat," Carlos said firmly.
Kendall sighed, "I'll have whatever you have."
Carlos smiled and started out the door, "Okay!"
"Do you know where the car keys are?" Kendall called after him.
"No, why?"
"I'm driving, Harrison is going with you guys today and I'm not riding with anyone else," Kendall said.
"Okay, I think James has them though," Carlos said.
"Great," Kendall sighed.
"I'll get them for you," Carlos said as he headed back out the door.
"Thanks Carlos." Kendall finished dressing and then went to brushed his teeth. He avoiding looking in the mirror while he took two Tylenol and started downstairs.
Carlos went into the kitchen and greeted his two friends. "Hey James, do you have the car keys?"
"Yeah, but Harrison's driving us," James said as he fished the keys out of his jacket pocket.
"I know, Kendall's going to drive today since Harrison is staying with us," Carlos told him.
"Why doesn't he just ask his girlfriend for a ride?" James said as he dangled the keys just out of Carlos' reach.
Carlos glared at him, "Knock it off James."
"Or what?" James asked.
Carlos started to say something when he saw Kendall standing in the doorway, "Kendall..."
Kendall just shook his head, "It's fine Carlos."
"Why are you dressed like that?" Logan asked.
"Griffin told me to dress like a bad boy today," Kendall said.
"That fits," James said under his breath.
Kendall's eyes started to tear up, "Never mind Carlos, I'll walk." Kendall slipped his jacket on as he rushed out the front door.
Carlos grabbed the keys from James and punched him in the arm, "Jerk!" He rushed out after Kendall and caught up with him at the elevator. He handed Kendall the keys, "Don't pay any attention to what he says right now, you know how he gets."
"Yeah, I know," Kendall said taking the keys. "Thanks Los."
"I'll see you tonight," Carlos said.
Kendall nodded and got into the elevator, "Have fun today."
Carlos tried to smile, "Bye buddy."
Kendall gave him a small smile as the elevator doors closed.
Carlos went back to the apartment and put away the cereal and bowls he'd gotten out, suddenly not very hungry.
"Carlos..." James started.
"Don't, you were WAY out of line James and I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I know! I don't know why I said that, it just kind of slipped out," James said.
"It's one thing for you to be angry, it's another for you to be mean," Carlos said angrily.
"I know," James said his eyes tearing up.
"I know you don't want to talk to him, but you need to apologize," Carlos said crossing his arms across his chest.
"I will," James promised.
"You better," Carlos said.
Kendall got to Rocque Records and parked. He was a few minutes early but decided he needed to talk to Griffin about Jessica and her inappropriate behaviour. He took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the hallway to Griffin's office. Eileen looked up, "You're a little early."
"I know, I need to talk to Griffin," Kendall said.
She nodded and picked up the phone, letting Griffin know that Kendall was there. She waved him in, "He said to go right in."
"Thanks," Kendall said as he went into Griffin's office.
"Kendall, you're early and Eileen said you need to speak with me before the meeting," Griffin said looking Kendall up and down.
"Yeah, I need to talk to you about Jessica," Kendall said.
Griffin stood up and walked around Kendall, "There's something missing."
"What?"
"From your outfit, there's something not quite right," Griffin said.
"Griffin, I'm trying to talk to you about something important!"
"Eyeliner, you forgot the eyeliner," Griffin said going back to his desk.
"I'm NOT wearing eyeliner and you need to do something about Jessica," Kendall said.
"Jessica...yes, she'll have eyeliner," Griffin said picking up the phone.
"Griffin, Jessica has been coming on to me and you need to make her stop! She answered my phone twice AND got into my wallet!" Kendall said, aggravated by the older man's lack of consideration.
Griffin put the phone down, "Well, those are serious accusations. Are you sure that you haven't misinterpreted things?"
"Are you kidding me? I woke up the other day in the car and she was kissing me, she keeps touching me, and she slipped a note into my wallet!"
"I see...well, I'll have a chat with her and tell her back off. I know she's a huge fan of the band and perhaps it's all gone to her head," Griffin said.
"Thank you," Kendall said, relieved that he'd finally gotten through to Griffin.
"Now...about the eyeliner," Griffin said.
"My mom took her makeup with her and I don't feel well enough to put it on anyway. I don't need to poke my eyes out," Kendall said.
"Jessica can do it for you," Griffin said.
"I don't want Jessica anywhere near me, especially with something pointy," Kendall said, shaking his head.
"Eileen then," Griffin said picking the phone up again.
Kendall rolled his eyes and sat down, knowing he wasn't going to get any further with the CEO. A few minutes later Eileen had applied black eyeliner to Kendall's eyes and Griffin nodded his approval. "MUCH better. Now you really look the part," Griffin said with a strange smile.
A few minutes later the investors arrived and another question and answer session began.
It was a little after eight and the sun was just going down. Camille and her dad were taking a walk through the park after dinner. Sam had spent a good portion of the day calling contacts to try and track down Kendall's cell service and to run a background check on Griffin and RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid. So far there were a few leads, but nothing solid.
"It's such a beautiful night," Camille said.
"Yes it is," Sam said, smiling at his daughter. "What time is your audition tomorrow?"
"Ten at Universal," she said.
He nodded and they walked in silence for a few minutes. "You seem awfully distracted," Camille said.
"Do I?"
"What's wrong, did you hear something?" Camille asked.
He shook his head, 'They're still trying to run a trace on Kendall's phone, it's going to take awhile."
"I hope they find something soon."
"I know, so do I," Sam said putting his arm around her shoulder.
"They were so happy," she said sadly, lying her head on his shoulder.
"Young love is never easy," Sam told her.
"I guess not," she said remembering the ups and downs in her own relationship with Logan. Something caught her eye and she stared across the park.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" Sam asked when Camille suddenly stopped walking.
"Daddy, that looks like Kendall," she said pointing to a figure curled up under a tree.
He looked at where she was pointing, "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she said taking off at a dead run.
"Camille wait!" Sam yelled running after her.
She stopped just short of reaching the tree and Sam caught up with her. He took one look and pushed her towards the Palmwoods, "Go get the car."
When she didn't move he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Cami, snap out of it and get the car!"
She looked at him and nodded taking off back across the park. Sam turned his attention to the teen sitting under the tree, hugging his knees to his chest and rocking back and forth. His head was resting on his arms and his face was hidden from view.
"Hey buddy, can you tell me what happened?"
Kendall looked up and Sam felt a surge of anger looking at the boy's bruised and bloody face. He knelt down next to him and carefully reached out, stopping when Kendall shied away from his touch. The boy started shaking and mumbled something.
"I can't understand you son, can you say that again?" Sam asked.
"He left me there, he left me there, he left me there," Kendall started chanting.