A/N: I'm sorry it's been over a week since I updated. I've been feeling under the weather since this past Monday. I actually had to call in sick for the first time since I transferred, and I missed Monday and Tuesday. Naturally, with me, a sickness is never a twenty-four hour thing, so it is still lingering. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it's the honest to goodness truth.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything worth owning.

Doppelganger

Kendall and James weren't exactly sure what to make of Carlos' behavior. Under any other circumstance, they wouldn't give it a second thought, but with everything as it was, it was the first time in a long time that Carlos was actually acting like…well, Carlos. Their helmet-wearing best friend was literally having a hard time containing his excitement. He wasn't quite bouncing off the walls, but darn near it.

"So what's this good news that you won't shut up about?" James asked, playfully socking Carlos in the shoulder.

Kendall couldn't get over the fact that Carlos was even speaking to him. The more he thought about it though, the less surprised he was. Carlos was far too innocent to hold a grudge for too long. Nevertheless, Kendall was extremely relieved that there was even the slightest chance to salvage their friendship.

"Logan called me. Can you believe that? He actually called me!" Carlos said, grinning from ear to ear.

The reactions of Kendall and James couldn't have been more different. Whereas James was elated, bounding over to Carlos and lifting him up off the ground, twirling him around in an enthusiastic hug, Kendall was more…stoic.

Kendall was trying to wrap his head around the notion that the first time Logan talks to any of them, he wasn't the person Logan called. Kendall was the person Logan looked up to the most, wasn't he? Kendall was the person Logan went to for advice, was he not? A vein on the side of Kendall's neck throbbed, becoming more and more pronounced by the second.

"How do you know it was Logan? They could have used one of those voice enhancing thingamajigs to make whoever it was sound like Logan," Kendall uttered.

"Why can't you just be happy? This is big!" James replied.

Truth be told, Kendall wasn't sure he had the capacity to be happy anymore. It seemed as though his happiness was contingent upon having Logan in his life. The last time he was ever truly happy, Logan wasn't missing.

"Okay, fine. Say it was Logan. We're no closer to finding him now than we were before Carlos talked to him," Kendall pointed out.

That reminded Carlos of something.

"Actually, we might be. Logan said something to me, but it didn't make much sense to me. Maybe it will to you guys though," Carlos said.

"What was it?" James asked.

Kendall's blood was boiling. It was like Carlos was rubbing Kendall's face in the fact that Carlos was the one Logan called. Carlos! Of the three of them, Logan called Carlos?! Kendall was not only infuriated, but also insulted.

"He kept talking about those Austin cheese and peanut butter crackers we used to take on road trips when we were kids," Carlos responded.

Kendall and James exchanged knowing looks with one another. Kendall nodded his head, signaling that they were on the same wavelength. For the first time in a long time, Kendall felt hopeful. Carlos was right. This was big!

"He was telling us where he is, Carlos. Austin, Texas," Kendall stated.

"Well, why didn't he just say that in the first place?" Carlos asked, eyebrows arched.

"Who knows why Logan does half the things he does?" James said dismissively, earning him grins from his two best friends, even Kendall…sort of.

There was a strong possibility that Logan might not be in Austin anymore. Even so, it gave them a place to start looking. Even if he wasn't in Austin anymore, he couldn't be far.

The next thing Kendall and Carlos knew, James had left the room, having dialed Officer Garcia's phone number. He couldn't wait to tell him the latest development. The sooner they got police to Austin, the closer they would get to finally finding Logan.

"Why do I get the feeling that you aren't as happy as me and James?" Carlos asked, worriedly.

"Gee, I don't know, Carlos. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you were the person Logan called!" Kendall exclaimed.

Carlos frowned. Coming into this, he knew there was the risk that the others might not be so thrilled with Carlos being the one Logan called. Being naïve as he was though, Carlos thought that the good news would outweigh that.

"What does it matter who he called? He called us!" Carlos responded.

"It matters to me, Carlos! Besides, it's easy for you to say that! You were the one Logan called in time of need!" Kendall said bitterly.

Every instinct was telling Carlos to go over to Kendall and comfort him, but as he drew nearer, Kendall gave him a death glare that froze Carlos in his tracks. His lips were quivering. He couldn't believe this turn of events. He was supposed to be happy that they finally heard from Logan. Instead, he was saddened by the fact that he had disappointed Kendall once more. Their friendship was on shaky enough ground without Carlos messing things up even further.

"I don't care if it's selfish, but I wanted to be the one Logan called! I wanted to be the first person to hear Logan's voice on the phone! I wanted to be the one Logan called in times of crisis! Do you know how jealous I am of you that you got to hear Logan's voice instead of me?" Kendall fumed.

"Do you realize how unfair you are being right now? I have no control over who Logan does or doesn't call, yet here you are getting mad at me for something that Logan did! Do you even hear yourself?" Carlos retorted.

Carlos hated getting into confrontations. He usually did his best to avoid any sort of confrontation. He usually was the one trying to be the peacekeeper. Now he found himself diving head first into a confrontation with Kendall. Carlos couldn't stop his hands from shaking. His palms were sweaty. His heart felt like it would thud right through his chest. He had a hard time breathing.

"So would you rather I be mad at Logan? Well, guess what? I am! Add him to the list of people that have betrayed me. Just when I thought I pulled the knife out of my back, another former best friend plunges it right back in!" Kendall remarked.

"If you're short on best friends, it's no one's fault but your own!" Carlos replied.

Carlos couldn't believe that Kendall was actually mad at Logan. He had far more serious, life-threatening things to worry about than to fret over a best friend being upset with him. The fact that Kendall admitted to being mad at someone who had been kidnapped was utterly despicable.

"I don't get why Logan called you! I mean you didn't even make sense of the hint Logan gave you because you're too stupid to figure it out on your own!" Kendall commented.

Often when they bicker with each other, they would call one another stupid, but they don't usually ever mean it. However, based on the venom in Kendall's voice, he definitely meant it this time! Insulting his intelligence was pretty much a low blow.

"I'm not stupid! I don't even know why I bothered telling you that I heard from Logan! Had I known you would act this way, I would've kept this information from you!" Carlos said, trying desperately to keep his tears at bay.

"See? You were too stupid to keep your talk with Logan from me! I rest my case," Kendall added.

"Don't call Carlos stupid! Take it back!" James said, reemerging in the room.

Kendall wasn't the slightest bit surprised that the two of them were ganging up on him. That was practically par for course nowadays. No one had Kendall's back. Not really. Not that he needed anyone to have his back though! He was fine on his own!

"But it's true, James! You and I knew that Logan was hinting at his location when he was talking about Austin cheese and peanut butter crackers. Carlos, on the other hand, needs things to be spelled out for him in black and white," Kendall replied.

"Why are you being like this? Huh? This is supposed to be a joyous occasion! Instead, here you are lashing out at us again," James commented.

"Technically, I haven't lashed out at you yet, but I can change that if you want me to. Come on, James. You can't honestly tell me that you're not bothered by the fact that Logan called Carlos instead of you."

Carlos blinked his eyes in rapid succession. Was Kendall trying to get James to turn on Carlos? It certainly seemed that way. Carlos felt sick to his stomach over the thought of Kendall actually being successful. He didn't know what he would do if James were to turn on him.

"If you ask me, you are the one being stupid now, Kendall! Logan could've called you. He could've called me. He could've called any of us. He called Carlos. So what? Big deal. All that should matter is that he called us, period!" James exclaimed.

Carlos breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was beyond glad that James still had his back. He already had one best friend missing. He couldn't lose another best friend.

"Quit lying to us, James! Quit lying to yourself! I know you. You're by far the most selfish individual in the room! I know it's tearing you up inside that Logan didn't call you first! I know it kills you just like it's killing me!" Kendall said.

"Stop it! What are you doing? Are you trying to get James to hate me? I have a better idea. Why don't we just hate you instead? It shouldn't be hard for any of us. You're making it so easy already!" Carlos said, raising his voice.

Kendall scoffed.

"Please, Carlos! You don't hate me. You don't have a mean bone in your body. You don't have it in you to hate anyone," Kendall remarked.

"Wanna bet?" Carlos retorted.

James was ashamed of himself. He knew that Kendall was just goading him, but as much as James hated to admit it, it was working. Why didn't Logan call James first? Did it mean that Logan valued his friendship with Carlos more than the rest of them? Was James not as important to Logan as Carlos?

Kendall looked over at James, and saw that he was struggling. It seemed as though there was some sort of inner battle going on inside of James. That thought alone brought a satisfied smirk to Kendall's face.

"Kendall's right," James said.

Carlos blinked in astonishment. There was a tightness in his chest.

"It sucks that Logan didn't call me!" James elaborated.

"James," Carlos half-said, half-sobbed.

James hated making people cry, least of all Carlos. However, he too was jealous of Carlos. He too wished that it was him that Logan had called instead.

"You don't get how we feel, Carlos. You'll never know how we feel. Why? Not because you're stupid, but because Logan called you." James explained.

"But you just said that it doesn't matter who Logan called! All that mattered was that Logan called!" Carlos cried out.

"Yes, but-"

"Well how can it be both?"

James frowned. He was starting to regret being candid. He didn't mean to hurt Carlos' feelings. He didn't mean to make it seem like he was betraying Carlos. That wasn't his intention at all. Maybe James should have kept his mouth shut.

"Look, Carlos. I-" James started to say.

"Don't, James! Just…don't!" Carlos said, cutting James off.

Carlos couldn't remain in the same room as James and Kendall, so he bolted. He couldn't even look at the two of them anymore. Kendall attacked him personally. And James…he just seemed to jump ship out of the blue. Now Carlos was the odd man out. He wished that Logan was here with him. At least that way, he wouldn't be alone.

Kendall walked over to James, and put a hand on his shoulder. James was quick to brush it off though.

"There, there, James. You still have me," Kendall said.

This apartment was crazy. Things changed by the hour. James was desperate to not be alone. He and Carlos were no longer tight, through no one's fault but James'. That only left one viable option: Kendall. James had a feeling that was exactly what Kendall wanted too.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" James asked.

"Well, you weren't going to leave Carlos, so I had to get Carlos to leave you," Kendall answered.

"What's your problem? Why are you acting like this?"

"I don't have a problem. I get it, James. I feel your pain. As happy as I want to be that we heard from Logan, I…can't. There's this bitter, nagging voice in the back of my head that resents Carlos. I know you feel the same way. I know you can relate. That's our common ground."

"Just so we're clear, I don't resent Carlos."

"But you do kind of wish Logan had called you though, don't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"Common ground, James. Common ground."

To Be Continued…