.:Chapter 25:.
Virgo and Scorpio relationships are so passionate and intense. When they eyes meet, it's like something magic.
"James, over here!" Kendall waved his stick in the air before smacking it against the ice, sending little chips out around his blades, across the ice. Logan skated around James, shifting his stick between his hands, stopping short on his blades and cutting back across the ice as James tried to get open to pass to Kendall. Carlos was sticking close to Kendall's side, skating back and forth a few times, giving Kendall some space, as well as using it for Carlos to assess the situation.
Kendall let out a sound of annoyance around his mouth guard and shot back up the ice rink. She smacked his stick against the ice once more, calling James's name again, this time with more force behind his tone. James nodded, his helmet falling over his eyes, and shifted backwards. Logan followed James's movement and James quickly twisted around, sending the puck over to Kendall.
"Shit!" Logan cursed. He lifted his hockey stick and pointed at Kendall, who gathered the puck and was making a breakaway to their net. "Carlos, cover him!"
Kendall smiled to himself as Carlos moved in front of him and skated backwards, arms flying, watching the blonde's stick and puck handling, seeing if he was going to go with a deke or a straight rush towards the net. Kendall's eyes twitched for a moment, watching Carlos's face, trying to anticipate where he was going to go as well. Kendall faked to the right and Carlos followed the movement, allowing Kendall to shoot by him, sticking out and elbow and striking Carlos in the chest. Kendall's elbow throbbed where he had struck Carlos, though it couldn't dispel the smile that graced Kendall's face, as he had the breakaway on goal.
"Go, Kendall!" James cheered.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kendall could see Logan frantically skating up behind him. Carlos was hot on his heels as well, reaching out his stick to try and strike Kendal on the chest and upper body as he continued to head towards the goal. Once he reached the blue line, Kendall brought back his stick as high as was legally allowed, and smacked it down against the puck. It sailed forward and crashed into the net.
"Whoo!" Kendall pumped his fist, stick in hand, in the air, balancing on one skate in victory as he slid around the back of the goal. Opening his arms, he came around the goal and grabbed onto James, who crashed into him, and the two cheered loudly as Carlos and Logan, glumly, pulled off their helmets. "Goal!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Logan said. His face was pale, cheeks and nose bright red. Sweat matted his dark hair against his forehead, beads rolling down the sides of his face. He cast James and Kendall a reproachful look. "You win again, who cares?"
"It's not like we didn't see it coming," Carlos added. He twisted his hockey stick around n his hands. "James and Kendall are always on a team together and it's not fair." He pouted, trying to garner some sympathy from the taller boys. However, the blonde and brunette continued to grin and congratulate each other, arms around each other's shoulders.
"You're just jealous that you're not as good as us," James said, slapping himself on the chest. "The Diamond and Killer." Kendall smirked as he placed a hand on his stomach, giving his version of a formal bow. Laughing, he stood up straight and pulled off his helmet before spitting out his mouth guard.
"Good game guys," he congratulated them. "Nice to know that months without practice and we can still play as well as we used to." His eyes shifted when he felt Logan's gaze on him. After a second he forced his chartreuse eyes over to Logan's chocolate ones. Logan continued to stare at Kendall, his eyes roving over his face for a few seconds before clarity came into them.
"Ok…" Logan licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you want to explain to us what's really going on?" James and Carlos gave him a strange look. Kendall sighed loudly, dropping his mouth guard to the ice and started to take off his gloves as well. "You haven't pushed that hard during a practice game since we were going for the league trophy."
Kendall tilted his head back and glanced at the ceiling for a long moment. He was more exhausted then he thought he was going to be. His mother had, surprisingly, pushed him hard that morning after he asked her to watch him practice and let him know what he was doing wrong. She quickly turned into the 'hockey-player's-mom' that she became whenever she was watching in the stands and with a firm hand, pushed him back to being the quick and strong hockey player he used to be. It quickly reminded him of the times he would practice with the local team at dawn just for the team he played with at school. He remembered why he had lived and breathed hockey, the passion and obsession was still there, bubbling under his skin, waiting to be released again. He did feel a bit badly about elbowing Carlos in the chest like that, his primal hockey instincts had kicked in before he could stop himself.
"Ok," Kendall finally said. "I was going to tell you this earlier, but I guess I chickened out or whatever." He shook his head, briefly closing his eyes. Even after having met up with Kevin earlier that day he wasn't sure if he wanted to bring it up. There was a part of him that wanted to take back playing the hockey game. He didn't think his mother's revelation about the reason Kevin had left would have shaken him up so badly.
It had been all he thought about as he, Katie, and Mrs. Knight walked up to the table he had occupied outside of the bistro he asked them to meet him at. Kevin was leaning back in his chair, holding onto a newspaper, pretending to read it when they walked up. Once he noticed them, Kevin quickly lowered and folded the newspaper, giving his wife, son, and daughter a bright smile. Standing up, he reached out a hand towards Mrs. Knight, and then lowered it, wiping it off on the side of his pants leg.
"I'm glad you guys decided to meet with me," Kevin said, sitting back down. He motioned for them to sit as well. Kendall glanced at the chairs that were situated around the table; thankfully his mother took the chair that was seated next to her ex-husband, allowing Katie and Kendall to sit across from them. Kendall crossed his legs and stretched his legs out, resting his hands on his stomach. "I just wanted to catch up and see how you all were doing."
"Fine," Mrs. Knight said with what was supposed to be a relaxed smile. It looked more like she had Botox injected into her lips. "Thanks for having us. We haven't been to this restaurant before."
"We haven't had the money to come to this restaurant before," Katie pointed out with a half smile. "You know, since you never paid child support."
"That's something I wanted to talk about, too," Kevin said. He shifted in his seat, playing with the fork that sat in front of him. "I know that you guys are really hesitant about wanting me back in your lives. But I really do want to try. I'm not saying that I'm going to just jump right into the way things used to be, but I want to make things right." He turned to Mrs. Knight as he pushed himself up from his seat and pulled out a check book. "And I want to make things right now."
Kendall snorted. "So you want to pay for child support now?"
Kevin's eyebrows twitched and for a moment looked like he was going to deny it. Kendall snorted again and looked over at Katie. She had her arms crossed and was slumped in her chair as well, even going as far as to stick out her lower lip in a pout. Katie noticed his movement and looked at him as well. Her eyebrows rose and her lips curled up in a quick smirk Kendall smiled back at her.
"Yes," Kevin finally said. "I want to pay back all of the child support I've been missing." He turned back to Mrs. Knight. "I know that it's not going to make up for everything that I've put you through, Kace, or anything I said to you-"
"Or, you know, no birthday cards no Christmas cards, no phone calls, no letters," Katie continued. Kendall reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder, firmly pressing down. When she looked at him, he gave her a warning look. He and Mrs. Knight had told her the real reason he had left on their way over and she hadn't reacted in the way Kendall expected. She still hadn't apologized to their mom for saying she hated her, but she did act a little more sympathetic to the situation. Seeing Kevin face to face seemed to have hardened her resolve once more.
"I can only say I'm sorry as long as you can hear it before you get tired of empty promises," Kevin said. His voice came with a hard edge, his teeth gritted, hands slowly forming into fists. "I hope you'll give me the chance to do that with my actions rather than my words."
"So you're going to try and beat Kendall at a hockey game?" Katie continued. "Because that makes so much sense."
"Katie," Mrs. Knight hissed at her daughter. Katie glared at her and turned away. "I know this is hard for everyone, but can we please try to make the best of this situation?" Kevin's features relaxed back into the calm smile he had started out with. The smile looked even more relaxed and honest this time around. "Kevin was gracious enough to invite us out to lunch so we can talk and I think we should give him that." She looked over at her ex-husband for a moment before picking up a menu and looking it over.
"It doesn't matter, Katie," Kendall said confidently, keeping his eyes on Kevin. "Because he's not going to win."
Mrs. Knight had changed the subject and the four of them ordered lunch, starting with a bacon and cheese fries appetizer. The conversation had slowly turned to a calm and conversational tone and there was even a bit of laughter every now and then. Kendall answered his father's questions when he was asked; though he had the feeling that Kevin knew all of it before Kendall could answer his questions. He at least seemed interested in what was being said, and not interrupting Kendall whenever he was telling a story of something that had happened at Rocque Records or what kind of trouble he and the other boys had gotten into with their friends. Once it was time to go, Kevin stood up and held his hand out to Kendall, shaking it firmly. For a moment Kendall wished that Kevin would pull him into his arms and get a pat on the back and his hair ruffled as he used to have done.
But all he saw when he shook his father's hand was the opponent that he was going to beat in a hockey game with his best buds. All four of them on the ice again proving to Kevin that he didn't need his father's direction to become the man that he was.
"Hello?" Carlos waved a hand in Kendall's face.
Kendall blinked and pushed Carlos's hand away, his upper lip curling for a second when he caught a whiff of Carlos's B.O. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over at James, who gave him a warm, encouraging smile. He didn't even know what was going on, but his hazel eyes radiated that he was going to help Kendall with anything, no matter what was asked.
"Kendall?" Logan prompted.
"Ok. Ok." Kendall held his hands up defensively. He set his jaw, looking away from the boys for a moment. "Gustavo arranged it so that we could play a charity hockey game." He trailed off; waiting to see what the other boys' response was going to be.
"I don't see what's so bad about that," Logan said. He nodded slightly, the corner of his mouth curling up into a smile. He was already starting to get into the idea. "I mean, playing a game for charity will not only increase our popularity with fans and critics alike, but it'll also-"
"Did I mention that it's a game against my Dad ad whatever team he comes up with?" Kendall added, cutting Logan off. He didn't wait for the guys to respond. "I haven't? Pssht. Wow, that's weird." He picked up his hockey gloves, stick, and mouth guard. "Hey! Who wants to go get some corn dogs?!"
"The corn dogs can wait!" Carlos said. James and Logan both gasped loudly, bringing a hand up to cover their mouths. Carlos not wanting a corn dog was a sure sign that the world was going to explode. "You want us to play a hockey game against Kevin 'Bloody Knuckles' Knight?" His eyes widened for a second. "Your Dad's a hockey phenom, Kendall! If anything we're going to get our asses kicked." Logan and James shot him a glare and Logan went as far as to whack him upside the head. Carlos, immediately realizing his mistake, widened his eyes. "I mean…your Dad's and old geezer and one drop to the ice he'll break his bones?"
"Thanks, Carlos," Kendall said deadpan. He shook his head before running a hand through his hair. "I didn't want to bring it up because I wasn't sure if you guys wanted to play. I don't blame you if you don't."
"What makes you think we're not going to play?" James demanded. He reached out a hand and thumped Kendall on the chest with a gloved hand. "Dude, you know that we'll do anything for you. Just like you do for us."
Kendall slowly started to smile. "Really?" He wasn't used to being on this side of the problem. He was the kind of guy that took charge, came up with ideas for plans, and executed them all in a matter of minutes after hearing one of his best buds was in a jam. Sure, they didn't always work out, yes there were times were things backfired in their faces, but he was always willing to do whatever it took to make sure no one messed with them.
"Yeah," Logan agreed. "I mean, if we were there to cheer you on with your pitiful attempt at figure skating, I think we'll be here to help you when you need to face your Dad on the ice." He bobbed his head a nervous smile sliding on his face. "Even when we're going to be sent off the ice in body bags." This time James shoved Logan so hard in the chest he fell back onto the ice. "Ow! I was kidding!"
Kendall laughed. "Guys, listen…" he took a deep breath, thinking for a minute. He had never felt gladder to have the guys as his best friends as he did in that instant. They really were brothers on and off the ice and would be there to help each other with whatever problem they had. "If we work hard, I know that we can make this work. I have Mom agree to be our coach and I'm thinking Syd would be good as an assistant coach as well as be one to keep track of our stats and stuff. Rhu can continue to help us out with our dancing as it transpires to our skating ability, Riles, Pat, and No can tailor our workout routines. Ronan, Gustavo, and Kelly can help us make sure that we stick to what we're supposed to be doing when it comes to working on our band." He started to rub his hands together. "And, Jo, Camille, and Steph can help cheer us on and, help Katie sell tickets to the event."
"Have you thought all of this out already?" Logan asked.
"Almost," Kendall replied. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth for a moment. "I just haven't asked them if they'd do it." He shrugged. "You know the Jacksons will jump at the chance, but I'm not so sure about Jo, Camille, and Steph."
"Speaking of Jacksons, what's going on with you and Riles?" James asked, grinning.
"I'll let you know that after we talk to them," Kendall replied, pointing at James. "You know how much they hate it when we take advantage of their friendship. So I figured I'd ask if they want to help us out. I wouldn't blame them if they don't want to get involved."
The four boys paused and shuddered when they thought about how much they had gone through to keep the Jacksons as their friends. At one point, when they had been seventeen, the boys had screwed up and assumed the Jacksons would continue to do their jobs for them. Because they had taken advantage of their friendship they arrived at scheduled fittings late, they completely missed songwriting sessions, whined and complained through fitness workouts, and all around acted selfish, thinking they wouldn't care much. The joke was on them, as they refused to help the boys with anything they were doing until they apologized. The boys quickly got the memo and made sure they showed how thankful they were for all of their friends' help.
The two bands' friendship had always been a give and take one, so almost throwing it away by assuming there was no problems was not a mistake they were going to make again. Kendall made sure he had all of his things and directed the guys that they were going to Blazing Phoenix Records. They changed out of their ice skates into street shoes, shoving the objects into their bags. The four boys slung their bags over their shoulders and walked out of the ice rink, joking and laughing with each other as they went. As Kendall climbed into the driver's seat of the car, his smile and laughter faded.
He couldn't help it.
Just being around the ice reminded him of all the good times he and his father had together. The pee wee hockey games where his father was sitting in the front row of the stands, cheering him on with each and every move he made. The high-fives and hugs when Kendall was recognized for his playing ability with wins, trophies, and ribbons. The congratulations dinners, the reinforcement when things didn't go as well as they hoped, the days where they would play roller hockey with each other, when he took Kendall to meet his former teammates, when he took Kendall to the Minnesota Wild hockey games, to the hockey expos at the Mall of America. All of those memories flashed through his mind like a movie screen in his brain.
Kendall gave a sad smile. He had the chance to get back to that moment again and he was still sure he didn't want it. How could he forgive someone that smacked him around, pushed him to his breaking point, pushed him until he was begging for some rest, begging for water, begging to stop before he passed out and had to be carried to bed. How could he forgive someone that smacked him about when he didn't do as he was told and turned his back on his son when he missed the final shot of the championship hockey game that one year? The desperation that was evident in Kevin's eyes throughout the game had disappeared to defeat and intense disappointment as the rival team flooded the ice, screaming and cheering. That was bad enough; but having to sit in the backseat of the car and play with Katie, pretending not to notice Kevin's seething anger was plain torture.
Kendall pulled into the parking lot of Rocque Records and pulled down the sleeves of his hockey jersey. Taking the keys out of the ignition, he opened the door to the Big Time Rush mobile and climbed out, pulling forward the seat so Carlos could get out. Last time he moved too slowly and Carlos had tried to catapult himself out and landed headfirst on the asphalt. It's a good thing he was wearing his helmet, Kendall thought, pushing the seat back and locking the car before the four headed inside the record company. His eyes moved around the receptionist area, taking in the inviting colors of the walls and the posters of bands that worked there. It was still a bit strange to him to know they could go over there whenever they wanted now. Gustavo had made it a rule at the very beginning they weren't allowed at Blazing Phoenix due to the rivalry that the two bands had at the beginning.
The 'rivalry' didn't last long and the rules had changed over the years, it was nice to be able to see how things worked for their friends. Kendall walked up to the front desk towards the young red-head that sat at the computer. "Hi Annaleigh," he greeted her.
"Hi Kendall," Annaleigh replied. Her green eyes moved over the rest of the boys. "And Logan, Carlos, and James." Her smile widened as all four boys greeted her as well. "What can I do for you today? Oh! Wait!" She lifted a finger and turned to the computer. "Last I checked, they were back in recording studio B, go right ahead!" She waved a hand out towards the hallway.
"Thanks." Kendall smiled at her once more and waved an arm, leading the guys around the receptionist's desk and back down the hallway. Logan, who was following behind him, grabbed the back of James's shirt and tugged him away from Annaleigh and the front desk, dragging them along with him.
Kendall pushed open the door to studio B and found Sydney sitting at the control panel, legs crossed, and a laptop on his lap and headphones on his ears. Every now and then he would move his blue eyes from his laptop screen and mess with a few buttons on the control panel. "Hey Little Man."
Sydney looked up and dimples sliced into his cheeks as he grinned at his friends. He lowered his headphones from his ears and turned away from the control pan. "Hey guys, how ya going?" He carefully set his laptop aside as the boys trooped in and dropped onto the couch.
"We're fine," Logan replied. He suddenly had the grace to look embarrassed, running his hands over his forehead and the sides of his face. "Sorry if we smell, we just came from the hockey rink."
"I could tell," Sydney said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Kendall smiled as Logan frowned a little. Though he didn't try to do it on purpose, Sydney had a tendency to say things in a manner that would be condescending to someone else. Being an eleven year old genius could be scary sometimes. "Oh, K-Dawg, did you run into Ronan on the way in here?"
"No." Kendall's eyebrows twitched for a moment. "Why? Did he want to talk to me?"
"Mhm." Sydney nodded, briefly licking his lips, glancing back at his computer screen for a moment. He pushed himself back around, locking his blue eyes on Kendall's green ones, his lips pulling up at the corners into a smirk. "He wants to talk to you and Ri-Ri about dating."
"I knew it!" James declared.
"Not the time," Kendall interrupted, pointing a finger at James, though keeping his eyes on the young Australian boy.
"No worries," Sydney reassured him. "Now that you're going out, he just wants to talk to you two about PR opportunities and everything that will go around with fans finding out about you two." He waved a hand. "It's not the first time something like this has happened."
"I thought you guys didn't like doing publicity stunts," Carlos said, tilting his head to the side, his eyebrows coming together. His finger pressed to his chin completely his look of utter confusion.
"We don't," Sydney admitted. "Depending on whom it's for and who it's helping, for a friend, we don't mind. It has many benefits for many people in the situations that can come of the publicity stunt. Though many times it can create a backlash with how transparent the plan can be and how smart fans are." He bobbed his head back and forth before roaming his eyes over the boys. "Though I have the distinct feeling that's not why you guys are here…"
"Wow, you are really smart," James said, his hazel eyes widening for a bit. He clasped his hands together and held them between his legs. Leaning forward, he kept his eyes on the younger boy. "Gustavo has arranged for a charity hockey game with Kendall and the three of us against Kendall's dad and whoever he's going to get to be a team."
"Whomever," Sydney and Logan corrected in unison.
"We know that if there's anything that we would do for you guys to help you out, we would," Logan continued. "No matter what your guys' problem is, when you ask for it, we'll help you no questions asked. So we're hoping that you'll do the same thing for us."
"Kendall has thought of a way that all of you guys can help us in different ways while we get ready for this game," Carlos continued. He started to count off on his fingers. "Mama Knight is going to be our coach, we're hoping you'll be the assistant coach and check our stats, Riles, Pat, and No will tailor our workouts to getting ready, and Rhuben will continue to work with us on dance routines to help us with our hockey as well. We're hoping Katie will sell tickets along with Jo, Camille, and Stephanie."
Kendall rubbed his hands together. "We want everyone to help us, so this win will be a win for everyone."
Sydney looked interested. "And you think this hockey game is going to do what for you?"
"Well, for charity it will-"
"No," Sydney interrupted. He brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around his legs. His cheeks puffed out as he rested his chin on his knees, looking more like an eleven year old then than he had before. "I mean with you. What's it going to do for you and your Dad? Not to call you a boofhead, but don't you think it'd be easier if you just allowed him back into your life?"
"So you're not going to do it?" Carlos visibly deflated; his lower lip sticking out and his shoulders slumping so far it propelled his body forwards a little bit.
"No, we're going to do it," Sydney said quickly. "No doubt about that. Anything we can do to help you guys, too, we'll do it." He then gave an evil smile. "Legal or not, you know we'll help you whenever we can." His evil smile faded and he looked each boy in the eye, giving a friendly smile. "You've done so much for us we'd like to do as much as we can for you." He eyed Kendall carefully.
Kendall looked down to see if there was something on his shirt. He was still in his hockey jersey, he was sure he stank to high heaven. Nonetheless he was happier than he had been in a while. Now that he knew he had his friends on his side, there was nothing he could do. But that intense stare that Sydney's dark blue eyes were inflicting upon him was starting to take its toll on him. Kendall's eyes shifted back and forth for a moment.
"What?"
"Nothing other than the fact that you don't want to play for charity," Sydney said, tapping his chin.
"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to see how well he fares against his Dad," Logan defended his friend.
"You know what your problem is, Kendall?" Sydney asked, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. Kendall shrugged, waiting for the young boy to give his two cents on the situation. "You don't know how to forgive people. You still haven't been able to forgive WayneWayne about the whole bad boy thing, no matter how many times he apologized about it. You never really forgave Jo and Jett about that whole thing with their publicists wanting them to be together for the press. And you never really forgave her for leaving to go to New Zealand even though you told her to." He flicked his wrist to the side and shot the hockey puck into the goal. "And you're obsessive. Like, freakishly so."
Kendall's eyes widened as if he had just been slapped in the face. Verbally he had just gotten a sudden wakeup call. "So what do you expect me to do?" Kendall's voice was barely above a whisper.
He hated it when he was vulnerable like this, whenever someone was able to take some of his biggest insecurities and through it back in his face. That was why he didn't like to reveal his secrets or his past baggage, not even to those that were the closest to him. He barely talked about his father to his best friends; he had even kept his abuse a secret from them as long as he could remember, he didn't talk about his fears to Jo, he tried to keep everything inside so he couldn't be hurt by it. Now with the simple return of one man he was being hurt left and right.
Sydney glanced at him and was silent for a long moment. "You can do one of two things, K-Dawg," he said. "You can follow this advice; it happened, so what? Get over it. Or you can answer this question; what's more important to you? Your conscience being clear or being able to have your Dad in your life again?"
Kendall lowered his gaze.
"You still have your father in your life, Kendall, I don't. And it's up to you to figure out whether or not you really want him there."
Kendall slowly smiled, shaking his head. "You know what, Syd? You're too smart for your own good." He leaned forward and ruffled Sydney's hair, purposefully pushing the raven hair with blue streaks down into Sydney's face.
Dimples appeared in Sydney's cheeks once more, his eyes flashed with mischief. "I know." There was an air of pride in his voice. "I get that a lot."
"How do I look?"
Kendall turned and held out his arms, allowing Katie to look him up and down with a critical eye. The longer Kendall held his arms up, the longer he started to become more self-conscious. He thought the white t-shirt with blue stripes, dark wash jeans, and black vans with blue laces were a good look. It took him long enough to be satisfied with that choice. After having taken a shower, shaving, and being sure he put on deodorant; he continued to change his shirt numerous times, until Katie demanded that she choose for him.
"Katie, come on, my arms are starting to hurt," Kendall complained.
"You're a hockey player turned boy band member that's had to work hard for most of his life," Katie said, her upper lip curling in disgust. She reached out a hand and smacked her brother on the stomach. "Be a man!" Kendall dropped his arms and Katie walked around her brother in a quick circle. "You look good, Big Brother. You clean up nicely."
"Thank you." Kendall walked over to his dresser and grabbed his wallet, looking through the bills inside before sliding it into his back pocket and picking up his phone. Placing his phone in his front pocket he turned back to Katie who was now sitting on his bed leaning back, kicking her legs back and forth. "Really, thanks for all your help, Baby Sister."
"I didn't do much," Katie replied. "Just helped you keep from wearing a shirt that Riles is sure to laugh hysterically at." She smiled sweetly, continuing to kick her legs back and forth. "I don't think I've seen you this happy before."
"Uh, I think winning that championship trophy at school three years ago made me happier than this," Kendall corrected her, almost absentmindedly. Katie gave him a strange look, the right side of her face morphing into one of near disgust.
"I'm thinking it doesn't matter who you end up with, Kendall," she said. "You're always going to put your love of hockey first and frankly, Big Brother, that's sad." She pointed at him. "Sad and wrong. I love you, but it's sad and wrong." Katie then noticed Kendall's stare on her. "What?"
"You know that you have to apologize to Mom and tell her that you're sorry for saying you hate her," Kendall said to her. Katie started to protest and Kendall walked over to her, grabbing onto her hand. "She's really upset by what you said and I know that you really don't feel that way. You were just upset with everything that had been going on and…I really do apologize for having practically ignored you while we've been out here. It wasn't my intention at all; I just got caught up with everything. And I know that you fell that Mom only focused on me, but you have to know she's been doing her best for the both of us."
Katie lowered her gaze.
"Remember when you tried to prove to Mom that you could do her job?" Kendall pressed. Katie chewed her lip, trying her hardest to keep her eyes away from Kendall's. "When you tried to make us lunch, and keep things going smoothly between us and Gustavo, and do the laundry, and help us make a music video? There's so much that she does for you too, that you don't notice because you think that everything has to be about our band and the industry." Kendall shook his head. "It doesn't and you don't have to be about that life either. If you just want to be the same Katie Knight that we knew and love from Minnesota, you can. You can go to school and you can choose to do whatever you want. But you only have one mother who's going to be there for you while you do it."
Kendall tried hard not to have Sydney's words haunt him at that moment, so he focused on Katie's face. He could see her walls come crumbling down and knew she was going to break soon. Kendall leaned forward and kissed Katie on the forehead. "I love you, Baby Sister."
"I love you, too, Big Brother," Katie replied.
Kendall smiled and ruffled her hair, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before leaving the room. He walked through the apartment, going as quickly as he could before getting stopped by Logan, Carlos, and James, who all loudly cleared their throats from the couch as he went by them. Kendall steeled himself as he turned around to face them. "What? I'm going to be late."
"We just wanted to tell you that we hope you have a good time," Logan said.
"Really?" Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Because you made things awkward with me and Jo when we first started going out, you made things awkward with me and Lucy before I asked her out, and now you're not going to try and make things awkward with me and Riles?"
"No," Carlos said honestly.
"And that's only because she'd kill us and because we're all a little scared of her," James said, chuckling. "But, seriously, things are starting to get better for you and we want your night to be as great and special as you want it to be."
"Thanks." Kendall smiled. "I'll see you guys later." Kendall left the apartment, went through the Palm Woods, and climbed into the Big Time Rush mobile.
Turning on the car, he flipped on the radio, popped in a Taking Back Sunday CD and drove out towards San Marino. Singing along to the song playing through the speakers, Kendall drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, bopping along to the rock guitars and drum fills. Finally he arrived at the Jacksons' house and put the car in park, and climbed out, jogging up the front steps to the porch. Reaching out a hand, he knocked on the door before leaning over to the intercom. "It's me!" He called.
A second later the door was flung open and Patrick stood in front of him, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I've been expecting you," he said. Flicking his hair out of his face, Patrick opened the door wider to reveal Noah standing next to him, looking at Kendall as well. He looked like he was trying not to laugh. The initial panic that flashed through Kendall's mind wondering whether or not he was about to be grilled, gave way to amusement. "Now, there's only one thing I need to know..." he took a step closer to Kendall. "What intentions do you have with my sister?"
"And don't leave out any details," Noah added.
Kendall laughed as he brought an arm up, leaning against the doorframe, being careful to keep his other hand behind his back. "What? Is this the good cop, bad cop routine?"
"If that were the case do you think I'd only have Noah with me?" Patrick insisted. "I mean, Sydney and Ronan were probably the better choices for that one, mate." His eyes widened as there was the sound of a door slamming and thudding footsteps coming from the right side of the house. He turned to Noah. "I thought you said Rhu was preoccupied," he whispered.
"I don't think that's Rhu," Noah said slowly. He let out an 'eep' as a hand was placed on his shoulder and he was pulled out of sight. Patrick then turned and smiled sheepishly at Riley as she appeared in the doorway next to her brother, arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed.
Patrick thought for a moment. "You know you're going to thank me later for doing this," he said, trying to save himself. "'Cause I've been right with my judgments on every other boyfriend that you've had and you even admitted you should have listened to me then."
Riley face softened for a moment. "You're right, Pattycakes," she agreed then slowly gave an evil smile. "But just remember that for every time you've done this to me, I'm going to do it to you. At the most embarrassing times, too." Patrick pressed a finger to his lips. "Yeah." Patrick shrugged then reached out, grabbing onto his sister's face and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Ew! Patrick! Stop!" Riley bent to the side, trying to push her brother away from her, though she was laughing.
Kendall laughed at the exchange.
"Have fun!" Patrick then turned to Kendall and mimed poking himself in the eyes before pointing at Kendall, slowly walking out of the doorframe. Riley lifted her foot and kicked her brother in the butt, her laughter mixing in with his as he finally disappeared from site. Riley turned back to Kendall and flashed him a bright smile.
"Hey," she greeted him.
"Hey," Kendall said at the same time. He laughed and stood up straight. "You look great," he said honestly, his smile widening as he took in her outfit. "Oh." Kendall stood up straight, dropped his left arm from the door frame, and brought his right arm out from behind his back. "Here you go." He handed her a daisy.
Riley blinked at him for a moment before she smiled again. "Seriously should have seen this coming, Hockey-Head." She took the daisy from his hand and snapped off the end before tucking it behind her ear. "But seriously, only one flower? I expected more from you." She poked him in the chest before stepping around him and out the door, pulling it shut behind her.
Kendall moved his hands behind his back and leaned towards her, his eyes flashing. "How do you know I don't have more in the car?"
"Because Logan would go off on an hour long tangent about allergens and being courteous to everyone around you," Riley said. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Kendall laughed at the truth of that statement. He remembered the lecture Logan had given him, James, and Carlos after someone had stolen Carlos's helmet and the three of them had been screamed at by Papi Garcia. She lifted a finger. "Oh, wait." She opened the door to the house and leaned in. "I'M LEAVING!"
"BYE!" Ronan, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney all shouted from different areas of the house.
Riley closed the door and the two walked down the step and towards the Big Time Rush mobile. Kendall opened the passenger side door and bowed, holding out an arm in a regal manner. Riley gave him a funny look, but slid down into the seat, moving her legs out of the way for him to close the door behind her. Kendall jogged around to the driver's seat and climbed into the car. He buckled up and pulled around the fountain in the middle of the driveway and left the neighborhood.
"So, do you have a story for me today?" Riley asked, twisting in her seat to look at him.
"Oh, so you actually like to hear my stories?" Kendall teased, focusing on the road. He quickly glanced at her and smiled. "I thought you were bored with them."
"It's one of the few things that I look forward to every day," Riley replied. "Emphasis on the 'few' part." Kendall didn't take any offense to it. He was used to her form of complimenting; she usually never gave an outright compliment unless she felt that someone really deserved it. Otherwise there was a biting remark along with the compliment. "Anyway, did you make sure you had good luck today?"
"What?"
"It's October 1st," Riley reminded him. "The first of the month. When it's the first of the month you're supposed to say 'Rabbit Rabbit, White Rabbit' or 'Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit' or some other variation of that, to make sure you get good luck all month." She finished her explanation with an over the top thumbs up.
"Huh. My Mom does that all the time," Kendall said. He shook his head, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to check over his shoulder before merging. "I thought it was just something she did." He cleared his throat, sitting up straight. "So, what did you want to do tonight?"
"You asked me out, I thought you would have had it planned," Riley said, tilting her head to the side, angling her face to look at him. She leaned down in her seat, crossing her legs at the knee. The laces of her knee-high boots flopped at the movement. She slowly smirked, poking him in the shoulder. "I mean, it seems like a very Kendall thing to do. Bouquet of flowers, having things planned out perfectly…"
"I figured that we'd do what you wanted," Kendall said smoothly. He paused for a moment, and then bobbed his head back and forth before admitting, "I actually do have part of it planned, and I just hoped that you wouldn't think I was being too pushy."
"That's not possible, Hockey-Head," Riley said. She brushed her red strand of hair behind her ear then pulled her pigtails up over her shoulders. "Actually, I've been craving ice cream all day. And I mean ice cream; frozen yogurt isn't going to stop this craving." She patted her flat stomach for added effect.
"Ice cream it is then," Kendall agreed.
He mentally calculated which one was the closest before taking the first exit, taking them back into Los Angeles. He leaned forward and turned up the volume on the CD and the two started singing loudly along with the song. Kendall's smile widened as their voices harmonized with each other over the lead vocalist's. He looked over at her, watching as she bobbed along, really getting into the song. It was nice to see her enjoying the music in an outsider's point of view rather than being on stage. To see the carefree part of her love of music. Five minutes later Kendall pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream shop and the two got out and walked inside. The little bell dinged overhead as they entered the shop. Riley walked over to the display case and bent over, peering down at the numerous flavors.
"Do you know what you want?" Kendall walked up behind her, his eyes scanning the shop. There weren't many people there, an elderly couple that sat in the corner of the store, sharing a banana split, taking turns with each bite. A middle aged man and his son were sitting at another table, and a group of teenage kids sat at a different table. The only employee was wiping down the counter, glancing over at Kendall and Riley for a second before walking over.
"What can I get you guys?" He asked.
Riley stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips. As she turned to Kendall, she noticed the elderly couple in the corner of the room. Finally she faced Kendall raising her eyebrows. "Do you want to split something?" Her eyes flashed.
"Sure," Kendall replied with a smile. He was doing that a lot, he couldn't help it. He always seemed to smile whenever he was around her. He noticed that since what had gone on between him and Lucy she smiled around him a lot more too, more often than her default smirk. "Just as long as it's not a root beer float."
"You don't know what you're missing; seriously, it's one of the best things life has to offer." She reached out a hand and pushed Kendall's forehead back away from her. "Kendork," she added, her eyes flashing again.
"If it's one of the best things life has to offer, then it'd be, like the seventh wonder of the world," Kendall said. "So yeah, Root Beer float is a no. How about strawberry?"
"Always go for the pink stuff, don't ya?" Riley shook her head, giving a patient sigh. "First it's those pink drinks at the Palm Woods, then the pink cotton candy, and the pinkie puffs that you dibs." Her eyes then narrowed. "Which, by the way, I hope you guys have given up."
"Oh. We have." Kendall grimaced as he thought about the lecture that Mrs. Knight had given them and the rest of the boys, making sure they knew that girls were not prizes to be won and not things to be 'dibsed' by anyone else. Even Katie had been disgusted when she heard how James had tried to put dibs on Lucy. She understood everything on their list of dibs but having another person dibsed. Having both Knight Women yell about it was a lesson he wasn't going to forget anytime soon.
"Good, so…why don't we just split chocolate chip cookie dough?" Riley suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Kendall agreed. He reached out and tucked her loose strand of hair behind her ear. He turned to the cashier and ordered the sundae to share. Pulling his wallet out of his back pocket he pulled out the ten dollars that would cover the cost of the food. Kendall reached over and grabbed two spoons and the sundae as it was placed back in front of him and walked over to the table Riley had situated herself at, by the window. "Here you go." He placed the sundae down on the table between them before sitting down. He handed her a spoon before holding out his own. Riley caught onto his gesture and stuck her spoon out as well, smacking the bulbs together. "Cheers."
"Cheers mate," Riley replied. Kendall moved his spoon out to push into the ice cream, but had it knocked away by Riley, who dug out the biggest chunk of cookie dough. "Ha ha!" Riley spooned it into her mouth. "You have to move quick if you want to get the good stuff."
"Is that your guys' motto? Eat fast or don't eat at all?" Kendall teased.
"Maybe," Riley replied mysteriously. She twirled her spoon through the side of the ice cream bowl. "If you get your hand too close you may just find out."
"That sounds like a threat,"
"It might be."
Kendall glanced at her through his fringe and Riley winked at him, so quickly he almost missed it. Kendall felt warmth radiate through his body. Things were going great, better than he thought, actually. It was even better than when they would just hang out with each other and that tension was there. Will they? Won't they? Now that they were, now that he didn't have to wait any longer, things were going better than he had expected. For the next forty-five minutes the two ate their sundae, getting into a war every now and then, trying to scoop out some of the bigger scoops of cookie dough to claim for themselves. Their laughter radiated around the ice cream shop and she had listened intently as Kendall told the story of his and the guys' hockey game from the day before.
"Seriously, I had the best chance for a breakaway," Kendall said as he dropped his spoon into the empty ice cream bowl, pushing it away from him. "But Carlos got in the way and let's just say it's a good thing that he constantly wears a helmet."
"Something tells me if you go the chance you'd kill anyone with a hockey stick if they got in your way," Riley said, lacing her fingers together and resting her elbows on the table. Kendall shrugged, leaning towards her.
"When I'm on the ice and when I'm off the ice I'm two different people," he said. "It's kind of hard to explain-"
"No, I get it exactly," Riley interrupted him, her eyes lighting up. "I feel the same way when I go on stage. It's like…no one can touch you. You leave everything out on the ice, or in my case on stage, and whether or not you win or lose you know you've done everything you could. It's like; something has taken you over, the spirit of your passion for the game."
"That's it exactly," Kendall agreed. "I feel like, when I'm on the ice, I'm home and that nothing can touch me. It's the only place that I can really let go and really feel the passion of the game and how badly I want to succeed with it." Riley smiled and nodded. "Wow, I didn't know that's how you felt when you were on stage. I mean, I thought I got it, because you always look like you're having a blast."
"Well, that's thanks to you guys now," Riley reminded him. "We were really starting to lose interested in it before you lot helped us find the fun in it again. So cheers for that." She looked away for a moment, shrugging once more. "Most people don't get that when I'm on stage, I'm Rage, not Riley. I'm someone that will mess with the audience, jump around, curse up a storm, and leave everything out on the stage. When I'm Riley, I'm a fraction of that."
"No matter whether you're Riley or Rage I like you just the same," Kendall admitted.
"Of course you do, I'm just that awesome."
Kendall laughed and looked at his watch. There was still plenty of time for them to go where he had planned. "Wanna go somewhere?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. Riley studied him, allowing Kendall to smirk. Her eyes looked him up and down, causing his smirk to widen.
Curiosity finally got Riley. "Sure. But where?"
"Does it matter?"
"Do you plan on kidnapping me?"
"I think the ransom would be too great," Kendall said. "Though I'd like to have your company as long as I can have it." Kendall stood up and held out his hand towards her. Riley hesitated a moment before placing her hand in his, wrapping her small, thin fingers around the back of his hand. Kendall walked the two out of the ice cream shop and back to the Big Time Rush mobile. Once they got settled, Kendall reached down by his feet, producing one of James's bandanas. "Put this one."
"Kinky," Riley remarked. "Am I going to be scared when I take this off?"
Kendall laughed, though his cheeks flushed. "Trust me, you'll like it."
"That doesn't help your case, mate,"
Kendall leaned forward, resting his head against the steering wheel. Riley let out a giggle that was unlike herself before tying the blindfold around her eyes then buckling up. "You're messing with me aren't you?"
"Only because you make it so easy, Kendoi" Riley replied, her voice dripping with massive amounts of 'duh'. "Only because you make it so easy."
"I'm glad I'm a good source of entertainment for you," Kendall said.
He turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot, driving in the opposite direction of the ice cream parlor. He enjoyed the wind that blew through the car, pulling his hair off his forehead, tugging at his loose shirt, cooling him down. Riley sat calmly in the passenger seat, her chin tilted up, allowing the wind to blow over her face. Each gust of wind through her hair made the smell of strawberries mix in with his own scent of Old Spice, creating a harmonious fruity smell that complimented each other greatly. Kendall drove into the parking lot of a small neighborhood park and parked, leaning over to untie the bandana from the back of Riley's head.
"Ow," Riley said as he tugged on her hair. "Be careful, that's my hair you're pulling."
"Why do girls care about their hair so much?" Kendall leaned over to get a better look as Riley reached her hands up to help him with the knot. Their fingers brushed over each other's as they tried to loosen the knot around the back of her head.
"It's our natural accessory," Riley explained. "If we can't find something that matches whatever we're wearing, our hair is the one thing that we have control over. Plus, I'm growing it back out so I can't risk it getting cut or ripped or broken."
"Oh."
Kendall finally pulled out the knot and lowered the bandana around Riley's neck. He blinked, noticing how close his face was to Riley's. Close enough that he could make out the black eyeliner and red eye shadow she had applied to her eyes, and count each individual freckle by her nose. Riley blinked twice before directly looking into his eyes, giving a soft smile.
"So-"Kendall started
"So-"Riley said at the same time. He laughed and backed away, gently lifting the bandana off her neck. He motioned over towards the playground and he noticed Riley's eyes light up in excitement. She quickly unbuckled herself and jumped out of the Big Time Rush mobile, running over to the playground. Kendall chuckled and followed after her as Riley slowed to a walk.
"I'm assuming you like playgrounds," Kendall remarked, coming up behind her.
"Love em'," Riley said. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her arm as she turned to him. It was a bit silly really, the excitement that had rushed through her body when she saw the jungle gym, the swings, the teeter totter and the merry-go-round. Being able to act like a kid was something she always liked being able to take advantage of, especially having been put into an industry that caused her to grow up so fast, coupled with what she had been through. Not to say that Robert had been a bad parent, there had been many times he was nice and actually treated her and her siblings like they really were his kids. He would take them to the park and to the beach or to whatever even they begged to go to. And he actually enjoyed himself. But there were times where something would flip the switch and he would be back to hurting them again. "Recess and PE were always my favorite parts of the school day. Apart from English class anyway."
She directed Kendall over to the teeter totter and climbed onto one end of it, slowly sinking to the ground. Kendall climbed onto the other end, the sudden addition of his heavier weight rocketing Riley to the top of the structure so quickly that she fell off the other end with a shriek, crashing to the ground. She rolled onto her back, looking up at the night sky as Kendall fell down to the other side of the structure, laughing at her.
"This would be really fucking funny if it weren't happening to me," Riley muttered, still staring at the sky. Kendall's laughter must have been contagious for she started to laugh a little as well, bringing her hands up to cover her face.
"I'm sorry, Riles," Kendall apologized as he climbed off the teeter-totter and walked over to her. He held out his hands as he leaned over her. "But you totally ate it."
"Is that a hockey term?"
"No, it's just another way of saying you totally face planted."
"Thanks for that, Hockey-Head," Kendall reached out and grabbed onto her hands, easily lifting her to her feet. He smiled down at her, enjoying the closeness between the two of them. He liked the way her hands felt in his. "Now my life goal of making a fool of myself has come true."
"Don't worry, it was cute," Kendall reassured her.
"You're a trip, Kendall Knight," Riley said with a hint of sarcasm to her tone. She brushed her cheek with her shoulder as she smiled sweetly at him, walking over to the swings. She sat down on a swing and started to push herself back and forth. Kendall moved behind her and grabbed onto the metal chains, pushing her forward. "So apart from hockey, what are you life goals?"
"Getting girls all over the world to fall for me with songs that I write about them," Kendall said.
Oh please. Riley rolled her eyes as she continued to be pushed back and forth. She kept her gaze on the twinkling stars above, as they winked down on her and Kendall. She felt a smile stretch across her face. It was the happiest she had been in a while. The happiest she had been after revealing that she had bipolar disorder to him. Now that she was getting a stronger dosage to her medication, she was seeing things clearer than she used to. Nightmares didn't plague her, thought the PTSD was still there from time to time. But now she could thoroughly enjoy herself and not worry about everything going wrong, she didn't question everything that was going right. She didn't focus on the darkness that surrounded her and slowly crept in every few seconds. He really doesn't know when to give it a rest, the boofhead.
"I'm just saying, I'm a good source of inspiration," Kendall continued.
"Yeah," Riley said with a dry edge to her tone. "For hysterical laughter."
"If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong."
"Ooh." Riley smirked. "You're getting better with your snark."
"I learn from the best," Kendall said.
Riley felt her cheeks flush as she bowed her head, allowing her hair to cover her face. She raised a hand to scratch her forehead, further covering her smile. She quickly dropped her hand, wondering why she was trying to shard to cover her smile when she had no problems with smiling around him before. Maybe because things were starting to feel more real now? Maybe because she wasn't trying to find something bad in every little thing he said or did. Something to use as an excuse to keep him away from him as long as possible as she got over her fear? She felt guilty for having done that before and yet he still kept coming back. She really liked how he kept coming back.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Riley warned. She dug her feet into the ground and stopped the swing. "Your turn." Kendall dropped down into the seat and Riley placed her hands on his back and pushed hard to get him going before using the chains to push him along. "And I told you before; I didn't write that song about you."
"Is it really that hard for you to admit it?" Kendall tilted his head back to look at her. Riley scowled down at him, watching as he continued to swing back and forth, his fringe flying in and out of his face with each pump of his legs. "Writing a song about someone is a sincere form of flattery."
"Flattery my ass," Riley denied.
"Ok." Kendall shrugged. "Your ass is great to look at, too." He gave a sinister smile as Riley reached out and smacked him on the chest. He laughed and stopped swinging; now gently pushing himself with his feet as Riley sat in the swing next to him. "I'm a guy, Riles, I can't help it." He gave her a boyish smile, sticking out his lower lip when she didn't immediately respond. "I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me," he said in a childlike voice.
"I'm not mad," Riley said calmly. She placed her hands in her lap and tilted her head back to look up at the sky. "I'm just thinking about how you are such a good friend that if we were on a sinking ship together and there was only one life jacket… I'd miss you heaps and think of you often." She reached out and patted his shoulder. "It's ok though, it shouldn't take too long for people to notice you're missing and wonder where I hid your body."
"Would you really kill me over a comment like that?" Kendall widened his eyes innocently.
Riley looked at him out of the corner of her eye before tilting her head and smiling warmly at him. "What do you think, Hockey-Head?" She lowered her gaze to her feet. Kendall reached out and pushed her hair out of her face before reaching his hand down to grab her hand. He lifted his thumb and Riley did the same, starting a game of thumb war. "You didn't answer my question."
"Which one?" Kendall's eyebrows twitched.
"Apart from hockey, what's your life goal?"
That started a new conversation that lasted the two of them a long time, almost an hour. They went from talking about their life goals to where they saw themselves in the next five years. Somehow the conversation then switched to some of the funnier moments they had when they were kids to some of the worst trouble they had ever gotten into. They talked easily, each topic morphing into the next one without hesitation.
Riley swung her finger around and pinned Kendall's thumb down to his. "1, 2, 3, I-"
Kendall quickly pulled his thumb back and grabbed onto Riley's thumb, firmly pinning it down underneath his. "1, 2, 3, I win!" He cheered. "For the fifteenth time!" He added, using his free hand to point in Riley's face. "Ha. Ha. Ha." Riley leaned forward to bite his finger, her jaws snapping the air when he pulled his hand away. This put Riley's face close to his again. The two could feel each other's breaths on their faces. Kendall smiled and reached out a hand, gently brushing his fingers over Riley's cheek and into her hair, playing with the silky strands.
Riley moved her cheek into his hand, allowing the skin of his palm to warm her cheek. Kendall's smiled widened as he leaned in towards her. Riley smiled back, biting her lower lip as she did so, before leaning back into him. Kendall rested his forehead against hers, tilted his head to the side and pressed his mouth against hers. They were amazingly soft and fragrant with vanilla chap stick the sugary scent filling his nose and the area around him. He gently parted his lips to get some air and Riley took the change to kiss him this time, applying pressure his lips with hers, leaning into him as she did so. Kendall continued to run his fingers through her hair, causing Riley to giggle a little. In return, Riley brought a hand up his chest and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, gently tugging on the strands, sending shivers down his spine.
The moment ended and the two slowly pulled away from each other, giving enough space to see the joy on each other's face and match each other's smile.
"Wow," Riley finally said.
"Is that a good 'wow' or a bad 'wow'?" Kendall replied.
"What do you think?" Riley ducked her head, looking away from him. "So-"
"So-"
They laughed and Riley pulled back away from Kendall, leaning against the furthest chain of the swing. "So what now?" She asked. "I know you said you wanted to try this, but are you really willing to deal with my baggage?"
"If you can deal with mine," Kendall reassured her. "Riles, this feel right to me, and I don't want to make the mistake of throwing it away again." He tightened his grip on her hand, running his thumb over the back of it, causing her to encircle her fingers around his.
"Ok." Riley swallowed then nodded. "Ok, but our friends and family come first. I'm not the kind of person that pushes everyone else away for a boyfriend and I hate it when other people do that." Kendall nodded. "And our jobs of course. And…I care about our friendship so much it's not even funny." She looked him dead in the eye. "I don't want anything to change. Even if there's a time that we break up, I don't want our friendship to be jeopardized by that, it's really important to me."
"That's fine, but if I have any say in it, I don't see us breaking up anytime soon," Kendall said and gave a boyish smile. Riley smiled and he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad I can do that now," he murmured. "I'm glad that I can call you my best friend…and maybe girlfriend?"
"Maybe."
Despite the chains of the swing around them, Kendall leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Riley's shoulders pulling her towards him. She shifted so that her back was resting against his chest, bringing her hand up to rest on his arm, gently running her fingers over the skin. They sat like that, talking and laughing until Kendall said it was probably time for him to take her home.
"Oh, you mean you don't want to make your mummy mad and miss your curfew?" Riley teased, sticking out her lower lip.
"You may joke about that, but I know that even you wouldn't want me to miss my Mom's curfew," Kendall said. He took her hand and the two walked back to the Big Time Rush mobile. They climbed inside and he started up the car, driving back to Riley's house. Once he reached the driveway, Riley instructed him not to bother going up the driveway, explaining that everyone would be at the door and she wanted to save him the embarrassment. "Oh. Ok." He had wanted to walk her back to the door, to softly tell her goodnight there and give her another kiss and walk back to the car, not looking back.
It would have been romantic but he could settle for this.
Kendall unbuckled her seat belt for her and leaned over to give her a kiss goodnight, but Riley ducked her head out of the way and climbed out of the car. He watched, open mouth as she closed the door and leaned against it. Reaching back in, she tapped her finger against his lower jaw, closing his mouth.
"I heard flies don't taste very good, Hockey-Head," she said to him. "Besides, I don't do goodnight kisses." She paused, running her finger down his cheek before pulling her hand back. "But try again next week and you might get a different response." She winked at him before flashing the peace sign. "Later."
Riley backed away from the car and sauntered up the driveway towards her house.
Kendall watched for a bit, making sure she made it inside before starting up the car and driving back to the Palm Woods.