OMG! I heard BTR on the radio for the first time today! FINALLY! It was Music Sounds Better With You on 95.5. I was so excited that I blasted the radio as loud as it goes, and it's a pretty dang loud radio! And since I only recently got my G1, my parents don't like me to have the radio loud when I'm driving, so I made my dad sit in the parking lot for three minutes while the song went on. I am so proud of how far these boys have gotten!
Sorry for any mistakes in this chapter. It's one in the morning on a school night and a long chap to look over. :p Yes, this is the longest chapter yet. Almost seven thousand words. :)
Breakdown
Chapter 29: Ultimatum
Ultimatum: a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance.
Yes, James was definitely facing an ultimatum.
He sat on the orange couch with everyone else minus Katie, who was down at the pool with her self-proclaimed 'guy friend and nothing more', Kyle, so she wouldn't have to hear this. The rest of them were heatedly debating intently over whether or not James should go to his next 'counseling' session to get the evidence. Reason upon reason was thrown out there as to why he shouldn't. But everyone also seemed convinced that it was truly the only way to end this. They'd only been discussing for nearly forty-five minutes, and several fights had broken out and everyone was feeling very frustrated, stressed, and defeated.
So far they were indecisive. All the same arguments they had been going through kept popping back up: He should go so that James could record the proof and nobody would die or see that creep for the rest of his sorry, miserable life.
He shouldn't go because it was obvious that Dr. Clark was absolutely insane, and there was no telling what he would do even if James did bring him the information.
James was sure it didn't matter what he did; he'd die before he got the chance to decide if his head exploded like he was certain it was going to.
He'd thought the possibilities that were being mentioned to death, but every time the same one was brought up for the second, third, fourth time, he kept reconsidering. The arguments were strong for both sides. And he was fairly sure he knew which way he was leaning towards. It was everyone else that couldn't stick to one decision.
Not the it mattered what they ultimately chose. It was James' choice in the end. He would do whatever he wanted to do. He just didn't want to anger anyone by telling them that he wanted to go when they didn't want him to.
Yes, James had decided. Go. He was for it. It was the most difficult decision he'd ever made, literally a life-and-death one, but he knew it was the right one. Dr. Clark belonged behind bars and nowhere else, and this was the only way to get him there.
So James spoke up.
"I've decided," he announced.
"But we aren't done going through-"
"Yes, we are," James cut Logan off harshly. "We aren't getting anywhere repeating the same things over and over. We need- actually, no, I need to decide already, and I have."
Kendall knew what James was going to say, and he glared at him. James saw the dark look he was receiving, but he ignored it. Again, it was his choice, not Kendall's, or anyone else's for that matter.
"I'm going," he declared.
Kendall stood abruptly, staring James down. "No, you aren't," he growled lowly. He tried to sound menacing, and judging by the expressions on Logan and Carlos' face, he'd succeeded. But James wasn't one to intimidate. He didn't back down. He just returned Kendall's icy glare with an equivalently ominous one.
"Are you going to stop me?" he shot back darkly.
"You bet I am."
And just as James was about to throw the first punch, Mrs. Knight stepped between the two steaming boys, her hands pressing against both of their chests to keep them apart. She glanced between them.
"Boys, this is no time to fight! We need to be supporting James' decision. It is his, Kendall."
She gave her son a knowing look. No matter what she said, he would still fight. But if James was okay with going back, then she wasn't going to stand in his way. She was just going to do everything she could to make sure he stayed safe.
"Kendall, you don't understand where James is coming from. If it were you in this situation, wouldn't you want to decide for yourself, not do what someone else wants you to do?"
"If that someone else was thinking of my best interests, then I would at least listen to their opinion!"
"I've been listening to all of your opinions for the past hour!" James retorted. He was getting fed up with Kendall trying to get his way. This wasn't even something they should be arguing!
"And I have taken everything that's been said into consideration, and guess what? I decided what I want to do. What I am going to do. And there's nothing you can do to stop me, Kendall!"
James whirled furiously, about to head to his room so he could cool off before he did something he'd regret, but Kendall's shouting voice stopped him dead.
"He'll kill you if you go!"
James did not look impressed when he turned back around to face them. He looked even angrier than before. He took two big steps and was right in Kendall's face.
"Open your freaking eyes, Kendall! Hell kill me if I don't go. And he'll get away with doing this to other people. Other innocent people who are fooled into thinking they can trust this guy! And I can't let that happen! I won't let it happen!"
Kendall, surprisingly, kept his composure. He was right on the verge of snapping, but one thing kept him under control. Just barely. It was the guilt weighing down on him, the self-conviction that if something did go wrong, it would be his fault, and he just had to tell them...
"I might have made things worse," he blurted out impulsively. He regretted his outburst for just half a second, but he quickly got over it. James deserved to know. And Kendall deserved whatever he had coming to him because of it.
James' eyes attained an element of confusion and surprise. What did Kendall mean by that exactly? What had he done?
Kendall refused to look anywhere but directly at James. This was about him, not anyone else. Just him.
"W-what do you mean?" James' anxiety was unmasked with the question, and Kendall sucked in a deep breath, willing himself not to feel nervous. He didn't get to. He'd done something horribly bad, well, maybe. It had felt so good when he'd done it, but now he was worrying that it would only make this whole predicament worse in the near future. Namely, next Tuesday.
"Kendall..."
"I- I let Hawk know how I felt about what he's doing. I didn't hold back. I let him have it. And you know what? I was glad I did. It felt great, giving that sick bastard what he's had coming to him ever since we came out to LA. But this time he went too far. Way too far. So I did what I did and I just didn't care." Kendall slowly shook his head, wanting so badly to look away from James' pain-filled eyes. But he just couldn't.
"But now...we all know how Hawk's mind works. I might have made everything worse-"
"That's right, you made things worse!" James screeched suddenly, and Kendall jerked backwards, shocked. He shouldn't have been, really, because he would be beyond pissed, too, if he was James, but James had been looking so hurt and lost just a moment ago, but now here he was raging, his arms flailing in wild gestures, measuring Kendall up with a deathly glare.
"Hawk probably wants me dead more now than ever! How could you do this to me? ! God damnit, Kendall, do you want Hawk to have more reason to hate us? ! You freaking idiot, do you ever think about consequences? You careless, stupid son-of-a-fu-"
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Mrs. Knight stepped in again, literally screaming to be heard over the two fuming boys. Carlos and Logan stayed out of it, shrinking back into the couch in the hopes that neither James nor Kendall would somehow bring them into this.
"Boys, how many times have I said that fighting like this isn't going to solve anything? !"
Neither teen answered. They only each shoved their hands roughly through their hair, disheveling it, then, upon realizing they were performing the same action, dropped their hands quickly to their sides.
Mrs. Knight sighed exasperatedly, glad to be heard...for the moment, at least.
"Boys, listen. This is a very important decision. Every possibility has a pro and a con. But," she added, turning to her son. "This is James' decision. He wants to go. And I am going to support his choice."
"But Mom-"
"Ah ah!" She waggled a finger at Kendall. "Not a word. I know you're only looking out for James. You want him to be safe, that's why you're fighting him. You think it's safer if he doesn't go. But James has a very valid point, too, and you can't ignore that, Kendall. If Dr. Clark isn't stopped now, he may never be."
Kendall didn't say a word. He knew all of that. He knew this was a golden opportunity to reveal to the police what a monster Dr. Clark was, but James just wasn't safe alone with him, and that was that.
"And also, mister," his mother continued, and he winced at the bitterness in her tone. He knew what was next.
"You did what to Hawk? Kendall, I know how angry you feel. I feel it, too. The man is despicable, and while yes, he deserves worse than what you gave him, that wasn't something you thought through, was it?"
Kendall but back a sarcastic retort. Oh yeah Mom, I planned the whole thing. Every right hook was thought about intensely for an entire day. I only found out that Hawk did what he did an hour before I did what I did. Oh, and I also knew exactly what Hawk would do the defend himself. That made it all the more easy.
But Kendall knew his mother didn't expect an answer. She already knew what it was.
She shook her head slowly. "Oh, Kendall. You're always trying to protect everyone. But you never stop to consider the consequences. I kills me to say it, but chances are you only made Hawk angrier, which in the long run means even more vengeful."
That was the last thing Kendall wanted and needed to hear. He knew all of that already, damn it!
"Mom!" he exploded, and his mother's eyes widened in surprise. Her son, in all his seventeen years of life, had never yelled at her. "Would you stop talking to me like I'm freaking five? ! I know I screwed up,okay, I know! I don't need you telling me that! I know I'm a horrible friend and that I'm reckless and impulsive, okay? ! But don't tell me everything that's wrong with me when I already know! Do you think I meant to potentially make things worse? All I want is for James to come out of this alive!"
He stopped his rant before he started crying. He had to be the strong one. He couldn't break down. Not in front of them. Not even when he was alone. He'd already shown weakness by going after Hawk, a lack of control; he didn't need them thinking he wasn't stable.
Jennifer was feeling the same way. She wanted to just put her face in her hands and cry for all she was worth. But she was the adult here; she had to keep everyone else together when they were falling apart. Crying and giving up wasn't something any of them should even consider resorting to. They needed to stay focused; needed to plan out their next move. They needed to be level-headed to take Dr. Clark and all his hideous intentions down.
So, just barely, Jennifer Knight managed to hold herself together.
"I know, Kendall. We all do. And I'm not going to reprimand you for what you did, because right now we need to think about what this might do. You boys know Hawk better than I do. Would he really feel a greater need for revenge now?"
If they hadn't been so caught up in glaring at each other, Kendall and James would have processed Mrs. Knight's question and told her that there was no doubt about it. Of course he would. But they were still too heated up to pay attention to anything but each other.
Logan was the one to answer. "I know he would. But there is someone who knows him even better than..." Logan trailed off, paling at the sudden realization. "Crap! Gustavo! We haven't even called to let him know yet! Oh man, he is not going to take this well!"
"Couldn't take it any worse than the rest of us," James muttered blandly, still looking pointedly at Kendall.
Kendall scowled.
"I'll give him a call right now," Mrs. Knight offered. She shot her son one last look of disappointment, warned, "Don't get out of hand again, boys," and went off to deliver the call.
Logan began tugging at his hair. He couldn't help the small wave of guilt that washed over him. He was supposed to be the smart one. So why couldn't he find a different way out of this? He didn't want James to go back, either; none of them truly did. It was just the only way out as far as they could see. And that made Logan feel useless.
Carlos felt sad that this was happening to one of his brothers. He was just as angry as Kendall, as Logan and Mrs. Knight, even though they didn't show it. Even though Carlos was one of those people who only wants peace and happiness for everyone, he wouldn't have had a problem with seeing Clark and Hawk suffer. He was actually sort of proud of what Kendall had done. Sort of. If there wouldn't have been any consequences, Carlos might have even done it himself. But now seeing that Kendall may have made things worse with his actions, Carlos was glad he hadn't done it himself.
James and Kendall, meanwhile, continued to glare at each other. They weren't even thinking about everything that was going on. It was like they had forgotten why they were mad at each other in the first place. They were just mad. That was it.
Despite all of his anger towards Kendall, James was perfectly content keeping his mouth shut. Kendall, however, wasn't.
"I can't believe how stupid you're being," he grumbled, not removing his eyes from James'. He watched as James' scowl deepened. At that point, Kendall didn't care if James tried anything on him. With the state James was in, Kendall could take him down no problem. Not that Kendall wanted to hurt James. Even though he was furious beyond explanation, Kendall really just wanted to see James smile once again. So why was he being such a dick? He just couldn't stop himself.
"Kendall, come on," Logan tried to reason. "Leave him alone. You know what's stupid? Exactly what you're doing right now. Fighting. Making things worse. As if this isn't bad enough already. So would you please just stop? Don't even talk right now. I don't know if I can handle it."
Logan should have known that Kendall wouldn't listen to him even if he paid him to. Kendall was one of the most stubborn, opinionated people Logan knew, and challenging him like that? Never a smart idea.
Kendall scoffed. Was Logan serious? "What, are you really mad at me for what I did? I was protecting James. I didn't see you or Carlos go running to his defense-"
"That wasn't defense, Kendall. That was impulsive behaviour. Unhelpful violence. I know how you were feeling. We're just as angry as you are. But that wasn't protecting James. You're mom is right. If anything, what you did only made Hawk even more angry and vengeful! God, don't you ever think before you act?"
Kendall had had enough. He was sick of people yelling at him for trying to do the right thing. In one swift motion, he had Logan pinned against the wall. The smart boy looked up at him with eyes filled with terror and hurt. Through the fear, they seemed to be asking Kendall if he was really going to do this.
Oh, he was.
Kendall pulled back his fist and prepared to answer Logan's silent question with it. But just as he started to swing his fist forward, something grabbed it from behind and kept him from creating a Logan's head-shaped dent in the wall. Kendall whirled around furiously to see who it was who had stopped him from pounding Logan's face in. Kendall let out a low, animal-like growl. Of course. James.
Kendall yanked his hands free of the pretty boy's grip. "Get your hands off of me!" he snapped.
James wasn't fazed in the slightest. He regarded Kendall with a glower. "Keep yours off Logan!"
Kendall smirked, the cruel expression darkening his features. "Fine."
The next thing James knew, Kendall had him pressed up against the wall. The blond was doing a very good job of invading his personal space.
"Better?" Kendall hissed. He was mad.
But James was livid.
With unexpected strength, James broke free of Kendall's tight hold and shoved the blond away from him with all the force he could muster. The shocked blond stumbled back and tripped, landing hard on his butt. He sat there for a moment, stunned into a frozen state of silence. He counted to ten. He had hoped to calm himself down, but by the time he reached four, he was physically shaking with uncontrollable rage.
At two, he snapped.
Kendall was on his feet at one. He reached James in one giant step and extended his arms, fully intent on strangling some sense into the boy. His hands moved to wrap around the brunette's throat, but James ducked away and landed a blow to Kendall's temple that was enough to send his head reeling and the room spinning for a minute.
By the time Kendall had blinked the stars away, James was standing behind him, pinning both his arms behind his back. James kicked the back of Kendall's left knee, and the temperamental boy went down. He squirmed and flailed, struggling to release James' hold on him, but James was stronger than him, and he wasn't letting up.
"GO TO HELL, DIAMOND!" Kendall roared in a tone he'd never used before, not just on his friends, but on anyone.
Carlos gasped and flinched at the loud, threatening tone, but James remained unaffected by Kendall's struggles.
Kendall and James weren't going to stop fighting any time soon, and Carlos was on the verge of tears, and Mrs. Knight was God knows where on the phone with their manager, so Logan knew he had to step in and break it up. It was a scary thought. He didn't want his two friends to literally kill each other- it was bad enough having one man threatening to do so- but Logan also didn't want to get between to large, very angry, very unpredictable teens.
No matter how much he valued his life, he did it anyway.
Or at least, he was about to. Much to his immense relief, Mrs. Knight popped out of nowhere and in an instant had the two boys pried apart. Kendall rose slowly to his feet, trying not to let James see how shaken up he was. James was the scariest person Kendall knew when he was angry. Even more so than himself. And that was saying something.
But Kendall didn't have long to relish the feeling of safety. Not that any of them were safe at the moment... His mother started in.
"Do you boys not understand the meaning of 'Don't get out of hand? !" She shrieked. "I walk away for less than five minutes to call your manager and tell him that his rival has someone out to kill James and potentially all of us, and I come back to find you boys trying to spare him the effort? ! The last thing you boys should be doing is letting your emotions get the best of you! I know you don't want to accept everything that's going on right now, but you have to if you want to get through it." Jennifer's voice softened substantially by the end of her scolding, but it still retained a hint of disappointment in them.
She shook her head. She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around all of this. She couldn't believe a free ride to fame had turned out so badly, especially after the smooth start they'd had.
But she knew someone had to hold it together, and that someone had to be her.
She pointed at one end of the orange couch and pushed James toward it. "You, sit," she ordered. Then she repeated the action with her own son, only to the other end of the vibrant sofa. "And you, have a seat."
Kendall grumbled under his breath as he sat down. His mother dismissed it.
"What am I going to do with you boys?" She wondered aloud as she began pacing in front of them.
Kendall shot a look at Carlos, while Logan and James exchanged confused frowns. She couldn't possibly mean punishment?
Mrs. Knight stopped her restless walking about and faced the four boys with her hands placed firmly on her hips. "You boys have been best friends since the third grade. Practically inseparable. You've always done anything and everything it took to protect each other, to help each other out, to make each other feel better, no matter the circumstances. Now you're being put through the worst thing any of you have ever experienced, and this is when you lose it? Now is the time you boys turn your backs on each other?"
Kendall opened his mouth to protest-
"Not! One word, young man."
-and decided against it.
"Now is the time to be strong, to be there for each other like you always have been after all these years. And by that, I don't mean going out and getting revenge on the person who did this to you."
Kendall hung his head in shame.
"I mean, by standing beside each other through it all, until the very end, and after that. By not letting each other fall. You boys need to stay united in order for this to turn out the way it should."
Logan and Carlos were nodding, feeling very tempted to burst into applause, but they knew that would ruin the sentimental moment Mrs. Knight was obviously- and successfully- going for.
James knew what she was saying. He agreed with it all. And he wished that Kendall had supported him, but not the way he had. What he had done was gone and let his rage take over. It was for him, yes, but it wasn't the best idea. Meanwhile, Logan and Carlos had sat with him while he cried and panicked, whispering soothing words to him and actually trying to plan this out instead of just taking meaningless action right off.
Despite all of that, though, James had to admit, he was touched by what Kendall had done. For him. Sure, it was stupid and reckless, not to mention quite possibly exacerbating, but it had also been selfless and Kendall's way of showing he cared more than James could fathom. Kendall had very well put himself in danger doing what he'd done, and for that, James was undeniably grateful, but underneath, he was still a bit frustrated; Kendall should have known better.
James blinked and snapped to awareness when he realized Mrs. Knight was speaking again.
"Gustavo said he'd call the police. I told him we already had and what they said, but he thinks that because he's a record producer he'll have some influence on them." She sighed and rubbed her temples, a headache forming. "Basically he just yelled and said Hawk won't get away with this. But he and I know he knows there's nothing else he can do." She sighed. She really didn't want to say what she was going to. "I hate to say this, but it's final. There's no more trying to dance around this."
"Mom, don't-" Kendall began. His mother's 'no nonsense' look had him shutting his mouth almost as soon as he'd opened it.
"I'm sorry, boys. James has to go back, or this will never end."
And that was that. There really was nothing else they could do. Mrs. Knight was right. They had been dancing around this. All of them except for James. They had all been searching fervently for another way out, while he had already accepted the fact that he was going to be going back in stride.
Just as that discernment had settled in, there was a knock on the door. Kendall stood up.
"That's Jo," he announced. "I promised her we'd hang out...before all of this came up."
His mother frowned. Even after what she'd said, he was still talking as though this was somehow James' fault. Or maybe he was just trying to mask his fear. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to tolerate it.
"Please tell her you're in the middle of something. You can see her...some other time."
Kendall gritted his teeth together as he turned away from his mother so that she wouldn't see the hostility written all over his face. Like when? When this is all over? Everything would be different by the time it was over with.
Kendall nodded shortly and opened the door. He put on his best fake smile for his girlfriend.
"Hey Kendall," she greeted him jauntily, and he envied her smile and light air. She had no drama taking over the life of her and her friends. She didn't have to be so scared for the life of her best friend that she was forced to feign anger at him to keep him from knowing just how close she was to losing her mind, her sanity.
Kendall loved Jo, but at that moment, he couldn't hate her more.
"Look, I'm really busy. Something's come up and I can't hang out. Maybe next week?"
Jo's bright smile vanished in an instant. She wasn't sure whether she should be ticked or concerned. He'd sounded a little harsh, like he was trying to get rid of her, but she was still worried. Over his shoulder she could see everyone else currently residing in apartment 2J, save for Katie, staring at where she and Kendall stood, all looking antsy and nervous. She was a good person, and so she settled for concern.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Everything's fine. But I really have to go. I'll text you."
Jo nodded. He was lying. Something was visibly bothering him. But she supposed it might be personal, or involving one or all of his friends, and she didn't want to get into their business, so she let it go. Maybe he'd tell her eventually.
"Yeah, okay. I understand. I hope everything...I'll just go."
"I'm sorry."
Jo stared into Kendall's shimmering green eyes. They weren't shimmering with the joyous light they normally maintained, but with repressed tears. Something was definitely up.
Going for an act of solace, Jo wrapped her arms around Kendall's neck and pulled his body against hers tightly. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'll wait for you."
Then she turned and left without a word. Or a kiss.
Kendall watched her retreat until she disappeared around the corner. She always understood, and she never judged. Should he have told her?
No. He'd already made things worse as it was; James certainly didn't want anyone to find out. Besides, what good could she do? The police wouldn't even help.
Kendall held back a sigh and closed the door. He turned to face the others, not bothering to go back over to the couch. He didn't want to be that close to anyone right then.
Just in case.
Mrs. Knight nodded at him, a silent thank you, or maybe a silent you did the right thing.
Whatever.
"Could you run down to the pool and grab your sister?" She asked her son. "It's getting late."
Kendall didn't answer, only re-opened the door and shoved his hands in his pockets as he shuffled down the hall, glad to be away from all of them, even if only for a few minutes.
Things calmed down and stayed that way for the rest of the night. At least until right before the boys headed off to bed.
James passed by Kendall on his way to his and Carlos' room.
"Hey, I just thought of something you haven't," Kendall said snidely.
James whipped around to face him. "What?" he snapped back.
Kendall shot him a calculating look and shook his head, his features twisting up in disgust.
"You have to bring him information. About us," he reminded James in a cold, hard tone.
James felt the blood drain from his face as he blinked at the other boy. Oh, shit...
Kendall now looked disapproving. So much for James having had thought this through. Kendall cocked his head to the side and with six small words, burst James' already weak, barely existent bubble of confidence.
"What are you going to say?"
The rest of the week went by way too quickly for any of their likings. It seemed like only a day had gone by since they found out about Dr. Clark's intentions, and now here James was, feeling totally unprepared for what he was about to do even though he'd been psyching himself up for it for four days.
It hadn't helped any that Kendall had been avoiding him all weekend plus yesterday. Gustavo had given them the past four days off. Actually, for once he wasn't even worried about the future of the band. Gustavo Rocque was actually concerned about his dogs.
Now here James was, getting ready to just do this thing. He had his cell phone set on record before he'd even entered the Self Health Center.
James felt his stomach twist nervously, and he swallowed down the urge to puke and book it out of there. He could do this; he had to do this. He was James Diamond. He was bold, he was determined, and he never backed down.
Nodding to himself, James entered the building, his friends and second mother by his side.
He knew what he had to do. Go in there, say what he had to say, get Dr. Clark to say something that would be evidence enough for the stupid cops, and make it out of there alive. He just had to act like this was any other session. Any session other than his last.
Right. What a cake walk that was going to be.
James felt the perspiration begin to trickle down his forehead and pop out on his hands as he took a seat in the waiting room and Mrs. Knight signed him in. He couldn't do this. Screw being a Diamond; he was scared. He started to feel lightheaded; dizzy despite sitting down. Maybe if he passed out he could get out of this. Go to the hospital instead and not have to worry for another week.
But James knew that wasn't an option. He was here; he was going through with it.
James was worried about something else too though. He'd had the nightmare again. The same one, every night. He knew it didn't make sense to have the same one, the one that took place in their apartment, when he was here, but he'd had it, and he hadn't been able to fall back asleep. He hadn't screamed for any of them, thankfully, and therefore he hadn't woken anybody. He was glad for that. But now he was utterly exhausted, having had only gotten about eight hours of sleep over the past three nights. He was worried he was going to allow his sleep-muddled mind to screw up, slip, expose him. Now even more pressure was bearing down on him.
James didn't have long to panic. Almost as soon as he'd sat down, the receptionist looked up.
"James Diamond, Dr. Clark can see you right away."
James' chest felt constricted. He was sure he would die right then and there from respiratory failure, because he just wasn't getting enough oxygen.
And then he felt a hand on his back, patting gently. He looked up and was shocked to see that it was Kendall standing behind him. The blond smiled weakly.
"You can do this, James," he whispered. "If it helps, remember that we are all right here, and we aren't going anywhere until you come out of that room with the proof."
James did his best to return the smile. His effort was in vain as his head spun again and his stomach lurched violently. He swallowed hard, closing his eyes, feeling Kendall's hand squeezing his shoulder softly.
James opened his eyes once the feeling had passed and this time somehow managed to return the small smile, even if his lips were quivering.
"I love you, James. Don't ever forget that. And I won't let anything happen to you. Ever."
James blinked away the tears that were now threatening to spill over and give him away. He nodded. "I know, Kendall," he whispered back. "Thank you."
Kendall hugged James briefly before letting him give Carlos and Logan a last look before he departed. They copied Kendall's actions, barely turning their lips up and nodding. It took all they had not to cry right there and drag James back home. But they didn't. They let him go, watching as he wandered down the hall to the right. He went by himself. Normally Dr. Clark came out and got him, but not today. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.
James still couldn't breathe as he made his way down the wide hall. He took notice for the first time of the other offices. They were all fairly close together; it gave him a tiny comfort in knowing that someone would more than likely hear him if he screamed. Then the thought of him having to scream dissipated that comfort.
At last James reached the third door on the left. Room 5. Dr. Clark's office. Now known to James as the hell hole. He took a deep breath, removing the invisible hand from his windpipe, and entered.
Dr. Clark sat at his desk, sorting through some papers. He didn't even glance up as James took a hesitant step in.
The door closed behind him, the soft thud sealing his fate. This was it. There was no turning back now.
Dr. Clark peered up from the papers he'd been sifting through and smiled at James; a warm smile. He looked like any ordinary man, maybe even a bit happier than most. It made James' skin crawl and tingle from his head to his toes. He tensed all of his muscles, desperate not to let Dr. Clark see how badly he was trembling.
And then he spoke. The vile, despicable man behind the desk opened his mouth and his voice seemed to seek resignation from the pale, panicky teen.
"Welcome back, James," Dr. Clark greeted, his disgustingly huge smile never faltering. "Have a seat."
James moved toward the chair on his side of the desk as sluggishly as possible, as if dragging this out was going to make Dr. Clark decide not to do this.
Finally James made it to the chair and slid slowly into it. He didn't relax, didn't lean back. He remained tense, siting up straight on the very edge of the chair should he need to make a run for it.
Dr. Clark leaned forward over his desk, folding his hands together atop the oak wood. He continued to drive James crazy by smiling that horribly average smile at him.
Dr. Clark looked James straight in the eye, and while his smile was seemingly open and friendly, the older man's eyes spoke a different story. They were dark and filled with an evil James could feel.
The so called 'doctor' opened his mouth and spoke once again, and James wanted to hurl all over his desk.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Gah! I can't believe I decided to make Kendall be a huge jerk...again! He had no right to get mad like that, but guess what? I wanted him to! So...suck on that. ;)
Random fact time! I have an annoyingly weird habit of typing the word 'the' when I mean to type 'to' so if you notice that anywhere...yeah. What can I say? Sorry, I guess.
James is back with evil Dr. Clark next chapter! What do you think will happen? !...
Just a warning, guys; The next chapter might take a little while to post because I have exams all this week plus I have big plans for next chapter, and I want it to be just perfect, and we all know that perfection takes time and dedication so...bear with me. But don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging for three weeks again. And if I do, you can commence the tomato throwing. -_-
