Well, it's been a while since I've updated this story, so I figured I'd give you all an update. :) Even though it's been like a half a year, oops.

I hope you all enjoy!

By the time Sunday night rolled around, Kendall was feeling better. Maybe not one hundred percent better, but better than he had been feeling during the last week, at least.

Falling back against the couch cushions, he watched as Katie reached for the remote next to him and turned on the TV.

"Which movie do you wanna watch?" she asked, her gaze moving to Kendall, who simply offered her a shrug of his shoulders in response.

"Whatever you want," he said as he curled in around himself, placing a pillow on the couch's arm so that he could rest his head on top of it.

"Can we watch Mulan?"

Kendall felt a small smile tugat his lips. "Sure, baby sister."

Grinning from ear to ear, Katie lunged for the collection of DVDs they had in a box on the TV stand and started rummaging through them. Finally finding the Mulan DVD, she placed the disc in the DVD player and impatiently waited for it to start.

As much as he loved the movie, Kendall felt his eyelids start to drop about fifteen minutes into it. It wasn't even that late, he realized, as he looked up at the clock that was hung above the TV. It was only a few minutes past eight. He was used to going to bed around ten, if not later.

"Honey, maybe you should head to bed," his mom said all of a sudden.

He blinked his tired eyes open and looked up at his mother, who was now standing in his line of vision. In her hands, she had a large bowl, which Kendall could only guess contained popcorn, judging by the smell coming from it.

"But the movie just started," he said, trying to blink the tiredness out of his eyes, even though it didn't seem to be working.

"And you've had a really long week and probably need the rest," his mom said as she handed the bowl of popcorn down to Katie, who smiled up at her in gratitude.

"But, Katie—"

"Katie understands. Right, Katie?"

Katie frowned slightly but nodded her head. "Go to bed, big brother," she said. Then added, "Maybe we can do something together tomorrow?"

"Of course," he said, giving her a smile.

Pulling himself to his feet, he bent down and ruffled Katie's hair lightly, pretending to be hurt when she smacked him on the arm. "Goodnight," he called over his shoulder, before heading to his room.

Once inside, he turned on the lamp beside his bed, illuminating the room in a soft yellow glow. Even though he was tired, he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. He had a Spanish test he needed to study for, which he had been putting off all weekend. It was his second class the following day, so he knew he wouldn't have any time to study for it during school hours, except maybe in the morning, if he managed to get there early.

Pulling his backpack onto the bed, he pulled out his Spanish textbook and notes and started going over the Spanish tenses, which were a lot harder to understand than he would've thought. Within minutes, a headache had started to appear, so he closed his textbook and tossed it towards the foot of his bed.

Letting out a soft sigh, he collapsed against his covers and let his eyes drop shut. It was only supposed to be for a few minutes – he wasn't supposed to fall asleep. But by the time he woke up again, the sky had turned into a dark shade of blue.

Cursing under his breath, he reached for his phone, which he had set on his nightstand, and groaned when he saw it was now 6:42 in the morning. He had to be at school in a little over an hour.

In his haste to get out of bed, he almost tripped over a blanket but managed to catch himself by grabbing on to his nightstand. He quickly got ready for school, only managing to grab an apple from the fruit bowl in the kitchen, before running out of the house.

Inside the school, the halls were still pretty vacant. There was about half an hour left before classes started, and he knew most of the students who were already there were currently in the cafeteria.

Taking advantage of the free time – or trying to, anyway, since there wasn't a lot of it left – he made his way to the library, where he knew he'd be able to find some peace and quiet.

Unlike the cafeteria, which he knew was probably buzzing with chatter, the library was pretty empty.

After sending a small wave to Miss Wainwright, the librarian, he quietly made his way to the back of the library and took a seat on a bean bag chair that was off in a corner. There were several of them spread out in the very back, and most of the time, students used them to talk amongst themselves in hushed voices. Luckily for him, this one was the only one nearby, so he didn't have to worry about anyone taking a seat next to him and distracting him from his studying – or so he thought.

"Kendall?"

He had only been studying for about five minutes when he heard his name being called. Looking up from his textbook, he found Logan standing in front of him, his arms wrapped around a binder he was hugging to his chest.

"Oh, hey," Kendall said, a smile instantly coming to his face.

"I didn't think I'd find you here," Logan said, taking a seat next to him on the carpeted floor. "How are you?"

"Stressed," Kendall said honestly, his smile dropping. "You?"

"I'm alright. I just came to pick up a book," he said, pulling out a copy of The Scarlet Letter from behind his binder. "It's for class," he added, looking not at all excited. "Why are you stressed?"

"Spanish test," he sighed and pointed at his textbook. "It's today. I was going to study last night, but I fell asleep."

"Man, that sucks," Logan said with a frown. "Am I bothering you? I can go—"

"No, don't," Kendall said, reaching over to wrap a hand around Logan's arm. "Maybe you can read your book while I study?"

A small smile came to Logan's face at the suggestion. "Sure. I should probably get started on this book anyway."

"Great." Kendall grinned over at him, before turning back to his notes.

The bell signaling that first period would start in five minutes rang way too quickly. Frowning, Kendall gathered his belongings and stuffed everything into his backpack, before turning to Logan.

"Ready?"

Logan smiled. "Ready."

As they walked towards their first period class, Logan stopped abruptly and reached for Kendall, stopping him in his tracks.

"What—"

"Sorry," Logan said as he let go of his arm. "I just wanted to ask, are you doing okay? Your nose still looks kind of bruised."

"Oh, that." He subconsciously pressed his hand against it, as if to shield the bruising that was present there. "It's fine, don't worry. The pain's mostly gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Kendall said, giving him a tiny smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"I'm still sorry."

"I know, but it's okay. Really."

Logan sighed, his frown growing slightly. "Are you really okay?" he asked, not just referring to the bruising.

"I'm better," Kendall told him as he started to walk again, pulling Logan along with him. "Not looking forward to hockey practice today, though."

"Are you sure you should be going?"

"I'm not going to miss practice again."

"I know you don't want to, but… I'm just worried."

"Logie, it's just some bruising. I'll be okay," Kendall tried to reassure him. He patted Logan lightly on the shoulder and then nodded towards their open classroom door. "We should probably head inside, before the bell rings."

Still frowning, Logan nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Well, I definitely flunked my Spanish test," Kendall said as he sat across from James and Carlos in the cafeteria.

"Did it really go that bad?" James asked, before snatching a fry from Carlos' plate.

"Hey! You have your own!"

"Sorry," James said, without sounding the least bit sorry.

"Pretty sure I got at least a fifty," Kendall said, his eyes wandering around the cafeteria. "Where's Logan?"

Carlos shrugged. "Probably in the library, knowing him."

"He lives in that place," James said, chuckling. "I haven't seen him, though…" He trailed off, looking at something behind Kendall. "Actually, I take that back."

"Hey, guys," Logan said, plopping down next to Kendall. "Sorry I'm late. I had a… problem."

"A problem?" Carlos asked, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"

"It's, uh. It's nothing."

"You know you're a terrible liar, right?" James pointed out, causing Logan to stare down at his food.

"Yeah, I know…"

"What kind of problem?" Kendall asked, repeating Carlos' question, except in a firmer tone.

"Just, you know…" He sighed, not meeting Kendall's eyes. "Roger."

"Seriously? Again?"

Kendall wasn't happy. Roger was a classmate of theirs – one who pretended to act like the perfect student in front of his teachers, but tried to make Logan's life a living hell when no one was watching. At least, he had the previous year, until the guys got him to stop. But now, it seemed like he was doing it all over again.

"Yeah…"

"Logie, you should've told us," Carlos said, frowning.

"Yeah! We stopped him before. We can stop him again," James added, his grip on his milk carton growing visibly tighter.

"I don't want you guys to have to fight anyone for me."

"We don't have to. We want to."

"Plus, we didn't fight him last time. We just… threatened him."

Logan raised an eyebrow at Kendall. "Threatened him?"

"Yes," Kendall said. "Threatened to bash his face in."

Logan shook his head. "I think I'd rather you guys not get kicked out of school."

"We're not just gonna stand by and watch him bully you, Logan."

"Yeah," Kendall said, agreeing with Carlos. "You're worth it."

Logan swallowed, his eyes moving away from Kendall to look down at his untouched plate. "Thanks, guys," he said, keeping his face down. "But please don't get yourselves expelled for me."

Kendall grinned. "No promises."

That afternoon, as the boys headed into the ice rink for hockey practice, Kendall couldn't keep the frown off of his face. Roger was standing right in front of him, and it took everything in him not to lunge forward and bash his hockey stick into his skull.

"Well, you seem to be doing better."

Kendall looked up, meeting Coach Davis' eyes. The man had a neutral expression on his face, but something about his comment made Kendall uncomfortable.

"I'm feeling better," he said, suddenly aware of how dry his throat felt.

"Good. We wouldn't want something bad to happen just weeks before the big game."

"No." Kendall forced a light chuckle to slip past his lips, even though he didn't feel like chuckling in the slightest.

Coach Davis smiled, giving Kendall a pat on the back. "Are you up for some laps?"

Kendall gave him a hesitant nod.

"Great!"

Turning away from him, Coach Davis turned to the rest of the hockey team. "Twenty laps starting in five minutes!"

"What was that about?" James asked, leaning towards Kendall.

Kendall shrugged. "He wanted to know if I was alright, I guess," he said, trying to ignore the uneasiness in his stomach.

"Are you sure? Something about him rubs me the wrong way, and the way he was talking to you… it didn't sound very friendly, if you ask me."

"I think he just expects more of us," Kendall said as he looked down at his skates. "Twenty laps is a lot, though."

"Yeah." James frowned. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I have to be, don't I?"

Kendall felt like he was going to pass out, literally. His pulse was pounding in his ears and his head was throbbing. His legs felt sore, but he still had three more laps to go.

"Kendall."

Before he could react to whoever had called his name, he felt a hand wrap around his arm, pulling him to a stop. He was glad he was barely moving, because if he was moving any faster, he probably would have crashed to the ground.

"Kendall," the voice said again, sounding muffled to Kendall's ears. "Are you okay?"

Kendall didn't answer. Instead, he slowly turned to the person that was speaking and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Fine," he managed to say, his breathing labored.

"Come on. Sit down for a minute."

Kendall shook his head. "I'm not… done."

"Just for a minute."

Gasping for air, Kendall gave in and reluctantly skated towards the benches, his feet feeling wobbly.

"Sit."

He wasn't surprised when he found that it was Logan who had urged him to sit down, always being the "mother hen" out of the four of them.

"Coach Davis is—he's gonna get upset."

"So?"

"Logan—"

"Kendall, you looked like you were going to collapse out there."

I felt like I was going to collapse, Kendall wanted to say but he didn't. He kept his gaze down, noticing the way his hands were shaking on his lap.

He was so tired.

"Is everything okay?" Coach Davis asked, walking to where they sat.

Kendall felt Logan tense up at the sound of his voice.

"Kendall was tired. He needed a break," Logan said simply, trying not to let his annoyance show.

"I'm fine now," Kendall mumbled, pushing himself up.

"Kendall—"

"I'm fine."

Ignoring the concerned look Logan was sending his way, Kendall forced his feet back on the ice, pushing his body with all his might. He'd get those remaining three laps done, one way or another.

That night, as Kendall laid in bed, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to put his mind to rest, but desperate for sleep to come his way.

Eventually, he gave up and grabbed his phone, before trudging into the living room, where it was completely dark.

Are you awake? he typed into his phone, before sending the message to Logan, not really expecting a response anytime soon.

He was surprised when his phone started vibrating all of a sudden, alarming him of an incoming call.

Rushing back into his room, he answered the call. His stomach felt like it was twisting up in knots as he put the phone to his ear. "Hey."

"Hey," came Logan's reply from the other end. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Kendall said, sinking into his mattress. "Listen, Logan, I'm… I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Earlier." Kendall ran a hand through his hair. He didn't even realize when he started pulling at a few strands. "I know you were just trying to help. It's just…"

"I can be overbearing at times?"

"What? No. That's not what I was going to say—"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then what were you going to say?"

"I think I'm just tired of being treated like… like I'm fragile."

"Oh." Logan was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Have I made you feel that way?"

"Not exactly, but… I don't know. I know everyone's worried, and I guess I don't want them to be."

"We worry 'cause we care," Logan said. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, I know that. I think I'm just not used to all of the attention, you know?"

"I know."

"But, I do appreciate you. And I appreciate you worrying, even if I feel like you shouldn't."

"You're my best friend," Logan said from the other end, sounding choked up. "I'm always going to worry about you, whether you like it or not."

Kendall lightly chuckled. "I could say the same about you," he said. "Speaking of which…"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Logie, come on."

"Kendall."

"What?"

"I know you," Logan said, and Kendall could just imagine him rolling his eyes. "You won't just want to bash his face in. You'll actually bash his face in."

"He deserves it."

Logan let out a shaky breath. "Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. The point is, you'll get expelled if you do that."

"I won't get expelled. Suspended, maybe, but not expelled."

"Is getting suspended over something like that really worth it?"

"If it means you're safe, then yes."

For a moment, Logan didn't say anything. It was so quiet, Kendall had to pry the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped all of a sudden. "Logan?"

He heard Logan clear his throat before answering. "Yeah?"

"Can I just talk to him?"

"But, Kendall…"

"I won't bash his face in."

"You promise?"

"I promise I'll try my hardest not to bash his face in."

Logan chuckled. "I guess that's the best answer I'll get, isn't it?"

Kendall grinned, feeling a bit more at ease now that Logan didn't sound so worked up. "Yes."

"Fine," Logan said, "but please be careful. And I don't mean just with him."

"Yes, mother."

"I am being serious, Kendall."

"I know you are, Logie. I'm just messing with you."

"Good. Because I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kendall felt tears spring to his eyes. He never really felt like he was deserving of being cared for. Not the way his friends cared about him. Not the way Logan did.

"The same goes for you," he said, trying to suppress the tears. "It's late. I should probably get to bed. You should, too."

"You're probably right," Logan said, yawning as if on cue. A small laugh escaped his lips, causing a smile to spread on Kendall's face. "Goodnight, Kendall. I'll see you tomorrow."

Still smiling, Kendall replied. "Goodnight, Logie. Sweet dreams."

Once the line had gone dead, Kendall crawled under his covers, his heart aching inside his chest, though he couldn't really pinpoint why.

Coach Davis is definitely something, huh? I enjoyed writing the scenes with Kendall and Logan in this. I hope they came across well.

I wanted to let you all know that the BTR Writers' Support and Plot Adoption Forum is having a Halloween challenge, and anyone is welcome to join. If anyone is interested or wants more details, please let me know. :)

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)