(A/N: Before I begin, let me state that I wanted Kenny back because I'm a total Claymate. Seriously. I'm crazy about Clay Aiken. So, here goes. It has little or nothing to do with the actual characters from Scrubs, I just wanted an excuse to put a Clay Aiken related fanfiction on this site. Enjoy. Reviews are muchly loved, yessah.)

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"I'm really sorry."

The man's words rang through his head like a chant as Kenny practically ran out of the hospital building and into the parking lot, fumbling with his pockets to find his keys.

"I bet you are," he muttered, undoing his smock and resisting the urge to throw it on the ground. Losing your job was no excuse to litter. "I bet you're reeeal sorry. Sure you'll be feelin' awful sorry tonight with your pretty wife up in your nice house and all, while I go home to an apartment that I now can't pay the rent for."

He finally found his keys and stepped out to find his car. It didn't take long to spot the beat up black Honda which was parked beside a dumpster, the last parking spot left when he'd gotten there that morning. Kenny hurried over to his car and opened the door, jumping in and putting the keys into the ignition.

Instead of turning the car on, the man reached over and pulled back the lever on the bottom of the seat so that it pushed back to lie vertical. He stretched and sighed, looking back through the rear window. He groaned.

There was macaroni on the back window.

Kenny grunted and sat back up in the seat, practically growling. "This just isn't my day," he said to himself as he climbed back out of the car, went around, and used his smock to wipe the macaroni off. He knew this macaroni; had made it himself the day before. What it was doing on his car, he had no idea.

After wiping the macaroni away, Kenny tossed the smock into the dumpster and got back into his car. He cranked it up and turned on the radio, letting Toby Keith blare through the already busted speakers.

Still, he wasn't listening to the music. He was thinking, contemplating. How was he going to pay the rent now? How was he going to buy food for his kitten, Chocolate? He'd probably have to give her away. But what if no one took her? He couldn't just leave her out in the street. How would he buy food for himself?

Before, he'd been content to eat what was left over at the end of the night at the cafeteria; one big meal a day, and some to take home for a small breakfast. It was fine by him, so long as he could save a buck to put towards his schooling.

Actually, the job at the cafeteria had been perfect for him, because he wanted to go to college to study culinary arts, and cooking huge batches of rolls and gravy was as much experience as he could get, at the present, in preparing meals for the masses. His dream was to be a chef in his own restaurant. He'd give it a fancy name, like Chez Lumier. Then again, he wasn't French, so he'd also consider something more simple.

After about fifteen minutes of auto-pilot driving through the ghetto, Kenny pulled in behind the building in which he was renting an apartment. He climbed out of his car and into the building, up three flights of rickety stairs, and into his room.

As soon as he opened the door, there came a loud, "MREOW!" and Chocolate the kitten latched herself onto his shin. Kenny looked down, smiled weakly, and picked her up.

"Hey, Cho." He nudged the door shut with his foot and went over to sit down on his bed, which was the only thing in the room besides a sink, balcony door, dresser, and a mirror that was at least twenty years old. (Picture Peter Parker's apartment in Spider-Man 2.)

Chocolate purred in Kenny's lap as they both glanced around the dreary apartment. A few boxes were scattered on the floor; things Kenny had forgotten to unpack when he'd moved in the month before. Some had dirty clothes lying on them, or empty soda bottles that needed to be thrown away. All in all, it wasn't a place you wanted to show off to your friends.

Not that he had any around. Since he'd moved to town from the next state over, Kenny had been too busy looking for a job, and then working at one, to make any new friends in the area. He talked to Mike and Judy at work, but now that was kaput. He'd have to find a new job, and fast, before-

"KENNARD!"

Kenny yelped and Chocolate ran under the bed. The door shook violently as it was pummeled by the landlord out in the hallway.

"Kennard Wallace, OPEN THIS DOOR!" screeched fixty-six year old Roy Alpine. "I know you're in there!" Again, he pummeled the door. "OPEN UP!"

Biting his lip, Kenny stood and opened the door. "S-sir?"

Roy, though a clean nine inches shorter than Kenny, found a way to glare at the young man and make him feel about three inches tall. "Don't 's-sir' me," he spat, stepping closer to Kenny and speaking directly into his face. "Where's my rent money? You're three days late!"

Kenny gulped and nodded shakily. He said, "I-I know, sir, but, uhm..."

'I'd better not tell him I got laid off', he thought.

"My pay check ought to be in at the-the end of the week. I'll have your money by then, Mr. A. Honest engine." Kenny placed a hand over his heart in a sort of salute, offering the man a weak, rather pitiful grin.

Roy glared at him for several nervous moments before he finally gave a nod and a grunt. "Alright," he said gruffly. "Just make sure you get it to me ASAP. You've got five days, and you're outta here."

With that, he turned and went down the stairs to his own room, which was on the bottom floor of the building.

Kenny watched him as he left, then frowned and shut the door, walking through his room and out to the balcony. He leaned against the railing, ignoring its usual creaks of protest as he looked out over the city lights.

"Chocolate," he said softly, addressing the kitten which had joined him on the tiny three-by-five foot balcony, "We're in a pickle."

The kitten looked up at him cluelessly. "Mrew?" she inquired, flicking her tail and starting to knead his right shoe.

He turned so that she could dig her claws into his shoes more, not minding the damage since she was so cute when she did that sort of thing. "Yeah," he said softly, looking back and upwards at the sky. The stars were impossible to see; another thing he missed from his hometown. "I got fired today. Budget cuts. I thought I was doing so well, too... Everyone seemed to like me. I guess I just should've worked harder." He sighed softly. "I wonder if McDonald's is hiring," he murmured.

Chocolate glanced up at her owner and scampered back into the apartment, calling back to him, "Meow!" as if to say, "Come inside! I want to be smothered with attention!"

Kenny laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm comin'. Just a sec." He leaned back for one last attempt to see stars.

The railing he was leaning on gave a loud groan of protest. Kenny tilted his head back and looked at the sides of the wall to which the railing was attached. Was that rust?

"Oh no."

With a metallic screech, the railings broke out from the wall. Kenny jerked forward to move away, but it was too late. He lost his balance, grabbed at the air, but found himself falling...

For one split second Kenny was almost vertical, upside down. He saw the pavement, he saw the sidewalk, and he saw the shiney top of the car that he was about to land on.

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End Chapter One

(A/N: Thanks to Emma for the name "Kennard Wallace", which came to her in a dream. oO)