So, it's been about eight months... I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. I was really struggling with this chapter, but I'm really happy with how this turned out, and I hope you are too. I hope it makes up for how long it took. This chapter takes place where the last one left off. Also, during the flashback, which makes up most of the chapter, Katie is 6 and the boys are 12.

Trigger warning for mentions of anxiety and physical and verbal abuse. I hope you enjoy.

"Can I be left alone for a bit?" Kendall mumbled as his eyes traveled around the room to look at each of his friends. Beside him, James stiffened, while Logan and Carlos looked at each other, and then back at him with worry.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Logan asked from where he was now sitting on his bed, next to Carlos.

"I just need to be alone for a bit, that's all."

"Kendall..." James started, shifting beside him. Kendall could feel him tighten his arms around him, as if he was afraid he would vanish if he were to let go.

"I'll be fine, I promise. I just... I need time to think, I guess."

James sighed and loosened his hold, allowing Kendall to slip away. He watched as Kendall scooted over the the top part of the bed, his back pressed against the wall. He had now pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them, as he watched them, waiting for them to leave.

"We'll be just outside," James said softly as he stood, followed closely by Carlos and Logan. He took one last glance at the blond when he neared the entrance, and then followed the other two out the door.

Kendall watched them go before letting the tears fall. He was tired of everything. He felt like he was suffocating, not only because his father had come back, but also by all the attention the boys were giving him. While he appreciated how much they cared about him, he wasn't used to all the attention. He hated to worry them. He knew they worried because they cared about him, but it reminded him too much of the past. This whole incident reminded him of the past, and the past was not something he liked to think about. It made him feel hopeless and alone. Maybe he wasn't alone now, but at one point in his life, that's all he had felt.

For years, he had been forced to keep everything he was feeling and everything that was happening to him, a secret. He had suppressed it, and it had been killing him in the inside, but he couldn't tell anyone. He'd make up lies whenever anyone would get suspicious, all because he was afraid of what would happen if he were to tell anyone the truth. He knew what his father was capable of. He knew that if he went against what he said, he would regret it. He would end up getting even more hurt, or even worse, it would end up with someone he loved getting hurt, and he couldn't risk that.

Letting out a strangled breath, he sunk back against the mattress and reached for the blanket at his feet. He covered himself from head to toe, wishing the earth would just swallow him whole. He remembered how when he was really little, his mom would always tell him that as long as he hid under his blanket, the monsters wouldn't be able to get to him. At the time, he had believed it. But now that he was older, he knew it wasn't true.

Monsters weren't just figments of his imagination. They weren't just strange creatures found in nightmares when he was sleeping. They were real, and in his case, the monster he couldn't get away from was his own father. He was somebody who lived under the same roof as him for years. He was somebody no one would suspect of hurting him. His father was a good liar, and so was he, but they lied for different reasons. His father lied to hurt him. He would act like he cared when around other people, but once they were left alone, he would turn Kendall's life into a living nightmare. Kendall on the other hand, would lie to keep his loved ones safe. He knew that as long as he allowed his father to get away with whatever he wanted, he wouldn't hurt anyone else. He wouldn't hurt his mother or Katie, which was something Kendall was grateful for. He had wanted Katie. As he had told him on multiple occasions, he and his mother hadn't wanted a child at the time Kendall was born. He knew that at least half of that statement was true. He was a mistake in his father's eyes, and because of it, he had been forced to pay the price. At least, that's what he had been told.

As he laid there, in the darkness the blanket provided, he couldn't help but allow his mind to wander to the day his friends had found out about everything. It was the day his life had been completely turned upside down.

"Kendall, wake up! It's time for school!"

Kendall groaned as he felt the weight of his little sister land on top of him, practically knocking the air out of his lungs. He turned over on his bed, only to be met by the sight of her smiling face.

"You're up!"

"How can you be so cheery in the morning?" he questioned her as he lightly pushed her off of him and ruffled her hair affectionately.

The 6-year-old shrugged her shoulders before reaching for his arm and pulling him out of bed. Being a bit disoriented due to having barely woken up, he almost face-planted on the floor.

"Ugh, Katie, slow down! We're not in a hurry!" he exclaimed as he steadied himself. He stared at her, taking notice of the fact she was still in her pajamas. "You're not even dressed yet!"

"Yeah, but if I didn't get you out of bed, you would've gone back to sleep."

Kendall opened his mouth to disagree, but closed it a second later when he realized she was probably right. "Good point."

"I know."

Before Kendall could say anything else, Katie had walked out of the room, leaving him shaking his head in disbelief. "Get ready!" he yelled after her. "I'll be downstairs in like twenty minutes!"

"Okay!"

No sooner had she left, that his happy demeanor vanished. There was a sinking feeling in his chest that rarely ever went away. He was exhausted, not only physically but also emotionally. Though at the same time, he looked forward to school. School meant he could leave his house for a bit, and perhaps even forget about the troubles he dealt with at home, though that wasn't very easy to do. At least, not when he had an abusive father, who constantly hurt him and reminded him about how worthless he was in his eyes.

He sluggishly proceeded with his morning routine. By the time he was ready, he only had about ten minutes to spare before he and Katie had to head to school. His mom and dad worked early in the morning, so he had to walk Katie to school before he headed to his.

This morning, it was different, though. This morning, as he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to walk into the kitchen, he found both Katie and his father at the table having breakfast. He could feel his skin crawl as he came to a stop in front of them, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He felt like he was going to be sick. The sight of his dad was enough to send chills running down his spine.

"Kendall, aren't you gonna have something to eat? You can't go to school on an empty stomach."

As if you care, Kendall thought, but he said nothing as he trudged into the kitchen, his gaze locked on the floor. He couldn't look his father in the eye. He knew that if he did, he'd most likely be sent into an anxiety attack, and he couldn't have that happen in front of Katie. It wouldn't be the first time it happened, though. Being around his father always caused his anxiety to skyrocket, but he always managed to hide it or act like he didn't know what had caused it.

His hands trembled as he reached for a bowl from one of the cupboards in the kitchen. He made sure to only pour a bit of cereal into it, having lost his appetite at the sight of his father.

When he reached the table, Katie stood up, mumbling something about having forgotten her homework upstairs, and left to get it. Kendall watched her go with a terrified expression on his face. He knew that his father wouldn't do or say anything in front of Katie, but now they were alone.

"So, I need you to do something for me," his father spoke, making Kendall freeze where he sat. "You are going to drop Katie off, alright? And after you do, you are to come back here."

Kendall could only nod in response as Katie came running down the stairs. He knew better than to question him.

"Are you gonna take us to school, daddy?" Katie asked, smiling widely, but Mr. Knight shook his head at her.

"I'm afraid I'm already late for work, sweetheart. Kendall will take you. Right, son?"

It was then that Katie looked up at Kendall, as if waiting for him to say something.

"Uh, yeah. Come on, baby sister." Kendall stood up on shaking legs and wrapped a protective arm around Katie's shoulders. They both said their goodbyes and rushed out the front door.

Throughout most of the walk to Katie's school, Kendall remained fairly quiet. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to pay attention to anything else. He was terrified of what his father would do. He could only assume it was something bad, and he didn't want to find out what it was. But he knew that he had no choice but to do as he had said, or else something even worse would happen.

When they reached Katie's school, Kendall pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Bye, baby sister," he said and faked a smile as he kept her at arm's length. "Have a good day at school. I love you."

As soon as he let her go, she waved back at him and then ran into her classroom.

When he got home, his father was sitting on the couch, a beer bottle held in one hand. His father's attention was turned towards him as soon as he stepped foot inside the house. He sneered as he stood and made his way towards Kendall. The blond's first instinct was to run, and that's exactly what he did. He ran up the stairs and towards his room, but he could hear footsteps following close by.

He was almost to his room, when he suddenly felt like he was being pulled backwards. His body collided with his father's, making him freeze in fear.

"What have I told you about trying to run away from me?" the older man asked as he grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him off the ground with ease. "You're such a coward," he spat before pulling Kendall towards his room and throwing him on the ground.

Kendall tried to get up, but he was knocked to the ground once more when his father kicked him in the stomach. He had no chance to catch his breath as he was pinned to the floor, his father looming over him. The grin on his face sent chills running through Kendall's body. No matter how many times his father put a hand on him, he could never get used to it. He could never get used to the pain he would bring him.

"Just stop." He could feel the tears already building in his eyes, but he couldn't let them fall. He was tired of showing weakness around his father. He was tired of it all. "Just leave me alone."

"Don't you get it?" His father chuckled humorlessly, his hand winding around Kendall's throat. "We never wanted you," he said, his hold tightening.

Kendall would have been lying if he said that hearing those words didn't hurt. They always did. If anything, the things his father would say to him hurt more than any punch ever would. He was angry, though. He was sick of letting his father get away with it all. For the first time ever, he decided that enough was enough. He couldn't do this anymore.

He tried fighting back, until all his energy was spent. By the time he could no longer fight back, he was sure he had more than a couple of broken ribs, a black eye, and his bottom lip was split and bleeding. Fighting back had been useless; he was no match against the older man. No matter how hard he tried, he could never win. He never had before, he wasn't sure why he had even tried.

"Come on, you're coming with me."

Kendall cried out as he was suddenly hauled off the ground and thrown over his father's shoulder. The action did nothing to subside the pain in his ribs. His father didn't seem to be bothered by it, not that Kendall expect him to be. It was obvious to Kendall by now that he didn't care at all about the pain he brought him.

He couldn't remember much after that. He could only assume that his father had done something to knock him out, because when he woke up, he was no longer home – he was in the hospital.

"Kendall?! Kendall, are you awake?" That was the first thing he heard as his eyes cracked open, but he couldn't tell who it was that had spoken. The hospital room's lights were so bright that he was forced to close his eyes not even a second after he had opened them. He could feel a hand holding onto his tightly and the presence of someone beside him, but he was too tired and drugged up on medication to make out who it was that was in the room with him.

He struggled to move his head to the side and open his eyes again. The face he saw when he was finally able to keep them open belonged to Logan.

"W-what—"

"You're in the hospital," Logan said carefully, not wanting to startle him. "We, uh, found you unconscious on the side of a street. You were... not in the best condition."

"Oh."

"I'd ask what happened, but you just woke up. I don't want to overwhelm you," Logan said, his eyes moving to the crisp white blanket covering Kendall. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," Kendall responded honestly.

The hold Logan had on his hand tightened as he looked him in the eye, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. "I was so scared, Kendall. I thought you were dead," he said, whispering the last sentence.

I wish I was, Kendall thought, but he forced a smile for Logan's sake and squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "I wouldn't leave you that easily," he whispered, feeling choked up all of a sudden. Seeing Logan like this was making him want to cry, too. "I'm sorry, Logie. I didn't mean to scare you."

Logan chuckled, but it was a humorless chuckle. "You shouldn't be apologizing, you did nothing wrong. I'm just so glad you woke up... The doctors didn't know if you would." He paused and sucked in a breath before continuing. "Apparently whoever did this to you, beat you up so badly that you were practically almost dead when we found you. They-they lost you on the way to the hospital. It was only for a few seconds, but... you could've died."

"But I'm here," Kendall said softly. He reached up with his hand, cupping it around Logan's face. "I'm alive," he whispered. "I'm okay, and I'm not going anywhere."

I wanted to write about what happened to Kendall the day the guys found out about what his dad was doing to him. Technically, they didn't officially find out until the next day, when Kendall woke up, but it's what led up to it. I know I had written a chapter from their point of view, so I thought it'd be a good idea to write one from his point of view.

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked the chapter. I promise the next one won't take as long.

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)