A/N. Thanks so much for all of the support you guys are giving me for this story. It has not been an easy subject to tackle so you're all helping out much more than you probably realize. Thank you.
I have to point out a continuity mistake I made in including Danny in this story for the last chapter. It was more or less intentionally because although "How to Save A Life" doesn't line up with my other stories (for example, Camille and Jo aren't even mentioned), I thought he was too important of a character to leave out. So please bear with me in the fact that his chapter is out of place and doesn't relate to any of the other chapters.
This chapter is short, because there's honestly not that much material to work with for the relationship between Jo and Logan. However, I thought it was important that I included her not just because Logan was once attracted to her (Big Time Love Song) but because Logan and Kendall are often brothers in my stories, so Jo would be important to Logan and his brother's girlfriend. I also think that she's important to include because of the best friend relationship between her and Camille even though it wasn't portrayed that way very often on the show. I hope that makes sense.
I don't own anything.
Reason Number Three: Jo.
You and Kendall have been together for a little over a year now. You're the perfect couple. Even though you're so young. I never thought that true love could exist at such a young age. Sure, you had your ups and downs, but who hasn't? I've always believed that you would stay together for a long time and that with maturity, your love would grow even stronger. The love between you and Kendall gave me hope.
I don't know if you even remember this, Jo, but there was a time when I had a crush on you. In fact, all four of us thought we were head over heels in love the moment we first saw you. You know, love at first sight. But it didn't take too long to realize two things. One, there was no way that Camille would let you have me even if you wanted me. Two, that you were meant to belong to Kendall. However, you're still a much bigger part of my life than you probably realize, Jo. Why? Because you make the people I love really happy.
Camille first. You're her best friend. The two of you are only separated when Kendall and I take you out on dates and even then we almost always double. It's like the four of us made a new set of the four musketeers that Kendall, Carlos, James, and I have always been. We don't take the place of the original of course, but there's still that special bond between us. I think it's because you and Camille are so close and Kendall and I are so close.
You're like another sister to me, Jo. Katie is amazing of course and she and Camille get along really well which I'm grateful for. But you're the sister that's the same age as my girlfriend who takes care of her when I can't be there myself. Does that make sense? I know Camille struggles a lot more than she lets on with her confidence. She can get really down on herself sometimes. Even though she's incredibly mature for her age, Katie is too young for a lot of what Camille goes through sometimes. And even though she depends on me for a lot of it, sometimes she needs another girl to be there for her. That's you. You're a loyal friend to everyone.
Kendall is a little more complex. He's my best friend and my brother. Actually, as he likes to remind me constantly, he's technically my older brother because three months makes a difference to him. Ever since I can remember, he's used this three month advantage to be the most annoyingly overprotective "big brother" that anyone could imagine. And I love him for it. Kendall is everything to me, Jo, and it kills me every time I see him get hurt.
He's stronger on the outside than he is on the inside. He's always strong for other people, but he never lets people be strong for him. His parents divorced when we were eleven, you know that. And you know that it still hurts him every once in a while. But you didn't see how much it hurt him when it first happened. It was terrifying seeing Kendall so helpless and vulnerable, needing to lean on us instead of the other way around. We made it though just like we always have and always will. Together.
I know that one of the things Kendall struggled with after his parents' divorce was the concept of love. It had shaken him deeply, seeing his mom and dad unable to save their marriage. It's not like they ever hated each other but it's like they actually fell out of love. When you're a little kid, you never hear of people falling out of love. That's not how the fairy tales go. A man and woman fall in love and they live happily ever after.
There was no happily ever after for Kendall's mom and dad and even though he never voluntarily let anyone see it, we could all see the scar it had left behind. He doubted love. He doubted that it could be real and that people could stay together forever. It didn't really matter that Carlos' parents were the exact opposite, never to be apart from each other, or that James' parents were happily married too. All that he knew was that his parents could stay together.
I think part of his fear was that he thought he might have inherited something from his parents. If they could love, then why should he as their son, be able to love someone one day? There's nothing wrong with being single, nothing at all. Especially when we're still young. But up until we met you, I think we were all afraid for Kendall and his lack in confidence in love and himself.
But you changed that, Jo. You changed him. For the better. You've made him believe in love all over again. You make him so happy. He trusts you. After all he's been through, that's a very big deal. You might never really know the difference because you didn't know him before. But I can see it and so can anyone who knew him back in Minnesota.
He's not just happier but he's also more relaxed. He's not constantly on guard or protecting himself from getting too close to someone. When his dad left, all Kendall was left with was his mother, his sister, and a deep sense of abandonment. He was afraid that everyone would leave him after that. He and his dad were and still are very close. I think that made the whole thing worse though, because there was always a part of Kendall wondering why his father had to leave if he still loved him.
He had changed when his parents divorced and it wasn't for the better. The first year was the worst. He was quieter and slightly more distant unless we really needed him. When we were just having fun he always seemed like his mind was on other things. We could see, even though we were only eleven, that he was afraid we would leave him too, and it seemed like no matter what we did to prove him wrong, that he was constantly pulling slowly away from us to prepare himself.
Thankfully, that only lasted about a year until he realized that he was stuck with us. But it was different around people he didn't know as well as us. He didn't make friends as easily as other kids our age. Of course, the four of us were almost always together so there really was no need to make more friends. But it was like he couldn't make friends because he was afraid of trusting a new person that much.
Then we moved to LA and after a while, we met you. Even though all of us were vying for your attention, it was easy to see, looking back, that it was real love at first sight with Kendall. I had never seen him so drawn to a girl before. It wasn't just a crush like it was for me and James and Carlos. For him, it was the real thing. He instantly let you in.
Your relationship has only grown stronger over the last year and you know by now that Kendall isn't as confident as he seems to most strangers. But that's because he lets you see who he really is and the things and people he fears. He lets you see who he really is. He trusts you. He let you past all of his barriers and I'll always be thankful toward you for that. You've done so much for my big brother and I love you for it, so thank you.
I know this may not seem like a huge reason for me to stay alive, but trust me, it is. When the people I love the most are happy, I'm happy too. Not just the false sense of happiness that will eventually wear off and leave me feeling worse than before, but the kind of happiness that stays with me even when I'm in the darkest of places. It gives me something to hold on to.
I know we're all still seventeen and young, but I love Camille and I believe that one day we'll be married. And I believe just as strongly that you and Kendall will be married one day and you'll be my sister-in-law. I believe that James and Carlos will find someone who deserves them and that they'll be married one of these days. I want that future for all of us, Jo. So when my past is holding me back and darkening my present, it's the future that I can look towards and find the strength to smile again.
So not only have you made Camille and Kendall happy, which they deserve, and made me happy in turn, but you've also given me hope. You've made me see an amazing future and that keeps me moving forward no matter how rough things get. I owe you more than you realize, so thank you.
A/N. I apologize once again for the long wait and the shortness of this chapter but I actually got to it before I thought I would and it was longer than I thought it would be so that makes me feel a little better.
Anyway, I hope that I managed to get this specific point across which was, that even when we're depressed, we should take joy in the fact that the people we love are happy. And that no matter how lousy our past or present it, the future is what we make it and it can be better. There's always hope. I'll try to update soon, but in the meantime, please feel free to message me if you need someone to talk to. I love you all!
