James couldn't help wondering. If Erica and his dad hadn't interrupted them, would Kendall have said "I love you too"? There was no way to know. The next day at school, Kendall was back to his shy, moody self. His dark clothing seemed to stand out even more. His bruises seemed to contrast with his pale skin even more than before.

"Hey," James greeted that morning at the lockers.

"Hi," Kendall mumbled back, not even looking at him.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine," Kendall replied shortly.

"You sure? You just seem kind of down—"

"I'm fine, James!" Kendall snapped, shutting his locker with a bang. "I'm just not in the mood to talk, ok?" With that, he turned and walked down the hallway, leaving James standing there in confusion and indignation.

After a few minutes of just standing there, he went to his first class.

Unfortunately, Kendall's mood didn't improve throughout the day, and suddenly by the afternoon, James had had enough. "What's your problem?" he asked angrily, once Kendall showed up at his locker. "You've been in a mood with me all day! If I did something to offend you just tell me!"

Kendall looked surprised. "Sorry, James. I just had a lot on my mind."

James sighed. "It's fine, I guess." He paused. "I guess I'm not really surprised."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been through a lot, y'know?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kendall asked, trying to keep his voice calm and level.

"I just don't blame you for—"

"You don't blame me?" Kendall was pissed off now.

"What are you getting so worked up about?" James demanded, slamming his locker shut.

"I don't want your pity! I don't want anyone's pity!"

"You're being stupid!" The words stung a lot more than Kendall expected, and he replied without thinking.

"Just go away and leave me alone!" Kendall instantly regretted saying it, but he wasn't going to back down. His pride wouldn't let him.

"Fine!" James snapped, not noticing the heads that turned to listen to their loud argument. "I will! Have a great life without me!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

Kendall stormed off in one direction, James went in another. Kendall was biting his lip as he left school and started walking home as fast as he could. Just willing himself not to break down in the middle of the street.

Thankfully he didn't; he was able to unlock the front door and go inside. He let out a shuddering breath and went up to his room. He sat at his desk and opened his backpack. Too bad homework was the last thing on his mind. He opened his English textbook on the page with the poem he was supposed to read, and suddenly his vision blurred.

"You got Miss Lynch?"

"No."

"You're even luckier. She hates my guts."

"Nah. She probably thinks you're cute!"

A tear landed on the page, right on top of the word 'gone'. He hadn't even paid attention in class, so he didn't know what this poem was about. He read through it quickly, then immediately wished he hadn't.

(1)I didn't get a chance to say I love you.
You were gone before we got that far.
All I know is now I really need you,
Yet when I look for you, you aren't there.

You said once that you never would forget me,
Yet how am I to know without you here?
Such emptiness! Like what I feel within me:
Neither flesh nor tears, just cold thin air.

Sometimes, alone, I feel your arms around me,
And all my need for you spills out in pain.
Jagged memories of you surround me.
I cannot think I won't see you again.

God, who had thought of that? Really, who would write about something like this?

Kendall felt more tears building up. In a sudden fit of anger he shoved the book and several other objects off his desk. They all landed on the floor with a crash, the book still hanging open on the same page. All I know is now I really need you, yet when I look for you, you aren't there.

I need you . . . but you aren't here . . .

Kendall, with his arms folded on his desk, rested his head on them and started to cry. He should've known it couldn't last. Some people just weren't meant to be happy.

This was ridiculous. What kind of sick universe decides that some people can be happy and others can't? That one person could live in a nice house with a big family and be happily married with kids by the time they were thirty, while others were stuck in a house getting beaten every night and losing the one person that made them happy? How was that fair?

It wasn't. But that was reality, and he was gonna have to try and deal with it. Despite how hard it was. There had been so many times when he'd considered just getting a knife out and ending it all. But he couldn't. He didn't want to leave Katie and his mom behind. And, if he was totally honest, he didn't think he had the guts to kill himself.

He didn't know how long he sat there for. It could've been hours, it could've only been a minute.

Kendall suddenly heard the doorbell and sat up, wondering who might be calling over. He didn't want to answer; he didn't want to see anybody. But the doorbell rang again, and he guessed whoever it was knew someone was home and wasn't gonna leave him be until he answered the door.

He dried his eyes and fixed his hair, which currently made him look like he'd been rolling around in a bush. He glanced in a mirror on his way downstairs; he didn't look much better.

He opened the door and was about to ask whoever it was what the hell they wanted, when he stopped in shock. It was James, looking shy but determined. "Hey, Kendall. I know you wanted me to leave you alone, and I said I would. But here's the thing." He paused, looking directly into Kendall's eyes. "I honestly can't."

Kendall stared for one second. Then he threw himself into James's arms, willing himself not to cry again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . . I shouldn't've said that, it was stupid, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry . . ."

"Hey, it's not all your fault. I guess I should've thought about what I said a little more. Forgive me?"

Kendall nodded, face buried in James's chest. He looked up at James, drying his eyes as he said, "But it was my fault too. And I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's over and done with now."

Kendall smiled at him. For the first time he noticed what James was holding in his free hand. "You brought me flowers?"

Yeah," James replied, handing them over. "I thought it might be a good idea . . . but if you don't like them I can—"

"I love them," Kendall said, cutting him off. "They're beautiful." He paused. "Hey, James . . ."

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

James felt himself soaring high. He smiled at Kendall. "You don't know happy I am to hear that."

"I kinda do," he replied with a smile. "I felt it when you said you loved me."

James grinned, winding his arms around Kendall's waist and kissing him on the forehead. "I hope we never fight again."

"Me too. I hated it." Kendall pulled back slightly so he could look at James properly. "You wanna come inside for a bit?"

James was astounded. Inside the house? But he nodded. "Yeah, sure. That'd be great."

Kendall stepped back and led James inside. He made his way into the kitchen. "I think there's a vase around here somewhere." He opened a few cupboards until he found it, and once the flowers were in a vase on the kitchen table, Kendall turned to James. "So . . . now what?"

James couldn't help chuckling. "You don't have people over very often, do you?"

"Never. I'm not supposed to." Kendall's eyes strayed downward. "And I've kind of learned to do what I'm told."

James was determined to direct Kendall's mind elsewhere. He slipped a finger under his chin and tilted his head up. "When people have friends over, they do things that friends do."

Kendall laughed. "That much is obvious."

"True." James rested his lips against Kendall's. "Anyway, since I'm your boyfriend, we do . . . different things."

James had his right hand on Kendall's back, then in one swift motion, he bent down and moved his left hand to the back of Kendall's knees, sweeping his legs out from under him and picking him up. He grinned at the surprised squeak Kendall let out as he found himself high up from the ground. He wound his arms around James's neck, kissing several spots on James's cheeks and nose. "I really love you now."

James grinned, eyes leaving Kendall's for a second so he could make his way out into the hallway. "I love you too." He looked in the direction of the stairs. "Which way?"

"Second door on the left," Kendall murmured, kissing James again. James found walking up the stairs with Kendall in his arms easy; he was lighter than he'd expected, though the kisses he was planting on his face made him dizzy with ecstasy.

Stumbling through the door, they landed in a heap on Kendall's bed, limbs tangled together as they kissed every inch of each other they could reach. Somehow they could get rid of all the hurt they'd both been feeling for such a long time. They could heal each other.

James had Kendall pinned underneath him at this point, kissing him eagerly as his hands moved downwards. They stopped at the waist of Kendall's jeans. Hands that he weren't sure belonged to him were tugging at the button, when he heard something that made him stop immediately.

"James . . . wait." Kendall took hold of James's wrists. "I . . . I don't want to. Not yet. I'm not ready."

James nodded slowly. He understood. He really did. "It's ok." He paused. "Maybe it's better if we wait anyway." He sat up and leaned against the headboard, pulling Kendall up with him. The blonde rested his head on his shoulder, curling up at his side.

"You're not mad at me?"

James almost smiled at the worried look on Kendall's face. "No way. I'd never get mad at you over something like that." He kissed the blonde on the forehead. "Never."

Kendall smiled at him. "Thanks." He sat up a little straighter, removing his head from James's shoulder. "So . . . how are things at home?"

James shrugged. "Ok, I guess. They've stopped nagging me about dating you; I think that's a good thing."

Kendall looked away. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not perfect."

"Hey, don't say that." James took his hand and squeezed it. "Besides, they only see the way you dress and the way you look. There's way more to you." He paused. "And to me. I bet if they looked past the surface for once, they'd understand."

Suddenly the door opened, and Kendall immediately snatched his hand back from James. A tall, broad-shouldered man was standing at the door. There was a look of cold fury in his eyes, though the rest of his face was empty of expression. James just knew who it was instantly. He felt anger bubbling up inside him. He wanted to just lift Kendall over his shoulder and run off with him, to get him away from this monster that caused him so much pain.

"Kendall." He kept his tone light, though anger was still radiating from him. "What have I told you about inviting people over?"

Kendall looked positively terrified. "I-I'm sorry. He was just leaving." He turned to look pointedly at James. "Weren't you?"

James nodded, letting Kendall pull him to his feet and start pushing him out the door. All the way down the stairs, James was sure he could hear Kendall's heart pounding. He reached the front door and opened it, turning to look at Kendall, who said, "See you tomorrow."

James nodded, eyes straying to where Mr Myers now had an iron grip on Kendall's arm, holing him back. "Bye, James," he said, blinking back frightened tears that James noticed. He swallowed, then turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

Instead of leaving, he darted behind one of the bushes at the side of the house, and he listened. Praying he wouldn't hear anything, though he wasn't sure if that would be a good sign either.

Then he heard a shout, and froze. "How dare you disobey me? I told you not to bring anyone over here!"

He heard a horrible scream, and then, "I'm sorry! I-I forgot, I won't do it again!"

"You're a pathetic little liar!" Another scream.

And another. Then a sobbing voice. "S-stop it, I'm sorry, please!"

James was crying at this stage, sobbing breathlessly. The braver, less rational part of him wanted to storm back in there and take on Mr Myers singlehanded. The other part knew that this wouldn't really do any good. He couldn't save Kendall. He just didn't know how.

With tears flowing down his cheeks, he straightened up and shakily walked away, leaving Kendall behind.

(1)'I didn't get a chance to say I love you' by Nicholas Gordon.

I found this really depressing. I'm sorry if the story doesn't seem like it's getting anywhere, I promise that it will. Though I should've mentioned before there's a lot of mindless sadness and fluffiness in this story. Please review! And go to my poll, double please!