.:Chapter Seven:.
Mrs. Knight sighed as she ran her hands over her face. If her frustration was evident, it clearly wasn't having an impact on the teenagers that sat on the floor around her, going through their things to put into their own suitcases.
It also didn't help that Carlos seemed to be having a grand time whipping the guys in the face with his t-shirts more than anything else. She could already James's impatience wearing thin as each throw of the t-shirt back at Carlos was accompanied by a harsher glare and his jaw tightening even further. Like a game of cat and mouse, as the seconds passed she was aware of there being a possible homicide right in front of her.
Logan, on the other hand, was doing a good job of staying in control as well as he could. He even had made up a list of the things that needed to be packed and periodically consulted it whenever something was added to the suitcase. His clothes were rolled neatly into his suitcase, maximizing the area he had to place extra things into his suitcase.
Kendall was the only one that was sitting off to the side, his bag already packed. Having gotten used to traveling due to his hockey games as well as going to family reunions, he packed a lot quicker than the other boy did, though he had a tendency to wait until the last minute to do so, just like he had done this time. It had been two weeks since Kevin sprung the news of their trip on them and she was still anxious about it.
Kendall and Katie had slowly warmed up to the idea but that was only after she had begged them to at least try to have a good vacation. "It's like he said, if you just want to hang out with your friends or a while, then you can do that," Mrs. Knight said, stretched out across her bed. Kendall and Katie sat in front of her exchanging a glance as they listened to her campaign. "It's one of the first vacations we've had in a while and its being completely paid for…"
"Yeah, by someone who hasn't paid child support until this year," Katie reminded her. "And that's only one part of the things he was supposed to do, according to the papers."
Kendall gave his sister a funny look. "You don't get papers when you get separated, Baby Sister," he pointed out. "You only get them when you get divorced, because of splitting the assets and everything."
Bringing a hand up to her chin, Katie slowly nodded. She then leaned forward and patted her mother on the arm. "Remind me to write up some papers for you and Dad, I have this connection over in New York, he works for a law firm, I'm sure he can help me out."
Kendall's eyes widened. "What sort of people do you meet in your online poker group?"
Katie smiled.
Mrs. Knight laughed as she brushed her auburn hair out of her eyes. "If I may interrupt, I need your final decisions so I can tell Kevin how many people are going."
Kendall sighed heavily. He reached out and grabbed onto his feet, starting to rock back and forth. "Who's going?" He asked in a low voice. He kept his gaze on the flowery swirls on her comforter. They hypnotized him as he rocked back and forth. At least that way he had something to focus on other than the frustration that continued to swirl inside him.
"At this point I'm waiting to see what Gustavo and Kelly say, Ronan says that Julius and Brittany might come as well, it really depends on whether or not they can get a flight from Australia in time, but everyone else is going," Mrs. Knight said. At the quick jolt of Kendall's eyebrow, she knew what he was thinking. How strange was it that Kevin had insisted on Ronan going as well? Whether or not he had heard the stories of the mischief they got in when unsupervised—or just plain bored as they defended themselves—it was a bit of a shock to know that he was being welcomed with open arms.
Part of Mrs. Knight thought her husband was up to something, kind of like how Kendall and Katie thought Kevin was really just trying to butter them up with the trip. Another part of her knew her ex-husband well enough to know when he was being sincere and there was nothing in his tone that led her to believe he was being deceitful.
"It's a trip they can't pass up," Mrs. Knight said, defending her kids' friends. "How many other times will they get a free vacation?" She mimicked Kendall and arched an eyebrow herself. "Do you think Gustavo would ever do that?"
Kendall let out a loud bark of laughter, startling Katie.
"I'll take that as a 'no'," Mrs. Knight said. She finally sat up and wearily looked at her kids. "I don't get it," she said after a long moment. "Just a couple of weeks ago you were willingly going to the sports store to get some new hockey gear, then you get back and it's like he's the spawn of Satan."
"Well—"
"Save it," Mrs. Knight interrupted Katie. She had recognized that glint in her daughter's eye and knew to nip it in the bud as quickly s she could. She looked back and forth between her son and daughter once more. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Kendall and Katie had exchanged a glance for a few moments and then everything had come spilling out. How Kevin had said he thought about getting back together with her, how he thought it would be a good way to bring their family back together. How freaked out they had been thinking it was true, and what that meant for everyone around them.
Mrs. Knight blinked rapidly as she tried to digest everything they had told her. Finally, she reached up a finger, an imaginary light bulb going off over her head. She gave Kendall a sad, knowing smile. "You haven't told the Jacksons what Kevin did to you yet, have you?"
"Wow, Mom, nothing gets by you," Katie said sarcastically. "You know, other than the fact that he turns into a freak when the topic of conversation gets brought up." Kendall elbowed her in the side before turning back to his mother, guiltily lowering his eyes.
"It hasn't been the right time to say anything," he mumbled.
"Well, did you think it was the right time for them to say something when you practically dragged it out of them?" Mrs. Knight countered. Kendall lowered his head even further, hoping to cover his face with his fringe. It didn't work so well, now that he had gotten a haircut for the New Year. "Sweetie, have you ever thought that things like that happen for a reason? That the reason you all met the Jacksons was so that you could help them?" Kendall shrugged and nodded. "What if Kevin's being back in your life was supposed to happen so you could come to terms with what he did to you?" She asked. "Don't forget, you were the one that decided against going to see a doctor."
"I was eight; did you think I'd want to be asked a bunch of useless questions when all I wanted to do was play hockey?" Kendall shot back.
"You should've gone, Big Brother," Katie teased, elbowing him in the ribs. "It would make a bunch of things a whole lot clearer. Like, the way you have to eat you chips with the salty side down."
"Who likes to eat a dry chip?"
Mrs. Knight laughed as she watched her son and daughter playfully argue before finally getting their confirmations—begrudging on Kendall's part—that they were going to go too. (Not that she thought they wouldn't go after hearing all of their friends were going to go. She was sure the sudden blush that appeared on her daughter's cheeks had something to do with that thought as well). Once alone she finally had a chance to think about what Kendall and Katie had told them. That Kevin was thinking about getting back together with her, or had at least entertained the thought of it.
Who knows how they would have reacted if she told them she had wondered the same thing. As much as she enjoyed Ronan's company, when Kevin had started to come around more she couldn't help but question it herself. Had he really changed? His temper didn't get the best of him as much as it used to. He wasn't making excuses for anything and he was on a good schedule when it came to picking up his kids and visiting them when the time came. And there was that pesky matter that they weren't official divorced.
It had been that nagging feeling that let her know she couldn't continue to date Ronan while she continued to feel that way. It wouldn't be fair to him or herself. If she knew how badly her kids were going to take it, she would've done a better job of keeping it a secret.
Now as she sat in the kitchen of 2J, watching the boys try to put their things together, she felt nothing but gratitude towards them all. They were trying to be supportive in the wake of hers and Ronan's breakup and even though that episode with the flowers had been a bit embarrassing—and glaringly obvious—it was the thought that counted. They just wanted her to be happy.
"CARLOS! I swear to God, if you hit me with that again—"
"James, you're Jewish. You don't believe in God."
"I think that's beside the point, Carlos," Logan whispered to him.
"Oh!" Then there was the sound of a loud crash and Carlos's high-pitched scream as he ran away from the tall brunet that was now gunning after him. Kendall and Katie sat with Logan and watched as they ran around the couches and chairs, screaming and yellow.
Gently shaking her head, Mrs. Knight got up and placed her hands on her hips. "HEY!" She shouted. James skidded to a halt behind the couch. Carlos stopped so fast that his forward momentum brought him crashing to the ground, knocking his forehead against the floor.
There was a moment of silence.
"I think that's why he needed the helmet," Katie remarked, causing Kendall and Logan to laugh again.
Walking over to the teenagers, Mrs. Knight scanned the items on the floor; James's hair care products, Kendall's hockey gear, Logan's first aid kit, Katie's magazines, and whatever else it was that Carlos needed. "OK, this is what we're going to do! Logan, finish organizing your first aid kit and put it by the door, I know you're being cautious and want to be prepared, which proves that you're going to do a great job when your classes start in the fall." Logan smiled at her. "James, find some other bag to put your cosmetics in and make sure it doesn't get mixed up with mine this time." Her upper lip curled. "I don't want to make the mistake of using your massive hold when I want to use a detangler."
James shrugged. "It helped me out in the long run and your hair looked fantastic, Mama Knight."
"Kendall, get your hockey sticks by the front door so none of us trip on it…again, Katie put your magazines in your carry-on bag. I know you and Lizzie are going to want something to do on the plane and I'm not going to have my beauty rest interrupted because you're constantly asking me where things are."
"Geez, it's no wonder she doesn't like long road trips," Katie murmured to her brother, who nodded.
"And Carlos…just pick everything up," Mrs. Knight said, waving her hand out towards the clothes that were scattered over the floor. "Once all of that's done, then we can order in some pizza and get to sleep to catch our early flight."
"I'd love to, but I've gotta get back," Kendall said, rolling over to get to his feet. "I'm sure at this point Yuma's caught on that she's going to be sent to the kennel and it hiding somewhere." He went over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you at the airport tomorrow."
"Are you sure you're going to show up?" Mrs. Knight gave him a knowing look.
Kendall gave her a look in reply and gave her another kiss before leaving the apartment.
Mrs. Knight sighed, running her hand through her hair as Carlos and James started to run around the apartment once more. While they were too busy running around, Katie reached out and grabbed a sweatshirt from each of the boys, shoving it into her suitcase. She smiled.
No matter how bad of a mood she was in, somehow they always seemed to make her feel better.
"Hey, I'm back." Kendall opened the door to his apartment and kicked off his green vans, leaving them by the red pair that sat by the door. He tossed his keys into the bowl that sat on the table and closed the door behind him.
"Hey, Hockey-Head," Riley replied from the stove, her back towards him. "I'm making hot dogs for dinner." His pet pig, Yuma, suddenly came scurrying back from the laundry room, a basket on her head, squealing loudly. Kendall stooped down and took the basket off her head, bringing her up into his arms. "Woops, I think I scared her."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Kendall remarked. "I mentioned 'bacon' to her once and she nearly keeled over." Pushing his bangs off his forehead he walked over to the living room and dropped down onto the couch. Riley's maltipoo puppy, Spencer, sat on the floor nipping at a frayed rope. He placed Yuma on his chest and allowed her to walk back and forth as he stretched out, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "I'm not hungry."
"Is this your 'I-just-lost-a-game-and-I'm-angry' not hungry or your 'I'm-having-an-existential-crisis-over-nothing' not hungry?" Riley turned down the flames underneath the stove and turned to face her boyfriend.
Kendall opened an eye and looked at her. "You're not funny."
"I'm hysterical." Riley walked over to him and picked Yuma up into her arms. She straddled Kendall's waist as she sat down on the couch, he instinctively drew up his legs so when she leaned back she was resting against his legs. "What's up?" Though the words were kind of harsh there was a soothing edge to her tone.
Kendall's chest and stomach swelled as he took in a deep breath before focusing on the ceiling. "I just don't get why everyone's so excited to be going to the Bahamas," he said.
Riley gave him a 'duh' look. "Does the words 'free, paid vacation' mean nothing to you?" She tilted her head to the side. "I know you're a blond, but you're not that dumb." Kendall rolled his eyes. "Besides, my siblings and I've been working for years and haven't really had time off, so this vacation is something beauty."
A snort escaped Kendall before he could stop it. "And get dragged around to the educational things Logan's going to inevitably take us to when you're not too busy being stuck in awkward silences with my Mom, my Dad, and Ronan? No thanks!"
"Actually, I was thinking more of the beach, the sand, vacation, probably no curfew…" Riley trailed off as she bobbed her head back and forth.
"You don't have a curfew," Kendall reminded her.
"That's not the point. The point is that there'd be no work related stress..." she shrugged. "I don't know, it sounded romantic to me."
"Glad to see I've rubbed off on you, Ruby." Kendall grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it, interlacing his fingers with hers. Riley rolled her eyes, but allowed the motion, smiling a little as her cheeks flushed and her eyes lit up.
"Not only for us, boofhead," she said swinging her head so her hair moved out of her eyes. "Though don't be surprised if you don't see Logan and Camille at all the whole time they're there. Something tells me they're going to be taking advantage of this vacation." A light chuckle escaped Kendall's lips. "I meant for Ronan and Mama Knight. Admittedly our last few plans crashed and burned, but you can't beat ambiance, yeah?"
"But what if something goes wrong with the three of them being there? I mean, we're trying to get Mom and Ronan back together and then we're all going on vacation with my Dad, who's trying to get back together with her!" He closed his eyes once more.
There was a long period of silence.
"I don't mean this the wrong way, Kendall, but is it really a bad thing if your Dad gets back together with your Mom?" Kendall's eyes snapped open at her question. Mostly because he recognized the seriousness of her tone as she had called him by his first name, but also partially because of what she had said. "Yeah, he walked out on you, but things were fine with you lot and you were actually starting to become friends with him again before this came up, yeah? So what's the big deal?"
Kendall knew then was the best chance for him to tell her what Kevin had done to him when he was younger but…he couldn't. His body wouldn't allow him to. He had thought about it so many times before and had nearly had a panic attack just thinking about it. He wasn't sure how she would react and actually dreaded the way she would react. Bringing it up now was not the best time.
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
Riley shrugged, her eyes flashing. "Don't you?"
Kendall hummed. Sitting up, he shuffled back until his back was resting against the arm rest of the couch. He brought one hand behind his head, lifting his chin defiantly. "You don't get it…as much as I would like him to be there, like I had when I was a kid…there's still so much he did wrong. He only just gave us back the child support money he owed us; he's only just doing his visitation rights! Do you know how long I had waited for it?"
"Was waiting really the problem or was it that he didn't show that he wanted to be around what bothered you the most?"
She has a point. If what Kevin had said was true, that he had wanted to get back in touch with them shortly after he left but was too ashamed to do it, what would've happened if Kendall went and asked about him? Still the man had cheated on his mother and became so guilty that he had started to drink, got angry, beat him, and left when he was given an ultimatum. Maybe it was his guilt that was still driving him now?
"I don't know," Kendall said.
He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He had brought the conversation on himself and he was already annoying himself with it. It wasn't that she wasn't on his side, he knew she was and always would be unless she found it was something that was against what she personally believed to be right—and that had happened on more than one occasion, prompting some of their few, albeit nasty fights—but that she was trying to help him see the big picture and not just how he felt while still being on his side. It was frustrating how right she could be sometimes.
She never liked to outright give him advice on his problems unless the situation allowed, usually preferring that he worked out his own problems with a bit of prodding from her. It was moments like that that helped they had been—and still were—best friends before dating.
"I think things would be fine if they stayed the way they were. I don't want my Mom to get hurt in the long run and even though I wouldn't want them to get back together…that doesn't mean that I don't want my Dad back. Not really…I don't think." Kendall looked surprised then gazed at his girlfriend warily. Somehow she still managed to work her magic. "How'd you do that?"
Riley smirked and winked at him.
"Katie, would you please stop unpacking my backpack!"
Katie looked startled before glancing at Patrick, who took his backpack from her lap and started to shove the notebooks, pens, pencils, sunglasses, sun block, Chap Stick, books, and wallet back inside. She hadn't even noticed that she started to take everything out his bag. She was bored, waiting for the plane to leave and having had to get up so early just to catch the flight had picked up his bag and started to mess around with it.
Besides, what if there was something inside that he was planning on giving her? Some sort of a gift maybe. Or was there a song that he was writing about her? She never thought she was the kind of girl that would've liked that, finding it kind of awkward when she thought about it, but the attention would've been nice. Rather than him being completely engrossed in the game he was playing on his phone.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm just bored."
"Join the club," Patrick agreed. Pointing with his chin towards his twin brother who sat across from him with Lizzie he said, "If it weren't for the fact that we could get banned from this airport, we probably would've commandeered a security cart by now."
Noah shook his head. "It wasn't that we would be banned," he corrected his brother. "Just that security is tired of seeing us."
"I swear, you boys get into too much stuff for your own good," Lizzie said. She brushed her long blonde hair out of her face. "And I thought Kendall and them were bad. But they didn't shut down an entire airport."
"You shut down an entire airport?" Katie turned back to Patrick, who gave a sheepish smile.
He rolled his eyes, putting his phone down. "She's making it sound worse than it actually is," he said. "Back in Oz we were going to take a quick flight down to New Zealand, yeah? And there was this passenger who was taking his reptile collection to some convention or something and the five of us were playing catch and Syd lost control of the ball—"
"You mean you lost control of the ball," Noah reminded him.
Patrick waved a hand. "And lizards got everywhere." He shrugged as if it were no big deal. "Good thing is the island we're going to have more than enough things to keep us preoccupied." He glanced at Katie out of the corner of his eye. "And keep you away from your Dad if you don't want to be around him."
Katie flushed and looked away from him. On one hand she was glad he paid close enough attention to her that he knew what she was really thinking, but another part of her wanted to smack him on the arm and tell him to shut up, to stay out of her business. It was bad enough she was even questioning him being around again, when it was something she had secretly wanted for a while. Growing up, the attention was always on Kendall if not for how he was feeling and how his hockey was going. Being the younger sister she sat back on the sidelines and watched as he fielded questions left and right and acted like he had everything together.
While she, on the other hand, forgot about the man that used to be there and had become a girl so independent that she had even hurt her mother when she realized she wasn't needed as much as she could have been. It just made her wonder, what would've been different? If Katie were older when he left would she had been closer to her mother and not as independent? Would she have become girlier and not have to suffer from the embarrassment of the guys constantly watching over who she dated? (Scratch that, Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James would've wanted to know who she was dating anyway). But they wouldn't have become so much of a father figure to all of them.
But would she have wanted that either? She and Kendall were super close because of their father leaving in general. With the three year age gap between them she was sure they wouldn't be the way they were now if Kevin had still been around.
I guess there are a lot of things that Dad's leaving really helped, Katie thought. Turning in her seat, she glanced over at him as he sat in an empty chair a little bit away from the rest of the group. He looked like he was part of the group, but was on his own at the same time. The same way she felt while first trying to fit in with the "Hollywood Culture" she had grown accustomed to. Maybe we have more in common than I thought.
"Watcha lookin' at girl?" Lizzie asked. "A hot guy?"
"I hope not," Patrick joked. She could hear the slight twinge of insecurity in his voice.
Katie rolled her eyes, twisting back around in her seat. Noah looked at her curiously, but didn't say anything, waiting for her answer. "No, I was just watching my Dad," she said. "He looks kinda…I don't know…" she shrugged. "Sad?"
"He looks OK to me," Noah remarked, in his soft voice. He slouched down in his chair, blue eyes directly pointed at the blond man. "Just like he doesn't want to overstep his boundaries with anything." His eyes then shifted to the side to Big Time Rush. "Or he's trying to keep from getting annoyed at the guys as they play that slapping game." As if to prove his point, Carlos and Logan screeched loudly as Kendall and James got a slap on their hands and cheered, their voices echoing throughout the airport terminal. His eyes moved back to Katie. "Don't be surprised if Gustavo murders your brother."
"Hey, I'd finally get first dibs on pizza," Katie said with a shrug and a smile. But what happens when Kendall really does leave? He's already moving out, what if he leaves you completely? The thought surprised her.
"Good to know you have your priorities straight, girl," Lizzie agreed with an enthusiastic nod and thumbs up. "The three things that every girl needs in life, pizza, boys, and shopping."
"I'm sure Katie's is more like money, money, and money," Patrick said. Katie elbowed him in the side as he laughed and put his arm around the back of her chair. Cheeks reddening even further, Katie turned her gaze to her feet. The two of them had been dating for about half a year at that point and she was still not used to the attention he gave her, especially considering he was her first boyfriend. But no matter how he always seemed to be doing the right things, she knew he was nervous too as she was his first girlfriend.
"It's going to be a good vacation, right?" She asked, leaning her head on his shoulder, pushing all thoughts of her father out of her head. She wouldn't allow him to ruin a good time and besides, it would be fun to think of different ways to put Ronan and Mrs. Knight back together while on vacation.
What other time was better?
"Right," Patrick confirmed. "And if you need help swiping any of the guys' towels to sell to the inevitable hoards of fans that you'll find yourself scamming, I deserve twenty percent of what you make."
Katie grinned.