A/n: This chapter is VERY long, averaging 10,000 + I believe :D I'm really happy for this one, cause there is a bit of foreshadowing (as well as in the last chapter ;D) that you may be able to pick up on. The boys are going to be coming in very soon, don't you worry :D Kendall can't stay in Thief River Falls forever!
Make sure to check out christinainwonderlands Ampersand which is an EPIC story, and she is new to this fandom so be nice ;D
and of course, the perfect, astounding Past The Sorrow by waterwicca, who is the most amazing author ever :D
I hope you guys review and enjoy this chapter. We see a bit of BAMF Kendall who WILL be returning, don't you worry ;D
I don't own BTR, but I do own Stella and The Treggers (and other OC's). I do not own "Two is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls.
Chapter Seven: Overly Passionate
Kendall sat on the giant, plush, couch of the Tregger's living room in his plaid pajama pants and loose Henley, one leg resting on the other loosely, biting his lower lip. It was Christmas morning, and his eyes scanned the Tregger's usually tidy hardwood floors which were now covered with all different types of snowman, snowflake, and Santa wrapping paper, as the younger guests who had stayed the night tore it recklessly off their presents under the huge, fancy tree that sat in the corner of the Tregger's living room. Cameras flashed, screams and yelps were heard from the little girls who got their Barbie dolls, and the little boys who got their Nerf guns as parents played up Santa, and how great he was at getting them what they wanted.
This wasn't the type of Christmas Kendall was used to. There were at least sixty people in the Tregger's living room, and everything was lively as if it was some sort of parade, not being able to get a moment of silent with all the ruckus. Kendall had been so used to quietly opening his presents under the tree with Katie back home, as their parents looked on in awe, pretending not to know what "Santa" got them since Katie still believed. Kendall always smirked at his parents as they exchanged gifts on Christmas. His father would always get his mother a piece of jewelry even though she never wanted one—well, that's at least what she always told her husband. The exchange would always be sealed with a tender peck on the lips that made Kendall's heart fill with warmth, knowing that one day he'd be able to make some woman happy like that on Christmas.
Kendall's parents were the typical high school sweethearts that everyone in their graduating class envied. Being the only married couple left in their Duluth High group of friends, they had stood the fights, tears, and two children they had brought into the world together beautifully. Kendall always noticed how loving his parents were towards each other. It was in everything they did. How they kissed goodbye in the morning before he left work, how they always went out on their anniversary, and how they just looked at each other. It seemed after all those years, not even an ounce of love had dissipated between them, and it made Kendall hopeful for his own future, and thankful that there wouldn't be any horrible divorces in his house.
Little did he know his father would be taken away from them anyway.
Kendall should've been happy this Christmas morning. I mean first of all, it was Christmas, and even if he was a sixteen year old jock, he still enjoyed it thoroughly, as any kid would.
Second of all, he had gotten the two-hundred dollar Bauer Vapor Senior hockey stick he had his eye on for the last five months—especially since he had broken his old one the night his father died. He'd been using one of Carlos' old hockey sticks that he didn't need, since he had gotten a new one for his birthday.
Thirdly, he hadn't seen his mother smile so much since getting here. He would've thought this day would be absolutely dreadful for her, but a smile graced her aged face as she watched Katie open the rest of her gifts. He didn't know if she was putting up a front for his younger sister, or the fact that he had been acting so happy with Stella lately made her happier, but Kendall had a feeling not only his father's death and that his attitude the past few months had definitely put a large weight on his mother's heart. He smiled small at the sight of Katie's eyes lighting up at the new coat his mother had gotten her and the excitement on the young girls' face.
And fourthly, here Kendall was, waking up a man on Christmas morning. He had made love for the first time, to a beautiful, saucy, perfect blonde who had captured his heart in ways the teenager couldn't even fathom at this moment. As Stella walked him back through the forest at 11:50 at night, his arm linked with hers, he couldn't wait for the next time they would do that again. It wasn't as much the pleasure he felt from it, but the connection they had emotionally being expressed physically. How she thirsted for his touch, and the sounds she made during, it seemed like they had made love dozens of times before this. It boggled Kendall's mind, and making love to Stella had felt like an outer body experience, something he would never forget. So when she left him with a smile, a tender kiss on the lips, and retreated back to her cold, bleak house, it tore his heart in two to leave her.
So why was Kendall Knight upset on Christmas morning?
It was Christmas, which meant he only had three more days with Stella before he left. He had been so enthralled in all her love and mystery the past few days, he hadn't realized he was going to have to leave her soon. He didn't even want to think of it though, knowing that he could spend a lot of time with her before he made the trek back home, since his family knew her as Kacey, which was quite a relief. It seemed like the past few days, Kendall had been living in his own little world. He didn't really even bother to talk to James, Carlos and Logan, something that had been in the back of his mind this Christmas morning.
As well as Stella, Kendall realized no gift this Christmas would ever replace his father's usual Knight smirk when Kendall opened his annual Minnesota Wild hockey jersey. He had gotten one every single year on Christmas, each year a different member of the team. It was sort of a personal gift from Kristopher to Kendall that each of them truly cherished; son receiving, father giving.
Bryan Tregger took a seat next to Kendall, clad in plaid PJ pants, with his elegant, monogrammed robe tied around him. As if he couldn't be any richer.
"Merry Christmas, Dude," Bryan said, extending a hand to him. Kendall snapped out of his trance and smiled at the blonde, shaking his hand.
"Merry Christmas," Kendall said politely as Bryan smiled. He motioned his chin to the expensive hockey stick that lay next to the pile of Kendall's other less important presents.
"We better try that thing out before you leave," Bryan said smiling, as Kendall bit his lip nervously. Leave. He didn't want to leave. Kendall chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah, we'll have to play a round," Kendall chuckled out nervously, wondering when he was going to get that in when he was spending all his time with Stella.
"So I never asked you, how was your little Christmas with Kacey?" Bryan asked, cocking an eyebrow and giving Kendall a chuckle. Kendall swallowed hard, thinking of the amazing Christmas Eve he had and looked at Bryan's shining blue eyes.
"It was fine. She's—she's a really special girl," Kendall mustered out, his heart almost yelling at him for undermining the feelings between him and Stella. Bryan smiled at him and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, she seemed great at dinner the other night. I really didn't talk to her too much, but she seems like she really likes you, Kendall. I hope you guys stay in touch after you leave. And maybe you can convince your mom to let you come up here a few times in the year to see her, and so we can play a little hockey. You're better then Jake, Stephen and Alex combined," Bryan said smiling. Kendall swallowed hard and his eyes cast down as his throat closed a bit. Staying in touch. How hard was that going to be when Stella was a runaway? It's not like she had a cell phone or anything like that. His head spun with thoughts as he nodded, trying to remain calm. Maybe he could come up here, even if it was just for the excuse to see Bryan—who he actually really did like—and play hockey.
"Bryan, come here!" Serena called from under the tree, holding up some sort of colorful toy. Bryan looked at Kendall and smiled, before getting up and going over to his little sister, plopping down next to her and reveling in her Christmas joy. It was as soon as Bryan left that Kendall saw his mom sit down next to him on the couch. He turned to her and smiled, resting her hand on his thigh, giving him a warm touch.
"Did you like your gifts?" she asked her son with hopeful eyes. Kendall smiled at her and leaned into her a bit more, squeezing her to him.
"I loved them. Thanks, Mom," Kendall said smiling, looking up into her blue eyes. Kim smiled at her son and swallowed hard, looking down at her fingers, then back up into her son's eyes.
"Come with me," she said, patting his knee and getting up from the couch. Kendall looked confused as his mother looked at him with stern, loving eyes. Kendall cluelessly got up from the couch with a grunt and followed his mother upstairs, and down the hallway to their room.
Once inside, Kim closed the door behind him and went over to the side dresser. She leafed through some of her shirts, and finally found what she was looking for. She swallowed hard as her fingers touched the small box wrapped in red, shiny paper with a small silver ribbon around it. Her shaking fingers took it to her chest as she closed the drawer, taking one more deep breath before she turned around.
Kendall stood in the middle of the room completely clueless as his mother approached him, the little wrapped box in her hands.
"Sit down, sweetheart," she said softly, as Kendall looked in her eyes a bit scared. Kim sat down next to her son on the bed as Kendall faced her, his eyebrows knitted. She took a deep breath before she started, fingering the square box one last time before handing it over.
"This is from your father, Kendall," Kim said shakily, extending the box out to him. Kendall's heart dropped into the pits of his stomach as he looked at his mother extending the box out to him. He took it from her slowly with wide, heavy eyes, swallowing hard as his mother sighed, a wet tear falling down her cheek. "He bought them a week before the accident," she muttered out, her voice cracking.
Kendall took off the silver ribbon cautiously and began to unwrap the box slowly, making sure not to rip any of the wrapping paper off this sacred gift. He put the red paper aside and looked at the small white box in front of him and felt a lump in his throat. He looked at his mother one last time as she nodded, as he took off the top of it. Kendall's heart nearly stopped when he looked at what the box contained.
Two tickets to Los Angeles Kings vs. Minnesota Wild game, for January 23 of the next year, in Los Angeles, California.
Kendall stared at the tickets, his hand beginning to shake a bit. All was silent as he slowly took the tickets out of the box and put it aside. He held the hefty paper in his shaking hand, one hand going through his hair, his eyes tearing up. He couldn't believe it. This gift was from his father.
"I don't know if you'll be able to go, Baby," Kim started off, her hand on Kendall's thigh, trying to give him some sense of comfort. She sniffled as more tears fell out of her eyes. "But your father really wanted you to have them. And he was so excited to give them to you this Christmas," she barely got out, her voice audibly cracking at the end, as she brought her hand to her mouth. Warm tears spilled over her cheeks, as she looked up to the sky, trying to get them away as Kendall looked at her, tears falling from his eyes as well.
"Thank you for giving them to me, Mom," he barely whispered out, biting his lower lip and nodding. Kimberly Knight then threw her arms around her son as he hugged her tightly, nuzzling into her hair, the tickets still in his hand as he began to cry in her arms.
"Merry Christmas, Kendall," Kimberly whispered into her son's hair, as he gave her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know everything was going to be alright.
Kendall took his usual route past the fir trees, down into the storm cellar and up the basement stairs into Stella's house. He had a gift for her in one hand, in a small red and blue bag with a snowman on it, and a plate of hot breakfast in the other. Luckily, he was able to sneak it again due to all the commotion and clamor of opening Christmas presents in the living room. He had gotten a freshly bought bagel, some eggs, and bacon for her. He had told his mother he needed to take a walk to clear his head after receiving his father's Christmas gift, and she understood, but told him to take his cell phone with him. While it was true he needed to clear his head after the emotional Christmas this morning, he decided that a walk would never come close to working as much as seeing Stella's face would.
"Stella?" he called to her, hoping to evoke a response, walking towards her room in the back of the house. His booted footsteps creaked on the shiny wood floors, as he made his way to the master bedroom where he could feel the heat radiating from, knowing she was in there. He inched the door open a bit and smiled at what he saw. Stella, sleeping soundly in a mountain of blankets, her body gently expanding with each breath, her perfectly pink lips pursed. She looked as beautiful as ever, and Kendall's heart beat faster, as seeing her so peaceful made his entire body radiate with this inner warmth he just couldn't explain. It seemed anytime he looked at her, no matter how bad things were, she was some sort of light for him, breaking through any darkness he had been submissively cast into.
Kendall smiled widely and inched his way into the room, careful not to wake her yet. He placed her gift, and the small plate wrapped in tinfoil on a cardboard box in the corner, and slowly made his way over to her makeshift bed. Kendall leaned down on his knees beside her and smiled at how her loose blonde hair fell over her face. She was wearing the exact same thing she had been wearing last night, and it hurt Kendall's heart a bit, knowing she didn't have many clothes to change into.
He took off his beanie and ran his hands through his hair, tossing it to the side. He leaned his face down to Stella's and lightly kissed her forehead, stroking his hand through her golden blonde locks as she stirred a bit. Her blue eyes fluttered open and smiled when she saw Kendall there.
It was an instant relief to her on this day.
"Merry Christmas, sleepyhead," Kendall said softly, smiling, his hand caressing her flushed cheek. Stella closed her eyes and took a deep breath in still smiling as she sighed deeply.
"Come lay with me," Stella said, swallowing hard, her voice still a bit raspy from sleep, as she reached her arms out to him. Kendall chuckled as Stella moved aside on the mattress. He quickly stripped off his jacket, kicked off his boots and slid under the blankets. His body was flush against Stella's, reminding him of last night, as he shuddered gleefully at the thought. Stella lazily cuddled into Kendall, her soft skin nuzzling his as she took a deep sigh in, his hand moving to the her back, raising the back of her sweater a bit, finding the warm skin on the small of her back. He kissed her forehead again gently as she sighed deeply.
"I bought you some breakfast, and a Christmas present," Kendall said sweetly into her hair, his hand soothingly, and comfortingly rubbing her back. Stella sighed again, still not fully awake as she rested her lips at Kendall's throat.
"You got me a Christmas present?" she asked, her voice a bit unsure at what he was saying, as if she almost couldn't believe it had just come out of his mouth. Kendall separated his throat from her lips and looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow and an adorable smile.
"Of course I got you a Christmas present," Kendall said smiling. Stella looked at him, her eyes confused as her heart fluttered in her chest. Kendall's hand still connected at her back made her feel comforted in his arms, as he hugged her close to him, their eyes never leaving each other's sight.
Stella was silent for a few seconds, and Kendall knew something was wrong. Her body seemed to tense up a bit, her eyes cast low, her breathing a bit hitched. She couldn't fool him.
"What's wrong?" he asked a bit confused, one hand entwined with hers under the blanket. Stella looked up at him with heavy blue eyes that seemed to changed colors every time she was upset.
"I-I've never gotten a Christmas present before," Stella said nervously, as if the prospect of opening a present actually scared her. Kendall looked at her in awe, and his heart dropped a bit. He still didn't know all that much about Stella's past, and while still always curious, he didn't know just how bad it was. He instinctively held Stella closer to his body as her breathing became heavier. Kendall swallowed hard and held her hand tighter in his.
"Stella, tell me more about your past," Kendall whispered gently, the words exuding from his mouth unexpectedly. Stella looked up at his sad, sympathetic eyes, which she studied for a few seconds, as his hand gently rubbed through hers like silk. She was going to have to let him in. It scared her, but it was something she was going to have to do. She had to let him in a bit more, it was only fair.
Stella sat up in bed, Kendall's hand detaching from her back as she stared out into the vast snowy wonderland that was Minnesota, out of the large glass windows in her room. Kendall sat up in bed with her, placing two hands around her waist, and nestling her in between his legs, as they had been last night in the cabin. Stella hung her head a bit and took a deep breath, not wanting to look at Kendall when she told him anything.
"I was in foster care as long as I could remember," Stella started off, her voice a bit weak. Kendall's hand instantly found hers and he held it tightly as she let out a shaky breath. He squeezed her hand and she looked down at their hands entwined and smiled widely.
"I don't know who my mother is. I don't know who my father is," she continued. It instantly hit home with Kendall. His father was indeed gone, but he couldn't even imagine not having known him at all, nevertheless not having his mother either. Stella took another deep breath, Kendall squeezing her hand again, as she lay back on his chest against the wall, his heartbeat in time with hers.
"And then when I was five, I remember being in an orphanage because my foster mother died, and my foster father couldn't take care of me by himself anymore," she said calmly. Kendall swallowed hard, and was brought back to the first night he had met Stella, and how when he had asked about why she was in foster care in the first place, she hadn't answered.
All was silent.
"Were they nice people?" Kendall asked softly, kissing her ear lovingly. Stella nodded yes and smiled a bit, her gaze still out straight to the window.
"Gina and John really cared about me. They called me Kacey. I don't know if they made it up, or if that is my actual legal name, but, they treated me well," Stella said with a more joyful voice. "My foster mother was killed in a car accident a few months after I got there though, so I only stayed there for a short time before I was shipped to the orphanage in Wisconsin," she said softly, her fingers softly rubbing against Kendall's.
Now he was getting some answers. The reason Stella had cited Gina and John as her adoptive parents that first night on the deck, and the reason for her name change at the general store. Stella was silent as Kendall hugged her towards his body tightly and kissed her cheek, letting her know he was in fact still here.
Stella's entire body tensed up, and tears started to fall from her eyes as she took a deep, shaky breath in. "The orphanage was horrible, Kendall Knight," she said with a throat full of tears. "It was dirty, and cold. There was no one to talk to, and they-th-they used to," Stella barely got out, as she let out a small whimper, and Kendall held her tightly to him, as tight as he possibly could.
"You can tell me," he said in her ear easily. Stella swallowed hard and held his hand tightly.
"They used to hit me," she barely got out, her voice wavering, trying to remain as strong as she possibly could in front of him.
Kendall's face went straight and angry as he held Stella in a warm hug, as if he was protecting her eleven years too late from all the hitting, and horrible memories she ensued. It near destroyed him to hear that she had been hurt on purpose. Lately, Kendall had felt like him and Stella were one person, and that whenever the other was upset or sad, they each felt some sort of darkness and heaviness in their hearts. His whole body tensed up, imagining how this poor, beautiful, angelic creature could ever be hit. Hadn't she gone through enough in her life?
It was then he realized it was Christmas and that Stella didn't need to talk about this right now. He wanted to make her first real Christmas special, not upsetting. There was silence as Kendall cleared his throat.
"You don't have to say anymore right now, alright?" he whispered into her hair gently, their bodies as close as they possibly could be to each other. "Why don't you let me give you your Christmas present?"
Stella looked back at Kendall for the first time since starting the story, and nodded as he got up off the bed, and went over the where he lay the present and the food. He sat back down on the bed across from her, laying the plate and tiny bag between them, Stella wiping her blue eyes dry as Kendall sighed deeply. He looked up in her eyes with a small smirk as Stella smiled back, thankfully.
"Now, do you want your Christmas breakfast first, or your Christmas present first?" Kendall asked her, motioning to each with a smug smile on his face. Stella smiled a bit and looked down at the bag and the plate with tinfoil. She hadn't eaten since her feast at the Tregger's and she was hungry, but curiosity bubbled up inside of her at what Kendall could have possibly gotten her.
"Present," she said smiling widely, her tears quickly fading away as Kendall chuckled.
"Good choice," he said as he picked up the present and handed it to her with an adorable, mile wide smile. Kendall was incredibly nervous, but couldn't wait to give Stella his present.
He had been up in his room last night, beaming with energy after what had happened between them. Kendall felt absolutely enthralled by the experience and couldn't get Stella out of his head, much like the first night he had met her. He looked over at the cable box under the television, and it read 1:09 AM. It was officially Christmas day. Kendall sighed deeply, putting his hands behind his head and nestling into the couch, wondering what he could possibly scamper up for Stella for Christmas. He knew she probably hadn't had the best Christmases, and he really wanted to make this one special for her.
Around 2:30, Kendall still wasn't asleep, the electricity and warmth from Stella's body still radiating on him when the words just seemed to come right to him. So he wrote them down on a dinner napkin, and a half an hour later, her perfect, Christmas present lay in front of him, scribbled on a napkin, his messy handwriting staring him straight in the face. Stella looked down at the bag confused and then back up at Kendall.
"Go ahead. Open it," Kendall said smiling anxiously. Stella dove her hand into the bag, and took a small white box. She bit her lip nervously as she took off the cover, and was surprised when she saw nothing inside it. She looked up at Kendall with a confused look, one eyebrow arched as she let out a small, concerned chuckle. Had he forgotten to put the present in the box?
"Kendall, there is nothing in here," Stella said softly, surveying the bag, making sure she didn't clumsily drop anything. Kendall nodded and neared Stella and took a deep breath before going to her ear, and closing his eyes, holding her hand shakily. He swallowed hard and shakily began to sing.
"I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought
"Hey, you know, this could be something""
He gripped Stella's hand tightly, trying so hard for his nerves not to get the best of him, and stay strong during the song. Stella gasped a bit when he she heard his beautiful, melodious voice ring through the master bedroom. She heard Kendall's heartbeat, and how his breath hitched, knowing he was exceptionally nervous. She couldn't help how insanely captivated she was by his gentle, sweet voice.
"'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing"
"I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes
The way you taste
You make it hard for breathing"
Kendall's voice began to pick up more and more momentum, and more and more confidence as he parted from Stella's ear, and looked into her blue eyes, trying his best not to be afraid held Kendall's hand tightly in hers, as a wide smile appeared on his face, as well as his. His loud voice rang through Stella's ears like the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.
So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one"
"'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing"
"That maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
Yeah, yeah"
"I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, "Hey,""
"Maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone"
"And I'm thinking
I can't live without you
'Cause, baby, two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I'll figure it out
When all is said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one"
She thought about how the lyrics of the song described them, how beautiful it was that Kendall put his feelings for her into this beautiful held the last note of the song a bit longer as his lips curled up into a smile, upon seeing the glassy eyes of Stella, and the way her heart swelled up into her face, an expression of absolute love on her face. He stopped singing, Stella's heart returning to its resting place in her chest as the melody stopped. Kendall's breathing was still heavy as he swallowed hard, amazed at what he had just done, and Stella's reaction.
It felt okay to sing in front of Stella. It felt right.
"Merry Christmas, Stella," Kendall said softly. Stella looked up into his sage green eyes, and pursed her pink lips into a smile.
"That was beautiful," she spoke softly. Kendall smiled, and for the first time that day, leaned into kiss her lips lightly. Stella laced her hands in his hair and chuckled, parting from him and giving him a suggestive eyebrow cock. Kendall matched her expression and she looked down at the food next to her.
"I think breakfast can wait a bit," she said slyly, pushing her body onto his forcefully, going straight for his neck.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!" Alex Callum screamed obnoxiously, pumping his fists in the air, skating on one skate around the twice frozen over pond, nestled in a group of firs just fifteen minutes away from the Tregger's house.
It was the day after Christmas and Stella was back at work at the general store. Kendall had gone to see her this morning for a few minutes while she was getting ready for work in the same blue sweater she was wearing the first day he had met her. They had shared a few gentle kisses, before they parted ways, making plans to meet again that night. They really wanted to stargaze this time, especially since the snow had stopped them from doing so previously.
Immediately upon returning to the house, Bryan came down the large stairs of the Tregger's home all bundled up with his skates around his neck, his duffle on his shoulder. He had told Kendall, him, Jake, Stephen and Alex were off to play a round of hockey at the pond, and that he wanted Kendall to join. Seeing as Kendall hadn't had much time to be excited about his brand new, state of the art hockey stick his mother had gotten him, he decided it'd be nice to spend time with guys for a change, especially since he couldn't see Stella since she was working. So Kendall grabbed his skates and followed Bryan, without even bothering to take off his heavy coat, gloves, and the new scarf his mother had gotten him for Christmas.
"Lucky shot, dude!" Stephen called from the goal, his back turned as her mercilessly tried to untangle the puck from the white netting of the goal. Jake rolled his eyes and skated across the ice, stick in hand as Kendall stood "center" ice with Bryan, getting ready for the next return. With five people and only one of them a goalie, the boys were playing the variation of ice hockey where you have to take out the puck before you can score. It was Bryan and Alex vs. Kendall and Jake.
"One ahead, gentlemen," Alex said with a smirk and weasel like laugh as he made his way far left of Bryan, who had the puck at his stick. Kendall looked back at Jake who rolled his eyes with a smirk, his stick tapping the ice waiting for Bryan's first move. Bryan passed it under his leg back to Alex, as Kendall shot over to the boy, quickly stick handling the puck away from him, before he even had time to react. Kendall shot down the court to where Stephen was in goal, and took a clean, crisp, powerful slap shot right above his left knee, sailing the puck into the goal. Jake let out a whoop and holler from the other side of the ice, skating over to Kendall excitedly and giving him a fist bump, as the two chuckled. Bryan let out a chuckle as well as Alex stood there shocked at what had just happened. Kendall Knight never ceased to surprise him.
"Dude, that stick is sick!" Jake said enthusiastically as Stephen kicked the puck back to where Alex was. The five boys huddled in the center of the pond all wow-ing over the intense slap shot Kendall had just taken. He had to admit, even he was surprised at how nice the stick shot.
"Yeah, I know," Kendall said almost awed, chuckling, picking up the stick so the blade was at his chin, as he held it tight to him, running his fingers over the smooth handle. It was then Bryan looked at Kendall oddly, the first time really seeing him from the side, cocking his own head to the side. He saw a bunch of tiny little red marks leading from Kendall's freshly shaven jaw line, over his pulse point down to the depths of skin below his scarf.
"Dude, you have like a rash on your neck," Bryan said confused, as Kendall slowly reached for his neck self-consciously, turning to look at Bryan.
"What?" he chuckled confused, his voice a bit worried.
"You have all these bumps," he said unsure, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight and motioning towards them with his chin. Kendall handed his stick to Jake—not trusting Alex or Stephen—and quickly undid his scarf. He hadn't seen a rash on his neck, but maybe it was from his new scarf. The second he took it off, all of Stella's little love bites from their sex two nights ago and yesterday popped up in a red fashion along Kendall's neck, which also seemed to be a bit bruised. The poor boy had been so bundled up in jackets and scarves the past two days, he hadn't even really noticed the outbreak.
"Whoa! Did you get attacked by something?" Stephen asked with wide eyes, a bit afraid of what was giving Kendall such an irritation. Kendall's eyes went wide, knowing what they were from as his hand ran along his neck, pushing down on the tender spots. Jeez had Stella bitten him hard.
"Shit. Is it that bad?" Kendall asked worried, his sage green eyes looking into Bryan's blue ones. Bryan knew that look. It was the look that he had given Jake, Alex and Stephen when him and Lisa had just started dating, and she had done the same exact thing to him. The guilty eyed look of a girlfriend's sexual advance. He smirked and chuckled.
"So I guess Kacey does bite," Bryan said with a smirk, Kendall's green eyes looking at him with some sort of worry and anxiety, but also pride. Kendall swallowed hard and went to cover up his neck with his scarf when Alex whisked him around.
"These are from Kacey?" he exclaimed, surveying the tons of love bits and bruises Kendall had received. Kendall chuckled awkwardly, a little annoyed at Bryan for bringing it up but also a bit proud. Neither Alex, Stephen nor Jake could capture Stella's heart, and he had been able to perfectly.
"Woah. She must bite hard man," Stephen said with a gleeful chuckle, as Kendall backed away from Alex touching his neck gently, covering it up with his scarf. "Did it feel good?" he asked curiously as Kendall awkwardly chuckled the question off.
"I don't get it. I mean you walk in the store, she kisses you, and now she's giving you love bites? Jeez Knight, I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to screw you before you go," Alex said sheepishly, chuckling. Kendall's face immediately got hot as he turned to Jake, getting his stick back, his eyes cast low in embarrassment and secrecy. He didn't want to tell anyone that he and Stella had made love, except James, Carlos and Logan of course. But truthfully, it was something between him and her that was too sacred and special to be tossed around. Too late. There was silence as Alex, Stephen, and Jake all looked at each other, and then back at Kendall. Bryan touched Kendall on the shoulder with an odd grin, and confused, furrowed eyebrows.
"Don't tell me that you…and Kacey?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Kendall bit his lower lip and skated around the boys for a second, stick handling the puck, looking down, not saying anything.
"No freaking way!" Bryan exclaimed, patting Kendall on the shoulder as he halted. He hugged him close and smiled.
"Dude, you are a legend. Look at you!" Bryan said hitting his shoulders, as Kendall gave the remaining three a mild, embarrassed smirk. If only Bryan knew just how horrible he was at trying to be nice to Kendall. Stephen sighed incredulously. Kendall knew Bryan was just trying to be friendly, and for him to make Kendall fit in with the guys. Unfortunately, he sucked at it.
"Finally, I wasn't the only virgin, and now—now you had to screw it all up," he said to Kendall helplessly flailing his arms upset as Jake gave him a strange look and chuckle.
"I'm right here, man. Still a virgin, just like you," he said cocking his eyebrow to his friend but Stephen sighed and flailed his hand toward Jake.
"You don't count bro, you're waiting on marriage," he grumbled. Jake sighed and shrugged as Alex looked at Kendall with more of an entertained, idyllic look.
"When? I mean…please tell me…not in my house," Bryan said with a small chuckle, his arm around Kendall's shoulders as the boy looked up at him with a bright, yet almost shameful grin, nodding his head no. He had wanted to keep this a secret, and Bryan was starting to figure it out, as he sighed deeply and took his hand from Kendall's shoulder.
"I didn't think you had it in ya Knight, but man was I wrong. Looks like you're my new hero for bedding that piece of ass," Alex said chuckling lightly, offering Kendall a handshake. Kendall's eyes immediately went dark. He knew he hadn't liked Alex when he met him, and now, talking about Stella like that made him angrier than ever. He could excuse it the first time when Alex knew nothing about them, but now, now things were getting personal.
"She's not a piece of ass, Alex. She's my girlfriend," Kendall said menacingly, his jaw clenched tightly. It was the first time he had used the word "girlfriend" to label Stella. Hell, it was the first time he had labeled her as anything. But the word came out naturally, no hitching or hesitation. Bryan stepped back a bit as Kendall skated an inch or two forward where Alex gave him a "Come on, really?" type of look.
"You've known her for less than a week Knight," he said chuckling patronizingly. "Now I can't explain the whole kissing you off the bat thing, but it looks like she must be really easy to have given in already," Alex chuckled lightly, as Kendall's insides began to flare up with anger. He clenched his fists at his sides, and bit his lip white.
"Don't talk about her like that," Kendall whispered deathly with alit eyes, piercing through Alex's face. Alex gave Kendall an odd look as there was silence between the two. Kendall Knight's insides were boiling up, about to spill.
Ever since his father died, a lot of things had changed about the boy. Aside from his negative attitude, while Kendall had always been a passionate person, he sometimes got overly passionate about the wrong things. It had started the night his father died and he wrecked his room out of rage. His mother always noticed how Kendall would get angrier about simple things, like frustrating math homework, or losing hockey games after his father's passing.
She thought many times about having Kendall see a therapist regularly, but the idea was always shot down as she lay in bed at night, thinking of how it would just make him angrier and less trusting of her. It was nights where she could hear Kendall sobbing through the thin walls of the house, immediately after the accident, banging things around his room and cursing that she wished she could turn and nestle into her husband's warm arms, asking him what she should do about their son's behavior. There were also nights where Kendall would lose it, and yell at his Baby Sister, causing strong-willed Katie to curl up into her mother's arms, hysterically crying, not being able to handle being yelled at by now the only man in her life.
Kim had even experienced it this vacation when Kendall had broken down about his father the second night they were here, but tried to shake it off as Kendall being stressed. Things had been better the past few months, with Kendall being able to control his anger more easily, and definitely better lately with Stella coming into Kendall's life so gracefully. But Stella was a completely different story than Kendall's father. She was something new to get angry, and overly passionate about.
Kendall Knight was about to lose it again.
"What's wrong? It seems like you grabbed one with a lot of experience," Alex said evilly motioning to the bites on his neck. "Which is good, cause God knows you don't know what you're doing with a beautiful, naked, blonde," Alex said tauntingly, cocking his eyebrow. The raven-haired boy was just asking for trouble, and everyone on the ice knew it. It didn't bother Kendall that he was basically making fun of him for being a virgin—which he wasn't anymore—meanwhile this boy had probably fucked half the girls in their junior class.
"Come on Alex, stop. He really likes her," Bryan said helplessly from behind Kendall in a sensible tone of voice. Alex looked at him, but quickly ignored him as his eyes went back to Kendall's. The two boys were locked in a deathly stare battle, the tension between them thick against the cold air that puffed from their mouths.
"You're just jealous she's not your girlfriend, and that she's rejected you on morethan one occasion," Kendall growled out, turning the asshole switch in Alex's head up a notch. Alex looked at Kendall incredulously, Jake's eyes got wide and Stephen quietly skated back a few steps, not wanting to get involved. All three boys knew how Alex could get. The pretty boy with pale white skin, dark blue eyes and perfectly shiny black hair looked Kendall up and down with a condescending eye.
"I wouldn't want her to be my girlfriend anyway," Alex said cocking his head angrily, a sneering smile on his face. "She's only good for a short fuck."
With those words Kendall lunged at Alex and pushed him down to the ice, and started taking control. He instantly delivered a right hook to Alex's jaw, making the pretty boy see stars as Kendall's heart raced up out of his throat.
"You fucking bastard," Kendall yelled out, his voice full of fury, straddling the boy's waist on the ice, taking swings at his face, his entire body shaking, puffs of air exuding from his mouth, his cheeks red, face flush.
"Kendall! Kendall, stop man," Bryan exclaimed nervously, approaching the boy quickly and trying to wrangle him off Alex. Kendall resisted Bryan's grasp, hitting him away, his heart beating out of his chest, his throat dry. Kendall delivered a few more blows to Alex's face who had tried to fight back, before Bryan and Jake pulled him off of Alex, and pushed him back, where he fell a bit on the ice, his chest heaving, his eyes heavy with fire.
"Jeez, Knight. What'd you do to him?" Stephen asked in awe, leaning down to the bleeding Alex, whose eyes were still angry with fury. His chest heaved heavily, blood stained his shirt, his nose bleeding and bruises already coming to the surface on his perfect face. The three boys stood around Alex, not expecting him to retaliate since Kendall had done a good number on him. But Alex pushed himself off the slippery ice, his eyes the darkest near black. There was no way junior hockey left wing Alex Callum was going to be beat up by some sophomore he barely knew.
"You fucking prick," Alex screamed out with fury that nearly broke the ice. Kendall, who was still laying back on the ice, in shock from what he had done had no chance as Alex lunged on him, reversing the roles as he beat Kendall's head into the ice violently.
"Fuck Alex, stop it!" Stephen cried, as he went over to the boy—who stood almost the exact height as Kendall—and tried to wrangle him off the poor boy, as Alex took no shame in violently punching his face in. With the help of Jake, Bryan and Stephen, they successfully pushed Alex back onto the ice, Stephen and Jake instantly skating over to Alex, and Bryan kneeling next to Kendall.
Alex hadn't been on Kendall nearly as long as Kendall had been on him, but Bryan could already see Kendall's injuries were far worse. Alex had a reputation of being the most violent hockey player the county had ever seen. He got fouls constantly, at least four penalties a game, and had started numerous amounts of fights on the ice.
"Kendall, you okay man?" Bryan asked the blonde, whose lip was bloody and bruised, indents from Alex's knuckles on his cheek, and a bad, red, bump above his eyebrow.
Bryan cursed himself, knowing his mother and Kendall's mother were going to freak out about this when he got him home. But Bryan knew he needed to get Kendall home fast. God knows what Alex did to him.
"Come on, buddy. We're gonna get you home," Bryan said nervously, trying his best to pick up Kendall, helping him up as the injured and beaten boy lay against Bryan's shoulder, his eyes cast low.
"I'll text you guys, alright?" Bryan shouted to them, beginning to skate away towards their duffels with Kendall leaning on his shoulder.
"Wait!" Jake shouted, skating over to Bryan and Kendall with Kendall's beloved hockey stick in hand. Bryan smiled at Jake and then looked at Alex who was still fuming with anger, his scarf held up to his bloody nose. Bryan, holding the stick on one hand looked at Kendall, whose green eyes seemed to smile, his lips curled up into a small smile.
"Gotta stand up for my girl."
Bryan huddled Kendall through the kitchen door, closing it with a light slam, putting his fingers to his lips. Kendall nodded and swallowed hard, letting out a small groan of discomfort. Luckily, if Kendall did have a concussion, Bryan had managed to keep him awake the whole fifteen minute trek home, even though the boy looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. They had talked about school, hockey, and even touched on the topic of sex. Kendall could faintly hear his mother and Jenny talking in the ever echoing living room.
"…maybe next door…I'm so happy…since we were kids," was all Kendall could make out of the conversation, ignoring it as Bryan pulled a chair from the table out for him.
"Here, sit and I'll get you some ice," he said nervously.
"Bryan? Is that you?" he heard his mom holler from the living room, her footsteps approaching the kitchen. She walked in and her eyes went to her son at the fridge, but then instantly went to the broken, beaten, Kendall Knight sitting in her kitchen chair.
"Bryan Anthony Tregger, what happened?" Jenny exclaimed in horror rushing over to Kendall.
"Long story, ma," he said sighing anxiously, as he brought the ice over to Kendall, who was now more awake as Jenny kneeled beside him touching his hair, examining all his bumps and bruises. Alex had taken a few good swings at him.
"Let me go get, Kim," Jenny sighed anxiously, running out of the kitchen. Kendall took the ice from Bryan and looked up at him, his green eyes thankfully more alive now as he placed it on his head, which hurt most.
"Thanks, man," Kendall said in a low, disgruntled voice. He took a deep sigh and looked down at his hands, which had a bit of blood on them. He smiled at the fact that it was Alex's and not his. Thunderous footsteps were heard in the next room as Kendall sighed.
"My mom is going to freak," he said in a whisper, closing his eyes and slumping back in the chair at the impending frenzy.
"Kendall!" his mother shrieked rushing over to him in the chair, kneeling beside him as Jenny had before. Jenny followed Kim in walking slower, arms crossed, giving Bryan a death stare, as he sighed deeply. He was supposed to make sure Kendall had been having a good time here in Thief River Falls, but he sucked at it. Big time.
"What happened, baby?" she asked, taking the ice away from his head and shaking her head at his injuries. He was banged up in the beautiful, chiseled face pretty badly, her soft fingers tracing over the red blotches, and the dried blood caked on his face.
"A fight, ma. I play hockey, it happens," Kendall chuckled, hoping to leave Stella out of this completely. He looked up at Bryan with knowing eyes and Bryan nodded, silently agreeing to keep his big mouth shut, since it hadn't helped either teen since Kendall's arrival.
"Let's get this off," Kim said worried, motioning to Kendall's scarf. The second his warm flesh was exposed, he closed his eyes tight, and cursed himself silently in his head. Would there be any way possible to pass off Stella's markings as bruises from getting beat up? He hoped so, as he heard his mom's reaction.
"Oh, sweetheart. You have bruises all down your neck," Mrs. Knight sighed out upsettingly, tracing them gently. Kendall overdramatically winced, hoping she would forget about them as her sad eyes scanned the rest of Kendall's injuries, her hand moving past them.
"What did I tell you about playing competitive hockey with Alex Callum, Bryan? I constantly tell you he plays too rough, and now look at what he did," Jenny yelled at her son with a furrowed brow, disappointed in him. Bryan sighed and looked at Kendall with remorseful eyes. Kendall swallowed hard.
"Mrs. Tregger, Bryan was the one who pulled me off Alex. If he wasn't there, I would've lost control. He was the one that broke it all up," Kendall muttered out, knowing that Bryan was just trying to help as always. Jenny looked at her son and couldn't help but feel proud as Kim looked at her son with upset eyes.
"Sweetheart, I know hockey is a violent game, and I understand, but look at what happened to you," she said, tears almost coming to her eyes. Kendall and his mother looked at each other with a silent understanding. She wasn't mad at him for getting into a fight. She wasn't mad at him for playing hockey. She was concerned. With one look in her son's green eyes, she knew that he had gotten over angry. And that it wasn't just a simple game of hockey that had gotten out of hand.
It was something bigger.
"I'm sorry, mom," Kendall muttered out, the ice on his head. Kim stood up, and leaned down, kissing Kendall's hair and his temple, her hand rubbing his shoulder gently and comfortingly.
"Do you want to go to the hospital?" she asked him, knowing the answer would be no. This was the usual after-fight conversation the two had. Kendall chuckled, wincing a bit from his split lip as he sighed deeply. He looked up in his mother's eyes and shook his head.
"No. I think I'll just go upstairs and rest for a bit," he said stoically. Jenny swallowed hard and put on a sympathetic smile, looking at Kim with remorseful eyes.
"Is there anything you need, Kendall?" she asked him sweetly. Kendall, still managing to put on a bright face, smiled, the ice almost melting against his sandy blonde hair as he stood up. He felt a bit sore in the ribs. Alex had been starting to attack his torso when the guys pulled him off his body.
"No, Mrs. Tregger. But thank you," he said smiling. She smiled and looked at Bryan with a stern eye.
"You and me will talk later," she said with a definitive look, turning around on one foot as Kim hugged her son close to him, her hand rubbing his shoulder soothingly. Bryan took notice of the impending mother/son moment and swallowed hard.
"I'm—I'm sorry, Mrs. Knight," he said nervously and awkwardly, looking at Kendall's injuries. Kim smiled at the boy, reaching out to pat his shoulder comfortingly.
"It's alright, Bryan. It wasn't your fault. Thank you for helping Kendall," she said with a warm smile as Bryan sighed deeply. He looked at Kendall and half-smiled.
"Get some rest, dude. I'll see you in a bit," he said half-smiling, giving Kendall's arm a light punch and walking out of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets.
Kendall turned to his mother with those sad, heavy, green eyes. "We both know this wasn't a hockey fight, Kendall. So we're going to go upstairs and clean you up, we will be having a talk," she said sternly, but with love. Kendall, who was so exhausted, cold, and miserable at the moment, dreamed of nothing but laying back on a warm bed, and a comfy pillow. Kim kissed her son's head tenderly, her hand rubbing his back as she held him tight to her.
"Okay," Kendall agreed in a mumbled voice.
Kimberly Knight held a warm cloth, soaked in peroxide to her son's lip sighing as he winced, his sage green eyes now a dark gray.
"So, are you gonna tell me what happened?" she asked with a loving, tender but stern as brick voice. Kendall sighed as she pulled the cloth away from his bleeding lip, and looked away from her, running his hands through his shaggy blonde hair. He knew he wasn't going to be able to fool his mother, or make up any lies. He might as well just tell her what happened, leaving out the Stella is a runaway part, and also the fact that he had lost his virginity to a girl he met five days ago.
"This kid Alex was saying all this stuff about Kacey, and—I lost it," Kendall mumbled lowly, not being able to look at his mother. Kim sighed and rested her hand on Kendall's thigh. The two hadn't been able to talk about much of anything since his father's death, but this week was proving the last few months wrong, and she hoped to keep it this way.
"What was he saying about her?" she asked him, running her hand through his hair, checking for any unruly bumps or bleeding cuts on his head. Kendall grumbled, his anger rising just at the remembrance of the comments.
"..stuff…" he grumbled out upset, his eyes closed. Kim sighed.
"What kind of stuff?" she asked curiously, running her hand along her son's arm gently. Kendall sighed and looked in his mother's eyes.
"Sexual stuff, alright?" he snapped at her nastily, his anger from Alex radiating onto the one person who was just trying to get him to calm down and talk to him. Kim was taken aback, and getting a bit nervous.
"Sweetheart, I know you're upset and angry, but calm down," she said in a calm voice. While she was quite upset by the way Kendall was talking to her, she didn't have the heart to yell at him. Not after all he'd been through this year. It was definitely one of her weaknesses. Kendall's heart beat faster and faster as he looked at his mother with violent eyes.
"I can't calm down. Not after what he said about her. I hate him, I hate him," Kendall growled, clenching his fists tightly. His mother's warm touch left his arm, as she looked at him with sad, judgmental eyes.
"I thought you finally had this under control, Kendall," she said to him in that disapproving tone of voice, which seemed mocking to the teen boy. Kendall shot her a look that said it all.
"How am I supposed to have any control when some asshole talks about my girlfriend like that?" he exclaimed raising his voice, his voice breaking a bit. Kim was beginning to get a bit scared of Kendall's anger, as it brought her back to those nights she heard him in the house, cursing and sobbing over her husband's death.
"Calm down," Kim said sternly, her jaw set, her eyes dark. Kendall got up from the bed, his face flushed, breathing heavily.
"I can't fucking calm down, alright mom? You don't know what it's like to have someone talk about someone you care about like that!" he yelled, his voice cracking even more, as he stares his mother down in the eyes. Kim was silent as Kendall's chest heaved heavily, his mind racing, his brow furrowed. Kendall swallowed hard and bit his lower lip.
"Only dad would understand," Kendall cried shamefully, his voice breaking, turning away from his mother and quickly walking out of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Kendall," Kim called, as she quickly got up from the bed, picking up her speed as she followed him down the stairs. Kendall angrily pulled on a jacket, not bothering with a hat or scarf and slipped out the front door, closing it with a loud slam behind him. Kim stood on the stairs, tears trickling down her face, as she sat down slowly, and hung her head miserably.
It was back.
I hope you guys enjoyed it :D Review please? Until next week ;D (which will be M again ;D)