Title: And So It Goes
Author: SLynn
Rating: T
Pairings: Logan/Camille and Kendall/Jo
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read this? If so, these characters and settings are not mine. I'm only borrowing.

Summary: Katie has a plan, but it's Kelly that ends up needing one.

Notes: Two more chapters to go! Thanks for reading! Thanks a bunch for reviewing! Thanks to Tripp3235 for putting up with me! Enjoy!

Chapter 18

"All right guys," Kelly said as they stood out in front of the Palms, having just been dropped off, "good job. Not that you made that easy."

"Without us, your job would be boring," James said with a smile.

"Sure," she said, her mouth pressed thin as they all laughed.

Logan checked his watch, and then looked anxiously down the street towards the mall that was a few blocks away.

"Got somewhere to be?" Kendall asked.

"I've got go buy a phone," Logan sighed, having just remembered. "My mom is probably already trying to call me, you know, making sure I just didn't withdraw the money and run for it."

"You've got plenty of time before dinner," Kendall said. "I'll go with you."

"Cool," Logan said with a nod, and then the two of them said goodbye to the others before walking down the street together.

"I've got an appointment with that pretty blond that moved in last week," James said with a wink. "See you later."

"Bye," Kelly and Carlos said at the same time, then turned to one another without making eye contact.

"I don't really have anywhere to be," Carlos said, rocking back on his heels. "But you probably do, so... I'll go."

"Hey," Kelly called out just before he'd reached the door. "You saved this thing today. Thanks."

"No," he immediately dismissed.

"You did," she said, taking a step forward and then she seemed to recollect herself and stopped. "It was bombing, I could tell. You broke the ice. If you hadn't..."

"I'm good for a few things," he said with a smile, honestly pleased with himself.

Kelly smiled back at him, but said nothing more.

"Have a good weekend, Kelly," Carlos said, feeling that to linger too long might cause him to momentarily lose his mind again and do something foolish.

"You too."

Carlos waved and then pushed open the door to the Palm Woods, getting only a few steps before James stepped out of nowhere and slapped him on the back.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or not?" he asked with a goofy smile on his face.

"Nothing is going on," Carlos answered truthfully. He'd already told James most of what had happened. Sure, he'd glossed over the more embarrassing parts, but who wouldn't do that? "It's like I said, I'm just being stupid about this. She's... she's too much older..."

James waved a hand dismissively at him as they continued to walk through the lobby.

"In five years, it won't matter."

"Yeah," Carlos said with a sarcastic laugh. "Sure. I'll hold my breath."

They stopped at the patio, continuing their conversation without regard to their surroundings.

"You never know," James said.

"You know, if you were really a good friend, you'd change the subject."

"Well, I did offer to find you a girlfriend last night..."

"I don't want to start dating someone just so I'll stop thinking about Kelly. That's not right."

"Well, what are you going to do?" James asked, no longer joking.

"Whatever I have to do," Carlos answered, thinking about the conversation he'd had with Kelly about the matter. "I can't avoid her, and you know, I wouldn't want to. She's still my friend. I'm just going to have to keep reminding myself where the line is and try not to cross it again."

"You might want to stop making puppy eyes at her then," James said, taking a seat at an empty table.

"I thought you were helping me."

"This is me helping you," James said, completely serious. "It's becoming obvious."

"Obvious?" Carlos repeated, sitting down now himself and looking a little horrified.

"Not really obvious," James corrected. "But, once you know, it's pretty easy to see."

"You mean it's pretty easy to see how ridiculous it is?" Carlos asked, and without really meaning to, James laughed. "That it would never happen in a million years?"

Luckily, Carlos laughed too, saving James the need to reply.

"It is ridiculous," Carlos continued, feeling better and always the most comfortable when laughing at his problems. "Well, the age difference is ridiculous, but..."

"He promised he wouldn't tell!"

Carlos and James both looked up to see Katie's shocked face staring at them from the other side of the table. She'd only just caught the last few seconds of their conversation, but had heard enough to assume the worst. It was exactly what she had been afraid would happen. Everyone knew and it was nothing but a joke.

"Katie," Carlos started first, half rising in his chair. "What are you talking about?"

"Told us what?" James asked, as bewildered as Carlos was by Katie's strange reaction.

Katie's eyes darted from one boy to the next and silent with rage, she stood gapping for a moment before turning and making a hasty retreat.

"Katie," Carlos called after her, genuinely concerned, but she was already gone.

"Which do you think?" Logan asked, trying to decide between the two phones in front of him.

"It's your phone," Kendall answered with a laugh. "Pick one already."

"I know," he said, literally bouncing on his feet, "but I can't just rush this."

"We've been staring at these phones for half an hour. No one is accusing you of rushing anything."

"The one on the right has more memory," Logan continued, not paying Kendall remark any attention, "but this one has better picture quality."

"Okay, so you can either take a lot of crappy pictures or a few good ones," Kendall simplified for him.

"I didn't think of it like that."

"So, are you decided?"

"Wait," Logan began again, but Kendall quickly cut him off.

"The one on the left. Buy the one on the left."

"Are you sure?"

"Logan."

"Okay, okay," Logan said quickly, picking up the phone and moving toward the register. "If you didn't want to come..."

"If I hadn't have come, you'd be here until they kicked you out, trying to make up your mind."

"I'd have made up my mind."

"Eventually," Kendall added, under his breath as Logan paid for it with his debit card. His parents kept an account open for him for emergencies, or the occasional accident, and transferred money into it as needed.

Kendall used to find himself envying the fact that Logan's parents could afford to buy him anything he wanted, but now he knew better. His own family wasn't poor, but money was often tight with two kids and only one parent. Logan, an only child with both his parents still at home, really only had to ask once, sometimes twice for something, and he got it.

Anyone else might have been spoiled by that kind of parenting, but not Logan. They only thing he'd ever wanted from them was their attention, and that seemed to be the one thing they could not afford. It was painful to watch how hard he tried sometimes to just be perfect on the oft chance they'd take notice, but it was never enough. Kendall honestly believed that getting Logan out of that house had been the best thing that could have happened to him, even if Logan didn't realize that himself. Of course, this was something they never really talked about. They might joke about how bad their families were, but they didn't talk about the reality of it.

"So, back to the Palms?" Logan asked, sounding as if he dreaded it.

"Where else is there to go?"

Logan shrugged.

"Come on," Kendall said, urging him on. "On the way back, you can tell me what happened last night."

"That's why you came, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"So that I would tell you everything?"

"Yes," Kendall nodded.

"Not going to happen."

"Why not?" Kendall asked. "I deserve to know. You're my best friend and I tell you everything."

"Like how James said that I only liked Camille because she said she liked me first?"

"You know about that?"

Logan laughed, shaking his head.

"Okay," Kendall said, brushing it off. "That's the one thing I didn't tell you. And, I didn't, because it was stupid and not worth repeating."

"Doesn't matter," Logan said. "I'm still not telling you."

"Really? Because if this is serious..."

"It's not," Logan cut in quickly. "Not... not really."

"Then why are you being so stubborn about it?"

"Because I promised I wouldn't say anything," Logan answered seriously. "And I'm not going to break my promise."

"Fine," Kendall said, giving up for the time being.

For a few minutes they walked on in silence before Kendall tried a new topic.

"So, this thing with Camille..."

"Let's not talk about that either," Logan said, dropping his head back with a groan.

"I was just going to say that Jo really has her facts messed up," Kendall continued.

"Yeah, well, I think some things got misunderstood," Logan said, it was as close to the truth as he dared to get.

"How could that happen? You did write a letter, didn't you?"

Logan nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak for a few seconds while he thought up an answer. He really didn't want to talk about this, because he knew if he did he would accidentally end up breaking his promise to Katie.

"I don't know," Logan said, unable to come up with anything reasonable.

"Well, if it's a misunderstanding, aren't you going to try and clear it up?"

"I don't know that either."

"This isn't about that thing with James, is it?" Kendall asked as they continued down the street. "You know that he was telling you the truth, right?"

"Right," Logan echoed. "I'm still just... I don't know. After how I reacted, I doubt she'd want me back, even if I ever managed to explain it all. Maybe it's just better if I let it go."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm just..." Logan looked out over the street, waiting for the right word to come. "I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting and of feeling anxious and confused, and just absolutely sick over the whole thing. I'm tired of feeling jealous. At least after I'd freaked out about James, I'd thought it was over. I'd like actually worked it into my head that it was done... but it's not. It's never done."

"If you want it to be done with, just let it be done with," Kendall said after thinking it over for a minute. "You've broken up. Whatever happened, happened; let it go. No one's going to make you go back and try again."

"Yeah, but..." Logan sighed. "Okay, I know Camille is a bit... melodramatic."

"That's a way of putting it."

"And there have been times when I've wondered if she might not need counseling."

"Yes," Kendall agreed.

"But the thing is... I still miss her. Just being around her. And right now, I'm not even sure we can be friends again and it kind of hurts. A lot."

Kendall scrutinized Logan for a long moment. Then, breaking into a smile and clapping his hands together he said, "Then we're going to fix this."