A/N: You guys are really violent towards Kendall, holy crap! Not that I can blame ya, cause he's a huge pain in the ass, but ya know. And you're just gonna hafta keep dealing with mopey!Kendall a while longer sooooo...

Um... Twitter is property of Twitter. Camille's username is from a TBS song, blahdeeblah. I dunno what else to say. I just got caught up on "Teen Wolf" (totally forgot how emotionally destabilizing that show is, holy shizz) and then I posted my Big Time Bang where James drives a Camaro like Derek Hale and WHAT FUCKING CAR DOES THAT MASSHOLE RENT?! Shit...

Oh, um, Big Time Bang is posted. Check it out and review. Please *puppy dog face*

Oh! Again... but EotA is officially FINISHED! All written, typed up, pretty much fully proofread, DONE! Never thought I'd see the day. I swear at times it felt like this fic was gonna last forever...

And just to clarify before anyone gets confused, this fic is doing being written. There are still three chapters to be posted after this one, so chillax there.

Read, review, be merry, and have a Palm Woods Day :D

His mom was searching his room when he got home from work, shocking the shit outta him.

Not that it was the first time she'd done it. More than once he'd notice things had been moved, were no longer laying the way they had been, leading to a huge screaming match where he'd demand she stay outta his shit and she reminding him that it was her house so it was her shit.

But all that had been in the past, when he'd actually given her reason to go all PI and try to find some sorta illegal substance stashed in his room. He was pretty sure he hadn't lately, especially after having pointed out how he'd be acting if he were on drugs again, but he couldn't really blame her for being suspicious and not believing him when he hadn't been worthy of that sorta faith before. Not to mention he hadn't quite earned back her trust for vanishing over the weekend.

Still, it hurt to see a visual representation of how little stock she put in his words as she pulled out a nightstand drawer and rifled through its contents with her back to him.

Oh fuck. She had to go through that one? Really? And he just happened to walk in on her awkwardly taking his lube out and putting it on top of the nightstand out of the way.

Nothing made a teenager feel more suicidal than their parents discovering their stash of necessary items for sex.

"Uhh, Mom?" he started cautiously, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "What're you doing?"

His mom actually jumped as she yelped in surprise. Whirling around, she fixed her wide blue eyes on him, seeming completely unaware of the fact that she held a half-empty box of condoms in her shaky hands.

"Kendall," she called out in shock before letting out a nervous laugh. "Sweetie. Hi."

He gave her a quick wave, lips quirking up in awkward smile of sorts. "Uh, ya mind putting those back?" he requested, pointing to her hand with a wince.

Confusion was evident on her features as she turned to see what he was pointing out, gasping out an "oh!" as she jumped again in realization. "Oh, crap. Sorry." With hurried movements, she put the condoms—and thankfully his lube—back in the drawer and closed it before spinning around to face him. She fussed over her blouse, her hair, putting on a lighthearted grin that barely hid the "oh shit, I've been busted, better cover it up with polite small talk" tone in her voice. "You're home early."

"Smitty overbooked us," he explained as he cautiously walked in, keeping his eyes locked on her as he sidled over to his desk and dropped his bookbag on top of it. "He told me to go home since he had too many guys stocking shelves that day." Folding his arms, he narrowed his eyes at his mom, not buying the innocent look on her face. "So why are yo—?"

"Are you on drugs?"

Well, okay then.

Kendall's eyes widened at her blurted out accusation, arms dropping to his sides under the weight of her glare. She stared him down with her arms crossed and her hips cocked, suspicion etched in the hard lines of her drawn brow and pinched lips. It was obvious nothing was gonna happen the rest of the night until they got that shit cleared up. And for good.

"No," he answered flatly, carefully enunciating the word. "I can go take a drug test right now if it'll make you believe me," he offered as he gestured to the door with both hands.

She waved him off. "No, that's fine."

"'Cause I thought we cleared this up the other day when you asked."

"I believe you."

His body language mirrored her's, suspicion in his own glare. "Then why are you searching my room?"

Her features softened as she sighed, shoulders slumping, arms dropping. "I'm worried about you, sweetie," she admitted lowly, causing his hard stare to dissipate. "You still aren't back to your old self—whether it's the you that had your step-dad around or not. You're mopey, lethargic, not eating. You're a zombie that just shows up where it's told. It's no way to live life."

Kendall swallowed hard, frowning at the floor. He'd already known all that, was completely aware of it. He just didn't think it was all that obvious to the point where other people were noticing he wasn't quite right.

Then again, if anyone was gonna realize something was off, it would be the woman who'd birthed and raised him.

"I think I know what's going on."

His head snapped up, wide eyes watching as she grabbed a magazine off the bed that he most definitely hadn't put there.

Shit.

It was worse than her finding his lube and condoms.

Holding it up, she pointed to the front cover of the Pop Tiger, tapping the photo of James Diamond that was displayed. "Thought we talked about you not getting so emotionally invested in a celeb crush," she reminded him with a pointed look.

Double shit.

He swallowed another lump in his throat, mind trying to figure out if he was glad she hadn't actually figured it out or pissed that she thought he was some idiotic li'l fourteen year old who got their heart broken by someone they'd never met. Mostly he just wanted to know how to respond to her.

Really, it would've been the perfect opportunity to tell her everything about both concerts, the phone calls, the trip to Cali. But he'd already tried telling her that he'd flown out to visit James and she didn't believe him. Chances were she probably thought he was delusional and pretending the person he met was the singer in order to fuel some sorta fantasy. Explaining everything else would just add to her belief that her son had officially lost it.

"I'm not," he choked out before restarting. "I'm not caught up in some one-sided celeb crush."

And it was the truth. He'd already thought over the weekend how his feelings went deeper than that and how he no longer saw James as a celeb. And through the actions and statements of the brunet, those feelings were returned—maybe not the same amount or intensity—meaning it most definitely was not one-sided.

Seemed his plan to be more honest was still happening. Although he was still keeping a few minor things to himself, but whatever, not the point.

His mom arched an eyebrow in his direction. "You sure?"

"Absolutely," he confirmed, watching as she tossed the magazine back on his bed. He'd have to remember to stash it back under his mattress where it'd been before. "I just have a lot on my mind that I'm tryna deal with. And this whole changing my life around thing is proving to be a lot harder than I thought it'd be."

He left out the part about trying to get over someone and move on, if for no other reason reason than it required a whole lotta info that would seem as though he was going back on his previous statement about not being upset over a celeb crush. Wouldn't really help his cause to not sound like a liar, no matter how honest he was actually being.

Her features softened into a more sympathetic expression as she walked forward. "I know, sweetie," she commented before taking both his hands in hers. "But I'm glad you're turning things around now while you still have a chance, before you make a huge mistake that you can't fix or undo and you'll be stuck with the consequences of that decision for the rest of your life."

The weight of her words punched Kendall right in the gut. His mom had been right around his age when she got pregnant with him, and when his birth dad left, she was forced to be a single parent, no college education, just a crappy job in order to try and make enough cash for both of them to live on. And, okay, the chances of him knocking someone up—or getting knocked up himself—were non-existent—yay, being gay!—he couldn't help but feel like she was referring to her own mistake—AKA Kendall—than any possible ones he could make.

Frowning, he stared down at the floor, wondering if his mom regretted having him. She wouldn't have stayed with that douchebag who'd impregnated her, would've gone to college, would've had all the time in the world to find the right guy for her, rather than rush and try to find a dad for her young son. And she'd have a lot less stress in her life without Kendall around making her constantly worry or yell or literally pull her hair.

Seemed like he had a real talent for fucking people's lives up.

His mom kissed his cheek sweetly, smiling. If she'd been referring to him as a mistake, she sure wasn't showing it. "Get ready for dinner," she suggested before stepping back and pointing a finger at him, "And none of this crap about how you ate at work. You're dining with us tonight."

The corner of his lips quirked up as he gave her a mocking "yes, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement while heading to the door. "Oh!" she paused in the doorway and turned to him. "Tell your sister to come down, too. Pizza should be here soon." With that, she disappeared.

Kendall's eyebrows raised slightly before he shrugged to himself. Eating still wasn't the most appealing concept out there, but the thought of pizza made it a little easier to deal with.

He quickly washed up in his bathroom before scuffing his feet on the way to Katie's room. As he raised his fist to knock, he heard the muffled sounds of her talking.

Strange.

His eyebrow raised practically on its own, curiosity taking over. Who the hell was she talking to? His mom didn't mention anything about Katie having a friend over. Maybe she snuck someone in...

Nah. That was more of a move Kendall would pull.

Unless he was influencing his baby sister more than he previous thought.

His eyes went wide in panic. Without bothering to knock, he threw open the door and burst into her room, eyes darting around as they searched for someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

"Kendall, what the hell?!"

Turning, he saw his sister standing by her bed, cell pressed to her ear, glaring at him with a look that matched her cry. Another glance around the room proved she was alone. She'd been talking to someone on the phone.

Oops.

"Don't you knock?"

Snapping out of it, he focused on her once again, noticing her face had changed to a pissed off one. "Sorry."

Her head jerked back and her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered. "Whatever, just get out. I'm on the phone," she ordered as she waved her hand around in dismissal.

"Mom says dinner'll be here soon and you need to come downstairs." He remained in the doorway, folding his arms over his chest.

"Fine. I'll be down soon." The two locked eyes, Katie giving him an expectant look before she huffed. "Go! I'm on. The. Phone."

That had Kendall's curiosity—and his eyebrow—piqued once again. "Who you talking to?"

"No one," she lied as she stomped towards him.

"Really?"

"Yes, now go!" She emphasized the demand by kicking him in the shin, causing him to cry out and jump back.

"What's with chicks kicking me today?" Okay, he probably sounded a little whiny, but he kinda earned the right to be.

"You probably deserved it," Katie sassed him, freehand on her hip as she glared up at him. "Now go or I'll bruise the other shin, too."

"All right, all right." He held his hands up in defeat as he backed out of her room. "Just come down soon, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered before slamming the door in his face.

Nice.

Frowning, he leaned forward, hearing the muffled words of his baby sister as she returned to her phone call.

"Sorry 'bout that. My brother's a huge moron like pretty much all of the male species. Excluding you, of course."

What. The fuck?

Was she talking to a boy ? Who let her talk to a boy? What the fuck was this shit?!

Kendall raced downstairs, soon locating his mom in the kitchen getting plates out the cabinet.

"Does Katie have a boyfriend?"

Okay, blurting it out like that wasn't the most tactful approach, but whatever. Shit needed answers. Now.

His mom jumped slightly at the new voice before turning to him. "What?"

"Katie," he began again, a little calmer this time. "I heard her on the phone with a guy."

"What was she saying?" The Knight matriarch spun back to the cabinet, returning to her previous task and not seeming the slightest bit disturbed by his announcement.

All right, there was a slight possibility he was overreacting and it really wasn't that big of a deal, but this was his baby sister. He was gonna protect her at all costs, dammit!

"That boys are morons," he repeated her words before taking on a more mocking tone. "Except for him." He rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. "So. Does she?"

"Does she what?" his mom asked back, more focused on counting paper napkins.

So not fucking helping.

"Have a boyfriend," he spoke tightly, jaw clenched, wishing she'd see how serious a situation this was and act accordingly.

"Don't think so," she finally answered, turning to face him with her bottom lip out in a thoughtful pout. "Honestly, if I would've guessed which one of my kids had a boyfriend, I would've said you, what with you flying across the country for the weekend and returning with hickeys all over your neck." She gave her a pointed look and he had to fight the urge to cover his neck with his hands.

He did, however, allow the wince he was feeling to show on his face. "Yeah," he hissed, hunching his shoulders as he curled in on himself, making himself physically as small as he felt. "Sorry 'bout that."

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pinched as she analyzed him for a long silent moment. She slowly nodded, something flashing in her eyes, as though she'd made some sorta decision. Leveling her icy blue stare at him, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down with more parental authority than could fit in her petite frame.

"You mean that?" she questioned dubiously, lips twisted to the side. "You're really sorry?"

"Yeah. I am."

"And you've learned your lesson and will never do it again?"

His brow furrowed momentarily, not entirely sure where exactly she was heading with this line of questioning, but decided to play nice and go along with it. Part of his New Non-Assaholical Kendall Attitude.

"Yeah," he replied honestly, if not a little hesitantly. "I'll make sure I ask permission before jetting across the country and I'll constantly call and check in to the point that it's annoying and you beg me to stop."

His mom rolled her eyes at his mockery. "I'm being serious, Kendall," she chastised.

"So am I." Okay, he might've gotten a little sarcastic and over-exagerated towards the end, but other than that, totally serious.

She let out a small sigh, pausing for a moment before walking over to where her purse sat at the end of the breakfast bar against the wall. Reaching in blindly, she rifled around inside then pulled out what she'd been searching for. His iPhone.

"You're still grounded," she clarified, pointing at him with the smartphone. "No going anywhere except school and work, no car, but you can have this back and go on the internet." He went to reach for it but she pulled it back. "And for god's sake, keep your damn music down!"

His eyes widened at her loud command but he still managed to nod emphatically. Another brief pause from his mom then she finally put the iPhone in his palm.

He grinned at the familiar feel and weight of it before hugging her. "Thank you."

She chuckled as she returned the embrace. "You're welcome. Just keep going on the right track and don't make me regret this. I won't. Promise."

The doorbell rang, his mom pulling away before grabbing her purse and heading to the front door. Kendall stared down at his iPhone, hitting the home button to light up his lockscreen, bringing up the image of his and James' hands.

Suddenly he wasn't sure if having a phone with internet access and a full contact list was a good thing. He was now out of excuses.

Kendall should've been... well, he probably should've been doing about a thousand other things rather than what he was actually doing.

Staring at his iPhone's screen.

For starters his background was James, not exactly the best thing to be fixating on when trying to forget the subject of the photograph. Secondly, he wasn't getting anything done. Third, staring at James' pic was a bad idea—a point so important it needed to be repeated.

He finally managed to put the iPhone back on top of his desk before leaning back in his chair. A heavy sigh left him as he tilted his face up towards the ceiling and closed his eyes.

He should really call James.

No, he shouldn't.

He should call James and break-up.

No, because he'd never get the words out.

He should end things via text. Or e-mail.

Pussy.

He groaned loudly as he flopped over his legs, face buried in his hands. Really though, he was seventeen. He shouldn't have to make these kinda life-altering decisions.

Dropping his hands, he glared at his iPhone, willing it to make the choice for him. Or at least send him some sorta sign about what to do.

It buzzed, making him practically jump in his seat. He didn't think it'd actually do anything, not really. He picked up the device, seeing it was nothing more than a Twitter alert.

About James Diamond.

That was a sign. Right?

'Yeah, a sign you should get rid of all that Twitter shit.'

His brain had a point. If he was trying to forget who James was then it didn't make sense to constantly receive alerts about the singer's actions and whereabouts that day. And if he was serious about his new, more honest attitude, then being his true self on the internet had to be included.

Well, to a degree anyway. He still wasn't gonna tell anyone else that he was "That Kendall Guy From Minnesota".

Dismissing the alert, he unlocked the iPhone and opened his Twitter app. A few taps later and his fake side account was gone forever.

He pouted thoughtfully as he stared at the screen. He thought he'd feel different, more upset, but he wasn't. If anything, he felt... relieved.

Not until he really started thinking about it, anyway. He liked some of the accounts he followed, enjoyed the updates on his feed, and while he thought it was maybe just because they were about James, he knew it also had to do with the people who ran those Twitters. Now they were gone.

Along with the updates.

But it was necessary, another severed tie that had previously kept him bound to the pop star. He was one step closer to fully letting him go and moving on, just like he wanted..

So why did he feel so empty inside?

Kendall ignored the aching in his chest, switching to his main Twitter account, the one that was really him. A few seconds and clicks later and he was following Camille.

Only to stare at her latest RT: a link to the morning show interview, courtesy of a James Diamond updates account.

He contemplated following it, searching for his favorites and following them, too. He quickly decided against it. The whole point of deleting his side account was to no longer see all those things on his feed. Would just defeat the purpose really.

He refused to even entertain the idea of following James' official Twitter for even a second.

An alert popped up on his screen notifying him that he had a DM from AddictForDramatics and he clicked to view it.

'Nice to see the real you ;)'

A wistful smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he breathed out a small laugh.

'Nice to be the real me.'

Closing the DM window, he went back to the Twitter homescreen, noticing Camille had just RT'ed something else.

From James.

He'd changed his profile pic to a selfie of him in Kendall's beanie, the words 'San Diego' just barely showing on his pink tee, and plastered on his face was a huge, genuine grin. He really was a magnificent looking human being.

Once again Kendall ignored the pain he was feeling inside caused by the distance between him and James. It wouldn't change anything to focus on that and would only send the blond on another long, downward spiral into depression. Really, the best thing to do would be to close Twitter, lock his iPhone, and focus on homework.

Instead, he read the damn tweet.

'Lonely. Missing someone special. Wish I could hear their voice and feel like everything is gonna be ok again :('

Fuck.

Kendall felt something inside of him break and shatter at the brunet's typed words. Iron really. He'd been trying everything to become a better person and be less of a dick, yet he was hurting the guy he cared about the most. He really was the worst kind of person.

Closing the Twitter app, he locked his iPhone and put it on the desk, only to pick it back up three seconds later. App re-opened, he quickly typed up a tweet of his own.

'I miss you, too. More than words could ever fuckin say.'

He added a broken heart emoji before sending it then setting his phone aside and grabbing his text book. Pre-Cal wasn't gonna cure his loneliness or his hurt, but it would distract him and keep his mind occupied. It was the best he could hope for really.