Chapter 3 – A Revelation
Kendall left Dr. Cohen's class as swiftly as possible, making sure to give Addie a rain check on that coffee not-a-date on his way out the door. As he walked down the hall, he felt a dull buzz in his pocket. He opened his phone and saw that it was a message from Carlos.
Hey bud. How's it hangin? - cg
Thank God, Kendall thought. Even though Carlos was far away, he always had this knack for being there for Kendall when he needed a friend, even if it was just to shoot the breeze.
Hey, bro! I'm alright. – ktothek
Just alright? – cg
Well, you know Camille? – ktothek
Like palmwoods camille? Is she even still alive? – cg
Def still alive. And coming to live with me and James. – ktothek
WHAT. How's james handling that? – cg
I dunno. He and I are supposedly talking more about it over lunch. – ktothek
How did that even happen? – cg
She's in some trouble and she had my number, so she called to see if I could help out. – ktothek
Wow…i hope nothing too bad. – cg
She said she's just hard up for money right now and doesn't have a place anymore. Sounds pretty rough. – ktothek
I bet. Well, i got class now, i'll ttyl. Call me later and tell james hey from me- cg
Kendall had reached his usual table in the student union and took a seat, hoping for James to arrive within the hour to discuss the Camille situation. As he sat poring through the lastest copy of Rolling Stone, he couldn't help but smile at all the familiar faces he saw. Though the pop star life was far behind him, some of Kendall's closest friends were in the industry still, making it difficult for him not to run into their names in magazines or on television every so often. The one name that piqued his interest, however, was "Katie Knight". Apparently Russell Brand had just released an album, and while reading the blurb about the 4.5 star rating the British comedian's sophomore LP, he couldn't help but notice seeing his baby sister's name come up in the by-line. Just then, James came to the table, throwing his bag on the table in a huff.
"Glad you came. I'd ask if something's wrong, but I already know the-"
"Laura and I broke up," James interjected. He put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair as he stared at the table.
"Whoa. And I thought my day was off to a rough start. Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Not really. She's a bitch and I'm an idiot. That about covers it."
Kendall couldn't help but grin. "You're right, she is a bitch. You, however, are not an idiot."
"Kendall, I love you like a brother, but can we skip the speech and go straight to the part where you buy me lunch?" Through the frown, there was an impish twinkle in James' eyes.
"Normally, I wouldn't, but I feel kind of dick-ish for springing this whole Camille thing on you, so I'll go ahead and pay today."
As Kendall walked off, James felt the world stop around him. Everything was silenced and it was as if time stood still. He thought about the last time he saw Camille, wondering how it was going to be seeing her again. Would she even speak to him? Things ended so poorly between them that James didn't know at all how he would react. It was definitely his fault that things ended so poorly, but after almost four years, an apology would be practically worthless. James could still hear her cry out to him as if it were yesterday. "Wait…I didn't mean it…don't go!" What would have happened if he did stay?
Suddenly, he felt warm tears stream down his face, and everything came flooding back. The dull cacophony of people going about their day consumed his thoughts once more. As he reached for a napkin, hoping to rid the evidence of his small breakdown, someone handed him a handkerchief, monogrammed with a large red K. "Come on, James. We can eat this on the road."
The drive down the 110 back to Torrance was always relaxing to both of the boys, James especially. Though they had grown accustomed to the fast paced life of downtown LA, Kendall and James both had enough of the Hollywood life and wanted to find a place that was all their own, quiet and far from the bustling city. Traffic was always a nightmare, but somehow the standstill during rush hour and the sight of the city slowly disappearing gave James a sense of calm relief.
As Kendall made his way down the freeway, he glanced to his right, watching James blindly eating some french fries, hazel eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.
"I know you're probably sick of me asking this, but you wouldn't want to talk about what happened back there, would you?" the blonde said after a few moments.
James came out of his trance and slowly turned to Kendall. After a long sigh, he replied, "I don't know what to do. I'm pissed at her. I'm pissed at me. And you. And I know that all this isn't completely your fault. But I haven't seen her, spoken to her, even said her name in years and now she's back in my life. I'm trying to figure out how this is all going to play out and to be completely honest, I'm fucking scared, Kendall. The last time we…" James voice caught for a moment. "You didn't hear her words, see her face. How could we possibly ever live together, let alone speak again? What am I supposed to do?"
As James stared at his friend, he saw the hazy sky go dark with cloud cover, as if to show him what Kendall was really thinking. It was uncharacteristic for Kendall to be unsure of what to do. Kendall was always the one to get the boys out of trouble when they were younger, but deep down James knew that there would come a day when his best friend wouldn't be able to help him out. It was finally time to start dealing with things himself.
For the second time that day, a busy silence fell on the car, both boys with gears turning trying to understand this intricate situation. As they pulled up to the house, Kendall let in a short quick breath noticing an unfamiliar car in the driveway. "James," he said quietly. "I think she's here."
James stared at the small silver car parked in Kendall's usual spot. His eyes were transfixed on the vehicle, studying its every nook and cranny, trying to take it all in. After what seemed like a quiet but meaningful lifetime, James bolted out of the car and grabbed his things from the back with newfound gusto. Kendall gave him a quizzical look as the two made their way towards the door.
"Dude, what happened? Did you hear me?"
"Yeah, I did," said James, whipping around to face Kendall. The blonde noticed a sudden fire in his friends eyes. Suddenly, James sauntered up to the door, put his key in the lock, and turned the bolt in one swift motion. "I guess there's no turning back now."