Chapter 35
Kendall knew there was something wrong.
Well, he knew his head was messed up, but he felt like there was something different about today other than that.
He felt a little dizzier, a little more nauseous, a little bit more confused than usual. He just felt… different. In a bad way. He felt more… well, he felt worse than he usually did.
Maybe it had something to do with when he hit his head yesterday. He had been running around, laughing for no particular reason, when he had tripped. He had tripped and fell and hit his head on the kitchen counter.
James, Logan, and Carlos weren't there. Mrs. Knight and Katie were out. Kendall was about to cry out for them, but then he didn't.
It didn't hurt that bad. He just felt an ache, and a splitting pain for one split second, and then it was okay again. He decided that his friends didn't need to know about it. It was nothing.
Kendall was just sick of always being the one to worry his friends. Well, the people that used to be his friends. They had probably already gotten tired of him. And if not that, they probably treated him more like a little kid than a friend.
And Kendall was sick of it.
He just wanted his best friends back. He wanted egotistical James, smart-mouth Logan, and obnoxious Carlos back. Not the super caring James, the always scared Logan, and the timid and quiet Carlos.
He hated what he had done to them.
So because of all that, Kendall didn't say anything about his head. But now it was starting to feel weird.
But he also didn't want to tell his friends because of something that had been on his mind for quite a while now. Something that-
Kendall looked up when he heard the door close. Someone was home. By the footsteps, Kendall thought it was James. They were big and loud, and only James was tall enough to make those sounds with his feet.
Sure enough, James popped into Kendall's room, grinning. "Hey, buddy! Can I trust you for a while?"
Kendall nodded, swallowing the wave of nausea that swept over him. "Yeah!" He answered eagerly.
James grinned. "Alright, I'm going to go and take out the trash, okay? You stay here and just wait for me, okay? And when I come back, we can go ice skating again. Sound good?"
Kendall grinned. "Yay! Ice skating! Can we play hockey? Please?" He begged.
James laughed. "Of course we can, Kendall. Here, I'll be back soon, alright?" Kendall nodded happily and James left.
Now only Logan and Carlos were in the apartment.
But then he heard Logan close the door. Only Carlos now. Then Carlos popped into his room just like James had.
"Hey, Kendall. What's up?" Carlos asked. Kendall stared at Carlos, the boy who used to be his little brother, but was now his protector and his savior.
He had done this to Carlos. "Can you get me some Fruit Stackers?" Kendall asked, bouncing up and down. He could still deceive people when he wanted to. It had always been part of his nature.
Carlos smiled. "You mean Fruit Smackers? Sure thing, I'll be right back." When he took off, Kendall grinned.
He was the only one left in 2J.
Perfect timing, too, because he felt his headache getting worse. He hurt so much, like someone was ripping his brains out. He felt like throwing up, and he ran to the sink in the kitchen.
He heaved into it, the contents of his lunch coming out quickly. He slid down to the floor, tears sliding down his face.
He felt just like when… when he'd gotten hit at hockey a long time ago. When he was still normal. When he'd ended up with a concussion and his friends had freaked out and started taking care of him, instead of him taking care of them.
Like it was supposed to be.
But things would be different this time.
Kendall lifted his head, a million stabs of pain resonating through his skull, and hit it hard against the kitchen cabinet under the sink.
It hurt so much. But he would do anything for his friends.
He loved his best friends. He loved his family. He loved his old life.
He would really miss them. He really would. But it had to be done. He had to-
line line line
Carlos opened the door to 2J, humming quietly to himself and jiggling his keys a little. He had two packs of fruit smackers in his hands, one for him and one for Kendall.
"Kendall? I'm back!" Carlos called, but no one responded. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Kendall always responded. Unless he was asleep. Or not home.
But Carlos had left Kendall at home. He wouldn't have gone out on his own, would he? Where were James and Logan? Why weren't they home either?
"James? Logan? Kendall?" Carlos called again. No one responded. Carlos widened his eyes. He had left Kendall home alone. But it wasn't his fault… he didn't even know no one else was at home.
Carlos took a deep breath. He had to calm down. Kendall could be a little slow mentally, but he would be fine at home alone for 10 minutes. He was probably just sleeping.
Nodding to himself, Carlos walked to Kendall's room. No one was there. He checked all the other rooms, too, but there was no human being there.
He frowned, clearly confused. Did James or Logan take him out? James, he probably did. Yeah, that was probably why.
Carlos pulled out his phone and dialed James on speed dial. He walked over to the kitchen sink to throw a tissue into the trash. He opened the trash can, but froze when his foot stepped against something.
He looked down. And he screamed.
It was Kendall, and he wasn't moving. His eyes were wide open, like he had just seen something shocking but didn't have time to close them.
And there was blood. Blood trickling down his mouth. It was just a little, but it scared Carlos, though not as much as Kendall's opened eyes.
Carlos's breath caught in his throat. Tears welled up in his eyes. When he regained his breath, he breathed so rapidly due to fear that he felt dizzy in the head.
"Carlos?" Carlos screamed, turning around. No one was there.
"Carlos? What's wrong?" Carlos's breathing calmed a little when he heard James's voice on the phone. The phone. There was no one there; it was just James on the phone.
James's voice always comforted him, even though he sounded worried and scared. But Carlos was still hysterical when he began talking. "Ke-Kendall… h-he's- I came home b-but… and t-then I was- th-the trash, and then-then I s-saw him- he's bleeding and- and he's-"
"Carlos, calm down. Take a deep breath, buddy." James instructed firmly. Carlos heard rustling noises in the background, then the ding of the elevator. He did as he was told.
"Now, tell me slowly what happened. Okay?" James asked gently. His soothing voice calmed Carlos down a little.
"I-I came home and Kendall was on the ground. H-he's not breathing or moving and his eyes… J-James, please come home…" Carlos cried, the tears in his eyes falling down his cheeks. "I-I'm scared…"
He heard James breath in deeply. "Don't worry, buddy, I'm almost at the apartment. Don't cry, Carlos. Just stay there and wait for me. I'll call 911, you just stay there, okay?"
"O-Okay…" Carlos whimpered. James hung up, and Carlos was left all alone, with an unconscious body and a heart beating faster than-
Just then, the door slammed open, and James was there. "Yeah, the Palm Woods. Yeah, come quick, please. Yeah, he's just unconscious and he's not breathing. Yeah. Okay."
He hung up and walked over to Carlos, who wrapped his arms tightly around James and sobbed into his shoulder. James walked over behind the kitchen counter with Carlos wrapped protectively in his arms.
"Hey, it's alright, buddy, it'll be okay. Don't cry, it's okay, Carlos… Don't-"
He froze in his tracks when he saw Kendall. His eyes were wide open, those green eyes James knew only too well. But he wasn't breathing. Pushing Carlos away gently, James reached his finger to press on Kendall wrist, and then his throat.
Nothing.
He pressed his hands against Kendall's mouth. No breathing, no nothing. Kendall's already pale face had grown while as a sheet, and his eyes looked lifeless.
James let out a high-pitched squeak. He had never been so scared in his life.
He needed Logan. Logan had to be here. Kendall need all three of his friends there for him when he needed it most. James reached for his phone with shaking hands. Logan picked up on the second ring.
"Logan, you've gotta come home… Kendall's unconscious and he's gotta go to the hospital. Seriously, Logan, come home right now." James demanded, but in a soft tone.
He heard Logan fumbling around. "What-what do you mean? How-"
"I don't know, Logan… Just come home as fast as you can." James said quietly.
"O-okay… I'll be there in five."
As if on cue, the door burst open and paramedics rushed in. James took Carlos's wrist and pulled him away from Kendall. The paramedics checked Kendall's pulse and pulled out a machine that Logan called… an AED.
Logan had said they used those things to shock patients if they weren't breathing or had no pulse. James wanted to step in and tell them to stop. Stop hurting his best friends. But it was the only way they could save Kendall.
It was the only way.
"Clear!" One of the men shouted. James didn't understand what was going on, but Kendall's body jerked and jerked about a million times.
He didn't even notice when Logan put his hand on his shoulder, a tear falling onto his shirt. He didn't hear anything. All he could see were those green eyes, staring blankly at him.
That wasn't Kendall. That wasn't his best friend.
For a million years, James didn't move. He didn't hear Carlos crying, didn't hear Logan gasping in fear, didn't hear himself screaming for Kendall to wake up.
He didn't hear the paramedics shouting, didn't see them shocking Kendall. Only saw those green eyes of Kendall's. And when those eyes were finally closed, James began to hear again.
"Time of death, 1: 28 PM."
A/N- I'm sorry… It takes me this long to update and I give you guys this… I'm sorry. I'm so, so deeply and utterly sorry.
Anonymous Skrtle
