For Kendall Knight, trying out a new video game was always a great experience. Only this time the joyful experience was marred by a depressing Logan sitting on Kendall's bed, his eyes never leaving his phone screen.

"Still haven't heard from her?" Kendall asked. Logan sighed. "No . . . She doesn't answer my texts or take my calls. If I only knew she was okay. She could just text me saying she doesn't want any contact at the moment, or that she needs her space, but nope, nothing."

"Hmmm . . ."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Why 'hmmm'? What are you 'hmming' about? You know something."

"No . . ."

"Kendall . . ."

"Okay, fine." Kendall paused his game and turned to Logan. "I know from Jo that Camille doesn't come to school anymore. Her parents say she's sick, but-"

"So there's really something going on with her?"

Kendall was genuinely surprised at the concern in Logan's voice. Considering how Camille had behaved towards him, it was more than surprising that Logan was still worried about her. He was just too good for this world.

'May God bless your heart and soul,' Kendall thought to himself.

"I would love to give her the answers she needs, but I don't have them. I just don't know what the problem is. She thinks she's the cause, but that's total nonsense. She says my feelings aren't real, but they are."

Kendall had been hearing those words quite a bit lately, and he would probably be hearing them for another while if they didn't finally take a step forward.

"Okay, let's see. Are you completely sure about these feelings?"

"Yes, absolutely. I have all these feelings, they're real, but . . . but it's like something inside me prevents me from letting them out. I can't explain it."

"Hmmm . . . and does this only happen with Camille? I mean, when you're alone, can you-?"

Logan grimaced. "That's disgusting, dude."

"Okay, so that means you've never tried it on yourself?"

Logan's expression was answer enough.

"All right . . . Um, maybe it has something to do with your disease. If you say that something inside you is preventing it . . ."

"I have an unstable immune system, not an STD," Logan replied dryly. Kendall sighed in frustration. Logan's sarcasm wasn't helpful. "Okay, okay. Let's think . . . You're on medication, maybe that could be the reason."

Logan shook his head. "No."

"Why not? You always hear that medications have side effects; you can't possibly know that."

"Actually, I can," Logan said, pulling some folded pieces of paper out of his pocket. Kendall raised his eyebrows. "What's that?"

"A list of all the side effects of my medication."

Kendall scanned the list. "Oh, well . . . but maybe it's a side effect they just forgot about."

"Kendall, on this list are things like 'itchy hair'. Trust me, if it was something that big, they definitely wouldn't have forgotten about it."

Kendall stared at him. "Itchy hair?"

"Really? That's your only comment?"

"Ah, no, sorry. Um, is that list from your doctor?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm . . . And why do you have these papers with you right now?"

"To be honest, I had the same idea as you. So I consulted the list because I thought maybe I was missing something. But nothing."

"Have you asked your parents about it?"

"No, they don't even know what happened between me and Camille."

"How come?"

Logan shrugged. "I have my reasons."

"Okay, so no parents . . . but maybe your doctor knows something. I mean, maybe it's a side effect they didn't know about at the time, after all, you've been taking these medications for years."

Logan thought about it and got up from the bed. "I'll be right back."

Kendall nodded and went back to his game. After a few minutes, Logan came back in. "Okay, let's go. You drive."

Kendall looked at him puzzled. "Huh? Driving? Where?"

"To my doctor. I called; he has time for me."

"Now?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "No, Kendall, not now, next Tuesday."

Now Kendall rolled his eyes and stood up. "You know, your sarcasm is really uncalled for from time to time. Okay, let's go then."

Kendall parked in front of the clinic. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Logan shook his head and got out. "No, thanks. But I will call if I need your help," he said tersely, walking into the building. Kendall frowned. "Thanks for driving me over on your free afternoon, my friend," he murmured, then he turned on the radio.

The first few minutes passed quickly, Kendall was singing along to his favorite songs and was in a good mood. But after a while he started to get impatient. Luckily, his cell phone distracted him. It was Jo. "Hey, you."

"Hi, so, what are you doing on your free afternoon? Do you finally have time to test your new video game?"

"You know me too well," Kendall said and Jo laughed.

"Ah, no, I just took Logan to the doctor. And he didn't want me to come in, so I'm waiting here in the car."

"You took him to the doctor? Is he okay?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, if he's anything like Camille, I can imagine."

"I feel like we're constantly picking up their pieces."

"I know it's frustrating sometimes, but they need us."

Kendall sighed. "Yeah, I know . . . Um, hey, maybe you could convince Camille to send Logan a text. He hasn't heard from her since the incident, she ignores all his attempts to contact her. He's really worried about her."

"I'll see what I can do. Are we still going to the movies this week?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright. See you soon then."

"Can't wait for it," Kendall said, ending the call. Smiling slightly, he settled into his seat, yawned, and closed his eyes.

He must have dozed off because Logan was suddenly back at the car, almost shouting at him. "Kendall!"

Kendall flinched. "Huh? I'm awake, I wasn't sleeping. How . . . How was it? Did you find out anything?"

Logan sat down in the passenger seat, Kendall noticed that he was holding some papers tightly in his hand, so tightly that Kendall could see the white knuckles of his hand.

"Drive." Logan's voice sounded strange, almost emotionless.

"Okay, and um, where exactly?"

"My house."

"Okay." Kendall started the car, looking at Logan out of the corner of his eye. "May I ask what your doctor-?"

"Just drive the damn car," Logan snapped, and Kendall fell silent.

Kendall stopped in front of Logan's house. Logan got out and looked at Kendall expectantly. "Well, are you coming or what?"

"Ah, okay . . ." He got out too and followed Logan to the front door. Suddenly, Logan stopped and turned to him. "Whatever happens in there, just play along, okay?"

"Um, okay. But don't you want to tell me what's going-?"

But Logan had already disappeared into the house.

"I guess not," Kendall muttered, hurrying after Logan.

Logan's parents were sitting at the kitchen table with coffee, tea and cake, and they seemed to be in a good mood. Kendall noticed Logan hiding the documents in the back of his waistband before smiling and entering the kitchen with Kendall in tow. "Hey, guys."

"Hello, boys," Jeffrey greeted them friendly. "Come, sit with us."

"Would you like some cake?" Joanna offered. But before Kendall could say yes or no to the cake, Logan had already changed the subject. "Actually, we're here because I wanted to discuss something with you."

"Permission for a sleep-over? We have no objections," Jeffery said with a mild smile and took a sip from his teacup.

"Actually, it is much more personal," Logan explained calmly. "I already talked to Kendall about it, and he said it would be a good idea to tell you guys about it too, right?" He looked encouragingly at Kendall, who nodded quickly. "That's true."

Logan's parents exchanged a look.

"All right," Jeffrey said. "So, what's going on?"

Logan's fake smile grew, and Kendall was secretly impressed by his friend's acting skills.

"Well, Camille and I . . . You know that we feel a lot for each other, and we both really like spending time together, and things are starting to get serious between us. And that's why we want to get intimate with each other, but before that happens, I wanted you to know about it."

Kendall, who had poured himself a glass of orange juice and was drinking it, choked on Logan's words and started coughing. Luckily, Logan's parents didn't seem to notice anything unusual about it. Logan patted him on the back - perhaps a little too hard - before turning back to his parents, who looked surprised.

"Well, of course we can talk about it, honey, but are you sure that Kendall-?" Joanna began uncertainly. Logan nodded. "Yes, Kendall can stay. That's fine. Right, Kendall?"

"Yeah, right."

"Well then," Jeffrey said slowly. "If you're really sure that you and Camille want to take this step, there are a few things you need to consider."

"What kind of things?" Logan asked curiously.

"Well, honey, first you have to realize that you are special. You're not like other boys your age and some things that are easy for others-"

"Mom, I'm not a child anymore. I know this will probably take a lot of strength from me. But Camille is worth the effort."

"It's also important that you watch out for certain things, like-"

"Protection? Don't worry, Dad, we know about that."

Jeffrey nodded. "Of course, protection is important. But . . . Well, your mother already hinted at it, you're different, Logan, and-"

"But just because I have a disease doesn't mean I have to miss out on things like that, does it? Getting intimate with Camille, being close to her, is pretty much the greatest thing I can imagine. And I know we're both ready for this, I can feel it."

'Holy shit,' Kendall thought, but he remained silent.

"You know, Logan, being intimate with someone can mean many things, it doesn't always have to be that one thing, there are so many other beautiful things you can do," Joanna explained and Kendall had the strong urge to clear his throat.

"We just don't want you to be disappointed," Jeffrey said slowly. Logan frowned. "Disappointed? Why should I be disappointed?"

'Here we go,' Kendall thought uncomfortably.

"Um, we should have told you this a long time ago, Logan, and we're sorry, but . . . but there is a 50 percent chance that, well, that you and Camille won't be able to get close."

"More precisely, you won't be able to do it," Jeffrey added.

"Why shouldn't I be able to do it?"

Joanna touched Jeffrey's hand and he cleared his throat. "Logan, you have . . . I mean, you could have an ED."

Kendall frowned. He didn't understand, and he didn't want to play Logan's game anymore. "ED? What does that mean?"

Jeffrey started to explain, but it was Logan who answered in a toneless voice. "ED. Erectile Dysfunction." He looked at Kendall. "I'm impotent."

"But your disease-" Kendall began, confused. Logan shook his head. "Not my disease, it's the medication." And he pulled the documents from behind his back and slammed them on the table. "You were right, Kendall. My medication is the reason. But it's not like they've simply forgotten about this side effect, quite the opposite."

Kendall's mouth dropped open. He looked at Logan's parents. "You knew? But since when?"

"From the very first day," Logan said, his voice sounding cold, dismissive. He also looked at his parents. "It's true, isn't it?"

"How did you find out?" Jeffrey asked calmly.

"How do you think I found out?! Dr. Grey of course. I was with him today and we had a really interesting conversation."

Earlier this afternoon:

Logan knocked on his doctor's office door. Dr. Grey looked up from a magazine. "Ah, Logan. Come in, sit down."

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

"No problem. So, what can I do for you?"

"Um, to be honest, it is a topic I don't feel comfortable discussing it with my parents, I hope that's okay."

"Absolutely."

Logan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well, you remember Camille, don't you?"

"Of course, nice girl. How is she?"

Logan wanted to say something, but the doctor was already continuing, "I have to say, I find it truly remarkable what you two can handle at such a young age. Let me tell you this, Logan, even adults wouldn't be able to cope with this burden."

"Yeah, she, she's great. Um, it's just that . . . Well, she and I have been . . . intimate, but . . . but it didn't turn out the way we imagined, and that's why I'm here, to ask you for advice."

"Well, of course it will always be a little different for the two of you in this special situation, that's for sure. But nevertheless-"

"In this situation? Are you talking about my disease?"

"In a way, yes. You see, Logan, there was always that one chance that this side effect wouldn't appear, but to be honest-"

"Side effect?" Logan asked confused. "What side effect?"

Dr. Grey looked at him in surprise. "Well, the erectile dysfunction of course, ED."

"What?" He wanted to say it loud, but couldn't, his voice was dead. "But . . . but that means, I, I am . . ." The shock and realization crashed over him like waves. Dr. Grey watched him, clearly puzzled by his young patient's reaction. "Logan, didn't you know about this?"

Logan shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I only knew about the things that were on that list." He handed the pages to the doctor, who looked through them quickly and then asked, "Where's the rest of it?"

"The - the rest?"

"Yes, one page is missing. Did you leave it at home?"

Logan shook his head once more. "No, that's all my parents gave me." A new thought hit him with full force. "My parents . . ." He looked at Dr. Grey. "They knew about it, didn't they? You told them about the side effects."

"That's right, I did."

"But they . . . they never told me that I'm . . ."

"I'm sorry, Logan. I thought you would know. That's why I was so impressed by how you and Camille build and deepen your relationship despite this knowledge. I didn't know you had no idea about this."

Logan sat there in complete shock. All recent events flooded his mind, especially the fight with Camille. So he was right. He was the reason for their unpleasant situation, it was his fault. Camille would never take him back, it was too late, everything was too late.

"Here." Dr. Grey handed him a page he had just printed from his computer. Logan barely noticed it. He stared at the written words that made no sense to him and then saw what Dr. Grey meant. Only two words, pretty high up on the page. Two words that were enough to turn his life upside down.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Dr. Grey asked and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Logan shook his head and then stood up abruptly. He had to get out of here or he would collapse right in front of his doctor. He took the papers, thanked the doctor for his help and hurried away.

"Logan, honey, that doesn't have to mean anything," Joanna tried to calm him down and reached for his hand. "You and Camille can still try and-"

Logan pulled his hand away. "No, Mom, we can't. It's too late."

"Why is that?"

Logan's facade collapsed. "She broke up with me! We had a fight and she left!" He was breathing heavily, and Kendall thought it wouldn't be long before his friend lost the battle with the tears.

"And do you want to know why we fought? Because she thinks she's the reason why I couldn't do it. But I knew from the start that it was me, not her. She could never be the reason."

"Wait, so you and Camille, you already -?" Joanna stammered.

"Yes, Mom, we did it. Many, many times. But there's nothing to worry about, is it? Nothing can happen anyway, right?"

"You should have told us that you and Camille were planning on getting intimate together."

"Really, Dad? Like you've always been honest with me?" He shook his head and rubbed his face in an exhausted way. "Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"If you think it was easy for us to make this decision, then you're wrong," Jeffrey began to explain. "You weren't in a good shape at that time and these medications were the only thing that seemed to help you. But of course it was the side effects that made us doubt. But we had no other option, or we would have lost you too. And you were so young, so we thought it would be the best to only tell you about the side effects that were relevant to you at that time."

"I can understand that, but why didn't you tell me when I got older? Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. You had all the time in the world."

"You're right," Joanna picked up the thread. "We just convinced ourselves that it didn't matter, after all, you've never really had much contact with people, let alone girls."

"And Camille?" Logan asked quietly. Joanna bit her bottom lip. "Well . . . there's no good explanation for it, it's just . . . you were happy. Happier than ever before. And we . . . we didn't want to ruin that happiness, not since we realized how important she had become to you. You may think that we didn't care about your relationship with Camille, but that's not true, Logan. We were just moving in the wrong direction for too long and didn't know how to turn back."

"We thought if we gave you more freedom, then sooner or later you would tell us if you and Camille were planning to, well, you know . . . We're sorry for causing this situation, that really wasn't our intention."

Logan sobbed dryly, burying his head in his hands.

"Um, maybe it would be best for everyone if Logan stayed with me for a few days," Kendall tried to save the situation. Logan raised his head and nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea." He stood up. "I'll pack some things and then we are out of here."