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Chapter Text

Kendall coughed up a lungful of saltwater as he was pulled from the ocean one bright and sunny summer day.

A random surfer had seen him struggling against the waves and had intervened just as he was about to be cast away from shore by the vicious current.  

Strong, muscled arms set him carefully onto the sand while Kendall tried to collect himself enough to thank his savior.

His gaze trailed up the guy’s toned legs and tan chest before settling on his face, backlit by the scorching summer sun.

Kendall felt his jaw drop in recognition. 

It was James Diamond, bad boy of Palm Woods High and indisputably the most handsome guy at their school. The blond almost didn’t recognize him without his signature leather jacket.

He was snapped out of his stupor when James stuck his surfboard into the sand and crouched eye level with Kendall.

“You ok?” The brunet said with a warm smile on his face.

Kendall couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from James’ soft expression, “Uh, yeah, thanks.” He managed to stutter out while a blush rose to his cheeks.

James chuckled and leaned back, “You’re not from around here are you?” 

“What makes you think that?” Kendall asked with a furrowed brow.

He internally sighed at the fact that James didn’t seem to recognize him even though they’ve been going to the same school for almost two years now. Figures a guy like Kendall would be invisible to a guy like James.

The brunet looked thoughtful for a second before a large grin spread across his face, “One, you’re paler than a sheet,” He teased and flicked his wet hair away from his face, “And two, what kind of Californian doesn’t know how to swim in the ocean?” 

Kendall narrowed his eyes, “I know how to swim.” He refused to pout in front of the handsome teen, “I just have never been in the ocean before, and my friend was making fun of me for it.”

James nodded in understanding then stood, offering his hand to Kendall. The blond took the offered limb and was swiftly pulled up from the sand. His pulse quickened at the simple contact even though he had been pressed against James’ chest just a few minutes prior when the teen had rescued him from drowning.

Another blush spread up to his face as he remembered James’ strong hold. It was just his luck that he had happened to run into him outside of school.

“So, where are you from then?” James tilted his head in curiosity, and Kendall was having a hard time connecting this charming version of the brunet to the intimidating guy he frequently saw stalking across campus. 

Kendall rubbed the back of his neck and shook out his blond hair slightly, “Uh, Minnesota.” He winced, knowing that it wasn’t what the other teen had meant by that question.

“Cool, like, literally.” James laughed brightly while Kendall rolled his eyes at the bad joke. 

“Well, thanks again.” The blond stated, backing up slightly, “I better get going.”

James took a quick step forward, hands raised, “Wait! Don’t you want to know my name?”

Kendall’s eyebrows were raised as he took in James’ open expression. What in the world was happening?

“I’m James.” He winked at Kendall, holding out his hand for a shake.

Despite the blond’s immediate embarrassment, he took James’ hand automatically, “Kendall.” 

James squeezed his hand gently, “Pretty name for a pretty guy.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Kendall asked in disbelief, his eyes wide as he studied James’ face for any sign of deceit or mockery.

But the brunet just adopted a cocksure grin, “Is it working?”

Kendall was more flustered than he ever had been before, “I, uh, I-”

“Why don’t I take you out for lunch?” James gave him a hopeful look, “As a thank you.”

Kendall let out a surprised laugh, “You’re the one that saved me!”

James seemed hooked on the sound of Kendall’s laugh, “Still, I’d feel terrible if I didn’t show you the full Californian experience.”

The blond rolled his eyes in amusement, “Sure, James.”

“Will you call me Jamie?” James practically purred, “All my closest friends do.”

Kendall almost wanted to call him out on that. No one around school ever dared to call him Jamie. The one time that some arrogant bully from their neighboring town had tried it, James had beaten the daylights out of him in the grocery store parking lot. It was all anyone talked about for the rest of that week.

Kendall shrugged, he might as well make the most of this crazy situation.

“Well then, Jamie, what did you want to do?”

Chapter Text

The next week at school, Kendall couldn’t help but replay his impromptu date with James Freaking Diamond in his head as he walked through the front gates of Palm Woods High.

The taller teen had taken him to the arcade, where they went bowling and played the various claw machine games. 

James had even bought Kendall a lemonade and held his hand during the afternoon. A sweet gesture that allowed Kendall to shut off his brain and just enjoy the time he had with the handsome teen.

Kendall still felt butterflies in his stomach when he thought of how radiant James looked when he pulled him under the dock for a kiss.

The blond gave a wave to the friendly security guard posted at the front of the school, smiling a bit as Freight Train waved back then crossed his arms to look as intimidating as possible.

“Kendall! Over here!” A familiar voice called to him.

Kendall turned and saw his best friend, Logan, standing next to the campus’ maintenance man with a heavy scowl on his face.

He walked over and smoothed down his pale yellow cardigan before tucking his hands into his khakis, “What’s up, Logie?”

Logan frowned deeper, “What have I said about calling me that? Also, please tell Buddha Bob that using this brand of weed killer is not only a huge waste of money, but also extremely harmful to the environment!”

“Isn’t the point of weed killer to be harmful to the environment?” Kendall smirked at his friend’s antics.

Logan huffed indignantly, “That is not-”

“Hey, nerds!” Kendall’s two other friends, Camille and Jo, walked up to them, “Are you bothering the staff again?”

Kendall quickly interrupted Logan before he could go into a whole spiel about weed killer, “Y’know, you’re also a nerd.”

Camille waved her hand dismissively, “Theater nerds are different than Nerd nerds.”

“And yet you still hang out with us.” Logan accused, tone playful.

Jo laughed, her blonde ponytail and cheerleading skirt swaying lightly, “That’s because you guys are fun to mess with.”

“Oh!” Camille suddenly brightened, “That reminds me, I found this and thought of you.”

The curly haired girl made Kendall lean down while she placed something in his hair. Kendall, used to Camille’s eccentricity, allowed it without complaint.

“What is it?” He questioned and then felt the distinctly flower-shaped hair clip.

Camille grinned up at him, “Don’t take it out, please? It looks nice.”

Jo and Logan nodded behind her and Kendall sighed, “Fine, but we better get going to Miss Collin’s class or we’ll be late.”

The group walked further into the campus towards the classrooms, turning the corner just as James and his friends walked out from a building.

.

James slid on his leather jacket as he and his friends strode into school that morning.

The other teens parted hastily around the group, and James couldn’t blame them. They were the bad kids, the troublemakers. They even intimidated the teachers when they strutted around in their black clothes and heavy boots. 

It was kind of thrilling. 

James wondered if the pretty blond he had met at the beach would have given him the time of day if he knew what mischief James regularly got up to.

Probably not, Kendall seemed like a sweet guy.

James’ best friend, Carlos, nudged him in the side, “Dude, what’s with the smile?” He asked skeptically.

“He must’ve met someone.” Lucy said as she flipped her dyed hair over her shoulder, “I’d know that look anywhere.”

Jenny Tinkler stumbled over a trash can but popped back up quickly while brushing off her red leather jacket, “Is it true, James? Who’d ya meet?”

James grinned wider, eager to talk about Kendall, “Just a smoking hot blond at the beach. He was totally crazy about me.”

“Hell yeah, man.” Guitar Dude congratulated and patted him on the back, “What did you guys do?”

“Oh, y’know, this and that.” James said, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

Lucy rolled her eyes, “Are you going to see him again?”

James frowned slightly at that. 

Kendall had most likely gone back to Minnesota by then, taking the best pair of lips James had ever kissed with him. It was probably better that way anyway. James had a reputation to think about, a group of delinquents that looked up to him. He couldn’t go soft now. At his friends’ expecting looks, James just shrugged.

“Doubt it.”

.

“Kendall? Hey, you in there?” Jo snapped her fingers in front of the blond’s face.

He startled and looked down at her, “What? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?”

“Dude, you’ve been a total space case all day.” Logan stated dryly, “What’s on your mind?”

“I bet he’s thinking about that senior football player that’s been giving him goo goo eyes.” Camille teased, twirling her hair around her finger.

“No, that’s not it!” Kendall flushed, looking around briefly before leaning in closer to his friends, “But I may have, um, met someone. At the beach.”

“Really?!” Camille squealed and Kendall quickly shushed her, “Why didn’t you say something earlier?” She stage-whispered.

“Because you guys are insanely nosy!” Kendall groaned, “It was one date! Besides, nothing more is going to happen with him.”

Jo looked curious, searching her friend’s face, “How come?”

Kendall scratched the back of his neck anxiously, he could not tell his friends that he went on a date with James Diamond. They’d never believe him. Or they’d flip out. Kendall honestly didn’t know which one was worse.

“Uh, he’s sweet.” Kendall hesitated briefly, “But unavailable.”

Thankfully, his friends seemed content to leave it at that for now, and they went their separate ways for the next class period.

.

It was midday and James was crossing campus to get to his next class when he spotted a familiar head of blond hair across the pathway.

He had to do a double take before he could confirm that, yes, it was the blond bombshell he had met the previous week.

“Kendall!” He shouted and hurried over to the surprised teen. The blond looked even cuter now than when he had been in his beach attire. His yellow cardigan and white button-up complimented his golden hair nicely, while his hair was fluffier than it was while stiff with saltwater.

“Oh, hey, Jamie.” Kendall looked sheepish as he fidgeted with the strap of his messenger bag, “How are you?”

James stared at him, baffled, “You said you were going back to Minnesota! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” 

Kendall’s blushed intensified, “No, I didn’t. I said I was from Minnesota. I moved to California during our freshman year.”

“Wait, you go to school here?” James asked in disbelief, trying to process the new information.

The blond gestured to the campus around them, “Seems so.”

“But,” James struggled to find the right words, “You acted like you didn’t know me at the beach?”

Kendall frowned, “Hey, just because you're the big man on campus, doesn’t mean that every single person here knows who you are.”

“But you do, don’t you?” James questioned, a small smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

Kendall scoffed to cover his embarrassment, “Whatever, I’ve never been remotely on your radar these past two years. Last week was a fluke.”

“C’mon, Kenny, don’t be like that.” James wheedled, stepping in closer to the blond.

Just as he was about to reach out and touch him, James saw his friends headed toward them out of the corner of his eye.

The brunet snatched his hand away and took a quick step back, ignoring the way his chest tightened at Kendall’s hurt expression.

“Oh, look, it’s James!” Jenny punched her friend on the arm and nearly toppled them both.

Kendall swiftly turned in an attempt to get out of there when he saw his own friends also walking towards them. They looked at the blond curiously as he was surrounded by the notorious leather-clad group.

“Hey, who’s this?” Lucy questioned, looking past Kendall to blatantly check out Camille.

James looked uneasy as the two groups stood across from each other, so Kendall decided to intervene.

“Hi, I’m Kendall. And that’s Camille, Jo, and Logan.” He said as he pointed to each of his friends.

Carlos piped up from behind James, looking directly at Logan with a raised eyebrow, “Aren’t you the guy that nearly blew up the science lab last year?”

Logan turned bright red, “Aren’t you the guy that took on the entire 8th grade when we were in middle school?” He snarked back then seemed to immediately regret it as he subtly hid behind Camille.

But the shorter teen just smirked, adjusting his leather jacket proudly as he continued to look at Logan.

Lucy looked between James and Kendall, “So, how do you two know each other?”

Kendall opened his mouth to respond but James quickly interrupted him, “I just saw Blondie walking around with that flower in his hair and was wondering if he was trying to attract bees.” James joked lamely, but his friends still snickered at the other teen’s expense.

The brunet blanched as fiery green eyes stared him down, “Yeah, well, at least I don’t wear leather when it's like 90 degrees out, jerk.”

With that, Kendall spun on his heel and walked away while his friends quickly followed him.

James was stunned as he watched the blond leave, but swiftly composed himself when he heard Lucy scoff beside him.

“What a priss!” She jeered, eyes still trained on the swish of Camille's skirt.

“Whatever,” James turned to the parking lot and hopped onto his motorcycle.

Carlos frowned at him, “Dude, you’re ditching? Miss Wainwright is going to be so mad.”

James shrugged and strapped on his helmet, “Wanna come with?” 

The shorter teen shook his head, “Nah, if I don’t get my grades up my dad is going to make me join the police academy.” 

“Just don’t let Bitters catch you!” Jenny warned, scanning the area for the annoying hall monitor.

James nodded as his bike roared to life, kicking off the ground before peeling out away from the school. 

From some distance away, Kendall turned toward the noise. He watched as James rode away, confused and upset at the teen’s sudden change in behavior.

Chapter Text

Kendall sat on one of Camille’s plush armchairs later that night as his friends passed around a wine bottle that Jo had liberated from her dad’s cellar.

“No, thanks.” He declined politely as Camille leaned over her bed to pass the drink to him.

She pouted theatrically, “C’mon, Kendall, if we can get Logan tipsy then we can get you too.”

Kendall rolled his eyes, grabbing the bottle from her and taking a small sip before passing it down to his best friend who took a considerably larger gulp.

“Oh, by the way,” Kendall began, tucking his legs under himself on the chair, “My mom needs you to dye her hair again, Cami.”

Camille nodded, shuffling through the beauty products on her desk, “Sure thing, tell her I can come over tomorrow after school.”

“Speaking of school,” Jo paused to take a drink from the bottle, “What was up with Diamond and his cronies today? They’ve never bothered us before.”

Kendall flushed and picked at the hem of his long white shirt, “Dunno…”

Logan narrowed his eyes at his best friend, swaying a little, “You’re lying, I can tell.”

“Kendall,” Camille drew out his name in warning, “What happened before we showed up?”

The blond’s eyes flitted between his three friends, “Nothing!” He insisted with a deer in the headlights look.

“Fine.” Camille stated in exasperation, then snapped her fingers as an idea came to her, “Come here then, we’re finally going to pierce your ears tonight.”

“Are you serious?” Kendall yelped as Camille dragged him to the bathroom.

Camille giggled but kept pulling at her taller friend, “Didn’t you say last winter that you wanted to do it?”

“Yeah, but not by you!” He fought against the surprisingly strong girl, “Logan, help!”

Logan shook his head, “No way, dude. This is what you get for keeping secrets from us.”

Jo nodded solemnly as Kendall was shoved into the bathroom.

“Sit.” Camille ordered as she took out her supplies from under the sink. 

Kendall obeyed grumpily and crossed his arms over his chest. He supposed it couldn’t be too bad to let his friend try to pierce his ears, as long as she didn’t accidentally stick him in the jugular instead.

Camille shoved a white hairband onto Kendall’s head to sweep the hair away from his pouting face, smirking as Kendall froze at the sight of a large needle in her hand.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what’s going on between you and James?” She said sweetly.

Kendall gulped and tangled his hands in the fabric of his sleep shorts, “I hope you know that this is torture tactics.” He hissed, eyeing the glinting metal.

Camille laughed and stuck Kendall’s right ear without hesitation. The blond shrieked at the sharp pain, then paled when he saw his own blood. Faintly, he could hear Logan and Jo laughing at him from the bedroom.

“Oh, stop it, you big baby.” Camille chastised, “It’s only a couple of drops.”

“I’m gonna be sick.” Kendall moaned as Camille cleaned his ear.

He backed up until his body pressed against the smooth porcelain behind him.

The curly haired girl huffed, “Fine, I won’t pierce the other one unless you want me to.”

Kendall nodded furiously in agreement and bolted out of the bathroom. Camille followed him and they rejoined their other two friends, who had finished the bottle of wine at that point.

“So,” Logan said with a raised eyebrow, noticing his friend’s slightly paler complexion, “Have you changed your mind about talking to us yet?”

Kendall sighed heavily and slumped on the chair, “The guy I went on a date with. It’s James.”

“What!?” All three teens screamed in unison.

Camille climbed over the bed toward him, gripping his arms tightly, “Where?! When!?”

Kendall turned pink, “The beach. Last week.”

“Wait, you said that the guy was sweet!” Jo looked at him accusingly, “You’re telling me that James Diamond is something other than an asshole?”

“Language.” Kendall said automatically, then cringed.

Logan laughed, “Yeah, Jo, you know Kendall can’t stand swearing. Or smoking. Or anything bad, really.”

Kendall narrowed his eyes at his best friend, “You’re one to talk, didn’t you nearly vomit when your older sister made you try tequila?”

The dark-haired teen waved him off, “That’s different. But back to the matter at hand, I seriously don’t get what you see in Diamond.”

“Oh yeah?” Camille grinned mischievously, “I think the troubled, wrong side of the tracks look can have it’s appeal, don’t you? You certainly seemed flustered when Garcia started talking to you earlier.”

Logan gasped, affronted, “Don’t project your feelings onto me! You’re the one with the crush on Lucy Stone!”

“Slander!” Camille roared as she whacked Logan with a pillow. It quickly devolved into a massive pillow fight between the four of them, only stopping when they heard the front door bell.

Kendall laughed as Camille and Jo attempted to untangle themselves, “I’ll get it.”

.

“Pick up your feet, losers.” Lucy instructed as they marched up the steps to the Roberts’ residence, “This will only take a second.”

Carlos groaned, “Why are we here? There’s supposed to be a race across town!”

“I recognized that girl from earlier, the one with the blonds and the nerd.” Lucy stated, “I want her to come with us.”

James sighed, way past caring about Lucy’s intentions, “And you know where she lives because…?”

“Our dads know each other.” Lucy answered as she knocked on Camille’s front door, “Those straight-laced squares have to stick together.” 

The door swung open to reveal Kendall, slightly out of breath and pink. He stared right past Lucy at James, mouth open shock.

“Hey, Kendall, was it?” Lucy snapped to get his attention, “Is Camille home?”

As she voiced her question, Kendall’s friends all exited Camille’s bedroom to see who had knocked.

“Oh, hey, Lucy.” Camille sounded breathless at Lucy’s sudden appearance.

Kendall had to smirk and Logan’s hypothesis was proven true; their friend really did have a gigantic crush on the intimidating rocker girl.

Lucy leaned against the doorframe, “Sorry, I didn’t know you were having a slumber party. But I was wondering if you wanted to join us across town? There’s supposed to be a killer race.”

“Sure!” Camille immediately responded before backtracking and looking at her friends, “I mean-”

Kendall interrupted her smoothly, “Go on, Cami. I gotta get home soon anyway.”

Logan and Jo nodded their agreement, and Camille beamed gratefully at them.

“Ok, just give me a couple minutes to get ready.” She said to Lucy, smoothing down her wild hair.

She and her three friends rushed back inside while the unexpected group of delinquents waited outside on the driveway. There was a lot of teasing and well-aimed jabs as they got dressed, but soon the four friends walked out of the house ready to go.

Camille gave them a little wave as she got into Lucy’s black and red convertible, peeling off into the night with a joyous laugh.

Before Logan could get into his own modest station wagon, Carlos stepped toward him.

“Hey, Logan, can I talk to you?” The teen asked, squaring his shoulders under his black leather jacket.

“You know my name?” Logan squeaked and fumbled with his keys.

Carlos smiled, his stern intimidation melting away into something softer, “Of course, you’re like the smartest guy in school.”

A bright blush traveled up to the tips of Logan’s ears, “O-oh, what did you want to talk about?”

Carlos grew embarrassed at that, running his fingers through his shortly cropped hair, “I need a tutor for math and science. I figured I’d ask you about it.”

Logan brightened at that, “Oh! Yes, for sure! I’d love to help.” He smiled happily at Carlos, who seemed to relax when Logan didn’t make fun of him.

“Great, thanks.” Carlos beamed, “I’ll see you tomorrow after school then.”

The teen climbed onto his motorcycle and saluted them before taking off after Lucy’s car, leaving James alone with Kendall, Logan, and Jo.

Kendall and James refused to meet each other’s gazes while Logan just looked at Jo helplessly. The blonde girl sighed internally at the boys’ cluelessness and opened Logan’s passenger side door. 

“Let’s get this show on the road.” She prompted wryly, “I have a curfew, remember?”

Logan jumped into action and got in the car, looking over at Kendall expectantly.

“You guys head home, I’ll walk.” Kendall said, “It’s not that far anyway.” He reassured his friends.

Jo and Logan gave him a knowing look then backed up down the gravel pathway, driving down the road towards Jo’s house.

There was a prolonged silence as the two remaining teens awkwardly stood across from each other in front of Camille’s empty house.

“Uh, how are you?” James tried to start a conversation, sweeping a hand through his hair nervously.

Kendall frowned at the brunet, “Fine, are you going to make fun of me again?”

James winced and moved closer to the blond, “Listen, I’m sorry about that. I panicked.”

“Why?” Kendall pushed, hands on his hips.

“I don’t know…” James grimaced, “Can I give you a ride home as an apology?”

Kendall looked over at James’ intimidating motorcycle and felt his face heat up. He had never ridden one before, and honestly it was pretty frightening.

“Uh, no, it’s ok.” Kendall mumbled, “I really don’t live too far from here.”

James felt his heart sink, “Are you sure?”

The blond nodded and gave him a small smile, “See you at school.”

Kendall turned around and began to walk down the street, leaving James feeling rejected and confused. He mounted his bike and revved the engine, streaking off into the night as his mind raced with ideas on how he could win Kendall back.

Chapter Text

After the race, Lucy and Camille were walking back to the older girl’s car when a hand suddenly slammed against a nearby trash can. The girls startled at the booming noise, causing Camille to flinch back into Lucy’s arms.

“Well, hello, ladies.” Someone called from the darkness, “How did you enjoy the show?”

Lucy growled as she recognized the voice, “Jett, get out here right now.”

Jett Stetson walked out from behind a parked car flanked by who Lucy knew to be The Jennifers, Dak Zevon, and Heather Fox. 

The leader of the group gave Lucy and Camille a blinding smile, “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Do you want another kick in the balls?” Lucy bared her teeth dangerously at him. 

Jett’s eyes sharpened, “No, I do not. But it’s a bit fairer fight this time, don’t you think?”

Lucy took a menacing step forward and hissed at the group, “If you know what’s good for you, get out of here before my friends come back.”

“Tsk, but they’re not here right now, right?” Jett stepped forward as well and moved to place a hand on Lucy’s shoulder.

But before anyone could blink, Camille darted toward him lightning fast and gripped Jett’s wrist harshly. She twisted it and proceeded forward, causing Jett to yelp in pain and move back with her. 

“No, but I’m here.” Camille poked Jett on the chest hard enough that he winced, “So I suggest you guys get out of here before things get ugly.”

The curly-haired girl released Jett with a shove while Lucy and the rest of the teens stared at her in shock.

Jett collected himself and rearranged his jacket, “Whatever, tell your friends that I expect a race. Noon, waterways, next Friday.”

He then stormed off in a huff, his gang sending back nasty glares as they followed him.

Lucy turned to the shorter girl once the bullies were out of sight, “Camille! That was amazing!”

Camille blushed under the praise, “Really? I’ve taken self-defense lessons since I was like five, so I just kinda reacted.”

“Wow, who knew you were such a badass.” Lucy grinned then took Camille’s hand, “C’mon, let’s go back and find the guys. I’m sure they’ll want to hear all about this.”

.

Several days later, James was walking down the school hallways when he heard an unusual ruckus coming from one of the empty science labs. Considering James and his friends were usually the ones causing a ruckus around the school, the tall brunet decided to enter the room.

He immediately saw Kendall’s friend, Logan, cowering near the blackboards holding out a large book as some sort of makeshift shield. He had the beginnings of a bruise on his jaw, like someone had recently given him a nasty uppercut. The nerd was surrounded by what seemed to be half of the wrestling team, all looking furious as they advanced on the shorter teen.

James cleared his throat, alerting the room of his presence before speaking nonchalantly, “Hey, fellas, what’s going on here?”

One of the behemoths glared at James, “Beat it, Diamond. This is none of your business.”

James’ grin turned predatory as he stepped into the classroom, “That’s where you’re wrong.”

He grabbed a nearby yardstick off of a table and snapped it in half over his knee; the other inhabitants of the room all flinched at the sharp crack of wood.

“This is my school.” James snarled, “And if I tell you to leave this nerd alone, then you leave him alone. Got it?”

“Jesus, fine.” One of them muttered, eyes darting between James and his improvised weapon. The wrestlers quickly exited the room, making sure to give James a wide berth as they scurried out the door.

Once they left, James threw the broken yardstick on the ground and strode up causally to Logan. The shorter teen was still clutching his book to his chest, so James tilted his head to read the title.

“Great Expectations?” He questioned as the dark-haired teen seemed to calm down a bit.

Logan took a deep, settling breath before speaking, “Yeah, have you read it?”

“Hell no.” James laughed at the notion of him reading some uppity novel for school.

Kendall’s friend studied him for a moment, “Thanks, Diamond.”

“No problem, Mitchell.” The brunet grinned. 

Logan blinked, “How’d you know my last name?” He asked, frankly surprised. 

James waved his hand around in the air, “Oh, Carlos has been talking about you nonstop ever since you started tutoring him. It’s kinda annoying.”

Logan blushed brilliantly, “R-really?” He stuttered, clearly embarrassed but intrigued.

“Yep.” James popped the syllable, then looked out towards the door, “So, What did you do to those guys?” 

“Called them jerks in latin.” Logan responded, seemingly unregretful of his actions.

James shook his head in amusement, “You’re a weird kid.” 

The shorter teen scowled at that, “I’m older than you, y’know.”

“Yeah, whatever,” James smirked and walked out the room, “You better go to Doc Hollywood’s to get some ice for that jaw.” 

Logan nodded and trailed behind him before turning to the hallway that led to the school nurse’s office.

James was about to walk in the opposite direction when he heard Logan call his name hesitantly from down the hall. 

“Yeah?” He asked, perplexed by the abruptly serious expression on Logan’s face.

“Just make sure you don’t hurt Kendall.”

.

Logan’s words still rang in James’ head as he walked out to the manicured football field after school was over for the day.

He had ditched his jacket in his locker on the way because Kendall was right, it was hot.

James had on a black sleeveless shirt as the sun beat down on him, but he was determined as he walked up to the feared coach of the track and cross country teams.

“Hey, you’re Coach Rocque, right?” James greeted the angry-looking man, “I’d like to join the team.”

“Oh yeah? And where were you at tryouts?” Coach Rocque questioned in rising irritation. 

James grinned charmingly, “I didn’t want to join then.”

The brunet watched as the adult grew red with anger, but then noticed over his shoulder that a familiar blond was sitting on the bleachers.

“Hold that thought.” He held up a finger towards Coach Rocque and then sprinted across the field towards Kendall.

“Fine! You’re in!” James heard the man yell from behind him, and he smirked in triumph. 

However, before James made it to Kendall, a teen in a football jersey climbed the bleacher’s steps to stand in front of him. James stopped a little distance away and bristled when he realized that the guy that had approached Kendall was none other than Dak Zevon. 

James stalked up the steps towards them, causing Kendall to look up at him in surprise.

“James?” The blond looked genuinely confused, which was fair considering that James usually wouldn’t be caught dead near organized sports, “Why are you out here?” 

“I joined the track team.” James announced proudly, puffing up his chest at Kendall’s stunned expression.

Dak scoffed, “Why not football?”

“And mess up this pretty face?” James grinned, “No thanks.”

Dak rolled his eyes but Kendall laughed softly at his words, so James took it as a win.

“Do you mind?” The football player grumbled in annoyance, “Kendall and I were trying to have a conversation.”

James sat down next to the blond and crossed his arms challenge, “Yeah? What about?”

Dak glanced at James and Kendall’s proximity before scoffing and turning away, “Whatever, let me know if you want to have a real fun time, Blondie.”

James shook with anger at Dak’s proposition towards Kendall, and he was just about to leap up from the bleachers to strike the teen when he felt a warm hand covering his own.

He looked to the side to see Kendall’s breathtaking green eyes holding him in place, and he felt himself slowly relaxed. After a minute, the brunet was able to completely reign in his temper.

“So, uh, what were you guys talking about?” James asked carefully.

Kendall gestured to the notebook in his lap, “He wanted to know what I was writing.”

The taller teen hummed and scooted closer to Kendall so that their thighs were touching, “Can I see?”

The blond flushed but handed over the notebook, “It’s nothing special, just some songs and poetry that I scribbled down.”

James read the pages carefully, smiling as he got to know Kendall more through his art.

“These are great, Kenny.” He insisted softly, “Have you ever sung them out loud?”

James handed back the notebook back, and watched as Kendall turned even pinker under his warm gaze.

“Um, no, I had a guitar back in Minnesota, but I had to sell it when we moved.” The blond explained quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

That was when James noticed it, a small emerald stud earring in Kendall’s right ear. His eyes locked on to it as he stared in disbelief.

“What?” Kendall questioned in concern before realizing what James was focused on, “Oh, yeah. Camille pierced my ear the other day and then forced me to wear something so it wouldn’t close up.”

“It looks great, Kenny.” James expressed adamantly, “I love the color.”

“Thanks,” Kendall laughed and looked down shyly, “By the way, I heard what you did for Logan earlier today.”

James shrugged with feigned indifference, “Oh that? The wrestling team was getting a bit too bold anyway, I needed to put them back in their place sooner or later.”

Kendall shook his head fondly, “You act all tough, but I know you’re a big softie, Jamie.”

The brunet felt the heat rising to his cheeks and swiftly stood up from the metal bench so that Kendall wouldn’t be able to see his embarrassment.

“Let me show you something.” James said and held out a hand, “It’ll be cool, I promise.”

Kendall grabbed James and allowed himself to be pulled up, “Sure, Jamie.”

The pair walked out to the school’s parking lot holding hands when Kendall noticed that they were headed towards James’ motorcycle.

He slowed his pace and tugged at the brunet a little, “Um, could we walk there?”

James looked back, confused, “What? No, it’s like across town. Why…” He trailed off as he saw Kendall staring apprehensively at his bike.

A mischievous grin spread across James’ face, “Are you scared of riding, Kenny?”

The blond’s gaze snapped to the other teen as he became visibly flustered, “No! It’s just not safe, a-and I’ve never been on one before! It’s perfectly reasonable to not want to get on that death trap.”

James stroked Kendall’s arm soothingly, “It’s ok, babe. All you need to do is hold on tight.”

He gave Kendall a flirtatious wink and straddled the motorcycle, allowing Kendall time to carefully do the same.

“If I die,” Kendall warned anxiously as he got on the bike, “You’re the one that’s going to have to explain to my mom why I was on this thing, for pete’s sake.”

James kicked the engine alive and felt as the blond snaked his arms around his chest. They took off out of the parking lot and Kendall let out a squeak of fear, tightening his hold and pressing his cheek against James’ back.

The brunet laughed loudly as the wind rushed past, sure that Kendall could feel the vibrations of his voice through their contact.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t long before they reached their destination, a worn down garage where James and his friends frequently hung out after school.

Kendall got off the motorcycle shakily, but his eyes were bright as he looked at James. The brunet took his hand again and led him into the garage, flicking on the lights to reveal various auto parts and tools around them.

“Here she is.” James announced as he ripped off a tarp, revealing an old beat-up mustang convertible. There were some parts that were new, such as the steering wheel and bumpers, but mostly it looked pretty rough. James stared at it proudly anyway, and Kendall smiled at him in response to the open emotion on his face.

“Carlos and I have been fixing it up for a while now.” James explained happily, “The insides are all pretty much new, and we just need tires and a paint job now.”

Kendall leaned over the car door and plucked at the pair of fuzzy dice hanging on the rearview mirror, “Very cool, Jamie.”

“Yeah, we’re going to use it to race against Jett next Friday.” He boasted, still smiling.

The blond tilted his head curiously, “Jett? Is that the guy that bothered Camille and Lucy the other day?”

James waved it off, “Ah, he’s just some blowhard that’s friends with Dak. Nothing to worry about.”

Kendall nodded and when James moved closer, a burst of butterflies swarmed in his stomach. The brunet brushed a strand of hair away from Kendall’s face, his warm hand cupping the teen’s cheek as his voice dropped down an octave. 

“I’m glad you came here with me.” He purred, thumb trailing across Kendall’s pink lips. 

The blond turned his head shyly and accidentally dislodged James’ hand. The taller teen looked down at him fondly before stepping back.

“Hey, why don’t we get some food? My treat.”

.

Carlos groaned as he stared at the complicated math problem in front of him. He and Logan had been going to the family-owned diner every afternoon for their study dates, but the numbers on the page still made zero sense to him.

He scowled at the offending paper, “I just don’t get it!”

“It’s ok, Carlos.” Logan reassured with a gentle smile, “How about we just take it from the top.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Carlos huffed in frustration, “I have three older brothers, and they’re all in college! My parents expect me to follow in their footsteps, but I probably won't be able to even graduate high school at this rate!”

Carlos slammed his fist down on the diner table, rattling the plates and silverware. Without thinking, Logan placed his hand over the teen’s closed fist.

“Don’t say that.” He said earnestly, “I know you can do it. It’ll just take some practice.”

“The test is next Wednesday!” Carlos exclaimed, dropping his head down to the table, “I barely have the basics down.”

Logan frowned and tentatively grabbed Carlos’ shoulder, “Listen, I know what it feels like to have all this pressure on you to do well in school. My older sister is in college too, getting her doctorate. For a long time, I was worried that I’d never measure up.”

Carlos looked up at him with big brown eyes, “And now?”

“Now,” Logan grinned, “I know that as long as I try my best, then nobody can really say shit about what I do.”

A surprised laugh bubbled up in Carlos’ throat at the unexpected curse, “I knew you weren’t a complete square.” He smiled, eyes sparkling.

Logan shook his head in amusement, “Well, you’re welcome to come over to my house this weekend. My parents are leaving later tonight to go to some convention out of town, so I’ll be there by myself.”

“Oh, yeah?” Carlos said playfully and fiddled with the sleeve of Logan’s sweater.

Logan blushed violently when he realized what Carlos must have been thinking, “To study, Carlos.”

The shorter teen took a sip of his milkshake, grinning around the straw, “Whatever you say, Logie.”

While Logan nearly combusted at the nickname, Carlos briefly scanned the diner. His eyes caught on a familiar leather jacket seated on the other side of the establishment.

“Hey, look,” Carlos pointed at their friends, “It’s James and Kendall.”

Logan, still a little pink, followed his finger and noticed the other teens, “Huh, are they on a date?”

Carlos’ grin turned mischievous, “C’mon, let’s go mess with them.”

.

The waitress had just brought James and Kendall two strawberry shakes when their booth was suddenly occupied by their two best friends.

Carlos bumped his shoulders into James’, “Hey, guys. Mind if we join?”

“Yes.” James deadpanned, jabbing his friend in the ribs as he stole his drink, “Dude! Get your own!”

“I had one, but it was chocolate.” Carlos explained, keeping the glass out of James’ reach, “Besides, don’t you want to share with Kendall?”

James’ ears turned pink as Kendall and Logan laughed. The blond scooted closer to him as opened another straw.

“It’s ok, Jamie.” He smiled teasingly, “I don’t have cooties.”

James rolled his eyes but allowed Kendall to put two straws in the milkshake. He looked over to see that Logan and Carlos were doing the same with their own stolen shake.

“So,” Kendall tilted his head toward Logan, “What were you two doing here?”

Carlos opened his mouth to reply, but Logan quickly answered, “Studying, what about you?”

Kendall smirked knowingly at the obvious deflection but went along with it, “James showed me his car. It’s pretty impressive what you two have done with it.”

“Thanks!” Carlos beamed, “The tires should come on Saturday morning, then we’ll actually be able to drive it.”

“Speaking of that,” James glanced towards Kendall, “After the car is ready, do you want to go to the drive-in tomorrow night? Uh, and of course Carlos and Logan are invited too.”

“Actually, Logie and I are going to have another study date.” Carlos said innocently, completely failing to keep the smile off his face.

Logan stammered in response, “Y-you know, with the big test next week and everything.”

“Sure, Logie. I understand.” Kendall laughed at the nickname and then met James’ eyes, “I’d love to go to the drive-in with you.”

Carlos started making kissy-faces at the two of them, but James kicked him sharply under the table before Kendall could see.

He smiled at the blond sweetly, “Perfect, I’ll pick you up at eight.”

Chapter Text

The drive-in was pretty crowded by the time James and Kendall parked the car, and the brunet had to hurry out to get popcorn and snacks from the vendor before the movie began.

Kendall sat in the passenger’s seat, glancing at himself in the car’s side mirror as he waited for James to return. He had torn up his wardrobe earlier that afternoon in a mad frenzy to look semi-decent for James, and he had finally settled on a soft green sweater that Jo always said brought out his eyes.  

The blond quickly fixed his hair as he saw James approach, giving the taller teen a big smile and gratefully taking a bag of popcorn from him.

“So, uh, here.” James said once he was settled back in the car, holding out what looked to be a handwoven bracelet. 

Kendall looked at the fabric carefully, sliding it onto his wrist and allowing James to tighten it for him.

“You made this?” He breathed, looking at the bracelet in awe.

James rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Uh, yeah. I could buy you something if you want, though. My mom owns like a ton of stores, we could-”

“Jamie,” Kendall interrupted, eyes shining, “It’s perfect. Thank you.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, both teens watching the projection screen as James put an arm around Kendall’s shoulders.

Halfway into the movie, James began rubbing tiny circles into the dip of Kendall’s shoulder. The brunet pulled him in closer, and Kendall could feel the warmth radiating off of his tan skin even through the other teen’s jacket. The blond’s heart picked up a bit, but tried to ignore it as the movie continued. 

Then three things happened at once. James dipped down and placed a soft kiss to Kendall’s neck, his hand crept up to grip the blond’s upper thigh, and Kendall gave a tiny shriek of surprise. 

“James!” He gasped, taken aback by the brunet’s forwardness.

“What’s the matter, Kenny?” James pulled back but didn’t remove his hand from Kendall’s leg.

Kendall fought back an aggressive blush, stammering, “I, you-” 

James looked at him curiously before it seemed to click in his mind, “Are you a virgin, Kendall?”

The taller boy gaped at him with the revelation. James shouldn’t find that as hot as he did, but the idea of being Kendall’s first? That was intoxicating. He wondered if he was the blond’s first kiss as well, back on that beach.

Meanwhile, Kendall was mortified. Had that been the whole point of inviting him to the drive-in? He knew that teens usually got frisky in their cars during a movie, but Kendall wanted his first time to be special. Not in some parking lot surrounded by dozens of horny teenagers. If that made him a priss or something, then so be it.

James was staring at him with an unreadable expression, and Kendall felt his face grow hotter as embarrassment and shame took over. 

He hated that feeling. 

“W-whatever!” Kendall hissed, “I-if you think I’m going to stay here while you judge me, then you’re crazy!”

He leapt out of the car and slammed the door shut, turning away from James’ stunned face as he stormed off towards the drive-in’s exit.

.

“Hey, wait up!” A voice called from behind Kendall, the blond quickened his pace as he thought James had chased after him. 

“I said wait!” The guy shouted again, and Kendall realized that it was not James’ voice. He turned his head to see a sharply dressed teen jogging toward him.

The stranger gave Kendall an unsettling grin, “You’re Diamond’s boytoy, aren’t you?”

Kendall narrowed his eyes angrily and then scoffed, turning on his heel as he began to walk away again, “Leave me alone. I am not in the mood.” 

The guy shot forward and gripped Kendall’s wrist tightly, pulling him back, “Aw, c'mon Blondie, why so upset? Did he dump you?”

Kendall felt a thrill of fear race through him as he tried to yank himself away from the other teen, “Dude, what’s your deal? Let go of me or else.”

“Or else what?” He smirked wickedly, “Y’know, Dak’s been talking about some blond that was whisked away by that idiot Diamond.” He squeezed Kendall’s wrist hard enough to make the teen wince, “You must’ve put out since he’s not hovering around you anymore.”

“What?” Kendall gasped, his face draining of color as he looked around for help.

The guy, most likely Jett given his relationship to Dak, laughed darkly, “C’mon, you must know. James is the very definition of hit it and quit it. He’d never give up his street cred to be with a buttercup like you.” 

Kendall finally managed to rip his arm out of Jett’s fierce hold and took off running into the night, Jett’s cruel laughter following him as he scrubbed the tears out of his eyes.

Chapter Text

“Where the fuck is he?!”

The group of teens lounging around the garage all flinched as the door was kicked open by a very angry Camille.

Lucy jumped up from her chair and held her hands out placatingly, “Baby, what’s the matter?”

Her question was cut off by the short girl storming up to James and slapping him sharply across the face.

The garage was completely silent as James started down at her in shock, eyes wide and hand cradling his stinging cheek.

“W-why…?” He fumbled with the word, slightly impressed by the girl’s confidence.

Camille glared at him, “You hurt Kendall! He stopped by my house on the way back from the drive-in sobbing his eyes out!”

Carlos furrowed his brow at James, “Dude, you made him walk home?”

“No!” James’ eyes snapped between his friends’ disappointed looks, “He left by himself because he was mad!

“He had a gigantic bruise covering his wrist!” Camille fumed, looking ready to strike James again.

“What the hell did you do?” Lucy accused, putting a comforting hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. 

Carlos frowned and crossed his arms, “Yeah, dude, Kendall’s nice.”

“I didn’t do anything!” James said desperately, “I-I mean, I tried to kiss him, but that’s it!”

Camille jabbed him in the chest with her manicured finger, “Then how did he get the bruise?”

James looked helplessly at his friends, “I don’t know! Did you ask him?”

The curly-haired girl sniffed and looked away, “No, he left before I could get more out of him. Kendall’s very sensitive about telling us what’s going on or how he feels.”

Lucy looked thoughtful, “Ok, so we don’t know the full story.” She looked at Camille, “So, how about you invite him to go to the roller rink with us tonight so we can talk to him.”

“What if he says no?” Carlos asked skeptically.

Camille shrugged, “We get Logan in on it. Kendall can never say no to us when we work together.”

James swallowed nervously at the notion of seeing Kendall so soon after hurting his feelings. The idea that the blond had been crying because of something that he did made James’ chest squeeze painfully, guilt rushing through his veins.

He needed to know that Kendall was alright, that there was some way that he could fix their relationship after his stupid, impatient mistake.

“Then it’s settled.” He announced to the group, “We’re going roller skating.”

.

The roller skating rink was filled with bright, splashing colors and blaring pop music while the teens enjoyed their free time before school restarted the next morning. 

Lucy and Camille happily skated hand-in-hand, in direct contrast to Carlos and Logan, who clung to the wall as they inched around the rink.

James leaned against the outside wall, refusing to put on skates when the group had first entered the building. He tensed when he saw Kendall gracefully slide toward him, his loose white dress shirt billowing lightly with his momentum.

“Hey.” Kendall mumbled, barely audible over the rink’s music system.

James gulped awkwardly, “How are you?”

The blond’s piercing green eyes met his briefly, then looked down to the ground, “I’m fine, sorry for leaving you last night.”

“No, it was my fault,” James shook his head furiously, “I should have followed you to make sure you got home alright. I heard you got hurt?”

Kendall flushed and rubbed the back of his head, looking away from the brunet. Now that James was paying attention, he noticed a dark bruise peeking out from the sleeve of Kendall’s shirt.

“Yeah, that guy you were talking about stopped me outside the drive-in.” Kendall said with a small frown.

James blinked, “Jett?” When Kendall nodded, he felt a stirring rage appear in his chest, “What did he say to you?”

The blond’s frown deepened and he avoided James’ eye contact, “Just some stuff about Dak. You. Me.” He finished lamely, gaze flicking up to see the stormy expression on James’ face.

“So, uh,” Kendall coughed, desperate to change the conversation, “Why aren't you skating?” 

James looked like he wanted to talk more about Jett, but then he shook his head before answering the blond’s question. 

“I’m terrible at it.” He confessed, “Kinda hard to maintain my cool guy persona when I’m fumbling around on wheels.”

Kendall hummed thoughtfully, his skates shifting marginally across the smooth floor.

“But you’re really good at it.” James blurted out, then immediately winced. Usually he was a bit more smooth than that.

“I used to ice skate back in Minnesota, hockey and stuff.” Kendall explained, observing the other teen like an ant under a microscope.

James nodded and imagined Kendall skating across the ice in a heavy winter coat and a scarf, “That’s neat, not really my thing though.”

The blond pushed off the barrier and stared at James, “Y’know, there are worse things than losing your reputation.” Kendall said then skated away, leaving James with a tight chest and a lot of questions.

Chapter Text

It was nearing the end of the week when Logan heard heavy footsteps sprinting down the hall towards him.

“Logan! Logan!” Carlos shouted happily as he ran up to the dark-haired teen, shoving a piece of paper into his face, “Look! I got a B on my math test!”

The dark-haired teen examined the scribbled equations with a wide smile, “Wow! That’s amazing, ‘Los! I’m so proud of you.” 

Carlos laughed and picked up Logan right off the ground, spinning him before pressing a kiss to his soft lips. 

Logan squeaked in shock but then melted into the shorter teen’s arms, breaking away as Carlos lowered his feet back on the ground. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Logie.” Carlos whispered, eyes sparkling.

Logan blushed and couldn’t help but lean in for another short kiss.

“You did all the hard work.”

.

Lucy, Camille, and Logan stood by the edge of the waterway as they watched James and Carlos attempt to muscle their way into their locked car. The mustang’s cover was up, and they had somehow managed to leave the keys on the front dashboard. 

“What kind of idiot gets locked out of a convertible.” Lucy sighed as James kicked the freshly painted car.

“Those kinds of idiots.” Camille said dryly, crossing her arms at the ridiculous scene in front of her.

Lucy pushed her hair out of her face, “You numbskulls better hurry up before Jett gets here!”

“We’re trying!” James shouted back at her, receiving a middle finger for his tone.

Logan walked up to the pair, hands wringing together as he thought, “Maybe if we find a thin piece of metal somewhere? Then we can stick it down the window and open the door.”

“Great idea, babe.” Carlos said as he backed up from the car, “But I got this. My uncle was a locksmith.”

Before anybody could protest, Carlos started running at the car with a booming yell. His shoulder smashed through the passenger’s side window, causing bits of glass to embed in his leather jacket.

“Carlos!” They all shouted and hurried over to the disoriented teen. 

He had hit his head on the top of the door frame in his attempt to break the window, and Logan frowned at him as he inspected his boyfriend for any more injuries. 

“You lunatic,” Logan tsked and brushed the glass off of Carlos’ jacket, “You can’t race now, what if you have a concussion!?”

Carlos smiled dopily at him, “Maybe I should start wearing a helmet, huh?”

Logan rolled his eyes in exasperation, “I think you just shouldn’t run into windows anymore.”

“Fair enough.” He smiled and allowed Logan to carry him over to the edge of the waterway.

Just as Carlos sat down, a fiery red car came screeching down towards the group. It stopped mere feet away from James, who remained unflinching with his eyes narrowed at the driver.

Jett and Dak stepped out of the front of the car with cocky smirks while The Jennifers primily exited the backseat.

“Hey, everyone.” Jett grinned, “Beautiful day for a race, isn’t it?”

James calmly walked up to Jett, then reeled back his fist to clock the teen right across the jaw.

“That’s what you get for touching Kendall.” He snarled, knuckles smarting from the powerful strike. 

Jett’s gang began to advance on James and his friends, and the group tensed for a fight. 

But then Jett held out a hand and let out a low chuckle.

He spat out a wad of blood onto the ground, smiling at James with red-stained teeth.

“Let’s race, Diamond.” 

.

It was a close call, but Jett hadn’t been able to recover from his spinout after James' aggressive driving as they neared the end of the waterway. 

He had crossed the finish line and jumped out of the car with a triumphant whoop, his friends cheering as Jett and his cronies left the waterway in an enraged huff. They laughed happily together even as one of the Jennifers threw her drink toward them as Jett drove off.

Kendall and Jo sat further up the sloping concrete, having watched the race from afar. None of the other teens had seen them yet, probably with the exception of Lucy, who had eyes as sharp as a hawk.

The blond sighed and brought his knees up to his chest, picking at the seams of his cream colored pants.

“What are you going to do?” Jo asked simply, devoid of any of her usual teasing or nosiness.

Kendall groaned and leaned back, squinting as the sun shone on his face.

“I don’t know.” He admitted, “What if Jett is right and James will leave me as soon as he gets what he wants?”

Jo poked him in the side lightly, “Listen, Knight. I’ve been here a lot longer than you, and I’ve never seen James look at any of his flings like he looks at you. The guy may be a delinquent, but he really does care about you.”

Kendall bunched up the sleeves of his pink sweater and looked over at his friend, “Are you sure?”

“When have I ever been wrong?” Jo responded with a supportive smile.

“Right. Ok,” Kendall stood, gaining confidence, “Then I have a plan.”

Chapter Text

The graduation fair was bustling with fun and laughter as Principal Griffin’s speech was wholly ignored by the majority of his students.

Carlos and Logan were sharing a funnel cake and trying not to make a huge mess while Lucy and Camille tried their hand at the carnival shooting games. The two couples were in high spirits as they waited for their other friends, enjoying their time together at the event. 

“Whoa! What the hell is that?” Carlos shouted as James walked into the fairgrounds.

The brunet spun and showed off his white and red letterman jacket, “Like it? Coach Rocque just gave it to me.”

Logan laughed, “Wait, you actually joined track? I thought Kendall was messing with me.”

“Who would’ve guessed that our James would become…” Lucy clutched at her heart, and paused dramatically.

Camille pretended to faint into her arms, “Oh, don’t say it, Luce!”

“I’m sorry, Cami, but it has to be addressed.” Lucy looked off into the distance, “He’s become a jock!”

James’ friends pretended to die around him and he rolled his eyes at their antics, “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

Logan crossed his arms from under Carlos’ embrace, “You know it’s going to take more than that to win Kendall back, right?” He stated, protective of his best friend.

“Yeah, I know. But this is a start, right?” James asked hopefully.

The teens proceeded to talk amongst themselves, mingling around the fair and enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Suddenly, Logan choked on his drink, his eyes trained on the crowd as Carlos slapped him on the back.

James turned to where he was looking and felt his jaw drop when he saw who was approaching them.  

Someone whistled as Kendall confidently strode up to the group in black leather pants and a dark v-neck, with a leather jacket and red boots to complete the look. He stopped a couple feet away from James, and the proximity allowed him to notice the blond’s smoky eyeliner and lightly curled hair.

“Kendall!” James exclaimed, blown away by how hot the teen looked. 

The brunet’s mouth dried as Kendall took a sultry step closer, “Hey, Jamie.” He winked, “Nice letterman.”

From behind the pair, Lucy and Camille gave each other a high five at the boys’ stunned expressions.

“Like our handiwork?” Lucy smirked in amusement as Jo walked up to them.

“I gotta say,” The cheerleader said in appreciation, “The eyeliner was a nice touch.” 

Camille giggled, “Thanks, I knew it’d bring the look together.”

James continued to stare until he noticed that Kendall was talking to him.

“Jamie, can I speak with you?” Kendall asked, tilting his head towards a less crowded corner of the fairgrounds.

James nodded furiously and trailed after the blond, resolutely ignoring his friend’s snickering at his dumbstruck behavior.

Once they had a little privacy, James automatically reached out to grab Kendall’s hips.

“You look amazing, Kenny.” He groaned, eyes taking in every inch of Kendall’s outfit, “Seriously, hotter than the sun.”

Kendall tsked and batted James’ hands away, “Wait, before you say anything else, I need to know something.”

At the brunet’s expectant look, Kendall continued, “Do you care about me? Because I need someone that actually wants to be in a serious relationship, and won’t just ditch me once he’s gotten into my pants.”

James carefully stroked a thumb over Kendall’s reddening cheek, “Of course, Kendall. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I’d do anything for you.”

Kendall smiled softly and played with the hem of James’ letterman jacket, “I see.” He laughed in relief and pulled the brunet back towards the carnival rides, “Then, let’s go have some fun.”

The couple spent the rest of the afternoon hopping around the fairgrounds while spending time with their elated friends, eating junk food and riding the roller coasters as night slowly fell.

The stars shown above James and Kendall as they boarded the tall ferris wheel, holding hands the entire time. As their cart stopped at the very top of the ride, Kendall glanced over and gave James a tender smile. James met his warm green eyes and smiled back, placing an arm around the blond’s shoulder.

“James?” Kendall said softly under James’ warm embrace, causing the other teen to turn his head towards him.

Gathering his courage, Kendall leaned in quickly and placed a chaste kiss to James’ lips. 

It was better than the one on the beach, because now he knew that James actually cared about him as a person. The brunet was more than just a bad boy delinquent that was too cool for relationships. He was sweet and thoughtful and understanding towards his friends.

And Kendall felt a part of himself being revealed as well. He could be more bold than he gave himself credit for, and he found it freeing to speak his mind so that his emotions didn’t just stay bottled up in his chest. It was fun to cut loose every now and then, and he really liked the way James looked at him while he was in a leather jacket.

Maybe he could borrow James’ sometime soon.

The blond laughed lightly and James gave him a curious look, “Whatcha thinking about?”

Kendall shook his head in amusement, “Just you.”

James’ eyes brightened at that, “Oh, yeah? Y’know what I’m thinking about?”

“What?” Kendall asked as the wheel began to move again, bringing them back down to enjoy the rest of their perfect night.

“You. Me. The beach.” James listed on his fingers, “I’m gonna teach you how to surf, baby.”

Kendall threw his head back with a laugh as they exited the ferris wheel, catching his hand in James’ while they walked back over to their friends. 

“Anything for you, Jamie.”