Kendall tried not to show James the hurt in his eyes by shielding them. James, for his part, said nothing to indicate he cared in any way for the blonde's feelings, which just made it sting more. He thought they'd been happy together. Over the last six months, it had been the happiest of his life. It seemed like nothing could break up the dynamic duo. But out of the blue, two months before they were to spend seven months together, James sent Kendall a vague message saying to meet him in the park just in front of Sherwood Forest, a favorite spot of theirs. Figuring it was an early surprise; Kendall wasted no time getting there. It was only a short bike ride from his house (he didn't have a license or a car) and today he took it in less than three minutes, a new personal best.

"Hey James," the blonde greeted with a huge grin. Rather than his usual dazzling white smile, James remained solemn, arms crossed. Kendall knew that was out of character for James, as he was normally pretty happy. "What is it baby?" he asked, concern now replacing any bubbly feelings he had before arriving.

"Kendall…" James began, and Kendall felt his heart drop. No conversation that started like that was ever good. "Sorry Kendall, but I don't think this is going to work anymore. We had a good run, but…" The brunette never got to finish. Shaken with shock and rage, Kendall grabbed James by both shoulders and shook him violently. James eyes about rolled into the back of his head.

"No!" Kendall shouted. "You can not do this! I forbid you!" Finally regaining his senses, James pried the blonde off of him. They stood that way for the longest time, the brunette gripping the blonde's wrists in a vice-like grip and both looking into each other's eyes. The blonde saw no remorse in the brunette's eyes, not even a tinge of sadness. Suddenly swept up in a tsunami of emotions, Kendall escaped his ex-boyfriend's grip and twisted away, fighting the tears. The brunette didn't even try to call out to him. So it really was over. No more dynamic duo.

…

That happened almost three months ago. James was now happily dating Logan Mitchell, a boy Kendall never even heard of until they started dating. Logan apparently played hockey and chess in his free time, attended all honor roll classes, and participated in science bowls. Basically, he was James' dream genius. No wonder he wanted to ditch the old and go with the new. It was clearly smarter than the blonde ever could be.

On that happy thought, Kendall took a swig from the glass bottle he held clutched in his fist. He didn't even know what it was anymore. He thought it was tequila, but it could be whiskey, or even beer. Every drink ever drunk sort of blended together after that. Kendall turned to the bottle shortly after James dumped him. Truthfully, he'd always been sort of unstable, but that opened a dam to feelings Kendall never even knew existed.

"Shit," he said, noticing the time on his small alarm clock. He rolled off his bed and trudged over to his mirror. He had everything he needed to get himself ready for school. Picking up his eye drops, he studied his reflection in the mirror. Red, puffy eyes, shallow, lifeless skin, and limp, almost white hair greeted him. He pried his eyelids open slightly and dropped a couple drops in. In that instant, the redness disappeared and the puffiness died down. There was little he could do for his skin, so he left it the way it was. Using a touch up color, he made it back to his usual blonde self. He sure looked different.

School was hell. There was no way else to say it. In every class, every hallway, any word spoken by everyone's mouths, reminded him of the love he could never have. James and Logan were Sherwood High's cherished couple; loved by all and accepted by many. It made Kendall sick to his stomach to even think about them. But he had to get by somehow. He just couldn't miss whole days of school, weeks on end. It would be easier to just drop out, but Kendall's mom would be disappointed with him, and facing her every day was worse than dealing with James and Logan.

Kendall was going through withdrawal all through school. He relied on the bottle while he was at home to drown his sorrows and hide his emotions. While he was at school, he couldn't have any of his liquid escape. In all fairness (or perhaps not) he could slip some into a water bottle. But that was the oldest trick in the book, and any teacher worth their money would check. So he forced himself to get through a full school day without it. He practically shook by the time he arrived home.

"Hey Kendall?" Kendall closed his eyes and prayed James wasn't really behind him, trying to talk to him. "Kendall I know you can hear me. Please, we need to talk. We haven't said anything to each other since that night. You know what I'm talking about." Kendall did know. But he wanted nothing to do with this conversation, or anything that might follow it. "Kendall, I know you hate this. But Logan is really nice; you should come hang with us sometime. I know you'd like him if you gave him a chance." That did it. Kendall whirled around and lurched towards the brunette, grabbing him by the shirt.

"I do not want to spend any time with you or that fucker of a boyfriend you have," he slurred. He released the brunette, and he back-pedaled fast. Kendall seemed to realize what he did. "James I…I…I'm gonna go." He wheeled around before James could say anything, and dashed off down the hall. He couldn't take one more second in that school.

…

Kendall felt the beginnings of a hangover, even though it was only four in the afternoon. He came home around noon to an empty house, which suited him just fine. Hunting down his amber friend, he immersed himself in the sweet escape. At least for a little while. All good things come to an end eventually. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his temples, then smeared a hand over his face. Katie, his little sister, would be home any minute, with his mom close behind. He couldn't let them see him like this. He shoved all the empty cans and bottles under his bed, where he had an impressive collection already. He did his morning ritual at four, and he added breath mints to the mix. He changed his clothes so he didn't have any wet spots or puke stains anywhere. He began a load of laundry to seem like he was doing something worthwhile. He did some dishes, dusted the shelves in the living room, and straightened up everything in the bathroom. He brushed his teeth while he was in there, and afterwards ran a comb through his blonde hair so it wouldn't cover his eyes (he'd let it grow while dating James, and had no heart to cut it). Just in time too. He heard the door slam, followed by the sounds of his mom and Katie laughing.

"Holy mother of…" Katie began. Kendall smiled to himself and stepped out of the bathroom. Mama Knight was looking around in disbelief.

"Did you clean up while we were out?" she asked. Kendall gave an off-handed shrug and flashed her his newly brushed pearly-while teeth. She smiled. "Thank you Kendall. It's nice to come home to a responsible boy and a clean house when I come home." She gently kissed his cheek, and he blushed. "Go to your room for awhile and relax okay? Katie and I will start dinner." Katie groaned but made no move to argue with their mom. Kendall sauntered down the hall to his room, closing his door softly behind him. He slumped against the door and stared in dismay at the cans and one lone vodka bottle peeking out from under his bed.

"She really doesn't know," he said, reaching into his dresser and pulling out a small shot glass and a bottle of tequila. He poured himself a shot and downed it before he could talk himself out of it. "No one does." He flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Not Katie, not Mama Knight, not James. Not anybody." He took a swig right from the bottle (no worm) and let it fall to the floor. "I am truly alone in this one."

…

James just knew there was something wrong with Kendall, and while he was with Logan that night, he couldn't get the blonde out of his head. Logan sensed something was amiss, and as he toyed with James hair (he was the only one who could get away with that) he turned so he was looking James in the eye.

"It's Kendall isn't it," he said. "I know there's something more than meets the eye. Has he been exactly right since your break up." James winced. Logan was the one that brought it up, but it was always a sore subject. The ravenette became quiet, and James pulled him closer.

"I don't really regret what I did. He loved me, but I never felt the same way." Logan listened patiently. "Its just…he was one of my best friends. I know there's something wrong, I just don't know what it is." Logan leaned against the brunette and said nothing. But nothing needed to be said. The brunette was just happy for the ravenette's presence. "You know Logan, our three month anniversary is coming up. Why don't we go do something special? Say," the brunette added, pulling out a couple of tickets. "Hockey game at the Dome." Logan squealed and grabbed at the tickets. James smiled and pulled them away. "Calm down baby. It isn't for a few weeks. It took most of the money I earned working double shifts at the store but its so worth it." The ravenette smiled and they began a full-blown make-out session on the couch.

…

Kendall groaned and rolled over. Nursing a headache, he'd woken in the middle of the night to a hammer pounding on his head. He found himself still clutching the vodka bottle. It was a cold day in hell indeed.

…

Well what did you think? Good or not? R&R!