Things Happen | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Numb the Pain (Will's PoV)

Contains a lot of swearing (if you even care).

Something was wrong. I knew that the second that I walked past Mr. Goldberg's classroom and noticed that Kendall's seat was empty.

Kendall didn't know, but ever since I stopped talking to her after our fight, I had been keeping tabs on her. I knew her schedule, and I watched her in the halls when she didn't notice me. I kept an eye out on her.

I even punched Jason Andrews after he commented on her ass. He was an asshole anyway. Even more than I was.

But that wasn't the point. Kendall wasn't late to class. No, she was gone. She didn't even come to school. I was sure of it.

This, as lame as it sounds, made me feel worried. My first thought was that the druggies found her. They would kill her, or do even worse... If Kenny got hurt, I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't be her destruction like she was mine. She needed to be as far away from me as possible.

That was why I said what I said to her in the first place. I had to let her go if she was going to be safe. After she stumbled into that warehouse after me, I knew for a fact that I had to break off our friendship- or whatever the hell it was. She nearly got raped because of me. It was almost like Tabitha all over again. If she stayed around me for much longer, the druggies would be the least of her problems. She was far too innocent to become involved in my screwed-up life.

She deserved so much better. She deserved someone like Jack Matthews, no matter how much of a weak, muscle-less nerd he was. At least he would keep her out of danger. Unlike me.

I tightened my fists, feeling the urge to punch something or someone.

It was agony to say those things to Kenny. I hated to see the hurt in her eyes, and it was even worse to know that I was the one who caused her pain. But it needed to be done. I had to do it if she was going to be safe.

At least that was what I had been telling myself. But now, I wasn't so sure.

Yesterday when she told me that she loved me, it took all my strength not to tell her how much I loved her back. Her voice sounded so sweet when she told me that, and I wanted to play it on repeat for eternity.

But I couldn't. I had to reject her in the worst way possible. That was the one way that she would leave me and not look back. The only way she could be safe was if she didn't have anything to do with me. And the only way she could stay out of my life was if I made her hate me.

Suddenly, the thought of Kendall being dead made me feel so terrified that I just had to know where she was.

I searched the halls, hoping to find a familiar face that could tell me where she was. Where the hell was that annoying redhead when you actually needed her? In the end, the only person that I found who might actually know, was John.

I groaned. Of course, he would be the only one who could help me. Karma really was a bitch.

I weighed my options. I could either not talk to John and not know where Kendall was, or I could be a man, talk to him, and find out the truth.

Grow a pair, Will.

With a sigh, I walked over to John, trying to hide my expression of distaste. No matter what, I couldn't shake off my dislike for John. Maybe it was his disgusting rich-kid persona or maybe his annoying preppy clothes. Or maybe it was the fact that we hated each other for some reason that I forgot.

Oh! I remember now. Maybe because he still thinks that I stole his girlfriend.

Just the thought of it made me roll my eyes. I was an ass sometimes, but I wasn't the kind of ass to kiss my best friend's girlfriend. I didn't break the bro-code. It was Tabitha that kissed me that night, not the other way around. But that didn't matter anymore. It's not like anyone would believe me, and I didn't blame them either.