Shawn and Kendall Ch. 16

Chapter 16: Dead Angle

Shawn made it home with time to spare, hanging his keys by the door and slipping his shoes off, holding the second part of their task tightly in his hand. His stomach reminded him that taking his mom up on what she said before he left would be a good idea. Walking into the kitchen, he anticipated seeing her, but she was nowhere. The study was empty when he walked past it. He curiously perused the kitchen, searching for a quick lunch option to take to his room and continue working. His last few hours of work would need his full attention, and he intended to buckle down.

"Plenty to eat, my ass..." Shawn grumbled, shutting cabinets and closing the fridge.

Everything he found required some form of prepping and cooking, which he didn't have the time or patience for. He finally found a frozen dinner of questionable origin in the back of the freezer. It had seen better days and looked freezer-burnt to hell. He sighed, tossing it into the microwave. Lunch was lunch at this point, and he needed to get back to work. He grabbed a fork as the microwave sounded, taking his lackluster meal and ascending the steps. Times like this made him wish his mom cooked breakfast every morning.

As he reached the final step, he peered down the hallway and stopped walking. His door was open. Shawn distinctly remembered closing it when he left. His head curiously turned, looking down the hall in the opposite direction at his parents' door. He had a faint suspicion that his mom may have looked through his room while he was gone. He quickly entered his room and shut the door, setting the plastic tray on his desk and tossing their new secret weapon onto his bed. Shawn scratched his head as he nervously looked around his room to see if anything was missing or tampered with. Everything looked exactly as he left it, and he wondered why anyone would need to come into his room. The sheet with the cum stain was still in his hamper. Brief thoughts of Grace sneaking into their home again crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed them. He saw his mom lock Kendall's window back, and she would have seen Grace come through the front door.

A sudden knock on his door made Shawn jolt and turn around in a panic. His mom slowly peeked in, noticing his alarmed expression.

"Um... Did you take care of what you needed to?" She asked awkwardly, wondering why he seemed on edge.

"Y- yeah!" Shawn answered, struggling to fix his nervous posture.

"Alright," she nodded, stepping into the room, "you just never leave for anything. You okay?"

"Totally," Shawn answered, sitting at his desk and sliding his microwaved meal in front of him.

Avery saw it and immediately grabbed it, sliding it away from him.

"Uh, don't eat that," she mumbled, questioning its appearance, "I'll make you something."

"You don't have to do that, Mom," Shawn said with a modest look.

"I know I don't," she grinned, "but I'm surprised you didn't grab anything while you were out, so let me fix you something."

"You told me not to," Shawn mumbled.

"I did," she answered softly, "that's why I don't mind making something for you."

"Okay, thanks, Mom," Shawn slowly grinned, happy to dodge his sketchy freezer meal.

"You're welcome, Honey," she smiled, taking the tray from him, her eyes suddenly wandering to the bed, "what's that?"

Shawn followed her gaze, forgetting he had tossed the small brown box onto his bed upon entering.

"Oh! That's just something I grabbed while I was out," he timidly answered, hoping she wouldn't ask questions.

She gave him a curious look, not wanting to pry too hard.

"Um, okay," she mumbled, finally closing his door.

Shawn exhaled, leaning back in his chair. The momentum caused his chair to roll back and slowly spin him toward his bed. As he deflated, his mind returned to figuring out why she'd come into his room while he was gone. His eyes scanned the room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He stood up and checked the bathroom, scratching his head, unable to come up with anything. Eventually, he rationalized that his mom likely searched his room for something trivial like a phone charger, and he was overthinking it. He grabbed the unmarked box from his bed, double-checking to make sure his door was closed. After pulling the tape off, he ripped it open, revealing a cheap, disposable cell phone. He analyzed and rotated it in his hand, wondering if it would be enough to get them out of trouble when it mattered. It powered on successfully, and Shawn sent Kendall a quick text message to test it.

"Hey. It's 'Jake.'"

Grace and Bradley arrived at the shady mobile service store in a rough part of town, itching to find answers on Kendall's whereabouts.

"I hope you're right about this," Bradley mumbled, shutting the car door and following Grace inside.

"Trust me," she answered, "I've cracked bigger cases than this. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how many peoples' accounts I've snooped through to catch liars."

"Isn't that illegal?" He asked with an attitude.

"Nothing's illegal until you get caught," she smirked at him.

He shook his head at her, disliking how unhinged she was.

They approached the counter where a single guy stood, playing on his phone and ignoring them. The building was rundown and looked painfully unprofessional. The smell of weed stained the air, and every device on display looked damaged or dirty.

"This is where you got her phone?" Grace quietly mumbled as they approached the counter.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Bradley whispered, offended, "I buy everything straight from the manufacturer. No way I'd set foot in-"

"Hi!" Grace interrupted Bradley, nudging him with her elbow.

The guy at the counter looked up from his phone, unenthused.

"You looking to start a plan?" He asked, seemingly not caring what the answer was.

"Nope," Grace answered, "we're actually here to track a stolen device."

Bradley listened to her weave lies as if it were her job.

"M'kay," the man straightened up, logging into the computer between them, "what's the account number?"

Grace looked at Bradley, letting him know it was his turn. He sighed, stepping toward the counter.

"Eight, five, five, seven, five," he grumbled.

"Are you the primary?" The man asked, punching his number in.

"Mhm," Bradley answered.

"I need to see an ID," he responded.

Bradley reached for his wallet and opened it, letting him read the information. The man then clicked around, pulling up his account details. Bradley and Grace awkwardly exchanged glances.

"Is it the phone under Kendall?" He asked dryly.

"Yes!" Grace answered, lighting up, "that's me. Can you tell me where my phone is?"

Bradley gave her a profound look, almost disturbed at how natural she was at deceiving others.

"Says it's at the hospital over on Kemper Avenue," he answered.

Grace raised her eyebrow, giving Bradley a victorious smirk. He was shocked to know they could track Kendall's phone so easily.

"That's weird," she continued her act, "what about last night? That's when it went missing. Can you tell me where it was at, say, one in the morning?"

The man sighed through his nose, clearly not wanting to help them find their allegedly stolen phone. Grace and Bradley listened in suspense as he clicked around.

"I'm not allowed to give residential addresses," he said with a plain tone, "it's against policy. Can't have people going and barging into strangers' houses looking for their phones."

"That's okay! We don't need the address," Grace answered without hesitation, "can you just tell us what street it's on? Pretty please?"

"No," the man shook his head with a painfully unenthused look, "I'm not allowed to give you any information that can lead to you trying to take the phone back by force. A police report is required, and then we'll give the police the address."

"But you just told us it was at the hospital on Kemper," Bradley contended.

"That's not a residential address," the man responded, "that's a public place. I can give you that information in the event a business or establishment is holding the lost phone."

Grace looked away, trying to think of a way to get the information they needed. She was not willing to leave without it. After pondering momentarily, she looked at Bradley, who stood with his arms crossed, unsure what to do. Grace reached into his pocket and took his wallet, seeing it stuffed with cash. She slipped a single hundred-dollar bill out, slapping it onto the counter. Bradley gave her an irritated look as she used his money to bribe someone.

"Here," she said boldly, "pretend I'm Officer Kendall."

The man looked down at the money, then back at her, still showing no emotion. Grace impatiently raised her eyebrows, wondering why he did nothing.

"You're not Kendall, are you?" He finally asked.

Grace looked away awkwardly, realizing she had been playing the wrong angle from the moment they reached the counter. He clearly knew what they were up to.

"Fine, you got me," she sighed, "but look, man. I need to know where this phone was last night. Got it?"

He stared at her, then Bradley, not answering. It felt like an eternity waiting for him to say something.

"Five hundred," he finally said.

Grace's face lit up as she fanned through his wallet for the money.

"Hey!" Bradley snatched it from her violently, "what the hell are you doing!? Five hundred dollars for an address!? You're insane! A police report is free!"

"The only insane person here is you!" Grace fired back, "a police report would take weeks! Why go through all that when he can tell us right now? Look how much fucking money is in here, you crybaby!"

Bradley sighed with a groan, giving the man a dirty look.

"She's right," he snarked, "I saw how much was in there. You're lucky I don't ask for more."

"Whatever, man..." Bradley grumbled, begrudgingly pulling the money out and handing it to him.

The man took his money and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Stonebridge court," he said, "that's where the phone was last night."

Grace and Bradley exchanged looks the instant he named the street Kendall lived on.

"See?" She asked, "told you she was home. Let's go."

"Hold on. There's one more thing," Bradley casually answered, facing the man.

He stared at Bradley with his neutral, irritating face, waiting for him to state the remainder of their business.

"Is that thing on?" Bradley asked, pointing at the cheap camera on the ceiling.

"No," the man answered with a scummy, victorious smirk, "so don't bother trying to throw me under the bus. Nobody can see a thing through that."

"Oh, I'm counting on it..." Bradley grunted, reaching forward and grabbing his collar over the counter.

The man's eyes widened, feeling Bradley's crushingly powerful grip as he pulled him around the counter. Bradley pinned him against the monitor with their faces dreadfully close together as he fished his money back out of his pocket. Once secured, he violently jerked the man's collar to the side, almost causing him to fall down.

"Hey, what the fuck!?" The man spat, trying to recompose himself.

"Oh, shit," Grace chuckled excitedly, amused by Bradley's ruthless behavior.

"Consider yourself lucky all I'm taking is my money back, you little fucking rat," Bradley growled, tucking the cash back into his wallet, "cry about this to anyone, and I will come back here and take you apart. Understand?"

The man didn't answer. He stared angrily, frustrated about losing the money.

"Do. You. Understand?" Bradley emphasized as he stepped toward him, his posture bulging with lean aggression.

The man took a fearful step back, frantically nodding as he acknowledged their size difference, realizing Bradley would fold him into a pretzel.

"Okay. Now we're done," Bradley casually said, approaching Grace.

"Wow, that was kinda hot," Grace smiled as they left the building.

"You're insufferable..." Bradley grumbled, stuffing his wallet back into his shorts.

Having exposed Shawn's lie about Kendall not being home, Grace was now ready to confront Kendall directly about the person she was supposedly sleeping with. She had hard evidence to bury them with, and it was time to use it. One way or another, Grace wanted to hear Kendall admit their disgusting secret and save her from her brother's perverted clutches.

"Stonebridge," Bradley said, shutting the car door, "that's her street. So now what?"

"Now I've got her," Grace buckled up, starting the car, "let's see her lie her way out of this one."

"Okay, but what does that mean?" Bradley asked, "you didn't give me the full story. If her phone was home last night, how does that prove anything?"

"I told you," Grace responded with a cigarette in her mouth, flicking her lighter to get a spark, "Shawn said a guy picked her up, right? We just proved that was a lie. She must be really good at hiding, and I guarantee that wet spot on his bed was from her."

Bradley slowly looked away from Grace, imagining Kendall losing her mind with pleasure from fucking her brother. His fists balled up in his lap, and his hatred toward Shawn sharpened into a frightful blade. He was overwhelmed by insecure theories of how long they were involved and whether or not she cheated on him with Shawn--all those times Kendall's face lit up at the sight of her brother made sense now. The way she always laughed at his jokes, smiled at him with fixation and locked arms with him when they walked told a story deeper and more fucked up than any of them realized. Bradley's breathing stiffened, feeling his rage bubbling up.

"That fucking slut..." He quietly grunted.

Grace stopped flicking her lighter when she heard him. He looked furious.

"Uh, dude..." She mumbled, "you gonna make it?"

"Take me back to the club," Bradley's voice shook from his anger.

"What're you gonna do?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know!" He snapped, giving her a frightful look, "just take me back. Now."

"Fine, jeez..." She grumbled, pulling the cigarette from her mouth and beginning their trip back, "she always said you got mad way too easily."

Bradley stared out the window, biting his fist the whole way back. All of his greatest insecurities turned out to be more true than he ever thought possible. If Grace had indeed exposed the one lie that would damn them, how would he confront Kendall? Bradley wanted answers, and he silently formulated his own approach to confront Kendall about the horrid things uncovered today. His controlling personality would not allow him to rest, knowing Kendall was somehow better off without him. His very core glowed red at the thought of them being happily involved behind everyone's backs.

"Here," Bradley said as he exited her vehicle at the club, holding his business card through the window.

Grace took it from him, analyzing its professional design.

"What am I, a client now?" She snarked with a grin.

"My phone number is on there, you asshat," he grumbled, "text me later and tell me what she says."

"What about after?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?" He answered with a fed-up look.

"You know, after we expose them," Grace smiled mischievously, "can I text you... Just because?"

Bradley rolled his eyes and walked away from the vehicle, uninterested in her flirtatious games. Grace snickered, amused by his arrogant attitude and admittedly enjoying her afternoon with him. She then drove straight to the hospital, ready to confront Kendall.

Kendall finally swiped her badge to leave after a busy day. She said her goodbyes to her coworkers on the way out, ready to go home and decompress with Shawn. Her mind was focused solely on feeling his lips and letting his arms make everything around her go away. She desperately needed his touch. Kendall's calming thoughts were unpleasantly interrupted as she saw Grace leaning against her car, staring at her with crossed arms. Kendall huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Get off my car," she said coldly, opening her door and tossing her bags inside.

"Seriously?" Grace said with an attitude, "eight years being best friends, and you're just done with me? That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it," Kendall answered, "now move. I have to go."

"Where were you hiding?" Grace suddenly asked.

Kendall stopped her transition into the car, giving Grace a nervous look. Her gut told her to get in the car and leave without entertaining the drama, but her mind wanted to know what Grace had against them.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with her best acting.

"Last night when I came by," Grace answered, approaching her directly, "you were in the shower, weren't you? I knew I should've checked the shower."

Kendall's stomach twisted, remembering how close Grace was to catching them.

"This again?" Kendall asked with a stressed-out tone, "I wasn't even home, Grace!"

"Cloud Mobile told me your phone was on Stonebridge at the same time as me last night," Grace replied, "what's your next lie going to be? You left it at home? That'd be convenient."

"Oh, so now you're spying on me?" Kendall nodded, her irritation growing.

"Wasn't hard, Babe," Grace shrugged, "you're as bad at lying as he is."

Kendall's nerves tensed up, realizing she had no way to deflect. If Grace saw conclusive evidence that she was home last night, nothing else could be done to evade her. No story would work at this point. She couldn't believe Grace had gone to such lengths to catch her in a lie. Kendall slammed her door shut, standing face-to-face with her.

"What do you want, Grace?" She asked, fuming with tension.

"The truth," she flicked her brow up, "I wanna hear you admit it. All of it."

"Admit what!?" Kendall stressed, "stop dancing around and just say it!"

"Fine," Grace bucked her hip, "I wanna hear you admit that there is no new guy, you were home last night, that was your cum all over Shawn's bed, and you two are fucking!"

Kendall shook her head as she huffed, making a profound face.

"Don't you dare look at me like I'm the crazy one, Kendall!" Grace yelled, jabbing her chest with her finger, "don't you know how fucked up incest is!? I just want you to see that so you'll stop doing what he wants!"

They stared at each other aggressively, their emotions racing. Kendall could not stop her accusations, and Grace would not leave without hearing what she wanted. Kendall had no choice and pulled her phone out. After a few taps with her thumb, she showed Grace the screen, dialing someone named Jake. She held the phone near her face on speaker, staring into Grace's dark eyes. Grace made a cynical face as it rang, unsure what would happen.

"Hey," a male voice answered.

"Um, hey, Babe," Kendall said awkwardly, trying to stay composed, "can I come over tonight?"

"I thought you said you weren't free til Friday," the voice responded.

"Guess I couldn't wait that long," Kendall answered with a smirk, performing her best role yet, "can we push it forward?"

"You were just here last night," the voice chuckled, "you sure you're not sick of me?"

Grace stared at her, and her eyes suddenly wandered down in thought, listening to the voice destroy her entire theory.

"Not a chance," Kendall giggled, "I'll see you in a bit?"

"Yeah, sure," the voice answered, "see you soon."

"'Kay, bye," Kendall hung up, returning her gaze to Grace, who stared at her, appalled.

"That was Jake," Kendall said with an attitude, opening her car door, "the guy I've been seeing."

"Okay, wait- whoa, whoa, whoa!" Grace panicked, sprinting to Kendall's door, feeling her mistake set in, "but the guy at the Cloud Mobile store told me-"